At least five people died and more than a dozen were injured in two separate blasts across Iran on Saturday, according to reports from state and local media. Israel denied any involvement in the incidents, reports said. Four fatalities followed a gas explosion inside a residential building in Ahvaz, while another incident in Bandar Abbas left one person dead and 14 injured, according to Mehr news agency. Meanwhile, Tasnim news agency rejected claims circulating online that a senior Revolutionary Guard officer was targeted, calling them “completely false.”
Saudi said to suggest US should attack Iran……Iran says nuclear program ‘cannot be eliminated
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman warned the United States that Iran will be “emboldened” if the US decides not to strike it, Axios reported. He also allegedly denied that Saudi Arabia is turning against Israel, although one source said that “the more he said it, the less reassuring it sounded.” The report follows talks between Bin Salman and senior US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, at the White House on Thursday. However, it claims that Bin Salman left the meeting “without a clear idea” of Washington’s plans for Iran.`
Iran says nuclear program ‘cannot be eliminated
Iranian Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami (pictured) on Saturday declared that Iran’s nuclear program “cannot be eliminated” despite pressure from the United States, AFP reported. Hatami also warned that Iran’s forces remain prepared to respond to any attack. “The nuclear science and technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be eliminated, even if scientists and sons of this nation are martyred,” he said. His remarks followed comments from US President Donald Trump, who said he expected Tehran to seek an agreement to negotiate its nuclear status.
US conducts flight ops over Arabian Sea
A US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln while conducting “routine flight operations” in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command said on Friday. The aircraft belongs to Strike Fighter Squadron 151. The USS Abraham Lincoln is deployed in the region to “support security and stability” across the Middle East, according to the statement posted on X. The post included an image of the fighter jet taking off from the carrier’s flight deck. The deployment comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, and hours after a US Navy guided-missile destroyer arrived at Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat.
Trump Iran Threat Pushes Oil Higher
Oil rose to a fresh four-month high after US President Donald Trump threatened another attack on Iran, urging Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network, adding that “the next attack will be far worse!” than one that took place last year. The potential risk to Iranian supplies has injected a premium into oil prices and led futures to start the year on a strong footing, up more than 10% this month, despite forecasts for a glut. That has also kept the cost of bullish options high relative to bearish ones. West Texas Intermediate futures settled above $63 a barrel after Trump’s post, the highest level since the end of September, extending a 2.9% jump in the previous session. Prices eased off of intra-day highs after Iran’s mission to the UN repeated in a post on X that it stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests, but said it will “defend itself and respond like never before,” to US aggression. Further capping gains, a gauge of the dollar rebounded after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US continues to have a “strong dollar” policy under Trump, and denied that the administration is intervening in FX markets, specifically to sell the dollar against the yen. The uptick in the dollar made commodities priced in the currency less attractive. Trump on Wednesday also said the fleet of US ships he’d ordered to the Middle East is larger than the one sent to Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro was outed by US forces earlier this year. There’s already been regional reaction to Trump’s signals over recent days. The Iranian and Qatari foreign ministers stressed the need to continue diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions, while Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said the kingdom’s land won’t be used to carry out operations against Tehran.
“Market sentiment appears to be gradually turning more positive, as the bearish oversupply narrative so prevalent in the second half of 2025 weakens,” Standard Chartered analysts including Emily Ashford wrote in a note. “We envisage an uptick in volatility and increasing focus on both supply and demand risks.”
The prompt spread for both oil benchmarks — the difference between their two nearest contracts — has widened in a bullish backwardation structure over the course of this month, indicating tighter supply. That gauge topped $1 for Brent on Wednesday. On the physical front, a government report showed that US crude stockpiles fell 2.3 million barrels last week, markedly higher than forecast by a closely-followed industry report. That bullish data point was offset by increases in refined product stockpiles, with gasoline rising to the highest since 2020.
Oil climbs 1.5% amid geopolitical tensions
Crude oil prices rose 1.5% on Thursday, as investors assessed the latest developments on the geopolitical front that might disrupt the oil supply. Yesterday, United States President Donald Trump issued another threat to Iran, claiming that the next possible strike on Tehran would be “far worse” in comparison to the June attack, raising concerns about supply risks. Meanwhile, Iran declared that the country’s army is prepared, “with their fingers on the trigger,” to respond if provoked. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for settlements in March increased by 1.57% at 3:33 am ET, going for $64.20 per barrel. At the same time, Brent for deliveries in March went up by 1.45% to go for $69.39 per barrel.
NN: We all know what i think!
Gold up 4% after hitting new all-time high of $5,596
Prices of the most valuable precious metals continued their rally on Thursday, breaking records and nearing the $6,000 mark. The yellow metal’s rise follows the decline in the US dollar, which has lost 13.1% against the euro over the last 12 months, reaching levels not seen in almost four and a half years. Gold jumped 4.01% to $5,592.10 per ounce at 1:22 am ET, after reaching a new all-time high of $5,596,28 earlier in the session.
Silver rises by over 3% to new all-time high of $120
The price of silver surged to an all-time high on Thursday, surpassing $120 per ounce. Investors once again turned to precious metals as a haven after the United States Federal Reserve decided to hold its interest rates steady. Moreover, Chair Jerome Powell indicated that the institution is unlikely to cut rates at its next meeting.
Silver jumped by 3.07% to $120.00 per ounce at 1:39 am ET, just moments after hitting the record-high of $120.46. Meanwhile, gold also reached a new all-time high of $5,596,28 per ounce; it traded 3.87% higher at $5,584.29 per ounce at 1:42 am ET. Platinum soared by 1.60% at 1:43 am ET to $2,718.01 per ounce. At the same time, palladium rose by 1.29% to $2,045.24 per ounce.
NN: Bunker hunt and his merry bunch of oil barron caused the gold and silver moon shot and bust. This time its the Crypto Barrons led by paolo-ardoino who are TRYING TO CORNER GOLD AND SILVER.
Crypto giant Tether Holdings has been shaking up the rising gold market with massive metal hoarding over the past year. The stablecoin issuer now holds around 140 tons of gold, according to CEO Paolo Ardoino. In an interview with Bloomberg, Ardoino spoke that Tether aims to continue to cultivate its massive profits from holding, competing with banks in bullion trading. “We are soon becoming basically one of the biggest, let’s say, gold central banks in the world,” he noted. nI fact they are the largest private holder of both gold and silver physicals and futures. With 140 tons of gold reserves leveraged and purchased with lots of borrowed money, the Tether bullion hoarding is worth $23 billion at current market prices, the largest known treasury outside of those held by central banks, ETFs and private banks.All under the non regulated controll of one man. Its called market manipulation
Ardoino noted that the company has been accumulating more than a ton of gold every week. “And it’s only growing,” he said, adding that Tether intends to continue it for “definitely the next few months.”
We all know how this move will end.
EIA: US crude oil inventories down by 2.3 million barrels
United States crude oil stockpiles, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) declined by 2.3 million barrels in the week ending January 23, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed in its report on Wednesday. At the same time, crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.2 million barrels per day (bpd) during the reported period. Refineries operated at 90.9% of their operable capacity. Meanwhile, gasoline production rose and averaged 9.6 million barrels per day. Oil imports averaged 5.6 million barrels per day, falling by 804,000 barrels per day week-on-week. Total commercial petroleum inventories went up by 6.8 million barrels.
NN: Its cold out their…Sucking down oil inventories
Gold and silver about to crash
The warning signs are everywhere. None existent uncertainty metals being repriced all at once. Its armature hour as social media is pushing fear on small investors especially baby boomers.
This compares structurally to 1979–80 rally and wipe out
Iran Blast Near Pakdasht Base As US Armada Gathers Offshore
As U.S. armada edges closer to Iran’s doorstep, strange booms near a military site southeast of Tehran have set social media on fire. Officials insist there was no explosion at the Pakdasht facility, just “routine tests” and “standard activity,” but many online are already whispering about covert strikes and psychological warfare. At the same time, Iran’s generals warn that any “limited, clean” U.S. operation would spiral out of Washington’s control. Is this just noise in the night—or the first tremor of a conflict nobody can contain?
NN: Time to get the virgins ready!
The Cognac Industry Is in Crisis
After years of exuberant demand for Cognac, the industry is nursing a hangover, with shipments last year falling to 141 million bottles, the lowest level since 2009, according to BNIC, a trade group of producers. And consumption will drop about 2% annually through 2029, data tracker IWSR predicts. “We didn’t see this violent crisis coming,” says Thibaut Delrieu, managing director of Hine, a small brand that laid off more than a third of its workers last year and is pulling vines from about 10% of its 129 hectares. “We haven’t yet hit bottom.” Cognac producers are being shaken by a pronounced shift away from booze coupled with a cost-of-living squeeze that’s cut demand for luxury goods. Those difficulties have been compounded by rising tariffs in the US and China, which jointly account for more than half of total consumption of Cognac. Taken together, those factors threaten a business valued at €2.2 billion ($2.6 billion) a year for distilling giants Pernod Ricard, LVMH and Rémy Cointreau, and scores of smaller houses. And for France, the sales downturn could quickly become a crisis, as more than 70,000 jobs in the country are tied to the spirit’s production, BNIC estimates.
Cognac is made from a fermented grape juice that’s distilled twice to yield a spirit called eau-de-vie. That’s stored in barrels of oak from nearby forests for at least two years to develop flavor and color—with premium versions aged for a decade or more. Producers typically have enough supplies on hand to cover seven years of demand, but today that stands at a record 11 years, according to BNIC. Storing any more, says Delrieu, would require expanded facilities and more barrels. “The inventory situation is very tricky, because building new cellars is expensive,” he says. “Counterintuitively, that premium stock could lose value over time,” says Pierre-Eric Perrin, a partner at Eight Advisory, a financial consulting firm that works with Cognac makers. The decline in sales is particularly painful for Hennessy, owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. The brand accounts for about half of all shipments, putting it far ahead of Rémy Martin, Martell and Courvoisier, which together make up a third of the market. Tt Hennessy the downturn was aggravated by the brand’s decision to raise prices following the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the US, a move that was “disconnected from reality and backfired with consumers,” Devers says. Hennessy declined to comment. And producers are counting on government help in mitigating the damage from a trade spat with China. The country in 2024 imposed hefty levies on brandy—most of which was Cognac—and withdrew the drink from duty-free shops after the European Union announced steep taxes on Chinese electric vehicles. China’s brandy imports declined almost 40%, to 22 million liters, in 2025, according to Chinese customs data. A July deal exempting most producers from the duties hasn’t returned shipments to the levels seen before the trade spat. BNIC will meet with French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard on Feb. 3 to ask for her support in seeking compensation from the EU to make up for sales lost due to the Chinese tariffs.
For now, some in the industry are beginning to consider a more drastic measure: destroying inventory. “It’s something that’s obviously being mentioned,” says Anthony Brun, chairman of the Cognac winegrowers’ group UGVC. There’s huge resistance among producers, though, who have little incentive to dump spirits that theoretically only increase in price as they age.
Last year, BNIC ordered producers to cut their output of eau-de-vie per hectare to half what they’d made four years ago. And the group, which includes virtually all of the major producers, aims to shrink acreage under cultivation by 13%. “Cognac has been through worse crises in the past and survived,” says Florent Morillon, the head of BNIC.