Global shares decline as tensions simmer in the Middle East

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares retreated Thursday as worries persisted about conflict in the Middle East.

On the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists, Iranian state media reported that Iran’s foreign minister planned to meet with his European counterparts in Geneva.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, in its latest attack on Iran’s sprawling nuclear program.