Major news has surfaced regarding the United States and Iran. Iran's Foreign Minister indicated that a new round of negotiations between Iran and the US may commence on the 19th in Switzerland. In the markets, international crude oil experienced a sharp intraday decline. At the time of writing, WTI crude oil was down by more than 2%.
International gold and silver prices moved higher. At the time of writing, spot gold had risen over 0.6%, while spot silver had turned to a slight gain.
According to reports, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that the new round of talks with the United States could begin on the 19th in Switzerland, with the specific location yet to be determined.
Zarif outlined that Iran envisions the negotiations in two phases. The first phase would address ending hostilities, opening the Strait of Hormuz, unfreezing Iranian assets, and post-conflict reconstruction. Subsequently, talks would continue for 60 days to reach a final agreement, at which point issues such as Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions would be discussed.
Zarif also stated that ending the conflict in Lebanon is a fundamental requirement for any agreement between Iran and the United States.
In separate news, US President Donald Trump, while attending the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, stated on the 15th that he had spoken separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the previous day. He indicated that both leaders were willing to "take action" to resolve the Ukraine crisis, and that the US would subsequently shift its focus to the Russia-Ukraine issue.
Trump described his conversations with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders as "very good," expressing belief that progress could be made on resolving the Ukraine crisis, and that the leaders were "open to it." "Next, after current matters are handled, we will turn our attention to pushing for a resolution on the Russia-Ukraine issue," he said.
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