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Mojtaba Khamenei’s Rise Sparks Market Turmoil as Hardliners Mobilize

People attend a gathering to support Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 9, 2026.  Iran’s hardline factions mounted a powerful show of support for newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei , rallying across Tehran in a display that signaled a tightening of conservative control and diminished hopes for de-escalation in the Middle East.  The demonstrations, marked by mass gatherings and imagery linking Mojtaba to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underscored the regime’s consolidation at a moment of heightened regional conflict.  Analysts warn that the hardliners’ unified backing suggests Iran is unlikely to soften its stance amid ongoing tensions with the U.S. and Israel. Global markets reacted sharply. Fears that prolonged instability could further disrupt energy supplies sent oil prices soaring and triggered steep declines in major stock indices. With one of the most significan...

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G7 Commits to Accelerating Fossil Fuel Transition, but Activists Remain Skeptical

 

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) developed democracies have pledged to accelerate their transition away from fossil fuels during this decade. The draft statement from their summit in Italy outlines a commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the best available science. However, climate activists remain critical, citing a lack of concrete commitments and the fact that many pledges were already agreed upon in previous meetings. The G7’s focus on phasing out coal power generation and reducing methane emissions is commendable, but some environmentalists express disappointment over the allowance for public investments in natural gas. As the COP29 United Nations climate conference approaches, the G7 leaders plan to submit more ambitious national climate plans. 

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