{"id":59292,"date":"2026-03-01T21:38:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-plunge-as-us-israel-strikes-kill-khamenei-oil-and-platinum-surge\/59292\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T21:38:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:38:33","slug":"global-markets-plunge-as-us-israel-strikes-kill-khamenei-oil-and-platinum-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-plunge-as-us-israel-strikes-kill-khamenei-oil-and-platinum-surge\/59292\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Plunge as US-Israel Strikes Kill Khamenei; Oil and Platinum Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/indices\/dowjones\/today\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Dow Jones Today\">Dow Jones<\/a> Industrial Average (<a href=\"\/stock\/DIA\">DIA<\/a>) futures plummeted more than 550 points<\/strong> following the confirmed death of Iranian Supreme Leader <strong>Ali Hosseini Khamenei<\/strong> in joint US-Israeli strikes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nymex crude oil trading triggered a circuit breaker<\/strong> as prices surged amid fears of a prolonged regional war, while <strong>Platinum jumped over 3% to reach $2,435.50 an ounce<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President Trump signaled a multi-week conflict<\/strong> but offered a path to lifting sanctions if a pragmatic new Iranian leadership emerges, identifying <strong>three potential candidates<\/strong> for the role.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hezbollah launched its deepest attack inside Israel<\/strong> to date, prompting retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on <strong>Beirut<\/strong> and heightening fears of a full-scale Lebanese front.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Asian markets and currencies weakened broadly<\/strong>, with the <strong>Nikkei 225 (<a href=\"\/stock\/N225\">N225<\/a>)<\/strong> closing 1% lower as investors fled to safe-haven assets like <strong>Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Global financial markets entered a state of high volatility on Monday after a series of military escalations in the Middle East. <strong>Dow Jones (<a href=\"\/stock\/DIA\">DIA<\/a>) futures fell over 550 points<\/strong> as investors reacted to the news of the death of <strong>Ali Hosseini Khamenei<\/strong> during joint military operations by the <strong>United States<\/strong> and <strong>Israel<\/strong>. <em>The sudden vacuum in Iranian leadership has triggered widespread uncertainty regarding the stability of global energy supplies.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Commodity markets saw immediate disruptions, with <strong>CME Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/CME\">CME<\/a>)<\/strong> reporting that a <strong>circuit breaker was activated<\/strong> at the start of <strong>Nymex crude oil<\/strong> trading. <strong>Platinum prices<\/strong> also experienced a significant breakout, surging more than <strong>3% to $2,435.50 per ounce<\/strong>. <em>Traders are aggressively hedging against geopolitical risk, driving precious metals to multi-month highs as the conflict threatens to expand.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In <strong>Lebanon<\/strong>, the situation deteriorated rapidly as <strong>Hezbollah<\/strong> pledged to confront the &quot;aggression&quot; following the strikes on Iranian leadership. The group launched its <strong>deepest strikes into Israeli territory<\/strong>, while the Israeli military confirmed it has begun <strong>airstrikes on targets in Beirut<\/strong>. <strong>Lebanon\u2019s Prime Minister<\/strong> condemned the launch of projectiles from the south as &quot;irresponsible,&quot; stating the government would act to ensure national security and avoid being drawn into &quot;fresh adventures.&quot;<\/p>\n<p><strong>President Trump<\/strong>, returning to the <strong>White House<\/strong>, suggested that the military campaign could last for <strong>several weeks<\/strong>. He noted that <strong>Arab states<\/strong> did not need to be directly involved in the strikes and indicated a willingness to <strong>lift sanctions<\/strong> if Iran\u2019s next leader proves to be pragmatic. Trump reportedly told the <em>New York Times<\/em> that there are currently <strong>three strong candidates<\/strong> being considered for Iran\u2019s future leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Asian markets reflected the global unease, with the <strong>Nikkei 225 (<a href=\"\/stock\/N225\">N225<\/a>)<\/strong> cutting earlier losses but still ending the day <strong>1% lower<\/strong>. <strong>Asian currencies<\/strong> weakened against the dollar, and <strong>China\u2019s central bank<\/strong> set the <strong>USD\/CNY<\/strong> midpoint 8 pips higher at <strong>6.9236<\/strong>. <em>The flight to quality was evident in the bond markets, where Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) rose as investors sought shelter from the escalating geopolitical turmoil.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>On the digital front, <strong>Elon Musk<\/strong> announced that <strong>\ud835\udd4f (formerly Twitter)<\/strong> reached an <strong>all-time record in usage<\/strong> as users flocked to the platform for real-time updates. Meanwhile, reports of <strong>successive explosions in Ahvaz<\/strong> and a suspected <strong>drone attack at a British RAF base in Cyprus<\/strong> suggest the conflict&#39;s footprint is widening. Despite the violence, <strong>Fox News<\/strong> reported crowds gathering in cities worldwide to thank the U.S. administration for taking action against the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) futures plummeted more than 550 points following the confirmed death of Iranian Supreme 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