WS #9556

The dominant signal in this window is the sharp escalation of US-Iran conflict. President Trump threatened on Truth Social to strike Iran 'VERY HARD TONIGHT' and to seize Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure, aiming for 'total control' of Iran's oil and gas markets. This is corroborated by multiple sources (Reuters, CNN, Al Jazeera, NYT, BBC, Bloomberg, and numerous social media posts). The threat follows two days of US-Iran strikes and stalled ceasefire talks. Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and has specifically threatened Elon Musk's companies (TSLA, SpaceX). Separately, the Pentagon was locked down due to an air quality incident (hazmat response), and the UK Defence Secretary resigned citing inadequate defense against Russia. On the corporate side, Nvidia is acquiring Kumo AI for $400M+, OpenAI is acquiring cloud platform Ona, and Bezos' AI startup Prometheus raised $12B at a $41B valuation. The US House failed to extend FISA Section 702 surveillance authority. The SEC proposed scrapping the order protection rule. Wegovy pill was approved in the UK. Oil prices are elevated (WTI ~$89, Brent ~$92) with potential for further spike if Kharg Island is seized. The macro narrative is ESCALATING on US-Iran conflict, with no genuine de-escalation counter-signal in this window.