“The danger is that this is the first stage in an escalation that could culminate in a military confrontation between Iran and the United States, or Iran and Israel,” said Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The entire eight years of the Obama administration was an example of unprecedented but largely unreciprocated overtures for cooperation with Iran in the Middle East. The Iranians weren’t […]
TOKYO Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said on Saturday she hoped a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to South Korea and Japan this week, his first overseas trip since taking office, would lead to deeper security ties. Inada spoke at the start of talks with Mattis, who on Friday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to its mutual defence treaty with Japan when he met Prime Minister Shinzo […]
WASHINGTON/ANKARA Instead of tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, the Trump administration is exploring how to tighten its enforcement and renegotiate key terms, but it may prove impossible to get other major powers and Iran to consider revising the agreement. Under the 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from some U.S., European and U.N. […]
The US on Friday imposed new sanctions on Iran as President Donald Trump followed up on his campaign pledge to take a tougher stance towards the Islamic republic. The Treasury department added 13 individuals and 12 companies — including Chinese, Lebanese and Emirati — to its sanctions list, freezing their assets under US control. Sean Spicer, White House spokesman, said the sanctions were a “very, very strong […]
A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, said on Thursday, “It is a shame that the U.S. government, instead of thanking the Iranian nation for their continued fight against terrorism, keeps repeating unfounded claims and adopts unwise policies that are effectively helping terrorist groups.” Continue reading the main story Mr. Flynn also made clear that the challenge to Iran extended beyond the missile test, holding Tehran responsible for […]
By Yeganeh Torbati | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The United States on Friday ratcheted up pressure on Iran, putting sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities days after the White House put Tehran “on notice” over a ballistic missile test. The move against Iran is the first by the U.S. government since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20 after vowing during his 2016 campaign to get tough […]
By Parisa Hafezi | ANKARA ANKARA Many Iranians who dreamt of quiet, comfortable lives after a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015 are starting to worry for the first time in decades they might be bombed in their own homes. Since taking office last month, U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to get tough with Iran, warning the Islamic Republic after its ballistic missile test on […]
ANKARA Iran said on Friday it had barred a U.S. wrestling team from participating in the Freestyle World Cup competition in retaliation for an executive order by President Donald Trump banning visas for Iranians, state television reported. The Freestyle World Cup, one of the sport’s most prestigious events, is scheduled for Feb. 16-17 and USA Wrestling has previously said it would send a team to the competition, […]
European stocks and S&P futures rose modestly ahead of January US payrolls data, along with the dollar, while Asian shares dropped after China returned from a week-long holiday. Bonds slid, oil rose while the JGB intervened in the bond market to prevent a bond rout, in one of two major surprises during the Asian session. As reported last night, having closed at 0.109% yesterday the 10y JGB […]
By Keith Wallis and Osamu Tsukimori | SINGAPORE/TOKYO SINGAPORE/TOKYO Oil prices edged up on Friday on news that U.S. President Donald Trump could be set to impose new sanctions on multiple Iranian entities, firing geopolitical tensions between the two nations. Comments by Russian energy minister Alexander Novak that oil producers had cut their output in accordance with a pact agreed in December also helped support prices, analysts […]
SEOUL U.S. President Donald Trump’s defense secretary warned North Korea on Friday of an “effective and overwhelming” response if Pyongyang chose to use nuclear weapons, as he reassured Seoul of steadfast U.S. support at the end of a two-day visit. “Any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be […]
ABU DHABI // Tensions between the UAE and Iran escalated on Thursday after the Iranian charge d’affaires was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Dr Abdulrahim Al Awadi, the ministry’s assistant minister for legal affairs, handed him a note of protest on “Iran’s illegal provision of weapons to the coup militia against the legitimacy in Yemen”. “Iran’s move is in violation of United […]
The war of words with Iran came just hours after news had emerged of a combative phone call that took place on Saturday between Mr. Trump and Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, when Mr. Turnbull pressed the president to honor an American agreement to accept 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center. Continue reading the main story On Thursday morning, Mr. Trump told an audience at the […]
By Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said on Thursday that “nothing is off the table” in dealing with Iran following its test launch of a ballistic missile, and his fellow Republicans in Congress said they would back him up with new sanctions. Trump comment was in response to a question about whether he would consider military options to respond to Tehran, a day after […]
By Christopher Johnson | LONDON LONDON Oil prices rose on Thursday as evidence that OPEC and other big exporters were cutting production outweighed a sharp rise in U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles. Brent crude was up 50 cents at $57.30 a barrel by 1115 GMT (6:15 a.m. ET) after settling up $1.22 in the previous session. U.S. light crude gained 30 cents to $54.18 after climbing by […]
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Donald Trump’s administration declared that it was putting Iran “on notice” on Wednesday, signalling both a tougher US line with Tehran and a new test of relations after a weekend missile test by the Islamic republic. During his campaign, Mr Trump vowed to rip up a 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration and other world powers with Tehran but has taken no public steps to […]
By Steve Holland | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON A top adviser to President Donald Trump delivered a tough warning to Iran on Wednesday for test-firing a ballistic missile and declared “we are officially putting Iran on notice” for what he called a provocation. A statement from White House national security adviser Michael Flynn condemning the test was an example of a more muscular U.S. foreign policy that Trump has […]
Photo President Hassan Rouhani, left, visited a Tehran exhibition of Iran’s achievements in space technology on Wednesday. With him were the minister of communications, Mahmoud Vaezi, center, and the defense minister, Hossein Dehghan. Credit Office of the Iranian Presidency, via Associated Press TEHRAN — Iran confirmed on Wednesday that it recently conducted a missile test, but it rejected accusations from the United States that the launch had […]
After yesterday US officials reported that Iran conducted a nuclear ballistic missile test on Sunday, which some claimed would be another violation of the UN resolution and Obama’s nuclear deal, on Wednesday Iran’s defense minister admitted that the Islamic Republic had indeed tested a new missile, but added the test did not breach Tehran’s nuclear accord with world powers or a U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing the […]
DUBAI Iran’s defence minister said the Islamic Republic had tested a new missile, confirming earlier reports, Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying on Wednesday. Hossein Dehghan said the test did not violate the country’s deal on its nuclear programme or the United Nations Security Council’s resolution. “The recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our defence […]
WASHINGTON: Iran’s ballistic missile launch on Sunday was Tehran’s “first litmus test” for the Donald Trump administration as much as it was a regional show of force, according to experts.With the launch coming just nine days into the Trump presidency, Iran-watchers expect the new administration to respond through the different levers at its disposal.A more aggressive retaliation could, however, backfire, and lead to an unintended escalation in […]
Photo The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, in Tehran on Tuesday. Credit Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Already furious over the Trump administration’s visa ban, Iran warned the United States on Tuesday not to escalate tensions over tests of Iranian missiles. The warning, made by Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, came a day after American and Israeli […]
RIYADH The top U.N. humanitarian official in Yemen said on Tuesday he feared for the lives of civilians in two Red Sea coast cities where Yemeni government forces and their Gulf Arab backers are on an offensive to oust Iran-allied Houthi militia. Coalition-supported Yemeni army forces advanced northward into al-Mokha and Dhubab last week in a bid to deprive the Houthis of strategic Red Sea ports. “I […]
