WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES - MARCH 20: United States President Donald Trump (R) speaks to the press before his departs the White House en route Miami, Florida on March 20, 2026, in Washington DC. Celal Gunes | Anadolu | Getty Images Nearly a month into the Iran war, the United States is preparing to send thousands of additional soldiers to the Middle East, expanding a military footprint that alr...
WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES - MARCH 20: United States President Donald Trump (R) speaks to the press before his departs the White House en route Miami, Florida on March 20, 2026, in Washington DC. Celal Gunes | Anadolu | Getty Images Nearly a month into the Iran war, the United States is preparing to send thousands of additional soldiers to the Middle East, expanding a military footprint that already has tens of thousands of American personnel in the region. But the buildup signals something other than preparation for a ground offensive, according to analysts who suggested it is an exercise in coercive diplomacy — designed to increase leverage as President Donald Trump turns up the pressure for Iran to come to the negotiating table. "President Trump is essentially saying either you — the Iranians — can cut a deal now or face potentially more intense consequences down the road," Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at RAND school of public policy, told CNBC via email. The military buildup gives the president optionality, not just to strike, but to bargain from strength, Cohen noted. Washington and Tehran have struggled to find a path to start negotiations over peace terms , with each side insisting it holds the upper hand in the conflict while portraying the other as the more desperate one. The U.S. has circulated a 15-point peace plan , demanding what would amount to a complete termination of Iran's nuclear program and sharp limits on the reach and size of its missile arsenal — similar to the ones touted in February, before negotiations fell through and led to a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran. The Iranian government, for its part, has declared it will not end the conflict unless Washington pays war reparations and recognizes Tehran's "exercise of sovereignty" over the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier on Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that no negotiations were taking place between Tehran and Washington. watch now VIDEO 8:56 08:56 Seeing no ...
The money-saving expert unpicks the upcoming financial changes. Plus: a grim look inside Britain’s steroid boom. Here’s what to watch this evening 9pm, ITV1 Martin Lewis has been dishing up savings tips for more than two decades, from energy prices to mortgages and student bank accounts. Tonight, with the new tax year just 10 days away, he walks us through the April price hikes, flags up the lates...
The money-saving expert unpicks the upcoming financial changes. Plus: a grim look inside Britain’s steroid boom. Here’s what to watch this evening 9pm, ITV1 Martin Lewis has been dishing up savings tips for more than two decades, from energy prices to mortgages and student bank accounts. Tonight, with the new tax year just 10 days away, he walks us through the April price hikes, flags up the latest deals in News You Can Use – and, presumably, addresses the expensive, war-shaped elephant in the room. Ali Catterall Continue reading...
See which stocks made the cut in the S&P 500's latest rebalancing and have now entered the index. This includes three AI names and two with backing from NVIDIA.
See which stocks made the cut in the S&P 500's latest rebalancing and have now entered the index. This includes three AI names and two with backing from NVIDIA.
An Iranian security worker monitors an area in phase 19 of the South Pars gas field in Assalooyeh, on Iran's Persian Gulf coast, on Aug. 23, 2016. Morteza Nikoubazl | Nurphoto | Getty Images Oil prices have been gripped by volatility since the U.S.-Iran war began nearly four weeks ago. But analysts say the market has now entered a state of "backwardation" that suggests a risk premium has been bake...
An Iranian security worker monitors an area in phase 19 of the South Pars gas field in Assalooyeh, on Iran's Persian Gulf coast, on Aug. 23, 2016. Morteza Nikoubazl | Nurphoto | Getty Images Oil prices have been gripped by volatility since the U.S.-Iran war began nearly four weeks ago. But analysts say the market has now entered a state of "backwardation" that suggests a risk premium has been baked into energy prices, despite traders anticipating a swift resolution to the conflict. As investors reacted to reports on Wednesday that the White House had sent Iran a 15-point peace plan intended to bring an end to the conflict, oil prices fell sharply . But mixed messages from Washington and Tehran on the state of peace negotiations, ongoing missile strikes in the Middle East and the continued backlog of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz ensured prices remain elevated. Front-month global benchmark Brent crude futures are still hovering around the $99-a-barrel mark, almost 36% higher than where they stood before the U.S. and Israel's first strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for April delivery were last seen trading around $87.76 — roughly 30% higher than before the war began. Across the futures curve, however, prices tell another story. The oil market is in backwardation: a phenomenon where futures contracts with immediate or near-term deliveries sell at a premium over later deliveries. "That backwardation — lower prices in the future compared to now — is indicating that the market thinks this current uplift in the oil price is transitory," Toni Meadows, head of investment at BRI Wealth Management, told CNBC on a video call. "So it's an event, rather than something that stays with us. Otherwise, you'd be paying more for future deliveries because of scarcity of supply. So, yes, there's an issue now due to the fighting, but the expectation is that there will be some resolution." Meadows said it was difficult to judge whether this was a...