Trump pushes for Gaza ceasefire, lifts Syria sanctions and Diddy acquitted
Matthew Bryza analyzes why Netanyahu supports a limited ceasefire and whether Trump can pressure Israel into a deal.
Qutaiba Idlbi discusses the impact of lifting US sanctions on Syria and the potential for normalization with Israel.
Richard Roth reacts to Sean 'Diddy' Combs' verdict in the sex-trafficking trial.
Patrick Fok reports on Singapore's new law to stop bank scams.
Dr. Rock-Antoine Mehanna breaks down the landmark US-China rare earth trade agreement and its impact on global supply chains.
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Trump: I Want People in Gaza to Be Safe
President of the United States Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants the people in the Gaza Strip to be safe. 'I want to see safety for the people of Gaza. They've gone through hell,', Trump said in remarks to reporters when asked whether he still wants the US to take over Gaza. In February, Trump said he wants to resettle Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan, demolish remaining buildings to make way for a Riviera-style development project and place the occupied territory under US "ownership". The plan was widely rejected by nations around the world, but Trump has continued to raise it sporadically over the course of the past three months. Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours how Palestinian group Hamas would respond to a proposal for a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza. The Israeli army, despite international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 57,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.
Asharq Al-Awsat
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Oil Falls as Iran Affirms Commitment to Nuclear Treaty
Oil futures fell on Friday after Iran reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and amid expectations that major producers are set to agree to raise their output this weekend. Brent crude futures were down 22 cents, or 0.32%, to $68.58 a barrel by 0445 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 12 cents, or 0.18%, to $66.88. Trade was thinned by the US Independence Day holiday. US news website Axios reported on Thursday that the US was planning to meet with Iran next week to restart nuclear talk, while Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remains committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "Thursday's news that the US is preparing to resume nuclear talks with Iran, and Araghchi's clarification that cooperation with the UN atomic agency has not been halted considerably eases the threat of a fresh outbreak of hostilities," said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights. Araghchi's comments came a day after Tehran enacted a law suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. "But the price correction may have to wait till Monday, when the US reopens from a long weekend and takes in Sunday's OPEC+ decision, which is likely to be another 411,000 barrels per day target hike in August," Hari said. OPEC+, the world's largest group of oil producers, is set to announce an increase of 411,000 bpd in production for August as it looks to regain market share, four delegates from the group told Reuters. Meanwhile, uncertainty over US tariff policies was renewed as the end of a 90-day pause on higher levy rates approaches. Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday specifying what tariff rates they will face on goods sent to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual trade deals. President Donald Trump told reporters before departing for Iowa on Thursday that the letters would be sent to 10 countries at a time, laying out tariff rates of 20% to 30%. Trump's 90-day pause on higher US tariffs ends on July 9, and several large trading partners have yet to clinch trade deals, including the European Union and Japan. The US imposed sanctions on Thursday against a network that smuggles Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil and on a Hezbollah-controlled financial institution, the Treasury Department said. Trump also said on Thursday that he would meet with representatives of Iran "if necessary". Separately, Barclays said it raised its Brent oil price forecast by $6 to $72 per barrel for 2025 and by $10 to $70 a barrel for 2026 on an improved outlook for demand.
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Thomas Barrack: Syria's Joining Abraham Accords ‘Could Take Time'
Syria and Israel are engaged in 'meaningful' talks through the United States that aim to restore calm along their border, according to Thomas Barrack, US President Donald Trump's envoy to Syria. Barrack said in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday that the administration wanted Syria to join the Abraham Accords, but 'this could take time' because Syria's new President Ahmed al-Sharaa could face resistance at home. 'He cannot be seen by his own people to be forced or coerced into the Abraham Accords,' Barrack said. 'So he has to work slowly.' Trump tapped Barrack, an old friend and private equity investor, to help realize his vision for the Middle East, which the administration hopes will foster less conflict and more prosperity. Trump made clear during his Mideast visit in May that lucrative business deals in sectors including arms and artificial intelligence were his priority, and his decision to bomb nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran last month showed his support for Israel and willingness to use force against American foes. Barrack called the US administration's approach a departure from previous 'failed' American attempts at 'nation building' and from past efforts to shape how other governments rule. Much of Barrack's work has focused on pushing Syria and Lebanon, both recovering from destructive wars, toward solving their own problems while rallying support from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and other regional partners. It is unclear whether Trump's focus on prioritizing economic development over vocal support for democracy will fare better than the efforts of previous administrations to address some of the Middle East's most bedeviling problems, according to The New York Times. Barrack, in his first diplomatic job at age 78, has been working his relationships with heads of state and other power brokers. He said that having a direct line to the White House and to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the fact that the administration had 'little patience for the region's resistance to helping itself,' had helped. Much of Barrack's effort has focused on Syria, where the fledgling government of al-Sharaa is trying to rebuild the country after a 13-year civil war. Trump signed an executive order this week aimed at ending decades of US sanctions on Syria. Barrack said that instead of making strict demands, the administration had laid out objectives for the Syrian government to work toward while Washington monitored its progress. Those indications would include finding a peaceful accommodation with Israel; integrating the US-backed, Kurdish-led militia that controls Syria's northeast; and investigating the fates of Americans who went missing during the war. Progress on democratization and inclusive government will not happen quickly, Barrack said, and are not part of the US criteria. American officials have expressed concerns about the thousands of fighters who came to Syria from abroad to take part in the war, mostly as part of militant groups. Barrack said Washington realized that Syria could not expel those who remained and that they could pose a threat to the new government if they were excluded. So the Trump administration instead expects transparency about the roles they are given. Lifting sanctions to encourage changes worked better than keeping them in place until Syria met specific demands, Barrack said. 'It is a brilliant way to accomplish the same thing, and these roll-on, roll-off sanctions have never worked anyway,' he said. The new Syrian government's relations have been tense with Israel, whose military has moved into southern Syria and often carried out operations there. The talks aim to quiet the conflict along the border while laying the groundwork for better relations.
