United States

President Donald Trump Hails Rare Earth Deal with China, Praises "Excellent" Relations

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed a tentative agreement reached overnight in London between Washington and Beijing, which he says will enable the supply of rare earth minerals to the United States, praising the “excellent” relationship between the two countries. "An agreement with China has been reached, pending final approval ...

Nuclear: Iran Threatens US Military Bases in the Middle East, Trump Less and Less Confident

Iran threatened Wednesday to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out, while President Donald Trump said he was "less confident" about reaching a nuclear deal. Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 accord that Trump abandoned during his ...

Elon Musk Says He "Went Too Far" in Criticism of Trump

Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X. Musk's ...

China’s Rare Earth Dominance Takes Center Stage in Trade Negotiations

China is counting on one crucial advantage as it seeks to grind out a deal to ease its high-stakes trade war with the United States – dominance in rare earths. Used in electric vehicles, hard drives, wind turbines, and missiles, rare earth elements are essential to the modern economy and national defense. AFP takes a look at how rare earths ...

Wayne Wall Appointed as White House Senior Director for the Middle East

The White House appointed Wayne Wall as senior director for the Middle East at the National Security Council (NSC), according to an official source and an official close to the matter cited by Axios. His appointment comes on the heels of a major reorganization initiated by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Marco Rubio. A Discreet but ...

Iran Says New Round of US Talks Planned for Sunday

The sixth round of Iran-US nuclear talks is planned for Sunday, Tehran said, as the two sides appear locked in a standoff over uranium enrichment nearly two months into the high-stakes negotiations. It came as European powers and the United States submitted a censure motion to the UN's nuclear watchdog in an effort to ramp up pressure on ...

Western Countries Submit New Iran Resolution at UN Nuclear Agency

European powers and the United States submitted a resolution to the UN's nuclear watchdog on Tuesday condemning Iran's "non-compliance" with its nuclear obligations in a bid to up pressure on Tehran, diplomats told AFP. The text, which diplomatic sources told AFP had been submitted Tuesday night, is the latest diplomatic move by Western powers in ...

Huawei Founder says Chips Still Lag 'One Generation' Behind US

Chinese tech giant Huawei's chips still "lag behind the United States by one generation", state media quoted its founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei as saying in a rare interview on Tuesday. Washington last month unveiled fresh guidelines warning firms that using Chinese-made high-tech AI semiconductors, specifically Huawei's Ascend chips, would put ...

Iran says New Round of US Talks Planned for Sunday

Iran's foreign ministry has said a new round of nuclear talks with the United States is being planned for Sunday, after President Donald Trump said it was expected on Thursday. "The next round of Iran-US indirect talks is being planned for next Sunday in Muscat," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement Tuesday, adding ...

Trump Signals Iran Nuclear Talks Will Resume on Thursday After Netanyahu Talks

US President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday about Iran, according to a White House official as reported by Reuters. The call occurred as Trump sought to expedite aid to Gaza and persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program. Trump said he is actively engaged in efforts involving Iran, describing Tehran’s ...

Trump Blames 'Insurrectionists' for Los Angeles Unrest

US President Donald Trump on Monday blamed "insurrectionists" for unrest in Los Angeles after he sent in National Guard troops to quell protests against immigration raids. "The people that are causing the problems are professional agitators and insurrectionists," Trump told reporters at the White House. "They're bad people; they should be in ...