{"id":59290,"date":"2026-03-01T19:38:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T23:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-reeling-us-and-israel-strike-tehran-as-irans-supreme-leader-killed\/59290\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T19:38:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T23:38:32","slug":"global-markets-reeling-us-and-israel-strike-tehran-as-irans-supreme-leader-killed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-reeling-us-and-israel-strike-tehran-as-irans-supreme-leader-killed\/59290\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Reeling: US and Israel Strike Tehran as Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Killed"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Israel and the United States launched &quot;Operation Epic Fury,&quot;<\/strong> a massive joint military strike that resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader <strong>Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/strong> and several top officials.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Global energy prices surged<\/strong> on fears of a wider regional war, with <strong>Brent crude hitting $82.37\/bbl<\/strong> and <strong>WTI jumping to $80.82\/bbl<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safe-haven demand spiked<\/strong>, driving <strong>Spot <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold<\/a> up approximately 1%<\/strong> while equity futures plummeted, led by a <strong>1.1% drop in Nasdaq futures<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Iran\u2019s leadership has transitioned to a temporary council<\/strong> as the country retaliates with missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting U.S. bases and Gulf nations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The E3 (France, UK, and Germany) issued a joint statement<\/strong> condemning Iran\u2019s &quot;indiscriminate&quot; counterattacks and warning of potential direct military intervention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Middle East Escalation: Operation Epic Fury<\/h2>\n<p>The Middle East has been plunged into a state of high-intensity conflict following a series of coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on <strong>Tehran<\/strong>. The operation, reportedly dubbed <strong>&quot;Operation Epic Fury,&quot;<\/strong> successfully targeted a high-level meeting on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader <strong>Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/strong>. On Sunday, Israel launched a second wave of strikes on the Iranian capital, aiming to dismantle the country&#39;s remaining air defense systems and internal security apparatus.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the leadership vacuum, <strong>Iran\u2019s President Masoud Pezeshkian<\/strong> announced that a <strong>leadership council<\/strong> has taken over governance. Tehran has already initiated a &quot;large-scale&quot; retaliation, firing ballistic missiles and drones at targets in <strong>Israel<\/strong>, as well as U.S. assets in <strong>Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE<\/strong>. The <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, a critical artery for 20% of the world\u2019s oil supply, is reportedly facing disruptions, with shipping giants like <strong>Maersk<\/strong> suspending crossings.<\/p>\n<h2>Market Reaction: Flight to Safety<\/h2>\n<p>Financial markets reacted with immediate volatility as the scale of the conflict became clear. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/sp500\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"snp500 today\">S&amp;P 500<\/a> E-minis (<a href=\"\/stock\/ES=F\">ES=F<\/a>)<\/strong> dropped <strong>0.9%<\/strong>, while the tech-heavy <strong>Nasdaq futures (<a href=\"\/stock\/NQ=F\">NQ=F<\/a>)<\/strong> fell <strong>1.1%<\/strong>. In Asia, the <strong>Nikkei 225 (<a href=\"\/stock\/N225\">^N225<\/a>)<\/strong> is bracing for a significant sell-off, with futures trading at <strong>57,800<\/strong>, a sharp decline from the previous cash close of <strong>58,850<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Investors rushed into safe-haven assets, pushing <strong>Spot Gold<\/strong> up by <strong>1%<\/strong> as geopolitical risk premiums were reassessed. Interestingly, <strong>U.S. Fed Fund Futures<\/strong> for December dropped by <strong>3 basis points<\/strong>, suggesting that traders are beginning to price in a <em>slight reduction in expected interest rates<\/em> as the central bank may need to account for the economic shock of a prolonged conflict.<\/p>\n<h2>Diplomatic and Legislative Response<\/h2>\n<p>The international community is rapidly taking sides. <strong>France, the UK, and Germany (E3)<\/strong> issued a joint statement condemning Iran\u2019s &quot;indiscriminate and disproportionate&quot; missile attacks on neighboring states. The E3 warned that they are prepared to take <strong>&quot;proportionate defensive action&quot;<\/strong> to destroy Iranian missile capabilities at their source if the strikes do not cease.<\/p>\n<p>In Washington, the <strong>White House<\/strong> confirmed that the <strong>Department of War<\/strong> briefed bipartisan congressional staff on Sunday regarding the ongoing military operations. A full briefing for Congress is scheduled for Tuesday, featuring Secretary of State <strong>Marco Rubio<\/strong>, Secretary of War <strong>Pete Hegseth<\/strong>, CIA Director <strong>John Ratcliffe<\/strong>, and General <strong>Dan Caine<\/strong>. Lawmakers are reportedly pushing for increased oversight as the U.S. military objective appears to have shifted toward regime change in Tehran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Israel and the United States launched &quot;Operation Epic Fury,&quot; a massive joint military strike that resulted in the 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