US warns Americans not to travel to Israel after Iranian strikes
Israel and the West Bank are now classified as level 4 or "do not travel" along with Gaza - the highest advisory level on the U.S. government's scale and one that is associated with life-threatening risks. Americans who are already in countries that have a do not travel warning are advised by the State Department to leave as soon as it is safe to do so.
The updated guidance is a reflection of a deepening conflict between Israel and Iran that has threatened Middle East stability and the safety of Americans visiting the region. President Donald Trump last week ordered the evacuation of some American diplomats in Iraq.
Israel launched a bombing campaign against Tehran late last week to limit its nuclear enrichment capabilities. Iran has since returned fire on Israel, striking the heavily populated city of Tel Aviv and setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem.
Throughout the conflict, airlines have temporarily suspended and restarted services to Tel Aviv as tension and hostilities in the region ebbed and flowed.
El Al, Israel's national carrier, has been the only airline to consistently provide flights throughout the conflict. U.S. airlines that serve Israel have stopped and started flights, sometimes causing headaches for passengers if cancellations came close to departures.
Currently, no major U.S. airlines are serving Israel. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have travel waivers available for passengers with affected flights.
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Glasgow Times
4 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Work to get US steel tariffs removed to go on in coming ‘days, weeks and months'
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signed off a US-UK deal that will slash trade barriers on goods from both countries at the G7 on Monday. But US tariffs for the steel industry will stand at 25% for now rather than falling to zero as originally agreed. This is less than the US global rate of 50% for steel and aluminium. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the UK Government is keen for the site to be part of a commercially-operated business (Chris Radburn/PA) The two leaders pledged to 'make progress towards 0% tariffs on core steel products as agreed', the Department for Business and Trade said. The Chinese ownership of the British Steel could be a sticking point in the deal on steel as the executive order signed by Mr Trump suggests the US wants assurances that the metal originates in the UK. 'The United Kingdom also committed to working to meet American requirements on the security of the supply chains of steel and aluminium products intended for export to the United States and on the nature of ownership of relevant production facilities,' the order states. After signing it, the US President was asked whether steel tariffs would be eliminated, to which he replied: 'We're gonna let you have that information in a little while.' In April, the UK Government used emergency powers to take control of British Steel and continue production at the site after Chinese owners Jingye proposed shutting the Scunthorpe site's two blast furnaces and other key steelmaking operations. But its future is still uncertain, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander saying the Government is eager for it to be 'part of a commercially-operated business with private investment'. 'We're talking to a number of third parties about that. At the moment, no options are off the table,' she told Sky News. She said there was still 'more work to do' to get steel tariffs eliminated, including on 'technical detail'. 'We're working through some technical detail around steel because we want to bring that 25% tariff that applies at the moment obviously down further,' she told BBC Breakfast. She said the UK is 'working on getting that implemented'. 'And we're determined to go further and we'll be working on those issues around steel in the coming days, weeks and months,' she added. Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary of the Community union, said it was 'absolutely vital' to secure a deal on steel as quickly as possible. Mr Trump did not say when the tariffs would be eliminated (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) 'Our steel producers and their US customers need an end to the current state of uncertainty to allow normal business to resume. 'Crucially, we must see a full exemption for all UK steel exports to the US – without that guarantee some of our leading steel businesses could be left behind, with a threat to jobs and livelihoods.' It comes as a £500 million five-year deal has been struck between Network Rail and British Steel, which Ms Alexander said was a 'vote of confidence'. Workers at the British Steel site in Scunthorpe will make rail tracks (Danny Lawson/PA) British Steel is to supply 337,000 tonnes of rail track, with a further 80-90,000 tonnes to be provided by other European manufacturers. The Network Rail contract will start on July 1 and is set to provide the company with 80% of its rail needs. Jingye, which bought British Steel in 2020, launched a consultation in March which it said would affect between 2,000 and 2,700 jobs, despite months of negotiations and a £500 million co-investment offer from the Government. The Scunthorpe plant has been producing steel for Britain's railways since 1865. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is finalising the deal (Joe Giddens/PA) The Network Rail agreement is the first major public procurement since the Government's emergency legislation was passed. Network Rail's group director for railway business services Clive Berrington said: 'We are committed to buying British where it makes economic sense to do so and British Steel remain extremely competitive in the provision of rail and will remain our main supplier in the years ahead.' Craig Harvey, British Steel's commercial director for rail, added: 'The contract represents a huge vote of confidence in UK workers and British industry, underpinning the vital role we play in ensuring millions of passengers and freight operators enjoy safe, enjoyable and timely journeys on Britain's railways.' Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, national officer at the GMB union, said it was a 'crucial first step in securing the future of our steel industry' and urged ministers to make sure British Steel has a 'constant flow of orders' from other infrastructure projects.
Spectator
7 minutes ago
- Spectator
The good and bad news about the UK-US trade deal
Donald Trump and Keir Starmer's transatlantic trade deal has finally been signed. Before making an early exit from the G7, the US president approved an executive order giving legal effect to parts of the US-UK deal. The outline of the agreement was settled weeks earlier during a conference call, with Trump in the White House and Peter Mandelson, the UK ambassador in Washington, standing, slightly creepily, over his shoulder, as Starmer dialled in from 4,000 miles away. If the deal is to progress further, an almighty row could be brewing The delay in any further announcement left conservatives, and businesses, wondering whether the deal outline a month ago was turning into a fiction. But the executive order Trump signed on Monday gives effect to the agreement at the end of the month. There are, however, some changes to what had originally been trailed one month ago. Tariffs on UK car exports to the United States (the UK's biggest goods export) will come down from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent. But the 100,000 limit on the number of cars we can export to the US effectively puts a cap on growth within that part of the industry, as we already export roughly that amount of cars anyway. There was a bonus announcement too with Britain's aerospace sector exempted from even the baseline 10 per cent tariffs. It was bad news for steel, though. The agreed reduction of tariffs from 25 per cent to zero was absent from the president's executive order. Civil servants working on the deal say talks are ongoing, with disputes remaining over quotas on the amount of steel we'd be allowed to send before steeper tariffs kick in. Fingers crossed. There also seem to be complications surrounding Chinese ownership of British steel – something the Americans clearly don't like. Trump wasn't his best as he announced the singing of the deal alongside Starmer outside the G7 meeting in Canada. A slip of the tongue led him to say the deal was with the EU, rather than the UK. He then managed to drop the papers everywhere before Starmer helped pick them up. The Prime Minister fared better with Trump saying: 'He's slightly more liberal than I but for some reason we get along.' The deal finally being given legal effect by the president is clearly good news for Britain and undeniably a Brexit win. Had the UK had a closer relationship with the EU we'd be lumped in with the higher tariffs they're having to put up across all goods; we'd also get carried along with any retaliatory measures imposed by Brussels. These might please voters but they are, in reality, economic self harm. We shouldn't pretend this deal is more than it is though. This is not a wide-ranging free trade agreement – something which the government says it is still striving towards – but measures that mitigate the tariffs Trump unleashed on the world on his 'liberation day' in April. We are certainly better of, both compared with much of the world and with when those tariffs were initially announced. But we are still in a worse position than at the start of the year. What's also clear is that the White House is calling the shots. They feel under no pressure to further the deal with us and will only sign incremental steps as and when it suits them. If the deal is to progress further, an almighty row could be brewing. One of the aspects of global trade that reportedly enrages Trump is how much Americans – and American hospitals – pay for drugs, even those produced domestically. The NHS, as a single buyer purchasing in bulk on a massive scale, secures medicines at far lower prices. Trump sees that as unfair. He can't do much to force companies to lower prices for US customers, but he can try to push them up for the UK. Indeed, documents released after the agreement was outlined in May say the NHS will 'look at the concerns of the president' on this issue. But it's hard to see how any British Prime Minister or Health Secretary could agree to anything that increases NHS costs – politically or fiscally. This aspect of the deal may be flying under the radar for now, but it could well stop further progress towards free trade in its tracks.
Belfast Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Iran-Israel latest: Trump urges Tehran to ‘talk immediately before it's too late' as countries trade attacks
Donald Trump has said Iran 'wants to talk' about de-escalating hostilities with Israel, as both countries unleashed a fresh wave of strikes on the fourth day of the deadly conflict. The US president warned Tehran should enter talks 'before it's too late' as he told reporters: "I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately before it's too late." Sparked by Israel's strikes on Iran on Friday morning, the exchange of fire has seen 224 people killed in Iran and 24 in Israel, their respective authorities have reported. Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Tehran and Tel Aviv on Monday as both countries launched fresh attacks. Iran's state broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), was targeted by Israeli strikes. Videos showed its building in Tehran being hit live on-air. During the broadcast, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after "the sound of aggression against the homeland". Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programmes. The IDF later warned Israeli's to seek shelter after it detected missiles being sent from Iran. Israel said yesterday it had 'full aerial operational control' over Tehran, but it failed to bat away attacks on Tel Aviv and Haifa overnight on Sunday, with the US embassy among the buildings damaged. Iran announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure. One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, US ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has urged British nationals in Israel to register their presence there as countries step up efforts to bring back stranded citizens. The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Israel, but Britons already in the country now face difficulties getting home, with the airspace closed due to the conflict with Iran. The Prime Minister said the UK was issuing advice to its citizens in Israel, speaking ahead of talks with other G7 leaders in Canada. "All of us are giving advice to our citizens for British nationals in Israel, we're giving advice today to register their presence, so there will be a portal for that," Sir Keir said. Downing Street said its key message to British nationals in Israel was to stay near shelter and follow the advice of local authorities. The UK has no plans to evacuate Britons stranded in Israel but support has been stepped up in Jordan and Egypt for people who make their own way overland. Foreign Secretary David Lammy told MPs travel advice was being updated with information about border crossing points. He said: "The situation remains fast-moving. We expect more strikes in the days to come. This is a moment of grave danger for the region." Mr Lammy said "further escalation in the Middle East is not in Britain's interests, nor the interests of Israel, Iran or the region" and a wider war in an oil-producing region "poses real risks for the global economy". He added: "Our message to both Israel and Iran is clear: Step back, show restraint. "Don't get pulled ever deeper into a catastrophic conflict whose consequences nobody can control." Donald Trump is reported to have vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Downing Street would not be drawn on whether the UK was aware of the plan to assassinate the Iranian leader. A No 10 spokesman said: "We wouldn't comment on private conversations or intelligence matters. "We are concerned by further escalation, which is in no-one's interest, and we're working closely with our allies to press for a return to diplomacy." © The Independent
