"When the cannon goes off, gold and oil surge"! US official confirms Israeli missile hits Iranian facility

On Friday (April 19) in the Asian market, spot gold soared rapidly, rising by more than 40 US dollars to 2,417.76 US dollars per ounce in the short term. U.S. crude oil once rose by more than 4% to 86.26 US dollars per barrel, due to earlier losses from Iran and other countries. After the explosion, a US official confirmed to the media that an Israeli missile hit a target in Iran. This quickly heated up market concerns about the geopolitical situation, providing rising momentum for gold and crude oil.

According to the latest report from the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday, a US official confirmed to the media that an Israeli missile hit a target in Iran.Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence said officials could not confirm reports of air strikes in Syria and Iraq.

The United States confirmed that an Israeli plane was trapped in Iran. Explosions were heard in the city where two important facilities of Iran's nuclear program are located, and warning lights of "nuclear war" in the Middle East instantly sounded.

Explosions were reported on Friday morning near the central Iranian cities of Isfahan and Natanz, both of which contain key facilities for Iran's nuclear program.

Isfahan is a large city with a population of 2.2 million. Sky News Arabia quoted local media as reporting on three large explosions in Isfahan.

In addition to Isfahan, explosions were heard in As-Suwayda and Baghdad areas in southern Syria, as well as in Babil, Iraq.

Syrian reports showed that the air strikes targeted Syrian army locations in the southern provinces of Suweida and Daraa.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news website quoted Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Brigadier General Ahmad Haghtalab as saying: "The nuclear facilities of the Zionist enemy have been identified and the weapons from all targets have been identified. All necessary information is available to us."

According to Al Arabiya TV and its affiliated Al Hadath News Channel, citing Iranian and Iraqi media reports on the 19th local time, explosions were heard in the Isfahan Province of Iran, the Baghdad and Babylon Provinces of Iraq, and the Suwayda Province of Syria in the early morning of that day. Anti-aircraft missiles were launched in Iran's Isfahan province. A large number of fighter jets appeared in the skies over the Mosul and Arbil provinces of Iraq.

According to "Sabereen News", a media affiliated with the Iraqi "Popular Mobilization Organization", in the early morning of the 19th, drones patrolled the skies over Baghdad and Babylon Provinces in Iraq.

Previously, according to the latest report from the Jerusalem Post on Friday, there were explosions in Iran, Syria, and Iraq. In the early morning of April 19, explosions were heard in Isfahan in central Iran, Suweida Province in southern Syria, Baghdad area and Babylon Province in Iraq.

"Unconfirmed reports of attacks in the Middle East may indicate that the worst fears have come true and traders are already bracing for an Israeli attack on Iranian drones," said Patterson, ING's head of commodities strategy in Singapore. and preparedness for a missile attack response. If reports are true - depending on the nature of the attack - we are approaching a scenario where supply risks become a reality and therefore the market may have to start pricing in a larger risk premium."

The latest news shows that according to Iranian state television, a serious explosion occurred in Isfahan Province, Iran. Iran has suspended flights in several cities. Iran's Isfahan province activated its air defense system, but Iran's nuclear facilities were not damaged.

According to Iranian official media reports, the Israeli Air Force's air strike tonight may target the Iranian Air Force's 8th Tactical Air Base at Isfahan International Airport, which hosts multiple squadrons of F-14 "Tomcat" fighter jets.

According to Iranian media reports, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that all bases and camps in the country have entered the highest alert state.

According to The Times of Israel: Passengers at Tehran airport were told that all flights had been cancelled.

Agency analysis points out that striking Iran is one of the most aggressive options Israel can choose and may force Iran to launch another attack, which may trigger a regional war that the United States, Europe and Arab countries are trying to avoid.

DBS Bank said rising tensions in the Middle East may spur a rise in 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds, with yields likely to fall to around 4%. He said: “As the Middle East descends into a tit-for-tat escalation, long-term U.S. Treasuries will rebound strongly, led by safe-haven buying. If Iran decides to respond to attacks in another round of escalation, we could see a 10-year U.S. Treasury yields fell to 4%. In addition, oil prices may rise sharply in the short term due to concerns about supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. If the disruption materializes, oil prices continue to rise, which may also exacerbate inflation risks and limit the Fed's interest rate cuts. .

In the Asian market on Friday, U.S. bond yields continued to weaken. The 10-year Treasury bond yield once fell more than 3% to 4.494%, and the 2-year Treasury bond yield once fell more than 2% to 4.877%.

At 11:16 Beijing time, spot gold was trading at $2,390.11 per ounce.