MondFx News
UK consumer confidence, according to GfK, fell in February for the first time in three months to minus 19. Rising concerns about unemployment and cost of living pressures have made households less willing to make major purchases. Data show job insecurity, especially among young people, is increasing rapidly and nearly 1 million individuals aged 16 to 24 are out of work and education. Central bank policymakers, including Catherine Mann, are monitoring these developments when considering the timing of potential interest rate cuts.
Latest News
Ukraine’s chief negotiator said participants in the Geneva talks consulted with Volodymyr Zelensky about the course of discussions and that the main focus of these negotiations has been on the issue of Ukraine’s post war reconstruction. He stressed that under current conditions the priority for all sides is to make upcoming trilateral meetings as productive as possible so that final frameworks in the security and economic fields can be defined and stabilized.
The third round of Iran US negotiations was held in Oman. According to reports, the Americans entered with strict conditions and the Islamic Republic’s proposal is inconsistent with US demands. Reports say that today Oman’s foreign minister will meet with Vance in Washington. J.D. Vance said in an interview with The Washington Post that the United States will not enter a long term war with Iran. Meanwhile, the idea of a Trump strike on Iran without congressional authorization has been raised and has faced criticism from Democrats. Oil, which had risen last night on disappointment over the talks, fell again after a tweet by Oman’s foreign minister signaled progress in negotiations.
Donald Trump claimed in his speech that Iran is reviving its nuclear program alongside negotiations with Washington and warned that if talks fail, the option of military action will be considered. Iranian officials rejected the claim, and Abbas Araghchi stressed that Iran’s nuclear program is purely peaceful and that Tehran will never seek nuclear weapons. At the same time as the negotiations, the United States has increased its military presence in the Middle East. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have not been able to verify the status of Iran’s near weapons grade uranium stockpiles for more than eight months. The uncertainty surrounding the true state of Iran’s nuclear activities and the continuation of negotiations has preserved an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty.
Donald Trump, in a post on his social network, denied reports claiming that General Daniel Caine, known as Razin, opposed war with Iran, calling them 100% false. He said that Caine, like everyone else, does not prefer war, but if ordered, believes the conflict would be easy to win. Referring to Caine’s role in operations against Iran’s nuclear program, Trump described him as a great fighter. The US president concluded by warning that he prefers an agreement with Iran over war, but if no agreement is reached, it will be a very bad day for Iran.
Based on rumors and reports from Axios, talks between the United States and Iran are expected to take place on Friday, with Iran set to submit its nuclear proposal. These discussions are occurring as Trump has set a 10 to 15 day deadline to reach an agreement, and his military deployments in the Middle East have been completed.
Following geo negotiations that reportedly made little progress, it seems Trump's patience has run out and a 10 to 15-day deadline has been set for an agreement with Iran. Meanwhile, in response to reports of the US considering a limited strike, the Islamic Republic warned that in case of military aggression, it will deliver a "decisive response". Iran stated that it does not seek war, but considers all enemy bases and facilities in the region as legitimate targets. These tensions have raised concerns in global markets, particularly oil, with Brent crude surpassing $70.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, said that the results of the latest round of talks with Russia are still insufficient. He said the discussions on military issues were “important and substantive,” but political matters require further work. Zelensky also called for the next round of talks to be held in February to achieve more progress.
Karine, the White House spokesperson, stated that only limited progress was made in the US-Iran negotiations. Axios also reported that the geo negotiations were hollow, and Trump moved closer to war; oil prices rose nearly 5 percent following the Axios report. She added that significant progress was made in yesterday’s Ukraine talks, and the next round of talks will be held in the future.
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva ended with what was described as good progress, and the two sides agreed on a set of guiding principles to continue negotiations and exchange draft proposals. Abbas Araghchi said the path of the talks is positive, but a quick agreement is unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump called for an immediate deal and warned that tougher options would be considered if diplomacy fails. The main disagreements still revolve around the nuclear program, sanctions, and missile and regional issues.
Zelensky said Trump is exerting disproportionate pressure on Ukraine to advance a peace agreement and is demanding more concessions from Kyiv than from Moscow. In an interview with Axios, Zelensky said that giving up additional territories, even if requested by Russia, would not be acceptable to Ukrainian public opinion. He emphasized that any plan involving withdrawal beyond the current lines would likely be rejected in a referendum. The Ukrainian president called for stabilizing the situation along the current contact lines, especially in the Donbas region.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator said participants in the Geneva talks consulted with Volodymyr Zelensky about the course of discussions and that the main focus of these negotiations has been on the issue of Ukraine’s post war reconstruction. He stressed that under current conditions the priority for all sides is to make upcoming trilateral meetings as productive as possible so that final frameworks in the security and economic fields can be defined and stabilized.
The third round of Iran US negotiations was held in Oman. According to reports, the Americans entered with strict conditions and the Islamic Republic’s proposal is inconsistent with US demands. Reports say that today Oman’s foreign minister will meet with Vance in Washington. J.D. Vance said in an interview with The Washington Post that the United States will not enter a long term war with Iran. Meanwhile, the idea of a Trump strike on Iran without congressional authorization has been raised and has faced criticism from Democrats. Oil, which had risen last night on disappointment over the talks, fell again after a tweet by Oman’s foreign minister signaled progress in negotiations.
Donald Trump claimed in his speech that Iran is reviving its nuclear program alongside negotiations with Washington and warned that if talks fail, the option of military action will be considered. Iranian officials rejected the claim, and Abbas Araghchi stressed that Iran’s nuclear program is purely peaceful and that Tehran will never seek nuclear weapons. At the same time as the negotiations, the United States has increased its military presence in the Middle East. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have not been able to verify the status of Iran’s near weapons grade uranium stockpiles for more than eight months. The uncertainty surrounding the true state of Iran’s nuclear activities and the continuation of negotiations has preserved an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty.
Donald Trump, in a post on his social network, denied reports claiming that General Daniel Caine, known as Razin, opposed war with Iran, calling them 100% false. He said that Caine, like everyone else, does not prefer war, but if ordered, believes the conflict would be easy to win. Referring to Caine’s role in operations against Iran’s nuclear program, Trump described him as a great fighter. The US president concluded by warning that he prefers an agreement with Iran over war, but if no agreement is reached, it will be a very bad day for Iran.
Based on rumors and reports from Axios, talks between the United States and Iran are expected to take place on Friday, with Iran set to submit its nuclear proposal. These discussions are occurring as Trump has set a 10 to 15 day deadline to reach an agreement, and his military deployments in the Middle East have been completed.
Following geo negotiations that reportedly made little progress, it seems Trump's patience has run out and a 10 to 15-day deadline has been set for an agreement with Iran. Meanwhile, in response to reports of the US considering a limited strike, the Islamic Republic warned that in case of military aggression, it will deliver a "decisive response". Iran stated that it does not seek war, but considers all enemy bases and facilities in the region as legitimate targets. These tensions have raised concerns in global markets, particularly oil, with Brent crude surpassing $70.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, said that the results of the latest round of talks with Russia are still insufficient. He said the discussions on military issues were “important and substantive,” but political matters require further work. Zelensky also called for the next round of talks to be held in February to achieve more progress.
Karine, the White House spokesperson, stated that only limited progress was made in the US-Iran negotiations. Axios also reported that the geo negotiations were hollow, and Trump moved closer to war; oil prices rose nearly 5 percent following the Axios report. She added that significant progress was made in yesterday’s Ukraine talks, and the next round of talks will be held in the future.
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva ended with what was described as good progress, and the two sides agreed on a set of guiding principles to continue negotiations and exchange draft proposals. Abbas Araghchi said the path of the talks is positive, but a quick agreement is unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump called for an immediate deal and warned that tougher options would be considered if diplomacy fails. The main disagreements still revolve around the nuclear program, sanctions, and missile and regional issues.
Zelensky said Trump is exerting disproportionate pressure on Ukraine to advance a peace agreement and is demanding more concessions from Kyiv than from Moscow. In an interview with Axios, Zelensky said that giving up additional territories, even if requested by Russia, would not be acceptable to Ukrainian public opinion. He emphasized that any plan involving withdrawal beyond the current lines would likely be rejected in a referendum. The Ukrainian president called for stabilizing the situation along the current contact lines, especially in the Donbas region.