Russia says it's worried about threat of new strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities
Israel and the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June with the stated aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any such intention.
'Regular threats towards Iran to launch new missile and bomb strikes on its nuclear facilities cannot but cause serious concern. The cynicism of such statements is added by the fact that they are made under the guise of imaginary concern for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,' Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
Trump warns Iran that its nuclear sites could be bombed again
'Bombing nuclear facilities should not become commonplace, routine international practice. The catastrophic risks associated with this cannot be ignored, much less justified.'
Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran since the start of its war in Ukraine, and this year signed a strategic partnership treaty with the Islamic Republic.
Zakharova said a sustainable peace settlement and a promise not to conduct new strikes on Iran were prerequisites for normalising cooperation between Tehran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.
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Express Tribune
30 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan hit with 19pc tariff as Trump targets dozens of countries with new duties
A U.S. flag flutters near shipping containers as a ship is unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles, in San Pedro, California, U.S., May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/ File Photo Listen to article Pakistan will face a 19 per cent tariff on its exports to the United States, according to an executive order issued as US President Donald Trump's tariff deadline ends August 1. President Donald Trump also slapped steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan, pressing ahead with his plans to reorder the global economy ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline. The revised tariff for Pakistan, down from the previous 29pc, was announced a day after the US and Pakistan finalised a trade agreement in Washington. Yesterday, a new deal between the United States and Pakistan for the joint development of Pakistan's oil reserves was announced by Donald Trump. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, President Trump stated: 'We have just concluded a deal with the country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive oil reserves.' He added that the US is in the process of selecting a company to lead the initiative. 'Who knows, maybe they'll be selling oil to India someday!' he remarked. Trump imposed an August 1 deadline for dozens of nations to strike trade deals with the US or face tariffs heightened well above the 10% baseline he had already rolled out. According to an executive order, Trump set rates including a 35% duty on many goods from Canada, 50% for Brazil, 25% for India, 20% for Taiwan and 39% for Switzerland. The order listed higher import duty rates of 10% to 41% starting in seven days for 69 trading partners as of 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT) deadline approached. Some of them had reached tariff-reducing deals; others had no opportunity to negotiate with his administration. Trump included an exception for some goods shipped within the coming week. Goods from all other countries not listed would be subject to a 10% US import tax. Trump had previously said that rate might be higher. The administration also teased that more trade deals were in the pipeline as it seeks to close trade deficits and boost domestic factories. Facing a Friday deadline of his making, the Republican president has tapped emergency powers, pressured foreign leaders, and pressed ahead with trade policies that sparked a market sell-off when they were first announced in April. This time, markets had a more muted reaction. Stocks and equity futures fell modestly in Friday morning trading in Asia. Trump's order said that some trading partners, "despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgment, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters." Other details are still to come, including on the "rules of origin" that will determine what products might face even higher tariffs. Trump also said "we have made a few deals today that are excellent deals for the country," and a US official later told reporters that they were still to be announced. Canada and Mexico Trump issued a separate order for Canada that raises the rate on Canadian goods subject to fentanyl-related tariffs to 35%, from 25% previously, saying Canada had "failed to cooperate" in curbing illicit narcotics flows into the US. The higher tariffs on Canadian goods contrasted sharply with Trump's decision to grant Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs of 30% on many goods to provide more time to negotiate a broader trade pact. Trump complained to reporters earlier that Canada had "been very poorly led." Canada's government did not immediately comment but it has previously disputed there being any basis for the tariffs. The extension for Mexico avoids a 30% tariff on most Mexican non-automotive and non-metal goods compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade and came after a Thursday morning call between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. India discord Goods from India appeared to be headed for a 25% tariff after talks bogged down over access to India's agriculture sector, drawing a higher-rate threat from Trump that also included an unspecified penalty for India's purchases of Russian oil. Although negotiations with India were continuing, New Delhi vowed to protect the country's labor-intensive farm sector, and the threat of higher rates from Trump triggered outrage from the opposition party and a slump in the rupee. Trump's rollout of higher import taxes on Friday comes amid more evidence they have begun driving up consumer goods prices. Commerce Department data released Thursday showed prices for home furnishings and durable household equipment jumped 1.3% in June, the biggest gain since March 2022. Recreational goods and vehicles prices shot up 0.9%, the most since February 2024. Prices for clothing and footwear rose 0.4%.
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
US official says differences with India cannot be resolved overnight for deal
WASHINGTON: Differences between the U.S. and India cannot be resolved overnight to arrive at a trade deal, a senior U.S. official told reporters late on Thursday, citing geopolitical disagreements. Why it's important President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Washington was still negotiating with India on trade after announcing earlier that day the U.S. would impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from the country starting on Friday. Trump says US does very little business with India, almost none with Russia The 25% figure would single out India more severely than other major trading partners, and threaten to unravel months of talks between the two countries, undermining a strategic partner of Washington's and a counterbalance to China. Key quotes 'Our challenges with India, they've always been a pretty closed market… there are a host of other kind of geopolitical issues,' the U.S. official said. 'You've seen the president express concern about, you know, membership in BRICS, purchases of Russian oil and that kind of thing.' While saying there were constructive discussions with India, the official added: 'These are complex relationships and complex issues, and so I don't think things can be resolved overnight with India.' Context India has faced pressure from the West, including the U.S., to distance itself from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi resisted that pressure, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic needs. Trump has cast the BRICS group of developing nations - of which India is a key part - as hostile to the US. Those nations have dismissed that accusation and the group says it promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. Trump has also drawn India's frustration by repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media on May 10.
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
US cuts Pakistan tariff to 19% from 29% after trade deal
The US administration has imposed a 19% reciprocal tariff on a wide range of Pakistani goods, significantly lower than the initially proposed 29%, under a sweeping new executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday. Trump announced new tariffs of up to 41% on goods imported from dozens of countries, including Pakistan, citing persistent trade imbalances and a lack of reciprocity in bilateral trade relationships. Courtesy: 'Conditions reflected in large and persistent annual US goods trade deficits constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States,' the executive order states. Pakistan's revised tariff rate of 19% is lower than that of several regional economies, including India (25%), Bangladesh (20%), Vietnam (20%), and Sri Lanka (20%). Courtesy: JS Global The development came a day after the US administration struck a deal with Pakistan, in which Washington would work with Islamabad to develop the South Asian nation's oil reserves. 'We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves,' Trump wrote on social media. 'We are in the process of choosing the Oil Company that will lead this Partnership. Who knows, maybe they'll be selling Oil to India some day!' Islamabad described the deal as a marker of a broader partnership with Washington. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who led the final round of talks, said there was a larger economic and strategic agreement. 'From our perspective, it was always going beyond the immediate trade imperative, and its whole purpose was, and is, that trade and investment have to go hand in hand,' he said, in video-taped remarks. Pakistan faced a potential 29% tariff on exports to the United States under tariffs announced by Washington in April on countries around the world. Tariffs were subsequently suspended for 90 days so negotiations could take place. Islamabad's trade surplus with Washington was around $3 billion in 2024, mainly due to textile exports. The United States is Pakistan's biggest market for textiles.
