Businesses left in the dark by uncertainty around US tariffs
The response from a European diplomat was weary, verging on resigned: "You have to expect there will always be uncertainty." During the night of Wednesday, May 28, to Thursday, May 29, three federal judges had caused a stir by ruling part of the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump illegal. Just a few hours later, a US court of appeals suspended their initial decision, temporarily restoring the tariffs while it considers the case. The court did not rule on the merits but reinstated the tariffs pending its judgment.
How can Brussels, Tokyo or Beijing negotiate under such conditions? On one hand, Trump was eager to boast about "great deals" with his trade partners. On the other, the very foundation of trade negotiations is shifting constantly. The events of recent days have illustrated this in dramatic fashion.
On May 23, Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on European Union (EU) imports by June 1. On Sunday, May 25, after a phone call with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, he postponed the deadline to July 9. On Wednesday, the legal basis for the tariffs collapsed. On Thursday, the appeals court's ruling temporarily reinstated them. "Anything can still happen. This is not the end of the story," a senior European official cautioned before the appeal decision.
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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Hamas says responds to US truce proposal, to free 10 living hostages
The White House had said the latest proposal for a deal was approved in advance by Israel, which on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages "or be annihilated". The Palestinian militant group did not explicitly say it had accepted the version of the proposal it received on Thursday, which had also reportedly included a provision for the release of 10 living hostages and a truce of at least 60 days. In a statement on Saturday, Hamas said it had "submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties". "As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," it added. A breakthrough in negotiations has been elusive ever since a previous ceasefire fell apart on March 18 with the resumption of Israeli operations. But US President Donald Trump had said Friday that the parties were "very close to an agreement". Hamas has maintained that any deal should lay out a pathway to a permanent end to the war, something Israel has resisted. Two sources close to the negotiations had said Witkoff's proposal involved a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days. It would see the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by a second exchange the following week, the sources said. 'Hungriest place on Earth' Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. "After 603 days of war, we wish to remind everyone that war is a means, not an end in itself," the main group representing hostages' families said in a statement. Israeli society was "united around one consensus", bringing home all the remaining hostages "even at the cost of ending the war", the Hostages and Missing Families Forum added. Israel, however, insists on the need to destroy Hamas, and recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in a bid to defeat the group. But it has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations recently warned the entire population was at risk of famine. This week a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency called the territory "the hungriest place on Earth". Aid is only trickling into Gaza after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month blockade, and the UN has recently reported looting of its trucks and warehouses. The World Food Programme has called on Israel "to get far greater volumes of food assistance into Gaza faster", saying desperation was "contributing to rising insecurity". The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians. Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
Hamas says it responded to US truce proposal and will free 10 living hostages
Hamas on Saturday, May 31, said it had responded to a ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying 10 living hostages would be freed from Gaza as part of the deal. The Palestinian militant group did not explicitly say it had accepted the version of the proposal it received on Thursday, which reportedly included a provision for the release of 10 living hostages. Hamas noted that its response had been made out of a "sense of responsibility toward our people and their suffering." The White House previously said the proposal had been approved in advance by Israel, which on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages "or be annihilated." Hamas said in a statement on Friday that it had "submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties." "As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," it added. A breakthrough in negotiations had been elusive since a previous ceasefire fell apart on March 18 with the resumption of Israeli operations. US President Donald Trump had said Friday that the parties were "very close to an agreement." Two sources close to the negotiations have said the deal involves a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days. It would see the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by a second exchange the following week, the sources said. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed major operations on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians. Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally based on official figures.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Hamas responds to US proposal by demanding permanent Gaza ceasefire
Hamas says it has responded to a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire, which Israeli officials have approved, but details of the response were not immediately known. In its response, Hamas reiterated previously stated demands for "a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip," none of which were included in the original draft proposal by the US. In a statement, Hamas said 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased ones would be released in exchange for "an agreed upon number of Palestinian prisoners." According to the initial US proposal, the fighting would stop for 60 days and see the release of some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. It makes no explicit guarantee of a permanent end to the war. This story is ongoing and will be updated further by our journalists. Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog has revealed. In a separate report, the agency called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with its years-long probe. The report comes at a sensitive time, as the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to reach a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program. The two sides have held several rounds of talks, so far without agreement. The report by the Vienna-based IAEA — which has been seen by The Associated Press — says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%. That's an increase of 133.8 kilograms — or almost 50% — since the IAEA's last report in February. The 60% enriched material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. A report in February put this stockpile level at 274.8 kilograms. There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the new IAEA report. The IAEA report issued a stern warning, saying that Iran is now 'the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material" — something the agency said was of "serious concern.' Approximately 42 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium is theoretically enough to produce one atomic bomb, if enriched further to 90%, according to the watchdog. The IAEA report, a quarterly, also estimated that as of May 17, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium — which includes uranium enriched to lower levels — stood at 9,247.6 kilograms. That's an increase of 953.2 kilograms since February's report. Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but the IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, has warned that Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make "several" nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. Iranian officials have increasingly suggested that Tehran could pursue an atomic bomb. US intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.' Israel said the report was a clear warning sign that "Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons program,' according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. It said IAEA's report 'strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran's nuclear program is not peaceful.' It also added that Iran's level of enrichment 'has no civilian justification whatsoever' and appealed on the international community to 'act now to stop Iran.' It is rare for Netanyahu to make statements on Saturday, the Jewish day of rest, underlying the urgency of the matter. Grossi said Saturday that he 'reiterates his urgent call upon Iran to cooperate fully and effectively' with the IAEA's years long investigation into uranium traces discovered at several sites in Iran. The IAEA also circulated to member states on Saturday a second, 22-page confidential report, also seen by the AP, that Grossi was asked to produce following a resolution passed by the IAEA board of governors last November. In this so-called 'comprehensive report,' the IAEA said that Iran's cooperation with the agency has "been less than satisfactory' when it comes to uranium traces discovered by IAEA inspectors at several locations in Iran that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could provide evidence that Iran had a secret military nuclear program until 2003. One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied this but in 2019 IAEA inspectors detected the presence of manmade uranium particles there. After initially blocking IAEA access, inspectors were able to collect samples in 2020 from two other locations where they also detected the presence of manmade uranium particles. The three locations became known as Turquzabad, Varamin, and Marivan. A fourth undeclared location named as Lavisan-Shian is also part of the IAEA probe but IAEA inspectors never visited the site because it was razed and demolished by Iran after 2003. In Saturday's comprehensive report, the IAEA says that the 'lack of answers and clarifications provided by Iran" to questions the watchdog had regarding Lavisan-Shian, Varamin and Marivan "has led the agency to conclude that these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material.' On Thursday, senior Iranian officials dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow the country's nuclear program to continue. The comments came a day after President Trump said he told Israeli Prime MInister Netanyahu to hold off on striking Iran to give the US administration more time to push for a new deal with Tehran. Trump said on Friday that he still thinks a deal could be completed in the 'not too distant future.' 'They don't want to be blown up. They would rather make a deal,' Trump said of Iran. He added, 'That would be a great thing that we could have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East.'
