Latest news with #TACO
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trick or TACO? Why has Trump set a 2-week deadline for Iran?
US President Donald Trump announced he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. will intervene in the Israel-Iran conflict, hinting at potential negotiations while demanding "unconditional surrender." This delay could be a strategic move to deceive Iran, allow military repositioning, and give Israel time to weaken Iranian nuclear capabilities. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Also Read: The spy dossier that triggered Israel to rain missiles on Iran Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What could be Trump's 14-day Iran strategy? White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that President Donald Trump will decide whether the US should get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in the statement read out by decision to delay making any decision on the Iran-Israel conflict for two weeks points at his signature approach to deal making -- to make a hard decision and then dilute it or reverse it altogether. He has imposed and then reversed or brought down tariffs on numerous occasions. His style has led to coining of an acronym, TACO, meaning "Trump always chickens out," which was used to describe an investment approach in response to Trump's volatile tariff Trump going TACO with Iran? Trump had claimed on Wednesday that Iran has reached out to negotiate. 'Iran wants to negotiate,' he told reporters. But he quickly added, 'I said it's very late.' According to Trump, Iranian negotiators had even suggested visiting Washington. 'They suggested they come to the White House,' he said. 'But it's difficult.' He appeared unmoved by the offer. 'Two very simple words: unconditional surrender,' Trump said. 'I've had it.' That remark followed his earlier comment: 'Iran's got a lot of trouble and wants to negotiate,' before adding, 'They should have negotiated.'A day after signalling that he was not interested in negotiations with Iran any more, Trump has reversed his stance to say there is still scope for negotiations. Trump faces several challenges: a US involvement in the conflict can result in heavy damage to its assets and soldiers; there is the risk of a wider war breaking out with other players jumping in; and Trump's MAGA base is still unconvinced that the US should get drawn into another foreign finds himself in a complex situation where various pulls and pushes keep him undecided. However, his two-week ploy could actually be a well-planned move. Some experts have told The New York Times that it is also possible that Trump is trying to deceive the Iranians and get them to let their guard down and surprise them with a sudden move. 'That could be cover for a decision to strike, immediately,' James G. Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral and the former supreme U.S. commander in Europe, said on CNN. 'Maybe this is a very clever ruse to lull the Iranians into a sense of complacency.'While Trump keeps the world, including the Iranians, guessing whether the US would join Israel's bombardment of Iran's nuclear and missile sites, the US military has moved some aircraft and ships from bases in the Middle East that may be vulnerable to any potential Iranian attack, two US officials told Reuters on Wednesday. One of the officials said aircraft that were not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid base in Qatar and naval vessels had been moved from a port in Bahrain, where the military's 5th fleet is per the NYT report, Trump's two-week deadline allows time for a second American aircraft carrier to get into place, giving US forces a better chance to counter the inevitable Iranian retaliation while Israel too will get more time to destroy the air defenses around the Fordo enrichment site, Iran's key nuclear site which can be destroyed only with American latest statement that there's still a substantial chance of negotiations could be aimed at pleasing his European allies. The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the US, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US negotiating strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Two diplomats told Reuters there were no great expectations for a breakthrough in Geneva, where the European Union's foreign policy chief will also could also believe that the pounding of Iranian nuclear sites by Israel, which is likely to intensify in the two-week period, might soften Iranian position. The plan that the US last offered to Iran was a ban on all uranium enrichment. An Iran weakened by Israeli strikes and facing the threat of the US joining the conflict might be more willing to consider that now.(With inputs from agencies)
Daily Maverick
7 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
SYDNEY, June 20 (Reuters) – Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential US attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Overnight, Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. The White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The US President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on Iran. Brent fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week. 'The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs,' said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. 'Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation.' Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. US markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for Asia. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2%. China's blue chips rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely expected. In the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate hikes. Investors, however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced in. The US bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%. Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since 2020. Gold prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%.
Business Recorder
8 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
SYDNEY: Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential US attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Overnight, Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. The White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The US President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on Iran. Brent fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week. 'The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs,' said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. 'Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation.' Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. US markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for Asia. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2%. China's blue chips rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely expected. Stocks slide, oil and gold jump after Israel strikes Iran In the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate hikes. Investors, however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced in. The US bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%. Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since 2020. Gold prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%.
Economic Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential U.S. attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. ADVERTISEMENT Overnight, Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. The White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The U.S. President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on Iran. Brent fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week. "The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. "Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation." ADVERTISEMENT Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. U.S. markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for Asia. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2%. ADVERTISEMENT China's blue chips rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely expected. In the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate hikes. ADVERTISEMENT Investors, however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced in. The U.S. bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%. ADVERTISEMENT Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since 2020. Gold prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Stocks struggle, oil up for 3rd week as Trump weighs US action on Iran
Asian share markets faced uncertainty amid worries of a possible US-Iran conflict. Oil prices are likely to increase due to the escalating Israel-Iran tensions. Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran. Donald Trump will decide on US involvement in the next two weeks. Brent crude oil fell but is set for a weekly gain. Japan's core inflation rose. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Share markets in Asia struggled for direction on Friday as fears of a potential U.S. attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war intensified with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The U.S. President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on fell 2% on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4%, following a 12% surge the previous week."The 'two-week deadline' is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions, including those involving Russia and Ukraine, and tariffs," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG."Often, these deadlines expire without concrete action, (similar to TACO), and there is certainly a risk of this happening again, given the complexities of the situation."Still, a cautious mood prevailed in markets with Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both 0.3% lower in Asia. U.S. markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1% but was set for a weekly drop of 1%. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2%.China's blue chips rose 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5%, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2% to 145.17 yen after data showed Japan's core inflation hit a two-year high in May, which kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to resume interest rate however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50% priced U.S. bond market, which was also closed on Thursday, started trading in Asian hours on a subdued note. Ten-year Treasury bond yield was flat at 4.389%, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925%.Overnight, the Swiss National Bank cut rates to zero and did not rule out going negative, while the Bank of England held policy steady but saw the need for further easing and Norway's central bank surprised everyone and cut rates for the first time since prices eased 0.2% to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2%.
