LIVE: Trump says ‘war done' between Israel and Iran; talks coming next week
Iran's parliament passes a bill to suspend cooperation with the UN's IAEA, which still needs approval from its national security council.
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Qatar Tribune
40 minutes ago
- Qatar Tribune
Trump intensifies trade war with 30% tariffs on EU and Mexico
Agencies President Donald Trump on Saturday imposed a 30 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1 after weeks of negotiations with the key trading allies failed to reach a more comprehensive trade deal. The fresh tariffs were announced in separate letters posted on Truth Social on Saturday. Earlier this week, Trump issued new tariff announcements for a number of countries, including Japan, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, as well as a 50 percent tariff on copper. The EU had hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc. The European Union had been bracing for the letter from Trump outlining his planned duties on the United States' largest trade and investment partner after a broadening of his tariff war in recent days. The EU initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement, including zero-for-zero tariffs on industrial goods, but months of difficult talks have led to the realization it will probably have to settle for an interim agreement and hope something better can still be negotiated. The 27-country bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms. Trump's cascade of tariff orders since returning to the White House has begun generating tens of billions of dollars a month in new revenue for the US government. US customs duties revenue shot past $100 billion in the federal fiscal year through to June, according to US Treasury data on Friday. Canada tariff Canada will face a 35 percent tariff on exports to the United States starting August 1, President Donald Trump said in a late-night letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney that upends negotiations between the close allies. The notice was the latest of more than 20 such letters Trump has issued since Monday as he continues to widen a global trade war, adding in an interview that countries which have yet to receive a letter from him would see a 15 percent or 20 percent levy. Canada's 35 percent tariff marks a step up from an existing 25 percent level, but products complying with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are expected to remain exempt, a Trump administration official told AFP. Canadian energy resources are anticipated to still face a lower levy, the official said, while noting that Trump has yet to make final decisions on the matter. Trump told reporters Friday that Ottawa reached out following the release of his letter: 'I think it was fairly well received. It is what we need. So we'll see what happens.' Canada and the United States have been locked in trade negotiations in hopes of reaching a deal by July 21, but Trump's latest threat appeared to have shifted that deadline. Both Canada and Mexico are trying to find ways to satisfy Trump so the USMCA free trade deal uniting the three countries can be put back on track. 'Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1,' Carney posted Thursday night on X. The USMCA replaced the previous NAFTA accord in July 2020, after Trump successfully pushed for a renegotiation during his first term in office. It was due to be reviewed by July next year, but Trump has thrown the process into disarray by launching trade wars after he returned to office in January. Canadian and Mexican products were swiftly hit by 25 percent US tariffs this year, with a lower rate for Canadian energy. Trump targeted both North American neighbors saying they did not do enough on illegal immigration and the flow of illicit drugs—particularly fentanyl—across borders. Canada contributes less than one percent of the drug to the illicit US supply, according to Canadian and US government data. Trump eventually announced exemptions for goods entering his country under the USMCA, covering a large range of products.
Qatar Tribune
40 minutes ago
- Qatar Tribune
Trump slaps Brazil with 50% tariff, says copper levy due on August 1
Agencies U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he would introduce a steep 50% tariff on Brazil, as he blasted the trial of the country's ex-leader, and said a U.S. 'national security' levy on copper would begin in August. In a letter addressed to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Trump criticized the treatment of his right-wing ally Jair Bolsonaro as an 'international disgrace.' Bolsonaro is facing trial over accusations he plotted a coup after his narrow 2022 election loss to Lula. In response to Trump's tariff letter, Lula warned of possible reciprocation, writing on X that 'any unilateral tariff increases will be addressed in light of the Brazilian Law of Economic Reciprocity.' Brazil earlier on Wednesday said it had summoned the U.S. charge d'affaires over Trump's previous criticism of the Bolsonaro trial. The 50% U.S. tariff on Brazilian goods will take effect Aug. 1, Trump said in his letter, mirroring a deadline that dozens of other economies face. On that same date, a 50% tariff on U.S. imports of copper – a key metal used in green energy and other technologies – will take effect, Trump announced Wednesday evening on social media. He said the move followed a 'robust NATIONAL SECURITY ASSESSMENT,' likely alluding to a Department of Commerce investigation into copper launched earlier this year. 'Copper is the second most used material by the Department of Defense!' Trump said. Trump's message to Lula was the latest in more than 20 such letters the U.S. president has released since Monday, after repeatedly threatening to simply decide a rate for countries as negotiations continue over his elevated 'reciprocal' tariffs. Brazil had not been among those threatened previously with duties above a 10% baseline, and the U.S. runs a goods trade surplus with Brazil. On Wednesday, Trump also addressed letters to leaders of the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Moldova, spelling out duties ranging from 20% to 30% that would also take effect on Aug. 1. Similar to a first batch of documents published Monday, the levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some partners received notably lower rates this time. While Trump in April imposed a 10% levy on almost all trading partners, he unveiled – and then withheld – higher rates for dozens of economies. The deadline for those steeper levels to take effect was meant to be Wednesday, before Trump postponed it further to Aug. 1. Countries that faced the threats of elevated duties began receiving letters spelling out U.S. tariff rates on their products. In the messages, Trump justified his tariffs as a response to trade ties that he says are 'far from Reciprocal.' The letters urged countries to manufacture products in the U.S. to avoid duties, while threatening further escalation if leaders retaliated. Other countries that have received Trump's letters include key U.S. allies Japan and South Korea, as well as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand. Analysts have noted that Asian countries have been a key target so far. But all eyes are on the state of negotiations with major partners who have yet to receive such letters, including the European Union. The Trump administration is under pressure to unveil more trade pacts. So far, Washington has only reached agreements with the U.K. and Vietnam, alongside a deal to temporarily lower tit-for-tat levies with China. Trump on Tuesday said his government was 'probably two days off' from sending the EU a letter with an updated tariff rate. An EU spokesperson said Wednesday the bloc wants to strike a deal with the U.S. 'in the coming days,' and has shown readiness to reach an agreement in principle. Apart from tariffs targeting goods from different countries, Trump has rolled out sector-specific duties on steel, aluminum and autos since returning to the White House in January.
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Family of American citizen killed by Israeli settlers demands US probe
Washington, DC – The family of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old United States citizen from Florida who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, is calling on Washington to launch its own probe into the incident and to hold the perpetrators accountable. Musallet's family said in a statement that Israeli settlers surrounded him for three hours during the assault on Friday and attacked medics who were attempting to reach him. The slain young man, known as Saif, was a 'kind, hard-working, and deeply-respected young man, working to build his dreams', the family said. 'This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face,' the statement added. 'We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice.' Washington has previously resisted calls to investigate the killing of US citizens by Israeli forces. Instead, US officials say that Israel is capable of probing its own abuses. But Israeli investigations rarely lead to criminal charges against settlers or soldiers, despite their well-documented violations against Palestinians. The State Department said late on Friday that it 'has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas'. 'We are aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the West Bank. When a US citizen dies overseas, we stand ready to provide consular services,' a department spokesperson told Al Jazeera, declining to provide further details, citing the privacy of the victim's family. Israeli settlers lynched 20-year-old Palestinian American Sayfollah Musallet, while U.S. officials stayed silent. Sayfollah was born and raised in Florida. He was visiting family for the summer in the West Bank when settlers beat him to death while he protested illegal land… — ADC National (@adc) July 12, 2025 Israeli forces have killed at least nine US citizens since 2022, including veteran Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh. But none of the incidents have resulted in criminal charges. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) said the US 'must stop treating Palestinian American lives as expendable'. 'Israeli settlers lynched 20-year-old Palestinian American Sayfollah Musallet, while US officials stayed silent,' the advocacy group said in a statement. 'Sayfollah was born and raised in Florida. He was visiting family for the summer in the West Bank when settlers beat him to death while he protested illegal land seizures.' American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) questioned whether Trump will stay true to his pledge to prioritise US interests. 'Will he uphold his 'America First' promise when it's a Palestinian-American whose life was taken? Or will he once again bow his head to Israel, no matter the cost in blood?' AMP said in a statement. But the group stressed that US citizenship should not be a condition for justice. Another Palestinian was killed in the same settler attack as Musallet on Saturday. 'And let's be unequivocally clear: whether a Palestinian holds American citizenship or not, every single murder committed by this regime must be explicitly prohibited, punished, and condemned,' AMP said. The US provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. It also protects its ally diplomatically at international forums, often using its veto power to block United Nations Security Council proposals critical of Israeli abuses. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on supporters on Saturday to contact their lawmakers and call for condemnation of Musallet's killing. 'This was not an isolated incident. It was part of a long, unpunished pattern of violence against US citizens by Israeli soldiers and settlers,' the group said in a statement. Sarah Leah Whitson, the head of rights group DAWN, said the US has tools to pursue accountability in the Musallet case, noting that Washington is pursuing criminal charges against Hamas officials for the killing of US citizens during the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel. 'What is really missing [in the current case] is the political will from the United States government to protect American citizens of Palestinian origin or Americans protesting Israeli actions in the West Bank,' Whitson told Al Jazeera in a TV interview. 'What it really does is it sets a precedent of encouragement and sets a precedent for open season on Americans just as there is open season on Palestinians.'
