Trump says to set unilateral tariffs within weeks
Trump holds the US$5 million dollar Gold Card as he speaks to reporters while in flight on board Air Force One, en route to Miami, Florida on April 3, 2025. – AFP photo
WASHINGTON (June 12): President Donald Trump plans to inform trading partners of unilateral US tariff rates in the coming weeks, as a July deadline approaches for steeper levies to kick in on dozens of economies.
'We're going to be sending letters out in about a week and a half, two weeks, to countries telling them what the deal is,' Trump told reporters late Wednesday, at the Kennedy Center in Washington where he was attending a theatre performance.
In April, Trump imposed a blanket 10 percent tariff on most US trading partners and unveiled higher individual rates on dozens of economies including India and the European Union — although he swiftly paused the elevated rates.
While negotiations have been ongoing, the pause on those higher duties is due to expire on July 9.
So far, Washington has only announced a trade deal with the UK, alongside a temporary tariff de-escalation with China.
Tensions remain elevated between the world's two biggest economies, with Washington recently accusing Beijing of slow-walking export approvals for rare earth minerals.
It remains unclear if the steeper levies will return for all countries in early July.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told lawmakers earlier Wednesday that an extended pause is possible for those 'negotiating in good faith.'
'There are 18 important trading partners. We are working toward deals on those,' he said.
Bessent said it is likely that for countries or trading blocs such as the EU, Washington would decide to 'roll the date forward to continue the good faith negotiations.'
The Treasury chief added that following conversations with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, 'it's my belief that with smaller countries where we have lower levels of trade, we may be able to do a one-size-fits-all regional deal.'
Trump's wide-ranging tariffs and higher rates on goods from China have roiled financial markets, snagged supply chains and weighed on consumer sentiment.
While many of the levies also face court challenges, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has dismissed concerns that these could prompt countries to slow-run negotiations. – AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
32 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Iran calls Israeli strikes a ‘declaration of war', vows ‘scathing response'
TEHRAN, June 13 — Iran called Israel's wave of strikes today a declaration of war, while US President Donald Trump warned Tehran of 'even more brutal' attacks if it does not make a deal on its nuclear programme. Israel said its air strikes had killed most of the senior leadership of the Revolutionary Guards' air force, while hitting about 100 targets including nuclear facilities. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a 'bitter and painful' fate over the attacks, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a 'declaration of war'. The Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it intercepted drones and missiles that violated its airspace. Trump urged Iran today to 'make a deal', warning that there will be more 'death and destruction' after Israel launched deadly strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action and warned Iran not to attack its personnel or interests, but Tehran said Washington would be 'responsible for consequences'. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the 'heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme', taking aim at nuclear scientists and the main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. The strikes would 'continue as many days as it takes', the Israeli premier said, while the military said intelligence showed Iran was approaching the 'point of no return' on its nuclear programme. The strikes killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported. Khamenei swiftly appointed new commanders to replace those killed, while state media said a senior adviser to the supreme leader had himself been wounded. 'The senior chain of command of the air force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had assembled in an underground command centre to prepare for an attack on the State of Israel,' the Israeli military said, adding that its attacks had killed most of them. Iran confirmed the Guards aerospace commander had been killed, along with 'a group of brave and dedicated fighters'. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the 'precise targeting of senior commanders... sends a strong and clear message: those who work toward Israel's destruction will be eliminated'. AFP images showed a gaping hole in the side of a Tehran residential building that appeared to have sustained a targeted and localised strike. State media said civilians, including women and children, were killed, while an emergency services official said 95 people had been wounded. Tasnim news agency said six nuclear scientists were among the dead. 'Scathing response' Tehran's streets were deserted except for queues at petrol stations, a familiar sight in times of crisis. 'How much longer are we going to live in fear?' asked Ahmad Moadi, a 62-year-old retiree. 'As an Iranian, I believe there must be an overwhelming response, a scathing response.' Air traffic was halted at Tehran's main gateway, Imam Khomeini International Airport, while Iraq, Jordan and Syria closed their airspace. Israel declared a state of emergency, and hours later, the Jordanian military said its aircraft and air defence systems intercepted 'a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace'. There are 'no limits in responding to this crime', Iran's armed forces said, accusing Israel of crossing 'all red lines'. Oil prices surged while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after Trump's warning of a 'massive conflict' in the region. Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran had threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict broke out. Prior to the strikes, Trump said he believed a deal on Iran's nuclear programme was 'fairly close', cautioning however that an Israeli attack on its arch foe could wreck the chances of an agreement. The US leader did not disclose the details of a conversation with Netanyahu on Monday, but said: 'I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it.' Trump quickly added: 'Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.' 'Within reach' US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran not to respond to Israeli strikes by hitting US bases, saying Washington was not involved. With the violence raising questions on whether a sixth round of talks planned between the US and Iran would still take place on Sunday in Oman, Trump said Washington is still 'hoping to get back to the negotiating table'. Confirming Natanz had been among Israel's targets, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it was 'closely monitoring' the situation as the Israeli military said it hit the underground uranium enrichment centrifuges at the site. 'Most of the damage is on the surface level,' said the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation's spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, adding that there had been 'no casualties' at the facility. People and first-responders gather atop a building a that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran on June 13, 2025. Israel hit about 100 targets in Iran on June 13, including nuclear facilities and military command centres and killing senior figures including the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists. — Tasnim News/AFP pic 'Extremist' Israel sees Iran as an existential threat, and Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the war in Gaza. Since the Hamas attack, Iran and Israel have traded direct attacks for the first time. The United States and other Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, an ambition it has consistently denied. Israel again called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Thursday of non-compliance with its obligations. Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, slammed the resolution as 'extremist', while Tehran said it would launch a new enrichment facility in a secure location. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 per cent, far above the 3.67-per cent limit set by a largely moribund 2015 agreement with major powers, but still short of the 90 per cent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. — AFP
Sinar Daily
an hour ago
- Sinar Daily
Israel will pay a heavy price, Iranian armed forces spokesman say
The Israeli regime began military strikes in and near the Iranian capital, Tehran, as well as other cities in Iran. 13 Jun 2025 11:36am Smoke billowing from a site reportedly targeted by an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning. Photo by Sepah News/AFP TEHRAN - Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, has confirmed Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, including residential buildings and says the Islamic Republic's response to the attacks will be heavy. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Shekarchi said on Friday morning that overnight strikes by the Israeli regime, which he claimed were carried out with US support, would receive a heavy response. Onlookers and rescue teams in front of a building that caught fire following and Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning. Photo by Sepah News/AFP The Israeli regime began military strikes in and near the Iranian capital, Tehran, as well as other cities in Iran, overnight on Friday. Images showed damaged residential buildings in several locations in the capital. Eyewitnesses and state TV reporters said they saw the bodies of women and children among the victims. - BERNAMA-IRNA More Like This
Sinar Daily
an hour ago
- Sinar Daily
Israel strikes Iran: What we know
An Israeli security official said the strikes had "likely eliminated" Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Islamic republic's armed forces, along with senior nuclear scientists. 13 Jun 2025 12:01pm Israel carried out strikes against Iran early on June 13, targeting its nuclear and military sites as well as residential buildings in Tehran. Photo by AFP JERUSALEM - Israel said Friday it had carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, promising to continue military action "to remove this threat." The strikes hit several areas in Iran, with blasts reported in the capital Tehran, as well as at a key uranium enrichment site. Here is what we know: What was hit? Israel's military said its jets carried out strikes on "dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran." Blasts were reported in Tehran, where Iranian state television said fire and smoke were seen at a key site for Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the city's east. A building in Tehran hit in an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital early in the morning. Photo by Sepah News/AFP State television also reported "loud explosions" in Natanz, in Iran's central Isfahan province, where a key nuclear site is located. The "Natanz enrichment facility has been hit several times," state TV reported, showing footage of heavy smoke billowing from the site. Iranian state media said residential buildings in Tehran were damaged and several civilians killed. An Israeli security official said the strikes had "likely eliminated" Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Islamic republic's armed forces, along with senior nuclear scientists. Iranian media meanwhile said Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami had been killed. Why now? Israel sees the cleric-run state in Tehran as an existential threat and hit Iranian air defences last year. Its defence minister Israel Katz described the action as a "preemptive strike". The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has always denied. Israel again called for global action after the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency accused Iran on Wednesday of non-compliance with its obligations. There had been indications a military strike was likely, with US media reporting an imminent Israeli attack that would not be coordinated with the Washington. "I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen," US President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday when asked if an Israeli attack loomed. A sixth round of talks over Tehran's nuclear programme had been scheduled between the United States and Iran on Sunday in Oman. Who was involved? Israel relies on Washington for military and diplomatic support but carried out the strikes alone, top US diplomat Marco Rubio said. "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," he said in a statement warning Tehran against targeting US interests. Rubio said Israel had "advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence," without offering support or criticism of the strikes. What has been the reaction? Air traffic has been halted at Tehran's main international airport, and neighbouring Iraq has closed its airspace entirely. Israel has warned Iran could retaliate at any moment, declaring a state of emergency and also shutting its airspace. In Washington, the White House said Trump would convene security chiefs after the strike, which was criticised by a senior Democrat. "Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," said Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the US Senate Armed Services Committee. The strikes saw oil prices surge up to six percent. - AFP More Like This
