US planning to strike Iran tonight? Trump official clarifies after ‘evacuate Tehran' warning
President Donald Trump's 'evacuate Tehran' comment on Monday caused chaos as Israel reportedly bombed parts of the Iranian capital late at night. A White House official later told CNN that by 'evacuate' the president was trying to convey the urgency of the need for Iran to come to the table. The 78-year-old has left the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the conflict, his administration said.
While President Trump asked the NSC and Situation Room to be readied, an official told CBS News that the US is not joining Israel offensively in its military operation.
'American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed. We will protect American troops and our interests,' a Pentagon spokesperson told multiple media outlets.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
8 minutes ago
- Hans India
India asks its nationals to evacuate Tehran, be in touch with Embassy
Tehran: India has urged its nationals in Iran and Persons of Indian Origin(PIO) to evacuate Tehran, shift to a safer location and be in touch with the Embassy, following escalating tensions in the region. As the Israel-Iran conflict entered its fifth day, the hostilities between the two nations continued to escalate as several missiles from Iran were fired at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Haifa and dozens of other cities and communities across northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, confirmed by the Israeli military. "All Indian Nationals and PIOs who can move out of Tehran using their own resources, are advised to move to a safe location outside the City," the Indian Embassy in Iran posted on X. "All Indian Nationals who are in Tehran and not in touch with the Embassy are requested to contact the Embassy of India in Tehran immediately and provide their Location and Contact numbers. Kindly contact: +989010144557; +989128109115; +989128109109," it added. Additionally, US President Donald Trump has also urged the people to evacuate Tehran as the hostilities escalated. "Iran should have signed the deal I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. The US President also announced that he would cut short his visit to the Group of 7 (G7) summit in Canada to closely monitor the situation amid the escalating tension in the Middle East. "I have to be back as soon as I can. I have to be back early for obvious reasons," Trump told reporters at the summit convening in the Canadian Rockies. Meanwhile, in the latest developments, Bazan, Israel's largest oil refinery company, announced that all of its facilities at the Haifa Port had been completely shut down due to the damage caused by an Iranian missile strike.
Mint
8 minutes ago
- Mint
Semiconductor tariffs will be costly. A better way to deal with China.
The White House may be forced to recalibrate its tariff strategy in the face of judicial pushback. But it is also considering issuing semiconductor tariffs resting on national security concerns under Section 232, a legal authority that likely won't be restrained by the courts. That would be expensive. The U.S. consumes several hundred billion dollars of chips each year, most of which are at least partly manufactured abroad. If the Trump administration imposes expansive tariffs on semiconductors, it would raise costs for America's biggest tech firms and slow investment in chip-dependent artificial intelligence data centers. There is an alternative to broad chip tariffs that could achieve Trump's goal of fairer trade and more domestic investment. Striking a semiconductor-focused sectoral agreement with U.S. allies could reduce trade barriers, commit signatories to investing more in the U.S., and oblige them to join action against the largest source of distortions in the chip market: China. Unlike other industries, chip exports don't face tariffs or significant nontrade barriers from U.S. trading partners. U.S. semiconductor firms aren't worried about the fairness of trade with Europe, Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan. The problem—for the U.S. and for its key trading partners—is China. China's state subsidies are distorting the global chip market. Of course the U.S., the European Union, and Japan have also allocated government funds to bolster their semiconductor industries. But China's subsidies are far larger in scale. A study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that while many countries support domestic firms with research and development credits or investment incentives, China's subsidy program is unique in that Chinese state funds take direct equity stakes in chip firms, enabling them to survive regardless of whether or not they make money. After more than a decade of Beijing's subsidies, Chinese firms are now a large producer of the low and mid-range chips on which the world's industrial base depends. Leading companies in the U.S., Europe, and Taiwan fear that any new investments or factories they build will be unprofitable as China floods the market with its heavily subsidized alternatives. This has already happened in one corner of the chip market—the production of silicon carbide semiconductors. Wolfspeed, a leading U.S. producer of such chips, is facing significant losses and preparing to file for bankruptcy, The Wall Street Journal reported. Recognition that Chinese subsidies threaten the survival of Western firms has motivated the U.S. and other countries to launch their own incentive programs, such as the 2022 Chips Act. Narrowly tailored, China-specific semiconductor tariffs or other market access restrictions must also be part of the solution. Washington has rightly taken steps to limit China's access to U.S. firms' advanced technology and to prevent the U.S. industrial base from increasing its reliance on Chinese chips, given the security risks such dependence would entail. But these rules restricting transfer of chipmaking equipment to China are tighter than the comparable regulations of other countries, such as Japan and the Netherlands. Firms from those countries have won market share, while also enabling China's technological advances. If U.S. manufacturers can't use cheap Chinese chips for security reasons, but firms from Europe or Japan can, then U.S. companies face a cost-disadvantage. Aligning security and trade regulations governing the use of Chinese chips would level the playing field for U.S. firms—and improve allies' economic security. That is why U.S. chip companies have already endorsed a sectoral agreement to tackle the issues posed by China's subsidies. And yet, limits on trade with China cannot solve the chip industry's staggering reliance on production across East Asia, especially in Taiwan and South Korea. Trump argues that his tariffs can force firms to build more manufacturing capacity in the U.S. High chip tariffs would certainly create this incentive—but at vast cost. If the White House imposes new tariffs on semiconductors, everything from cars to medical devices to data centers will become more expensive. A sectoral agreement could use Trump's tariff threats to achieve binding investment commitments. If countries like Taiwan and South Korea commit to expanding manufacturing in the U.S., they could be guaranteed tariff relief. This would enhance supply chain resilience, without imposing tariffs that counteract the president's AI dominance goals and undermine the domestic manufacturing renaissance he hopes to catalyze. About the author: Chris Miller is author of Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. Guest commentaries like this one are written by authors outside the Barron's newsroom. They reflect the perspective and opinions of the authors. Submit feedback and commentary pitches to ideas@
Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Now we are six: G7 leaders try to salvage their summit after Trump's early exit
AP image Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their Tuesday to show the wealthy nations' club still has the clout to shape world events despite the early departure of President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Mark Carney and his counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Japan will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nato chief Mark Rutte to discuss Russia's relentless war on its neighbour. World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran's nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran on Friday, and Iran has hit back with missiles and drones. Trump left the summit in the Canadian Rocky Mountain resort of Kananaskis a day early late Monday, saying: "I have to be back, very important." It came as conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies and the US leader declared that Tehran should be evacuated "immediately" - while also expressing optimism about a deal to stop the violence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 청담동 원장님이 말하는 "얼굴 기미" 해결하는 법 두아이연구원 Undo Before leaving, Trump joined the other leaders in issuing a statement saying Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon" and calling for a "de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza." Getting unanimity - even on a short and broadly worded statement - was a modest measure of success for the group. At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran needs to curb its nuclear program before it's "too late." He said Iranian leaders would "like to talk" but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. "They have to make a deal," he said. Asked what it would take for the US to get involved in the conflict militarily, Trump said Monday morning, "I don't want to talk about that." But by Monday afternoon, Trump warned ominously on social media, "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Shortly after that, Trump decided to leave the summit and skip a series of Tuesday meetings that would address the war in Ukraine and trade issues. The sudden departure only heightened the drama of a world that seems on verge of several firestorms. Trump already has imposed severe tariffs on multiple nations that risk a global economic slowdown. There has been little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Trump's stance on Ukraine puts him fundamentally at odds with the other G7 leaders, who back Ukraine and are clear that Russia is the aggressor in the war. The US president on Monday suggested there would have been no war if G7 members hadn't expelled Putin from the organisation in 2014 for annexing Crimea. Trump on Monday demurred when asked if he supported Russia, saying "I only care about saving lives." With talks on ending the war at an impasse, Starmer said Britain and other G7 members were slapping new tariffs on Russia in a bid to get it to the ceasefire negotiating table. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit Tuesday at Carney's invitation, along with other leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nato chief Mark Rutte. Trump declined to join in the sanctions on Russia, saying he would wait until Europe did so first. "When I sanction a country that costs the US a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money," he said. Trump had been scheduled before his departure to meet with Zelenskyy and with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. On the Middle East, Merz told reporters that Germany was planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that "Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material." Trump also seemed to put a greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations' trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies. The US president has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire. He announced with Starmer that they had signed a trade framework Monday that was previously announced in May, with Trump saying that British trade was "very well protected' because "I like them, that's why. That's their ultimate protection."
