WS #12186

The US-Iran conflict is ESCALATING with new US strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation against Gulf sites, as confirmed by multiple sources (Al Jazeera, Bluesky, GDELT). Diesel prices hit $5/gallon, up 33% since the start of the war (NYT). Oil prices are spiking, with Brent above $85 and heating oil prices surging. A potential counter-signal: the US disabled an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and India is seeking alternative supply routes, but Iran has threatened those alternatives. Separately, TSMC announced an additional $100B US investment, bringing total to $265B, with 12 facilities planned (confirmed by Seeking Alpha, Bluesky, pro-wire). NVIDIA is providing AI hardware to Toyota for smart cities and carmaking factories (Bluesky). Uber agreed to acquire Delivery Hero for ~$14.8B (pro-wire, GDELT). The UK economy grew 0.1% in May (Bluesky). The dominant narrative remains geopolitical risk from Iran, with oil supply disruption as the key transmission mechanism, but the TSMC/NVIDIA positive signals provide a counterweight for tech.