Qeshm strike reports reverse oil fall; US-Iran talks stall

Summary

Oil prices that had fallen on signs of renewed US-Iran dialogue reversed after reports of US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island, leaving the ceasefire talks in doubt.⁠123

US officials described the strikes as limited defensive measures rather than a resumption of war, saying they responded to Iranian surface-to-air missiles fired at US aircraft.⁠45

Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei called Washington's response not convincing, and Iran says it will not accept what it calls excessive US demands.⁠67

The New York Times reported that US Central Command has a plan to strike Iran as early as Wednesday, after the midterm elections, which leaves little time for negotiation.⁠8

In Africa, the Africa CDC counts 5,376 Ebola deaths since May, most of them in Congo.⁠9

In Ukraine, a Russian strike on a school serving as an aid distribution point in Zaporizhzhia killed 31 people, with at least 50 still missing.⁠10

Whether the planned US strikes go ahead will determine the course of talks with Iran and the conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.⁠811