US strikes on Iran may trigger escalation, not surrender: Mideast analyst
James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow at Nanyang Technological University, warns that Iran never responds well to ultimatums from the US. He expects Tehran may retaliate, but calibrate its response to keep diplomatic doors open.
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CNA
26 minutes ago
- CNA
UK aircraft carrier docks at Marina Bay Cruise Centre as part of eight month Indo-Pacific deployment
SINGAPORE: As a military band played and schoolchildren waved British and Singapore flags, British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales sailed into the history books on Monday (Jun 23) as the first warship to dock at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre. Singapore is the first formal port call in the region for the carrier which is on an eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment. It is the flagship of a strike group comprising five core ships, 24 jets and 17 helicopters. Some other vessels in the strike group are docked at naval bases around Singapore. While the warship is at Marina Bay Cruise Centre, it will host Singapore officials and industry leaders from 'defence and security, trade and business, and science and research sectors', said the British High Commission in a press release. Planned activities include a "defence and security industry day" held at the carrier's hangar, as well as a friendly e-sports tournament with military personnel from the UK, Singapore and the Singaporean e-sports community competing in a 'specially installed onboard gaming facility'. Britain's Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle, its Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Sharon Nesmith, and Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer will also be in Singapore during the visit. British High Commissioner to Singapore Nik Mehta said the strike group's visit symbolises the UK's 'enduring commitment' to the Indo-Pacific region and its 'strong partnership' with Singapore. 'As we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Singapore, the timing of this visit could not be more fitting,' he said. 'Through our engagements with Singaporean and regional partners over the coming days, we will strengthen our defence cooperation, explore new avenues for trade and innovation, and reaffirm our shared vision for security and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific." The British High Commission said that 'growth' is at the heart of the group's visit to Singapore. 'Events hosted on board the carrier are aimed at connecting UK and Singaporean stakeholders in the areas of defence and security, science and technology, business and investment,' said the release. A "LONG-TERM STRATEGIC POSTURE" HMS Prince of Wales has a flight deck 70m wide and 280m long – enough space for three football pitches – and is one of the British Royal Navy's two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. The carrier set off from Britain in April for Operation Highmast, a deployment which involves around 4,000 UK military personnel, including 2,500 from the Royal Navy, 592 from the Royal Air Force, and about 900 from the British Army. The deployment involves 30 countries through exercises, operations and visits across the Mediterranean, Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific. This includes exercises with the United States, India, Singapore, and Malaysia. "The UK is one in a small group of countries with the capability to lead a deployment of this scale, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to maintaining the international rules-based system. The deployment is a further demonstration of the UK's unwavering commitment to the Indo-Pacific," said the British High Commission. "The UK is clear that the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific is indivisible from that of the Euro-Atlantic – and our commitment to this region is a generational mission, a long-term strategic posture."
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Iran foreign minister to meet key ally Putin
MOSCOW: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to hold "important" talks with key ally Vladimir Putin on Monday (Jun 23), 48 hours after a major US attack on Iran's key nuclear facilities. Moscow is a crucial backer of Tehran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner since Israel launched a wave of attacks on Jun 13, strikes that triggered Iran to respond with missiles and drones. While Russia condemned the Israeli and US strikes, it has not offered military help and has downplayed its obligations under a sweeping strategic partnership agreement signed with Tehran just months ago. "In this new dangerous situation ... our consultations with Russia can certainly be of great importance," Russian state media reported Araghchi as saying after landing in Moscow. The official IRNA news agency reported Sunday that Araghchi would "hold consultations with the president and other senior officials of Russia regarding regional and international developments following the military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran". Putin initially pitched himself as a possible mediator between Iran and Israel, but on Friday said he was only "suggesting ideas", after US President Donald Trump pushed back against a role for the Kremlin leader. "We are by no means seeking to act as a mediator, we are simply suggesting ideas," Putin said at an economic forum in Saint Petersburg. "If they turn out to be attractive to both sides, we will only be happy," he added.
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
Singapore, Asia-Pacific markets pare losses after US strikes on Iran; oil prices give back some gains
[SINGAPORE] Asia-Pacific markets recovered some losses while oil prices gave back some gains by Monday (Jun 23) afternoon, following declines in the morning after the US launched strikes against three nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend. Singapore's Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.4 per cent. DBS declined 0.3 per cent to S$43.19. OCBC slid 0.1 per cent or S$0.08 to S$15.82 and UOB fell 1 per cent or S$0.34 to S$34.55. Greater China markets declined in early trade after the open. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up 0.6 per cent after earlier losses, while in the mainland, the CSI 300 Index rose 0.5 per cent after marginal declines. Japan's Nikkei 225 edged down 0.1 per cent, while South Korea's Kospi was down 0.2 per cent. Australia's ASX fell around 0.3 per cent. Oil prices surged in early trade on Monday, with Brent and the main US crude contract WTI both climbing more than 4 per cent to hit their highest price since January before paring gains. Brent last jumped 2.7 per cent to US$79.06 per barrel after 9 am Singapore time and WTI was up 2.8 per cent at US$75.87. By Monday afternoon, past 2 pm Singapore time, Brent walked back some gains to trade around US$78.23 per barrel, while WTI was at US$75. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Crude prices already spiked last week after Israel attacked Iran. Brent had risen 13 per cent since the conflict began on Jun 3, while WTI had gained around 10 per cent, according to Reuters data on Monday morning. The US dollar index rose around 0.3 per cent to 99. It last strengthened slightly around 0.2 per cent to the Singapore dollar at around S$1.2899, after 2.30 pm Singapore time. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities, boosting Israel's efforts to destroy Iran's nuclear programme. This followed more than a week of Israeli air attacks on Iran's nuclear and military facilities and US attempts to persuade Iran to reach a deal to dismantle its nuclear programme. In response, Iran on Sunday threatened US bases in the Middle East, intensifying concern of a deepening of conflict in the region. An adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Ali said bases used by US forces could be attacked in retaliation, given that the US 'has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences'. He warned that countries in the region or elsewhere from which the US launched its strikes would be considered legitimate targets by Iran's armed forces.
