Latest news with #FREEPIK
Express Tribune
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
E3 envoys arrive in Istanbul for nuclear talks after June strikes
EU, UK, France, Germany test Iran's will to negotiate despite little hope of Israel halting attacks, diplomats say. PHOTO: FREEPIK Delegations have arrived at Iran's Istanbul consulate on Friday morning for face-to-face talks between Iran and the so-called E3 group of France, Britain and Germany, Reuters witness said. Senior diplomats from the E3 group are set to hold talks with Iran's negotiating team for the first time since US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, aiming to gauge Tehran's appetite for a compromise to avert sanctions. Ahead of the talks, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Tehran's position remained "firm and steadfast". "Our uranium enrichment will continue; we will not give up this right of the Iranian people," Araqchi said in a video carried by state media, adding that Friday's talks are "a continuation of previous discussions, and the world must understand that our position is clear and unchanged."
Express Tribune
21-07-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
European powers plan fresh nuclear talks with Iran
EU, UK, France, Germany test Iran's will to negotiate despite little hope of Israel halting attacks, diplomats say. PHOTO: FREEPIK European powers plan fresh talks with Iran on its nuclear programme in the coming days, the first since the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago, a German diplomatic source told AFP on Sunday. Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, "are in contact with Iran to schedule further talks for the coming week", the source said. The trio had recently warned that international sanctions against Iran could be reactivated if Tehran does not return to the negotiating table. Iran's Tasnim news agency also reported that Tehran had agreed to hold talks with the three European countries, citing an unnamed source. Consultations are ongoing regarding a date and location for the talks, the report said. "Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. That is why Germany, France and the United Kingdom are continuing to work intensively in the E3 format to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear programme," the German source said. Western nations have long accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has consistently denied. Meanwhile on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a surprise meeting in the Kremlin with Ali Larijani, top adviser to Iran's supreme leader on nuclear issues. Larijani "conveyed assessments of the escalating situation in the Middle East and around the Iranian nuclear programme", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the unannounced meeting. Putin had expressed Russia's "well-known positions on how to stabilise the situation in the region and on the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear programme", he added. Moscow has a cordial relationship with Iran's clerical leadership and provides crucial backing for Tehran but did not swing forcefully behind its partner even after the United States joined Israel's bombing campaign. Iran and world powers struck a deal in 2015 called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which placed significant restrictions on Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But the hard-won deal began to unravel in 2018, during Trump's first presidency, when the United States walked away from it and reimposed sanctions on Iran. European countries have in recent days threatened to trigger the deal's "snapback" mechanism, which allows the reimposition of sanctions in the event of non-compliance by Iran. After a call with his European counterparts on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Western allies had no grounds for reactivating sanctions
Express Tribune
29-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Trump cuts off US trade talks with Canada
Washington has previously taken issue with Canada's digital services tax, requesting dispute settlement talks last year over the matter.. PHOTO:FREEPIK Listen to article US President Donald Trump abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada on Friday over its tax targeting US technology firms, saying that it was a "blatant attack" and that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week. The move plunges US Canada relations back into chaos after a period of relative calm that included a cordial G7 meeting in mid-June where Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to wrap up a new economic agreement within 30 days. It also came just hours after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the US manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations. The often-chaotic rollout of Trump's import levies since his return to office this year has frequently whipsawed financial markets, and have begun to weigh on consumer spending, the bedrock of the US economy. US stocks were briefly batted lower by his broadside against Canada, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq managed to close out the week at record highs. Trump's action comes ahead of Canada's plans to begin collecting on Monday a previously enacted digital services tax on US technology firms, including Amazon , Meta , Alphabet's Google and Apple , among others. The tax is 3% of the digital services revenue a firm takes in from Canadian users above $20 million in a calendar year, and payments will be retroactive to 2022. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media platform, called the tax "a direct and blatant attack on our country" and said Canada was a "very difficult country to TRADE with." "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said. "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven-day period." Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said that the negotiations with Canada would not resume "until they straighten out their act," adding that the US holds "such power over Canada."
Express Tribune
27-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Trump ends trade talks with Canada over tax on US tech firms
Washington has previously taken issue with Canada's digital services tax, requesting dispute settlement talks last year over the matter.. PHOTO:FREEPIK President Donald Trump said Friday that he is calling off trade negotiations with Canada in retaliation for taxes impacting major US tech firms, adding that Ottawa will learn of their tariff rate within a week. "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that Canada will soon find out the levy it needs to pay to do business in the United States, calling his country's northern neighbor "very difficult" to trade with. Washington has previously taken issue with Canada's digital services tax, requesting dispute settlement talks last year over the matter. While Canada's digital services tax is not new -- it was enacted last year – US service providers are "on the hook for a multi-billion dollar payment in Canada" by June 30, noted the Computer & Communications Industry Association. While Canada has been spared from some of Trump's most sweeping duties, such as a 10 percent rate imposed in early April on nearly all trading partners, it faces a separate tariff regime. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has also imposed steep levies on imports of steel, aluminum and autos. Last week, Canada said it would adjust its 25 percent counter tariffs on US steel and aluminum after Washington doubled its levies on imports of both metals to 50 percent – if a trade deal was not reached within 30 days.
Express Tribune
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Geneva talks yield little progress as European FMs push for renewed Iran-US dialogue
EU, UK, France, Germany test Iran's will to negotiate despite little hope of Israel halting attacks, diplomats say. PHOTO: FREEPIK Listen to article European foreign ministers urged Iran on Friday to engage with the United States over its nuclear programme after high-level talks in Geneva aimed at opening negotiations for a new nuclear deal ended with little sign of progress. The talks between the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain, France and the EU with their Iranian counterpart sought to test Tehran's readiness to negotiate despite there being scant prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon, diplomats said. "The Iranian Foreign Minister has expressed his willingness to continue discussions on the nuclear program and more broadly on all issues, and we expect Iran to commit to the discussion, including with the United States, to reach a negotiated settlement," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. Britain's foreign minister David Lammy said the European countries were eager to continue talks with Iran. "This is a perilous moment, and it is hugely important that we don't see regional escalation of this conflict," he said. Tehran, under mounting pressure to agree tough curbs on its nuclear programme to prevent the potential development of an atomic weapon, has repeatedly said it will not talk to the Trump administration until Israeli attacks end. European ministers spoke ahead of their Geneva meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who signalled that Washington was open to direct talks even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity, diplomatic sources said. Washington did not confirm that, though broadcaster CNN quoted a US official saying President Donald Trump supported diplomacy by allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal.
