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☆ Premarket stocks: The world is a mess and Wall Street isn’t paying attention
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But geopolitical tensions are growing and Wall Street appears to be underestimating their potential impact on the global economy and markets. The United States and China are squabbling about trade, particularly high-powered AI chips that both believe carry consequences for national security. Less trade could mean lower supplies to meet demand — and that could be bad news for inflation around the world. Bank of America also gave geopolitical risk a top spot on its list of surprises that could affect markets in 2024. It’s the worst start to a year for Chinese stocks since 2016, when investors were ditching their holdings following a market crash in 2015.

Persons: ”, “, Jamie Dimon, dory, he’s, Anna Cooban, Laura He, Hong, Premier Li Qiang, Ken Cheung, Catherine Thorbecke Organizations: New, New York CNN, Dow Jones, Federal Reserve, BlackRock, Shipping, CNBC, Economic, Bank of America, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, “, Shenzhen Component, Premier, Mizuho Bank, MIT’s Computer, Artificial Intelligence Locations: New York, Russia, Ukraine, United States, China, Taiwan, Suez, Iranian, Pakistan, Iran, Europe, Asia, Drewry, Yemen, Davos, Switzerland, Wall, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Pentagon says it created more hoops to jump through on AI weapons to calm fears it was 'building killer robots in the basement'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The update was partially to assure people that DoD wasn't "building killer robots in the basement," a senior official said. The US and some of its adversaries are making rapid progress on AI weapons, with lots of controversy in the mix. Last year, DoD updated its directive on autonomy in weapons systems, which was originally published back in 2012. AdvertisementThe move reflects the US' growing interest and progress in developing AI weapons systems. Other nations, however, had hoped to use the UN as a platform to propose restrictions and limit how autonomous weapons operate.

Persons: —, Kathleen Kicks, Dominic Garcia, William Pugh, Michael C, Horowitz, isn't, Henry M, Jackson, Devin M, Langer, Tiffany Price, Khalil Hashmi, Hicks Organizations: Defense Department, DoD, Service, Pentagon, of Defense, Air Force, Barksdale Air Force Base, Defense for Force Development, Center for Strategic, International Studies, AI, Technologies, Strategic, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Tyndall Air Force Base, United Nations, New York Times, UN, The Times Locations: China, La, Ukraine, Fla, United, Russia, Australia, Israel, Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister will visit Pakistan next week, the two countries said Monday, following unprecedented attacks on either side of the border last week that appeared to target Baluch militant groups with similar separatist goals. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said that Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian spoke to Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani to defuse the flare-up. Pakistan said in a statement Amirabdollahian that would visit the country on Jan. 29. The statement also said that the two foreign ministers agreed that the ambassadors from both countries could return to their posts by Jan. 26. Pakistan recalled its ambassador amid the brief crisis and stopped Iran’s envoy from returning to his post.

Persons: —, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Jan Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Iran, Iran's

☆ War Has Already Hurt the Economies of Israel’s Nearest Neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Patricia Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In the Red Sea, attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants on commercial ships continue to disrupt a crucial trade route and raise shipping costs. Despite the staggering death toll and wrenching misery of the violence in the Middle East, the broader economic impact so far has been mostly contained. Oil production and prices, a critical driver of worldwide economic activity and inflation, have returned to pre-crisis levels. International tourists are still flying into other countries in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Yet for Israel’s next-door neighbors — Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan — the economic damage is already severe.

Persons: Israel’s, Jordan Organizations: Pakistan ratchets, United Arab Locations: Iranian, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, East, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt

☆ U.S. Troops Are Injured in Attack on Air Base in Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Eric Schmitt | Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Israel and Iran have been locked in a shadow war for years, long before the latest war in Gaza began. They have traded covert attacks by land, sea and air, as well as online. Israel has conducted targeted killings of key Iranian figures and strikes aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities. Syria is a close ally of Iran and a conduit for Iranian weapons shipments to its proxies, especially Hezbollah. Iran and Pakistan Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza Clashes along Israel-Lebanon border Qatar Iranian strike targeting militants Saudi Arabia U.A.E.

Persons: Israel, Ebrahim Raisi, Israel —, SANA, Hojatallah Omidvar, Haj Sadegh Omidzade, General Omidvar, Sayyed Razi Mousavi, Ronen Bergman, Victoria Kim Organizations: Guards, Quds Force, Islamic, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards, Human Rights, SYria AFghanistan IRAQ Israel Iran Clashes, West Bank, Qatar, Qatar INdia Saudi Arabia U.A.E, Red Sea, TURKEY U.S, EGYPT Qatar Saudi Arabia U.A.E, SYria IRAQ Iran Israel Clashes, West Bank KUWAIT PAK, Qatar Iranian, Saudi Arabia U.A.E, Quds Forces, Brig, Senior Locations: Iran, Damascus, Israel, Gaza, Syria, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Gaza . Israel, Syrian, Britain, East TURKMENISTAN Syria, Iraq TURKEY Iran, SYria AFghanistan IRAQ Israel Iran, West, Gaza PAKISTAN KUWAIT Iran, Pakistan EGYPT, Qatar INdia Saudi Arabia, OMAN Red, YEMEN Sudan, Red, Red Sea U.S, Iraq TURKMENISTAN Iran, TURKEY, Gaza Iran, Pakistan KUWAIT PAKISTAN, EGYPT Qatar Saudi Arabia, Sudan YEMEN U.S, SYria IRAQ Iran Israel, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, OMAN, YEMEN, Iranian, Gen, Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq, Israeli, United States

☆ Iranian and Hezbollah commanders help direct Houthi attacks in Yemen, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Luke Dray | Getty ImagesCommanders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah group are on the ground in Yemen helping to direct and oversee Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, four regional and two Iranian sources told Reuters. In his weekly news conferences, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has repeatedly denied Tehran is involved in the Red Sea attacks by the Houthis. Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam denied any Iranian or Hezbollah involvement in helping to direct the Red Sea attacks. The person said Iranian commanders had travelled to Yemen as well and set up a command centre in the capital Sanaa for the Red Sea attacks which is being run by the senior IRGC commander responsible for Yemen. Mohammed Hamoud | Getty ImagesAccording to two former Yemeni army sources, there is a clear presence of IRGC and Hezbollah members in Yemen.

Persons: Luke Dray, Washington, Nasser Kanaani, Houthi, Mohammed Abdulsalam, Saleh al, Samad, Mohammed Hamoud, Abdulaziz al, Sager, Adrienne Watson, Abdulghani, Abdulsalam, Bashar al, Assad, Ali Khamenei Organizations: Getty, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hezbollah, Reuters, Hamas, Foreign, Guards, Gulf Research, White House, U.S, Sana'a Center, Strategic Studies, Iranian Guards Locations: Djibouti, Yemen, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Tehran, Sana'a, Saudi, Asia, Europe, Gaza ., Lebanese, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Bab, Sanaa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Washington, Gulf, Islam

Iran vowed to retaliate, raising fears of even deeper regional turmoil rippling out from the war in Gaza. It was the latest of roughly 140 such rocket and missile strikes against U.S. troops based in Iraq and Syria over the past several months. Across the region, a dizzying array of strikes and counterstrikes risk spinning the conflict into a wider war. In the last week alone, the list of attacks and reprisals has been long and daunting: Iran fired missiles toward Iraq, Syria and Pakistan; Pakistan responded by striking Iranian territory. Turkey hit Kurdish targets in northern Iraq and Syria; Hamas fired rockets toward Israel; Israel continued to pound southern Gaza and struck southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah militants have fired rockets toward Israel in recent months.

Persons: Israel Organizations: U.S Locations: Iran, Israel, Damascus, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Yemen, Aden, United

☆ Ayodhya’s Muslims confront grief and anxiety as Ram Temple inauguration nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Aishwarya Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But like many of the town’s 500,000 Muslims, 65-year-old Maulana Badshah Khan says he’ll be staying at home. And tens of thousands of pious Hindus are thronging to the small town to place flowers and gifts inside the temple. “They will call for Muslims to be expelled from Ayodhya or demand a Hindu Rashtra (nation),” he said. Mahboob, one of the petitioners who fought for the Babri mosque in the Supreme Court, said for most Muslims of Ayodhya, its construction does not hold emotional sway. Muslims pray for peace ahead of verdict on a disputed religious site in Ayodhya, inside a mosque premises in Ahmedabad, India, November 8, 2019.

Persons: Saffron, Narendra Modi, Maulana Badshah Khan, he’ll, Modi, Khan, ”, Azam Qadri, Douglas E, Curran, Haji Mahboob, Mahboob, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, Nalin Kohli, Modi’s, Amit Dave, Babri, Arafat Shaikh –, BJP –, Shaikh, Gharib Nawaz, Vinod Bansal, Mahant Jairam Das, Hassan Ali Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Indian, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Getty, he’s, CNN, Ram, Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Locations: New Delhi, Ayodhya, New India, India, Babri, Ahmedabad, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan

In the 1960s, immigration laws were reformed again, ushering in waves of immigration from Asia because the U.S. needed people to work at unfilled jobs. So, how do other countries, including Canada and Germany, respond to migrants crossing their borders without a visa or proper documentation? Germany, for example, has been wrestling with increases in undocumented immigration. Italy, which is also battling a huge influx of undocumented migrants from North Africa, recently doubled the amount of time that it can detain undocumented migrants, rising from three months to at least six months. They also direct the European Union to give money to countries that allow more asylum seekers to stay in those countries.

Persons: Tara Sonenshine, Olaf Scholz, Sebastien St, Jean, Eric Adams, Adams, Edward R, Murrow Organizations: Underwood, Underwood Archives Immigrants, Union, European Union, Getty, New, Diplomacy, Tufts University Locations: United States, Mexico, U.S, Ellis, Europe, Asia, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, Italy, North Africa, Albania, Greece, Syria, Pakistan, Quebec, New York, Chicago

☆ Exclusive-Iranian and Hezbollah Commanders Help Direct Houthi Attacks in Yemen, Sources Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

By Samia Nakhoul and Parisa HafeziDUBAI (Reuters) - Commanders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon's Hezbollah group are on the ground in Yemen helping to direct and oversee Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, four regional and two Iranian sources told Reuters. In his weekly news conferences, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has repeatedly denied Tehran is involved in the Red Sea attacks by the Houthis. Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam denied any Iranian or Hezbollah involvement in helping to direct the Red Sea attacks. The person said Iranian commanders had travelled to Yemen as well and set up a command centre in the capital Sanaa for the Red Sea attacks which is being run by the senior IRGC commander responsible for Yemen. According to two former Yemeni army sources, there is a clear presence of IRGC and Hezbollah members in Yemen.

Persons: Samia Nakhoul, Washington, Nasser Kanaani, Houthi, Mohammed Abdulsalam, Abdulaziz al, Sager, Adrienne Watson, Abdulghani, Abdulsalam, Bashar al, Assad, Ali Khamenei, Iryani, Mohammad Ghobari, Angus McDowall, David Clarke Organizations: Reuters, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hezbollah, Hamas, Foreign, Guards, Gulf Research, White House, Sana'a Center, Strategic Studies, Iranian Guards Locations: Parisa, DUBAI, Yemen, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Tehran, Saudi, Asia, Europe, Gaza ., Lebanese, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Bab, Sana'a, Sanaa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Washington, Gulf, Islam, Lebanon, Aden

When Iran and Pakistan traded airstrikes this week, both targeting what they said were militant camps, the exchange raised fears that the upheaval sweeping the Middle East was moving into new territory. To Pakistan, which was hit first, it was important to send a clear message that violations of its sovereignty would not be tolerated. Pakistan signaled that it was seeking de-escalation by calling the two nations “brotherly countries” and urging dialogue and cooperation, language that Iran echoed in a statement of its own on Friday. Pakistan’s appeal, analysts said, underlined a plain fact: It could hardly be in a worse position to fight a war. And already at odds with its archrival India, it has seen a souring of its once-friendly relations with the Taliban government in neighboring Afghanistan.

Organizations: archrival Locations: Iran, Pakistan, archrival India, Afghanistan

☆ Oil prices drift lower on China demand worries
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An oil pumpjack stands idle near homes on February 09, 2023 in Long Beach, California. Oil prices drifted lower on Friday after a rally the day before, as geopolitical tensions and disruptions in U.S. oil production from a cold blast were countered by concerns over slow demand growth in China. Both benchmarks, which gained about 2% on Thursday as the International Energy Agency, or IEA, joined producer group OPEC in forecasting strong growth in global oil demand, are on track to end the week around 1-2% higher. There are also worries that the U.S.-China conflict could attract attention again as the U.S. election approaches, which would be negative for energy demand, he said. On Thursday, the IEA again raised its 2024 global oil demand growth forecast, though its projection remains lower than OPEC's expectations, and said the market looked well supplied because of strong growth outside the producer group.

Persons: Hiroyuki Kikukawa Organizations: Brent, U.S . West Texas, International Energy Agency, NS, Nissan Securities, U.S ., U.S . Energy Information Administration Locations: Long Beach , California, China, U.S, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Mandab, North Dakota

South Africa’s genocide case has put the spotlight on a deeper fault line in global geopolitics. Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty ImagesReactions from the Global North to the ICJ case have been mixed. “This war is a war that is not only between Israel and Hamas,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told MSNBC in December. “It’s a war that is intended – really, truly – to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization.”So far, no Western countries have supported South Africa’s case against Israel. Traditionally, the West has wielded significant influence in international affairs, but South Africa’s move signals a growing assertiveness among Global South nations that threatens the status quo, says Adekoya.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, ”, Nesrine Malik, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Jaafar Ashtiyeh, Biden, ” Remi Adekoya, Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, ” Hugh Lovatt, Garry Andrew Lotulung, ” Lovatt, Lovatt, Israel –, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Alaister Russell, Isaac Herzog, Hage Geingob, Berlin’s, Namibians, ” Adekoya Organizations: CNN, Israel, International Court of Justice, Guardian, Hamas, West Bank, Getty, US, UN, University of York, Palestine Liberation Organization, North Africa, European Council, Foreign Relations, Global, Arab League, ICJ, West, ”, International, MSNBC, ZDF, Dhaka Tribune, Germany Locations: South Africa, Johannesburg, Israel, The Hague, Gaza, South, Africa, Sudanese, United States, Europe, Ramallah, West, AFP, England, PLO, East, Indonesian, Jakarta, Indonesia, Anadolu, China, Soviet, Ekurhuleni, Germany, German, Germany’s, Namibia, Namibian, Bangladesh, Pakistan

☆ Pakistan's Civil, Military Leaders to Review Iran Standoff -Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Asif ShahzadISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's top civilian and military leaders will carry out a security review on Friday regarding the standoff with neighbouring Iran, the information minister said, following their strikes on each other with drones and missiles. Pakistan's Thursday strikes on separatist militants inside Iran were a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran said it struck the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar will chair a meeting of the National Security Committee at which the review is to be done, with all the services chiefs in attendance. It aims at a "broad national security review in the aftermath of the Iran-Pakistan incidents," the minister, Murtaza Solangi, told Reuters by telephone. (Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Anwaar ul Haq, Murtaza Solangi, Sudipto Ganguly, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Caretaker, National Security, Reuters Locations: Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD, Iran, Tehran, Pakistan, Israel

☆ Inflation isn’t beaten yet and risks of a new price shock are rising
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The job is not yet done,” François Villeroy de Galhau, the governor of France’s central bank, said this week in Davos. Those “upside risks to inflation” include supply chain fragmentation, trade protectionism, climate shocks and armed conflicts, according to Gopinath. As soon as central banks start lowering interest rates “people feel better, they start spending more,” she said. Now the bank has to keep interest rates high “for as long as necessary” to put inflation firmly on the path back to 2%, she added. Meanwhile, container shipping costs along many of the world’s busiest trade routes have doubled — and in some cases tripled — since the middle of December, according to data from London-based shipping consultancy Drewry.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, ”, “ It’s, Galhau, Gita Gopinath, Francois Villeroy de, Stefan Wermuth, Gopinath, Mary Callahan Erdoes, Christine Lagarde, “, Joe Biden, Vincent Clerc, CNN’s Richard Quest, Tobias Meyer, ” Robert North Organizations: London CNN, UBS, Economic, Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund, Bloomberg, Getty, JPMorgan, Central Bank, IMF, Oxford University, Drewry, Oxford Economics, Maersk, DHL Locations: Iran, Africa, Davos, Switzerland, Red, United States, Europe, United Kingdom, France’s, Israel, Pakistan, British, Yemen, Suez, London, Asia

☆ Red Sea crisis: Why escalating violence in the Middle East isn’t pushing up gas prices
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The prices of a barrel of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, and West Texas Intermediate, the US oil benchmark, have barely moved. Now, however, analysts say economic factors — weaker demand in countries such as China and Germany, ample oil and gas supply — are superseding concerns about violence in the Middle East. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesGlobal oil demand growth is expected to almost halve this year, the International Energy Agency said in a report Thursday. At the same time, global oil supply is forecast to hit an all-time high, driven by record output from countries including the United States and Canada, the IEA said. Nan said relatively modest demand was also helping to prevent spikes in gas prices.

Persons: Brent, “, Homayoun, “ It’s, ”, Hope, Al Drago, That’s, Falakshahi, Xi Nan, Kpler, Wood Mackenzie, Nan Organizations: London CNN, Hamas, West Texas Intermediate, AAA, CNN, National Bureau of Statistics, Bloomberg, Getty, International Energy Agency, Organization of, Petroleum, Rystad Energy, Gas Infrastructure, LNG “ Locations: Red, Iran, Pakistan, Gaza, Ukraine, China, Germany, South Africa, Washington , DC, United States, Canada, Russia, OPEC, Europe, wean, Gas Infrastructure Europe, Africa, Qatar, United Kingdom

ISLAMABAD (AP) — This week's airstrikes between Iran and Pakistan that killed at least 11 people marks a significant escalation in fraught relations between the neighbors. Pakistan said its strikes in Iran on Thursday were aimed at hideouts of the Baluchistan Liberation Army and the Baluchistan Liberation Front. The drill will include live fire from aircraft, drones and air defense systems. Separately, Iran relies on radar and air defense systems in the case of potential strikes by its main enemy, the United States. However, the airstrikes could backfire on Pakistan because the Baluch Liberation Army said it will avenge the killings and wage war on the state.

Persons: Iran's, ”, Abdullah Khan Organizations: Adl, Baluch Liberation Army, Baluchistan Liberation Army, Pakistan Institute for Conflict, Security Studies Locations: ISLAMABAD, Iran, Pakistan, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Delhi, Tehran, Islamabad, Chabahar, Iraq, India, United States, IRAN, PAKISTAN, Israel, U.S

Thursday's attack followed one by Iran inside Pakistan on Tuesday. The strikes imperiled diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Tehran, as Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks. Iran has seen growing pressure for action after the Islamic State group attack, Israel's war on Hamas and wider unrest against its theocracy. Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border in which smugglers and militants freely cross. For both Iran and Pakistan, the cross-border attacks renew questions about their own military preparedness, particularly their radar and air defense systems.

Persons: ”, Ali Reza Marhamati, Pakistan's, “, Jundallah, Jaish, Abdullah Khan, ” There's, Mao Ning, ___ Gambrell, Riazat Butt, Nasser Karimi, Liu Zheng Organizations: Hamas, Islamic, Ministry, Baluch Liberation Army, Baluch, Adl, Islamic State, Pakistan Institute for Conflict, Security Studies, Baloch, Foreign Ministry, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Iran, Pakistan, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Islamic State, Islamabad, Tehran, Iran’s Sistan, Baluchestan, Saravan, Baluchistan, United States, Israel, Pakistan’s Baluchistan, Sistan, Chabahar, Afghanistan, India, U.S, French, China, Beijing, Pakistan's Baluchistan, Jerusalem

☆ Pakistan launches strikes inside Iran against militant targets
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pakistan said on January 18 it had carried out strikes against militant targets in Iran, after Tehran launched attacks on Pakistani territory earlier this week. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)Pakistan conducted strikes inside Iran on Thursday, targeting separatist militants, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, two days after Tehran said it attacked Israel-linked militant bases inside Pakistani territory. "Our forces have conducted strikes to target Baloch militants inside Iran," the intelligence official in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, said. Iran said on Tuesday it had targeted Israel-linked militant bases inside Pakistan. Pakistan and Iran have in the past had rocky relations, but the strikes are the highest-profile cross-border intrusion in recent years.

Persons: Aamir QURESHI, AAMIR QURESHI, hideouts Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AFP, Getty Images, Reuters, Pakistan's, Wednesday Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Israel, Sistan, Baluchistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Balochistan, Pakistan's Balochistan

☆ Tensions With Iran Add to Pakistan's Economic Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Pakistan conducted strikes inside Iran, targeting separatist Baloch militants two days after Tehran said it had attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. It is undergoing a tough $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme that pulled it from the brink of default last summer. Pakistan's international bonds fell after its foreign ministry said it conducted strikes inside Iran on Thursday, two days after Tehran attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory. Earlier in the day, Pakistan's benchmark share index fell 1.6% after Pakistan said it conducted strikes inside Iran, before recovering some ground. Pakistan's economic ties with Iran, while not huge, are important for Islamabad as it struggles to supply its western- most regions in Balochistan with critical commodities, including fuel and electricity.

Persons: Aneel Salman, Salman, Pakistan's, Hasnain Malik, Ariba Shahid, Karin Strohecker, Amanda Cooper, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Baloch, Monetary Fund, Liquified Petroleum Gas, Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Pipeline Locations: KARACHI, LONDON, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Tradeweb, Islamabad, Balochistan, Afghanistan, Russia, India, Karachi, London

☆ Israel-Hamas War Fighting Eases in Northern Gaza, Giving Residents Some Relief
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Adam Rasgon | Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Pakistani Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the country’s forces had conducted “precision military strikes” against what it called terrorist hide-outs in southeastern Iran. Iranian officials said that nine people had been killed, including four children, and Pakistani officials said the death toll of the Iranian strikes included at least two children. The official said that air force fighter jets and drones had been used in the Pakistani retaliatory strikes. In a statement, the Pakistani military called the two neighbors “brotherly countries” and said that “dialogue and cooperation is deemed prudent in resolving bilateral issues” between them. Pakistani military analysts were hopeful that this could pave the way for diplomatic dialogue between the two nations.

Persons: Islamic Republic “, ”, Ahmad Vahidi, Sohail Shahzad, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Syed Muhammad Ali, Waqar Hasan, Arash Khamooshi, Baluch, al, Vivian Nereim Organizations: Pakistani Foreign Affairs Ministry, Iran Exchange, Foreign Ministry, Islamic, Islamabad ”, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Credit, Pakistan, The New York Times Pakistan, Guards Locations: Pakistan, Iran, Baluch, Iraq, Islamic Republic, Saravan, Tehran, Islamabad, Rask, Israel, Gaza, Balochistan Province, Yemen, Suez, United States, Pakistani, “ Pakistan, Baluchistan Province, Sistan, Persian, Oman, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan and Iran have both conducted strikes on each other’s territories in an unprecedented escalation of hostilities between the neighbors, at a time when tensions have risen sharply across the Middle East and beyond. Iran claimed it had “only targeted Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan” and that no Pakistani nationals were targeted. In 2015, the group claimed responsibility for an attack that killed eight Iranian border guards, with militants reportedly crossing into Iran from Pakistan. Iran’s strikes on Tuesday sparked a diplomatic spat, with Pakistan recalling its ambassador from Iran and suspending all high-level visits from its neighbor. And after Pakistan’s strikes, Iran on Thursday demanded “an immediate explanation” from its neighbor, Tasmin reported.

Persons: Islam –, hideouts, Jaish al, ”, Karim Sadjadpour, Wesley Clark, “, Jaish, CNN What’s, Tasmin, Matt Miller, Washington, “ We’ve, –, Miller, ” Pakistan’s Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Adl, Justice, Iran’s, Carnegie Endowment, International, US Army, CNN, Hamas, US, National Counterterrorism Center, US State Department, US State, Pakistan – Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Iran, Balochistan, Sistan, Baluchestan, restive Baloch, Gaza, Here’s, Pakistan’s Balochistan, Iran’s, Iran’s Sistan, Baluchestan province, Islam, ”, United States, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Red, NATO, Afghanistan, Tehran, Pakistan’s, Iranian, India, ” China

When Iran launched a barrage of airstrikes this week into Iraq, Syria and Pakistan, it was not just showing off the reach and sophistication of some of its newest missiles but also staking a claim: This is a new era in which Iran can flex its muscles at will and, as an added benefit, bolster its credentials as an important arms supplier. In at least one of the attacks — a strike that Tehran claimed targeted the Islamic State terrorist group in Idlib, Syria — Iran appeared to make use of one of its longest-range and most advanced missiles, the Kheibar Shekan. Both the range and the apparent accuracy seized the attention of national security officials in Europe and Israel, as well as outside experts who track Iran’s technological advances. The combination of its newest missiles and its fleet of drones, which Russia has been purchasing by the thousands for use in Ukraine, has helped Iran become the producer of some of the most sophisticated weaponry in the Middle East. And Tehran’s willingness to intervene — as a supplier to its proxy forces in the region and to Moscow — may well complicate American calculations as the Pentagon considers the question looming over the widening Middle East conflict: Could it lead to a direct conflict with Iran?

Persons: — Organizations: Islamic State, Pentagon Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Tehran, Idlib, Europe, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Factbox-Who Are the Separatists Targeted by Pakistan's Strikes in Iran?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some facts on the group Pakistan targeted and the restive province at the heart of the tension. WHICH GROUP DID PAKISTAN TARGET IN IRAN? The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), which an intelligence official called the target of Pakistan's strikes in Iran, seeks independence for Pakistan's western province of Balochistan. They also attack Chinese projects, and occasionally kill Chinese workers despite Pakistan's assurances that it is doing all it can to protect the Chinese projects. It borders Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province where Pakistan carried out its strikes.

Persons: Xi, Charlotte Greenfield, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Ethnic Baloch, China Pakistan Economic, Barrick Gold, Barrick Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Iran, Balochistan, restive, PAKISTAN, IRAN, Baloch, Balochistan province, Afghanistan, Iran's Sistan, Baluchestan, Islamabad, China Pakistan, China, Gwadar, province's, Chagai

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan has carried out a series of military strikes on what it said were separatist militant hideouts inside Iran, its foreign ministry said Thursday, in the latest incident across their shared border that has sent tensions between the two neighbors soaring. “At 4:30 a.m. explosions were heard in a border village, several missiles were fired at the village,” Marhamati said. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said. But the deadly attack inside Pakistani territory seriously damaged relations between the two countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani told his Iranian counterpart. And Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria have launched dozens of attacks aimed at US military positions in those countries.

Persons: Alireza Marhamati, ” Marhamati, IRNA, ”, Iran ”, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Jilani, Qasem Soleimani, Houthi, Amir Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, “, Pakistan Pakistan’s, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Iranian, Pakistani, Adl, Justice, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Quds Force, ISIS, CNN, Economic, Davos Wednesday Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan CNN — Pakistan, Iran, Iran’s, Sistan, Baluchistan, Saravan, restive Baloch, Gaza . Pakistan, ”, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan’s, Balochistan, Iranian, “ Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tehran, Jaish, Erbil, Iraq, Syria, Kerman, Red, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Davos

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