Rumors of Khamenei’s Death Spark Fears of Escalation
Impact Felt in Virtual Asset Market,
AP News Agency,
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, ‘U.S. President Donald Trump officially announced on the 28th (local time) the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, raising concerns of a sharp rise in international oil prices. With reports that Iran has begun to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for more than 20% of the world’s oil transports, forecasts suggest that oil prices could briefly soar to $100 per barrel.’,
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, ‘International oil prices are already on the rise. The previous day, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) closed at $67.02, up 2.78% from the previous session, and North Sea Brent Crude closed at $72.87, up 2.87%. This is the highest price since July last year. If the market absorbs the impact of the Iranian airstrikes and the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei after the weekend, international oil prices are expected to rise sharply.’,
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, ‘Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the airstrikes is also expected to push oil prices up. On this day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran stated, “We have implemented a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following aggression by the U.S. and Israel.” According to Reuters, some vessels are already rerouting after receiving the news of the Strait of Hormuz closure.’,
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, ‘The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic point through which more than 20% of global oil maritime trade passes, so significant impacts on the oil market are expected. Bloomberg Intelligence’s Will Harris and Sale Yilmaz forecast that Brent crude could temporarily rise to $80 per barrel.’,
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, ‘If the conflict spreads to surrounding regions, there are analyses that it could soar to $100 per barrel. The Barclays Energy Analysis Team stated, “When the oil futures market reopens on March 2nd, it could face a worst-case scenario,” and added, “Under the current circumstances, the potential threat of supply disruption due to the deterioration of security in the Middle East could push Brent crude prices up to $100 per barrel.”‘,
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, ‘Due to increased risk aversion following the Iranian airstrikes, the virtual asset market is also on a downward trend. Bitcoin fell to $63,038 at one point, dropping below a psychological barrier, but recovered to the $65,000 level in the afternoon. According to cryptocurrency data firm CoinGecko, approximately $128 billion (about 185 trillion won) in market capitalization disappeared from the digital asset market following the airstrikes.’,