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On April 2nd, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf stated that seven million Iranians are ready to resist any US ground invasion of Iran. Ghalibaf, who has been considered a potential negotiator with the US, has posted a series of online challenges to the US since the start of the conflict. “Currently, in less than a week, a powerful nationwide movement has brought about approximately seven million Iranians to their feet, declaring their readiness to take up arms and defend our country,” Ghalibaf wrote. Iran is a country with a population of approximately 90 million. The source of this figure is unclear, but Iranian state media and SMS propaganda campaigns have been urging citizens to enlist.

April 2nd - According to Japanese media reports on the 2nd, due to the protracted conflict in the Middle East and rising oil prices, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) will significantly increase fuel surcharges on international routes starting in June. The Japanese aviation industry typically adjusts fuel surcharges every two months. For example, for one-way flights from Japan to Europe and North America, compared to prices in April and May, ANA will increase its fuel surcharge by 23,100 yen (approximately 159 yen to 1 US dollar) to 55,000 yen starting in June, while JAL will increase its fuel surcharge by 21,000 yen to 50,000 yen, both increases exceeding 70%.

The International Monetary Fund welcomed the strong performance of the US economy.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that inflationary pressures in the United States due to tariffs are expected to ease, and oil prices will also fall from their current highs.

Italian Prime Minister Meloni spoke by phone with British Prime Minister Starmer to assess the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

On April 2nd, Liu Jie, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Zhejiang Province, conducted a special investigation in Hangzhou on the development of the commercial aerospace industry on the afternoon of April 1st. During the investigation, Liu Jie emphasized the need to deepen top-level design, strengthen policy research, accelerate overall planning, continuously enrich the policy "toolbox," and accurately address bottlenecks to provide systematic support for industrial development. He stressed the importance of deepening the integration of industry, academia, research, and application, exploring the open sharing of major scientific research facilities and equipment, conducting organized scientific research on key core technologies, accelerating the opening of a number of commercial application scenarios, and accelerating the large-scale application of industrial development achievements. He also emphasized the need to optimize resource guarantees, strengthen talent support, improve financial support, and strive to create a first-class environment for industrial development.

On April 2nd, the Shanghai Municipal Government held a symposium with foreign financial institutions to solicit their opinions and suggestions on accelerating the construction of an international financial center. Wu Wei, Standing Committee Member of the Shanghai Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, attended and addressed the meeting, which was chaired by Liu Jian, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal Government. At the symposium, representatives of foreign financial institutions expressed high recognition of Shanghai's efforts in deepening financial reform and opening up, optimizing the business environment, and maintaining financial market stability. They also offered opinions and suggestions on cross-border data, business qualifications, and cross-border finance. Representatives from 11 foreign financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Natixis, BNY Mellon, Allianz, Manulife-Sinochem Life, MetLife, Neuberger Berman, Temasek, Warburg Pincus, and KKR, attended and spoke at the meeting.

The Romanian government stated that measures to alleviate rising fuel prices have fully considered fiscal constraints.

The Romanian government has decided to reduce the diesel consumption tax by 0.30 lei per liter.

A spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the G7 and the Gulf Cooperation Council member states will hold a meeting next week to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

April 2 (Kremlin) – Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the Middle East crisis. The two leaders noted the negative impact of the situation in the Middle East on global energy security and emphasized the importance of Russia and Saudi Arabia working together within the OPEC+ framework to stabilize the global oil market.

As of 8:30 PM Beijing time, WTI crude oil futures rose 9.95%, and US natural gas futures rose 0.85%.

The number of Americans continuing to claim unemployment benefits for the week ending March 21 was 1.841 million, compared with an expected 1.839 million and a revised 1.816 million for the previous week (originally 1.819 million).

The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims in the United States for the week ending March 28 was 207,750, revised from 210,500 in the previous week.

April 2nd: Building materials transaction volume was 96,200 tons, a decrease of 9.59% compared to the previous trading day. April 1st: Building materials transaction volume was 106,400 tons, an increase of 23.43% compared to the previous trading day. March 31st: Building materials transaction volume was 86,200 tons, a decrease of 17.27% compared to the previous trading day. March 30th: Building materials transaction volume was 104,200 tons, an increase of 10.38% compared to the previous trading day. March 27th: Building materials transaction volume was 94,400 tons, an increase of 5.95% compared to the previous trading day. Last week's average: Building materials transaction volume was 90,000 tons.