Wall Street's main indexes opened subdued on Monday as investors awaited Iran's possible response to U.S. airstrikes on its nuclear facilities over the weekend, sparking fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 28.3 points, or 0.07%, at the open to 42178.55. The...
Iranian Retaliation Against US Forces Could Come Soon, Officials Say
WASHINGTON - The United States believes Iran could carry out retaliatory attacks targeting American forces in the Middle East soon, although the U.S. is still seeking a diplomatic resolution that would see Tehran forgo any attack, two U.S. officials said on Monday. One of the officials, who spoke to Reuters...
Advisory Warns of ‘Heightened Threat Environment’ in US After Iran Strikes
WASHINGTON -An advisory from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned on Sunday of a "heightened threat environment in the United States" following overnight U.S. military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. Rights advocates have already noted heightened Islamophobia and antisemitism in the U.S. since the start of U.S. ally Israel's...
Muslim Countries to Set up Contact Group to Seek Israel-Iran De-Escalation
ANKARA - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Sunday it would set up a ministerial contact group to establish regular contact with international and regional parties to support de-escalation efforts after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. In a joint declaration following a meeting of the 57-member...
Visalia Police Seek Public’s Help in Sexual Assault Investigation
Police in Visalia are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect believed to be connected to multiple sexual assaults reported early Saturday morning. Officers were dispatched around dawn to the area of Locust Street and Northwest 1st Avenue for a medical aid call requiring police assistance. They discovered a...
Despite Clashes With US Presidents, Israel’s Netanyahu Usually Gets His Way
JERUSALEM - A little over a month ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to have been shunted to the shadows by U.S. President Donald Trump, who hopscotched the Middle East without visiting Israel, traditionally Washington's closest regional ally. Worse still, from Netanyahu's perspective, Trump lifted sanctions on neighboring Syria -...
Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’
VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo on Sunday said the international community must strive to avoid war that risks opening an "irreparable abyss", and that diplomacy should take the place of conflict. U.S. forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites overnight, joining an Israeli assault in a major new escalation of...
Oil to Open Higher as US Strikes on Iran Boost Supply Risk Premium
LONDON - Oil is likely to rise by $3-5 per barrel when trading resumes on Sunday evening after the U.S. attacked Iran at the weekend, market analysts said, with gains expected to accelerate only if Iran retaliates hard and causes a major oil supply disruption. U.S. President Donald Trump said...
US Strikes Against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says
WASHINGTON - The U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites were not a preamble to regime change, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, adding that Washington sent private messages to Tehran encouraging negotiation. Officials kept operation "Midnight Hammer" highly secret, limiting knowledge of the mission to a small number...
US Bombing of Iran Started With a Fake-Out
WASHINGTON - As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any U.S. decision to strike Iran. But they were...