Hamas says it responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal in 'a positive spirit'
CAIRO/TEL AVIV (Reuters) -- Hamas said it had responded on Friday in "a positive spirit" to a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal, which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier announced a "final proposal" for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, stating he anticipated a reply from the parties in coming hours.
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was "probably closer to two years." Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment. "We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department (of Defense) assess that," Parnell told a news briefing. U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000-pound (13,600-kg) bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. Iran's Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant on June 22, after U.S. air strikes were conducted on the facility. | Maxar Technologies / via AFP-Jiji The evolving U.S. intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after U.S. President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran's program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday's briefing. Such conclusions often take the U.S. intelligence community weeks or more to determine. "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's — those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated," Parnell said. Over the weekend, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective U.S. strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear program have been. A graphic showing Iran's Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant in Washington on June 26. | U.S. Department of Defense / via REUTERS Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordo site before the strikes and could be hiding it. But U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from U.S. strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordo nuclear site caused severe damage. "No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordo. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Beijing braces for U.S. trade deals that aim to shut out China
The trade truce between Washington and Beijing may be holding for now, but China is increasingly wary about what's happening elsewhere: U.S. efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains. Ahead of a July 9 deadline, U.S. officials are deep in talks with major trading partners in Asia and Europe, pushing for new agreements that would include restrictions on Chinese content, or secure commitments to counter what Washington sees as China's unfair trade practices. In the first such deal, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a tiered tariff agreement with Vietnam. Exports to the United States from the Southeast Asian nation will be charged a 20% rate, Trump said in a social media post, with 40% levied on any goods deemed to be transshipped through the country. That will hit products with components from China and possibly other nations, which are routed through Vietnam or subject to only minimal final assembly before being exported to the U.S. The approach mirrors provisions in an existing U.S. trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. Although Trump shared the broad contours of the agreement, the White House has not yet released further details, and some of the agreement could be in development, so it's unknown yet how damaging this could be for China's growing exports to Vietnam. China's Ministry of Commerce didn't respond immediately to a request for comment. India, another nation seen as close to a deal, has also been negotiating over "rules of origin.' Washington wants at least 60% of a product's value added locally to qualify as "Made in India' and benefit from the deal, it was previously reported. India has pushed to bring that down to around 35%, according to the report. "Asia's dilemma when it comes to Trump's trade war is all about dependence on U.S. final demand while relying heavily on China's value added in domestic production,' Alicia Garcia Herrero, Asia-Pacific chief economist at Natixis, said in a recent report, adding that Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan were among the most exposed. China, a larger trade partner than the U.S. for most Asian economies, has warned of consequences if its interests are threatened, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to raise that again on his visit to Europe this week for talks in Belgium, Germany and France. "China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of Chinese interests in exchange for so-called tariff reductions,' the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Saturday, repeating earlier warnings. "If this happens, China will never accept it and will resolutely counter it to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.' The Vietnam deal risks provoking retaliatory steps from China, according to Bloomberg Economics. "Beijing has made clear that it would respond to deals that came at the expense of Chinese interests and the decision to agree to a higher tariff on goods deemed to be 'transshipped' through Vietnam may fall in that category,' Bloomberg's Rana Sajedi wrote in a research note. Trump's 90-day pause on what he called "reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of America's trading partners ends on July 9. Unless those countries reach trade deals with the U.S., they could potentially face much higher tariffs. Some governments are making moves to stay on the right side of Washington. Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea have all put in place measures to stop goods from being rerouted through their countries to the U.S. since Trump's tariffs were unveiled in April. South Korean customs announced a crackdown on transshipments, citing a rise in the practice. Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te also flagged the issue and followed up with new rules requiring all U.S.-bound exports to carry a legal declaration they were made on the island. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Brussels on Wednesday | Bloomberg Another concern for Beijing is whether the U.S. could convince others to impose or tighten export controls on high-tech equipment, which would further hamper Chinese efforts to buy the tools it needs to produce advanced semiconductors. Taiwan in June added Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. to its so-called entity list, barring Taiwanese firms from doing business with them without government approval. The pressure isn't limited to Asia. Europe, too, finds itself in a delicate position. The EU is China's largest export destination for electric vehicles, and investment from Chinese firms into the bloc plus the U.K. hit €10 billion ($12 billion) last year, according to recent research from Rhodium Group. Yet trade tensions are rising. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently accused Beijing of "weaponizing' rare earths and magnets and warned of the risks posed by Chinese overcapacity. Beijing is particularly concerned that the EU might sign up to provisions similar to those in the U.K.'s deal with the U.S., which included commitments around supply chain security, export controls, and ownership rules in sectors like steel, aluminum and pharmaceuticals. While the language did not name China, Beijing criticized the agreement in a rare public statement, interpreting it as a direct challenge, the Financial Times reported. "China is clearly worried that the EU will accept the same wording as the U.K. did on export controls,' said Joerg Wuttke, a partner at the Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington and former president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. "They are pushing the EU not to do this, and the U.S. is pushing the EU to do it.' Brussels and Washington are aiming to reach some form of an agreement before July 9, when Washington is set to impose a 50% tariff on nearly all EU products. With European exports to the U.S. worth more than double the amount to China, the bloc sees Washington as the more important partner, giving the U.S. leverage in the talks. China's weekend statement is "obviously aimed entirely at Brussels,' said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels, who was recently in Beijing for meetings ahead of an EU-China summit this month. "China is concerned what the EU might agree with the U.S.' The long-term risk for Beijing is that these efforts coalesce into a broader shift — not just a U.S.-led campaign to curb Chinese exports, but a reshaping of global trade around "trusted' supply chains, with China increasingly on the outside. In a visit to Southeast Asia earlier this year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged the region to stand together as an "Asian family,' warning against trade fragmentation. Beijing has often responded to actions it opposes with targeted trade measures. When the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles last year, China launched antidumping probes into European brandy, dairy and pork. It halted Japanese seafood imports in 2023 after Group of Seven meetings in Japan were seen as critical of China. A spat with Australia in 2020 led to trade restrictions on billions of dollars' worth of goods, including lobsters, wine and barley. "If some agreements explicitly list China as a target and show that some countries are cooperating or collaborating with the U.S. to 'contain China,' then China will definitely respond,' said Tu Xinquan, dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and a former adviser to the Chinese Commerce Ministry.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
From UFC Fights to State Fairs, Trump Unveils Plans for Nation's 250th
DES MOINES – He was a teenager when the World's Fair came to his native Queens in 1964. As an adult, he built a casino along the Atlantic City boardwalk called Trump's World Fair. And as a candidate, he flew in a helicopter over the Iowa State Fair and took a bite from a pork chop on a stick. Now, as president, Donald Trump is trying to create the carnival-like atmosphere of state and world's fairs to showcase next year's celebration of the nation's 250th birthday. Trump on Thursday returned to the Iowa State Fairgrounds, a place that had little to do with the founding of the nation but one that has played a role in his political biography, to launch a year-long festival that will culminate on July 4, 2026. The centerpiece of that birthday celebration will be 'the Great American State Fair,' which Trump pitched to the crowd as 'an enormous year long nationwide celebration of our heritage.' 'We will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's founding with a birthday party, the likes of which you have never seen before,' he said. The effort, he said, is going to include a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House that will be overseen by Dana White, the chief executive of UFC and a longtime Trump supporter. 'We have a lot of land there,' Trump said. 'We're going to have a UFC fight – championship fight, full fight, like 20,000, 25,000 people. . . . The UFC fight is going to be a big deal.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed he was serious about the proposal. Trump also said that he would host nationally televised athletic competitions showcasing high school students from each state in an event he's calling the 'Patriot Games.' That effort, he said, will be overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ('He's great,' Trump said. 'And he's a little different, right?') Much of his campaign rally-style, hourlong speech was spent touting the signature legislation that passed earlier in the day, a bill that he is planning to sign at the White House on Friday afternoon ahead of Independence Day fireworks. 'There could be no better birthday present for America than the phenomenal victory we achieved just hours ago when Congress passed the one Big Beautiful Bill,' he said. At one point while describing the bill he used a term many consider to be an antisemitic slur while referencing unscrupulous bankers. 'No death tax. No estate tax. No going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker – and in some cases, shylocks and bad people,' he said. Joe Biden in 2014 also used the term during a speech, later apologizing for it. The semiquincentennial celebrations will give the showman president a powerful platform from which to project his vision of U.S. strength and history onto the world. But at a moment when the country is deeply divided along partisan lines, the plans are also likely to spur vigorous debate over how to tell the story of the nation's history – and who should be the narrator. From the Oval Office, Trump has sought to reframe how American history is told, renaming federal monuments and creating displays that advance his vision of the country. He has denounced a full telling of that history, one that includes the country's flaws, as unpatriotic – stoking deep tensions about race and identity throughout his political career. Trump in March signed an executive order titled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' which claimed to address the ways his political opponents 'undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.' His administration has sought to minimize leaders and events that do not square with his ideology, stripping the name of gay rights leader Harvey Milk from a Navy ship and restoring the last names of Confederate generals to Army installations. In his remarks on Thursday, he touted his policies against transgender Americans, about making English the official language of the United States, and called those who pushed to rename military bases that previously honored Confederates 'radical left lunatics.' 'In everything we do, we're once again defending the values, traditions and beliefs that made every generation before us so very proud to be American,' he said. Trump originally conceived of the fair as an event on the Iowa State Fairgrounds that would bring 'millions and millions of visitors from around the world to the heartland of America for this special, one-time festival.' But the event has evolved into a more sprawling celebration beyond the pavilions of Des Moines with a grand title: 'A New Era of American Greatness.' Now, the America 250 Commission will host a two-week fair on the National Mall next year around July 4, including food vendors and exhibits from all 50 states, according the White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private plans. The 'Great American State Fair' will also travel around the country to state and county fairs over the next year. Trump has said he wants the fair to 'promote pride in American history,' and expanded on plans in his speech. 'The Great American State Fair will bring America 250 programing to fairgrounds across the country, culminating in a giant patriotic festival next summer on the National Mall, featuring exhibits from all 50 states,' he said. He also said that he would celebrate the 250th anniversaries of the Navy and the Marines, just as he recently did for the Army. He again touted a rise in military recruitment numbers and the performance of troops who had recently executed a strike on Iran's nuclear capabilities, promoting his decision to authorize strikes on Iran and defending its results. The career entertainer, who often attends NASCAR races and UFC bouts, has long had a love of fairs and the rollicking and unpredictable settings they can provide. In 1996, he opened the Trump World's Fair Casino at an event that included strolling performers, jugglers, stilt walkers and high school marching bands – along with a fireworks and laser light display choreographed to music. It featured artifacts from and murals of past U.S. World's Fairs and included a 3,000-pound stainless steel sphere similar to the 'Unisphere' from the World's Fair held in 1964-1965 in Flushing Meadows. The biggest mural, however, rose over an escalator and was of Trump himself, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 'We've been looking forward to this day for a long time,' Trump said when it opened. 'Trump World's Fair is an exciting destination, uniquely designed around the World's Fair theme, that we know will be well-received.' About three years later, it closed. It was losing some $10 million per year. Falling glass panes had forced closures of businesses below. Eventually, it was demolished. Trump also installed a 'Unisphere' look-alike at the Trump International Hotel and Tower on Columbus Circle in Manhattan. City officials objected when he adorned the structure with 'Trump International' in big letters. 'Well, do you know originally they wanted to tear down the Eiffel Tower?' he said during a 2008 appearance with shock jock Howard Stern. 'Do you know the Eiffel Tower was built just during the World Fair?' One of Trump's most significant experiences with a fair came when he was an early presidential candidate in 2015. He arrived at one known for its deep-fried foods, presidential candidates speaking from bales of hay and a life-size cow carved from 600 pounds of butter. Trump made his appearance that year from a black helicopter emblazoned with bold letters spelling T-R-U-M-P, circling several times before landing. Hillary Clinton was strolling below him, posing for selfies. Trump emerged wearing his signature red cap along with white dress shoes and French cuffs. He offered rides in his helicopter to randomly selected handfuls of Iowa children. When Trump won a second term last year, Iowa's leaders responded, ready to execute his vision of a fair. 'We know the Iowa State Fair is the best fair in the country!' Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote on X on Nov. 7, two days after the election. 'In Iowa, we dream big, and we stand ready to host the Great American State Fair!' Iowa state lawmakers in May approved legislation to allow state residents to set off fireworks around Independence Day and New Year's Eve, an effort to align it with the festive atmosphere Trump is seeking for next year's celebrations. During the debate, opponents questioned why the state was changing its laws to appease the president, while others pointed to firework displays dating to the nation's founding. 'Mr. President, we welcome that idea in Iowa, and we're ready, willing and able to host the party,' state Rep. Bill Gustoff said during debate on the measure. 'We need to enable Iowans to be part of that celebration.' At one point during his remarks, a bang occurred in the distance. 'Don't worry, it's only fireworks. I hope,' said Trump, who survived an assassination attempt a year ago this month. 'Famous last words. My famous last words. 'Trump said, 'Don't worry, it's only fireworks.' You always have to think positive.'
