Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed his nation hours after Iran’s foreign minister said the country had ‘concluded’ its attacks on American forces. Also on Wednesday, a passenger jet crashed in the Iranian capital, killing everyone on board.
“What matters is that the presence of America,” in the region “should could come to an end, ”the ayatollah said.
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Oil prices jumped and markets slumped in Asia early on Wednesday, as investors tried to parse reports of missile attacks on military bases in Iraq where American troops are stationed.
Prices for Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, jumped above $ 82 a barrel in futures markets, a nearly 4 percent rise from Tuesday, before easing back. Prices were up 1.4 percent midday in Asia to $ 75 ***************************************************************************************** (a barrel.
West Texas Intermediate, the American oil price benchmark, jumped more than 3 percent to about $ 70 a barrel, then eased back. As of midday it was up 1.3 percent.
Stock markets also dropped sharply but clawed back some ground later in the day. Shares in Japan opened 2.4 percent lower but was down only 1.2 percent. Markets in Hong Kong, mainland China and South Korea were down less than 1 percent.
Futures contracts representing bets on the American stock market indicated a drop of less than 1 percent in New York’s morning.
Reporting was contributed by Russell Goldman , Farnaz Fassihi, Daniel Victor, Anton Troianovski, Andrew Kramer, Alissa J. Rubin, Eric Schmitt and Vivan Yee.
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