Folks protest towards the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, ICE immigration raids, and in assist of Palestinians throughout an indication exterior the Westwood Federal Constructing within the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 22, 2025.
Bing Guan | Afp | Getty Photos
The U.S.-Israel battle with Iran is extending into its third day with all sides doubling down on sharper responses within the days forward, deepening fears of a wider warfare that might rattle the worldwide financial system.
The place issues stand
Washington and Israel launched large assaults on Iran on Saturday, killing the Islamic state’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliatory strikes from Tehran.
Tehran has struck again with missiles and drones towards Israel and Gulf nations that host U.S. navy bases, together with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Civilian infrastructures had been additionally hit by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, together with Dubai’s luxurious lodge Fairmont The Palm and the Dubai Worldwide Airport.
The demise of Khamenei, who dominated Iran for over three many years and held final energy, has raised the query of who will run Iran subsequent as he had not publicly designated a successor. A council comprising Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the judiciary head and a member of the Guardians Council, has quickly assumed management duties on Sunday.
Greater than 200 individuals in Iran have been killed in the course of the strikes, in keeping with Iranian state media.
Three American service members have been killed and one other 5 had been severely wounded, the U.S. navy mentioned on Sunday.
Market response to this point
Crude oil costs jumped Monday morning as merchants parsed dangers of a drawn-out battle and a significant oil provide disruption.
WTI Crude (Apr’ 26)
Valuable metals gold and silver climbed round 2% as traders flocked to the safe-haven belongings amid international risk-off sentiment.
The U.S. greenback index was 0.26% greater at 97.863 as of 11:20 p.m. EST. The ten-year Treasury yield was little modified Monday at 3.97%, regaining some floor after falling to an 11-month low of three.926% on Friday.
Threat belongings are pulling again. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Common dropped 521 factors, or 1%. S&P 500 futures misplaced 1% and Nasdaq 100 futures declined somewhat greater than 1%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 1.2%, whereas the Topix fell 1.34%. Hong Kong Hold Seng index opened 1.15% down, whereas mainland China’s CSI 300 was down 0.25%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.48%.
De-escalation or spiraling tensions?
“It is at all times been a four-week course of. We figured will probably be 4 weeks or so. It is at all times been a few four-week course of so — as robust as it’s, it is a huge nation, it’s going to take 4 weeks — or much less,” the British newspaper quoted Trump as saying.
Individually, in an interview with The Atlantic journal, Trump mentioned Iran’s new management wished to renew negotiations and that he has agreed to speak to them.
“They wish to speak, and I’ve agreed to speak, so I will likely be speaking to them. They need to have finished it sooner. They need to have given what was very sensible and simple to do sooner. They waited too lengthy,” Trump mentioned, with out specifying when the talks will likely be held.
Iran’s safety chief Ali Larijani, nevertheless, rejected the prospects of resuming negotiation, saying that Tehran has no plans to have interaction in talks with the Trump administration.
“We is not going to negotiate with america,” the previous adviser to the late supreme chief mentioned in a publish on X.
The U.S. strikes have sparked debate over their authorized basis as solely the Congress has the fitting to declare warfare underneath the Structure.

“There isn’t any believable authorized justification for the U.S. assault on Iran,” mentioned Brian Finucane, senior advisor at Worldwide Disaster Group, a Brussels-based suppose tank.
Congress has not licensed navy motion and the president just isn’t performing to repel any sudden assault upon the U.S., he mentioned.
“Even by the requirements of unilateral govt navy motion of latest many years, President Trump’s unauthorized assault on Iran stands aside attributable to its scale and sure repercussions, together with for U.S. forces within the area,” Finucane added.
U.S. lawmakers have additionally voiced considerations over a probably extended and dear warfare within the Center East.
Senator Tom Cotton, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee from Arkansas, mentioned on CBS Information’ “Face the Nation,” that “there is no such thing as a easy reply for what is going on to return subsequent.”
“It is no secret that this administration has no plan for the chaos that’s unfolding proper now within the Center East,” mentioned Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat.
World reactions
The strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation have prompted international leaders to evaluate the fallout, with Western leaders largely backing Trump, whereas China and Russia took goal at U.S. and Israel for his or her navy operation.
China: In a telephone name along with his Russian counterpart, Chinese language International Minister Wang Yi mentioned that it was “unacceptable for the U.S. and Israel to launch assaults towards Iran … nonetheless much less to blatantly assassinate a pacesetter of a sovereign nation and instigate regime change.” Wang reiterated Beijing’s name for an “fast ceasefire” and an “earliest attainable return to dialogue and negotiation.”
Russia: President Vladimir Putin reportedly expressed condolences over the demise of Khamanei, calling the act “a homicide dedicated in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and worldwide legislation.” In an announcement Saturday, Russian overseas ministry known as for “an instantaneous return to a political and diplomatic monitor.”
Gulf states: The U.S.-aligned nations have put up a present of defiance, vowing in a joint assertion to “stand united in protection of our residents, sovereignty and territory, and reaffirm our proper to delf-defense within the face of those assaults.”
European Union: Ursula von der Leyen, president of EU fee, appeared to assist Trump’s push for a regime change in Iran, calling for a “credible transition” that might restore stability and replicate the “democratic aspirations of the courageous individuals of Iran.”
Britain: The U.Okay. authorities mentioned it had not participated within the strikes and did “not wish to see additional escalation right into a wider regional battle.” However London has agreed to let the U.S. use its navy bases for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile websites, in keeping with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Australia: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighted that Iran has been a “destabilizing pressure” for many years. “We assist america performing to forestall Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and to forestall Iran persevering with to threaten worldwide peace and safety,” he mentioned in an announcement.
Canada: Prime Minister Mark Carney additionally backed the U.S. motion. “Canada helps america performing to forestall Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and to forestall its regime from additional threatening worldwide peace and safety,” Carney mentioned in an announcement.
