Latest news with #IsraelIranTensions
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
WEF on global economy's resilience amid geopolitical challenges
CNA's Olivia Siong speaks to Borge Brende, WEF President and CEO, about this year's World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China against the backdrop of tensions between Israel and Iran.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Gold Steadies as Traders Mull Mideast Truce, Fed's Rate-Cut Path
Gold steadied as investors watched for clearer signs that Israel-Iran tensions won't spill over into war again, and for fresh signals regarding the Federal Reserve's rate-cut plans. Bullion traded near $3,335 an ounce early in Asia after closing slightly higher on Wednesday. President Donald Trump said that US and Iranian officials will meet next week and Israel's conflict with Tehran was effectively over, but still warned fighting 'could maybe start soon.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer joins world leaders at Nato summit to discuss defence and Israel-Iran tensions
Tensions between Israel and Iran will dominate discussions between world leaders at the Nato summit as a fragile ceasefire between the nations appears to be holding. Sir Keir Starmer is among world leaders in The Hague for a gathering of the military alliance, having called on nations in the Middle East nations to keep the fighting on hold. Sir Keir discussed the 'volatile situation' in the Middle East with his French and German counterparts on Tuesday, with the trio agreeing 'now was the time for diplomacy and for Iran to come to the negotiating table', Downing Street said. The prime minister will take centre stage at the summit on Wednesday, touting a pledge to buy 12 new fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs in the 'biggest strengthening of the UK's nuclear posture in a generation'. It comes as the main agenda item for world leaders is defence spending, with Nato members having agreed to up their budgets to 5 per cent of national income in a bid to appease Mr Trump. Sir Keir is expected to arrive at 9.00am local time before heading to the leaders lounge for informal chats with other world leaders. He will then attend the official welcome ceremony at 10.00am, being greeted by his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. There will be an official meeting of Nato leaders at 10.30am before they separate for bilateral meetings before the prime minister's press conference at 2.15pm. That comes as intelligence reports suggested that US strikes on Iran's nuclear programme over the weekend only set it back by a few months, rather than destroying it as Donald Trump previously suggested. The White House pushed back on the reports on Tuesday evening, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying it was 'flat out wrong'. 'The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear programme,' she said in a statement. Mr Trump also condemned the leak in a post on Truth Social, calling the US raid 'one of the most successful military strikes in history'. 'THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!' he wrote. Sir Keir had previously praised the US for helping 'alleviate' the threat of Iranian nuclear capability with the bombings. Asked on his visit to The Hague whether he personally felt safe with Mr Trump in the White House and why others should, the prime minister told Channel 5 News: 'Look, I think what we've seen over the last few days is the Americans alleviating a threat to nuclear weaponry by the Iranians and bringing about a ceasefire in the early hours of today. 'I think now what needs to happen is that ceasefire needs to be maintained, and that will be the focus of our attention, our engagement, our discussions, because that ceasefire provides the space for the negotiations that need to take place.' After the ceasefire was initially struck early on Tuesday, Israel claimed Iran had violated the deal by carrying out strikes after it came into force. Mr Trump called for Israel to withdraw its warplanes, and claimed both it and Iran 'don't know what the f*** they're doing' as he departed for the summit in the Netherlands. The UK has continued to evacuate Britons out of Israel, and a second flight left Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The Foreign Office confirmed the plane had left Israel and said further flights would be considered depending on demand. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have said that MPs should be given a vote in the event of any future deployment of troops. The party's foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said: 'With the Middle East in the throes of an all-out regional war, we are reckoning once again with the prospect of the UK becoming embroiled in foreign conflict. 'No one knows the fragility of peace in that region, or the price paid for our safety, better than our British troops. It's critical that, if they are asked to put their lives on the line for the UK in active conflict zones, this decision is subject to the strongest democratic scrutiny our country can offer.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
World leaders gather to discuss defence amid Israel-Iran tensions
Tensions between Israel and Iran could dominate discussions among world leaders at the Nato summit amid a fragile ceasefire. Sir Keir Starmer is among those in The Hague for a gathering of the alliance, having called on the Middle Eastern nations to maintain the pause in hostilities. In a conversation with the French and German leaders at the summit on Tuesday, Sir Keir 'reflected on the volatile situation in the Middle East,' according to a Downing Street spokeswoman. The leaders agreed that 'now was the time for diplomacy and for Iran to come to the negotiating table', the spokeswoman added. It comes as intelligence reports in the US suggested that the American attack on Iran's nuclear programme over the weekend have only set it back by a few months, rather than destroyed it as Donald Trump previously suggested. The White House pushed back on the reports on Tuesday evening, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying it was 'flat out wrong'. 'The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear programme,' she said in a statement. Mr Trump also condemned the leak in a post on Truth Social, calling the US raid 'one of the most successful military strikes in history'. 'THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!' he wrote. Earlier on Tuesday, Sir Keir had said that the US had helped in 'alleviating' the threat of nuclear capability for Iran with their strikes on Saturday. Asked on his visit to The Hague whether he personally felt safe with Mr Trump in the White House and why others should, the Prime Minister told Channel 5 News: 'Look, I think what we've seen over the last few days is the Americans alleviating a threat to nuclear weaponry by the Iranians and bringing about a ceasefire in the early hours of today. 'I think now what needs to happen is that ceasefire needs to be maintained, and that will be the focus of our attention, our engagement, our discussions, because that ceasefire provides the space for the negotiations that need to take place.' After the ceasefire was initially struck early on Tuesday, Israel claimed Iran had violated the deal by carrying out strikes after it came into force. Mr Trump called for Israel to withdraw its warplanes, and claimed both it and Iran 'don't know what the f*** they're doing' as he departed for the summit in the Netherlands. The UK has continued to evacuate Britons out of Israel, and a second flight left Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The Foreign Office confirmed the plane had left Israel and said further flights would be considered depending on demand. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have said that MPs should be given a vote in the event of any future deployment of troops. The party's foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said: 'With the Middle East in the throes of an all-out regional war, we are reckoning once again with the prospect of the UK becoming embroiled in foreign conflict. 'No one knows the fragility of peace in that region, or the price paid for our safety, better than our British troops. It's critical that, if they are asked to put their lives on the line for the UK in active conflict zones, this decision is subject to the strongest democratic scrutiny our country can offer.'
CNA
5 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Global banks weigh Middle East evacuations, limit travel as tensions rise
TOKYO: Several major banks, including DBS, are restricting travel to conflict-hit areas in the Middle East as tensions between Israel and Iran escalate. United States President Donald Trump had earlier announced a ceasefire between the two countries, but Israel announced on Tuesday (Jun 24) that it had ordered an attack on Tehran after Iran violated the truce by firing missiles at it. Iran has denied violating the ceasefire. The conflict threatens years of effort by Middle Eastern governments to court global financial firms as part of plans to diversify their economies away from oil. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pushed to position themselves as regional financial hubs, offering incentives and regulatory reforms to attract banks and asset managers. DBS said on Tuesday that it had suspended all non-essential travel to the conflict-affected areas. "We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East, including developments in and around Dubai," a DBS spokesperson told Reuters. Ang Wee Khoon, head of risk management at the DIFC branch of Bank of Singapore, one of Asia's biggest private banks, told Reuters the bank has halted all non-essential travel to and from Dubai. "The safety of our staff is our highest priority, and we stand ready to activate our business continuity plans while minimising the disruptions to clients," Ang said. US-based JPMorgan is allowing only essential travel in and out of the Middle East for employees, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. The largest US bank is offering support to employees on an individual basis, as needed, the source added, requesting anonymity to discuss confidential information. Goldman Sachs has also asked its staff in Israel to work remotely about a week ago, according to a source familiar with the matter. EVACUATIONS Meanwhile, some major Japanese banks have begun evacuating their staff or their family members from the region. A spokesperson for Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group said it started evacuating staff from locations including Iran and Qatar to ensure their safety. Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has also begun evacuating some family members of staff from Dubai and the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, a spokesperson said, and is also considering allowing staff to leave at their own discretion.
