WS #8713

The US-Iran conflict continues to escalate with active military exchanges, but markets are rising as both sides keep diplomatic channels open. A key development is the reported resignation of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, which could signal internal instability and potentially shift the trajectory of negotiations. This is corroborated by a Bluesky post citing CGTN Africa. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will convene an emergency session on Israel's expanded operations in southern Lebanon, adding another layer of geopolitical risk. On the positive side, Japan's Nikkei closed at an all-time high, and SoftBank is set to overtake Toyota as Japan's most valuable company, underscoring the AI boom. The Nvidia ecosystem continues to expand with Uber and Autobrains partnering on a Munich robotaxi program powered by Nvidia Drive, reinforcing the bullish AI narrative. Fed Chair Powell warned against politicizing the central bank, a neutral signal for markets. Overall, the dominant theme is US-Iran conflict ESCALATING but with diplomatic off-ramps still open, while the AI/tech narrative remains STABLE to ESCALATING.