Trump urges Iran to make a deal after Israeli attacks
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/ File Photo
U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran on Friday to make a deal on its nuclear program before it faced more attacks from Israel that he said would be "even more brutal."
"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump said in a post on his social media platform.
"Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left."
Israel launched an array of strikes against dozens of Iranian targets on Friday, hitting nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders during the start of an operation to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear weapon.
Israel said it had struck Iranian nuclear targets to block Tehran from developing atomic weapons, even as the Trump administration was preparing to hold a sixth round of talks on Sunday on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment program.
Trump said Friday he had given Tehran a 60-day ultimatum, which expired on Thursday, to make a deal. He encouraged Tehran to take advantage of a "second chance."
Amid his push for diplomacy, the U.S. president praised Israel's attacks in brief telephone interviews with television outlets early Friday.
"I think it's been excellent," Trump told ABC News in an interview. "And there's more to come. A lot more."
Trump told CNN that "The people I was dealing with are dead, the hardliners."
Trump is scheduled to attend a security meeting at the White House at 11 a.m. (1500 GMT) REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
16 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Thailand and Cambodia seek to ease simmering border tensions
FILE PHOTO: A royalist activist holds a Thai flag as he protests in front of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, following a recent clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border on May 28, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH - Thai and Cambodian officials met on Saturday to try to ease tensions amid fears of military clashes after a long-running territorial dispute reignited, leading both countries to mobilise troops on the border. The two neighbours share an 820-km (510-mile) land border, parts of which are undemarcated and include ancient temples that both sides have contested for decades. The latest standoff followed a brief skirmish on May 28 that left a Cambodian soldier dead. "The Thai government hopes to use the platform to resolve the situation peacefully," Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted about the meeting on her Facebook page on Friday. The row comes at a challenging time for Thailand's government, which is losing popularity in prolonged struggle to spur economic growth. Paetongtarn's administration is under pressure to take a tougher stand on Cambodia, accompanied by initially strong rhetoric from the Thai military. Despite both countries pledging dialogue to handle the issue and to calm nationalist fervour, Bangkok has threatened to close the border and cut off electricity supplies to its neighbour. Phnom Penh announced it would cease buying Thai electric power, internet bandwidth and produce. It has also ordered local television stations not to screen Thai films. RESOLUTION UNLIKELY A resolution this weekend at the Joint Boundary Commission meeting in Phnom Penh is not expected, and it was unclear when the outcome would be announced. Cambodia is determined to file a case at the International Court of Justice to determine jurisdiction over four disputed areas, while Thailand insists on a bilateral solution. "Cambodia wants to settle the disputes at the ICJ, something that Thailand won't accept," said Dulyapak Preecharush, a Southeast Asian studies expert at Thammasat University in Bangkok. "So there's not much left to discuss at JBC apart from maintaining an atmosphere for further dialogue." Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Friday his country would not discuss the four contested areas at the boundary commission, adding the government would send an official letter to the ICJ on Sunday on its plan to file the case. Influential former strongman premier Hun Sen, Hun Manet's father, has criticised Thailand's military for restricting border crossings and has accused generals and Thai nationalists of fanning the tensions. "Only extremist groups and some military factions are behind these issues with Cambodia because, as usual, the Thai government is unable to control its military the way our country can," he said late on Thursday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Trump approves Nippon Steel's $19b purchase of US Steel, Money News
US President Donald Trump approved Nippon Steel's US$14.9 billion (S$19 billion) bid for US Steel on Friday (June 13), capping a tumultuous 18-month effort by the companies that survived union opposition and two national security reviews. Trump signed an executive order saying the tie-up could move forward if the companies sign an agreement with the Treasury Department resolving national security concerns posed by the deal. The companies then announced they had signed the agreement, fulfilling the conditions of Trump's directive and effectively garnering approval for the merger. "We look forward to putting our commitments into action to make American steelmaking and manufacturing great again," the companies said in the statement, thanking Trump. They added the agreement includes US$11 billion in new investments to be made by 2028 as well as governance, production and trade commitments. Nippon Steel will buy a 100 per cent stake in US Steel, a spokesperson for the Japanese company in Tokyo said on Saturday. The steelmakers provided no detail on the "golden share" they pledged to issue to the US government, raising questions about the extent of US control. US Senator David McCormick of Pennsylvania, where US Steel is headquartered, said last month the golden share would give the government veto power over key decisions relating to the American steel icon. Reuters has reported that Nippon Steel would invest an additional US$3 billion for a new mill after 2028. The takeover will set up the ailing US firm to receive the critical investment, allowing Nippon Steel to capitalise on a host of American infrastructure projects while its foreign competitors face steel tariffs of 50 per cent. The Japanese firm also avoids the US$565 million in breakup fees it would have had to pay if the companies had failed to secure approvals. For Nippon Steel, the world's fourth-biggest steelmaker, securing a foothold in the US is key to its global growth strategy. The US steel market, including high-grade steel, Nippon Steel's specialty, is growing amid rising global trade tensions. 'Great partner' Still, some Nippon Steel investors are concerned about short-term financial pressure due to the scale of the additional investment commitment. The Japanese government, rushing to try to secure a trade deal with the US by the time Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meet at the Group of Seven summit starting on Sunday, applauded the Nippon-US Steel agreement. "The government of Japan welcomes the US government's decision, as we believe this investment will enhance innovation capabilities in the US and Japanese steel industries and further strengthen the close partnership between our two countries," Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto said in a statement on Saturday. Friday's announcement was hardly guaranteed, even if many investors had seen approval as likely after Trump headlined a rally on May 30 giving his vague blessing to an "investment" by Nippon Steel, which he described as a "great partner." Shares of US Steel had dipped earlier on Friday after a Nippon Steel executive told Japan's Nikkei newspaper that the takeover required "a degree of management freedom" to go ahead after Trump said the US would be in control with the golden share. The bid has faced opposition since Nippon Steel launched it in December 2023. After the United Steelworkers union came out against the deal last year, both then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, expressed their opposition as they sought to woo voters in the presidential campaign in the swing state of Pennsylvania. Shortly before leaving office in January, Biden blocked the deal on national security grounds, prompting lawsuits by the companies, which argued the national security review they received was biased. The Biden White House disputed the charge. The steel companies saw a new opportunity in the Trump administration, which opened a fresh 45-day national security review into the proposed merger in April. But Trump's public comments, ranging from welcoming a simple "investment" in US Steel by the Japanese firm to floating a minority stake for Nippon Steel, spurred confusion. [[nid:714421]]
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US immigration officials told to largely pause raids on farms, hotels, NYT reports
FILE PHOTO: Orange traffic cones with the word \"ICE\" are seen at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Miramar, near Miami, Florida, U.S. July 14, 2019. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has told immigration officials to largely pause raids and arrests in the agricultural industry, hotels and restaurants, the New York Times reported on Friday. The report cited an internal email and three U.S. officials with knowledge of the guidance. "Effective today, please hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels,' Tatum King, a senior official at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in guidance to regional leaders of the department, the Times added. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the guidance to the Times and said: 'We will follow the president's direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America's streets,' Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The White House and U.S. department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside of regular business hours. The report comes after Trump said on Thursday he would issue an order soon to address the effects of his immigration crackdown on the country's farm and hotel industries, which rely heavily on migrant labor. U.S. farm industry groups have long wanted Trump to spare their sector from mass deportations, which could upend a food supply chain dependent on immigrants. Trump is carrying out his campaign promise to deport immigrants in the country illegally. But protesters and some Trump supporters have questioned the targeting of those who are not convicted criminals, including in places of employment such as those that sparked last week's protests in Los Angeles. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
