U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries, and said he expected China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the strait through which one-fifth of global oil exports normally pass.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS that Tehran has been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels, “and this is up to our military to decide.” He said a group of vessels from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.

Iran has said the strait is open to all except the United States and its allies.

“We don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans” about finding a way to end the war, Araghchi added, noting that Israel and the U.S. started the fighting with coordinated attacks on Feb. 28 during indirect U.S.-Iran talks. The talks focused on Iran’s nuclear program, and Araghchi said Tehran had “no plan to recover” enriched uranium that is under rubble following U.S. and Israeli attacks last year.

Countries cautious on Trump’s call

“We are intensively looking with our allies at what can be done, because it’s so important that we get the strait reopened,” U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Sky News, adding that ending the war is the “best and surest” way to do it.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it “takes note” of Trump’s call and that it “will closely coordinate and carefully review” the situation with the U.S.

Expectations are high that Trump will ask Japan directly when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets him on Thursday at the White House.

A spokesperson for China’s embassy to the U.S., Liu Pengyu, said “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply” and that China would “strengthen communication with relevant parties” for de-escalation.

France previously said it is working with countries — President Emmanuel Macron mentioned partners in Europe, India and Asia — on a possible international mission to escort ships through the strait but has stressed it must be when “the circumstances permit,” when fighting has subsided.

Meanwhile, emergency oil stocks “will soon start flowing to global markets,” the International Energy Agency said Sunday, describing the collective action to lower prices “by far the largest ever.”

It updated last week’s announcement of 400 million barrels to nearly 412 million. Asian member countries plan to release stocks “immediately,” and reserves from Europe and the Americas will be released “from the end of March.”

More missile and drone attacks are reported

Gulf Arab states reported new missile and drone attacks a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates — the first time it has threatened a neighboring country’s non-U.S. assets. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE said they were working to intercept projectiles.

Iran has accused the U.S. of launching Friday’s strikes on Kharg Island, home to Iran’s primary oil terminal, from the UAE, without providing evidence.

U.S. Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim, and Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, rejected it. Gulf countries that host U.S. bases have denied allowing their land or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran.

Iran has threatened to attack the region’s U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” if the Islamic Republic’s oil infrastructure is hit.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman during the war, causing significant damage and rattling economies even as most are intercepted. Tehran says it targets U.S. assets, even as Iranian strikes are reported at civilian sites such as airports and oil fields.

War’s toll mounts across the region

Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf countries, most of them migrant workers.

In Iran, the International Committee for the Red Cross said more than 1,300 people have been killed. Iran’s Health Ministry said 223 women and 202 children are among the dead, according to Mizan, the judiciary’s official news agency.

Iran’s government on Sunday showed journalists buildings damaged by strikes in Tehran on Friday. A police station was hit and surrounding buildings were damaged. Some apartments’ outer walls had been stripped away.

“God had mercy on all of us,” said Elham Movagghari, a resident.

In Israel, 12 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire and more have been injured, including three on Sunday. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed, six in a plane crash in Iraq last week.

At least 820 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to its Health Ministry, since Iran-backed Hezbollah started hitting Israel and Israel responded with strikes and sent additional troops into southern Lebanon. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people — nearly one out of every seven residents of Lebanon — have been displaced.

More Iranian missile strikes hit Israel

Israel said it continued to strike Iran. Iran fired missiles toward Israel.

Several strikes hit central Israel and the Tel Aviv area, where they caused damage at 23 sites and sparked a small fire. Magen David Adom, Israel’s rescue service, released video showing a large crater in a street and shrapnel damage to an apartment building.

Multisite impacts have become a hallmark of the war, as Israel’s military says Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defenses and scatter submunitions across multiple locations.

If you have $1,500 to invest today (after accounting for daily expenses and emergency savings), and at least a five-year horizon, and you are at a crossroads where you have a choice between putting your money in either innovation or taking a more traditional route, where would you invest? 

Savvy, long-term investors will boil this down to the real question: It isn’t just what could rise next — it’s what can hold its value and grow over time?

On one side is XRP (XRP +1.70%), a digital asset whose value hinges on whether its issuer, Ripple, can turn the global banking system into a group of customers. On the other hand is silver, a centuries-old store of value that could be held as physical bars or in an exchange-traded fund (ETF) like the iShares Silver Trust (SLV 4.98%), and is also an industrially useful metal that solar panels, electric vehicles, and data centers can’t function without.

Let’s dig into the merits of each asset. 

The case for silver

Silver is in the grip of a supply squeeze that’s six years in the running so far, and its price is up by 164%.

Industrial fabrication now accounts for 59% of the total demand. Solar cells, electric vehicles (which use far more silver than internal combustion vehicles), and AI hardware all pull from the same shrinking stockpile of metal. What’s more, 70% of new silver arrives on the market as a byproduct of other metal mining, significantly limiting the responsiveness of its supply relative to higher-than-anticipated demand.

Today’s Change

(-4.98%) $-3.81

Current Price

$72.67

Key Data Points

Day’s Range

$71.93 – $76.27

52wk Range

$26.57 – $109.83

Volume

1.9M

Avg Vol

107M

But if silver’s price rises too much, it’ll incentivize silver mining and refining businesses to find a cheaper substitute, and eventually, more supply coming online will ensure that abnormally high prices don’t persist forever.

The case for XRP

XRP’s value proposition is that the coin’s issuer, Ripple, will continue to add value to and develop the XRP Ledger (XRPL) until it’s essential financial plumbing for tokenized asset management and other on-chain financial services. If that happens, users will be forced to buy and hold a lot of XRP and thereby boost its price over time.

In terms of how the company will stimulate that demand, there are a few mechanisms already. For example, spot XRP ETFs launched last November, attracting $1.3 billion in inflows from investors within the first 50 days.

Today’s Change

(1.70%) $0.02

Current Price

$1.41

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$87B

Day’s Range

$1.39 – $1.43

52wk Range

$1.14 – $3.65

Volume

1.4B

Separately, Ripple is already connected to over 300 banks and financial institutions, to which it now offers the XRPL’s decentralized exchange (DEX) for the purpose of trading of tokenized assets. In February, the chain’s DEX marked just $276.5 million in trading volume. That doesn’t sound like much, until you recognize that in the same month a year prior, there was only around $3.33 million in activity. So that one feature of the XRPL — among many others that handle vastly larger sums of money — succeeded in bringing real economic activity to the XRPL, which was only possible because Ripple developed it and marketed it.

For most investors seeking growth over the next five years, buying XRP may make more sense, as silver simply can’t change itself to capture growth. However, XRP carries a higher risk, so for those without a diversified crypto portfolio already, or seeking something safer, silver is the only real choice.