Makana 360 Daily Insights: Global News & Digital Trends
📌 Europe and Japan ready to help steady energy markets and secure key chokepoints
European powers and Japan said they are prepared to help stabilize energy markets and support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after escalating tit-for-tat strikes on Gulf energy facilities deepened the US–Israeli war with Iran. Iranian attacks caused major damage to Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex, knocking out roughly one-sixth of its LNG export capacity, while the UAE and Kuwait also faced disruptions. Oil and gas prices surged, heightening fears of inflation, shipping instability, and wider economic fallout. The move reflects a clear shift by previously hesitant US allies as the conflict increasingly threatens global energy security and trade flows.
📌 Are the US and Israel aligned on the Iran war?
The report suggests that Washington and Tel Aviv remain broadly aligned against Iran, but not fully on strategy or escalation thresholds. President Donald Trump’s response to the South Pars gas field attack implied that the US may not have had full prior visibility into Israel’s move, despite Israeli media reports pointing to coordination. That discrepancy raised questions about credibility, control, and the limits of US backing for further attacks on energy infrastructure. While both sides share the objective of weakening Iran’s military capabilities, Israel appears more openly willing to push toward destabilizing the regime itself, exposing tactical and political differences beneath the surface of the alliance.
📌 Even Jerome Powell does not know what is happening in the economy
The report argues that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and US policymakers are navigating an unusually opaque economy shaped by overlapping shocks, including tariffs, rising oil prices, labor market distortions, housing costs, uncertain inflation, and unclear AI effects. Powell repeatedly stressed uncertainty, signaling that even the Fed lacks confidence about whether these pressures are temporary or long-lasting. This ambiguity is weakening conviction in policymaking and raising concerns among businesses and consumers, while the Fed’s relatively steady projections appear to reflect caution and guesswork more than genuine clarity.
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