Israeli Attack on Global Economy, U.S. Affected Most Severely
"The Economist": War with Iran will be long and bloody
Author: Konstantin Orshansky
"The arbitrary military attack on the civilian population of UN member states is absolutely unacceptable," the Russian Foreign Ministry sternly condemned Israel's actions. The Russian side believes that Israel has seriously violated the Charter of the United Nations.
Russia's position is completely consistent with Iran's. Tehran called Israel's behavior "reckless, illegal, and deliberate aggression" and has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
As the conflict escalates, the Federal Air Transport Agency of the Russian Federation not only prohibits airlines from its country from taking off from Israeli and Iranian airports but also bans flying over the airspace of these two countries as well as Jordan and Iraq.
This war seems to last for a long time, not the "two weeks to end" that Israeli authorities tried clumsily to reassure the public. The Times of Israel cited Major General Shlomi Binder, head of Israeli military intelligence, who said that the war with Iran would be a "war of survival," where the opponent is attempting to destroy Israel. Binder stated that the war would last for "the number of days required to eliminate the threat."
The Economist analysis believes that the war is prolonged because Israel simply lacks the resources for a blitzkrieg. The media pointed out that Israel's air force has about 300 manned fighter jets and long-range drones, but due to the lack of tankers, the number of simultaneous attacks is extremely limited.
The New York Times reported that Israel attacked military bases, Tabriz military airport, and residential areas of senior commanders in the suburbs of Tehran. However, in fact, Israel's first wave of attacks hardly affected its target - Iran's nuclear program. Director General Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that key facilities of Iran's nuclear program (including the well-protected Natanz and Fordow uranium enrichment plants) were not hit.
Bloomberg noted that the Natanz nuclear facility is located more than 40 meters underground, protected by a steel and concrete shell up to 8 meters thick; the Fordo plant is built into the slope of a mountain, with a depth of half a kilometer underground, making it extremely difficult to approach with conventional military attacks.
Nevertheless, the Israeli army still launched attacks on targets with weaker ground defenses, including power lines, transformers, and research laboratories. According to Bloomberg reports, these actions caused power outages, forcing Iran to stop running uranium enrichment centrifuges.
In response to Israel's military aggression, financial markets have experienced severe fluctuations: major stock indices have fallen, the price of Bitcoin has dropped, while oil and gold prices have soared dramatically.
Brent crude oil prices instantly rose by 8%, marking the largest increase in more than three years. The Financial Times said this was due to traders' concerns over "possible supply disruptions in one of the world's most important energy-producing regions."
Michael Alfarro, Chief Investment Officer at Gallo Partners, said that the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict will keep oil prices high. It is worth noting that this is highly beneficial for Russia - nearly one-third of its budget revenue depends on energy exports.
One of the main vulnerabilities in the current situation is the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-third of the world's seaborne oil passes.
Tehran has repeatedly threatened to block this "energy valve" if Israel breaches its trust and attacks. In addition, Saudi Arabia and Iraq's world-class oil fields are within the range of Iran's missiles and drones. Riyadh naturally condemned Israel's aggressive behavior. Qatar, one of the largest liquefied natural gas suppliers, faces threats as its exports mainly pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Western analysts unanimously believe that Israel's attack is not only aimed at Iran but also at the United States. The Financial Times called this "covert attack" economic in nature: Donald Trump previously promised to maintain low oil prices to curb inflation, but the rise in oil prices (which could reach $100 per barrel according to some forecasts) directly contradicts this promise made by the U.S. president.
Bloomberg pointed out that Israel's aggressive action took place just two days before the planned talks between Iran and the U.S. in Oman. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has stated that Israel's attack "could not have happened without coordination and approval from the U.S."
Araqchi emphasized: "The U.S. government, as the main supporter of this regime, must also take responsibility for the frightening consequences of such actions."
In response to these accusations, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington did not participate in Israel's attack on Iran. However, Donald Trump confirmed in an interview with Fox News that the U.S. government was aware of the attack plan beforehand. The White House owner also said that he had asked Israeli authorities not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, but now it seems that not only Zelenskyy no longer listens to Trump, but Israel also turns a deaf ear to him.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7515783351840653875/
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