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Trump praises Japan’s ‘great’ female leader in talks on trade, critical minerals

Takaichi followed other world leaders to recommended Trump for the Peace Prize he has long said he is worthy of.

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U.S. President Donald Trump lavished praise on Japan’s first female leader Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Tuesday, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a military buildup and signing deals on trade and critical minerals, Reuters reported.

Takaichi, a close ally of Trump’s friend and golfing partner late Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, also said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

The new prime minister is also expected to offer a package of U.S. investments under a $550-billion deal agreed this year, including shipbuilding, and increased purchases of U.S. soybeans, natural gas and pickup trucks, sources familiar with the talk said.

Those gestures may temper any Trump demands for Tokyo to spend more on defending islands from an increasingly assertive China, which Takaichi sought to head off by pledging last week to fast-track plans to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP.

“It’s a very strong handshake,” Trump said, as the pair posed for photos at the Akasaka Palace in downtown Tokyo.

“Everything I know from Shinzo and others, you will be one of the great prime ministers. I’d also like to congratulate you on being the first woman prime minister. It’s a big deal,” Trump told Takaichi as the pair sat down for discussions with their delegations.

Takaichi gifted Trump Abe’s putter, a golf bag signed by Japanese major winner Hideki Matsuyama and a gold leaf golf ball, according to photos posted on X by Trump’s assistant Margo Martin, read the report.

Trump also praised Japan’s efforts to purchase more U.S. defence equipment, while Takaichi said Trump’s role in securing ceasefires between Cambodia and Thailand, and Israel and Palestinian militants, were “unprecedented” achievements.

Takaichi followed other world leaders to recommended Trump for the Peace Prize he has long said he is worthy of.

The leaders then signed an agreement to support the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, as the countries seek to wean reliance off China’s chokehold on the materials crucial for a wide range of products from smartphones to fighter jets.

The deal aims to jointly identify projects of interest in areas such as magnets and batteries over the next six months and work together to develop stockpiles of key minerals among other measures.

Trump was last at the palace, an ornate residence built in a European style, in 2019 for talks with Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.

After lunch with Takaichi there, Trump met with relatives of people abducted by North Korea in the 1960s and 1970s to train its spies and their relatives. While some were later repatriated, Japan continues to press Pyongyang for a full accounting of all the abductees and the return of any who remain alive, a cause championed by Abe, Reuters reported.

“The United States is with them all the way,” Trump said after greeting the families.

The U.S. leader began his visit on Monday with a meeting at the Imperial Palace with Japanese Emperor Naruhito .

Takaichi’s gifts to Trump and repeated references to Abe are aimed at evoking memories of a close bond forged over hours the pair spent golfing together during Trump’s first term. Abe was assassinated in 2022, with the trial of his assailant coincidentally beginning in the western city of Nara on Tuesday.

A similar close relationship with the leader of Japan’s key security and trade partner could help Takaichi bolster her weak political position at home.

Though she has seen a surge in public support since becoming prime minister, her coalition government is two votes shy of a majority in parliament’s lower house.

Trump and Takaichi will later visit the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, which is home to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, part of the U.S. military’s powerful presence in the region, read the report.

Trump will then meet business leaders in Tokyo, before travelling on Wednesday to South Korea. In talks there with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said he hopes to seal a trade war truce between the world’s two biggest economies.

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Trump says US could restart Iran strikes ‘if they misbehave’

Iran has ⁠been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the U.S. imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he had been told about the concept of a deal with Iran, but was ​waiting for the exact wording, while warning there was still the possibility of restarting strikes on the country if Tehran misbehaves, Reuters reported.

A senior Iranian official said on ‌Saturday that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran’s nuclear program for later.

When asked about Iran’s proposal before boarding a flight to Miami at West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump replied: “They told me about the concept of the deal. They’re going to give me the exact wording now.”

He added on his social ​media channel that he could not imagine the proposals would be acceptable and that Iran had not paid a big enough price for what it had done.

Asked if ​he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: “I don’t want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell that to a reporter. If ⁠they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen.”

Trump has said repeatedly that Iran can never ​have a nuclear weapon and said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal, while Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the U.S. changes its ​approach, read the report.

Reuters and other news organizations reported over the past week that Tehran was proposing to reopen the strait before nuclear issues were resolved. The official confirmed that this new timeline had now been spelled out in a formal proposal conveyed to the United States through mediators.

Trump also said on Friday that “on a human basis,” he did not prefer the military course of action and told congressional leaders he did not ​need their permission to extend the war beyond a deadline set by law for that day because the ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities.

While saying repeatedly he is in no hurry, Trump is under ​domestic pressure to break Iran’s hold on the strait, which has choked off 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies and pushed up U.S. gasoline prices. Trump’s Republican Party faces the risk of ‌a voter ⁠backlash over higher prices when the country votes in midterm congressional elections in November.

Iranian media said Tehran’s 14-point proposal included the withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas surrounding Iran, lifting the blockade, releasing Iran’s frozen assets, payment of compensation, lifting sanctions and ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, as well as a new control mechanism for the strait.

The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, but appear no closer to a deal to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies, roiled ​global markets and raised worries about the possibility ​of a wider global economic downturn.

Iran has ⁠been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the U.S. imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

Washington has repeatedly said it will not end the war, which has led to the deaths of ​thousands of people, without a deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the primary aim Trump cited when he launched ​strikes in February in the ⁠midst of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talks for a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement, Reuters reported.

Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not attack again. ⁠Iran would open ​the strait, and the United States would lift its blockade.

Future talks would then be held on curbs to ​Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, with Iran demanding Washington recognize its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if it agrees to suspend its nuclear program.

“Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated ​nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere,” the official said.

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Trump says he’s dissatisfied with Iranian proposal as rift with allies deepens

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal for ​talks on the Iran war, while Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the United States changes its approach.

Trump’s comments indicated the deadlock over the ‌two-month-old war is likely to persist, even as he looks to end a conflict that remains deeply unpopular among Americans, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. relations with its traditional allies were further strained over Iran on Friday, as the United States announced it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany. Trump had threatened a drawdown over differences with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday the Iranians were humiliating the United States and that the Americans lacked an exit strategy.

A senior Pentagon official, speaking on ​condition of anonymity, said recent German comments were “inappropriate and unhelpful.”

“The president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks,” the official said.

Though the United States and Iran have suspended hostilities since ​an April 8 ceasefire, the two countries remain at odds over a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control over the Strait of ⁠Hormuz, and the two sides have yet to agree to a second meeting following a brief summit of senior officials in Islamabad last month.

It was unclear what the Iranians had submitted in their ​fresh proposal. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has cautioned against expecting quick results.

“They want to make a deal, but … I’m not satisfied with it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the Iranian leadership ​was “very disjointed” and split into two or three groups.

“They’re asking for things that I can’t agree to,” he said, adding that negotiations by phone were continuing.

Later on Friday, during a speech in Florida, Trump said the United States would not end its confrontation with Iran early “and then have the problem arise in three more years.”

Trump has said Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. He is also under pressure to break Iran’s hold ​on the strait, which has choked off 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

Global oil prices eased on Friday following news of the Iranian proposal, coming off Thursday’s four-year high. Benchmark Brent crude ​was down 1% to around $109.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country was ready to pursue diplomacy if the United States changes what he called its “excessive approach, threatening rhetoric and provocative actions.”

However, Araqchi added in a post ‌on his ⁠Telegram channel that “Iran’s armed forces remained ready to defend the country against any threat.”

Iran has activated air defenses and plans a wide response if attacked, having assessed that there will be a short, intensive U.S. strike, possibly followed by an Israeli attack, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

REPORTS ON PLANS FOR NEW STRIKES

Separately, Trump told leaders in Congress that he did not need their permission to extend the war beyond a Friday deadline set by law because the ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities.

“Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do ​we want to try and make a deal?” ​Trump said when asked about his options.

Trump ⁠added that “on a human basis,” he did not prefer the military course of action.

The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has led to the deaths of thousands of people. The closure of the strait has increased concerns about the possibility of a wider ​global economic downturn.

The U.S. Navy is blockading exports of Iranian crude oil. As of Friday afternoon, 45 commercial vessels had been stopped, according to ​the U.S. military.

The U.S. Treasury ⁠said that any shipper paying tolls to Iran for passage, including charitable donations to organizations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, would be at risk of punitive sanctions.

IRAN SAYS TO BUY DOMESTIC

The war has aggravated Iran’s economic plight, but it looks able to survive a standoff for now, despite the U.S. blockade that has curtailed its energy exports.

In a written message, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on businesses damaged in ⁠the war to ​avoid layoffs as much as possible, Iranian news agencies reported.

China’s U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong, said it was an urgent necessity to ​maintain the ceasefire and that the strait needs to be reopened as quickly as possible. He said he was sure the strait would be high on the agenda in talks between China’s leader Xi Jinping and Trump if it is still ​closed when Trump travels to Beijing this month.

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US judge rejects Trump administration’s halt on immigration applications

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A federal judge on Thursday ruled that policies that make it harder for ‌people from countries on President Donald Trump’s travel ban list to get green cards and work permits are discriminatory and unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston reached that conclusion as she issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit by around ​200 people from 20 countries including Iran, Haiti, Venezuela and Syria who sued over a halt ​on the processing of their immigration-related applications, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit, filed in December, took aim at ⁠policies U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services adopted beginning in November affecting applications by immigrants seeking asylum, green ​cards and work authorization.

Those policies have resulted in the agency placing a hold on the processing of applications ​from people from the 39 countries that are the subject of full or partial travel bans imposed by Trump, who has cited vetting and security concerns.

Before instituting that halt, the agency, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, adopted ​a policy in November 2025 that treats the nationality of people from those countries as a “significant negative ​factor” when reviewing their applications.

Kobick, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, concluded the plaintiffs were likely to succeed ‌in proving ⁠that policy ran afoul of the Immigration and Nationality Act’s bar against nationality-based discrimination.

The judge said the agency’s subsequent halt on reviewing asylum and naturalization applications was likewise “contrary to Congress’s command that the agency issue decisions on such applications.” She said the pause on reviewing green card and work authorization applications violated regulations ​governing them.

Kobick blocked USCIS from ​enforcing the policies against ⁠22 plaintiffs who had provided declarations detailing how they were harmed by them, and she directed the parties to discuss whether her order should apply to the ​rest of the 200.

Jim Hacking, ​a lawyer ⁠for the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling, which he said appeared to be the first by a judge nationally to address the “significant negative factor” policy alongside the separate but related hold on the processing of applications. A handful ⁠of other ​judges have previously ruled against that halt in some migrants’ cases.

“USCIS ​wants to make it harder for people to receive an immigration benefit if they are from one of the 39 countries, even ​though Congress has never allowed them to,” he said.

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