WS #12336

The US-Iran conflict continues to ESCALATE sharply, with new reports of Iran directly hitting the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which hosts US troops, causing fires in barracks and fuel storage areas. US military personnel are reported wounded in Jordan. Kuwaiti air defenses remain active engaging incoming missile and drone attacks. The Strait of Hormuz disruption persists, with Polymarket contracts showing bets on reduced traffic and Iran military action against Gulf states. Ukraine launched hundreds of drones toward Moscow, setting an oil depot and a Wildberries logistics center on fire, escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict. NATO and EU allies are pressuring Greece to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Separately, India's Skyroot launched its first privately built orbital rocket, a positive signal for the space sector. Meta faces dual pressures: EU regulations threatening core engagement and heavy AI investment scrutiny over cloud ROI and ad integrity, with CISO departures and fraud allegations. Microsoft declared war on OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, pushing sales to highlight rival weaknesses. Nvidia CEO's leather jacket sold for $960,000 at Sotheby's, a cultural signal of AI boom interest. The macro narrative remains dominated by geopolitical risk and inflation fears, with the oil spike as the primary market mover. The dominant theme is ESCALATING.