Masoud Pezeshkian rejected a USA demand for unconditional surrender after US and Israeli strikes killed Ali Khamenei and sparked regional attacks.Global energy markets faced severe disruption as oil prices hit 90 dollars while merchant traffic in the Strait of Hormuz fell by 85 percent.Prediction markets like Polymarket recorded over 1 billion dollars in wagers on the conflict, leading to calls for federal betting bans.Heavy fighting continues across the Middle East following the launch of
Operation Epic Fury and retaliatory strikes against
Saudi Arabia and UAE.