WS #1600

The data dump reveals escalating military actions in the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with Iran launching missile strikes on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, corroborated by a breaking social media post. This follows earlier threats from Iran's Revolutionary Guards to attack energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar after Israeli strikes on Iran's South Pars gas field, as reported by The Guardian and BBC. The attack on South Pars was coordinated with the US, per Axios via The Guardian, marking a key escalation. Oil prices are reported soaring, with Brent crude exceeding $110 per barrel and Persian Gulf oil hitting $150, indicating immediate market impact. Concurrently, Iraq's Ministry of Electricity states Iranian gas supplies have stopped completely, cutting over 3,000 MW from the national grid, which could exacerbate energy shortages. However, offsetting signals include Saudi Arabia ramping up oil exports to over half of normal levels to bypass the Strait, and about 90 ships crossing the strait as Iran continues exporting oil, suggesting supply disruptions may be mitigated. Ford's COO notes the Iran war has not yet affected its supply chain, providing some stability for automotive stocks. In tech, Microsoft may sue OpenAI and Amazon over a $50B deal potentially breaking Azure exclusivity, which could affect cloud competition and tickers like MSFT, AMZN, and indirectly NVDA. AI-related developments include Super Micro's focus on AI recovery and Coinbase vying for a Cloudflare stablecoin deal for AI agent payments, highlighting ongoing sector momentum.