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Iran’s new supreme leader said the Strait of Hormuz should remain shut and Tehran will look to open other fronts in the war if the US and Israel persist with their attacks.

In his first public comments since succeeding his father at the weekend, Mojtaba Khamenei said the Islamic Republic would seek to ensure the critical waterway for oil and gas stays effectively closed — maintaining a choke on supplies that’s triggered a surge in global energy prices.

His statement — published on state media on Thursday — came as US President Donald Trump said preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons and being a threat to the Middle East is “of far greater interest and importance to me” than the cost of oil.The defiance shown by both leaders indicates that the war in the Middle East isn’t close to a de-escalation after almost two weeks of fighting. Israel launched a fresh wave of large-scale strikes across Iran on Thursday, while the Islamic Republic stepped up attacks on Dubai and shipping assets.

Today's show features:
Jennifer Welch, Bloomberg Economics Chief Geoeconomics Analyst
Rockford Weitz, Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Professor of Practice & Director of the Maritime Studies Program
Jason Greenblath, American Century Investments Senior Portfolio Manager
Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland
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WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair (Ashley Fliehr) has joined Self-Care Is For Everyone (SCIFE) as the brand’s first Angel Investor and official Brand Champion. Ashley’s investment will directly fund SCIFE’s expansion from a viral apparel-led advocacy brand into a multi-platform mental health media and product company. For Ashley, this investment is deeply personal — as an elite performer who has navigated the pressures of global visibility, injury, reinvention, and resilience, she believes mental strength and emotional well-being are foundational to long-term success.

Backing SCIFE is her commitment to normalizing self-care conversations and ensuring mental health support is accessible, aspirational, and stigma-free for the next generation. She speaks with Bloomberg's Carol Massar and Norah Mulinda.
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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

A key measure of US inflation was tame at the start of the year. But another metric is shaping up to paint a very different picture.Wednesday’s report on the consumer price index showed core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, was mild in both January and February — a pleasant surprise as companies tend to raise prices at the turn of the year. Yet economists expect another gauge, one preferred by the Federal Reserve and set for release on Friday, was probably rather strong in both months.

The fact that the personal consumption expenditures price index has been outpacing the CPI is already unusual. Typically it’s been the other way around, as a higher weighting on housing costs in the CPI tends to keep that measure relatively elevated.
Now the wedge appears to be deepening. Should the core PCE rise 3.1% in the year through January as economists expect, it would exceed the annual core CPI by one of the widest margins in decades.

The divergence began before the Iran war, which has sent oil prices sharply higher and renewed risks of a broader acceleration in inflation. That puts the Fed in a tough spot. While policymakers are broadly expected to leave interest rates unchanged next week, a sustained pickup in price pressures would make it difficult for officials to justify resuming rate cuts in coming months to shore up a fragile labor market.

The PCE price index, a product of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, draws from the CPI for several price categories. In the wake of the latest CPI data, economists were quick to boost their forecast for the February core PCE price index, which is due April 9. Several projected it would rise 0.4% for a second month, with some penciling in a bigger pickup.

Today's show features:
Yelena Shulyatyeva, The Conference Board Senior US Economist, on today's CPI reaction as we count down to next Fed decision
Gerry Doyle, Bloomberg News Global Defense Editor on Iran’s Cheap, Plentiful Weaponry Puts US Military Under Strain
Gary Evans, US Antimony CEO on the company's $27M award from Dept of Defense under the Defense Production Act
Ellen Wald, Transversal Consulting & Atlantic Council Senior Fellow on the latest in the oil markets
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The son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will become Iran’s next supreme leader, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency announced, taking over after his father was killed in an attack by the US and Israel. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is the third person to lead the Islamic Republic and the first example of hereditary succession since the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy in the 1979 revolution. Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected the country’s next supreme leader in a “decisive vote,” according to Fars. The vote took place hours before the result was made public. Alex Vatanka, Middle East Institute Senior Fellow, joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss Mojtaba Khamenei's ascent and what it means for Iran and global relations.
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The people, companies and trends shaping the global economy.
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.
Energy markets whipsawed for a second consecutive day as investors raced to interpret rapidly shifting comments from the Trump administration over the war in Iran.
Oil prices plummeted after Energy Secretary Chris Wright erroneously posted — and then deleted — a message that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, only for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to subsequently concede no such operation had occurred. But, the spokeswoman said, the US military was “drawing up additional options” to address any attempt by Iran to constrain trade through the vital artery.
Later Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump posted his own flurry of messages on social media. First, Trump insisted the US had “no reports” of mines being placed, but then urged Iranian forces to remove any explosives they may have laid.
Next, Trump said the US was “using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers” to target mining ships. Minutes later, the president reported that the US had “hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats” and promised “more to follow.”
Today's show features:
Kevin Gordon, Schwab Head of Macro Research & Strategy as markets digest a flurry of geopolitical headlines
Bloomberg Balance of Power Co-host Joe Mathieu as the White House says the US Navy has not escorted a tanker through the Strait
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News Managing Editor for Global Consumer Tech on Apple's new $599 MacBook Neo
Anurag Rana, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst on Oracle's blockbuster earnings report
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