Odaily According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, in response to U.S. President Trump's "ultimatum" demanding that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on the 22nd that once Iran's infrastructure, such as power plants, becomes a target, all important energy and oil facilities in the entire Middle East region will be considered legitimate targets and face irreversible destruction, leading to long-term increases in oil prices. On the evening of the 21st, Trump posted on social media, demanding that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, otherwise, he would launch strikes and destroy Iran's "various power plants." (Xinhua News Agency)
Odaily News U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent stated: "I think the American people understand that after experiencing 50 days—I don't want to be too rigid about the timeframe, but let's just say 50 days—of temporary price increases, prices will eventually fall back; and in return, we will gain 50 years of peace, meaning an Iranian regime without nuclear weapons. Thanks to President Trump, the American people are beginning to grasp this principle: without security, there can be no prosperity." When asked if this means prices will start to fall back after 50 days, Bessent said: "I was just giving an offhand example. I don't know if it will be exactly 30 days, 50 days, or 100 days, but it can be exchanged for 50 years of peace in the Middle East and a weakened Iranian regime." (NBC News)
According to Iranian media reports on the 22nd, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran stated that if U.S. President Trump's threat to attack Iranian power plants is carried out, Iran will immediately take four measures. These include completely closing the Strait of Hormuz, striking all power plants, energy, and information technology facilities in Israel, completely destroying all U.S.-owned companies in the Middle East region, and attacking power plants in Middle Eastern countries that host U.S. military bases. (Xinhua News Agency)
Odaily News: Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf stated that once our country's power plants and infrastructure are attacked, key infrastructure, energy facilities, and oil facilities across the entire region will be considered legitimate targets and suffer irreversible destruction. At that time, international oil prices will remain high for a long period. (Jin10)
Odaily News The Israeli Defense Forces have initiated large-scale strikes on Tehran's infrastructure. (Jin10)
Odaily News Goldman Sachs' commodities research team expects that high oil prices are likely to persist for an extended period. Goldman Sachs currently anticipates that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz will remain at a low level of 5% of normal capacity for up to six weeks before gradually recovering to normal levels. Furthermore, given the heightened focus on risks associated with high production concentration and spare capacity, strategic reserves are expected to see structural growth, leading to higher long-term prices. Goldman Sachs now forecasts the average Brent crude price for 2026 to be $85 per barrel, up from its previous estimate of $77 per barrel. (Jin10)
Odaily News On Monday, spot gold once fell to $4,320.30 per ounce—just over a dollar higher than its price at the end of last year, nearly erasing all gains for the year. Meanwhile, the war in the Middle East has entered its fourth week, with new threats of attacks exchanged between the United States and Iran. Since the conflict began, rising oil prices have increased inflation risks and reduced the likelihood of the Federal Reserve and other central banks cutting interest rates in the short term. This is a negative factor for gold, which has fallen for eight consecutive trading days and just recorded its largest weekly decline since 1983. Kyle Rodda, an analyst at Capital.com, stated that due to technical reasons, "gold is expected to rebound in the short term," which largely depends on "whether Trump can follow through on his threat to attack Iran's power plants." (Jin10)
Odaily News According to Gate data, spot platinum fell more than 3% intraday to $1,857.35 per ounce.
Spot silver plunged $3 intraday, currently trading at $64.84 per ounce, down 4.43%.
Spot gold tumbled 2.00% intraday, currently trading at $4,407.89 per ounce.
According to Gate data, spot gold has fallen below the key $4,400 per ounce level, currently trading at $4,386.96, representing an intraday decline of 2.39%.
Odaily News European stock index futures extended losses, with Euro Stoxx 50 futures falling 1.1% and German DAX futures dropping 1.2%.
The Korea Exchange activated a circuit breaker for the KOSPI index after KOSPI 200 futures fell 5%, halting program trading for 5 minutes.
The Nikkei 225 index's decline widened to 4%. (Jin10 Data APP)
Odaily News On March 22 local time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in the southern city of Arad that Israel is responding to attacks from Iran, but not targeting civilians. Netanyahu said that Israel's targets are the current Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and that the Israeli military will directly strike the leaders of the IRGC as well as their infrastructure and economic assets. (CCTV News)
