Shanghai Futures Exchange inventories this week: copper down 22,406 t; aluminum down 24,229 t; zinc up 952 t; lead up 858 t; nickel down 2,525 t; tin down 351 t; natural rubber up 1,317 t.

U.S. White House: Commerce Secretary has determined the U.S. aviation industry is overly dependent on foreign supply chains.

Iran confirmed a Qatari political delegation arrived today for talks, with Doha said to be seeking to consolidate its mediator role. Qatar had earlier accused Iran over an incident in the Strait of Hormuz; US military forces subsequently carried out large-scale strikes on Iranian military and civilian targets on Wednesday and Thursday. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said he regretted Qatar’s accusations, calling them “questionable, contrary to the principle of good-neighborliness and unacceptable,” and said Qatar should, during the visit, explain why it sought to cooperate with the US to bypass Iran-designated shipping channels despite knowing Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum, and why it rushed to accuse Iran before any direct communication.