Today's Edition
Hong Kong (AFP)
Oil prices soared and stocks sank on Friday after Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites and warned of more to come.
Investors ran for the hills on news of the attacks and a warning from Tehran that its regional foe faced a "bitter and painful" fate, while US President Donald Trump has said a "massive conflict" in the region was possible.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement: "This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.
"We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility at Natanz. We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile programme," he added.
Nuclear scientists "working on the Iranian bomb" had also been hit, he said.
Trump previously said he believed a "pretty good" deal on Iran's nuclear programme was "fairly close", but that an Israeli strike on the country could wreck the chances of an agreement.
A US official said there had been no US involvement in the operation.
Supply worries
Both main oil contracts, which had rallied earlier in the week on rising tensions, spiked more than 12% -- hitting levels not seen since January -- amid fears about supplies of the commodity.
They later eased back slightly after Iran said its key refineries and fuel depots were unaffected, though they still remained well above five percent.
The rush from risk assets to safe havens saw equity markets across Asia and Europe tumble and bonds rally with gold, which popped above $3,400 an ounce.
