Is it worth being friends with the US?
Canada hosted the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, this year. U.S. President Donald Trump left the meeting before the traditional group photo was taken on June 17. © Reuters
Satyajit Das, a former banker, is the author of "Traders, Guns & Money," "Extreme Money" and "A Banquet of Consequences: Reloaded."
Asia and Europe are, for the most part, trying to reach an accommodation with U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration's policies. This misses an essential question: whether being chums with the U.S. is worth it?
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Japan Times
40 minutes ago
- Japan Times
Trump says ceasefire has begun, after deadly Iran strikes on Israel
U.S. President Donald Trump said a ceasefire is now in place between Iran and Israel, moments after Israeli emergency services said at least four people were killed by Iranian strikes. Iran fired several waves of missiles on Israel on Tuesday morning, even after Trump said the two countries had agreed to a truce. Israel also further attacked Iran. "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT,' Trump said on Truth Social. "PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!' Israel said Tuesday it had agreed to Trump's "bilateral ceasefire." "Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the cabinet ... to announce that Israel had achieved all the objectives of Operation 'Rising Lion' and much more," the government said in a statement, adding that it had removed "an immediate dual existential threat: nuclear and ballistic." "Israel thanks President Trump and the United States for their support in defense and for their participation in removing the Iranian nuclear threat," the statement said, adding that "Israel will respond forcefully to any violation of the ceasefire." Just hours before Trump's announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that "as of now, there is NO 'agreement' on ceasefire or cessation of military operations." "However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 a.m. Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards," he said on social media. Tuesday's Iranian strikes and Trump's comments followed an extraordinary night in which Tehran retaliated against a U.S. attack over the weekend by launching missiles at an American air base in Qatar. The Islamic Republic's move was telegraphed — with Qatar and the U.S. being forewarned — and there were no casualties. U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address troops at the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha on May 15. | AFP-JIJI Trump said the strike at Qatar was "weak' and that Iran had "gotten it out of their system.' He even thanked Tehran for "giving us early notice.' "Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World,' Trump said in an earlier social media post. Israel was still striking targets in Iran early on Tuesday, but the explosions in Tehran seemed to stop at about 4 a.m. local time, the BBC reported, citing local residents. While Israeli officials remained silent overnight, a senior White House official said Trump brokered the ceasefire in a direct conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff held direct and indirect talks with the Iranians about the proposal, the official said. Israel agreed to the truce as long as Iran did not launch further attacks, and the Iranian government signaled it would abide by those terms, according to the official. "For now, I think this is going to hold, and I think you will have an end to the war,' said Dennis Ross, who was President Bill Clinton's envoy to the region and is now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "Iran has no interest in resuming anything soon.' The developments came about two days after the U.S. suddenly entered the conflict directly by bombing key Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. Trump said the strikes "completely and totally obliterated' the sites, though battle damage assessments continue and the whereabouts of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is unknown. Trump had warned Iran late Saturday that if a peace deal wasn't reached quickly following the strikes that the U.S. would go after other targets in Iran with "precision, speed and skill.' Tehran vowed to respond to the unprecedented U.S. attack. But opted for a mostly symbolic response: firing missiles at the Al Udeid base in Qatar, which hosts the Middle East headquarters for the U.S. Central Command, the organization that oversees the American military in the region. The U.S. has around 9,000 service members in Qatar and 50,000 in the Middle East. Qatar said the Iranian missile barrage was intercepted and the base had been evacuated in advance. Iran's move on Monday appeared to be "a largely symbolic retaliation,' said Ziad Daoud, Bloomberg Economics' chief emerging-market economist. "Plenty of warning was given — Qatar shut its airspace and the U.S. issued warnings to citizens' in the gas-rich country. The remnants of an intercepted Iranian missile lie on the pavement near the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base after a strike following American attacks on Iran nuclear sites. | AFP-JIJI While Iranian state TV said the missile barrage "forced a ceasefire on the enemy,' some Iranian officials also suggested the move had a performative element to it. The number of missiles fired matched the number of bombs deployed by the U.S. against the nuclear sites. Iran was quick to say that Qatar, which has strong relations with Tehran as well as Washington, was a "friendly and brotherly country.' A diplomat briefed on the talks said Trump had spoken with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad and informed him the U.S. got Israel to agree to a ceasefire. Trump asked the Qatari leader for help persuading Iran to do the same. Iran later agreed, according to the diplomat, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations. Trump went as far as predicting that a peace agreement between Israel and Iran would be long-lasting, despite decades of enmity between them. "I think the ceasefire is unlimited — it's going to go forever,' Trump said, adding that he sees the war as being completely finished and does not believe Israel and Iran "will ever be shooting at each other again.' Many questions remain, including the state of Iran's uranium stockpile and whether any ceasefire will lead to discussions about Tehran's nuclear program. The Islamic Republic, which has denied it's seeking an atomic weapon, has refused to give up the right to enrich uranium, a condition the U.S. has insisted upon. Iran says it needs to process uranium at least to the low level needed for civilian purposes such as fueling nuclear power plants. Yet the West and Arab states are wary because it's enriched uranium almost to the levels needed to build a bomb, without explaining why. Israel said its war against Iran was to prevent the country from acquiring atomic weapons, a risk also cited by Trump to justify U.S. involvement. Netanyahu's government has also said it aimed to destroy Iran's stockpiles of ballistic missiles and its launch sites. While Israel has denied it is not seeking to topple the theocratic government of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it's officials have said its attacks could bring about such a situation. For now, there's little that will happen. Speaking to Fox News after Trump announced the ceasefire, U.S. Vice President Vance said that the U.S. bombing over the weekend had met its objectives. "We know that they cannot build a nuclear weapon,' Vance said, adding that Iran's existing stock of highly enriched uranium was "buried' by the attack. International monitors have said they don't know where that material is after Iran said earlier this month it would move it. "If Iran is desperate to build a nuclear weapon in the future, then they're going to have to deal with a very, very powerful American military,' Vance said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
EU and Canada to Deepen Ties with New Security Pact
BRUSSELS, June 23 (Reuters) – The European Union hosts Canada for a summit on Monday designed to deepen their already close ties as both face increased geopolitical threats, including a more hostile U.S. president, Russia and Middle East instability. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, who chairs EU summits, will greet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for a two-hour meeting in Brussels, a day before a NATO summit in the Hague. EU officials said the EU-Canada summit was not a 'business as usual' meeting and marked a new era in bilateral ties. The two allies, who already have a free trade agreement, are due to agree to a security and defense partnership, the first the bloc has struck with a country from the Americas. The partnership will involve joint work on crisis management, cyber, maritime and space security, arms control, as well as support for Ukraine, which Russia invaded more than three years ago. It will also pave the way for Canadian companies to access the 150 billion euro ($172 billion) EU joint procurement program SAFE. The two partners are also expected to launch negotiations on a digital agreement designed to shape global rules for data, such as on e-signatures and consumer protection or limits on spam. A draft of the joint statement refers to alignment of standards in digital regulation to make online platforms safer and more inclusive and AI systems more trustworthy, areas of regulation on which the United States has criticized the EU.
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Status of ceasefire unclear after Iranian missile barrage strikes Israel after a first deadline
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a "complete and total ceasefire" soon after Iran launched a retaliatory limited missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar. But the status of a possible ceasefire remained tentative on Tuesday as an Iranian missile barrage struck Israel after a first deadline for the proposal. The Iranian barrages sent Israelis hurrying into bomb shelters as the sun rose, killing at least four people and injuring eight others, Israel's Magen David Adom rescue services said. Israel has yet to acknowledge Trump's proposal, which gives Israel more time to potentially strike back though Iran on its state television announced an overall ceasefire had begun at 7:30 a.m. local time. The barrage damaged at least three densely packed residential buildings in the city of Beersheba, police said. First responders said they retrieved four bodies from one building and were searching for more. Outside, the shells of burned out cars littered the streets. Broken glass and rubble covered the area. Hundreds of emergency workers gathered to search for anyone else trapped in the buildings. Police said some people were injured even while inside their apartments' reinforced safe rooms, which are meant to withstand rockets and shrapnel but not direct hits from ballistic missiles. The direct hit in the largest city in southern Israel came just days after the city's hospital sustained significant damage in a missile strike. The Israeli military said people could leave bomb shelters but cautioned the public to stay close to shelter for the coming hours. Trump says ceasefire is in effect Trump's announcement that Israel and Iran had agreed to a "complete and total ceasefire" came soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites. The U.S. was warned by Iran in advance, and there were no casualties. Trump's announcement on Truth Social said the ceasefire beginning about midnight Washington time would bring an "Official END" to the war. Israel doesn't confirm ceasefire but appears to pause strikes Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. in Tehran. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Iranian cities until shortly before that time. Under the Trump plan, Israel was to halt its attacks on Iran by 1:30 p.m. Tehran time. There's been no report of Israel launching attacks against Iran since early Tuesday morning. Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. in Tehran. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Iranian cities until shortly before that time. The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump's ceasefire statement and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. "As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X. "However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards." His message was posted at 4:16 a.m. Tehran time. Araghchi added: "The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later." Writing over an hour after the first phase of the tentative ceasefire, which called for Iran to halt its attacks, Trump added: "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!" Trump describes conflict as '12 Day War' Trump gave the conflict between Israel and Iran a name: the "12 Day War." That recalls the 1967 Mideast war, known by some as the "Six Day War," in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Trump's reference carries emotional weight for the Arab world, particularly Palestinians. In the 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Though Israel later gave the Sinai back to Egypt, it still holds the other territories. Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire, according to a senior White House official who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels. The White House has maintained that the Saturday bombing helped get the Israelis to agree to the ceasefire and that the Qatari government helped to broker the deal. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender. Attacks from Iran forces temporary closure of Israel's skies Israel's Airports Authority said Iran's barrage forced them to close the country's airspace to emergency flights for several hours. Some flights were forced to circle over the Mediterranean Sea, according to Israeli media. Israel's airports have been closed since the war with Iran began, but a handful of emergency flights started arriving and departing over the past few days. By early Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed its flights after Qatar shut down its airspace over the Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base. Flight-tracking data showed commercial aircraft again flying in Qatari airspace, signaling Doha believed the threat on the energy-rich nation had passed. Conflict has killed hundreds In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 387 civilians and 268 security force personnel. The U.S. has evacuated some 250 American citizens and their immediate family members from Israel by government, military and charter flights that began over the weekend, a State Department official said. There are roughly 700,000 American citizens, most of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, believed to be in Israel.
