Oil Prices Surge After Israeli Airstrikes in Iran: Is This a 'Move Fast and Break Things' Moment for the Market?

Breaking News: Did Someone Order Extra Crude?

Okay folks let's talk oil. Seems like things are getting a little spicy in the Middle East. Israel launched some airstrikes in Iran and suddenly everyone's acting like the sky is falling – or more accurately that gas prices are about to skyrocket. West Texas Intermediate up 8.48%? Brent futures jumping 7.76%? Reminds me of the early days of Facebook – explosive growth but with a lot more shall we say 'kinetic' energy involved. I guess you could say Israel decided to 'move fast and break things,' literally. Maybe they should have sent a poke first?

Netanyahu's Bold Move: Hacking Geopolitics One Air Strike at a Time

Apparently Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went full on commando targeting Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program. Word on the street is they hit the main enrichment site at Natanz went after some nuclear scientists (yikes!) and took a swing at the ballistic missile program. Netanyahu's quote? 'This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.' Sounds like someone's been binge watching action movies. But hey at least they’re committed to the mission. I can respect that kind of focus. Speaking of focus I should probably go back to the Metaverse…

Rubio's Warning: Don't Mess With Texas (or American Interests)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wants everyone to know that the U.S. had nothing to do with this. 'Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self defense.' Alright alright we get it. Not your circus not your monkeys. Rubio even warned Iran against targeting U.S. interests. Basically he’s saying 'Don't poke the bear especially when the bear is covered in oil and happens to have a huge military.' Smart move Marco. Though honestly I think we all know that by now.

Trump's Two Cents: Should've Made a Deal!

And because no international incident is complete without a tweet – er Truth Social post – from Donald Trump he chimed in saying Iran should have made a deal when they had the chance. 'They should have done it!' he exclaimed. Classic Trump. Always ready with a quip and a missed opportunity. I bet he wishes he could've bought Facebook back in the day. Imagine the memes!

The Strait of Hormuz: A Very Important Waterway (Don't Clog It)

Now the really important bit: the Strait of Hormuz. It's like the internet's main data cable but for oil. About a fifth of the world’s supply chugs through there. Ellen Wald from Washington Ivy Advisors says Iran could retaliate by messing with it but that might not be the best idea. Apparently even China doesn't want the oil flow disrupted. Imagine getting yelled at by China for causing a traffic jam. I bet that's worse than dealing with Congress about privacy concerns. Almost.

Final Thoughts: Keep Calm and Carry On (Pumping Oil)

So what's the takeaway? Oil prices are up tensions are high but it might not be the end of the world. Wald thinks this isn't as serious as when Russia invaded Ukraine. Let's hope she's right. In the meantime I'm going to go back to building the Metaverse. At least there the only thing that explodes is my graphics card. Stay tuned folks and maybe consider investing in a good electric car. Just saying.