EUR/USD under pressure as Iran pushes back against US ceasefire proposal
- EUR/USD remains on the defensive as the US Dollar stays firm amid mixed US-Iran ceasefire signals.
- Iran pushes back against US peace proposals, limiting ceasefire hopes
- Oil-driven inflation concerns boost ECB rate hike bets while the Fed is seen holding rates.
The Euro (EUR) trades under pressure against the US Dollar (USD) on Wednesday, as the Greenback remains well supported amid conflicting headlines surrounding US-Iran ceasefire efforts. While Washington is pushing for a diplomatic breakthrough, uncertainty over Tehran’s response continues to underpin demand for the safe-haven Greenback.
At the time of writing, EUR/USD is trading around 1.1585, down about 0.20% on the day. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback's value against a basket of six major currencies, is 99.40 after marking an intraday low of 99.07.
Iran signaled little willingness to align with US-led proposals, with state-linked media Press TV reporting that Tehran will end the conflict strictly on its own terms. A senior political-security official said Iran “will not allow Trump to dictate the timing of the war’s end,” adding that any resolution would only come when Iran’s conditions are met.
Iran has set clear conditions for any deal. These include a full stop to attacks and assassinations, guarantees the war will not restart, payment for war damages, an end to fighting across all regional fronts, and recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
This comes after the United States reportedly proposed a 15-point plan, including a one-month ceasefire to kick-start negotiations. The proposal is said to involve curbs on Iran’s nuclear program and guarantees to keep the Strait of Hormuz open in exchange for potential sanctions relief.
The mixed signals from both sides suggest that a meaningful breakthrough remains unlikely in the near term, raising the risk of a prolonged conflict. This is keeping Oil-driven inflation concerns alive and complicating the policy outlook for major central banks.
Traders are now fully pricing in two rate hikes from the European Central Bank (ECB), while expectations for Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts this year have largely been priced out, with markets increasingly anticipating that the Fed will hold rates through 2026.
However, a Reuters poll published on Wednesday showed that 60 economists showed that 38 expect the ECB to keep its deposit rate at 2.00% this year, although 21 now see at least one rate hike in 2026.
Earlier in the day, ECB President Christine Lagarde said, “the ECB won’t act before it has sufficient information,” adding that “if the shock gives rise to a large though not-too-persistent overshoot of our target, some measured adjustment of policy could be warranted.” She also noted, “We must identify when higher energy costs risk spilling over into broad-based inflation.”
ECB FAQs
The European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, is the reserve bank for the Eurozone. The ECB sets interest rates and manages monetary policy for the region. The ECB primary mandate is to maintain price stability, which means keeping inflation at around 2%. Its primary tool for achieving this is by raising or lowering interest rates. Relatively high interest rates will usually result in a stronger Euro and vice versa. The ECB Governing Council makes monetary policy decisions at meetings held eight times a year. Decisions are made by heads of the Eurozone national banks and six permanent members, including the President of the ECB, Christine Lagarde.
In extreme situations, the European Central Bank can enact a policy tool called Quantitative Easing. QE is the process by which the ECB prints Euros and uses them to buy assets – usually government or corporate bonds – from banks and other financial institutions. QE usually results in a weaker Euro. QE is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the objective of price stability. The ECB used it during the Great Financial Crisis in 2009-11, in 2015 when inflation remained stubbornly low, as well as during the covid pandemic.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE. It is undertaken after QE when an economic recovery is underway and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the European Central Bank (ECB) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to provide them with liquidity, in QT the ECB stops buying more bonds, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It is usually positive (or bullish) for the Euro.
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