FT News Briefing Netanyahu’s rivals try to outdo him over Iran
80 snips
Mar 24, 2026 
Henry Foy, the FT’s Brussels bureau chief on EU politics, and James Schotter, the FT’s Jerusalem correspondent on Israeli politics, dig into Pakistan’s bid to mediate with Iran. They also explore how US LNG is being used as leverage over Europe, why carmakers are scrambling for aluminium, and how Israeli rivals are racing to sound tougher on Iran.
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Pakistan Steps In As Iran War Mediator
- Pakistan emerged as a key intermediary in the Iran crisis, with Islamabad floated as a venue for US-Iran talks involving senior Trump administration figures.
- After Trump cited “very good and productive conversations,” Brent fell over 10% to about $100 and the S&P 500 rose more than 1%.
Europe's Gas Crunch Weakens Its Trade Leverage
- Washington is using Europe’s gas vulnerability to press for a clean ratification of the US-EU trade deal without parliamentary amendments.
- Henry Foy says Europe once viewed Trump’s $750bn energy pledge as blackmail, but Gulf disruption and lost Russian supply now make US LNG urgently attractive.
Carmakers Scramble As Aluminium Supply Tightens
- Carmakers are rushing to secure aluminium because Gulf production cuts and shipping disruption could cause shortages within months.
- Europe gets 14% of its aluminium imports from the Gulf and Japan 25%, prompting some Japanese buyers to reconsider Russian metal.