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The Wire
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
US, Pakistan Discuss Iran, Terror, and Trade in First Foreign Minister-Level Meeting in Three Years
The meeting reflected a renewed warmth in US-Pakistan ties under the Trump administration, a shift particularly noticeable to New Delhi. New Delhi: US secretary of state Marco Rubio on July 25 welcomed Pakistan's 'willingness' to mediate with Iran and its commitment to maintaining 'regional stability' during a meeting with Pakistani deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar – the first foreign minister-level engagement between the two countries in three years. The meeting reflected a renewed warmth in US-Pakistan ties under the Trump administration, in contrast to the previous Biden years, when former president Biden did not directly engage with either Imran Khan or Shehbaz Sharif during their tenures as prime minister. The shift has been particularly noticeable to New Delhi, which has been uneasy over President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he pressured India and Pakistan into a ceasefire following four days of cross-border clashes by leveraging trade. India has maintained that the hostilities ended only after a direct military-to-military conversation between the two sides, with no third-party intervention. Pakistan, which has long sought to internationalise the Kashmir dispute, publicly supported Trump's version and even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. A week after the ceasefire, Pakistan army chief Asim Munir visited the White House for a lunch meeting with Trump. The discussion focused on Iran and came shortly after Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory. According to the US State department readout, Rubio 'expressed appreciation for Pakistan's continued willingness to play a constructive role in mediating conversations with Iran and its commitment to preserving regional stability'. It also stated that the two ministers on Friday 'discussed prospects for deepening bilateral counterterrorism cooperation, including countering ISIS-K, and the upcoming U.S.-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue in Islamabad this August'. Pakistan's opening with the Trump administration began in the early months of his second term, when its military quietly handed over an Islamic State (ISIS-K) militant to US authorities. Trump later referenced the handover in his first address to Congress, singling out Pakistan for praise, which was an early indication of the alignment that would follow. Rubio also raised the issue of 'mutually beneficial bilateral trade', language seen as reflecting the Trump administration's concern about trade deficits. He spoke about enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals and mining sectors, which has been a priority area for Trump amid China's tightening control of global supply chains. At an event hosted by the Atlantic Council, the visiting Pakistani minister said the United States and Pakistan were close to concluding a deal to extract min erals from Pakistan. He suggested that an agreement could be finalised in 'weeks and days, not months'. During an interaction at a think-tank Atlantic Council, he stated the US and Pakistan were close to concluding a deal for extracting minerals from Pakistan and an agreement could be finalised in 'weeks and days, not months.' In a post on X, he wrote the two sides had reaffirmed their 'commitment to the long-term Pakistan-US partnership, with renewed focus on economic, trade, investment, IT/AI, and CT cooperation'. He also thanked the United States for what he described as a constructive role in helping facilitate the recent ceasefire between Pakistan and India. According to a statement issued by the Pakistan embassy in Washington, as reported by Dawn, Dar told Rubio that the U.S. intervention had 'helped avert a potential nuclear confrontation and restored calm to a volatile region'. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Iran Gives Position on New Nuclear Talks With US
Iran's foreign minister has ruled out any imminent return to nuclear negotiations with the United States, calling talk of renewed diplomacy after the war with Israel "speculation" and insisting that "there has not even been talk of negotiations." Abbas Araghchi's comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two countries and suggested that discussions with Tehran could resume as early as next week. Newsweek has reached out to the State department for comment. Why It Matters The pause in direct conflict has not eased global concerns as Iran's refusal to resume nuclear talks signals a major setback. Tehran's rejection shows that U.S. pressure has hardened its stance, narrowing oversight after damage to its nuclear sites and suspended inspections. For Washington, this undermines months of diplomacy and weakens efforts to contain nuclear risks. The international community now faces fewer tools to prevent Iran's nuclear advancement, setting a troubling precedent where military action, not dialogue, shapes engagement limits. In an interview with Iranian state TV, Araghchi denied any agreement to restart nuclear negotiations, pushing back on Washington's expectations. The conflict, sparked by Israeli strikes on June 13 and followed by U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear sites, abruptly ended talks aimed at reviving a deal. "The situation has completely changed and it is not possible to reach an agreement as easily as in the past," he said. Araghchi accused the U.S. and Israel of deliberately provoking the conflict despite ongoing diplomacy. When European mediators urged Iran to halt the fighting and return to talks, he responded, "What do you mean? We were in the middle of diplomacy! They were the ones who started the war." Despite rejecting formal negotiations, Araghchi stressed that diplomatic channels remain open. Messages continue to pass through mediators like Oman's Foreign Minister, who led the previous five rounds of talks. A planned sixth round in Oman was canceled after the outbreak of conflict. Araghchi also acknowledged that the U.S. strikes inflicted "serious harm" on its nuclear facilities. "This damage has not been minor-serious harm has been done to our facilities," he said, noting that Iran's Atomic Energy Agency is conducting a thorough assessment of the destruction. In the U.S., debate continues over the strikes' effectiveness. President Trump declared the attacks "obliterated" their targets, but some senior Democrats remain skeptical about how much was truly destroyed. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: "No agreement has been made to restart negotiations, and there has not even been talk of negotiations. There is no point in negotiating now." President Donald Trump: "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." Democrat Senator Chris Murphy: "The president was deliberately misleading the public when he said the program was obliterated." The U.S. faces a tough path as Iran rejects talks and hardens its stance after recent strikes. Washington must balance pressure on Tehran with regional concerns, risking further instability. How the U.S. handles this will impact the future of the nuclear deal and Middle East security Related Articles Pete Hegseth Trashing Former Fox News Colleague Sparks Fury from CriticsGreen Card Holder Detained by ICE for Over 4 Months After Making Wrong TurnVisualizing What Iran's 'Missing' Uranium Would Look LikeFormer CIA Director Says Pete Hegseth 'Reflects Paranoia' 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Mint
24-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Trump Baffles With Sudden U-Turn on China Buying Iranian Oil
President Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to undermine years of US sanctions on Iran, giving its biggest customer China the green light to carry on buying its oil as he seeks to bolster a ceasefire with Israel. The announcement on social media — which surprised both oil traders and officials in his own government — could undermine the central element of Washington's Iran policy under multiple administrations, which have sought to cut the regime's main source of revenue by making its top export off limits. 'China can now continue to purchase oil from Iran,' the president said on Truth Social, amid a flurry of posts demanding Israel and Iran cease hostilities. The statement landed only hours after Trump declared the Middle East rivals had agreed to a ceasefire, which got off to a shaky start with early breaches by both sides. It follows massive US airstrikes on several of the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities Sunday, an offensive aimed at stopping Tehran from obtaining an atomic weapon. Oil prices extended losses after Trump's comments, with West Texas Intermediate futures sinking 6% to settle near $64 a barrel in New York. The market had already plunged in recent days as the threat to oil flows from the Israel-Iran conflict faded. US Treasury and State department officials handling Iranian oil sanctions were surprised by Trump's statement and uncertain how to immediately interpret it, according to people familiar with the situation. In the meantime, however, Treasury will continue to strictly enforce related sanctions, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified given the political and market sensitivity of the issue. The White House and Treasury Department didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, while the State Department referred questions to the White House. Tammy Bruce, State Department spokeswoman, declined to provide further specifics during a briefing Tuesday. 'I'm not going to get ahead of the president or try to guess what his strategy will be,' she said when asked about the comment. 'Things happen quickly and I think we'll find out sooner than later.' The apparent shift also comes as the Trump administration seeks to hammer out a new trade framework with China and climb down from a tariff war that saw duties reach levels high enough to cut all trade between the world's two biggest economies. The comments appeared to be Trump 'throwing a bone' to China and Iran for cooperating in their respective talks with the US, said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert. 'Most of us are thinking that it's just rhetoric at this point. But it definitely took me by surprise.' Allowing a specific carve out for China may be an effort by Trump to send positive signals to Beijing as he seeks a new tariff deal, said a person familiar with the president's thinking, also asking not to be identified. While the potential shift may ease some legal risks around China's buying of Iranian oil, it's unclear what impact the change would have on actual flows. China, the world's biggest importer, gets about 14% of its crude from Iran. But that figure is likely higher as some imports are masked as shipments from Malaysia, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Oman, in order to circumvent US sanctions, which Beijing doesn't recognize. Iran's oil, often purchased at a discount, is vital for China's substantial private refining sector, a crucial source of energy for its economy, which has struggled under the weight of a slumping property sector. 'The Iranian oil sanctions have been so significant for so long, but also with relatively muted enforcement,' said Daniel Tannebaum, former Treasury official and partner at Oliver Wyman. 'It would be premature to think that this policy — which would benefit both China and Iran — would go ahead without a longer term view of ensuring stability in the region, before just literally opening up the spigots to allow legal trade of Iranian oil by China.' Trump as recently as last month insisted all purchases of Iranian oil or petrochemical products 'must stop, NOW!' and that buyers would be subject to secondary sanctions and prevented from engaging in any business with the US. That threat built on previous warnings from his administration. In February, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington intended to squeeze Iran's oil exports to less than 10% of current levels, as it renewed the 'maximum pressure' campaign deployed during Trump's first term. As part of that effort, the US has sanctioned hundreds of oil tankers for their role in handling Tehran's petroleum and, absent an easing in those measures, some buyers may still take a more-cautious approach. The White House has also targeted Chinese entities that bought Iranian oil, something that could make other buyers wary. Likewise, secondary sanctions on Iran's sales remain in place and its not clear where the president's remarks will leave those. The sanctions were intended to force Iran to voluntarily give up uranium enrichment so that it would never be in a position to obtain a nuclear weapon. It's still unclear if US airstrikes over the weekend seriously damaged the country's nuclear facilities, while the International Atomic Energy Agency still doesn't know what happened to Tehran's stockpiled of 409 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium — potentially enough for 10 nuclear warheads. With assistance from Alaric Nightingale, Julian Lee, Jordan Fabian, Alexander Pearson and Kate Sullivan. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
India says issuing visas is U.S. prerogative, hopes Indian students will be considered on merit
Issuing visas is a sovereign issue for the U.S. government, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday (May 29, 2025), but added that the government hopes that the process will be completed in time for Indian students to join the U.S. universities they have gained admission to this year. This comes amidst reports that the U.S. missions in India and around the world have temporarily paused scheduling new visa appointments as they await instructions from the U.S. State department on how to enhance their screening of applicants' social media profiles. 'Sovereign function' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the welfare of students was of 'utmost priority'. 'We have seen reports suggesting the U.S. government updated guidance regarding Student and Exchange Visitor visa applicants,' Mr. Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing. 'While we note that issuance of visa is a sovereign function, we hope that the application of Indian students will be considered on merit and they will be able to join their academic programmes on time,' he added. Mr. Jaiswal also pointed out that more than 3,30,000 Indian students were studying in the U.S., as of 2023-24. Indians made up nearly 30% of the roughly 1.1 million international students in the U.S. that year, the biggest bloc from any country. Foreign Secretary meetings The controversy over the student visas, the latest hiccup to hit India-U.S. relations, came even as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri ended his three-day visit to Washington. The MEA spokesperson did not confirm whether the pause in visas, or the Trump administration's latest repetition of claims that the U.S. mediated the India-Pakistan ceasefire using trade as leverage, were issues raised during Mr. Misri's meetings, particularly his talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. '[Mr. Landau and Mr. Misri] agreed that technology, trade, and talent will shape the India-U.S. partnership in the 21st century,' Mr. Jaiswal said, adding that they committed to strengthening the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries. 'So whether this particular issue was raised [or not], I would say that all issues of mutual interest was discussed between India and the United States. Mr. Jaiswal said that Mr. Misri had also discussed defence and energy cooperation, as well as efforts to strengthen the Quad, IMEEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor), and I2U2 (Israel-India-UAE-U.S.) initiatives. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is due to travel to Washington at the end of June for a meeting of Quad Foreign Ministers, and India is expected to host the Quad summit in November.
Free Malaysia Today
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
US threatens to quit Russia-Ukraine effort without ‘concrete proposals'
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a three-day ceasefire but dismissed a Ukrainian-backed US demand for a longer 30-day truce. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : Secretary of state Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that the US would end mediation unless Russia and Ukraine come up with 'concrete proposals,' as US patience wanes on an early priority for President Donald Trump. Trump had vowed to end the war in his first 24 hours back in the White House but, as he celebrates 100 days in office, Rubio has suggested the administration could soon turn attention to other issues. 'We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict,' State department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters, in what she said was a message from Rubio. 'If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators in this process.' She said it would ultimately be up to Trump to decide whether to move ahead on diplomacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently proposed a three-day ceasefire around Moscow's commemorations next week for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. But Putin has rebuffed a Ukrainian-backed US call for a 30-day ceasefire. The US wants 'not a three-day moment so you can celebrate something else – a complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict,' Bruce said. It remains unclear if Rubio is actually ready to turn the page or is seeking to pressure the two countries – especially Russia, which believes it has an upper hand on the battlefield and in diplomacy since Trump's outreach. Trump, criticising his predecessor Joe Biden's support for Ukraine, reached out to Putin after taking office, easing him from the international isolation he has been in since he ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Putin again last week met with Trump's business friend Steve Witkoff, who has taken on a role of a globe-trotting envoy. Trump in turn berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a Feb 28 White House meeting, with Trump and vice president JD Vance accusing the wartime leader of ingratitude for US weapons. Ukraine quickly tried to make amends by backing US diplomatic efforts and pursuing a deal in which the US would control much of the country's mineral wealth. But Zelensky has held firm against formal international recognition of Russia's 2014 takeover of Crimea. Trump has insisted that Ukraine has lost Crimea and Zelensky should give it up. Speaking by videoconference to an event in Poland on Tuesday, Zelensky said: 'We all want this war to end in a fair way – with no rewards for Putin, especially no land.' Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the senate foreign relations committee, said Tuesday that recognising 'Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea would invite additional aggression from Moscow and Beijing.' 'I have endeavoured to give president Trump the space to negotiate a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which is a goal we both share,' she said. 'However, president Trump and his team have fatally mismanaged these negotiations – offering concession after concession to Russia, throwing away our leverage and fracturing the united front with our allies that is critical to ending this war,' she said. Ukraine on Tuesday ordered the evacuation of seven villages in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region which used to be remote from the frontlines but are now under threat as Russian forces close in. Russia has been trying to break into the region from the neighboring Donetsk but has not succeeded, even after more than three years of grinding battles. Last week a ballistic missile ripped into a residential area of Kyiv in one of the deadliest attacks on the city since the invasion. Trump, who has boasted of his rapport with Putin, wrote, 'Vladimir, STOP,' on social media after the attack.
