UAE vice president, Iran speaker discuss de-escalation in Iran war – WAM

The top US derivatives regulator is investigating suspiciously timed trades in the oil futures market ahead of recent policy shifts by President Donald Trump related to the war in Iran, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is leading the probe into trading of oil futures contracts on platforms belonging to CME Group Inc. and Intercontinental Exchange Inc., the report said.

Both exchanges have been asked to hand over data as part of the investigation, the report added.

The European Commission plans to propose temporary measures such as grants, subsidies, tax breaks and loans to mitigate the impact of the Iran war on agriculture, fisheries and transport, Reuters reported, citing a draft Commission document.

The Commission is consulting member states before adopting a final version by the end of April, the report said.

Once adopted, the aid measures will run until the end of the year and cover up to 50% of additional fuel and fertilizer costs arising from the Iran crisis, the report added.

The global economy is about to feel the full economic impact of the Iran war, Qatar’s finance minister said on Wednesday.

“A full-fledged impact is coming and it is not far away,” Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari said at an IMF discussion in Washington, describing the recent spike in global prices as just the “tip of the iceberg.”

“I think in one month, two months’ time you are going to see really a huge economic impact globally,” he said.

“Very soon you are going to have a problem of energy availability, not just prices.”

A Malta-flagged crude tanker has passed west through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first such transit since the United States blocked Iranian ports, the Associated Press reported, citing a global shipping tracking monitor.

The Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I is expected to arrive in Basra, Iraq, on Thursday, where ports are not under a US blockade, according to MarineTraffic.

MarineTraffic said the vessel attempted the transit again after anchoring in the Gulf of Oman for nearly two days.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military is at a very high level of readiness and has approved plans for continued operations in Lebanon and Iran.

“Yesterday, I approved plans for the future, together with the General Staff Forum. We continue to conduct ongoing situation assessments and approve plans both in Lebanon and in Iran,” the Israeli military quoted Zamir as saying during a visit to IDF troops in southern Lebanon.

“In the joint operation with the US military, we struck the Iranian terror regime severely, stripped them of their defensive capabilities, and weakened them. Now we must not allow them achievements in the nuclear issue, in Hormuz, and in the other issues on the agenda,” Zamir added.

“Air Force aircraft are armed and ready, and the targets are loaded on the systems. We know how to launch them for a powerful strike immediately,” Zamir said.