Iranian Parliament approves bill to impose transit fees on the Strait of Hormuz

On March 30, local time, Iran’s parliamentary National Security Committee passed a bill proposing to charge ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The plan includes implementing a financial arrangement and a toll collection system in the form of Iranian rials; banning U.S. and Israeli ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz; maintaining Iran and its armed forces’ dominant position; prohibiting ships from countries that participate in unilateral sanctions against Iran from passing; Iran will cooperate with Oman to develop the relevant legal framework.

Full-line counteroffensive! Fed Chair issues a major statement! This concerns the Strait of Hormuz—Iran approves it

Powell’s “dovish” remarks send a major signal.

On the evening of March 30, Beijing time, Federal Reserve Chair Powell stated that, against the backdrop of the energy shock triggered by the U.S.-Iran conflict, the Fed is inclined to keep interest rates steady and to temporarily “ignore” the impact of this shock. As a result, traders erased expectations of rate hikes, and market expectations for rate cuts this year increased. The U.S. bond market rallied across the board, with the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury dropping to 4.322%. Meanwhile, the yields on the 10-year government bonds of the UK, Germany, and Japan also declined simultaneously.

However, due to the ongoing escalation of tensions in the Middle East, the three major U.S. stock indexes moved in different directions; the Dow rose 0.11%, while the Nasdaq fell 0.73%. Analysts pointed out that because U.S. President Trump issued new warnings to Iran and the conflict in the Middle East further intensified, these developments offset the positive impact of Powell’s “dovish” stance and progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations.

Regarding the situation, according to the latest report from CCTV, on March 30, local time, Iran’s parliamentary National Security Committee passed a bill proposing to charge ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, according to a recent bulletin from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office, a tanker was struck on its starboard side by an unidentified object approximately 31 nautical miles northwest of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, causing a fire onboard.

Powell’s latest remarks

On March 30, Eastern Time, during a public economics lecture at Harvard University, Fed Chair Powell said that, against the backdrop of the energy shock caused by the U.S.-Iran conflict, the Fed is inclined to keep interest rates unchanged and to temporarily “ignore” the impact of this shock.

He also warned that if rising prices begin to alter the public’s long-term inflation expectations, the Fed may no longer be able to remain passive.

Powell’s recent comments eased market fears that the Fed might be forced to tighten monetary policy to curb accelerating inflation, leading traders to start betting on a small chance of rate cuts this year.

As a result, the U.S. bond market rallied across the board. By Monday’s close in New York, the yield on the 10-year Treasury had fallen to 4.351%, and the 2-year Treasury yield dropped to 3.838%.

Powell believes that the Fed’s current monetary policy is “in a favorable position.” He stated that it is too early to assess how much the Iranian conflict will impact the economy; the effects are not yet clear enough to require immediate action, and the Fed can wait for the impacts to become more evident over time without immediately adjusting interest rates. He also warned that if persistent supply shocks cause inflation expectations to drift, the Fed will have to act.

Powell said that inflation expectations currently “appear well anchored beyond the short term,” remaining above the 2% target, but the Fed is closely monitoring them. He reaffirmed the commitment to bring inflation back down to 2%.

He acknowledged that inflation will remain above target for some time—current inflation is around 3%, with tariffs contributing roughly half to one percentage point. He also noted that tariffs are a one-time shock and there is no indication that the Fed’s previous bond purchases have caused inflation.

Regarding U.S. stocks, the three major indexes moved differently; at the close, the Dow rose 0.11%, the Nasdaq fell 0.73%, and the S&P 500 declined 0.39%.

Most large technology stocks declined; Nvidia and Tesla fell over 1%; Apple and Google closed slightly lower. Meta increased over 2%; Amazon and Microsoft saw modest gains.

U.S. storage chip concept stocks declined across the board, with Micron down nearly 10% and SanDisk down 7%. News reports indicate that several U.S. retailers experienced widespread price reductions for DDR5 memory this week, and last week Google announced an algorithm breakthrough that reduces the memory needed for AI models, making them more efficient.

U.S. aluminum stocks surged; Alcoa (U.S. Aluminum) rose over 8%, Century Aluminum increased more than 7%. In the news, two large aluminum plants in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, both in Gulf countries, have recently confirmed attacks by Iran. Aluminum exports from the Middle East account for about 10% of global supply. International aluminum prices surged, with LME aluminum prices spiking nearly 6% during trading, reaching a high of $3,492 per ton, the highest since March 19.

Rick Meckler, partner at Cherry Lane Investments, said: “The Trump administration continues to send conflicting signals. When these statements are optimistic and believed by the market, they boost stocks; but once they hint at a tougher stance, the market declines.”

Iran’s parliamentary approval

On March 31, Beijing time, according to CCTV News, on March 30, local time, Iran’s parliamentary National Security Committee passed a bill proposing to charge ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The plan includes implementing a financial arrangement and toll system in Iranian rials; banning U.S. and Israeli ships from passing through the Strait; maintaining Iran and its armed forces’ dominant position; prohibiting ships from countries that impose unilateral sanctions on Iran from transiting; Iran will cooperate with Oman to develop the relevant legal framework.

On the 30th, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office issued a bulletin stating that a tanker was struck on its starboard side by an unidentified object approximately 31 nautical miles northwest of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates that day, causing a fire onboard. All personnel on board were reported safe.

Regarding Middle East conflicts, on the evening of March 30, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that they recently carried out a new round of airstrikes on Tehran, targeting infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime.

That night, explosions occurred in eastern Tehran, the capital of Iran.

The Public Relations Department of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement on March 30, stating that later that night, Iranian forces shot down two MQ-9 “Reaper” drones belonging to the U.S. and Israel over Isfahan.

The department also said that during the 87th round of Operation “True Promise-4,” Iran launched four rounds of strikes against U.S. and Israeli targets, destroying multiple military sites.

The statement added that Iranian forces destroyed four U.S. and Israeli personnel assembly points; targeted the Minhadh Air Force Base in the UAE and a secret command-and-control center in an unnamed UAE city operated by the U.S. military—inside the center, over 200 U.S. personnel were present; targeted a command center of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain; attacked an Israeli container ship; and destroyed an air early-warning radar in Saudi Arabia used by the U.S. military.

Iran’s First Vice President Aref warned U.S. President Trump not to send troops to attack Iran’s Khark Island.

Aref stated that Trump can decide whether to send troops to Khark Island, but whether they can withdraw from there will not be under U.S. control, because “no one can come back alive from hell.”

Khark Island is located in the northwest of the Persian Gulf, about 25 kilometers from Iran’s coast. It is approximately 6 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide, and is Iran’s largest crude oil export base, with 90% of Iran’s crude oil exported from there.

Eastmoney chart guide · Add some useful insights

(Source: Securities Times Online)