JD Vance warns Iran after ceasefire: 'If they want to build a nuclear weapon…'
In a televised interview shortly after Trump announced the ceasefire, Vance underscored the administration's intent to deter Iran from restarting its nuclear program.
'If they want to build a nuclear weapon in the future, they're going to have to deal with a very, very powerful American military again,' Vance said. Trump announces ceasefire
Trump's ceasefire announcement came hours after Iran launched missiles at US airbases in Qatar, and Iraq.
'Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World (sic),' Trump posted on Truth Social.
A senior White House official told Reuters that Trump personally brokered the deal in a direct call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also played key roles, holding quiet talks with Iranian counterparts to help seal the agreement. Fallout from US strikes
The breakthrough came just two days after the US launched surprise airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump claimed the sites were 'completely and totally obliterated,' though damage assessments are ongoing and questions linger about the whereabouts of Iran's enriched uranium.
Iran's retaliatory response, missile launches at Qatar, a close regional ally hosting the US Central Command, appeared more symbolic than strategic. The barrage was intercepted, and Qatar confirmed the base had been evacuated in advance.
'Plenty of warning was given - Qatar shut its airspace and the US issued warnings to citizens,' said Ziad Daoud, chief emerging-market economist at Bloomberg Economics.
The number of missiles launched matched the US strike count, in what Iranian media framed as a performative gesture to claim parity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump announces trade deal with Japan including 15% tariff
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan on Tuesday (July 22, 2025), placing a 15% tax on goods imported from that nation. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,' Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the United States 'will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan.' Mr. Trump said Japan would invest 'at my direction' $550 billion into the U.S. and would 'open' its economy to American autos and rice. The 15% tax on imported Japanese goods is a meaningful drop from the 25% rate that Mr. Trump, in a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, said would be levied starting August 1. Also read: Threatened by President Donald Trump's tariffs, Japan walks delicate tightrope between U.S. and China With the announcement, Mr. Trump is seeking to tout his ability as a dealmaker — even as his tariffs, when initially announced in early April, led to a market panic and fears of slower growth that for the moment appear to have subsided. Key details remained unclear from his post, such as whether Japanese-built autos would face a higher 25% tariff that Trump imposed on the sector. But the framework fits a growing pattern for Mr. Trump, who is eager to portray the tariffs as a win for the U.S. His administration says the revenues will help reduce the budget deficit and more factories will relocate to America to avoid the import taxes and cause trade imbalances to disappear. But the wave of tariffs continues to be a source of uncertainty about whether it could lead to higher prices for consumers and businesses if companies simply pass along the costs. The problem was seen sharply Tuesday (July 22, 2025) after General Motors reported a 35% drop in its net income during the second quarter as it warned that tariffs would hit its business in the months ahead, causing its stock to tumble. As the August 1 deadline for the tariff rates in his letters to world leaders is approaching, Mr. Trump also announced a trade framework with the Philippines that would impose a tariff of 19% on its goods, while American-made products would face no import taxes. The president also reaffirmed his 19% tariffs on Indonesia. The U.S. ran a $69.4 billion trade imbalance on goods with Japan last year, according to the Census Bureau. America had a trade imbalance of $17.9 billion with Indonesia and an imbalance of $4.9 billion with the Philippines. Both nations are less affluent than the U.S. and an imbalance means America imports more from those countries than it exports to them. The President is set to impose the broad tariffs listed in his recent letters to other world leaders on August 1, raising questions of whether there will be any breakthrough in talks with the European Union (EU). At a Tuesday (July 22, 2025) dinner, Mr. Trump said the EU would be in Washington on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) for trade talks. 'We have Europe coming in tomorrow, the next day,' Mr. Trump told guests. The President earlier this month sent a letter threatening the 27 member states in the EU with 30% taxes on their goods to be imposed starting on August 1. The Trump administration has a separate negotiating period with China that is currently set to run through August 12 as goods from that nation are taxed at an additional 30% baseline. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would be in the Swedish capital of Stockholm next Monday and Tuesday to meet with his Chinese counterparts. Mr. Bessent said his goal is to shift the American economy away from consumption and to enable more consumer spending in the manufacturing-heavy Chinese economy. 'President Trump is remaking the U.S. into a manufacturing economy,' Mr. Bessent said on the Fox Business Network show 'Mornings with Maria'. 'If we could do that together, we do more manufacturing; they do more consumption. That would be a home run for the global economy,' he added.
Economic Times
2 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Asian stocks, US futures rise on Japan trade deal
Asian shares rose at the open after President Donald Trump said the US reached a trade deal with Japan, an agreement with a key trading partner that will ease concerns about the tariff war. ADVERTISEMENT The MSCI gauge of Asian shares gained 0.7% with the Nikkei-225 in Japan jumping as much as 1.8%. The yen fluctuated after initially gaining on Trump's announcement. Contracts for the S&P 500 rose 0.2% on the deal. The US benchmark closed at a record high in the last session. A gauge of the dollar edged up 0.1% while yields on the 10-year Treasury advanced 1 basis point to 4.36%. 'We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made,' Trump said in a Truth Social post. On Tuesday, Trump also unveiled an agreement with the Philippines setting a 19% tariff on the country's exports. The deal with Japan will see the key American ally invest $550 billion into the US and will set tariffs on Japanese imports at 15%, Trump wrote. Stocks have run up since their April slump on expectations countries will strike agreements with the US ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline, and help avoid significant damage to company earnings and the economy.'In addition to lowering tariffs on Japan from 25% to 15%, the deal removes an element of uncertainty for the market,' said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. 'This deal is good for market sentiment across Asia on expectations that others may follow.'Investors are also focused on megacap companies this week. Big tech's strength will be on full display over the next few weeks as the group begins unveiling quarterly earnings. Tesla Inc. and Alphabet Inc. are reporting Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT The so-called Magnificent Seven companies are expected to post a combined 14% rise in second-quarter profits, while earnings for the rest of the US equity benchmark are predicted to be relatively flat, according to Bloomberg Intelligence in Japan will also be on the 40-year government bond auction on Wednesday. That will be the first test of appetite for super-long debt following a historic election defeat for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Investors remain concerned over the outlook of bonds in one of the most indebted developed nations amid expectations of higher government spending as Ishiba tries to placate disaffected voters. ADVERTISEMENT Ishiba will soon decide on his future after assessing the status of negotiations on tariffs with the US, Yomiuri reported before Trump's US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will meet his Chinese counterparts for trade talks in Stockholm next week, and will 'be working out what is likely an extension' to the current Aug. 12 deadline for negotiations. He also said that the negotiations with China can now take on a broader array of topics, potentially including Beijing's continued purchases of 'sanctioned' oil from Russia and Iran. ADVERTISEMENT Bessent told Fox Business he saw no reason for Fed Chair Jerome Powell to step down. Meanwhile, Trump stressed his belief that the Fed's benchmark rate should be 3 percentage points lower. Bessent, in the same Oval Office event, said that 'based on the way they cut rates last fall, they should be cutting rates now.' (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Mint
2 minutes ago
- Mint
Is Shigeru Ishiba mulling resignation over Donald Trump's ‘massive' trade talks? Japanese prime minister says...
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has reportedly tied his political future to the outcome of tariff negotiations, even as US President Donald Trump announced that a deal had been struck with Japan. According to the Yomiuri newspaper on Wednesday, Ishiba will decide whether to remain in office once the fate of the trade talks is clear. President Donald Trump announced a long-awaited trade agreement with Japan on Tuesday night, a framework between allies and major trading partners that appeared elusive just weeks ago. In a post on Truth Social posted on Wednesday Asian hours, US President Donald Trump said he had just completed a "massive" deal with Japan that included $550 billion in investments into the United States. 'We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made,' Trump said on Truth Social. As part of the deal, US importers will pay 15% 'reciprocal' tariffs on Japanese goods exported to the United States. Japan also will invest $550 billion dollars into the United States, the president said. Trump added that the US 'will receive 90% of the profits.' He did not specify how those investments would work or how profits would be calculated. No official term sheet has been released. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it. Perhaps most importantly, Japan will open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things. Japan will pay Reciprocal Tariffs to the United States of 15%,' Trump posted. Following Donald Trump's announcement of a trade deal with Japan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed his readiness to meet or speak by phone with Trump after receiving a briefing on the details from Japan's top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, who is currently in Washington for trade discussions. Ishiba told reporters, "I can't say until I scrutinise the outcome of the agreement," when asked how the deal with Washington might influence his decision to resign. The Yomiuri newspaper reported that Ishiba intends to visit the United States by the end of July to hold talks with President Trump. Japan's chief negotiator Akazawa is engaged in the eighth round of talks in the US. In explaining his decision to stay on, Ishiba has stressed the need to avoid creating a political vacuum as Japan faced challenges including difficult trade negotiations with the US that would have a huge impact on the export-reliant economy. "I will stay in office and do everything in my power to chart a path toward resolving these challenges," Ishiba said in a news conference on Monday, adding that he intended to speak directly with Trump as soon as possible and deliver tangible results. Ishiba is expected to meet ruling party heavyweights later on Wednesday for discussions on the election outcome. The recent upper house elections in Japan, held on Sunday, have significantly weakened Ishiba's domestic standing. Although the prime minister has cited the trade talks as a reason for wanting to remain in office, the conclusion of an agreement with the US seems likely to pave the way for his resignation following the historic electoral defeat. Following the election loss, support for Shigeru Ishiba's administration has plunged with a major poll showing his approval rate slightly above 20%, a level that's historically been considered dangerously low for an administration to continue. Ishiba is facing growing opposition from within his Liberal Democratic Party for his vow to stay in power despite the ruling coalition's bruising defeat in Sunday's upper house election. According to Yomiuri, Ishiba told his close associates on Tuesday evening that he would explain how he would take responsibility for the election loss once a solution was reached on trade negotiations. Before Donald Trump's declaration of 15% tarrif deal with Japan, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the two sides may be getting closer to an agreement. The talks are 'going very well,' Bessent said on Fox Business on Tuesday, adding that a historic election loss for Ishiba 'has given them a bit of impetus to get things done over the next couple of months.' 'They've really come to the table,' Bessent said. 'I wouldn't be surprised if we are able to iron out something with Japan pretty quickly.'
