IMF chief warns of broader risks from US strikes on Iran, after oil hits five-month high – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

The US dollar has risen, a little, against a basket of currencies today as investors seek out safe haven assets.

The dollar index has gained 0.3% this morning, while the pound has slipped by 0.1% to $1.3433.

“The currency markets will be at the mercy of comments and actions from the Iranian, Israeli and U.S. governments.

The risks are clearly skewed to further upside in the safe haven currencies if the parties escalate the conflict.”

“We are looking at this as another source of uncertainty in what has been a highly uncertain environment.”

“There could be secondary and tertiary impacts. Let’s say there is more turbulence that goes into hitting growth prospects in large economies — then you have a trigger impact of downward revisions in prospects for global growth.”

“Let’s see how events will develop.

I pray no.”

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Western leaders call for diplomacy, but they won’t stop this war – they refuse to even name its cause | Nesrine Malik

The political centre sees the US and Israel’s war on Iran as a crisis to be managed, while the gap between their detached rhetoric and bloody reality widens

Since the war on Gaza started, the defining dynamic has been of unprecedented anger, panic and alarm from the public, swirling around an eerily placid political centre. The feeble response from mainstream liberal parties is entirely dissonant with the gravity of the moment. As the US joins Israel in attacking Iran , and the Middle East heads toward a calamitous unravelling, their inertness is more disorienting than ever. They are passengers in Israel’s war, either resigned to the consequences or fundamentally unwilling to even question its wisdom. As reality screams at politicians across the west, they shuffle papers and reheat old rhetoric, all while deferring to an Israel and a White House that have long taken leave of their senses.

At a time of extreme geopolitical risk the centre presents itself as the wise party in the fracas, making appeals for cool heads and diplomacy, but is entirely incapable of addressing or challenging the root cause. Some are afraid to even name it. Israel has disappeared from the account, leaving only a regrettable crisis and a menacing Iran. The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, has called for de-escalation . But he referred to the very escalation he wishes to avoid – the US’s involvement – as an alleviation of the “grave threat” posed by Iran, all the while building up UK forces in the Middle East.

Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist

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US men overcome goalkeeping gaffe to top Haiti 2-1 and win Gold Cup group

  • Patrick Agyemang scored the winning goal in the 75th

  • US to play Mexico or Costa Rica in quarter-finals

Patrick Agyemang scored a tiebreaking goal in the 75th minute, and the United States overcame Matt Freese’s goalkeeping gaffe to beat Haiti 2-1 on Sunday night and win their Concacaf Gold Cup group with a 3-0 record.

Malik Tillman put the US ahead in the 10th minute with his third goal of the tournament but Freese, who has displaced Matt Turner, highlighted the Americans’ goalkeeping issues a year ahead of the World Cup with a botched clearing attempt that led to Louicius Don Deedson’s 19th-minute goal.

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Manchester City v Al Ain: Club World Cup updates – live

Pep Guardiola said he wouldn’t be shy to ring the changes for Man City ahead of their second game of the Club World Cup, telling reporters he’ll bring in an even 10 new players to the team after the tournament-opening 2-0 win over Wydad:

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