US, Iran trade blows again, driving oil prices higher

Washington and Tehran again traded blows, driving oil higher and raising questions over the viability of peace talks that had seemed near the finish line.

The US hit Iranian radar and drone installations, while the Islamic Republic targeted an American military base in Kuwait — though US President Donald Trump insisted “it will all work out well in the end.”

Pressure on energy markets is mounting: Ships are sailing “dark” through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely closed, while Barclays warned that risks to its oil-price forecast were “skewed higher.”

Overall, one leading foreign policy expert argued, “the central question is no longer how the conflict ends, but whether the instability it has created is becoming permanent.”