US President Joe Biden said he was discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities, in comments that sent oil prices spiking Thursday just a month before the US presidential election. Biden told reporters at the White House however that he was not expecting Israel to launch any retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel before Thursday at least.

When asked by a reporter if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, Biden said “we’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway.”

Oil prices jumped five percent over concerns about the Middle East after Biden spoke.

A rise in oil prices could be hugely damaging for Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat confronts Republican former president Donald Trump in a November 5 election where the cost of living is a major issue.

Biden said he did not expect any immediate action from Israel — even if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently paid little heed to calls for restraint as he targets the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

“First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today,” Biden told reporters when asked if he would allow Israel to retaliate against Iran.

Biden said on Wednesday that he would not back Israel attacking Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran launched around 200 rockets in a direct missile attack on Israel on Tuesday, prompting Netanyahu to warn that Tehran would pay.

Iran said it was in retaliation for the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been launching rockets at Israel since shortly after the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Iran’s Palestinian ally Hamas, and Israel’s crushing retaliatory offensive in Gaza.

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A family of four – a school teacher, his wife and two children – were shot dead on Thursday at their rented home in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi.

Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath, promising strict action against culprits, has asked his officers to be at the crime site. 

India has played a quiet but important background role in UK’s move hand over sovereignty of  Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Sources said India had firmly and consistently supported the need to do away with the last vestiges of colonisation”. 

New Delhi’s role had got a mention in the joint statement of the UK and Mauritius.  

“In reaching today’s political agreement, we have enjoyed the full support and assistance of our close partners, the United States of America and the Republic of India,” the joint statement read. 

India, sources said, consistently encouraged both sides to negotiate — “with an open mind and a view to achieving mutually beneficial outcomes”. 

It is believed that the final outcome “is a win for all sides involved and will reinforce long term security in the Indian Ocean region,” sources said. 

In its message welcoming the agreement, New Delhi said, “India has consistently supported Mauritius’s claim for sovereignty over Chagos, in line with its principled stand on decolonization and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, as well as its longstanding and close partnership with Mauritius’.

The UK has been under pressure for decades to hand over Chagos. In February 2019, the International Court of Justice had declared British control of the Chagos Islands illegal.  Three months later, the United Nations overwhelmingly backed a resolution demanding that the UK relinquish control of Chagos Islands.

UK, though, had resisted, citing the Diego Garcia base, a key installation used to help US operations across the Indian Ocean and Gulf regions. 

Its move today came after two years of negotiation, which, both nations said, were conducted in a respectful manner as equal sovereign states. The political agreement is subject to the finalisation of a treaty and supporting legal instruments, which both sides have committed to complete as quickly as possible.

Over the last decade, New Delhi has kept a firm focus on its maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean with an eye to counter China’s growing influence. Special attention is being paid to Mauritius, which holds the key to the south-west Indian Ocean and is also the entry point to the Atlantic Ocean. 

India is also cultivating other nations at key points in the Indian Ocean — the Persian Gulf, Malacca Strait and southern Africa. Efforts are also being made to expand ties on various fronts with Madagascar, Mozambique and Seychelles.