{"id":64799,"date":"2026-07-14T19:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-threatens-iran-infrastructure-strikes-as-middle-east-conflict-intensifies-nz-retail-spending-slumps\/64799\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T19:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T23:08:15","slug":"trump-threatens-iran-infrastructure-strikes-as-middle-east-conflict-intensifies-nz-retail-spending-slumps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-threatens-iran-infrastructure-strikes-as-middle-east-conflict-intensifies-nz-retail-spending-slumps\/64799\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Threatens Iran Infrastructure Strikes as Middle East Conflict Intensifies; NZ Retail Spending Slumps"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>President Trump warned that the U.S. will target Iranian power plants and bridges next week<\/strong> if Tehran refuses to return to the negotiating table, marking a significant escalation in the four-day-old conflict.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Zealand electronic retail card spending fell 1.4% in June<\/strong>, severely missing economist estimates of a 0.5% gain and reversing a 1.7% increase seen in May.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kuwaiti emergency services contained a blaze at a site targeted by Iranian strikes<\/strong>, reporting no injuries but confirming material damage as regional hostilities spread.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) recently hiked interest rates to 2.5%<\/strong>, citing inflationary pressures from the Middle East energy shock despite a fragile domestic recovery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>U.S. Escalates Military Threats Against Iran<\/h2>\n<p>U.S. President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> announced on Tuesday that military operations against <strong>Iran<\/strong> will continue indefinitely, warning of a severe expansion of targets if a deal is not reached. During an interview with Fox News, Trump stated that while current strikes are hitting waterfront assets and missile sites, the U.S. is &quot;saving energy targets for last.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>The President set a deadline for next week, at which point the U.S. military intends to &quot;knock out&quot; Iranian <strong>power plants and bridges<\/strong>. This announcement follows the formal notification to Congress that hostilities resumed on July 7 after the collapse of a June ceasefire. Trump emphasized that strikes will intensify nightly until he decides they have reached their objective, asserting that Tehran has &quot;no choice&quot; but to negotiate.<\/p>\n<h2>Regional Instability Spreads to Kuwait<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Kuwait Fire Force<\/strong> reported on Tuesday that it successfully controlled a blaze at a facility targeted during Iranian retaliatory attacks. According to the <strong>Kuwaiti State News Agency (KUNA)<\/strong>, the response involved six firefighting teams supported by the army and National Guard.<\/p>\n<p>While no injuries were reported in this specific incident, the <strong>Kuwaiti Defense Ministry<\/strong> confirmed that four naval personnel were wounded in separate strikes targeting a vessel. Iran reportedly launched a barrage of <strong>one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles, and 33 drones<\/strong> toward Kuwait on Tuesday, most of which were intercepted by air defense systems.<\/p>\n<h2>New Zealand Retail Sector Faces Sharp Contraction<\/h2>\n<p>New Zealand&#39;s economic outlook darkened as <strong>Stats NZ<\/strong> released data showing a <strong>1.4% month-on-month decline<\/strong> in electronic retail card spending for June. The figure represents a major miss compared to the <strong>0.5% growth<\/strong> anticipated by analysts and follows a revised <strong>1.7% gain<\/strong> in May.<\/p>\n<p>On an annual basis, retail spending grew by just <strong>1.3%<\/strong>, falling well short of the <strong>3.6% estimate<\/strong>. This slowdown comes as the <strong>Reserve Bank of New Zealand<\/strong> recently raised the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to <strong>2.5%<\/strong>, a move intended to combat rising fuel and freight costs linked to the Middle East war. Retailers are reportedly &quot;nervous&quot; as higher interest rates and persistent inflation begin to significantly dampen consumer confidence and discretionary spending.<\/p>\n<h2>Market Implications and Global Reaction<\/h2>\n<p>The threat of strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure has kept <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">Crude Oil<\/a><\/strong> prices volatile, with benchmarks recently hitting four-week highs near <strong>$83 per barrel<\/strong>. Market analysts suggest that the potential destruction of bridges and power plants could lead to a prolonged disruption of global supply chains and further inflationary pressure.<\/p>\n<p>In the financial markets, the <strong>New Zealand Dollar (<a href=\"\/stock\/NZD\">NZD<\/a>)<\/strong> faced pressure following the retail data miss, as investors weighed the likelihood of further RBNZ tightening against a weakening consumer sector. International bodies and some U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns that targeting civilian infrastructure like bridges and power plants could constitute a violation of international law, though the Trump administration has dismissed these claims, citing the need to secure the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways President Trump warned that the U.S. will target Iranian power plants and bridges next week if Tehran refuses 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