ASX set to slide, global markets fall on Middle East tensions; Oil rises
European shares skidded to an over one-month low on Thursday as escalating Middle East tensions and fears over potential US involvement rattled investors.
The pan-European STOXX 600 closed down for the third consecutive day with a 0.8 per cent drop to its lowest level since May 9.
Trading volumes remained thin as US markets were shut for a public holiday. The Australian sharemarket is set to slide lower, with futures at 4.52am AEST pointing to a fall of 28 points, or 0.3 per cent, at the open. The ASX dipped by less than 0.1 per cent on Thursday. The Australian dollar weakened. It was 0.5 per cent lower to 64.75 US cents at 5.23am.
The week-old Iran-Israel conflict showed no signs of deescalation.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump kept markets guessing about American involvement in air strikes on Tehran.
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Markets were hopeful of talks between the US and Iran, and between the European Union and Iran on Friday, leading to a potential de-escalation in tensions.
Much of the recent nervousness has been in markets centred around crude oil supply shocks, triggered by tensions in the oil-rich Middle East.
Oil prices rose on the day and boosted the energy sector by 0.8 per cent, emerging as the session's top performer.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Australia's Iran embassy staff leave after US warning
Australia has closed its embassy in Tehran, as Iran and Israel continue to bomb each other and after President Donald Trump signalled the US could enter the conflict. All foreign affairs staff and their dependents in the Iranian capital have been told to leave "based on advice about the deteriorating security environment". The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deploying consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. "We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday. "Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place. "We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries." Overnight Mr Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the US might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, quoting a message from the president. The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted a week ago, when the former launched an attack against the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1300 others, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Israel says Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 and wounded hundreds more. Mr Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. There are now more than 2000 Australians who have registered for assistance to leave Iran, up from 1500 on Thursday. "It's a difficult, hard situation, the airspace is still closed," Health Minister Mark Butler told Seven's Sunrise program on Friday. "We'll be exploring every opportunity we can to support people getting out in other ways." The government has already helped Australians flee Israel using a border crossing to Jordan, and some of those people only got 55 minutes to get moving. "When the opportunity arises to get people out, we take that opportunity," Mr Butler said. There are still more than 1200 Australians registered for assistance to depart Israel, where the airspace is also closed. with Reuters Australia has closed its embassy in Tehran, as Iran and Israel continue to bomb each other and after President Donald Trump signalled the US could enter the conflict. All foreign affairs staff and their dependents in the Iranian capital have been told to leave "based on advice about the deteriorating security environment". The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deploying consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. "We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday. "Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place. "We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries." Overnight Mr Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the US might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, quoting a message from the president. The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted a week ago, when the former launched an attack against the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1300 others, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Israel says Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 and wounded hundreds more. Mr Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. There are now more than 2000 Australians who have registered for assistance to leave Iran, up from 1500 on Thursday. "It's a difficult, hard situation, the airspace is still closed," Health Minister Mark Butler told Seven's Sunrise program on Friday. "We'll be exploring every opportunity we can to support people getting out in other ways." The government has already helped Australians flee Israel using a border crossing to Jordan, and some of those people only got 55 minutes to get moving. "When the opportunity arises to get people out, we take that opportunity," Mr Butler said. There are still more than 1200 Australians registered for assistance to depart Israel, where the airspace is also closed. with Reuters Australia has closed its embassy in Tehran, as Iran and Israel continue to bomb each other and after President Donald Trump signalled the US could enter the conflict. All foreign affairs staff and their dependents in the Iranian capital have been told to leave "based on advice about the deteriorating security environment". The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deploying consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. "We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday. "Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place. "We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries." Overnight Mr Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the US might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, quoting a message from the president. The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted a week ago, when the former launched an attack against the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1300 others, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Israel says Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 and wounded hundreds more. Mr Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. There are now more than 2000 Australians who have registered for assistance to leave Iran, up from 1500 on Thursday. "It's a difficult, hard situation, the airspace is still closed," Health Minister Mark Butler told Seven's Sunrise program on Friday. "We'll be exploring every opportunity we can to support people getting out in other ways." The government has already helped Australians flee Israel using a border crossing to Jordan, and some of those people only got 55 minutes to get moving. "When the opportunity arises to get people out, we take that opportunity," Mr Butler said. There are still more than 1200 Australians registered for assistance to depart Israel, where the airspace is also closed. with Reuters Australia has closed its embassy in Tehran, as Iran and Israel continue to bomb each other and after President Donald Trump signalled the US could enter the conflict. All foreign affairs staff and their dependents in the Iranian capital have been told to leave "based on advice about the deteriorating security environment". The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deploying consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. "We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday. "Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place. "We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries." Overnight Mr Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the US might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, quoting a message from the president. The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted a week ago, when the former launched an attack against the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1300 others, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Israel says Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 and wounded hundreds more. Mr Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. There are now more than 2000 Australians who have registered for assistance to leave Iran, up from 1500 on Thursday. "It's a difficult, hard situation, the airspace is still closed," Health Minister Mark Butler told Seven's Sunrise program on Friday. "We'll be exploring every opportunity we can to support people getting out in other ways." The government has already helped Australians flee Israel using a border crossing to Jordan, and some of those people only got 55 minutes to get moving. "When the opportunity arises to get people out, we take that opportunity," Mr Butler said. There are still more than 1200 Australians registered for assistance to depart Israel, where the airspace is also closed. with Reuters
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Trump making decision on Middle East war 'in two weeks'
Israel has accused Iran of using a cluster bomb with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, as the seven day old war between the two countries continues to escalate. "Today, the Iranian Armed Forces fired a missile that contained cluster submunitions at a densely populated civilian area," Israel's embassy in Washington said in an email to Reuters that did not identify the area. "Cluster weapons are designed to disperse over a large area and maximise the chances of a harmful strike," the email continued. "Iran unlawfully fired deliberately at civilian population centres, and seeks to maximise the damage to civilians in them by using wide-dispersal munitions." Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile's warhead split open at an altitude of about 7 km and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 8 km over central Israel. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb. Iran and Israel declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of cluster bombs that has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities. There's still no sign of an exit strategy from the conflict for either side after Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran and and Iranian missile hit an Israeli hospital. US President Donald Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the United States might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting a message from the president. As president, Trump has commonly used "two weeks" as a timeframe for making decisions, meaning it may not be a firm deadline. Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iran a week ago, calling it a pre-emptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price" for a strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Netanyahu said. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians in the hospital attack. "That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law," Defrin told a press briefing. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby. Israel attacked the special forces headquarters of the internal security apparatus in Tehran in the last 24 hours, Defrin said. Earlier, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been instructed to intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate the threat to Israel and destabilise the "regime" of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Netanyahu wants Iran weakened enough to be forced into fundamental concessions on permanently abandoning its nuclear enrichment, its ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups across the region. Earlier, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. It also targeted the partially built Arak heavy-water research reactor that can produce plutonium, also used to make the core of an atom bomb. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Israel, which has the most advanced military in the Middle East, has been fighting on several fronts since the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the Gaza war. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis. Israel has accused Iran of using a cluster bomb with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, as the seven day old war between the two countries continues to escalate. "Today, the Iranian Armed Forces fired a missile that contained cluster submunitions at a densely populated civilian area," Israel's embassy in Washington said in an email to Reuters that did not identify the area. "Cluster weapons are designed to disperse over a large area and maximise the chances of a harmful strike," the email continued. "Iran unlawfully fired deliberately at civilian population centres, and seeks to maximise the damage to civilians in them by using wide-dispersal munitions." Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile's warhead split open at an altitude of about 7 km and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 8 km over central Israel. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb. Iran and Israel declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of cluster bombs that has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities. There's still no sign of an exit strategy from the conflict for either side after Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran and and Iranian missile hit an Israeli hospital. US President Donald Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the United States might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting a message from the president. As president, Trump has commonly used "two weeks" as a timeframe for making decisions, meaning it may not be a firm deadline. Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iran a week ago, calling it a pre-emptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price" for a strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Netanyahu said. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians in the hospital attack. "That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law," Defrin told a press briefing. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby. Israel attacked the special forces headquarters of the internal security apparatus in Tehran in the last 24 hours, Defrin said. Earlier, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been instructed to intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate the threat to Israel and destabilise the "regime" of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Netanyahu wants Iran weakened enough to be forced into fundamental concessions on permanently abandoning its nuclear enrichment, its ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups across the region. Earlier, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. It also targeted the partially built Arak heavy-water research reactor that can produce plutonium, also used to make the core of an atom bomb. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Israel, which has the most advanced military in the Middle East, has been fighting on several fronts since the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the Gaza war. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis. Israel has accused Iran of using a cluster bomb with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, as the seven day old war between the two countries continues to escalate. "Today, the Iranian Armed Forces fired a missile that contained cluster submunitions at a densely populated civilian area," Israel's embassy in Washington said in an email to Reuters that did not identify the area. "Cluster weapons are designed to disperse over a large area and maximise the chances of a harmful strike," the email continued. "Iran unlawfully fired deliberately at civilian population centres, and seeks to maximise the damage to civilians in them by using wide-dispersal munitions." Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile's warhead split open at an altitude of about 7 km and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 8 km over central Israel. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb. Iran and Israel declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of cluster bombs that has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities. There's still no sign of an exit strategy from the conflict for either side after Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran and and Iranian missile hit an Israeli hospital. US President Donald Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the United States might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting a message from the president. As president, Trump has commonly used "two weeks" as a timeframe for making decisions, meaning it may not be a firm deadline. Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iran a week ago, calling it a pre-emptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price" for a strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Netanyahu said. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians in the hospital attack. "That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law," Defrin told a press briefing. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby. Israel attacked the special forces headquarters of the internal security apparatus in Tehran in the last 24 hours, Defrin said. Earlier, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been instructed to intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate the threat to Israel and destabilise the "regime" of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Netanyahu wants Iran weakened enough to be forced into fundamental concessions on permanently abandoning its nuclear enrichment, its ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups across the region. Earlier, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. It also targeted the partially built Arak heavy-water research reactor that can produce plutonium, also used to make the core of an atom bomb. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Israel, which has the most advanced military in the Middle East, has been fighting on several fronts since the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the Gaza war. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis. Israel has accused Iran of using a cluster bomb with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, as the seven day old war between the two countries continues to escalate. "Today, the Iranian Armed Forces fired a missile that contained cluster submunitions at a densely populated civilian area," Israel's embassy in Washington said in an email to Reuters that did not identify the area. "Cluster weapons are designed to disperse over a large area and maximise the chances of a harmful strike," the email continued. "Iran unlawfully fired deliberately at civilian population centres, and seeks to maximise the damage to civilians in them by using wide-dispersal munitions." Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile's warhead split open at an altitude of about 7 km and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 8 km over central Israel. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb. Iran and Israel declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of cluster bombs that has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities. There's still no sign of an exit strategy from the conflict for either side after Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran and and Iranian missile hit an Israeli hospital. US President Donald Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the United States might join the war on Israel's side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting a message from the president. As president, Trump has commonly used "two weeks" as a timeframe for making decisions, meaning it may not be a firm deadline. Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iran a week ago, calling it a pre-emptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price" for a strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Netanyahu said. Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians in the hospital attack. "That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law," Defrin told a press briefing. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby. Israel attacked the special forces headquarters of the internal security apparatus in Tehran in the last 24 hours, Defrin said. Earlier, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been instructed to intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate the threat to Israel and destabilise the "regime" of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Netanyahu wants Iran weakened enough to be forced into fundamental concessions on permanently abandoning its nuclear enrichment, its ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups across the region. Earlier, Israel said it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. It also targeted the partially built Arak heavy-water research reactor that can produce plutonium, also used to make the core of an atom bomb. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and killed hundreds of people. Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Israel, which has the most advanced military in the Middle East, has been fighting on several fronts since the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered the Gaza war. It has severely weakened Iran's regional allies, Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and has bombed Yemen's Houthis.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Trump ignores Juneteenth marking end of slavery
Donald Trump has kept silent this year about a day important to Black Americans - Juneteenth - despite marking the occasion in his first four years as US president. June 19 signifies the end of slavery in the US - commemorating the date in 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. Asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." The Republican president's silence was a sharp contrast from his prior acknowledgement of the holiday. It also deviated from White House guidance that Trump planned to sign a Juneteenth proclamation. Trump held no public events on Thursday, but he shared statements about Iran, the TikTok app and Fed chairman Jerome Powell on his social media site. In 2017, Trump invoked the "soulful festivities and emotional rejoicing" that swept through the Galveston crowd when a major general delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. He told the Galveston story in each of the next three years. "Together, we honour the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness," he added in his 2018 statement. In 2019: "Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life." In 2020: "June reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation's unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness." After suspending his campaign rallies in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump chose Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the place to resume his public gatherings and scheduled a rally for June 19. But the decision met with such fierce criticism that Trump postponed the event by a day. Black leaders had said it was offensive for Trump to choose June 19 and Tulsa for a campaign event, given the significance of Juneteenth and Tulsa being the place where, in 1921, a white mob looted and burned that city's Greenwood district, an economically thriving area referred to as Black Wall Street. As many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and thousands were temporarily held in internment camps overseen by the National Guard. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal days before the rally, Trump tried to put a positive spin on the situation by claiming that he had made Juneteenth "famous." "I did something good. I made it famous. I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump said. "It's actually an important event, it's an important time. But nobody had heard of it. Very few people have heard of it." Generations of Black Americans celebrated Juneteenth long before it became a federal holiday in 2021 with the stroke of President Joe Biden's pen. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term in January, Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, calling them "illegal and immoral discrimination programs." Donald Trump has kept silent this year about a day important to Black Americans - Juneteenth - despite marking the occasion in his first four years as US president. June 19 signifies the end of slavery in the US - commemorating the date in 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. Asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." The Republican president's silence was a sharp contrast from his prior acknowledgement of the holiday. It also deviated from White House guidance that Trump planned to sign a Juneteenth proclamation. Trump held no public events on Thursday, but he shared statements about Iran, the TikTok app and Fed chairman Jerome Powell on his social media site. In 2017, Trump invoked the "soulful festivities and emotional rejoicing" that swept through the Galveston crowd when a major general delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. He told the Galveston story in each of the next three years. "Together, we honour the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness," he added in his 2018 statement. In 2019: "Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life." In 2020: "June reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation's unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness." After suspending his campaign rallies in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump chose Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the place to resume his public gatherings and scheduled a rally for June 19. But the decision met with such fierce criticism that Trump postponed the event by a day. Black leaders had said it was offensive for Trump to choose June 19 and Tulsa for a campaign event, given the significance of Juneteenth and Tulsa being the place where, in 1921, a white mob looted and burned that city's Greenwood district, an economically thriving area referred to as Black Wall Street. As many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and thousands were temporarily held in internment camps overseen by the National Guard. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal days before the rally, Trump tried to put a positive spin on the situation by claiming that he had made Juneteenth "famous." "I did something good. I made it famous. I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump said. "It's actually an important event, it's an important time. But nobody had heard of it. Very few people have heard of it." Generations of Black Americans celebrated Juneteenth long before it became a federal holiday in 2021 with the stroke of President Joe Biden's pen. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term in January, Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, calling them "illegal and immoral discrimination programs." Donald Trump has kept silent this year about a day important to Black Americans - Juneteenth - despite marking the occasion in his first four years as US president. June 19 signifies the end of slavery in the US - commemorating the date in 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. Asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." The Republican president's silence was a sharp contrast from his prior acknowledgement of the holiday. It also deviated from White House guidance that Trump planned to sign a Juneteenth proclamation. Trump held no public events on Thursday, but he shared statements about Iran, the TikTok app and Fed chairman Jerome Powell on his social media site. In 2017, Trump invoked the "soulful festivities and emotional rejoicing" that swept through the Galveston crowd when a major general delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. He told the Galveston story in each of the next three years. "Together, we honour the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness," he added in his 2018 statement. In 2019: "Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life." In 2020: "June reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation's unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness." After suspending his campaign rallies in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump chose Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the place to resume his public gatherings and scheduled a rally for June 19. But the decision met with such fierce criticism that Trump postponed the event by a day. Black leaders had said it was offensive for Trump to choose June 19 and Tulsa for a campaign event, given the significance of Juneteenth and Tulsa being the place where, in 1921, a white mob looted and burned that city's Greenwood district, an economically thriving area referred to as Black Wall Street. As many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and thousands were temporarily held in internment camps overseen by the National Guard. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal days before the rally, Trump tried to put a positive spin on the situation by claiming that he had made Juneteenth "famous." "I did something good. I made it famous. I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump said. "It's actually an important event, it's an important time. But nobody had heard of it. Very few people have heard of it." Generations of Black Americans celebrated Juneteenth long before it became a federal holiday in 2021 with the stroke of President Joe Biden's pen. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term in January, Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, calling them "illegal and immoral discrimination programs." Donald Trump has kept silent this year about a day important to Black Americans - Juneteenth - despite marking the occasion in his first four years as US president. June 19 signifies the end of slavery in the US - commemorating the date in 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. Asked whether Trump would commemorate Juneteenth in any way, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "I'm not tracking his signature on a proclamation today. I know this is a federal holiday. I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." The Republican president's silence was a sharp contrast from his prior acknowledgement of the holiday. It also deviated from White House guidance that Trump planned to sign a Juneteenth proclamation. Trump held no public events on Thursday, but he shared statements about Iran, the TikTok app and Fed chairman Jerome Powell on his social media site. In 2017, Trump invoked the "soulful festivities and emotional rejoicing" that swept through the Galveston crowd when a major general delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. He told the Galveston story in each of the next three years. "Together, we honour the unbreakable spirit and countless contributions of generations of African Americans to the story of American greatness," he added in his 2018 statement. In 2019: "Across our country, the contributions of African Americans continue to enrich every facet of American life." In 2020: "June reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation's unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness." After suspending his campaign rallies in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump chose Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the place to resume his public gatherings and scheduled a rally for June 19. But the decision met with such fierce criticism that Trump postponed the event by a day. Black leaders had said it was offensive for Trump to choose June 19 and Tulsa for a campaign event, given the significance of Juneteenth and Tulsa being the place where, in 1921, a white mob looted and burned that city's Greenwood district, an economically thriving area referred to as Black Wall Street. As many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed, and thousands were temporarily held in internment camps overseen by the National Guard. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal days before the rally, Trump tried to put a positive spin on the situation by claiming that he had made Juneteenth "famous." "I did something good. I made it famous. I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump said. "It's actually an important event, it's an important time. But nobody had heard of it. Very few people have heard of it." Generations of Black Americans celebrated Juneteenth long before it became a federal holiday in 2021 with the stroke of President Joe Biden's pen. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term in January, Trump signed an executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, calling them "illegal and immoral discrimination programs."
