Relations between the U.S. and Canada could deteriorate further at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday if Trump on $20 billion worth of Canadian products. The two countries are seeking a truce on the new taxes as the deadline approaches.
remains unclear after a marathon meeting Monday between U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Officials signaled but Israel offered no concrete commitment to the latest .
Trump鈥檚 decision to scale back with South Korea does not just slight a longtime ally 鈥� it about the security interests of the United States in Asia and elsewhere. Trump by citing South Korea鈥檚 refusal to join his war against Iran and pointing to what he said was his good relationship with North Korea鈥檚 reclusive dictator.
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The 60-day deadline for an Iran peace deal is expiring. Here鈥檚 where things stand
The deal that Trump in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending and reaching an accord on its .
The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are further apart than they were then.
Talks, , have focused on reopening the and lifting a U.S. blockade on Iran, both of which were under the interim deal. There has been no sign of any compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear talks have even begun.
The U.S., meanwhile, has no good options for getting out of the war it started alongside Israel.
Acceding to Iran鈥檚 latest demands would mean giving it control over a critical international waterway that carried a fifth of the world鈥檚 traded oil and gas before the war 鈥� . Escalating the would further draw down U.S. supplies of , jolt the world economy, and drive up gas prices ahead of U.S. congressional elections.
So both sides have dug in, hoping the other will blink first. So far, neither has.
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Trump鈥檚 slight of South Korea in favor of the North raises broader US security concerns
Trump on Sunday ordered the U.S. military to downsize the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began Monday as scheduled. It wasn鈥檛 known which parts of the training were being scaled back.
His announcement baffled many in South Korea, which has been closely allied with the U.S. for decades and where national security is a top priority due to threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.
Trump by citing South Korea鈥檚 refusal to join his war against Iran and pointing to what he said was his good relationship with North Korea鈥檚 reclusive dictator, a transactional and personal approach to foreign policy that has defined the Republican鈥檚 presidency.
鈥淭here is no American interest that I can see in this,鈥� said Dan Fried, an assistant secretary of state for European affairs in the George W. Bush administration. 鈥淥n all levels it makes no sense. It undermines the South Koreans, undermines the Japanese, frightens the Taiwanese, unnerves NATO and emboldens the Chinese, not to mention the North Koreans.鈥�
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Long meeting produces optimism but no Israeli commitment to US plan for Gaza
A marathon meeting Monday between U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left unclear, with officials signaling moderate optimism but offering no concrete commitment by Israel to the latest .
Hamas has already . American negotiators appeared to acquiesce to Israeli demands that Hamas disarmament must come before any reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian enclave. They did not publicly signal that Israel had made any commitments to withdraw from the 60% of Gaza that Israeli troops currently occupy.
That鈥檚 a major sticking point in the plan and one that Hamas had pressed negotiators to compel Israel to fulfill prior to the meeting. The talks came days after the to move the ceasefire deal forward, saying there would be no withdrawal without disarmament.
A day earlier, in Egypt.
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Last-minute talks over 50% US tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods
The United States and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other interminably over sore spots like Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada鈥檚 protected dairy market.
President Donald Trump鈥檚 belligerent approach to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Trump has hit Canadian goods with tariffs 鈥� in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States 鈥� and has repeatedly made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America鈥檚 51st state.
Tension could hit new heights at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday if Trump goes ahead with his plan to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.
As the deadline approaches, the two countries are seeking a truce that would avoid the new round of tariffs.
鈥砏e are negotiating,鈥� Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday, speaking in French. 鈥淭he negotiations are very intense and delicate. This is not the time to talk about negotiations in public.鈥�
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