Daily brief
The United States has temporarily lifted some oil sanctions on Iran, allowing crude exports again, after Vice President JD Vance said Iran agreed to international nuclear inspections. Iran denied the agreement, but the US proceeded with the waiver, causing global oil prices to drop. Vance also suggested the US might unfreeze some Iranian assets for American purchases.
Meta has appointed Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech CRED, as the new global head of WhatsApp, as part of a $900 million investment in CRED.
China has announced sanctions on 10 US companies, including rare earth and defense firms, in retaliation over a Pentagon blacklist, escalating trade tensions.
Chevron signed a 20-year power supply deal with Microsoft to provide electricity for a data center in West Texas, supporting Microsoft's AI operations.
European shares were muted as investors weighed US-Iran talks, while oil prices fell after the sanctions waiver and gold steadied amid early progress in peace talks.