SQUAWK BOX, FRIDAY 3RD JANUARY, 2020

Oil prices soar following Pentagon confirmation that a drone strike has killed Iran’s top military commander in Baghdad. President Trump had ordered the strike following the storming of the U.S. embassy complex in the Iraqi capital which had been approved by General Qassim Soleimani. Iran’s foreign minister has slammed the U.S. action as ‘rogue adventurism’. The rising tensions between Washington and Tehran have impacted gains in Asian stocks and U.S. futures are set to open lower following yesterday’s new record highs. The dollar has slumped against the yen and gold has surged to a nine-month peak as a result of the escalating frictions.