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US Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump once asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China wanted to buy American weapons amid concerns over US arms sales to Taiwan.

Trump offered to sell arms to Xi: US ambassador to Fox News

US Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Donald Trump once asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China wanted to buy American weapons amid concerns over US arms sales to Taiwan.

US President Donald Trump offered to sell arms to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in response to concern over weapons sales to Taiwan, the US ambassador to China said in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday.
US arms sales to the self-ruled island, which China claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force, have long been a thorny issue between Washington and Beijing.
The United States is required by law to supply Taiwan, which has a democratically elected president and legislature, with weapons for its defense.
US Ambassador to China David Perdue said the issue was raised again when Xi visited the United States last week.
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.' He actually asked President Xi -- would he like to buy some? -- at one point," Perdue said in the interview.
"There are continuing conversations about other sales, (Trump) and President Xi talk about that every time they get together," Perdue said, adding that the US position has not changed.
The White House did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
White House officials said that the US had no plans to sell arms to China, according to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
The US State Department said in a statement to the New York Times that "US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."
The Chinese foreign ministry did not directly answer when asked about the comments on Monday, but said China has "always strengthened its national defense capabilities based on its own needs, and remains committed to maintaining world peace and stability."
Beijing warned Taiwan in June that seeking independence "by relying on the United States or through military means is a dead end."
Washington approved a $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December, which Perdue said was a sale of "more arms to Taiwan than any other president since 1979."
The US paused a $14 billion weapons purchase by Taiwan in May, with Trump calling it a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China, raising fears that Taiwan's security could be traded away.
During his Washington trip, Xi repeated his warning that Trump should show "prudence" over Taiwan, and went further to urge the United States to oppose Taiwan independence explicitly.
Both leaders confirmed they would meet again at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November and the G20 forum at Trump's Doral resort in Miami in December.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House after a judge ruled their press access ban likely violated constitutional due process rights.

CNN, MS NOW, Politico allowed back in White House after judge's order

CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House after a judge ruled their press access ban likely violated constitutional due process rights.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back into the White House on Thursday, six days after being banned by President Donald Trump, following a federal judge's order that the journalists have their access restored.
District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled overnight that revoking the White House press credentials of the three media outlets "likely violated their constitutional due process rights."
Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico who attempted to return to the White House early Thursday ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping were initially turned away by the Secret Service but were allowed in later around midday.
Journalists from other outlets surrounded CNN's tent on the White House driveway and filmed reporter Betsy Klein as she reported live following her return. "Welcome back," several journalists said.
In his ruling, Kelly took issue with how the White House went about expelling the three news organizations.
"The 'general rule' is that 'individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them' of a constitutionally protected interest," the judge said.
Despite regaining access to the complex earlier in the day, CNN reported later Thursday that the White House had "denied two CNN journalists from covering Chinese leader Xi Jinping's arrival back at the White House for a state dinner."
The cable network reported that MS NOW journalists were also denied access to the arrival.
Trump has long attacked media that have aired critical coverage of him, repeatedly blasting the press as the "enemy of the people."
The Republican president barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on Friday for distributing what he called "fake news" and "fiction and lies."
They filed a joint lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order against the ban on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds the right to a free press.
Ahead of the ruling, the Department of Justice had argued that Trump can "control reporters' access to restricted presidential areas, such as the Oval Office."
"Access to the White House is a privilege -- not a right," it said.
 - National security? -
The White House Press Office accused CNN in a letter to the cable news outlet of "trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information," with similar accusations leveled against MS NOW and Politico.
The letter to CNN cited several stories about the US-Iran war and a story on Trump's plans to build a military bunker below the planned East Wing ballroom which allegedly "disclosed 'top-secret' construction details."
Kelly, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, appeared unconvinced.
"The Court is skeptical -- at least on this record -- that Defendants' interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation for, or is even advanced by, the revocation of Plaintiffs' hard passes," the judge said.
In a rare move, the top five US broadcasters said that they were halting pool coverage of the White House -- where a broadcaster films on behalf of all television outlets for the day -- in solidarity with CNN.
"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said.

Donald Trump hosted Xi Jinping at a White House state dinner attended by top tech leaders, as trade, AI, Taiwan and Iran remained key issues.

Trump hosts Xi Jinping for state dinner as pomp masks tensions

Donald Trump hosted Xi Jinping at a White House state dinner attended by top tech leaders, as trade, AI, Taiwan and Iran remained key issues.

US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a lavish state dinner at the White House on Thursday, after a day of pomp and ceremony that masked deep tensions between the rival superpowers.
Numerous US tech titans attended the banquet, including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Sam Altman of OpenAI, underscoring that trade and artificial intelligence were high on the agenda for Xi's visit.
Protesters gathered outside the White House as Trump and his wife Melania welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan for dinner, chanting slogans including "Xi Jinping is not welcome" and "Free Hong Kong," AFP reporters witnessed.
Earlier in the day, Trump proclaimed that he and Xi had made "tremendous strides" as he laid on pageantry including a military parade, a flyover and a tour of his new White House helipad.
"President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure," Trump said at the dinner.
But Xi took a more restrained tone, calling for China and the United States to "coexist in peace" even as he laid down Beijing's red lines on AI, Taiwan and the Iran war.
He continued the theme in his dinner remarks, saying: "China and the United States must act as responsible major countries."
 - Bald eagle statue -
Trump presented Xi with a gift of a custom-made statue of a bald eagle -- the national symbol of the United States. Guests dined on yellow squash veloute, sesame crusted sea bass, and vanilla cremeux with White House honey ice cream.
The 80-year-old US president invited guests to tour the building site of his new $400 million ballroom after the dinner, saying: "In honor of you, you'll be the first people to step foot on that."
While business was on the menu at the state dinner, expectations of any major breakthroughs from Xi's visit are low.
One minor success -- the extension of a trade truce by two months until January -- was less than the two years that the Chinese had been hoping for.
Instead, the visit was more about spectacle than substance, with the pomp helping to smooth over the tensions that divide the world's two top economies.
A formal welcome on the White House South Lawn launched Thursday's events, before Trump and Xi inspected a military parade on the newly paved-over Rose Garden.
American military jets -- including a B-2 bomber of the type that bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last year -- then staged a flyover as US and Chinese flags flew over the West Wing.
As they began talks in the Oval Office, Trump joked that the Chinese had the friendliest press corps.
His comment came days after he barred outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House -- although they returned on Thursday after a court order.
 - 'Great meeting' -
Trump later walked Xi out to see the new helipad he has built at the White House, and took the Chinese leader aboard his Marine One helicopter.
"We had a great meeting," Trump said, as the pair ignored questions on subjects including Iran, Taiwan, fentanyl trafficking and jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai.
But Xi's comments were often pointed.
In his arrival remarks he said the two countries must ensure there is "no conflict and no confrontation" and said that AI must remain "always under human control."
Trump has in contrast played down warnings that AI could threaten humanity.
Later in the Oval, Xi urged Trump to show "prudence" and oppose independence for the flashpoint of Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims.
The Chinese leader -- whose country has reportedly shared intelligence with Tehran -- also urged Trump to end the Iran war "through negotiation as soon as possible."
Xi's visit wraps up on Friday as the presidential couples pay a visit to the US National Archives, home to the Declaration of Independence, which marks its 250th anniversary this year.

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico after their reporters were barred over alleged false reporting.

US judge blocks White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico after their reporters were barred over alleged false reporting.

The Trump administration must immediately reinstate White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, a US federal judge ordered Thursday, after their reporters were banned from the premises.
President Donald Trump has long attacked media outlets that have aired critical coverage of his campaigns and administrations, repeatedly blasting the press as the "enemy of the people."
The three outlets were barred from the White House by the billionaire former reality TV star on Friday as punishment for distributing what he branded "fake news" and "fiction and lies."
Theodore Boutrous, who is representing the media outlets, told AFP on Thursday that "this is a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law. We greatly appreciate the court's swift action."
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a joint lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order against the ban on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds the right to a free press.
Judge Timothy Kelly found that the revocation of press passes "likely violated their constitutional due process rights," according to the eight-page ruling issued Thursday.
"The 'general rule' is that 'individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them' of a constitutionally protected interest," Kelly wrote.
The judge said that press credentials held by employees of the three outlets will be reinstated "until further Order of the Court or the expiration of this Temporary Restraining Order", which is to remain in effect for 14 days.
Kelly added that the order cannot be immediately appealed.
AFP has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.
Ahead of the ruling, the Department of Justice had argued Trump can "control reporters' access to restricted presidential areas, such as the Oval Office."
"Access to the White House is a privilege -- not a right," it said.
&nbsp;
- 'National security' -
The White House Press Office accused CNN in a letter to the cable news outlet of "trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information," with similar accusations leveled against MS NOW and Politico.
The letter to CNN cited several stories about the US-Iran war and a story on Trump's plans to build a military bunker below the planned East Wing ballroom which allegedly "disclosed 'top-secret' construction details."
Boutrous told the judge on Wednesday that in Trump's Truth Social post announcing the bans, the president "didn't say anything about national security."
The lawyer argued that being punished for reporting on national security issues "that the government would rather have not be reported on is just contrary to First Amendment principles."
Kelly said the stories identified in letters to the outlets were "routine".
"The Court is skeptical -- at least on this record -- that Defendants' interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation for, or is even advanced by, the revocation of Plaintiffs' hard passes," Kelly said, referring to the White House press credentials.
Journalists for the three news organizations were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday and had their passes confiscated, in the latest flare-up of the 80-year-old Republican president's assault on mainstream US media.
&nbsp;
- 'Shouldn't be here' -
In a previous case involving CNN during Trump's first term, Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to temporarily restore access for a CNN reporter whose pass had been revoked.
In a rare move, the top five US broadcasters said Monday that they were halting pool coverage of the White House -- where a broadcaster films on behalf of all television outlets for the day -- in solidarity with CNN.
"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said.
The White House Correspondents' Association and nearly 50 news organizations also filed a brief with the court calling for the bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico to be reversed.
Trump appeared to suggest on Tuesday that CNN should not be covering him outside of the White House either.
"I'm surprised that CNN is here covering me. You shouldn't be here," Trump told a reporter at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The White House launched a streaming channel, Trump TV, on Monday which it said would show "top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time."
The ban came at a time when Trump's approval ratings are at record lows, his Republican Party risks losing control of Congress in November's midterm elections, and the Middle East conflict drags on with no end in sight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met briefly on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, marking their first in-person interaction in nearly 18 months.

G7 summit: PM Modi holds brief conversation with US President Trump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met briefly on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, marking their first in-person interaction in nearly 18 months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump exchanged pleasantries and held a brief conversation on Tuesday at a gathering of G7 leaders, marking their first in-person encounter in 16 months amid continuing strain in bilateral ties.
In Evian-les-Bains, the site of this year's G7 summit of the powerful grouping, Modi and Trump shared a warm handshake followed by a short conversation.
A full bilateral sit-down is slated for Wednesday on the sidelines of the gathering.
While details of their brief exchange were not known, the encounter sets the stage for their high-stakes talks.
Following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India last month, the two sides are now looking at rebuilding the bilateral ties.
The relations witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.
Over the next few months, the US president repeatedly and publicly claimed that he had resolved the military conflict between the two neighbours and saved millions of lives as it was heading toward a full-scale war.
New Delhi stoutly maintained that the cessation of the hostilities was a result of talks between India and Pakistan, and the US involvement had nothing to do with it.
Washington's new immigration policy and its decision to increase the H1B visa fee also contributed to the slide in India-US ties.
However, both sides made efforts in the last few months to repair the ties and even moved forward to firm up a mutually beneficial trade deal soon.
Last week, the relations came under fresh strain after three Indian sailors were killed following the US military's attacks on three merchant vessels off the coast of Oman.
Three Indians from one of the vessels were killed in the strikes following which New Delhi summoned the US charge d'affaires Jason Meeks and told him that the American military's "lethal and deadly" strikes on commercial vessels with Indian crew members is "unacceptable".
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also raised the issue with Rubio.
The US Central Command said it initiated action to disable three vessels, Marivex on June 8, Settebello on June 9 and MT Jalveer on June 11, saying they were trying to violate the US blockade of Iranian ports.
The Modi-Trump encounter was their first since the prime minister travelled to Washington DC in February last year to meet the US President.
In their meeting on Wednesday, the two leaders are expected to take stock of the entire gamut of bilateral ties, including the ongoing negotiations for the bilateral trade deal and steps being taken to boost defence cooperation.
The trade pact is expected to be an important step towards a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, as envisaged during PM Modi's visit to Washington DC in February last year.
Modi and Trump may also exchange views on pressing global challenges, including the West Asia crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Rubio, during his meeting with the prime minister last month, had invited him on behalf of Trump to visit the White House in the "near future".
The top American diplomat described India as the "cornerstone" of Washington's approach towards the Indo-Pacific.
Modi has travelled to France for the G7 summit as India was invited as a guest country to the summit.
The Group of 7 (G7) brings together seven of the world's most advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is also a member of the bloc.
The G7 serves as the forum of choice for its members to discuss and coordinate action in response to major economic, financial and geopolitical challenges on the global stage.

US President Donald Trump arrived at the G7 summit in France after announcing an agreement aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The deal is expected to dominate discussions with world leaders.

Trump arrives at G7 summit looking for momentum after announcing a deal to end Iran war

US President Donald Trump arrived at the G7 summit in France after announcing an agreement aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The deal is expected to dominate discussions with world leaders.

President Donald Trump arrived in the French Alps on Monday to meet with fellow world leaders at the Group of Seven summit after announcing an agreement he says will bring an end to the US war with Iran.
Trump and Iranian officials had been saying for days they were making progress toward reaching a deal, but even on Sunday, things appeared to be on shaky ground after a new round of strikes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
With the agreement, the Republican US president arrived in Evian-les-Bains on Monday with the wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some who've been sharply critical of his managing of the 15-week-old conflict, which has led to a surge in global energy prices.
Polls show American voters largely disapprove of the conflict, which has made some Republicans nervous about the political impacts it could have on November's midterm election.
&ldquo;Ships of the World, start your engines," Trump said in a social media post celebrating the deal that he said would lead to the US ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 per cent of the world's crude had flowed before the conflict.
&ldquo;Let the oil flow!&rdquo;
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, however, said the Iranian closure of the strait would continue until the agreement is signed.
Neither the White House nor Iran published the final agreement or revealed many details.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country served as a mediator in the negotiations, said there would be &ldquo;pre-implementation discussions&rdquo; this week to lay the ground for 60 days of technical talks on Iran's nuclear program.
Vice President JD Vance told CNBC on Monday that the White House hopes to release the text of the agreement in the coming days.
Deal could change G7 dynamic
Sealing an agreement before jetting off to the summit could change the dynamic of the gathering for Trump.
He's had friction with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed back on the four European leaders &mdash; members of the NATO military alliance &mdash; for their lack of support for the US in the conflict.
Trump is expected to discuss with leaders the demining of the Strait of Hormuz, the White House says.
Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with the demining once the conflict is paused.
Fear of potential mines is among the reasons tanker traffic has come to a halt during the war, and quickly clearing them will be crucial to regaining the confidence of commercial vessels.
Macron on Monday said France was ready to move &ldquo;very quickly&rdquo; to deploy assets, including mine-clearing vessels, to the region to help.
He added that a French aircraft carrier and an accompanying strike group are already in the region and would be ready to assist within days of the US and Iran signing the agreement.
Macron, the summit's host, invited the leaders of three nations that aren't part of the G7 &mdash; Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates &mdash; to take part in a session on the Middle East on Tuesday, when Iran is expected to be a central focus.
The leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada issued a joint statement welcoming the agreement as a &ldquo;moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilize the global economy.&rdquo;
In a separate development, Trump, ahead of departing for the summit, told the New York Post he's warned Macron the US will &ldquo;have no choice&rdquo; but to slap 100 per cent tariffs on French wines unless Paris eliminates its digital tax on American tech companies, renewing a long-running threat from him that dates to his first administration.
Wines and spirits exported to the US from the European Union currently face a 15 per cent tariff.
In an interview with broadcaster TF1, Macron said Monday that it's not &ldquo;for the United States to decide what European or French law should be.&rdquo;
Trump is scheduled to meet with Macron later Monday.
Following their meeting, Macron and Trump will join the other leaders for a working dinner.
Trump faces questions about financial incentives for Tehran
Trump had fiercely criticized President Barack Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement, which Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions of dollars into the Islamic Republic's coffers.
In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union were also signatories to the pact.
Trump in an interview on Sunday with The New York Times pushed back on comparisons to the Obama-era nuclear deal.
&ldquo;We negotiated from strength,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;He was basically paying them off.&rdquo;
But Trump hasn't detailed how his agreement will address some key issues about Iran's nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is complying with the agreement and who will destroy or remove 972 pounds (441 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by US strikes last summer.
The deal is also expected to include some sanctions relief and economic incentives for Tehran as it meets certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White House concerns, senior administration officials said ahead of the two sides reaching an agreement.
Some Democrats and hawkish critics say Trump has failed to explain how the financial relief in his agreement will differ from what Obama did in the 2015 nuclear deal.
&ldquo;For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were all signatories,&rdquo; Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS' &ldquo;Face the Nation&rdquo; on Sunday.
&ldquo;Now it is America going alone or going with Israel only, and that does not make us safer.&rdquo;
Republican Sen Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk, expressed skepticism, saying that Congress will need to review and vote on any nuclear deal with Iran, and said he expects Vance &mdash; &ldquo;the architect of the deal&rdquo; &mdash; to present it.
&ldquo;I am somewhat concerned that Iran's view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,&rdquo; Graham said on social media.

US President Donald Trump warned of powerful strikes against Iran and threatened control over its oil infrastructure as military exchanges between the two countries intensified across the Middle East.

Trump says US will hit Iran 'very hard,' threatens to take 'total control' of its oil industry

US President Donald Trump warned of powerful strikes against Iran and threatened control over its oil infrastructure as military exchanges between the two countries intensified across the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to launch major strikes on Iran and seize control of its oil and gas industries as continuing attacks between the warring countries pushed the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.
Trump said in a social media post that the US would hit Iran &ldquo;VERY HARD TONIGHT&rdquo; and would &ldquo;assume total control&rdquo; of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island oil terminal, in the &ldquo;not too distant future.&rdquo; Trump compared his plans for Iran to how the US assumed control of Venezuela's oil sector after capturing then-president Nicol&aacute;s Maduro in January.
The post come after the US and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day. The American attack, which lasted into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared more intense and widespread than the day before.
Iran released little information on the extent of the damage and said it fired back at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it had a day before.
Trump's threats on Thursday, while stark, represented his latest verbal escalation in the Iran war. In April, he warned Iran that &ldquo;a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again&rdquo; if it didn't agree to his terms, before extending a ceasefire in the war.
Kharg Island &mdash; located on the other side of the Persian Gulf from US bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia &mdash; is the beating heart of Iran's oil industry, through which 90 per cent of its exports pass. It is important because Iran's coastline is mostly too shallow for tanker ships to dock.
American troops would be vulnerable on Kharg Island because of its close proximity &mdash; about 33 kilometres (21 miles) &mdash; to the Iranian mainland, from which missiles, drones and artillery could be fired.
US military fires on another merchant ship trying to run blockade
The US military continued to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, saying Thursday it fired missiles to disable a tanker attempting to transport Iranian oil. An Indian official said a US strike on a different merchant ship earlier this week killed three Indian sailors.
It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the US and Iran, which hit countries in the region that host American bases.
The new exchange of fire came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war appeared stuck, with US President Donald Trump warning that Tehran would &ldquo;pay the price&rdquo; for stalled negotiations. Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the US attacks had &ldquo;effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,&rdquo; without saying it was abandoning it.
Central to the negotiations is Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.
Iran announced Thursday that the strait was closed &mdash; but it was unclear what that meant since it has severely restricted traffic through the waterway since early in the war and only a trickle of ships have gotten through. The US military's Central Command disputed the claim &mdash; and Trump said Wednesday that the US has undertaken a secret mission in recent weeks to sneak ships through the passage.
The two sides also remain at odds over Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the US and Israel fear could be used to build an atomic weapon due to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The US and Israel said a major reason they went to war on February 28 was to ensure that Iran would never be able to do that.
Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting in Lebanon between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group.
US strikes Iran and Iran fires back at Gulf states
Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes came &ldquo;in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression&rdquo; and targeted &ldquo;Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defence sites.&rdquo;
It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran.
Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran's capital, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran.
Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the attack, but did not elaborate on any damage.
Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area that is home to a base hosting US troops, though no one was hurt.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl was hurt and cars and homes were damaged by debris from interceptions responding to the Iranian attack.
Meanwhile, Israel warned residents in the country's north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group.
Trump says the US is sneaking oil through the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz has proved a strong bargaining chip since the narrow waterway's effective closure has severely disrupted the global economy.
Trump said Wednesday that the US military has undertaken a mission since last month to sneak oil shipments past Iran's forces in the strait, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.
Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran's chokehold.
There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which equals roughly five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.
But the seas remain dangerous for mariners.
The US military's Central Command said Thursday that it struck a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker attempting to evade the American blockade with a shipment of Iranian oil.
It said Hellfire missiles were launched to disable the M/T Jalveer late Wednesday after the ship's crew failed to obey US orders.
It's the ninth merchant vessel the US military says it has disabled since imposing the blockade in mid-April in waters off Iran.
Two of those ships came under US fire earlier this week.

US President Donald Trump warned of destroying Iran’s oil infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached, escalating tensions that have already pushed global oil prices higher amid fears of wider conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption.

Trump threatens to destroy Iran oil island despite price surge

US President Donald Trump warned of destroying Iran&rsquo;s oil infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached, escalating tensions that have already pushed global oil prices higher amid fears of wider conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption.

US President Donald Trump pushed concerns about surging world prices aside Monday and threatened to destroy Iran's oil wells, power plants and main export terminal if Tehran does not quickly accept a peace deal.
An earlier Trump comment warning of a possible assault by US ground troops to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil facilities had already sent prices higher, but the US leader then doubled down in a combative social media post.
Trump expressed confidence that a negotiated settlement would soon be reached but warned that if it was not -- or if Iran continued to block the Strait of Hormuz to most sea traffic -- US forces would "blow up" Kharg Island and all of Iran's oil wells and electricity generation.
Iran has previously threatened that if its key economic sites face further US and Israeli strikes it will target the energy infrastructure of its oil and gas-rich Arab neighbours on the Gulf, and the month-old war has already inflicted havoc on the global economy and plunged markets into turmoil.
Market experts warned that any US ground operation or wider Iranian retaliation could send oil prices to levels not seen since the July 2008 commodity boom, when the cost of world benchmark crude Brent hit close to $150 per barrel -- and could rise far more.
Brent has already risen in price by nearly 60 percent this month, and the US benchmark WTI by more than half.
"If the US were to launch a ground invasion of Iran, possibly taking the Kharg Island, or if Tehran were to intensify retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure or fully close the Strait, projections of $200 (a barrel) oil will not be an otherworldly supposition anymore," analyst Tamas Varga of PVM Energy said.
As Israel pressed its offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in south Lebanon -- hitting, an official told AFP, an army checkpoint and killing a Lebanese soldier -- Indonesia confirmed on Monday that one of its peacekeepers was killed after the UN force said a projectile hit one of its positions.
Separately, the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed on Sunday in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing to six the number of troops killed since fighting with Hezbollah began this month.
 - Diplomatic efforts -
On the ground there appeared to be no let-up in hostilities. Israel said its air defence batteries responded to "missiles launched from Iran", after earlier announcing it was striking "terror regime military infrastructure across Tehran".
Israel confirmed that in recent days it had hit the Imam Hossein University in Tehran, which it says is used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for advanced weapons research. Tehran has warned it could strike US universities across the Middle East.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistan -- acting as a go-between for Washington and Tehran -- hosted foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Sunday for talks on the crisis.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said they had discussed how to "bring an early and permanent end to the war."
He said Iran and the United States had expressed "confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks" and that he had spoken to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other foreign ministers who also backed the idea.
Nevertheless, the speaker of Iran's parliament accused Washington of using diplomacy as a smoke screen.
Despite making diplomatic overtures, including proposing a 15-point plan to end the war, the United States has also been sending more military assets into the region, including an amphibious assault ship carrying 3,500 Marines.
 - Sleepless nights -
The weeks of strikes have also taken a heavy toll on ordinary people in Iran.
"I miss a peaceful night's sleep," an artist in Tehran told AFP, saying night-time strikes were "so intense it felt like all of Tehran was shaking".
The war has escalated into a regional conflagration as Tehran retaliates with attacks on Gulf states and virtually seals the critical Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane.
Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously accounted for a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade and a fifth of liquefied natural gas shipments, to vessels from hostile nations.

Donald Trump warns Iran to engage in talks as Israel claims killing of a key IRGC naval commander, while Pakistan confirms facilitating indirect US-Iran negotiations amid rising Middle East tensions.

Trump says Iran 'better get serious' in Mideast war talks

Donald Trump warns Iran to engage in talks as Israel claims killing of a key IRGC naval commander, while Pakistan confirms facilitating indirect US-Iran negotiations amid rising Middle East tensions.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday to engage in talks to end the Middle East war "before it is too late", after Tehran publicly spurned US overtures to resolve the nearly four-week conflict.
Trump's warning came as Israel said it had killed the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy, calling him "directly responsible" for throttling the Strait of Hormuz since the war's outbreak.
Hopes for a negotiated end to the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has engulfed much of the region, rose after Washington was said to have put a peace plan to Tehran, only for the Islamic republic to deny the sides were speaking.
But Pakistan confirmed Thursday it was indeed facilitating "US-Iran indirect talks" by relaying messages -- and that a 15-point American plan was being "deliberated upon" by Tehran.
"They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty!" Trump warned on social media, saying Iran had been "militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback".
Iran's foreign minister flatly denied Wednesday that "negotiations" had been engaged with Trump's administration -- but did concede messages were being exchanged through "friendly countries".
"We seek an end to the war on our own terms," Abbas Araghchi said on state TV.
Islamabad has been touted as a go-between, given its longstanding ties with both neighbouring Iran and the United States, as well as its network of regional contacts.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said "brotherly countries" Turkey, Egypt and others, were also supporting the process -- while the Gulf Cooperation Council said it wanted to be involved in any talks.
 - Conflict spreads east -
Under near-daily bombardment since February 28, Iran was hit by a new wave of Israeli strikes Thursday -- one of which Israel said had "blown up and eliminated" the Guards' naval commander, Alireza Tangsiri, and several senior officers.
Defence Minister Israel Katz blamed Tangsiri for throttling the vital Hormuz shipping lane -- which Iran is blocking to all but "non-hostile" vessels, with Malaysia for instance saying its tankers were being allowed passage.
Elsewhere, the Israeli army was conducting what it called "wide-scale" strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure.
Local media reported attacks in the central cities of Isfahan and Shiraz, in Bandar Abbas in the south and Tabriz in the northwest -- but also Mashhad and Birjand, towards the Afghan border in an area largely spared until now.
Off the coast from Bandar Abbas on Qeshm -- the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf -- one local resident told AFP via Telegram he hoped the site would not be taken over by the military.
"The suffering of people, the poverty, and the political oppression have been getting worse every year," said 42-year-old Sadeq.
"I don't think war is the solution to these conditions, but ending it won't change much for us either," he said. "Our bigger war is with the Islamic republic."
Iran, in turn, kept up retaliatory attacks on several parts of Israel, where falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles wounded seven people.
And fresh violence flared in the Gulf, with two killed by debris from an Iranian ballistic missile intercepted near Abu Dhabi, and drones fired at both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
 - 'Top person'? -
Iran has targeted Gulf nations it accuses of serving as launchpads for US strikes, including hits on energy sites and other civilian infrastructure that threaten lasting damage to the world economy.
Crude prices had fallen since last week, but the wavering messages on talks saw oil prices jump again Thursday with equities mixed.
Trump has accused Tehran officials of covering up ongoing talks for fear of becoming assassination targets, following the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The White House has declined to identify the "top person" it is speaking with in Iran -- beyond saying it is not the late leader's son Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to be injured and has not been seen since succeeding his father.
 - No Lebanon 'surrender' -
To avenge Khamenei's killing, pro-Iran Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2, drawing Lebanon into the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had "created a genuine security zone" in southern Lebanon, where an Israeli soldier was killed Thursday.
Hezbollah meanwhile launched a new volley of missiles at military sites in central Israel, after its chief Naim Qassem said negotiations with Israel would amount to "surrender".

President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran held “productive conversations” towards ending the three-week Middle East conflict, pausing threatened strikes on Iranian power plants, while oil prices tumbled and global tensions continued.

Trump announces 'very good' US-Iran talks, halts strikes on power plants; Iran denies any negotiations

President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran held &ldquo;productive conversations&rdquo; towards ending the three-week Middle East conflict, pausing threatened strikes on Iranian power plants, while oil prices tumbled and global tensions continued.

President Donald Trump said Monday the United States and Iran had held "very good" talks towards ending the three-week Middle East war, putting threatened US attacks on Iran's power plants on hold in a stunning about-turn.
In a social media post that immediately sent oil prices tumbling, Trump said Washington and Tehran had held "productive conversations" over the last two days towards "a complete and total resolution" of hostilities in the Middle East.
In Iran, media outlets quoted the foreign ministry denying any such talks and suggesting Trump was angling to bring down energy prices sent soaring by the war -- with no mention of his claim on state television's latest news bulletin.
But Trump asserted he had told the Pentagon, on the basis of talks to date, to "postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings."
He said the US-Iranian sides would keep talking "throughout the week."
The bombshell announcement came ahead of a Monday night ultimatum for the Islamic republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane -- or see Trump "obliterate" its power plants.
In response, Iran had threatened to deploy naval mines in the Gulf and target power plants across the region -- ramping up its rhetoric after warnings the world faced an energy crisis of historic proportions if the US-Israeli war with Iran drags on.
 - Strikes -
Tehran has retaliated against US-Israeli attacks by throttling traffic through Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of global crude, hitting energy sites and US embassies across the Gulf as well as targets in Israel.
Israel hit Tehran with fresh strikes on Monday, with the latest wave reported by the military minutes after Trump's announcement.
The head of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol warned overnight that, in the event of a protracted war, daily oil losses put the world on track for a crisis worse than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Oil prices have been driven above $100 a barrel by the conflict -- and they tumbled sharply after Trump's announcement, while and European stocks rebounded.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude plunged more than 14 percent to $96.00 per barrel, while the main US oil contract West Texas Intermediate shed more than 14 percent to $84.37 per barrel.
Sign of the conflict's tentacular impact, the world's second economy China had said earlier Monday it was capping domestic fuel cost increases to mitigate the effect of surging oil prices.
 - Lebanon ground campaign -
Weighing in before Trump's post, China's foreign ministry had warned of an "uncontrollable situation" should the war expand further.
Key Iran ally Russia meanwhile called after Trump's announcement for an "immediate cessation of hostilities".
In a call with Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, Russia's Sergei Lavrov called for "a political settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of all parties involved, above all Iran," the Russian foreign ministry said.
The US president had offered varying timelines and objectives for the war, saying Friday he was considering "winding down" the operation -- only to later threaten Iran's power plants, of which it has more than 90.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has yet to comment on Trump's announcement, has spoken of a long-term campaign against Iran's government, a state sponsor of Hamas, which launched the October 7, 2023 attack triggering the Gaza war.
In Lebanon, Israel has also expanded its ground campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah, warning of "weeks of fighting" there.
The Lebanon violence has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than a million, according to the health ministry.
On Monday Israel's military said it was working to intercept a new salvo of missiles from Iran -- while confirming its own artillery fire had killed an Israeli civilian a day earlier near the Lebanese border.
In Iran, at least 3,230 people have died in the war, including 1,406 civilians, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. AFP is not able to access the sites of strikes nor independently verify tolls in Iran.

US President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies for not assisting in securing the Strait of Hormuz, blaming them for high oil prices amid the US-Israel military actions against Iran.

Trump labels NATO allies 'cowards' over lack of military support against Iran

US President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies for not assisting in securing the Strait of Hormuz, blaming them for high oil prices amid the US-Israel military actions against Iran.

US President Donald Trump on Friday branded NATO allies "cowards" for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
Trump has recently veered between saying that Washington needs no help to secure the vital waterway for oil tankers, and then lashing out at other countries for failing to help.
"Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!" Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
"They didn't want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don't want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices.
"So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!"
The 79-year-old Republican, a long-term skeptic of the Western military alliance, has launched a series of diatribes against NATO in recent days.
On Thursday, six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan said they were ready to "contribute to appropriate efforts" to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
But they have not formally committed to any mission to work in the crucial waterway -- while other allies such as Germany and Italy have ruled out doing anything before a truce in the Middle East war.
None of the countries Trump has called on to help was consulted before the US-Israeli mission started.
An effective Iranian blockade has paralyzed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.
Global oil prices have spiked as a result of the war, which erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, leading Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the Gulf region.

The Trump administration has announced the end of its aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota following widespread protests, political backlash, and the killing of two US citizens.

Trump ends immigration crackdown in Minnesota

The Trump administration has announced the end of its aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota following widespread protests, political backlash, and the killing of two US citizens.

President Donald Trump's pointman on Thursday announced the end of an aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota that triggered large protests and nationwide outrage following the killing of two US citizens.
Thousands of federal agents including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted weeks of sweeping raids and arrests in what the administration claims were targeted missions against criminals.
"I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude," Trump official Tom Homan told a briefing outside Minneapolis. "A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week."
The operation sparked tense demonstrations in the Minneapolis area, and the fatal separate shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti last month led to a wave of criticism.
Homan raised the prospect that the officers would move to another location but gave no details, and speculation is rife about which city might be targeted next.
"In the next week, we're going to deploy the officers here on detail, back to their home stations or other areas of the country where they are needed. But we're going to continue to enforce immigration law," he said.
Campaigning against illegal immigration helped Trump get elected in 2024, but daily videos from Minnesota of violent masked agents, and multiple reports of people being targeted on flimsy evidence, helped send the president's approval ratings plummeting.
The case of Liam Conejo Ramos, five, who was detained on January 20, also stoked anger.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the ICE operation in his city "had been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it's time for a great comeback.
"We will show the same commitment to our immigrant residents," he added.
 - 'Unprecedented federal invasion' -
After killings of Good and Pretti, the Republican president withdrew combative Customs and Border Protection commander Gregory Bovino and replaced him with Homan who sought to engage local Democratic leaders.
Minneapolis is a Democratic-run "sanctuary" city where local police do not cooperate with federal immigration officials.
Resident and banking product manager Molly, 42, told AFP "I don't buy it."
"They pulled the same public relations (stunt) in Los Angeles," she said referring to an immigration crackdown to the Californian city last summer.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the ICE deployment in his state an "unprecedented federal invasion in all aspects of life."
"This is something I don't think any state has ever experienced," he said Thursday, adding that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the withdrawal.
Democrats have called for major reforms to ICE, including ending mobile patrols, prohibiting agents from concealing their faces and requiring warrants.
If political negotiations over ICE fail in Washington, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could face a funding shortfall starting Saturday.
On Thursday Democrats in the Senate blocked a push to fund DHS following an acrimonious four-hour hearing on the immigration crackdown.
Customs and Border Protection and ICE operations could continue using funds approved by Congress last year, but other sub-agencies such as federal disaster organization FEMA could be affected.
Homan said that some officers would stay behind in Minnesota but did not give a figure.
"The Twin Cities, Minnesota in general, are and will continue to be, much safer for the communities here because of what we have accomplished under President Trump's leadership," Homan said at the briefing on the outskirts of Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul.
He said more than 200 people had been arrested during the operation for interfering with federal officers, but gave no estimate for the number of immigration-linked arrests and deportations.
"The lasting impact of these traumas will reverberate for years, but our communities have shown how connected and resilient we are," Liz Digitale Anderson, a community organizer, told AFP.

The Ministry of External Affairs said it would take appropriate action if a reported video of US President Donald Trump’s remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi is found to be authentic.

MEA says it will take ‘appropriate action’ over Trump's viral video making remarks on PM Modi

The Ministry of External Affairs said it would take appropriate action if a reported video of US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi is found to be authentic.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday addressed media queries regarding a video in which U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said he &ldquo;doesn't want to destroy Modi's political career.&rdquo; The remarks were raised during the MEA&rsquo;s weekly press briefing.
Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that he had not viewed the video being referred to.
&ldquo;I have not seen the video. But if indeed there is such a video, whether it is true or false, we will take appropriate action on it,&rdquo; Jaiswal said when asked about the reported comments.
The clarification follows circulation of a resurfaced clip from Trump&rsquo;s press conference with the Director of the FBI. In the video, Trump is heard praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and referring to their relationship.
&ldquo;He's a great man. Modi is a great man, that he loves Trump. Now, I don't know if the word love, I don't want you to take that any different. I don't want to destroy his political career, but you have to understand, I've watched India for years. My friend has been there now for a long time,&rdquo; Trump had said in the video.
During the briefing, Jaiswal also spoke about India&rsquo;s bilateral relations with Russia, emphasizing the breadth of engagement between the two countries.
&ldquo;Russia-India have ongoing engagement and cooperation across a range of issues - from trade to people-to-people cultural interaction, defence engagement and all those ties. All those aspects of our bilateral relations will continue to grow,&rdquo; he said.
On the India-US interim trade agreement, Jaiswal addressed questions regarding amendments made in a United States factsheet outlining the framework for the deal. He clarified that the joint statement issued earlier remains the basis of understanding between the two sides.
&ldquo;As you are aware, the India-US Joint Statement on the framework for an Interim Agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade was issued on 7 February 2026. The Joint Statement is the framework and remains the basis of our mutual understanding in the matter. Both sides will now work towards implementing this framework and finalising the Interim Agreement,&rdquo; Jaiswal said.
&ldquo;The amendments in the US fact sheet reflect the shared understandings contained in the Joint Statement,&rdquo; he added.
The clarification comes amid reports pointing to revisions in the US document, which earlier appeared to differ from the statement released by the Indian side.

The US House voted 219-211 to reject President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a largely symbolic rebuke of his trade policy.

US House rejects Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods in rare rebuke

The US House voted 219-211 to reject President Donald Trump&rsquo;s tariffs on Canadian goods, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a largely symbolic rebuke of his trade policy.

US House lawmakers voted Wednesday to reject Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, sweeping aside the president's last-gasp threat of election consequences for Republicans to deliver a rare rebuke on his signature economic policy.
The measure brought by Democrats was approved 219-211, with six Republicans joining the effort.
It remains largely a symbolic move.
The House can consider measures to end the national emergencies Trump declared last year to impose sweeping tariffs on imports from various countries.
But any actions aimed at undoing Trump's tariffs on Canada and other trading partners will still need US Senate passage and the president's signature.
Even if it clears the Senate, it would face a certain veto by Trump, and Congress would unlikely muster the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Trump sought to inject himself into the action at the last minute, issuing a direct political threat to lawmakers from his own Republican Party as the vote was taking place on the House floor.
"Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege," he added.
Wednesday's rebuke comes after the expiration of a measure barring any vote on the issue of tariffs in the chamber -- a move that has stifled opposition to Trump's trade policy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, sought to renew this prohibition on Tuesday but was unsuccessful, as three House Republicans voted alongside Democrats to block the move.
Earlier Wednesday, House Republican Don Bacon posted on social media that lawmakers "cannot &amp; should not outsource our responsibilities."
"As an old fashioned Conservative I know tariffs are a tax on American consumers," he added, noting that debates and votes on the issue should occur in the House.
Canada -- like other US trading partners -- has been hit by various waves of Trump's tariffs since he returned to office early last year, tapping emergency economic powers to justify the duties.
Broad exemptions for Canadian goods however have softened the blow.
Trump may have imposed a 35-percent tariff on many Canadian products last year, but he provided lower rates for energy imports and created sweeping exclusions for goods entering under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).
Trump's separate sector-specific tariffs -- especially on autos, steel and aluminum -- have hit Canada hard.
But overall, more than 85 percent of all bilateral trade has remained tariff-free under USMCA terms.
Trump's country-specific tariffs, justified by emergency economic powers, have faced legal challenges too and the Supreme Court is due to rule on their legality in the near future.
While Trump has repeatedly touted tariffs as a positive development for the country, a Pew Research Center survey released this month indicated that 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's higher tariffs.

US President Trump met Israeli PM Netanyahu to continue Iran negotiations. Netanyahu stressed Israel's security, while Iran rejected extra demands beyond its nuclear program.

Trump tells Israel's Netanyahu Iran talks must continue

US President Trump met Israeli PM Netanyahu to continue Iran negotiations. Netanyahu stressed Israel's security, while Iran rejected extra demands beyond its nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Wednesday that talks with Iran must continue, rebuffing the Israeli prime minister's push for a tougher stance against Tehran.
"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated," Trump said on social media after their three-hour meeting.
"If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be," said Trump, adding a reminder of last year's US strikes against Iran's nuclear program.
Seeking to push for the Islamic republic's ballistic missile program to be included in any deal, Netanyahu had rushed to Washington for his seventh meeting with Trump since the US leader returned to power.
Netanyahu's office said that during the talks with Trump the Israeli premier had "insisted on the security needs of the state of Israel in relation to the negotiations" on Iran.
Trump has hinted at US military action against Iran following Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters, but at the same time Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.
Talks had been suspended after the US strikes on Iran's atomic sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last July.
 - What does Netanyahu want? -
The White House meeting was held behind closed doors, with Netanyahu slipping in via a side entrance without receiving the traditional honor guard. Trump and Netanyahu were seen shaking hands in a photograph released by the Israeli premier's office.
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would "first and foremost" be about the Iran negotiations, while adding they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.
"I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations," he said in a video statement. Netanyahu's office said he would highlight Iran's missile arsenal.
Israel's concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
 - What does Trump think? -
While boosting hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump has also been dialing up the threat of possible US military action against Iran.
He warned in an interview with Axios news outlet Tuesday that he was "thinking" of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
"Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," Trump said. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going."
 - What does Iran say? -
So far, Iran has rejected expanding its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran's ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran would "not yield to excessive demands" on its nuclear program.
But he insisted his country was not "not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons."
 - 'Board of Peace' and West Bank -
Netanyahu's visit will also include other issues, from Gaza to the West Bank.
He officially signed on as a member of Trump's "Board of Peace" during a meeting earlier Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Israeli PM's office said.
The group was originally meant to oversee the Gaza ceasefire but Trump is now positioning it as a possible rival to the United Nations.
The meeting also came amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.

US President Trump calls the US-India trade deal historic, promising increased coal exports and a $500 billion trade framework covering energy, industrial goods, and technology over five years.

US President Trump hails trade deal with India as 'historic'

US President Trump calls the US-India trade deal historic, promising increased coal exports and a $500 billion trade framework covering energy, industrial goods, and technology over five years.

US President Donald Trump has hailed the trade deal with India as &ldquo;historic&rdquo; and said America will increase its coal exports dramatically to the country and to others with which it has trade agreements.
&ldquo;And under our leadership, we're becoming a massive energy exporter. In just the past few months, we've made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India and others to increase our coal exports dramatically,&rdquo; Trump said Wednesday during an event titled &lsquo;Champion of Coal&rsquo;.
"We're now exporting coal all over the world, and the quality of our coal is supposed to be...the finest anywhere in the world,&rdquo; he said.
Last week, the US and India announced they have reached a framework for an interim agreement on trade, under which New Delhi will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all American industrial goods, a wide range of food and agricultural products, as well as purchase USD 500 billion of US products over the next five years.
A joint statement issued by the two countries on Friday said they have reached a framework "regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.&rdquo;
It said that India &ldquo;intends to purchase USD 500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years.&rdquo;
It added that the framework reaffirms the countries&rsquo; commitment to the broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, launched by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, which will include additional market access commitments and support more resilient supply chains.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to urge US President Donald Trump to adopt a harder line on Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes during talks in Washington.

Netanyahu to Discuss Expansion of U.S.-Iran Talks with Trump

Netanyahu to Expand Scope of U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to urge US President Donald Trump to adopt a harder line on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear and missile programmes during talks in Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump on Wednesday to take a tougher stance in nuclear talks with Iran, after rushing to Washington to stiffen the US president's resolve.
Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting -- set to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT)-- that he was weighing sending a second US "armada" to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.
But Netanyahu, making his sixth visit to the United States since Trump took office, will also be urging the US leader to take a harder line on arch-foe Iran's ballistic missile program.
Tehran, which resumed talks with Washington last week in Oman, warned Monday of "destructive influences" on diplomacy ahead of the Israeli premier's visit.
Netanyahu had been expected to come to Washington for a February 19 meeting of Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, but reportedly brought forward his visit as the US-Iran talks proceeded.
 - What does Trump think? -
Already in town Tuesday night, Netanyahu met with Trump's Middle East envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
They "discussed regional issues, and they provided an update on the first round of negotiations they held with Iran last Friday," according to a statement on the X account for the Israeli prime minister.
While talking up hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump warned in an interview with the Axios news outlet earlier Tuesday that he was "thinking" of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
"Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," Trump said. "We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going."
Trump, who ordered US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last June, separately told Fox Business that any deal would have to involve "no nuclear weapons, no missiles."
He added that Iran's leaders "want to make a deal" but "it's got to be a good deal," saying Tehran had been "very dishonest with us over the years."
 - What are Netanyahu's goals? -
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would "first and foremost" be about the Iran negotiations, while adding that they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.
"I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations," he said in a video statement. Netanyahu's office said he would highlight Iran's missile arsenal.
Israel's concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran's ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, speaking during a visit to Australia, said he hoped the talks would help fight Iran's "empire of evil."
 - What about the West Bank? -
The meeting will also come amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.
Israel's security cabinet approved the move ahead of Netanyahu's Washington visit. It's unclear whether Trump will address it.
A US official said on Monday that Trump "does not support Israel annexing the West Bank" and wants stability, while holding off from directly criticizing the Israeli government's moves.
 - How many meetings? -
Wednesday's meeting will be the sixth between the two leaders on US soil since Trump returned to office in January 2025 -- five times at the White House and once at the Republican's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
A seventh meeting took place in Jerusalem in October when Trump announced a ceasefire in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by using tariffs, a claim consistently denied by India.

India and Pakistan war could have been nuclear, 10 planes were shot down: Trump

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by using tariffs, a claim consistently denied by India.

US President Donald Trump repeated the claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last year, which he said could have turned nuclear, through tariffs.
"I settled eight wars. Of the eight wars, at least six were settled because of tariffs. In other words, I said, &lsquo;if you don't settle this war, I'm going to charge you tariffs, because I don't want to see people getting killed,&rdquo; Trump said in an interview to Fox Business Tuesday.
"And they said, &lsquo;Well, what does this have to do?&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;you're going to be charged&rsquo;. Like India and Pakistan. It would have been a nuclear war, in my opinion. They were really going at it, 10 planes were shot down. They were going at it,&rdquo; Trump said.
He added that the Prime Minister of Pakistan said, &lsquo;President Trump saved at least 10 million lives when he got us to stop fighting&rsquo;. Because they were going to go nuclear, (in) my opinion. Without tariffs, that wouldn't happen,&rdquo; Trump said.
Trump has claimed credit for stopping the India-Pakistan conflict for more that 80 times since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two neighbours had agreed to a &ldquo;full and immediate&rdquo; ceasefire after talks mediated by Washington.
India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.&nbsp;

The White House has removed “pulses” from the list of American products facing tariff reductions by India in a revised fact sheet on the interim trade deal, also changing India’s commitment to an intention to buy US goods.

White House drops reference to 'certain pulses' in revised fact sheet on trade deal with India

The White House has removed &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; from the list of American products facing tariff reductions by India in a revised fact sheet on the interim trade deal, also changing India&rsquo;s commitment to an intention to buy US goods.

The White House has removed &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; from a list of American products on which it said India will eliminate or reduce tariffs, in a revised fact sheet issued on the interim trade deal.
On Monday, the White House had issued a fact sheet on &lsquo;The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal (Interim Agreement),&rsquo; days after India and the US announced in a joint statement the framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.
An initial version of the fact sheet had highlighted key terms of the agreement, including that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers&rsquo; grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, &ldquo;certain pulses&rdquo;, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
The fact sheet had also said that India committed to buy more American products and purchase over USD 500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.
The revised fact sheet issued on Tuesday removed the reference regarding pulses and changed the word &ldquo;committed&rdquo; used for India to &ldquo;intends.&rdquo;
&ldquo;India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers&rsquo; grains (DDGs), red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
&ldquo;India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other products,&rdquo; the revised fact sheet said.
The joint statement issued last week on the trade deal had made no mention of &ldquo;pulses&rdquo; in items on which India will eliminate or reduce tariffs for American products.
The joint statement had also maintained that &ldquo;India intends to purchase $500 billion of US energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts, precious metals, technology products, and coking coal over the next five years.&rdquo;

An Iranian man from Bushehr reportedly died by suicide after releasing a video urging US President Donald Trump and Western nations to end diplomatic engagement with Iran, citing violent suppression of protests and widespread human rights abuses.

Iranian man dies by suicide after urging Trump to halt talks with Tehran

An Iranian man from Bushehr reportedly died by suicide after releasing a video urging US President Donald Trump and Western nations to end diplomatic engagement with Iran, citing violent suppression of protests and widespread human rights abuses.

An Iranian man from the southern port city of Bushehr has reportedly died by suicide after publishing a video message in which he urged US President Donald Trump and Western governments to halt diplomatic engagement with Iran&rsquo;s ruling establishment, according to opposition-linked media outlets and regional publications, including Iran International.
The man, identified by Iranian media and activists as Pouria Hamidi, recorded an approximately 10-minute video in English that gained widespread attention over the weekend. In the video, he appealed directly to US leaders, accusing Iranian authorities of violently suppressing recent protests and calling for foreign intervention against the country&rsquo;s leadership.
At the beginning of the recording, Hamidi said, &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re watching this, then I&rsquo;m not around any more,&rdquo; explaining that he was speaking to highlight what he described as a massacre during recent unrest. &ldquo;More than 40,000 people died, killed, massacred. More than Russia and Ukraine and more than Israel and Palestine,&rdquo; he said.
The protests, which took place in January, were reportedly met with heavy force by the clerical regime of Ayatollah Khamenei. Reports suggest that thousands of people, including women and children, were killed during the crackdown.
In his message, Hamidi called on Washington to abandon negotiations with Tehran, arguing that any diplomatic agreement would undermine the victims of the protests. &ldquo;So please,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I beg you, do whatever you can to stop this deal.&rdquo; He added that any agreement would &ldquo;betray all those people who died.&rdquo;
Referring to past statements by the US President, Hamidi said that Trump had encouraged Iranians to protest. &ldquo;Keep protesting, and we did, we trusted him,&rdquo; he said. He also stated that ordinary citizens were unable to confront armed forces and could not defeat the Islamic regime on their own.
&ldquo;America attacking Iran is the only hope we have right now. We can't fight this regime alone. Our people need foreign intervention,&rdquo; he said.
The video included strong criticism of Iran&rsquo;s religious leadership and expressions of support for exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, whom Hamidi called &ldquo;the best choice to make a transitional government.&rdquo; He also urged opposition groups outside Iran to &ldquo;come together and stop fighting each other.&rdquo;
Describing the emotional toll of the situation, Hamidi said Iranians were living without hope. &ldquo;You don't know how hopeless our people are right now. I mean, I myself, I can't eat. I can't sleep,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can't even cry about it because it's so laughable to be born in a place like this, to have no future. But I hoped the people of my country would finally have a future after all this.&rdquo;
He said the recording was meant to give meaning to his life and appealed for unity among Iranians. In the final moments of the video, he switched to Persian and said, &ldquo;We people of Iran are lonely people and have nobody, so please support each other. Long live Iran.&rdquo;
According to Iran International, Hamidi took his own life shortly after releasing the video, though the claim has not been independently verified.
The incident comes at a time when Iranian authorities appear to have brought widespread protests under control following a violent crackdown. A Reuters report has estimated that at least 5,000 people were killed during the unrest.

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