Amid a fragile de-escalation, Tehran confirms it is reviewing regional mediation proposals and expects a framework for renewed negotiations with Washington within days, though significant hurdles remain.
Crude oil benchmarks plunged over 7%, with Brent near $66 and WTI around $62, as President Trump's comments eased fears of a U.S.-Iran conflict and a sell-off in metals markets spilled over. Analysts suggest the drop reflects a rapid unwinding of risk premiums rather than a fundamental change in supply dynamics.
Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev cautions that the potential lapse of the last major U.S.-Russia nuclear arms treaty without a successor could plunge the world into an unprecedented era of strategic instability unseen since the Cold War.
The highest-ranking US and Israeli military officials held a closed-door meeting at the Pentagon last Friday, as regional tensions with Iran continue to escalate, according to US officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
Iran's Supreme Leader issues his most direct threat yet amid heightened U.S. military presence and stalled diplomacy, while internal crackdown death toll estimates soar.
With the House of Representatives adjourned until Monday, a partial government shutdown continues after the Senate's late-Friday passage of a stopgap spending package failed to meet the deadline for dozens of agencies.
President Trump's revival of Nixon-era 'madman theory' tactics—mixing calibrated military strikes with extreme threats—aims to force Iranian concessions without full-scale war. But as Tehran perceives an existential threat, analysts warn the high-stakes gamble risks a catastrophic miscalculation.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized telecommunications equipment and vehicles from multiple UN offices in Sana'a, the United Nations reported Friday, marking a significant escalation in restrictions that threatens to cripple humanitarian operations in the war-torn country.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns in a confidential letter that the United Nations faces a severe cash crunch, driven by unpaid dues and restrictive budget rules, threatening its operational viability by mid-year.
Lawmakers are negotiating a short-term deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, aiming to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend. The talks occur against the backdrop of heightened political pressure following recent violence in Minneapolis and a shift in the administration's enforcement rhetoric.
Oil prices pulled back from multi-month highs on Friday amid broad market risk aversion, yet President Trump's intensified focus on Iran continues to inject a significant risk premium into the market, setting Brent crude for its strongest monthly gain in years.
