Oil price falls as hopes rise after ceasefire, but tough talks loom
The price of a barrel of oil dropped below the $100 mark for the first time in days and US stock futures soared as optimism at last night’s ceasefire deal with Iran buoyed sentiment just hours after US President Donald Trump had threatened that “[a] whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Tehran declined. Trump’s ultimatum fell away when the US and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire, which includes a temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, after a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan. Trump declared the outcome a “total and complete victory”, saying in an interview that Iran’s enriched uranium would be “perfectly taken care of” under the deal … “or I wouldn’t have settled”. He gave no details. Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, Iran sought to portray it as a victory, arguing that the US and Israel had failed to defeat them. Tough talks loom on the 10-point proposal put forward by Iran which secured the temporary ceasefire.
Weakened Iran likely more dangerous for Iranians – report
The BBC’s Persian correspondent in Washington, Khashayar Joneidi, writes: “No matter how victorious Iran portrays themselves in state media, it is in a very weak position. Its army has been heavily battered, its economy is in shambles, and the regime has unfinished business with the opposition and the people. In the past few days, the government has started executing some of those people who were arrested during the protests in January.” Earlier, Joneidi described “mixed reactions” among Iranians. He noted that “many of the people who were against the regime believe that this war, amid all of its horror and its damage, would result in a regime change. That hasn’t happened. Now they are going to be dealing with a regime who has been injured in this war, and the economy has collapsed. The regime is more angry, and they have to face it again.”
Israel’s opposition leader berates Netanyahu for “political disaster” in ceasefire deal
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has slammed Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war. After Netanyahu’s statement overnight supporting the US-Iran ceasefire, Lapid called the situation a “political disaster”, adding: “Israel was not even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security. The army did everything they asked of it, the public displayed incredible resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and did not meet any of the goals he himself set.”
UK’s Wireless Festival cancelled after government refuses entry to rapper Kanye West
Westminster has refused permission for controversial rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, to travel to the UK after the backlash to his planned set at the Wireless Festival in July. West has caused outrage for a string of antisemitic, racist and pro-Nazi comments in recent years, though indicated in January that he had changed. Wireless Festival said in a statement: “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”
Farage’s Reform UK will “block” visa requests from countries demanding slavery reparations
Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration and populist party Reform UK says it would “block visa requests from any country that demands slavery reparations,” which include Commonwealth countries of Britain’s former empire such as Ghana and Jamaica. The party’s threat was condemned by the Caribbean reparations commission as a “legacy of toxic racism”.
Sources: BBC, Agence France Presse, The Guardian, Reuters