According to the Associated Press, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid an historic visit to Cyprus on Thursday, declaring the two countries’ warming ties a “natural relationship” in contrast to the rapidly shifting alliances in this turbulent part of the world. Nicosia backed the Palestinians in their quest for an independent state and looked on warily as Israel built military and trade relations with regional powerhouse Turkey, which doesn’t recognize Cyprus as a sovereign state and has occupied its north since 1974. But Israel’s relations with Turkey have deteriorated dramatically, while Cyprus has been looking to cement ties with neighbors as a bulwark against Ankara’s growing regional influence. Also, Cyprus can’t rely as before on its top ally, Greece, which is grappling with crushing financial problems.
The Guardian published an article on the situation with oil prices after the recent developments in Iran.
According to the author, the price of a barrel of Brent crude was nudging $120 on Thursday, as the commodity markets tried to assess the implications of Iran's threat to cut off oil supplies to six European countries. Traders suspect that the Iranians are sabre-rattling, talking tough in an attempt to disguise the fact that the sanctions imposed by the United States in response to Iran's development of nuclear weapons capability are beginning to bite. Hence the relatively small price movements in the oil market since Tehran recalled its ambassadors from the six European countries to advise them of the proposed embargo. The author poses a question: “Are the markets right to be so sanguine?” In his opinion, with one important caveat, they probably are, as Iran is in quite a weak bargaining position.
According to the same news agency, Israeli officials have firmly denied claims that a plot to assassinate Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, in Singapore had been thwarted by local security agencies working on information from Mossad. Barak was in Singapore to visit the air show and meet officials. The claim followed three attacks and attempted attacks on Israeli targets this week, in Delhi, Tbilisi and Bangkok. Two of the suspects, both Iranian, are in Thai police custody. The devices used in Bangkok were similar to those deployed in Delhi and Tbilisi, Thai police said.
The Los Angeles Times published an article headlined ‘Iran nuclear claim met by skepticism’. It reads that Iran on Wednesday heralded what it called a pair of significant advances in its controversial nuclear research efforts, but Western observers generally downplayed the developments as more hype than substance. According to the author, the official focus on nuclear "achievements" was aimed at showing domestic and international audiences that Iran was capable of moving ahead on the nuclear front despite international sanctions based on allegations that it is seeking weapons capability. Iran's economy has been in a tailspin, with high inflation and a devalued currency, as the U.S. and other Western nations have tightened sanctions in connection with its nuclear program. The European Union has announced a cut-off in imports of Iranian oil as of July 1. There were conflicting reports from Iran on Wednesday about whether Tehran had pre-emptively decided to cut exports to six nations: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and the Netherlands.
