Browsing: USA politics

In the first half of 2025, the US dollar has suffered its worst decline since 1973, plunging roughly 10.8% against a basket of major currencies.

President Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle US sanctions on Syria, aiming to integrate the country into the international financial system.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has called for accelerated ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, declaring, “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”.

Senators voted 51–49 to begin debate on President Trump’s sweeping legislative package, officially known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which combines large tax cuts, expanded defence and border spending, and deep reductions to Medicaid, SNAP and green energy programmes.

The long-awaited UK-US trade deal officially came into force, reducing tariffs on UK exports to the US and strengthening transatlantic economic ties.

At the NATO summit in The Hague, Secretary-General Mark Rutte referred to President Donald Trump as “daddy” whilst praising him for intervening in the Iran–Israel ceasefire and driving a historic agreement for members to boost defence spending to 5 % of GDP by 2035.

“New intelligence” says US bombing of Iran did severe damage to Iran’s nuclear sites despite the leaked report from the US intelligence.

The week so far has been dominated by the Israel-Iran conflict with a shaky ceasefire currently in place. Donald Trump’s remarkable outburst on TV sent shockwaves around the globe, as a leaked US intelligence report suggests the US bombing of Iran did little damage to Iran’s nuclear efforts – Trump denies this.

The NATO summit is currently underway with members committing to spending 5% of GDP and signing security deals with each other amid an increasingly unstable world.

President Trump hailed the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites a success, a US Defence Intelligence Agency report counters that the attacks only set Iran’s programme back by a few months, not obliterate it.

An early U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency assessment, according to American media CNN, indicates the weekend strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, failed to destroy the core nuclear infrastructure.

A preliminary US assessment indicates that recent strikes on Iranian nuclear sites only set back Tehran’s programme by a few months, contrary to claims of total destruction by Donald Trump.

Israeli warplanes were prepared to retaliate against Iranian missile strikes, considering them a violation of a newly-established ceasefire.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran was announced by Donald Trump after 12 days of intense conflict involving strikes on Iranian nuclear sites (Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan) and Iranian missile attacks, including one on a U.S. base in Qatar.

A “complete and total ceasefire” between Israel and Iran has been announced by Donald Trump, set to begin shortly after his announcement on Truth Social.

France and Germany have joined forces in calling for a measured yet assertive EU response to proposed U.S. tariffs on aircraft and aircraft parts, part of Washington’s broader 20% levies on EU imports.

Oil prices surged to their highest in five months, Brent crude briefly topped $81 a barrel, after the US joined Israel in striking key Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered a stern warning following US airstrikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, calling the attacks a “heinous crime” that risks “everlasting consequences” for international security.

Ramping up NATO members’ defence spending has gained momentum, supported by Germany and driven by the US administration’s objective to enhance military budgets across Europe.

The United States has launched attacks on three Iranian uranium enrichment sites, marking its entry into the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran risk escalating into a broader regional or global conflict, dependent largely on responses from Iran’s key allies, Russia and China.

Donald Trump is betting that US airstrikes have effectively destroyed Iranian nuclear sites, despite military officials suggesting full destruction is unlikely and that the strikes may only set back Iran’s programme.

Several of Friday’s UK front pages lead with Donald Trump’s announcement that he will wait two weeks before deciding on whether the United States military will enter the Israeli war in Iran. It allows room for discussions between the West and Iran as European leaders met with their Iranian counterparts to discuss nuclear weapons.

Trump wants Iran to get back to the negotiating table regarding their nuclear weapons programme, with the ultimatum that Iran needs to completely abandon its nuclear programme or face the might of the US military.

Baroness Harriet Harman cautioned that Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose political identity was shaped by opposition to Iraq, might ultimately permit U.S. use of UK-controlled bases, such as Diego Garcia or RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, for strikes on Iran if President Trump requested it.

U.S. President Donald Trump has dramatically escalated rhetoric amid the Israel–Iran war, calling for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and warning Tehran civilians to evacuate.

The Israel–Iran conflict has escalated sharply after five days of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear, military, and energy infrastructure, reportedly killing at least 224 Iranians and wounding around 1,400.