Latest news with #USNationalSecurityCouncil
Sharjah 24
05-07-2025
- Business
- Sharjah 24
BRICS nations to denounce Trump tariffs
Emerging nations representing about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output are set to unite over what they see as unfair US import tariffs, according to sources familiar with summit negotiations. Since coming to office in January, Trump has threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive tariffs. His latest salvo comes in the form of letters due to be sent starting Friday informing trading partners of new tariff rates expected next week on July 9. Diplomats from 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have been busy drafting a statement condemning the economic uncertainty. Any final summit declaration is not expected to mention the United States or its president by name. But it is expected to be a clear political shot directed at Washington. "We're anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration," Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio's Pontifical Catholic University said. This is particularly the case for China, which has only recently negotiated with the US to lower steep tit-for-tat levies. "This doesn't seem to be the right time to provoke further friction" between the world's two leading economies, Fernandez said. Xi no show Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power. But the summit's political punch will be depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president. "I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi's absence," said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank. "The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing," said Hass. The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin. Hass said Putin's non-attendance and the fact that India's prime minister will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi's absence. "Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi," who will receive a state lunch, he said. "I expect Xi's decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors." Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage. In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year, in which he is expected to run. Middle path Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel is also skipping the meeting. A source familiar with the negotiations said the BRICS countries were still in disagreement over how to respond to the wars in Gaza and between Iran and Israel. Iranian negotiators are pushing for a tougher collective stance that goes beyond referencing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state and for disputes to be resolved peacefully. Artificial intelligence and health will also be on the agenda at the summit. Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia. Analysts say that it has given the grouping more potential international punch. But it has also opened many new fault lines. Brazil hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues. "BRICS (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East," Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told AFP.
Business Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Brics nations to gather without Xi, Putin
[RIO DE JANEIRO] Brics leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday (Jul 6), with the bloc depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years. The grouping – often seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power – meets as members face imminent and costly tariff wars with the United States. Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the Brics have come to be dominated by Beijing, which grew much faster and larger than the rest. China has not said why Xi will miss the summit, a first since he became president in 2012. 'I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi's absence,' said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank. 'The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,' said Hass. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin. So too will Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel. Hass said that Putin's non-attendance and the fact that India's prime minister will be a guest of honour in Brazil could also be factors in Xi's absence. 'Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,' who will receive a state lunch, he said. 'I expect Xi's decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.' Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage. In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a Brics summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year. Lula is expected to run again for an unprecedented fourth term in office. Cautious tone For Brics leaders who do make the trip to the 'cidade maravilhosa', the marvellous city, the economy will be top of the agenda. Lula on Friday defended the idea of finding an alternative to the US dollar for trade among Brics nations. 'I know it is complicated. There are political problems,' Lula said at a Brics banking event. 'But if we do not find a new formula, we are going to finish the 21st century the way we started the 20th.' But with many, including China, locked in difficult trade negotiations with the United States, they may be wary of roiling the mercurial US president. US President Donald Trump has warned that starting on Friday, countries will receive letters stating the amount their exports to the United States will be tariffed. He has also threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs on countries that challenge the US dollar's international dominance. 'We are anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,' Marta Fernandez, director of the Brics Policy Center at Rio's Pontifical Catholic University, said. This is particularly the case for China, she said: 'This doesn't seem to be the right time to provoke further friction' between the world's two leading economies. On a range of other issues, from the Middle East to climate, Brics members will have to overcome deep-seated differences. Consensus-building difficult Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. Analysts say that it has given the grouping more potential international punch. The Brics now represent nearly half of the world's population and 40 per cent of its GDP. But it has also opened many new fault lines, not least over how strongly to challenge the United States. This expansion 'makes it all the more difficult to build a strong consensus,' said Fernandez. Brics members did not issue a strong statement on the Iran-Israel conflict and subsequent US military strikes due to their 'diverging' interests, according to Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. Brazil, nevertheless, hopes that countries can take a common stand at the summit, including on the most sensitive issues. 'Brics (countries), throughout their history, have managed to speak with one voice on major international issues, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case this time on the subject of the Middle East,' Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said. Artificial intelligence and global governance reform will also be on the menu. AFP
United News of India
17-06-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Left G7 summit early not because of Iran, but something much bigger: Trump
Calgary, June 17 (UNI) US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he left the G7 summit early not to work on a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, but for something "much bigger than that." Late on Monday, White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump will leave the G7 Summit in Canada earlier than it was scheduled because of the situation in the Middle East. Trump, in turn, ordered the US National Security Council to be ready to meet in the White House Situation Room upon his return to Washington. Reuters later reported that French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that the United States had offered to help achieve a ceasefire. "Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a "ceasefire" between Israel and Iran. Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a ceasefire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay tuned!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. UNI SPUTNIK ARN
Al Manar
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
US' Ortagus to Leave Post, Zionist Media Says 'Not Good News for Israel'
Morgan Ortagus, the deputy to US envoy Steve Witkoff and the official overseeing the Trump administration's Lebanon portfolio, will reportedly leave her position soon, Israeli media reported on Sunday. Israeli Channel 14 reported the move, describing her departure as 'not good news for Israel,' citing her support for efforts in pushing for the so-called disarmament of Hezbollah. According to the Israeli channel, the changes form part of a wider shake-up initiated by President Donald Trump to reduce the US National Security Council's (NSC) influence and centralize foreign policy control. Israeli journalist Tamir Morag, Channel 14's diplomatic correspondent, elaborated on the significance of these changes in a statement on X. 'Morgan Ortagus, deputy to Steve Witkoff and the official in charge of the 'Lebanon file' in the administration, will soon be leaving her position,' he wrote. 'This is not good news for Israel – Ortagus was very pro-Israel and worked quite assertively to promote the disarmament of Hezbollah.' Meanwhile, investigative journalist Laura Loomer also reported that Ortagus will step down and that her replacement will be announced this week, citing White House sources. 'I'm told she will be cordially reassigned to another role in the Trump administration. She wanted to be the Special Envoy to Syria, but the position was instead given to Tom Barrack,' Loomer noted. Ortagus visited Lebanon twice earlier this year. She was known for her provocative remarks against Lebanon, including a statement thanking 'Israel' for what she described as the 'defeat of Hezbollah' during a trip to Lebanon, failing to mention the hundreds of Lebanese civilians martyred and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Business Recorder
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Iran to send Russia launchers for short-range missiles
WASHINGTON/LONDON: Iran is preparing to deliver in the near future launchers for short-range ballistic missiles that the US said Tehran sent to Russia last year for use against Ukraine, according to two Western security officials and a regional official. Iran denied it had such plans and dismissed the idea as 'utterly absurd'. The delivery of the Fath-360 launchers - if it occurs - would help support Russia's grinding assault on its neighbor and reaffirm the deepening security ties between Moscow and Tehran. With a 75-mile (120-km) range, the Fath-360 would give Moscow's forces a new weapon to fire at Ukrainian frontline troops, nearby military targets, and population centers close to the border with Russia, analysts said. The US last September said that Iran delivered the missiles to Russia on nine Russian-flagged ships - which it sanctioned - and three sources told Reuters at that time that the launchers were not included. The Western security officials and the regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the delivery of the Fath-360 launchers was imminent. They declined to provide further details of the pending transfer, including why they thought the launchers were not delivered with the missiles. Iran's permanent mission to the United States dismissed what it called 'baseless allegations' against Tehran. 'So long as conflict persists between the parties, Iran will abstain from rendering any form of military assistance to either side,' it said in an emailed statement. Russia's defense ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The US National Security Council referred inquiries to the State Department, which did not respond immediately. The CIA declined comment. Russia and Iran have previously denied that Tehran had shipped the missiles or any other arms to aid the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that Moscow launched in February 2022. US, Ukrainian and European officials say Iran has provided Russia thousands of drones and artillery shells. In an apparent reference to the Fath-360s, US Army General Christopher Cavoli, the commander of US Central Command, last month told US lawmakers that Iran had donated to Russia more than 400 short-range ballistic missiles. There have been no public reports of Iran transferring any other kinds of short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow or of Russian forces using the Fath-360. Russia's deployment of the missiles could complicate US President Donald Trump's efforts to arrange a ceasefire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and to strike a separate deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program. The regional official said that the indirect US-Iran nuclear talks mediated by Oman are among 'several reasons' for the delayed delivery of the launchers. The talks have encountered turbulence, although Iran on Friday said it agreed to hold a fourth round in Oman on Sunday. Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said that Iranian officials would consider the issue of sending arms to Russia as separate from the nuclear talks. 'That the Iranians are negotiating on nuclear issues with the US will not be seen as connected to what they might do in collaboration with the Russians,' he said. Analysts said there could have been another complication: Iran had to modify European-made commercial trucks on which to mount the launchers for its own Fath-360 arsenal, and it may have had to do the same for Russia given its massive losses of vehicles in Ukraine. With the launchers, Russia will be able to increase pressure on Ukraine, said the experts. 'It would be much easier (for Russian forces) to launch a strike much faster ... against high-value targets,' said Fabian Hinz, a research fellow with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. 'They (Fath-360s) don't need a lot of launch preparations. Their flight time is incredibly short.' Deploying the Fath-360 could allow Russia to reserve its more advanced missiles, like the Iskander, for longer-range strikes at critical infrastructure, including the power grid, straining Ukraine's precious missile defenses, the analysts said. The Fath-360 'is designed to be handled and operated by people with relatively little training,' said Ralph Savelsberg, an associate professor at the Netherlands Defense Academy. 'Why would they (Russia) buy inferior Iranian missiles? The only reason I could think of is that they cannot produce a sufficient number of their own missiles,' he said. 'They're not super accurate and they don't carry a very large payload. But it just adds to Ukraine's headaches.'
