Iran's foreign minister warned Wednesday its forces would respond immediately and forcefully to any U.S. military operation after President Donald Trump declared time was running out to avoid one, but did not rule out a new deal on Tehran's nuclear program.

The Islamic republic's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi warned its forces have their "fingers on the trigger" to "powerfully respond" to any U.S. strikes, but also used language strikingly similar to Trump's to describe a possible agreement to defuse the stand-off through a new nuclear deal.

Gold prices soared to a fresh record near $5,600 on Thursday, while oil rallied after Donald Trump ramped up geopolitical tensions with his threatened military strike on Iran.

The surge in safe-haven precious metals also saw silver hit another peak and has been helped by a softer dollar sparked by speculation that the U.S. president is happy to see the world's reserve currency weaken.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday warned Israel's enemies that they would pay a heavy price if they attacked, speaking at the funeral for the last hostage to be recovered from Gaza.

"We are determined to complete our missions: to disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza, and we will succeed. Let our enemies know that anyone who raises a hand against Israel will pay an exorbitant price," he told mourners attending the funeral of Ran Gvili, whose remains were returned to Israel this week.

Iraq's main candidate for the premiership, Nouri al-Maliki, on Wednesday denounced Washington's "blatant interference", after President Donald Trump warned that he would end all support to the country if Maliki took the post.

"We categorically reject the blatant American interference in Iraq's internal affairs," Maliki said on X, adding that "we consider it a violation" of Iraq's "democratic system" after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa will meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, as the Kremlin seeks to secure the future of its military bases in the country.

Putin and Sharaa struck a conciliatory tone at their previous meeting in October, their first since Sharaa's rebel forces toppled Moscow-ally Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

There can be no negotiations between Washington and Tehran if the United States makes threats against the Islamic republic, the Iranian foreign minister said Wednesday, with President Donald Trump refusing to rule out military action over Iran's crackdown on protesters.

"Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful. If they want negotiations to take shape, they must certainly set aside threats, excessive demands and raising illogical issues," said Abbas Araghchi after the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier in the region.

The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to terminate a mission that tried to enforce a ceasefire in war-torn Yemen's port city of Hodeida.

"Houthi obstructionism has left the mission without a purpose, and it has to close," said Tammy Bruce of the US delegation, one of 13 on the 15 member council to support ending the mission's mandate.

Russian strikes across Ukraine killed three people and wounded several more, authorities said on Wednesday.

The fresh strikes came hours after Russian attacks on Tuesday night had killed at least 12 people across Ukraine, including five passengers in a train targeted by a drone attack, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Europe must step up efforts on defense and play a bigger role in NATO as U.S. President Donald Trump has "shaken the transatlantic relationship to its foundation", EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Wednesday.

"Let me be clear: we want strong transatlantic ties. The US will remain Europe's partner and ally. But Europe needs to adapt to the new realities. Europe is no longer Washington's primary centre of gravity," Kallas told a defence conference in Brussels.

The dollar struggled to bounce back Wednesday following another selloff fuelled by Donald Trump's suggestion he was happy with the currency's recent decline, while tech firms helped most Asian equity markets extend their rally.

Traders are also keeping an eye on the Federal Reserve's latest meeting, hoping for some guidance on its plans for interest rates amid uncertainty over the US president's policies following his latest tariff threats.