Investors brace for Middle East decisions by America
Investors are worried over the Iran and Israel conflict as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have closed lower.
This comes after US President Donald Trump has yet to decide whether America will enter the conflict.
President Trump gave Iran a two-week timeframe on when he will decide.

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Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Trump rejects spy chief's take on Iran nuclear program
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is wrong in suggesting there is no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon, President Donald Trump says. Trump contested intelligence assessments relayed earlier in 2025 by his spy chief that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon when he spoke with reporters at an airport in Morristown, New Jersey. "She's wrong," Trump said on Friday. In March, Gabbard testified to Congress that the US intelligence community continued to believe that Tehran was not building a nuclear weapon. "The (intelligence community) continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon," she said. On Friday, Gabbard said in a post on X that: "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree." She said the media has taken her March testimony "out of context" and was trying to "manufacture division". The White House has said Trump would weigh involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict over the next two weeks. On Tuesday, Trump made similar comments to reporters about Gabbard's assessment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified a week of air strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets by saying Tehran was on the verge of having a warhead. Iran denies developing nuclear weapons, saying its uranium enrichment program is only for peaceful purposes. In March, Gabbard also described Iran's enriched uranium stockpile as unprecedented for a state without such weapons and said the government was watching the situation closely. She also said Iran had started discussing nuclear weapons in public, "emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making apparatus". A source with access to US intelligence reports told Reuters the March assessment presented by Gabbard has not changed. Trump has frequently disavowed the findings of US intelligence agencies, which he and his supporters have charged - without providing proof - are part of a "deep state" cabal of US officials opposed to his presidency. Gabbard, a fierce Trump loyalist, has been among the president's backers who have aired such allegations.

Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
India aims to increase smartphone production to avoid Trump's tariffs
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News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
US appeals court allows Trump control of National Guard in LA
A US appeals court on Thursday ruled that President Donald Trump could continue control of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Trump ordered the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines into Los Angeles this month in response to protests over federal immigration sweeps -- a move opposed by city leaders and Newsom. A lower court judge had last week ordered Trump to return control of the California National Guard to Newsom, saying the president's decision to deploy them to protest-hit Los Angeles was "illegal." But a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that Trump was within his rights when he ordered 4,000 members of the National Guard into service for 60 days to "protect federal personnel performing federal functions and to protect federal property." "Affording appropriate deference to the President's determination, we conclude that he likely acted within his authority in federalizing the National Guard," they said in their 38-page ruling. Trump celebrated the decision in a post on Truth Social Thursday night, calling it a "BIG WIN." "All over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done," Trump wrote. - 'Not a king' - The state of California had argued that Trump's order was illegal because it did not follow the procedure of being issued through the governor. The judges said Trump's "failure to issue the federalization order directly 'through' the Governor of California does not limit his otherwise lawful authority to call up the National Guard." But the panel said it disagreed with the defendants' primary argument that the president's decision to federalize members of the California National Guard "is completely insulated from judicial review." Governor Newsom responded to the decision saying Trump "is not a king and not above the law." "Tonight, the court rightly rejected Trump's claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court," he posted on X. "We will not let this authoritarian use of military soldiers against citizens go unchecked." Newsom added in a separate post on his personal X account "the fight doesn't end here", adding "we will press forward with our challenge to President Trump's authoritarian use of US military soldiers against citizens." The state could request the case to be reheard, or it could petition the Supreme Court for intervention. - Immigration tensions - The ruling comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions in Los Angeles, which has become ground zero of Trump's immigration crackdown across the United States. The city has seen scattered violence but mostly peaceful protests in recent weeks, ignited by an escalation in federal immigration sweeps that have targeted migrant workers in garment factories, car washes and other workplaces. Local media reported further raids across the city on Thursday targeting Home Depot stores, a home improvement retailer where day laborers often gather in parking lots seeking work. The protests, though largely peaceful, saw sporadic and spectacular violence. Damage included vandalism, looting, clashes with law enforcement and several torched driverless taxis. Trump, who has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest, also sent 700 US Marines to Los Angeles despite the objections of local officials, claiming that they had lost control of the "burning" city. It was the first time since 1965 that a US president deployed the National Guard over the wishes of a state governor. Trump appointed two of the judges on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit panel, and former president Joe Biden appointed the third, the New York Times reported Thursday.