Tag: Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday dropped his choice of John Ratcliffe to be U.S. spy chief after questions arose about the congressman’s lack of experience and possible exaggerations in his resume in the latest upheaval over a top national security post. Trump announced the move five days after he surprised many in Washington by making the conservative Republican lawmaker from Texas his selection to replace Daniel Coats as director of national intelligence, a post that oversees...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate will vote within days on whether to override President Donald Trump’s vetoes of legislation to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday. McConnell said the Senate would hold the vote before Aug. 2, when lawmakers leave Washington for a five-week-long recess. The three resolutions of disapproval are not expected to garner the two-thirds majority in the 100-member Senate...

Ursula von der Leyen's appointment as new European Commission chief will allow Brussels and Washington to reset their relationship. That's the view of Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU. Sondland made the comments in an interview with Euronews' Jack Parrock, in which he also spoke about Iran and the crisis in the Gulf. "It gives the United States and the European Union an opportunity to reset its entire relationship," Sondland said, referring to von der Leyen's appointment. "Things have begun...

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday and expressed concerns about the country's proposed digital services tax, the White House said. The two leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. Trump ordered an investigation on Wednesday into France's planned tax on technology companies, a move that could lead the United States to impose new tariffs or other trade restrictions. U.S....

The United States has warned it will bring down any Iranian drones that fly too close to its ships, following a string of incidents on the world's most vital oil shipping route. Washington says it has already destroyed an Iranian drone that was allegedly threatening a US navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran has denied the claims: it says all of its drones have safely returned to their base — and even suggested the US military may have...

A British-flagged tanker was seized in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, according to statements from the ship's owner and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The tanker — Stena Impero — was "approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz". The company that owns it, Stena Bulk, and the one that manages it, Northern Marine Management, said they were "unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran". The ship has 23...

Iran has seized a foreign tanker with 12 crew accused of smuggling fuel in the Gulf, state television quoted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as saying on Thursday. "A foreign vessel smuggling one million litres of fuel in the Lark Island of the Persian Gulf has been seized," the station said. The vessel was towed on Sunday after a distress call and was later seized for fuel smuggling, it added. Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced bills on Tuesday to keep tight restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, amid concern about President Donald Trump’s easing of curbs on the Chinese firm. The legislation would among other things bar the removal of the massive telecommunications equipment firm from a Commerce Department trade blacklist without House and Senate approval, and let Congress disallow waivers granted to U.S. companies doing business with the company. The...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives backed resolutions on Wednesday to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, sending them to the White House, where President Donald Trump has promised a veto. Nearly a month after the Senate supported 22 resolutions disapproving of Trump’s plan for billions of dollars in weapons sales despite Congress’ objections, the House passed three of the 22, two on a vote of 238-190 and the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced bills on Tuesday to keep tight restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, amid concern about President Donald Trump’s easing of curbs on the Chinese firm. The legislation would among other things bar the removal of the massive telecommunications equipment firm from a Commerce Department trade blacklist without House and Senate approval, and let Congress disallow waivers granted to U.S. companies doing business with the company. The...

European Union nations threw their weight behind the Iran nuclear deal on Monday, saying Tehran’s recent provocations did not yet amount to a “significant” breach of its terms. The 2015 agreement is “not in the best of health, but it’s still alive,” outgoing EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters. She said efforts to “hold the pieces together” were better than letting the deal fail because “not having it in place is a terrible option for everybody.” But Israeli Prime Minister...

EU foreign ministers are meeting on Monday to discuss the latest developments concerning the Iran nuclear deal. They will try to flesh out a plan to convince Iran and the United States to ease tensions amid fears it could collapse. Tensions between the two countries have worsened since Donald Trump decided to pull out of the nuclear deal last year. Under the nuclear deal, negotiated by the Obama administration, Iran agreed to curtail its atomic programme in return for a cut...

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Iranian tanker detained by British forces near Gibraltar 10 days ago could be released, if the UK receives a guarantee that the oil is not bound for Syria. It followed what he called a “constructive telephone call” with Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. “If we get the guarantees that it is not going to go to Syria, then we can resolve the situation following due process in the Gibraltarian courts,” Hunt said. He added...

France, Britain, and Germany say they fear the Iran 2015 nuclear deal is at risk of falling apart over escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf. In a joint statement, they called for a dialogue between all parties to resume: "The risks are such that it is necessary for all stakeholders to pause, and consider the possible consequences of their actions." "We believe that the time has come to act responsibly and to look for ways to stop the escalation of tension and...