US President Donald Trump said his country does not know whether Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new leader, is still alive. Meanwhile, US allies have shown reluctance to respond to Washington's request for help in escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz. According to some reports, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are in contact via the Signal messaging app. Separately, Iran linked maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has reached its highest level since the start of the war.

Donald Trump urged other countries to step in to secure the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the United States alone would not protect the vital waterway. He said he was in talks with about seven countries to help reopen the route, citing China and other countries' dependence on the region's oil. The US president warned that an upcoming summit with Xi Jinping would be postponed if Beijing did not cooperate, and described the future of NATO as "very bad."

Gold prices have stabilized above 5,000 dollars per ounce amid geopolitical tensions and inflation concerns driven by rising energy costs. The precious metal has gained about 16 percent since the beginning of this year. Demand in China remains strong, with Chinese investors adding more than 17 billion yuan (equivalent to 2.5 billion dollars) to gold exchange traded funds since the Lunar New Year holiday.

Goldman Sachs investment bank warned that the impact of the Middle East war on refined products like jet fuel and diesel has been greater than on crude oil. According to the report, while Brent crude prices have exceeded 100 dollars per barrel, fuel costs in parts of Asia have doubled. This disruption stems from the near complete halt of