New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has announced that he does not plan to extend the 90-day pause on tariffs beyond the July 9 deadline. Speaking to Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures, Trump said that letters notifying countries of upcoming trade penalties will be sent out shortly.
“We’ll look at how a country treats us, are they good, are they not so good, some countries we don’t care, we’ll just send a high number out,” he said. The letters will state, “Congratulations, we’re allowing you to shop in the United States of America, you’re going to pay a 25 per cent tariff, or a 35 per cent or a 50 per cent or 10 per cent.”
While Trump had earlier noted that it would be difficult to finalize 90 separate trade deals in 90 days, he said the administration still intends to move forward with penalties unless deals are reached.
TikTok sale underway, wealthy investors involved
On the future of TikTok, Trump revealed that a group of wealthy investors is preparing a deal to buy the Chinese-owned platform. Although he didn’t disclose names, Trump suggested that the deal may require approval from China’s President Xi Jinping. “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way… I’ll tell you in about two weeks,” he added.
This comes after Trump signed an executive order earlier this month extending TikTok’s operation in the US by another 90 days, the third such extension since a national ban was initially upheld by the Supreme Court.
US ‘obliterated’ Iranian nuclear sites, Trump claims
Trump claimed that recent U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had “obliterated” their program, setting it back significantly. He criticised the leak of an intelligence assessment that indicated Iran’s capabilities were only temporarily reduced, saying that the leaker should be prosecuted and that journalists should be compelled to reveal their sources.
Iran, meanwhile, pushed back. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Trump was exaggerating to “cover up and conceal the truth,” while Iran’s UN ambassador asserted that the nuclear program remains peaceful. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi confirmed there was significant damage but not “total damage,” and denied pressure to falsely report Iran was close to a nuclear weapon.
