The world is alarmed by a new war in the Middle East. What the media is writing
US President Donald Trump has slammed Iran after talks on Tehran's nuclear program collapsed. With this war, he plans to strengthen the American presence in the region. The Gulf States and the international community are alarmed by the destabilization of the Middle East. Against this background, oil and gold prices rose. How foreign media assess the attack on Iran is in the Izvestia digest.
NBC News: How Trump decided to strike Iran
When the American delegation demanded that Iran not enrich uranium for ten years, the Iranian side refused. Tehran said the country has an "inalienable right" to enrich itself. Washington replied that the United States has the right to prevent this.
NBC News
Trump's decision to strike Iran and eliminate its leadership followed lengthy negotiations between the parties, which disappointed him and convinced him that diplomacy would not work. He wasn't particularly in the mood for war. One of the reasons for his caution was that he believed that his advisers had not given him a clear enough understanding of Iran's future after the war.
The strikes affected Tehran and led to the death of the republic's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, although it is unknown whether the opposition is prepared for a change of power. In the run-up to the conflict, the United States increased its military presence in the region and exerted economic pressure on Iran to encourage internal protests. Trump hoped that pressure and military action would force the regime to abandon its nuclear program and change the political situation in the country.
Al Jazeera: Will the Gulf states join the war
The Gulf States did not want confrontation in the region. In the weeks leading up to the attack, Oman had been mediating indirect talks between Washington and Tehran.
Al Jazeera
When Iranian missiles hit Doha and Dubai over the weekend, they shattered not only glass and concrete, but also the carefully cultivated image of the Gulf states as oases of stability, isolated from crises and conflicts in the rest of the Middle East. Now the countries of the region face a difficult choice: strike back and risk being known as fighting on the side of Israel, or stay away while their cities burn.
The current crisis marks a dramatic change in the dynamics of regional security. For years, the Gulf States have focused their concerns on non-state actors such as the Houthis in Yemen or Hezbollah in Lebanon. At the moment, the Gulf states are in doubt. Their next steps will depend on whether Iran offers escalation.
The Guardian: Trump's allies defend US-Israeli strikes on Iran
Republicans consider the strikes necessary to stop Iran's decades-long campaign against the United States and its allies. The party noted that Iran has thousands of missiles and is developing a nuclear program, and the strikes are aimed at destroying missile infrastructure without deploying ground forces.
The Guardian
The Democrats noted that the destruction of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei does not guarantee regime change and stressed the lack of clarity about who might replace him. They called the administration's actions a "war of its own choosing," saying that the United States was not under imminent threat, and that the president owed it to the people and Congress to explain why he decided to start hostilities.
The Republican Party stressed that the administration has no plans to deploy large ground forces in Iran. Any involvement of the ground forces will be limited to rescuing downed pilots. Democrats believe that the consequences of this military campaign may be unpredictable.
Bloomberg: Strikes on Iran usher in an era of unlimited US power
Donald Trump has expanded the practice of American interference, openly targeting the leaders of opposing countries. The attack on Iran and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demonstrate the more unrestricted use of U.S. military force and a departure from a long-standing policy of restraint that has alarmed allies and drawn criticism at home and abroad.
Bloomberg
The price of Brent crude, which has already increased by almost 20% this year, soared by 13% to about $82 per barrel before correcting. A complete closure of the strait, according to estimates by Bloomberg Economics, could raise the price to $108 per barrel. Gold and the dollar also rose, while U.S. stock futures opened lower.
At the same time, in the United States itself, only a quarter of Americans approve of strikes, and a significant part consider the president too predisposed to the use of force. In Congress and among European allies, his approach is seen as improvised and risky, without a long-term strategy. In the international context, Khamenei's murder provoked a sharp reaction from Moscow and Beijing, which warned of a possible destabilization of the Middle East.
Euronews: oil prices rise amid escalating conflict with Iran
Oil prices are rising amid escalating conflict with Iran, raising concerns about supplies. Iran exports about 1.6 million barrels of oil per day, mainly to China. In case of disruptions, Beijing may seek supplies from other sources, although its strategic reserves and the possibility of increased imports from Russia may partially offset the shortfall. Attacks were expected, so traders have already adjusted their positions to take into account the increased risk.
Euronews
Traders expect that oil supplies from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries may slow down or stop completely. Attacks in the region, including two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf, have limited the ability of countries to export oil.
The gold market as a "safe haven" rose 2.4% to $5,371 per ounce in the face of uncertainty. At the same time, the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East has affected the entire world, including the Asia-Pacific region. Asian stock markets opened lower. Thus, the indices of Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok and Australia also showed declines.
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