Author: France 24

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Natasha Lindstaedt, Author, Professor of Government at the University of Essex. The unfolding conflict reveals a profound shift in Gulf strategic thinking, Professor Lindstaedt argues, driven less by ideological ambition than by accumulated insecurity. What began as a strong preference for de-escalation has gradually given way to a more hard-edged assessment of regional realities. The persistence of attacks, particularly on critical infrastructure, has reinforced the perception that coexistence with a hardline Iranian regime may no longer be viable. 

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The EU and Australia have signed a sweeping free trade agreement that will eliminate tariffs on nearly all trade between them as global economies seek to hedge against chaotic US tariff policies. Also in this edition: crude oil prices rise again as traders remain sceptical of signals that Washington is trying to de-escalate its war with Iran.  

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Delano d’Souza is pleased to welcome Scott Lucas, journalist and Professor of American Studies and International Politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. Mr. Lucas warns there has been no breakthrough whatsoever in diplomacy. He describes this as strategic uncertainty dressed up in a narrative that does not exist. What appears outwardly as decisive action is, in practice, a reactive process shaped by market pressures, geopolitical signaling, and misread assumptions about regime fragility. The expectation that escalation will produce capitulation misunderstands both the resilience of the Iranian political system and the divergence of objectives between key actors, particularly the…

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Global crude oil prices fell about 10% and Wall Street stocks rallied after Donald Trump said he was holding off military strikes on Iran’s power plants following “constructive talks” with Tehran, despite Iran denying it was negotiating a deal. Meanwhile, France is looking at the possibility of increasing the country’s refining capacity to cushion the impact of higher petrol prices on consumers, but is stopping short of cutting fuel taxes. 

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