Por Sebastián Jiménez Valencia, CNN en Español

El estrecho de Ormuz, una estrecha vía marítima que rodea Irán y Omán, es la principal ruta para el transporte de crudo desde países ricos en petróleo como Arabia Saudita y Kuwait hacia el resto del mundo. Tras los ataques de EE.UU. e Israel a Irán y la muerte de su líder supremo, un asesor del comandante del Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica (CGRI) de Irán advirtió que los buques que transiten por el estrecho de Ormuz podrían ser blanco de ataques.

Ahora el estrecho de Ormuz está prácticamente cerrado, lo que deja pocas opciones para transportar estas materias primas vitales a los mercados globales. Eso ha llevado a fuertes fluctuaciones en los precios del petróleo y del gas, y hay preocupación de que el conflicto pueda frenar por completo las exportaciones de combustibles de Medio Oriente.

El impacto de la guerra es claro. El precio de la gasolina en Estados Unidos, por ejemplo, tuvo el mayor aumento diario desde el huracán Katrina en 2005.

Desde la perspectiva de la economía global, pocos lugares tienen la misma importancia estratégica. La vía marítima, ubicada entre el golfo Pérsico y el golfo de Omán, tiene tan solo 34 kilómetros de ancho en su punto más estrecho. Es la única vía para transportar crudo desde el golfo Pérsico, rico en petróleo, al resto del mundo. Irán controla su lado norte.

Cerca de 20 millones de barriles de petróleo, aproximadamente una quinta parte de la producción mundial diaria, fluyen por el estrecho cada día, según la Administración de Información Energética de Estados Unidos (EIA, por sus siglas en inglés), que califica el canal como un “cuello de botella petrolero crítico”.

La influencia geográfica sobre el transporte marítimo mundial le otorga a Irán la “capacidad de causar un shock en los mercados petroleros, impulsar los precios del petróleo, impulsar la inflación y derrumbar la agenda económica de Trump”, declaró en 2025 a CNN Mohammad Ali Shabani, experto en Irán y editor del medio de comunicación Amwaj.

En lo que respecta al transporte de petróleo, el Estrecho es, de hecho, mucho más estrecho que su ancho oficial de 34 kilómetros. Las rutas de navegación para los superpetroleros gigantes tienen solo unos tres kilómetros de ancho en cada dirección, lo que obliga a los buques a atravesar aguas territoriales iraníes y omaníes.

Incluso antes de los comentarios del asesor del Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica, el tráfico por la vía acuática se había detenido prácticamente por motivos de seguridad y después de que petroleros en la región fueran atacados durante el fin de semana.

Según la EIA, “existen muy pocas alternativas para sacar el petróleo del estrecho si este se cierra”.

El estrecho también transporta aproximadamente una quinta parte del comercio mundial de gas natural licuado. Los analistas energéticos han advertido que es probable que los precios del petróleo y el gas natural se mantengan elevados hasta que el estrecho sea transitable.

Las principales compañías navieras, como Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC y CMA CGM, también están desviando buques de la vía y de la región, según la empresa de logística Freightos.

Hace cuatro años, Rusia atacó a Ucrania y el precio del petróleo se disparó un 50 % en cuestión de semanas, superando los US$ 100 por barril. La gasolina subió rápidamente de unos US$ 3,50 a US$ 5 por galón.

Esa guerra puso en riesgo 3 millones de barriles diarios de crudo ruso. Pero ahora, la guerra con Irán detuvo casi instantáneamente el flujo de 20 millones de barriles de p

By Hanna Park, Holly Yan, CNN

(CNN) — One was on the brink of earning dual degrees and starting a prestigious job. Another was a mixed martial arts fighter whose grit was matched by his humor and charm. Another was a teenager with a bright future ahead.

Their lives intersected at the end when they were killed in a mass shooting in Austin’s bustling Sixth Street entertainment district.

“These were young people with their whole lives ahead of them,” said Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, near the site of the shootings.

Another 13 people were injured in the attack early Sunday morning, including several University of Texas at Austin students, the school’s president said.

While the motive remains uncertain, investigators are digging into whether the suspect, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was spurred by recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

The anguish quickly spread across the country, as loved ones from Texas to Minnesota grieve the loss of three promising young lives. Here’s what we know about the victims:

A little brother ‘robbed of a great future’

Ryder Harrington was a vivacious 19-year-old who made every day brighter for those around him, family and friends said.

His sister, Reagan Harrington, paid tribute to her “best friend” on Instagram.

“We understood each other in a way that no one else quite could, and everyone who knew us knew that we were partners in crime in everything,” she wrote. “I’m not sure how we’re meant to work through this — all I can think about is seeing you again.”

Ryder’s brother Reed Harrington said, it was unfair “that my little brother was only given 19 years on this earth.”

“Watching the man he had become, and seeing all the lives he touched, leaves me certain that this world was robbed of a great future,” Reed posted on Facebook.

In an open letter to his slain brother, Reed thanked Ryder for “being the best brother I could ever ask for.”

“I love you more than you will ever know,” he wrote. “No matter how old you get, or how much taller than me you are, you will always be my little brother.”

Ryder Harrington was a student at Texas Tech University last fall, the school said, in a statement shared with CNN affiliate KCBD. He was a member of the Beta Theta Pi at Texas Tech, the chapter said.

Harrington “had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable,” the fraternity posted on Instagram.

“He made the world around him better simply by being in it.”

A ‘superstar student’ with exciting plans ahead

Savitha Shan was just two months away from graduating from UT Austin and already had a distinguished job lined up, according to her LinkedIn profile and a professor.

Shan, 21, was “one of our sup

By Hadas Gold, CNN

(CNN) — The AI company Anthropic was likely not in the public lexicon just a month ago. But it is now.

The AI company has long been known within tech circles for its popular Claude AI assistant and coding tools. But a whirlwind sequence of events in February thrust the company into the public eye more than ever. Case in point: Anthropic’s Claude app dethroned OpenAI’s ChatGPT to claim the top spot in Apple’s iPhone App Store over the weekend.

The increased visibility comes as the company has been locked in a high-stakes public feud with the Pentagon over its safety guardrails. But even in the weeks before, updates to its Claude tool stoked concerns about AI’s impact on the software industry, sending shockwaves through Wall Street. And in early February, Anthropic took its most pointed and public jab at its chief rival, OpenAI, during the Super Bowl, one of the most-watched events on television.

It’s shaping up to be a formative time for the company, but its Claude assistant still has a long way to go to catch up to ChatGPT in public popularity.

Claude’s rise

In early February, Claude was around number 42 on the Apple App Store’s list of the most popular free iPhone apps. It surged to number one by Saturday, the day after the Pentagon deemed Anthropic a “supply chain risk” and President Donald Trump ordered the federal government to stop using the company’s products. ChatGPT is currently the top free app in the Google Play app store for Android devices, although Claude isn’t far behind in fourth place.

Some showed support for Claude in the real world as well: Encouraging messages like “Thank you” covered the sidewalks outside of Anthropic’s San Francisco offices in recent days, according to images employees posted on social media.

Other people sent OpenAI, which announced a deal with the Pentagon late Friday, a much different message. Phrases such as “do the right thing” and “please stand up for civil liberties” were scribbled on the sidewalk outside its offices, according to San Francisco news site Mission Local.

Google searches for “Anthropic” are the highest they have been since the company’s founding, according to Google search trends.

As its battle with the Pentagon ramped up last week, the company hit “an all time record for Claude sign-ups,” an Anthropic spokesperson told CNN on Monday.

Anthropic is leaning into that attention boost with a new feature unveiled Friday that simplifies importing history from other AI chatbots into Claude, the company said. It also added the ability for Claude to remember context across conversations to its free tier on Monday, rather than restricting it to paid users.

Even pop star Katy Perry seems to be a Claude convert.

The demand has been so high that Claude briefly went down on Monday morning for many users, which Anthropic attribut

By John Towfighi, CNN

New York (CNN) — Global stocks remained volatile for a second day Tuesday, moving sharply lower as concern mounted among investors that the widening conflict in the Middle East could escalate further.

The Dow tumbled 1,140 points, or 2.33%, shortly after the market open. The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq each sank 2.1%. Wall Street’s fear gauge, the VIX, surged 22% and hit its highest level in three months.

Stocks in Europe and Asia were lower for a second day. Europe’s benchmark Stoxx 600 sank 3.2%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 3.06%. South Korea’s Kospi index tumbled 7.24%, posting its worst day since April. Markets in South Korea were closed Monday in observance of a holiday.

“It is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that may be necessary,” President Donald Trump wrote Monday in a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Military action in the region intensified for a fourth-straight day, with Israel saying it is conducting “simultaneous strikes in Tehran and Beirut,” targeting Iranian military sites and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. US embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been hit in strikes amid Iranian bombardment, sources told CNN. And non-emergency US government personnel in Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have been ordered to depart due to security concerns.

Investors are bracing for additional pressure on oil prices after Iran said Monday it would attack any ship trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel off Iran’s coast through which nearly 20% of global oil consumption flows. Vessel operators and maritime insurers are unwilling to risk sailing through it while fighting rages.

US crude oil prices rose 8% Tuesday to $76.91 per barrel after rising 6.3% on Monday, and gas shot 11 cents higher to $3.11 a gallon. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, gained 7.6%, to $83.65 per barrel, its highest level since July 2024.

Safe haven assets showed mixed moves Tuesday: The 10-year Treasury yield climbed as investors sold bonds and weighed the inflationary impact of higher oil prices.

The US dollar index gained 0.98% on expectations that inflation could further delay Federal Reserve rate cuts, supporting the greenback. The dollar index is up nearly 1.8% so far this week.

“That the current war may be ‘inflationary’ is what’s panicking traders today,” Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group, said in a note.

“The view of a short war been upended today because of suggestions from the US administration that the war may be prosecuted for longer than a few weeks,” Wizman said.

Gold was down 5%, continuing a recent bout of volatility and reversing c

Por Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN

El nuevo director ejecutivo de Target quiere restablecer la reputación de “Tarzhay” de la compañía tras unos años especialmente difíciles.

El CEO Michael Fiddelke dijo este martes que Target está comenzando su “próximo capítulo de crecimiento” y que mejorará su oferta de productos y el diseño de sus tiendas para recuperar a los compradores. Target aumentará su gasto de capital en un 25 %, hasta US$ 5.000 millones este año, para fortalecer sus operaciones, tecnología y otras áreas del negocio.

Target planea ofrecer más detalles sobre su plan de recuperación en un evento para inversionistas este martes.

Fiddelke asumió como director ejecutivo de Target el mes pasado. Comenzó su carrera en la empresa como pasante en 2003 y ascendió en sus filas.

Target ha enfrentado dificultades en los últimos años. La compañía ha lidiado con una fuerte competencia de Walmart y Amazon, y también ha cometido errores estratégicos. Redujo sus exhibiciones del Pride y dio marcha atrás en programas de diversidad, equidad e inclusión (DEI), lo que generó molestia entre algunos de sus clientes liberales.

Las ventas de Target se han estancado y sus acciones han caído casi un 30 % en los últimos tres años.

La compañía también tuvo una temporada navideña débil. Las ventas en tiendas abiertas al menos durante un año cayeron un 2,5 % en su trimestre más reciente, informó la empresa este martes.

Sin embargo, la compañía afirma que la situación comienza a mejorar. Las ventas aumentaron en febrero y la empresa espera que las ventas totales crezcan alrededor de un 2 % este año.

Esta es una noticia de última hora y será actualizada.

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