00:00Meanwhile, oil prices held near US$100 a barrel today, while global equity markets fell as tensions in the Middle
00:08East continue to rattle investors.
00:10Crudes surged more than 9% on Thursday after Iran's Supreme Leader, Moshtabah Khomeini, vowed to block the Strait of
00:18Ormuz in his first public comments since succeeding his father.
00:23The International Energy Agency has described the US-Israel and Iran conflict as the largest supply disruption in the history
00:30of the global oil market.
00:32Analysts say an emergency release of strategic oil stockpiles by the IEA also did little to calm markets.
00:40Investor concerns are deepening as the crisis enters its third week, with stock markets in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore
00:49and Seoul all lower.
00:50There are fears that an extended conflict could drive energy prices even higher, risking a new wave of global inflation
00:58and further pressure on the world economy.
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