From taking over Iran’s oil industry to a handshake — all within the space of four hours. It is the contemporary standard in diplomacy. Threaten to hit your enemy "VERY HARD," then embrace them. Whatever the outcome, claim victory. Call off the strike and announce a deal with Iran that has been approved by "all parties."
The dark hand of inflation starts to exercise its grip within the United States as it once again accelerates; the May CPI climbed 4.2 percent year-on-year, the most since early 2023. Although the Core CPI, that which excludes food and energy, came in below expectation by increasing 0.2 percent over April, it is likely that energy costs are starting to haunt the wider economy of the US and the lower-than-expected monthly increase is due to a change in spending habits from consumers who are cutting down on non-essentials as it is not only homegrown demand that pushes pump prices higher.
Overnight developments strongly imply that, despite hopes and prevailing narratives, this conflict will not end any time soon. In fact, the escalation is a genuine cause for concern. Iran played the role of the bad actor in the latest twist of this Middle East saga when it downed an American Apache helicopter over the Strait. The response was swift, as the US military struck Iranian targets, leading to an intensifying exchange of fire.
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