Former US President Donald Trump has confirmed the deployment of a second carrier strike group (the USS Abraham Lincoln group) to the Middle East, which had been operating in the Caribbean. Trump stated that the dispatch of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier is necessary 'in case we don’t make a deal' with Iran, with the vessel expected to take at least a week to arrive in Mediterranean waters. Simultaneously, Trump hinted that another round of nuclear talks with Iran could be imminent, with reports of Oman-hosted talks scheduled for next week. Inside Iran, forty-day mourning ceremonies are ongoing for thousands killed during last month's sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests, with police and security services still firmly in control of the streets and the country. Analysts suggest this combination of military escalation and diplomatic negotiation creates market uncertainty, potentially increasing the geopolitical risk premium. These developments are expected to impact oil and currency markets, with heightened demand for safe-haven assets like gold (XAU/USD) amid anticipated volatility.
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