Trump sets two-week deadline for Iran decisionn
Donald Trump has said he will decide whether or not the US will intervene militarily in the Israel-Iran conflict, within two weeks.
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Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Stocks struggle, oil up as Trump weighs US move on Iran
Share markets in Asia struggled for direction as fears of a potential US attack on Iran hung over markets, while oil prices were poised to rise for a third straight week on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Overnight, 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 side. The White House said President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. The US President is facing uproar from some of his MAGA base over a possible strike on Iran. Brent fell 2 per cent on Friday to $77.22 per barrel, but is still headed for a strong weekly gain of 4 per cent, following a 12 per cent 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 per cent lower in Asia. US markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday, offering little direction for Asia. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1 per cent but was set for a weekly drop of 1 per cent. Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.2 per cent. China's blue chips rose 0.3 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5 per cent, after the central bank held the benchmark lending rates steady as widely expected. In the currency markets, the dollar was on the back foot again, slipping 0.2 per cent 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 hikes. Investors, however, see little prospects of a rate hike from the BOJ until December this year, which is a little over 50 per cent priced in. The US 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 per cent, while two-year yields slipped 2 basis points to 3.925 per cent. 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 2020. Gold prices eased 0.2 per cent to $3,363 an ounce, but were set for a weekly loss of 2 per cent.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Wong calls for 'de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy' after Tehran embassy closure
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so if it is safe, and those who are unable to leave have been advised to remain sheltered in place. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called for "de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy" after announcing that the Australian embassy in Tehran would close amid continuing hostilities between Iran and Israel. All Australian foreign affairs staff and their dependents in the Iranian capital have been told to leave "based on advice about the deteriorating security environment", Wong said in a statement sent out early this morning. The statement said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was seeking to deploy consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. DFAT was "in the process of getting a crisis response team into Azerbaijan" to help Australians cross the border from Iran, saying that was their "most likely exit from Tehran", Wong said in Adelaide later on Friday morning. She said Australian military personnel had been deployed to the region to help evacuation efforts. "The deployment is for supporting people; it is not for combat purposes," she emphasised. In the earlier statement, Wong said: "We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe". "Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place," she said. "We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries." "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," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, quoting a message from Trump. 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 1,300 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. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. There are now more than 2,000 Australians who have registered for assistance to leave Iran, up from 1,500 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." "When the opportunity arises to get people out, we take that opportunity," Butler said. There are still more than 1,200 Australians registered for assistance to depart Israel, where the airspace is also closed. At the late morning press conference, Wong also said she'd spoken with her US counterpart Marco Rubio overnight. "We had a good discussion. A good discussion about the way through the conflict and issues in the Australia-US relationship and our bilateral cooperation," she said. "I emphasise there is an opportunity given what president Trump has said. There is an opportunity over the next two weeks for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy." "That is what we want to see and that is what the world wants to see. Iran must come to the table and it must stop any nuclear weapons program."
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump touts ‘great poll numbers' as his approval rating skyrockets
US President Donald Trump has seen a tremendous surge in his approval rating, according to recent polling. Trump shared multiple posts to Truth Social where he celebrated his polling, saying it has been 'great numbers' for him. One image posted showed '54 per cent of Americans' approve of his job performance as President. The new polling shows Trump on an upward trajectory following devastatingly low numbers after having a 46 per cent approval rating in April. Insider Advantage had the US president polling at 54 per cent on June 15-16, with RMG Research showing the president at 52 per cent.
