{"id":64849,"date":"2026-07-15T15:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-military-launches-second-wave-of-strikes-on-iran-amid-rising-gulf-tensions\/64849\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T15:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:38:13","slug":"us-military-launches-second-wave-of-strikes-on-iran-amid-rising-gulf-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-military-launches-second-wave-of-strikes-on-iran-amid-rising-gulf-tensions\/64849\/","title":{"rendered":"US Military Launches Second Wave of Strikes on Iran Amid Rising Gulf Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>U.S. forces launched a second wave of strikes against Iranian military targets at 3 p.m. ET today<\/strong>, specifically aiming to degrade capabilities used to threaten commercial shipping in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President Trump advocated for a pause in interest rate hikes<\/strong>, expressing expectations for lower inflation by year-end while warning of &quot;yo-yo&quot; volatility in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">oil prices<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kuwaiti Armed Forces intercepted 4 cruise missiles and 21 drones<\/strong> launched from Iran, reporting material damage to vital facilities but no human casualties.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Airbus (<a href=\"\/stock\/AIR\">AIR<\/a>) and Boeing (<a href=\"\/stock\/BA\">BA<\/a>) have shifted critical part shipments from sea to air<\/strong> to bypass supply chain bottlenecks and maintain production stability for the <strong>A350<\/strong> and <strong>767<\/strong> programs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>U.S. natural gas inventories are projected to rise by 43 billion cubic feet (Bcf)<\/strong> in tomorrow&#39;s EIA report, as robust production continues to outpace cooling demand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Military Escalation in the Middle East<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>U.S. military<\/strong> intensified its campaign against Tehran today, launching a second wave of daylight strikes at <strong>3 p.m. ET<\/strong>. According to <strong>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)<\/strong>, the operations targeted Iranian assets used to harass vessels in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, a waterway responsible for roughly <strong>20% of global oil and gas trade<\/strong>. This escalation follows a week of hundreds of air attacks that have reportedly killed at least <strong>35 people<\/strong> and wounded hundreds more within Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Regional allies are increasingly caught in the crossfire as <strong>Kuwait<\/strong> confirmed it intercepted a massive salvo of <strong>21 drones and 4 cruise missiles<\/strong> earlier Wednesday. While the <strong>Ministry of Defence<\/strong> reported material damage to &quot;vital facilities,&quot; no injuries were recorded. Simultaneously, <strong>Jordan<\/strong> and <strong>Bahrain<\/strong> reported intercepting hostile aerial targets, signaling a broadening of the conflict beyond the immediate maritime corridor.<\/p>\n<h2>Trump Weighs in on Monetary Policy and Trade<\/h2>\n<p>President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> signaled a preference for the <strong>Federal Reserve<\/strong> to pause its current rate-hiking cycle, stating it is &quot;better to pause rates than raise them&quot; in the current environment. Trump noted he expects <strong>inflation<\/strong> to cool significantly by the end of 2026, though he cautioned that <strong>crude oil prices<\/strong>\u2014currently hovering near <strong>$80 per barrel<\/strong>\u2014will likely remain volatile.<\/p>\n<p>The President also expressed frustration with the pace of trade policy, wishing <strong>tariffs<\/strong> could be &quot;deployed faster&quot; to protect domestic interests. These comments come as <strong>Fed Governor Lisa Cook<\/strong> separately warned that she remains &quot;prepared to act&quot; if inflation does not show signs of slowing, citing price pressures from both tariffs and the ongoing conflict with Iran.<\/p>\n<h2>Aerospace and Energy Market Developments<\/h2>\n<p>In the industrial sector, <strong>Airbus (<a href=\"\/stock\/AIR\">AIR<\/a>)<\/strong> has reportedly shifted shipments of <strong>A350 fuselage parts<\/strong> from sea to air to mitigate persistent supply chain delays. <strong>Boeing (<a href=\"\/stock\/BA\">BA<\/a>)<\/strong> has taken similar measures, airlifting critical components to support its <strong>767 production line<\/strong>. Both planemakers are utilizing expensive <em>flexible logistics<\/em> to maintain manufacturing stability as they integrate former <strong>Spirit AeroSystems<\/strong> facilities.<\/p>\n<p>On the energy front, analysts expect the <strong>Energy Information Administration (EIA)<\/strong> to report a <strong>43 Bcf increase<\/strong> in natural gas inventories for the week ended July 10. While <strong>natural gas prices<\/strong> recently dipped below <strong>$3.00\/MMBtu<\/strong>, stocks remain approximately <strong>185 Bcf above the five-year average<\/strong>, providing a significant buffer against potential supply shocks despite the geopolitical instability in the Middle East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways U.S. forces launched a second wave of strikes against Iranian military targets at 3 p.m. ET today, specifically 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