Latest news with #USattack
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Iran's top diplomat heads to Moscow for talks with Putin after US strikes
MOSCOW, June 23 — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to hold 'important' talks with key ally Vladimir Putin on Monday, 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 June 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. Russia's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned the US strikes as 'irresponsible,' after having previously warned against military intervention. — AFP
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Oil prices soar and Asian markets sink as Trump joins Israel's war on Iran
Oil prices surged to a five-month high and Asian share markets tumbled as global trading resumed for the first time since the US joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities, jolting investors and raising fears of wider regional instability. Investors were waiting to see how Iran would respond after Tehran vowed that the American attack would have 'everlasting consequences ' and declared that it was keeping all options open. The attack targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities early on Sunday morning. Global crude oil benchmark Brent jumped 2 per cent after rallying as much as 5.7 per cent when the market opened on Monday. The price reached $81.40 per barrel, the highest in five months, before giving up some of the gains. Asian markets reacted cautiously. There was no widespread panic in financial markets as analysts expressed concern about further escalation, which could fuel inflation and affect central bank decisions on interest rates. Japan 's benchmark Nikkei 225 plunged 0.56 per cent, South Korea 's stock index Kospi lost 1.05 per cent and Taiwan 's Taiex fell 1.5 per cent. These countries rely heavily on oil imported through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil trade route which Iran could shut down in retaliation for the US attack. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.14 per cent while mainland China's CSI 300 index dropped 0.4 per cent. The Australian S&P/ASX 200 came down 0.76 per cent. In India, the benchmark Nifty index 50 dropped 0.8 per cent while the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex fell 0.8 per cent. The US stock futures also tumbled in response to the strikes. S&P 500 futures fell by 0.4 per cent, and Nasdaq futures was down by 0.6 per cent. The US dollar, however, climbed 0.3 per cent. Iran, one of the largest crude producers on the planet, has threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz in a move widely seen to hurt the West. A fifth of the world's oil passes through the narrow waters that Iran shares with Oman and the UAE. The Iranian parliament has voted to close the strait and the decision now rests with the Supreme National Security Council, a body led by an appointee of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Any disruption to supply could significantly impact the global economy, driving up crude prices and dealing a heavy blow to major importers such as China, India, and Japan. 'The situation remains highly fluid and much hinges on whether Tehran opts for a restrained reaction or a more aggressive course of action,' Kristian Kerr, head of macro strategy at LPL Financial in Charlotte, North Carolina, said in a commentary. The US directly joined Israel 's war on Iran by conducting attacks against at least three nuclear facilities early on Sunday morning. Israel had kicked off the conflict on 13 June, launching a series of overnight strikes on nuclear facilities, missile capabilities and air defences. The Israeli attacks have killed nearly 400 people and wounded 3,056, according to the Iranian health ministry. Iran has responded by launching a wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel, inflicting damage to military and civilian infrastructure.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Iran's foreign minister to meet Putin after ‘red line' crossed
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is heading to Moscow and will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday. 'Russia is a friend of Iran,' he said at a press conference in Istanbul and noted that 'in self-defence, Iran reserves all options to defend its security, its interests, its people.' 'All options are on the table…. I will have a discussion with them on how it should proceed.' He called on the world to condemn the US, saying that no entity should 'allow a lawless bully to take us back to the law of the jungle,' a likely reference to president Donald Trump. ' Such blatant aggression will plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos,' he said. 'There is no red line that they have not crossed, and the last one and the most dangerous one – what happened only last night – when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,' he added. 'It was the rule of law and international law that was bombed last night.' Mr Araghchi's visit to Russia will raise concerns over what kind of support Moscow is willing to offer Tehran at this moment, and whether that backing could materially tip the scales of war. The world is bracing for how Iran will respond after Trump deployed B-2 bombers to strike Iran's three principal nuclear sites overnight, in what he called a 'very successful attack.' 'Betrayal of diplomacy' The US attack significantly escalates the Israel-Iran war and now puts American military assets, troops, diplomatic personnel and civilians in the Middle East well within Iran's crosshairs given Washington's direct involvement in the conflict. 'The US itself has now also opted for a dangerous military operation and aggression against the people of Iran,' Mr Araghchi said in Istanbul on Sunday. 'In doing so, the US administration holds sole and full responsibility for the consequences of its actions, including the Islamic Republic of Iran's right to self-defence.' 'The world must not forget that it was the US, which in the midst of a process to forge a diplomatic outcome, betrayed diplomacy – by supporting the genocidal Israeli regime's launch for an illegal war of aggression on the Iranian nation.' He took yet another jab at Mr Trump, noting that the US president was elected on a platform of ending America's 'forever wars' in the Middle East, and that with this latest attack had 'betrayed not only Iran…but also to his own voters.'
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘Unprecedentedly dangerous': Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson on US strikes
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei spoke exclusively to CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Iran after the US attacked three key nuclear facilities in the country. Baghaei said the US' actions were 'unprecedentedly dangerous' and a 'betrayal of diplomacy.'
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘Unprecedentedly dangerous': Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson on US strikes
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei spoke exclusively to CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Iran after the US attacked three key nuclear facilities in the country. Baghaei said the US' actions were 'unprecedentedly dangerous' and a 'betrayal of diplomacy.'
