Israel Strikes Iran's Core Infrastructure, Sparking Risk-Off Sell-off & Inflation Fears

1. The Middle East conflict has escalated as Israel completed a wide wave of attacks on vital infrastructure across Iran, including its key oil export hub, prompting threats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard to disrupt regional energy supplies.
2. Markets reacted negatively to the geopolitical tensions, with U.S. stock index futures falling and spot gold rising nearly 1% as investors moved towards safe-haven assets.
3. The Philippine Central Bank warned that an oil price shock from the conflict poses a significant upside risk to inflation, requiring sustained monetary policy vigilance.