US deploys more defensive assets to Middle East amid Israel-Iran conflict

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday the deployment of additional American defensive capabilities to the Middle East to protect US forces and assets in the region as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates."Protecting US forces is our top priority, and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region," Hegseth said in a statement posted on the social media platform X.advertisementThough he did not specify the nature of the deployments, US officials confirmed that several key naval and air force assets have been repositioned to respond to the escalating security situation.
AirNav Systems, a flight tracking website, said more than 31 US Air Force refuelling aircraft -- primarily KC-135s and KC-46s -- left the United States on Sunday, heading east. The US officials declined to comment on the number of aircraft, Reuters reported."The sudden eastward deployment of over two dozen US Air Force tankers is not business as usual. It's a clear signal of strategic readiness," said Eric Schouten at Dyami Security Intelligence."Whether it's about supporting Israel, preparing for long-range operations, logistics is key, this move shows the US is positioning itself for rapid escalation if tensions with Iran spill over."advertisementAirNav systems said US military flights had landed in Europe, including at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and airports in the United Kingdom, Estonia, and Greece.The United States already has a sizeable force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops in the region, including air defence systems, fighter aircraft and warships that can help bring down missiles.Over the weekend, two US Navy destroyers -- the USS The Sullivans and the USS Arleigh Burke -- successfully intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles, according to a US defence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.The Sullivans and the USS Thomas Hudner are currently in the Mediterranean, while the Arleigh Burke has moved away from the area. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is in the Arabian Sea with the four warships in its strike group. They are not participating in the defence of Israel.The USS Nimitz has been long scheduled to take over for the Carl Vinson and is heading west from the Indo-Pacific region.Additionally, the US Air Force has moved refuelling tanker aircraft to the Middle East - critical support assets for extended air operations including evacuations and potential fighter jet missions.The strategic movements give President Donald Trump a wider range of military options amid ongoing missile exchanges between Israel and Iran. However, Trump declined to elaborate on what might prompt direct US military involvement.advertisement"I don't want to talk about that" Trump said during a meeting with the Canadian prime minister at the G7 summit. "They should talk, and they should talk immediately," he said, urging Iran to return to negotiations over its nuclear program.Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to make a veiled outreach to the US to step in and negotiate an end to dayslong hostilities between Israel and Iran.In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is "genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential."With inputs from Agencies

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Govt meets stakeholders to assess impact of Iran-Israel conflict on trade; monitoring situation

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Gold declines Rs 600 to Rs 99,960/10 g; silver plunges Rs 2,000/kg

Gold of 99.5 per cent purity dipped Rs 550 to Rs 99,250 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). The yellow metal had closed at Rs 99,800 per 10 grams on Thursday. The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had settled at Rs 1,00,560 per 10 grams in the previous market session. New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) Gold prices slipped below the Rs 1 lakh-mark, falling Rs 600 to Rs 99,960 per 10 grams in the national capital on Friday due to selling by jewellers and stockists in line with weak global cues, according to the All India Sarafa Association. Silver prices also diminished Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,05,200 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes) on Friday. It had ended at Rs 1,07,200 per kg on Thursday. 'Silver slid from recent highs, nearing one-week lows and heading for their first weekly decline in three weeks. It fell below USD 35.70 per ounce after a sharp rally earlier in the week. 'The decline came as investors liquidated positions in bullion to cover losses elsewhere amid rising geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran,' Rahul Kalantri, Vice-President, Commodities at Mehta Equities, said. The Bank of England on Thursday also held rates steady in its monetary policy meetings, which also limited gains of precious metals. However, intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, and weakness in the rupee is also supporting prices of gold and silver in the domestic markets, Kalantri said. On the global market, spot gold was trading at USD 3,353.67, lower by USD 16.72 per ounce, or 0.5 per cent. Spot silver fell 0.77 per cent to USD 36.10 per ounce in the overseas markets. 'Traders will watch developments on US trade tariffs and Middle East military engagement will drive volatility. Any signs of de-escalation or non-involvement from the US in the Iran-Israel conflict could keep gold under pressure. 'On the other side, renewed tensions will continue to support prices,' Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst – Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities, said. PTI HG HG TRB BAL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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Why Donald Trump is desperate to win Nobel Peace Prize

Donald Trump has once again ranted about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize. In a long post on Truth Social, he listed a number of reasons why he deserves it. Now, Islamabad has nominated him for the honour for his 'decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis'. But why does the US president long for the validation of the prize so much? read more US President Donald Trump has once again complained about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize. AP United States President Donald Trump has made no bones about coveting a Nobel Peace Prize. He brought up the award again while reiterating his claim of ending hostilities between India and Pakistan — an assertion rejected by New Delhi. Trump has mentioned the Nobel Peace Prize dozens of times publicly, be it in his speeches, interviews or campaign rallies. After failing to get the award in his first term, his obsession with the prestigious award has returned. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But why does Trump desire the Nobel Peace Prize so strongly? We will take a look. Trump says 'won't get Nobel Peace Prize' US President Donald Trump reiterated his claims of brokering a peace deal between India and Pakistan, griping he would not get a Nobel Peace Prize for 'stopping' the 'war' between the two South Asian neighbours. In a long post on his Truth Social platform on Friday (June 20), the Republican leader mentioned the prestigious award six times. He listed a variety of reasons why he should get the award. The Republican leader complained he would not get the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Russia-Ukraine or Israel-Iran conflicts. 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize, no matter what I do,' Trump said in his post. 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Trump's obsession with Nobel Peace Prize This is not the first time that Trump has lamented not winning the Nobel Peace Prize. He has spoken about it several times, and as per New York Times (NYT), complained 'publicly and privately' about not getting it for nearly a decade. As Trump pushes for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and a peace deal in West Asia, the 'award is looming large in his mind', the American newspaper reported, citing current and former advisers. At an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, the US president said: 'They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize.' 'It's too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me,' he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump has been nominated many times for the Nobel Peace Prize. A wide variety of people can nominate someone for the honour. Last year, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, a Republican from New York, nominated him for brokering the Abraham Accords. Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde and a Swedish political figure, Magnus Jacobsson, nominated Trump during his first term. But the esteemed prize evaded the US president. Trump has been nominated once again. In February, Anat Alon-Beck, an Israeli-born professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, submitted a letter to the Nobel committee, arguing that Trump should get the award for his early work on securing a peace deal in West Asia. 'By securing the release of hostages, standing firm against antisemitism, and fostering historic agreements that bring stability to the world's most volatile regions, [Trump] has once again demonstrated why he is a deserving recipient,' Alon-Beck wrote, as per Axios. The Trump administration officials have also rallied behind the US president in his quest for the prestigious prize, which is decided by the Nobel Committee – appointed by Norway's parliament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The Nobel Peace Prize is illegitimate if President Trump — the ultimate peace president — is denied his rightful recognition of bringing harmony across the world,' Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement earlier. Speaking to Fox News in February, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump deserves a Nobel for his efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. 'If it were fairly awarded, I think in a year, he should get it from what I've seen,' he said. US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and New York Representative Elise Stefanik have also advocated for Trump winning the Nobel. Meanwhile, Pakistan has nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize 'in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis'. 'At a moment of heightened regional turbulence, President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation, ultimately securing a ceasefire and averting a broader conflict between the two nuclear states that would have had catastrophic consequences for millions of people in the region and beyond', a statement by Pakistan on Saturday (June 21) claimed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The announcement came just days after the US president hosted Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir at the White House for lunch. Islamabad has parroted Trump's claim that he 'helped settle' the hostilities between the neighbours. ALSO READ: Not so Noble: How the Nobel Prize has become the most controversial award ever Why is Trump pushing for the Nobel Peace Prize? Trump's obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize may have to do with former US President Barack Obama, who had won the award less than nine months after taking office in 2009. Obama, who was a highly controversial choice, got the prize for his 'extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples'. Trump has criticised the Nobel committee for picking Obama for the award. In 2019, the Republican leader said he should get the prize 'for a lot of things, if they gave it out fairly — which they don't. They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency, and he had no idea why he got it. … That was the only thing I agreed with him on.' Towards the end of his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly brought up Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, ranting that he did not deserve the award. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'If I were named Obama, I would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds,' he said. John Bolton, who was ousted by Trump as his national security adviser in 2019, told NYT, 'The centre of his public life is the greater glory of Donald Trump, and the Nobel Peace Prize would be a nice thing to hang on the wall.' 'He saw that Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize and felt if Obama got it for not doing anything, why should he not get it?' he said of the US president. While Trump longs for the validation of the Nobel Peace Prize, critics say he does not deserve it, as there is no guarantee he will achieve a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine or in West Asia. They also accuse the US president of aligning himself with aggressors. With inputs from agencies