Iran's New Supreme Leader Takes Tough Stance, Oil Price Continues to Rise, US Stock Market's Three Major Indexes Fall

March 12 – In his first statement since assuming office, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei declared the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed, adding all U.S. military bases in the region should shut immediately or face attacks. He also noted research has been conducted on other fronts where adversaries lack experience and are highly vulnerable, with these fronts potentially activated if the war continues and such action is deemed appropriate. Analyst Dara Doyle stated the market views Khamenei’s remarks as strongly hardline, with little indication Iran is prepared to compromise with the U.S. or Israel. Per Bitget data: - WTI crude oil rose over 9% intraday to $96.42 per barrel; - Spot gold fell 0.93% intraday to $5,128 per ounce; - U.S. major stock indexes declined: Nasdaq down 1.82%, Dow Jones Industrial Average down 1.45%, S&P 500 down 1.39%; - Cryptocurrencies remained resilient amid market volatility: Bitcoin was up 0.05% in 24 hours at $70,399, Ethereum up 0.66% at $2,067.