16 hours ago
War bunker or CEO summit? Iran looms over The Times's annual gathering
For a moment, this year's Times CEO summit felt more like a command bunker on war alert than a conventional meeting of business leaders.
It began with Sir Niall Ferguson, the historian and geopolitics expert, estimating there was a 70 per cent chance of American B2s taking off from Missouri to bomb Iran's underground uranium enrichment facility within hours, or days at most.
It ended with Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, calling for de-escalation while admitting that 'assets' including British Typhoon jets had been moved to the region.
With the oil price rising fast and speculation rampant about possible disruption to trade through the Strait of Hormuz, chief executives were alive to the way politics more than ever impedes on their decision-making.
