German Far Right Surges in Vote, Iran & US Trade Tanker Attacks | The Opening Trade 9/7/2026

The far-right Alternative for Germany scored its best-ever result in a state election on Sunday amid growing public discontent with the political establishment, delivering a powerful blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Iran and the US carried out their largest tit-for-tat tanker strikes yet over the weekend, pushing oil prices higher as both nations continue to escalate a six-month war.