First Thing: Second day of US strikes on Iran as Trump says Tehran ‘behaving very badly’
Explosions reported in southern Iran in most extensive exchange of fire since interim ceasefire. Plus the complicated legacy of beat poet Allen Ginsberg Good morning
Explosions reported in southern Iran in most extensive exchange of fire since interim ceasefire. Plus the complicated legacy of beat poet Allen Ginsberg Good morning. The US military carried out strikes on Iran for a second day, hours after President Donald Trump said an interim agreement to end the war was “over”. Iranian state media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas in the strait of Hormuz; in Sirik, another southern coastal city; and the south-western Bushehr province, home to Iran’s nuclear-power-plant complex.
US Central Command confirmed the strikes. On Tuesday, three cargo ships transiting the strait of Hormuz were attacked, leading to the most extensive exchange of fire between the two sides since the interim deal was signed last month. At the Nato summit in Ankara yesterday, Trump said: “Anything that happens is going to happen very fast” and that the latest strikes would not result in “long-term” military action. “They are behaving very badly,” Trump said, accusing Iran of launching drones and a missile at ships.
What are the economic impacts of the renewed hostilities? US stock markets fell on Wednesday, and Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, jumped more than 5% to crest $80 a barrel. The International Monetary Fund lowered its global economic growth forecast to 3%, citing conflict in the Middle East. Jorge León, the head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, said “Tanker traffic through the strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran.” Who could replace Platner?
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