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Oil prices fall as Trump calls off Iran strikes, easing supply fears
Oil prices fell on Friday, extending losses from the previous session after US President Donald Trump cancelled plans to strike Iran, reducing fears of an escalation of hostilities following tit-for-tat attacks earlier in the week.
Brent futures rose $1.21 or 1.3% to $89.17 a barrel at 0042 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed $1.23, or 1.4%, to $86.48. On a weekly basis, Brent was 4.2% lower, while WTI was down 4.4%.
"While this could, of course, be yet another false dawn, the market's reaction has been both swift and decisive," said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore.
Iranian forces prevent tanker from entering Strait of Hormuz
Iranian forces did not allow a tanker to enter the Strait of Hormuz without coordination to pass, Iranian state media reported early on Friday, shortly after sounds of explosions were heard near the port city of Bandar Abbas.
Two explosions heard in Iran's Bandar Abbas
Iran says no final decision made on possible US agreement, IRNA says
Iran has not yet made a final decision on a possible agreement with the U.S. and will not compromise on its "red lines" in negotiations, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.
Baghaei said reports regarding a time and place of signing the agreement remained speculative and that nothing had been finalised. He added that a large part of the negotiating text had been finalised but the US repeatedly changed its positions during the talks.
Israeli PM says US-Iran deal will include removal of enriched material, limits on missile production
The Israeli prime minister’s office says President Donald Trump spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about an emerging memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enter negotiations with Iran.
"Even though Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for President Trump's commitment that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations will include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran's support for its terrorist proxies in the region," the prime minister's office said in a statement posted on X.
Trump says attack on Kharg Island off the table for now
President Donald Trump has reiterated that a threatened US military operation against Iran's Kharg Island was off the table for now as he girded for what could be an agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says 'great settlement' made with Iran, deal could be signed in Europe
President Donald Trump has just said a "great settlement" is being worked out between the US and Iran to end the Middle East war, and added that he expected a deal to be signed in Europe in the coming days.
"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, saying that they would "subject to finalisation of documents, which should get done, over the next few days, probably have a signing, maybe in Europe."
Tehran has not yet approved text for US deal, Iranian media reports
Iran has not approved any text for an initial memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the US, reports Iran's semi-official Fars news agency citing an informed source close to Iran's negotiating team.
"No text has been approved for an initial memorandum of understanding with the United States," said Fars.
The report came shortly after President Donald Trump announced he had called off planned strikes on Iran "based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved".
Iranian attack on Kuwait airport caused injuries, serious damage, Kuwait aviation authority says
Kuwait's civil aviation authority has said an Iranian attack targeting Kuwait International Airport's radar earlier Thursday had caused injuries and serious material damage to radar facilities and equipment linked to air traffic management.
Trump calls off latest threats to strike Iran, citing progress in negotiations
President Donald Trump has said he is calling off new military strikes on Iran, just hours after threatening to escalate the war by seizing control of the country's oil industry.
Trump said in a social media post that he made the move “based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”
The announcement came after two days of back-and-forth attacks between the US and Iran had threatened pushed the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.
In his latest message on Truth Social, Trump wrote that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail,” approved by United States, Israel, and other regional allies. He did not offer details.
Trump says canceling Iran strikes on Thursday
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he has called off new military strikes on Iran, hours after threatening to escalate the war.
The president said in a social media post that he made the move “based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved”
Trump also suggested that progress has been made in talks to extend the fragile ceasefire, writing that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail,” approved by United States, Israel, and other regional allies. He did not offer details.
Trump on multiple occasions over the last several weeks has claimed that the warring parties have been on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.
Trump flags possible Iran deal signing after 'highest level' talks
Iran's top command warns Trump's threats against energy facilities will mean oil, gas exports for 'no one'
Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, has said the US will receive a more severe response than before if it attacks Iran.
Responding to President Donald Trump's latest threats to Iran's oil facilities, the Iranian military command warned that "either oil and gas exports are for everyone or they will be available for no one".
In a statement broadcast on state media, the command said the war would become "more widespread and extensive" if the US attacks, causing insecurity across the region.
Iran's top negotiator warns of 'endless quagmire' for US
Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has called on the US to carefully consider its next step in the war or face years of turmoil and soaring oil and gas prices.
"Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years," Ghalibaf, who is also Iran's parliamentary speaker, said in a social media post.
UN chief calls for diplomatic solution to Lebanon crisis
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a "diplomatic settlement" to the Lebanese conflict that "fully respects the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon".
In a statement posted on X, Guterres said there has been a "serious escalation" in the conflict in recent days as Israel intensified its operations in Lebanese territory and Hezbollah fired deeper into Israel.
A de-escalation process "must start with a comprehensive ceasefire respected by all parties everywhere," he said.
Palestinian detained pending trial in Greece over suspected Hamas links
Greek judges on Thursday ordered the detention pending trial of a Palestinian accused of being part of a Hamas-linked network plotting attacks on Israeli targets in Europe and Asia, legal and police sources said.
The 37-year-old suspect, who denies wrongdoing, was detained on June 6 on the island of Crete, in a joint operation by Greece's intelligence service and police anti-terrorism unit, authorities said.
Police confiscated mobile phones, a laptop and hard discs from his residences and investigators found evidence he had ordered online materials that could be used to make explosives but had not received them.
His lawyer told Reuters the evidence was thin and revealed inconsistencies.
"The defendant’s character, mindset and overall demeanour bear no resemblance to the profile of a criminal or terrorist. Rather, he appears to have been cast as a scapegoat in a case founded on tenuous evidence and riddled with significant gaps," said criminal defense lawyer Spyridon Pantazis.
The arrest in Greece follows the detention of two Palestinians, aged 32 and 38, in Cyprus on May 22. They are under investigation for terrorism-related activities after explosive-making materials were found during searches, police have said.
According to Greek police sources, the two cases are linked.
EU top diplomat discusses Iran conflict escalation with Iranian, Kuwaiti counterparts
The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said she discussed the recent escalation in the Iran war with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and she reiterated the need for a diplomatic way out of the conflict.
"I spoke to Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about the latest escalation in the Gulf and the state of negotiations with the US. I've also been in touch with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The resumed attacks on the Gulf countries and their critical infrastructure are unacceptable," wrote Kallas on X.
"A return to full-scale war would come at a tremendous cost to the entire region. The diplomatic route remains the best path out of this war," she added.
Trump says US will hit Iran 'very hard,' take control of energy infrastructure
President Donald Trump has said the US will hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” threatening in a social media post to “assume total control” of Iran’s oil infrastructure.
"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela," Trump said on Truth Social.
US military blocks third tanker this week, CENTCOM says
US forces "disabled" another oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, making it the third vessel to be struck in the same area this week, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer was hit "as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X.
A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the vessel "after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces," CENTCOM said.
It was the third such US strike this week and the ninth since the blockade began, said CENTCOM.
Earlier Thursday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported a tanker fire 21 nautical miles northeast of Sohar, Oman, with the Indian embassy in the country saying the Omani navy was evacuating crew members.
This latest strike followed a similar one on Wednesday off the coast of Oman. Three Indian crew members were killed, leading the Indian government to lodge a diplomatic protest.
Yesterday's key developments:
- The US military said Wednesday it has begun another round of strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said more were coming. The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to end the war, with Trump warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations.
- US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview excerpt released Wednesday, saying the Israeli leader had "gotten some things wrong" in the Middle East war.
- Lebanon 's health ministry said Israeli airstrikes on the country's south on Wednesday killed 12 people as Netanyahu urged the Lebanese to join Israel 's fight against Hezbollah .
Please find all the latest updates from Tuesday, June 9 here.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
