Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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News when you want it with Bloomberg News Now. I'm Monica Ricks. The U.S. says the first Americans have been killed in the war with Iran that's now spread to several countries in the Middle East. U.S. Central Command confirming this morning three service members were killed in action and five were seriously injured.
The deaths come on the second day of a bombing campaign that's killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leaders. And it could get worse. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing today strikes on Iran will intensify in the coming days.
Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee and says lawmakers are still waiting for answers on this operation.
For me, this is about accountability, right? We spent over 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We spent trillions of taxpayer dollars, thousands of American lives, tens of thousands of others who bear the visible and invisible scars and burdens of those wars. They ended poorly. And that's, I think, because we stopped debating it. We financed it with debt. There weren't votes.
There wasn't an accountability loop. And that continues today.
Congressman Jason Crow on Bloomberg's this weekend. Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma also weighed in on Iran and says he supports the U.S. 's action.
Just because you can't reach American soil doesn't mean you're not reaching Americans. We have Americans that are living in Erbil. literally just a few miles from Iran. So protecting Americans means America stands with Americans no matter where they are in the world.
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Chapter 2: What recent events have led to American casualties in the Middle East?
Unclear at this point who it's going to be. Some of the names include his son, so Mujtaba Khomeini, some of his close aides, Ali Larijani, Sadiq Larijani. And then there's also the possibility of the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic. And his name is Ruha Allah Khomeini as well. But at this point, we don't really know.
So in the interim, this temporary leadership council is going to take over.
Bloomberg's Jomana Bersetchi. Now, the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader reportedly came after close intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Israel. The New York Times reports it was actually the CIA that zeroed in on Khamenei's location shortly before attacks started. Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper praised the move.
I think it was a risk worth taking. The fact that not only taken out was Khamenei, but also the defense minister, the head of the IRGC, and Israel saying several dozen other senior commanders really could leave the state of Iran Again, very destabilized, no clear chain of command and chaotic actions.
And we may be seeing some of that right now that they don't yet know how to respond, which is why they are lashing out at several Arab countries through the use of drones, through the use of ballistic missiles.
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Bloomberg's This Weekend. Iran has fired missiles on parts of Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, and Israel for a second day. Nine people were also killed in Pakistan today after storming the gates of the U.S. consulate. Authorities there have said others were seriously injured when police intervened, so that number could rise.
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Chapter 3: How is Israel responding to the current conflict with Iran?
Meantime, celebrations in the streets of Tehran following the death of Iran's supreme leader. Protesters also hit the streets in major U.S. cities yesterday, including L.A., Chicago, and New York. But demonstrators in Times Square condemned the attacks.
We need a regime change here in this country. That's what the signs say. We need a regime change.
Chapter 4: What insights does Congressman Jason Crow provide on accountability in military operations?
Those protests remained peaceful. No arrests were made. Oman says a small oil tanker was targeted off its coast in the Arabian Sea, the first sign of an attack on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Oman's maritime security posting on X that the tanker was targeted just north of Kasab Port, forcing a 20-person crew to evacuate.
Four people were injured there. and it's caused oil traffic now to plummet in the Gulf. We get more on that from Bloomberg's Ed Kalecki.
Oil shipping has largely paused in the Strait of Hormuz that links the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the open seas after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran, with Iranian media saying the waterway is practically closed. Ships reported hearing a radio broadcast purporting to come from the Iranian Navy announcing that transit through the waterway was banned.
Several tankers that had been heading toward Hormuz have turned around. A large number had already paused to wait near the entrance to the waterway after the bombing started. The disruption is impacting everything from crude oil tankers to container ships that carry furniture. Ed Kalecki, Bloomberg Radio.
The Strait of Hormuz is a major shipping lane for much of the world's crude supply, and economists say oil could soar above $100 a barrel if it shuts down altogether. Oil markets are closed for the weekend, but Brent crude climbed as high as $73 a barrel on Friday. Airlines across the Gulf have also suspended much, if not all, operations at some of the world's busiest airports.
Tens of thousands of passengers have been affected so far. Cryptocurrency traders are keeping a close eye on Bitcoin this morning. The token rose as much as 2.2 percent to just over $68,000 yesterday after Iran confirmed the death of its supreme leader. It's now trading at about $66,000. And as U.S. and Israeli bombs fell on Iran this weekend, bettors on PolyMarket were cashing in.
Analytics firm BubbleMaps says six accounts made about a million dollars in profit by betting that the U.S. would strike Iran by February 28th. All of the accounts were reportedly created within the last month and only placed bets on when U.S. strikes could happen, some just hours before explosions started. Blockchain analysts say similar patterns have been associated with insider trading.
And that's news when you want it with Bloomberg News Now. I'm Monica Ricks and this is Bloomberg.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of Iran's leadership changes following Khamenei's death?
I'm in Brussels, where many of Europe's biggest decisions get made.
And I'm Caroline Hepke in London. We're the hosts of the Bloomberg Daybreak Europe podcast.
We're up early every weekday, keeping an eye on what's happening across Europe and around the world.
We do it early so the news is fresh, not recycled, and so you know what actually matters as the day gets going.
From Brussels, I'm following the politics, policy and the people shaping the European Union right now.
And from London, I'm looking at what all that means for markets, money and the wider economy.
We've got reporters across Europe and around the globe feeding in as stories break.
So whether it's geopolitics, energy, tech or markets, you're hearing it while it happens.
It's smart, calm and to the point.
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