Latest news with #US-Iran
Shafaq News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran's FM: US talks off table while Israeli aggression continues
Shafaq News/ Iran will not enter negotiations while Israeli airstrikes persist, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on Friday. Speaking to state television, Araghchi revealed that the United States had sent 'serious messages' attempting to restart talks, but Tehran immediately rejected them. 'We are exercising legitimate self-defense. As long as Washington backs Israeli crimes, dialogue is not an option.' He added that Iran remains open to limited talks with European countries, restricted to the nuclear issue and regional security, noting, 'Our discussions in Geneva are narrowly focused. The missile program is off the table—it is a cornerstone of our national defense.' Tensions have spiked since last Friday, when Israel and Iran began trading missiles and drones. Despite growing international pressure, the conflict shows no sign of easing. The renewed hostilities also derailed a planned sixth round of indirect US-Iran nuclear negotiations, which were set for June 15 in Oman. Iran withdrew hours after Israeli jets bombed several military and nuclear sites. At the time, Araghchi called any diplomacy with Washington ' unjustifiable,' citing its direct support for Israeli attacks.
The Print
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Trump can't end wars. He's more interested in commercial deals
The fate of this meeting was always hanging by a thread. US President Donald Trump had announced well before the talks that Iran would not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. At the same time, the US was preparing a hurried evacuation of its embassy in Iraq and had allowed its military dependents to leave locations around the Middle East due to 'heightened security risks'. When Oman's foreign affairs minister Badr Albusaidi announced the sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks in Muscat on 12 June, he would have had an inkling of the events that would follow. Two days later, he declared that the meeting had been called off. Wading into war Far from staying out of the Israel-Iran war, the US has waded deep into it by laying down conditions that are unacceptable not only to Tehran but also to several other regional and middle powers. A nuclear-armed Shia-dominated Iran is certainly not favoured by the Sunni-dominated Arab world, which incidentally is tied in uneasy knots with Israel through the Abraham Accords. However, Arab states, which once considered Israel a potential ally in their contestations against Iran, are now sceptical about US-Israel objectives. Soon after the Israeli attacks, the UAE waived visa fines for overstaying Iranian citizens, and the Gulf states condemned Israel's unprovoked attack on Iran. The Arab states are well aware of the camaraderie between the US and Israel, and their deep sense of solidarity in combating Iran's nuclear programme. It is no secret that the two powers jointly seek a regime change in Iran, which will herald the beginning of a new state with a pliant, pro-US head of state in Tehran. Due to the total trust deficit between the US and Iran, war is now Trump's only path to achieve this objective. On Thursday, however, officials from the two countries are reported to have held a rare telephonic conversation to find a diplomatic solution as Israel's attacks intensify. Trump had a window of opportunity to continue US-Iran talks and offer a better alternative to war. It is unlikely he was not aware of Israel's war preparedness. By bringing Iran to the negotiating table in Muscat as scheduled, Trump could have bargained for time and sent a message to Israel about whose decision would prevail on regime change in Tehran. Now, driven to the wall, a desperate Iran may consider attacking US bases and military installations in the region. It may even target American and Israeli personnel anywhere in the world, thereby forcing Washington to respond with deterrence or counterattacks as a security measure. Far from stopping the war, Trump finds himself drawn even deeper into it. Iran may also block the Strait of Hormuz, a lifeline for an energy–starved Europe, already deprived of Russian oil and gas. Since its cyber attack on Saudi Arabia's oil installations in 2012, Iran has sharpened its capabilities through short and medium-range and surface-to-surface missiles. These can be used to target oil infrastructure platforms, pipelines, commercial vessels, navigation and radar equipment, and ports in the region. Can Trump's America sit back and leave Europe to its fate in the Gulf, as it tried doing in the Russia-Ukraine conflict? Also read: What India must learn from Israel's air strikes on Iran — clarity, speed, precision Trump's promises Israel's objective of dismantling Iran's nuclear capabilities will be incomplete until the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, spread over 54,000 square feet and buried deep under a mountain near Qom, is totally destroyed. This can be done only by the GBU-57A, a 30,000-pound precision-guided 'bunker buster' bomb, mounted on a US B-2 bomber. It is only a matter of time before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compels Trump to use the ultimate weapon, which will force Iran to surrender and facilitate a regime change. Such an intervention, which can be authorised only by the President of the United States, will probably please Israel, but not before seriously eroding Trump's credibility as one who will 'end wars'. His resolve to end wars and not get involved in the kind of battles America fought in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan will evaporate into thin air. Trump's path to power was paved with promises of 'making America great again' and ending wars around the world. In fact, the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts were the only major ongoing wars during his campaign. 'I'm not going to start a war, I'm going to stop the wars,' Trump said, addressing his supporters immediately after winning the second term. In his first 100 days in power, his focus was on undoing his predecessor's policies. He wanted to hunt down illegal immigrants and oust them from the US in humiliating handcuffs, streamline federal institutions, and consolidate as many constitutional powers as possible. Recently, the president wondered whether he could appoint himself the head of the Federal Reserve. Trump's resolve to make America great again implies that it has lost its sheen. Assuming that he is right, the American president should know that the country was great for several reasons. It was 'a land of opportunities' and had the ability to keep the dollar powerful as a globally accepted currency for trade settlements. Above all, America was the global superpower that could successfully intervene in conflicts and flashpoints even in a multipolar world, with emerging economies and hegemons contesting its position of eminence. Trump's priority should be to keep America out of wars rather than make feeble attempts to stop them. As of now, he seems to have failed. A US president who is interested in making commercial deals instead of using the country's economic, political, and military muscle to prevent global conflicts cannot end wars. Seshadri Chari is the former editor of 'Organiser'. He tweets @seshadrichari. Views are personal. (Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
Time of India
11 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%.
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Oil prices spike. Will rise more if US enters Israel-Iran fray
As Israel and Iran's conflict enters its seventh day, the air around the energy market grows thicker with fear of turmoil. Oil markets surged this week. The possibility of a direct US-Iran military confrontation brought fresh volatility and pushed Brent Crude to nearly $77 a barrel. Shipping lines may adjust their routes through the Strait of Hormuz, which will also potentially increase transportation costs. And any escalation of conflict would definitely threaten Iran's it matters: The Middle East is a critical route for global oil trade, and rising prices could have a ripple effect on inflation, shipping, and energy access worldwide. Although India no longer imports oil from Iran due to US sanctions imposed in 2019, the country still feels the seismic waves from the Middle East's numbers:Brent Crude hit around $77 on June 18, up from $69.4 a week earlier — a 10.6 per cent weekly jumpThe market has swung within an $8 range in just days, driven by volatility spikes and bullish options tradingAnalysts estimate that a $10-per-barrel geopolitical risk premium is now priced into BrentIran's daily oil exports rose 44 per cent since last Friday's Israeli attack, as Tehran tries to ship out more crude amid escalating hostilitiesadvertisementIn-depth: Iran has 157 billion barrels of crude oil, 24 per cent of the Middle East's and 12 per cent of the world's proven reserves. It's the ninth-largest oil producer, producing 3.3 million barrels daily and exporting two million barrels of crude and refined fuel. Oil prices rose swiftly this week as the US weighed the possibility of direct involvement in the Israel-Iran war. Half of Americans see Iran as a US enemy, but 60 per cent oppose US military involvement in the Israeli war, a YouGov poll reacted to Israel's June 13 airstrikes with a jump in prices, higher tanker rates, and widening spreads in backwardation — a clear sign of stress. Traders are factoring in disruption risks, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil passage. Qatar supplies a lot of liquefied natural gas. Its shipments go through Hormuz to reach global markets when supplies are movement through Hormuz remains steady, including from Iran's key terminal at Kharg Island, suggesting no immediate threat to shipping so far. Still, sentiment has shifted sharply, and volatility indicators have surged. War is just about to enter its second week, and oil markets respond to more than just fundamentals. The conflict adds a risk premium to InMust Watch
The Wire
a day ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Iran Vows to Build New Enrichment Site In Response to Condemnation By UN Nuclear Watchdog
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has condemned Iran for being in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost two decades, diplomatic sources have agency's 35-nation board of governors passed a resolution to that effect on Thursday (June 12), they said the motion, drafted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, was carried by 19 votes in favour. Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed the motion, 11 abstained and two nations of the 35 did not responded defiantly to the resolution by announcing it would open a new enrichment site and upgrade centrifuges at the Fordow nuclear facility.'The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,' the Iranian foreign ministry and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said in a joint UN sanctions on Tehran possibleThe IAEA board 'Finds that Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran … constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with the Agency,' the resolution text, seen by the Reuters news agency, move could lead to further tensions between the West and Iran over its nuclear program and pave the way for United Nations sanctions on Tehran to be restored later this nuclear materialsThe resolution by the IAEA comes after Iran failed to give the agency credible explanations for the presence of uranium traces at undeclared sites in the report by the agency at the end of May found that three of the four locations 'were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material'.US intelligence services and the IAEA have suspected for some time that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program it halted in has gradually been abandoning the commitments it made under the nuclear deal it agreed with world powers in deal, which collapsed after the US withdrew from it in 2018 during US President Donald Trump's first term, lifted some sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Tehran's nuclear Middle East tensionsThe IAEA resolution comes as tensions in the region have been US state department announced on Wednesday that it was pulling out people whom it considered non-essential to its operations in the Middle reductions are being carried out at the US embassy, and there are reports that personnel are also being moved from Kuwait and Bahrain over security Donald Trump has also warned that Israel or the US could carry out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if ongoing US-Iran negotiations in its turn has responded with threats to hit US bases in the region if the US takes military Iran's regional arch-enemy, has meanwhile said the world must respond 'decisively' to Iran's non-compliance with its nuclear article was originally published on DW.
