Latest news with #FarnazFassihi
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Does diplomacy stand a chance?
From the volatile fault lines of the Middle East, a dangerous new chapter has unfolded as the confrontation between Israel and Iran up-ends the region's delicate balance. The big question is whether the US will enter the fray to assist their ally Israel. Donald Trump has set a two-week deadline on that crucial decision, will he risk dividing his MAGA base? And will he heed the history of US foreign entanglements? The world waits with baited breath to find out. Guest: Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times United Nations bureau chief and Iran specialist Recommendations: Geraldine: 'Will the U.S join Israel's war with Iran', The Daily podcast from the New York Times Nick: The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne Plus: Our bonus interview with Dr Afshon Ostovar on the question of regime change in Iran Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at
The Hill
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump flashes fury at Israel, Iran
Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here It's Tuesday. Everyone, please make sure you're staying hydrated. This is a dangerous level of heat. In today's issue: The world watched President Trump's diplomacy play out in real time this morning as he publicly lashed out at Israel and Iran. Let's start with last night: Trump unequivocally declared a ceasefire between the two countries last night. When that ceasefire failed to hold overnight, the president was visibly frustrated this morning, using strong language when speaking about the two countries. Trump told reporters this morning (before leaving for the NATO summit): 'We basically, we have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f— they're doing.' 📹 Watch He then singled out Israel: 'ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!' 🔎 Read Trump then followed up a half hour later: 'ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!' 🔎 Read ➤ 🚨 NEW — CONGRESS'S BRIEFINGS POSTPONED: Today's expected Iran briefings for senators and House lawmaker have bene postponed until later this week, three sources familiar with the plans told The Hill's Capitol Hill team. Iran launched a retaliatory attack on a U.S. Air Force base in Qatar on Monday. Why Qatar?: It's the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East. The U.S. placed this base strategically to help with operations in the region. Qatar is a close ally of Iran, so it could keep the repercussions minimal. Iran gave advance warning of the attack: Trump said Iran gave advance notice of the attack, an apparent effort to minimize casualties and avoid a further escalation. Qatar closed its airspace and warned Americans to shelter in place. As a result, there were no injuries reported. So, then what was the point of the attack?: 'To save face,' reports The New York Times's Farnaz Fassihi. As it stands, Iran, Israel and the U.S. can all claim some sort of victory in this conflict. Iran has wanted to avoid a full war with the U.S. but needed to respond to the bomb attack from last weekend. Read more on the Qatar attack ➤ INTERESTING READ: The Washington Post's Gerry Shih, Warren P. Strobel and Souad Mekhennet write that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been planning this Iran attack since last year, well before Trump was involved. Read: 'Netanyahu decided on Iran war last year, then sought to recruit Trump' ➤ WE'RE STILL ON HIGH ALERT IN THE U.S.: Law enforcement officials are closely watching for any signs of domestic retaliation in response to the U.S. dropping bombs in Iran. How we know: The Wall Street Journal reports that FBI officials in several major U.S. cities are shifting their resources toward domestic threats related to Iran. ➤ MORE READS: The Washington Post: Congress has tried and failed for two decades to wield its war powers The Wall Street Journal: Why Russia Is Giving Iran the Cold Shoulder After Israel Attack The Atlantic: The True Impact of Trump's Strike on Iran Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) filed an article of impeachment against President Trump this morning for failing to notify or seek congressional authorization before launching strikes at three Iranian nuclear sites. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also suggested that Trump's move was grounds for impeachment. Trump then unleashed on Ocasio-Cortez, calling her 'stupid' in a social media post. She responded to Trump's post: 'Mr. President, don't take your anger out on me – I'm just a silly girl,' she posted on X. 'Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war. It only took you 5 months to break almost every promise you made.' President Trump is set to land in the Netherlands this afternoon to attend the annual NATO summit. This year's summit is designed with Trump in mind. 1 — It's quick: The summit begins today and ends tomorrow. Trump left last week's Group of Seven (G7) summit to deal with the Middle East crisis. That took the wind out of the G7's sails a bit. 2 — It has a Trump-oriented goal: The goal of the summit is to agree to a new defense spending deal. Trump has long pushed for NATO allies to increase their defense spending. At the 2018 summit, he called for NATO allies to 'step it up.' NATO leaders are expected to agree to a new target of spending 5 percent of their gross domestic product on security. (Btw, Spain has already opted out of that 5 percent spending agreement.) 3 — Less Ukraine-focused: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will likely attend the gathering, but his conflict with Russia is expected to be overshadowed by Iran and Israel. Trump said he will 'probably' meet with Zelensky. The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in the Netherlands. (All times EST) Today: New York City's Democratic mayoral primary. 1 p.m.: Trump arrives in Amsterdam. 1:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆Today's agenda 1:45 p.m.: Trump greets the king and queen of the Netherlands. 2:20 p.m.: Trump takes a family photo and then attends a dinner at The Hague.2:45 p.m.: The Senate holds a confirmation vote. 📆Today's agenda 5:45 p.m.: The Senate holds another vote. Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.) won the role as the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, replacing the late-Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who died last month of esophageal cancer. This is a big deal: Garcia has only been on Capitol Hill for just three years. The Oversight Committee generally gives preference to senior members, valuing the experience that goes along with it. Why this matters: 'While the minority Democrats have no authority to dictate the panel's direction in the current Congress, they have a good shot at flipping control of the House in next year's midterms — a scenario that would put the gavel in Garcia's hand and lend him broad powers to investigate the many controversial actions of the second Trump administration.' Read The Hill's Mike Lillis's reporting Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough is working her way through Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill,' slashing provisions that violate the Senate's Byrd Ryle. What's next on the chopping block?: She nixed a rule that would dramatically accelerate approval for offshore oil and gas projects. She also ruled against mandating the sale of millions of acres of federal public land by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. How is she determining what should be nixed?: The provisions must be directly related to the budget to be included in reconciliation. Essentially, MacDonough is sifting through the bill finding parts that are not directly tied to the budget. Senators can still pass those into law, but they will need 60 votes, not a simple 51-vote majority. ✂️ Here's a running list of everything the parliamentarian has cut ➤ TIDBIT: Centrist Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) acknowledged in a recent podcast interview that she may consider becoming an independent. She also said has 'considered' switching to the Senate Democratic caucus but doesn't see Democrats as much better. 🍬 Celebrate: Today is National Pralines Day. 🚆 This sounds like the start to a Stephen King novel: An Amtrak train broke down in the Baltimore tunnel on Monday. Passengers were stranded with no AC or power, until they were eventually evacuated. Keep in mind, there is a dangerous heat wave in the eastern part of the U.S. 📹 Video of the hot, dark train Because we can all agree dogs are incredibly goofy creatures, enjoy watching Penny find her way out of this pickle.
Forbes
23-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Oil Prices Fell After Iran's Missile Strike
ANKARA, TURKIYE - JUNE 23: An infographic titled "Iran launches missile attack on US base in Qatar" ... More created in Ankara, Turkiye on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images) On Monday June 23, 2025, Iran launched a missile strike on the U.S. Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar—a retaliatory move following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. Explosions were reported near Doha, and additional strikes were reported against American assets in Iraq. We would normally expect such developments to send oil prices soaring. Instead, crude prices fell by 6% in late Monday trading. That decline may seem puzzling at first. After all, this was a direct Iranian attack on the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. But the market's response makes more sense when viewed through the lens of risk pricing and investor psychology. A Measured Strike, Not an Escalation According to New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi, Iranian officials coordinated the strike in advance with Qatari authorities and provided notification of the timing and targets. Sources familiar with the plan described it as a symbolic response designed to avoid significant escalation. This mirrors Iran's approach in 2020, when it warned Iraq before launching missiles at U.S. forces following the killing of General Qassem Soleimani. In both cases, the objective was to signal strength while minimizing the chance of escalation into uncontrollable conflict. Oil markets appear to have interpreted that restraint as a sign that significant escalation is unlikely in the short term. It's also a sign that Iran will likely not follow through on threats to close the Strait of Hormuz--a move that would be viewed as a major escalation. The fact that oil prices fell sharply after the news broke also indicates that traders viewed the immediate threat of a widening war as diminished. Risk Premium Evaporates—For Now In the lead-up to Iran's response, oil prices had risen on fears of a significant response. But once the strike materialized and appeared measured, the market began to unwind that risk premium. This pattern isn't unusual. In past crises—from the U.S. invasion of Iraq to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz—prices often rise ahead of military action and fall once the scope becomes clearer. Traders price in fear and then correct as uncertainty gives way to clarity. The Fragile Reality The price response also reflects a market that assumes rational actors remain in control. That assumption, however, carries its own risks. If either side miscalculates or if a future attack causes significant casualties, conditions could shift quickly and unpredictably. There's also the unique geopolitical role of Qatar to consider. As host to U.S. forces, a diplomatic partner to Iran, and one of the world's largest LNG exporters, Qatar occupies a precarious middle ground. Monday's strike—though intercepted—highlights that fragile balance. Bottom Line Oil prices fell after Iran's missile strike because the market interpreted the move as symbolic rather than escalatory. That reading may prove accurate—for now. But in a region where history shows how quickly tensions can spiral, any sense of calm remains tentative. For traders, energy executives, and policymakers alike, the key reminder is this: what drives the market is generally what investors believe will happen next.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
One week of conflict between Israel and Iran
It's now been one week since Israel launched its assault on Iran, in an attempt to destroy is potential to build a nuclear weapon. Hundreds have since died in both countries after Iran began its retaliation, yesterday striking the largest hospital in southern Israel. Donald Trump has for days been weighing up whether the US would join Israel in the conflict, today announcing he would take two more weeks to decide through his press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Iran's nuclear capability has so far been damaged, but not destroyed… and Mr Trump has been considering whether to use powerful US bombs to strike one of Iran's main nuclear facilities deep underground. Sarah Morice spoke with Farnaz Fassihi, the Iran reporter for the New York Times, and a former middle east war correspondent for 15 years.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY Times reporter walks back post about 'randomness' of Israeli strikes on Iran
A New York Times reporter walked back her X post after facing backlash for suggesting that Israeli strikes on Iran randomly hit residential neighborhoods. "A friend in Tehran sent me this video, apartment complex housing university professors attacked directly across the street from her house," Farnaz Fassihi, United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times, said in a Friday X post. "The randomness of strikes in residential neighborhoods have terrified Iranians," she added. Trump Faces Critical Decision As Middle East Teeters On Brink Of War On Thursday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched extensive strikes on Iran's military infrastructure and nuclear program, killing Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami and the country's chief of staff of the armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri. While Fassihi called the strikes random, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the strikes were targeted, writing in a Thursday X post that, "Moments ago, Israel launched Operation 'Rising Lion', a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat." Read On The Fox News App In a later post on Friday, Fassihi said, "About my tweet yesterday, I meant to say the sense of randomness caused by the strikes in residential neighborhoods has terrified Iranians. As we've reported, Israel has said the strikes are targeted." Fassihi faced strong pushback on X at first for suggesting the strikes were random. She eventually prevented users from replying to the post, although people could still "quote" the post and comment on it. Podcaster and writer Stephen Miller posted on X, "There is absolutely nothing random about these strikes but that doesn't stop New York Times reporters. Comments off." Israel Releases Video Of Strike On Iranian Ballistic Missiles Aimed At Jewish State Guy Benson, Townhall political editor, also took to X to address Fassihi's post, saying, "Using the word 'randomness' to describe the precision of what is happening is quite a choice." Noah Rothman, a senior writer at National Review Online, said, "Look. Nobody likes it when their city is bombed. But in the light of day, amid evidence of the surgical precision with which Israel targeted regime figures, many of whom are not exactly beloved, the Iranian public's perspective should be expected to evolve." Radio host Tony Katz said her post did not live up to journalistic standards. "This is not journalism," Katz said. "This is propaganda." In a statement to Fox News Digital, The New York Times said that it is "aggressively reporting on Israel's strikes on Iran, one of the most oppressive countries for journalists to access in order to report and verify facts in breaking news moments." The paper added, "One of the ways we provide insight into what's happening with the rest of the world is to share videos taken by people on the ground, including their perspectives."Original article source: NY Times reporter walks back post about 'randomness' of Israeli strikes on Iran
