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‘Time for the grown-ups to pull back from the brink’
This is not the time for jubilation and celebration; this is the time for de-escalation. This is the time for the grown-ups at the UN Security Council or in Washington or elsewhere in Europe to really pull [the region] back from the brink.
Already, tens of thousands have been killed in Gaza and Lebanon and elsewhere, and we’re about to enter into a larger regional war with the United States getting involved. This is a very, very dangerous situation.
The idea of Iran and Israel going after each other under the auspices of the United States will burn everyone in the Middle East and beyond.
Oil prices rise amid escalating tensions
Concerns about escalating attacks in the Middle East have pushed oil prices up.
The Reuters news agency reported that US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures rose by $1.05, or 1.48 percent, to $70.86 per barrel due to fears of potential supply disruption.
Israel could target Iranian oil facilities: Report
Israel plans a “significant retaliation” against Iran that could involve attacks on the country’s oil production facilities and other strategic infrastructure, according to online media outlet Axios.
Quoting unnamed Israeli officials, the Axios report said Israel could launch its attack “within days”, following Iran’s bombardment of Tel Aviv and other locations with almost 200 missiles on Tuesday night.
The officials told Axios that “all options will be on the table – including strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities” if Tehran launches another strike in response to the impending attack by Israel.
“We have a big question mark about how the Iranians are going to respond to an attack, but we take into consideration the possibility that they would go all in, which will be a whole different ball game,” the news site quoted one Israeli official as saying.
South Korean president expresses concern over energy supply due to Middle East crisis
Yoon Suk-yeol’s office said the South Korean president met with his national security and economic advisers over the Middle East crisis on Wednesday.
In the meeting he called for a swift but measured response to any effects the conflict might have on the country’s energy supply. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also ordered all of its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.
