International crude oil prices rallied in the short term following the U.S. launching an attack inside Iran.

U.S. Central Command issued a statement: "The U.S. military launched strikes on targets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at 12 p.m. Eastern Time (12 a.m. Beijing Time). The strikes are in response to recent attempts by the IRGC to attack commercial shipping and U.S. military personnel in the Strait of Hormuz."

According to reports from Israel's Channel 12, Saudi media Hadas, and Iran's Mehr News Agency, sources said the United States launched an attack inside Iran, with explosions reported in multiple locations in southern Iran including Chabahar and Bandar Abbas. The deputy governor of Hormozgan Province stated that as of now, there have been no casualties or accident reports in the province. US officials claimed that the US Air Force struck Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. (Jinshi)

According to Israeli media, sources have claimed that the United States carried out an attack inside Iran. Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in Iran's Chabahar and Bandar Abbas ports.

Beating AI News Flash: AI power infrastructure firm SB Energy has filed an initial public offering (IPO) application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), planning to list on the Nasdaq and Nasdaq Texas Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "SBE", with SoftBank as its controlling shareholder. According to the prospectus, SB Energy states its business is "highly dependent" on OpenAI, which acts as both a data center tenant and a shareholder. OpenAI’s operational performance will significantly impact the company’s near-term revenue, project financing, and development plans. As of the prospectus filing date, SB Energy has not yet put any data centers into operation, and its data center business has not generated revenue. In the first half of 2026, the company recorded a net loss of approximately $3.2 billion and revenue of around $139 million, primarily from its traditional energy operations. The company also disclosed that AI data center construction relies heavily on external financing and partner support. According to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, SB Energy is seeking to raise between $50 billion and $70 billion via the IPO, with a potential listing as early as this month. Backed by SoftBank, the firm has secured investments from OpenAI, NVIDIA, and other entities. NVIDIA previously announced it would provide $105 billion in financing for OpenAI’s Ohio data center project, which will be built by SB Energy. SB Energy further warned that AI data centers face risks including community opposition, local regulatory constraints, slowing demand for AI infrastructure, technological advancements making facilities obsolete, and declining capital expenditures from hyperscale cloud providers.

Due to renewed attacks on refineries amid the Middle East conflict and the Ukraine war, diesel supplies have tightened further, pushing prices to their highest level in over four months, stoking inflation concerns and exerting broader upward pressure on essential goods prices. ICE diesel futures rose as much as 4.2%, hitting their highest since April 9. The crack spread (the gap between diesel and Brent crude oil prices) remains elevated, having hit an all-time high last month. European diesel prices have also continued to climb, widening the gap with Asian diesel prices. Diesel prices have surged more than 50% since their June 18 low, outpacing the increase in crude oil prices over the same period. (Jin10)

According to Axios, citing three U.S. officials, the Trump administration is weighing approval of a military plan put forward by U.S. Central Command to conduct "periodic limited strikes" against Iran’s radar, air defense systems, and anti-ship missile positions near the Strait of Hormuz, aimed at blocking Iran from rebuilding its military capability to attack merchant vessels. The operation is internally dubbed "mow the lawn" by the U.S. military, with its core approach being to weaken Iran’s military facilities via sustained, limited military actions rather than launching a full-scale war. Trump has not formally approved the plan yet, but the White House’s stance on the proposal could shift in the wake of Iran’s recent missile attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan. U.S. officials stated that Iran is seeking to restore its radar, air defense, and anti-ship missile capabilities, and the U.S. military deems regular strikes necessary to maintain shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military has previously struck Iranian military targets near the strait and carried out mine clearance and escort operations. If the plan is greenlit, it would signal a potential shift in U.S. military actions against Iran from phased strikes to continuous, low-intensity military suppression, which could further escalate U.S.-Iran tensions and raise shipping risks in the Strait of Hormuz.