Major news from the Strait of Hormuz! Trump's latest statement! Crude oil crashes! Gold and silver surge!

Breaking news from the Middle East once again causes major asset fluctuations.

This morning, crude oil opened sharply lower. As of press time, WTI crude oil has fallen over 4%.

In precious metals, gold and silver prices surged. As of press time, spot gold rose more than 1.4%, breaking through $4,500, and spot silver increased over 2.3%. Meanwhile, COMEX gold jumped nearly 3%, and COMEX silver rose over 4%.

The three major U.S. stock indexes all closed lower. The Dow fell 0.18% to 46,124.06 points, the S&P 500 declined 0.37% to 6,556.37 points, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.84% to 21,761.89 points.

Most Chinese concept stocks declined, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index down 0.43%. Individual stocks included Hesai Technology down over 14%, Xinye Technology down more than 4%, Autohome down over 3%, Bilibili down over 3%, and Qifu Technology nearly 3%.

The main factor influencing market trends remains the conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.

According to CCTV News, the U.S. government has proposed a peace plan through Pakistan to Iran, containing 15 conditions to end the conflict, covering nuclear programs, missile capabilities, and regional issues.

It is reported that the main U.S. demands include: Iran dismantling its current nuclear capabilities, promising not to develop nuclear weapons, banning uranium enrichment on its soil, transferring about 60% of its high-enriched uranium stockpile, dismantling nuclear facilities such as Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, and allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) full inspections. Additionally, the U.S. requires Iran to cease supporting regional allies with weapons, funding, and command, restrict the size and range of ballistic missiles for defensive use only, and ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open.

In exchange, Iran may receive a comprehensive lifting of international sanctions, U.S. support for civilian nuclear projects, and the cancellation of the “Rapid Restoration of Sanctions” mechanism.

It is understood that the U.S. is considering pushing for a one-month ceasefire to facilitate further negotiations on these terms. The plan is promoted by Trump advisors including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

President Trump stated at the White House that the U.S. has “won” in its actions against Iran, claiming Iran has been “completely defeated,” and described the current situation as not a “stalemate conflict,” but rather that Iran has been “militarily weakened.”

Trump said Iran “has no navy, no air force, and lacks effective defense capabilities,” asserting that the U.S. holds an absolute advantage in related operations, and criticized some media for describing the situation as a “stalemate war,” calling such reports “not factual.”

He also pointed out that the U.S. has the capacity to further strike Iran’s critical infrastructure but hopes to end the conflict through negotiations to avoid more losses. Trump stated, “This conflict can end,” but did not make a definitive judgment on the final agreement.

Regarding nuclear issues, Trump reiterated that Iran “will not have nuclear weapons,” and claimed that U.S. military actions had “destroyed its nuclear capability.” He also mentioned that if he had not withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, Iran might have “already obtained nuclear weapons.”

(Source: Securities Times)