Main by morning: Anthropic urged to slow down AI, US and Iran deadlocked again

U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks have once again stalled, and the refusal of Lebanon's Hezbollah to support Washington's proposed ceasefire has heightened fears of further escalation in the Middle East. Index provider S&P Dow Jones refused to relax the rules for inclusion of new companies in the S&P 500, which will delay the possible entry of SpaceX in the index for at least a year after the IPO. About these and other topics - in our review of key events by the morning of June 5.

Ceasefire talks between the US and Iran have once again stalled after the largest escalation in recent weeks, Bloomberg reports. US President Donald Trump said the sides were in the final stages of negotiations, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there had been no progress. Brent crude rose to nearly $96 a barrel amid the exchange of blows between the U.S. and Iran.

In a further blow to peace efforts, Lebanon's Hezbollah refused to support the U.S.-proposed truce with Israel. The group said it would not accept the terms of the agreement, and clashes in southern Lebanon continued, raising doubts about the possibility of a speedy resolution of the conflict in the region.

Sportswear maker Lululemon worsened its revenue and profit forecasts for fiscal 2026, citing a negative media backdrop around the brand, weak customer response to some of its new collections and continued declining sales in North America, CNBC reports.

Despite first-quarter results above analysts' expectations, the company expects further sales declines in North America and lower profitability due to tariffs and rebates. Lululemon shares fell 11% in the aftermarket after the report was released, and have lost about 40% since the beginning of the year.

Index provider S&P Dow Jones kept the current requirements for inclusion of companies in the S&P 500 index, refusing to reduce the mandatory one-year waiting period after the IPO and relaxing the criteria for profitability and free float, Bloomberg writes.

The decision means that SpaceX, which is preparing for the largest IPO in history, will be able to qualify for inclusion in the S&P 500 no sooner than a year after listing. Meanwhile, S&P competitors Nasdaq and FTSE Russell have already simplified the rules for quickly adding large new issuers to their indexes.

AI developer Anthropic said the industry's leading companies should agree in advance on a mechanism to temporarily slow or suspend development if advanced systems begin to self-improve faster than society can manage the associated risks, Reuters reports.

The company warned that AI's ability to "create its own successors" could increase the likelihood of losing control of such systems. According to Anthropic, an effective pause is only possible with the coordination of a few major laboratories, while unilateral restrictions would only redistribute industry leadership without significantly improving safety.

- Japan's broad Topix index was little changed on June 5, with the Nikkei 225 down 1.5%.

- Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 0.8 percent, while mainland China's CSI 300 Index was down 0.12 percent.

- In South Korea, the Kospi index was down 5.6 percent and the Kosdaq was down nearly 4 percent.

- Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.7 percent.

- S&P 500 futures were down 0.5 percent, Nasdaq Composite futures were down nearly 1 percent and Dow Jones Industrial Average exchange-traded contracts were down 0.1 percent.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor