Politics

Saudi warplanes attacked Iran’s embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday nigh, injuring a number of embassy staff, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry. Rudaw reports: “This deliberate and intentional act by the Saudi Arabian government is in violation of all international conventions and legal treaties regarding the protection and impunity of diplomatic compounds under all circumstances.” The spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Hossein Jaberi Ansari told Iran’s state television.

On Monday, we brought you “Saudi Default, Devaluation Odds Spike As Mid-East Careens Into Chaos,” in which we outlined the jump in riyal forwards and widening of CDS spreads that Riyadh witnessed in the aftermath of the kingdom’s move to cut diplomatic ties with Iran.

The UN have issued a statement saying that they “strongly condemn” the actions of North Korea’s hydrogen bomb test, and have threatened to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang.  The president of the security council, Elbio Rosselli, told reporters that the UN had “previously expressed their determination to take further significant measures in the event of another North Korea nuclear test“.

A former U.S. attorney has said that Hillary Clinton faces a very real possibility of a criminal indictment from the FBI in the next 2 months.  Joe DiGenova, a Republican U.S. attorney, said that Clinton’s biggest problem is the current FBI investigation into the contents of her private emails. He claims the investigation is about to explode wide open. Washingtonexaminer.com reports: “They have reached a critical mass in their investigation of the secretary and all of her senior staff,” DiGenova said Tuesday on the “Laura Ingraham Show” radio program.

Iran and India have made plans to ditch the petrodollar in favour of using rupees for future crude oil trades.  Indianexpress.com reports: Since 2013, Indian refiners have been depositing 45 per cent of their oil payments to Iran in rupees with UCO Bank and withholding the remainder after a payment route through Turkey’s Halkbank was stopped under US and European sanctions. The payment agreement needs amendment as tax exemption is contingent on the pact notified by the Centre in January 2012 which allows only 45 percent of oil payments in rupees.