2025-06-14 20:52
Kremlin aide Ushakov says Putin condemned Israeli action Ushakov also says Russia's offer stands to help with talks Trump says hostilities should end, as should Ukraine war MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, focusing on hostilities between Israel and Iran and calling for efforts to bring them to an end. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin condemned the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressed concern about the risks of escalation. Sign up here. Trump, in his account on Truth Social, said most of the discussion centered on the Middle East, but that he also told Putin that Russia's war in Ukraine should end. "Vladimir Putin condemned Israel's military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East," Ushakov told reporters. Ushakov said Trump described events in the Middle East as "very alarming". But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran's nuclear programme, Ushakov said. Ushakov said U.S. negotiators were ready to hold further talks with Iranian representatives, with Oman as mediator. The latest round, scheduled for Sunday in Oman, has been cancelled. The Kremlin aide said Putin told Trump that Russia stood by proposals to ease tension and resolve issues concerning Iran's nuclear programme. "The Russian president recalled that prior to the current rise in tension our side had proposed concrete steps intended to find mutually acceptable agreements during talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives about the Iranian nuclear programme," Ushakov said. "Russia's principled approach and interest in a resolution is unchanged and, as Vladimir Putin noted, we will continue to act based on this." Trump's account of the conversation included what amounted to his first explicit appeal for the hostilities to end. "The call lasted approximately 1 hour," Trump wrote. "He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end." Trump said he and Putin mostly discussed the Middle East and spent "much less time" talking about the war in Ukraine. Trump hinted at follow-up discussions on the war in Ukraine in the coming week. On Ukraine, Ushakov said Putin told the U.S. leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA. Ushakov also said that the presidents expressed satisfaction "at their personal relations which have allowed for them to speak in a business-like manner to seek solutions to issues that are bilateral or on the international agenda, however complex those issues might be". Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/putin-speaks-trump-condemns-israels-strikes-iran-kremlin-says-2025-06-14/
2025-06-14 20:51
Wary investors move to "risk off" mode as geopolitical tension mounts Crude oil prices spike higher on outbreak of hostilities US VIX volatility measure at highest point in 3 weeks NEW YORK/GDANSK, June 15 (Reuters) - Investors were on edge as financial markets reopened on Sunday, with crude oil prices initially up near 4% as markets were gripped by the escalating threat of a sweeping conflict in the Middle East. U.S. stock futures opened marginally lower. Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other on Sunday, killing and wounding civilians and raising concerns of a broader regional conflict, with both militaries urging civilians on the opposing side to take precautions against further strikes. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis joined the fray. Sign up here. Images from Tehran showed the night sky lit up by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes against Iran's oil and gas sector - raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning of the Iranian state. "The market is very headline-driven and short-term focused, so there's just a lot of volatility over the near term," said Kathryn Rooney Vera, chief market strategist at StoneX Group. Brent crude futures prices added just under 4% to trade near $76.94 after resuming trading on Sunday, having risen 7% on Friday as Israel and Iran first traded strikes. They later pared gains to trade up $2.14 at $76.37. "It is noteworthy that while the Israelis have attacked Iran's natural gas processing facility, which fuels its power grid, it hasn't as of now hurt its oil export facilities," said Eric Beyrich, portfolio manager at Sound Income Strategies. Of the early market moves, he said "this could all change as the day unfolds." Israel's air offensive against Iran that began early on Friday, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop Tehran from building an atomic weapon, knocked risky assets including stocks, on Friday. It also lifted oil prices and prompted a rush into gold and the dollar, which resumed its role as a safe-haven asset for the first time in months. Rallying oil prices pose a risk to the inflation outlook, as central banks around the world grapple with the impact on prices from Trump's trade tariffs and the effect on economic growth. Rooney Vera at StoneX said she was worried about possible supply restrictions in case of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman. Any closure could restrict trade and further impact global oil prices. "That could worsen inflationary pressures," she said. Investors are skittish, and the S&P 500 (.SPX) , opens new tab appears to have stalled after rallying about 20% from its trade war-induced April low to near-record highs. Futures opened slightly lower on Sunday, with S&P 500 futures down 0.2% early in the overnight session. "The equity market will breathe somewhat of a sigh of relief that Iranian military muscle is not at the level that some of us feared," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of Cresset Capital. Meanwhile, protests, organised by the "No Kings" coalition to oppose Trump's policies, and the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker on Saturday, added to downbeat sentiment. “It’s more of an oil story than an equity story at this point,” said Jim Carroll, senior wealth adviser and portfolio manager at Ballast Rock Private Wealth. “Stocks right now seem to be hanging on." The Cboe Volatility Index (.VIX) , opens new tab, often called the Wall Street "fear index," finished at 20.82 on Friday, its highest close in three weeks. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/global-markets-investors-pix-2025-06-14/
2025-06-14 20:39
June 14 (Reuters) - No damage was seen at Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant or the Khondab heavy water reactor under construction, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Saturday. The International Atomic Energy Agency added that no further damage had been observed at the Natanz, the site of one of the nuclear targets struck on Friday by Israeli forces. Sign up here. Earlier, the IAEA said that Iran's Nuclear Regulatory Authority had informed it of no change in off-site radiation levels in Isfahan, another nuclear site targeted by Israel in an air offensive against its old enemy. The IAEA also said that four critical buildings at the Isfahan nuclear site had been damaged, including a uranium conversion facility and a fuel plate fabrication plant. "As in Natanz, no increase in off-site radiation expected," the agency said in a post on X. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iaea-says-iran-finds-no-radiation-increase-isfahan-2025-06-14/
2025-06-14 19:56
June 14 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) , opens new tab will invest A$20 billion ($12.97 billion) from 2025 to 2029 to expand, operate and maintain its data center infrastructure in Australia, bolstering the nation's artificial intelligence capabilities, it said in a blog post on Saturday. The investment is Amazon's largest global technology commitment in Australia, with funding directed toward new server capacity and support for generative AI workloads. Sign up here. The company is also investing in three new solar farms in Victoria and Queensland, and will commit to buy a combined capacity of more than 170 megawatts across the three farms, it added. "Amazon Web Services' $20 billion investment in data centres in Australia will set us up for the future, boosting our economy and productivity," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a post on social media platform X. "This is a huge vote of confidence in the Australian economy," he added. Major tech companies worldwide are expanding their infrastructure to support rapidly growing demand for generative AI and cloud computing. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft (MSFT.O) , opens new tab and Google (GOOGL.O) , opens new tab have been ramping up data center investments to secure market share and meet AI workload requirements. On Monday, Amazon announced plans to invest at least $20 billion in Pennsylvania to expand data center infrastructure, adding on to the billions of dollars the technology giant has committed to the expansion of AI. In early June, the company said it will invest $10 billion in North Carolina and announced plans to invest more than $5 billion in its new cloud infrastructure in Taiwan. ($1 = 1.5418 Australian dollars) https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/amazon-invest-13-billion-australias-data-center-infrastructure-2025-06-14/
2025-06-14 19:01
June 14 (Reuters) - Iran has partially suspended gas production at the world's biggest gas field after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, in what would be the first Israeli strike on Iran's oil and gas sector. Iran shares the South Pars gas field with Qatar. Striking it would mark a major escalation in the conflict, which had already pushed oil prices up 9% on Friday even though Israel spared Iran's oil and gas on the first day of its attacks. Sign up here. Israel launched an air offensive against Iran on Friday, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop Tehran building an atomic weapon. The South Pars field is located offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province and is responsible for the lion's share of gas production in Iran, the world's third largest gas producer after the United States and Russia. The strike caused a fire, which has been extinguished, the Iranian oil ministry said. The fire broke out in one of the four units of Phase 14 of South Pars, halting production of 12 million cubic metres of gas, Tasnim said. Iran produces around 275 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year or some 6.5% of global gas output, and consumes it domestically as it cannot export gas due to sanctions. Iran shares the field with Qatar, which calls the field North Field. Qatar produces 77 million tonnes of liquefied gas from the field with the help of global majors such as Exxon and Shell and supplies the gas to Europe and Asia. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-says-production-worlds-largest-gas-field-partly-suspended-after-israeli-2025-06-14/
2025-06-14 17:44
'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, Netherlands, June 14 (Reuters) - Belgian third seed Elise Mertens dug deep to save 11 match points and overcame twice winner Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6 7-6(7) 6-4 to reach the Libema Open final in Den Bosch on Saturday, where she will face qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Mertens found herself 5-3 down in the second set after losing the first but battled back to force a tiebreak before seeing off the Russian second seed who was aiming to win her third title having triumphed in 2022 and 2023. Sign up here. "I didn't even know it was 11, after one or two I lost count," Mertens said. "It was a difficult match, I think she started really well, and it was 6-2, 5-3 for her. I just stayed with my head in the game and gave everything I had." Alexandrova won their only previous meeting in Den Bosch, in 2019, and has reached at least the quarter-finals of the last five editions, but Mertens now has the chance to win a second title this year, after her Singapore triumph in February. Standing in Mertens' way will be Romanian Ruse who recovered from losing the first set to defeat Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 2-6 6-4 6-3. Mertens has won all three previous meetings with Ruse. Ugo Humbert, the only seed left in the men's draw, crashed out to Gabriel Diallo, with the Canadian defeating the French second seed 6-3 7-6(4) to advance to the final where he will meet Belgium's Zizou Bergs. Diallo broke to love to lead 5-3 and held serve to take the opening set. Humbert saved two break points with the second set delicately poised at 5-5, but Diallo came out on top in the tiebreak as he bids to win his first ATP Tour title. Bergs is also on the hunt for his maiden ATP win, and had little trouble overcoming lucky loser Reilly Opelka 6-1 6-4, with the American perhaps still feeling the effects of his battling win over top seed Daniil Medvedev on Friday. The Belgian stormed to the first set, winning five consecutive games, and while Opelka regained his composure in a more even second set, Bergs made the decisive break to lead 5-4 and served out for the match. Bergs and Diallo met for the first time at this year's Madrid Open, where Diallo eased to a straight-sets win in the first round. https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/battling-mertens-saves-11-match-points-reach-den-bosch-final-2025-06-14/
