{"id":64407,"date":"2026-07-08T00:08:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T04:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/u-s-iran-conflict-escalates-with-strikes-on-85-military-sites-smarthr-postpones-ipo\/64407\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T00:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T04:08:19","slug":"u-s-iran-conflict-escalates-with-strikes-on-85-military-sites-smarthr-postpones-ipo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/u-s-iran-conflict-escalates-with-strikes-on-85-military-sites-smarthr-postpones-ipo\/64407\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S.-Iran Conflict Escalates with Strikes on 85 Military Sites; SmartHR Postpones IPO"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) targeted 85 U.S. military sites<\/strong> in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday, citing retaliation for a U.S. ceasefire violation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Global helium supplies are under severe pressure<\/strong> following strikes on Qatar\u2019s production facilities, creating a supply-demand imbalance that is currently benefiting Chinese material suppliers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SmartHR has officially postponed its Tokyo IPO<\/strong> until 2025 or later, as investors balked at the company&#39;s $1 billion (\u00a5160 billion) target valuation amid SaaS sector volatility.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indonesia\u2019s Danantara has finalized a landmark merger<\/strong> of four state-owned asset managers, creating the nation&#39;s largest financial powerhouse to compete regionally.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The U.S. military confirmed a new wave of strikes<\/strong> against 80+ targets in Iran after Tehran allegedly attacked three commercial vessels in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Middle East Conflict Reaches New Boiling Point<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)<\/strong> announced on Wednesday that it launched a massive joint missile and drone operation against <strong>85 U.S. military facilities<\/strong> across Bahrain and Kuwait. This significant escalation follows a series of U.S. precision strikes overnight that targeted over <strong>80 sites<\/strong> in Iran, including air defense systems and IRGC naval assets. The IRGC also claimed to have downed a <strong>U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone<\/strong> in southern Iran, an assertion that comes as regional sirens were reported in both Kuwait City and Manama.<\/p>\n<p>The renewed violence has effectively shattered the fragile <strong>Islamabad Memorandum<\/strong>, an interim ceasefire agreement intended to provide a 60-day window for peace negotiations. Tensions spiked after Washington accused Tehran of striking three ships in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, a critical chokepoint for 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). <em>Market analysts warn that the collapse of these talks could lead to a prolonged maritime blockade, further destabilizing global energy and material markets.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Helium Supply Shock Ripples Through Tech Sector<\/h2>\n<p>The ongoing conflict has triggered a &quot;hidden crisis&quot; in the semiconductor industry due to the disruption of <strong>helium<\/strong> production. Following Iranian strikes on Qatar\u2019s <strong>Ras Laffan Industrial City<\/strong>, which accounts for roughly <strong>30% of global helium supply<\/strong>, QatarEnergy has declared <em>Force Majeure<\/em>. This shortage is particularly critical for chipmakers like <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) and Intel (<a href=\"\/stock\/INTC\">INTC<\/a>), as helium is a non-substitutable cooling agent for <strong>Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography<\/strong> systems.<\/p>\n<p>Chinese companies are reportedly capitalizing on these supply-demand shifts, leveraging domestic reserves and alternative trade routes to fill the vacuum left by Middle Eastern disruptions. While major manufacturers like TSMC (<a href=\"\/stock\/TSM\">TSM<\/a>) have maintained 60-to-90-day safety buffers, these inventories are rapidly depleting. <em>Industry experts suggest that if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, chipmakers may be forced to prioritize high-margin AI hardware over consumer electronics.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Corporate News: SmartHR IPO Delay and Indonesian Consolidation<\/h2>\n<p>In the financial markets, the Japanese HR platform <strong>SmartHR<\/strong> has postponed its highly anticipated IPO. Sources indicate that the decision stemmed from investor pushback regarding a <strong>$1 billion (\u00a5160 billion)<\/strong> valuation, which was deemed too aggressive given the current cooling of the SaaS market. Backed by <strong>KKR<\/strong> and <strong>General Atlantic<\/strong>, the unicorn had hoped to lead a resurgence in the Tokyo IPO pipeline but will now wait for more favorable market conditions in 2027 or later.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Indonesia\u2019s sovereign wealth fund, <strong>Danantara<\/strong>, has successfully completed the merger of four local firms\u2014including the investment arms of <strong>Bank Mandiri<\/strong> and <strong>Bank Rakyat Indonesia<\/strong>. This consolidation creates the country&#39;s largest asset manager, designed to optimize the value of state assets and improve Indonesia&#39;s competitive standing against regional financial hubs. The move follows a model similar to the 2021 merger of Indonesia&#39;s state sharia banks, aiming for greater operational efficiency and professional governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) targeted 85 U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday, citing retaliation for 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