Iran's foreign ministry said it is currently focused on defending the country.

Net short positions in the dollar held by Japanese retail investors rose more than fourfold month-on-month to 2.79 trillion yen (~$17.2 bln) last month, the highest level on record since 2008, the Japan Financial Futures Association said. The surge in retail dollar shorts — retail traders dominate Tokyo spot FX flows — could reduce the impact of Ministry of Finance intervention aimed at strengthening the yen, because large retail positions would likely be unwound by selling yen when authorities enter the market. Hideki Shibata, a senior rates and FX strategist at Tokai Tokyo Research Laboratory, said such retail sell-offs of yen to cover positions can drive USD/JPY in the opposite direction. Local importers waiting to buy dollars at lower levels could further limit the MOF’s willingness or effectiveness to intervene.

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said he would prefer to see companies invest rather than repurchase shares.