Category: Foreign

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US sub sinks Iranian warship in Indian Ocean, Hegseth says

An American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, the US defence secretary has said.

Pete Hegseth said the ship was sunk by a torpedo on Tuesday and died a “quiet death”. He did not name the vessel.

His announcement came after Sri Lanka said its navy had responded to a distress call on Wednesday morning from an Iranian ship, the Iris Dena, which had gone down about 40km (25 miles) from its southern coastline.

Eighty bodies from the frigate were found by rescuers, a Sri Lankan defence official told BBC Sinhala. Another 32 were rescued, the country’s navy said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US had “perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores”.

“Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” he wrote in a post on X early on Thursday.

“Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set.”

A Sri Lankan navy spokesman said some 180 people were believed to have been aboard the Iris Dena, based on the ship’s documentation.

The survivors were “seriously injured” and had been taken to a hospital in the southern port of Galle, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said.

Hegseth told a news conference on Wednesday thata US submarine had sunk an Iranian warship “that thought it was safe in international waters”.

He also claimed it was “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two”.

While it is the first time since 1945 that an American submarine has sunk an enemy ship this way, the UK and Pakistan have both sunk vessels using torpedoes since then.

Video released by the US Department of Defense showed a ship being struck, causing the stern to rise up before exploding.

Earlier, Sri Lankan navy spokesman Budhika Sampath had rejected reports that the Iris Dena had been attacked by a submarine.

He added that, at the time rescue operations were launched, rescuers had not seen the vessel – nor any other ships in the region – but saw oil patches and life rafts floating on the water.

Though the ship’s location “was beyond our waters”, Sampath said, “it was within our search and rescue region. So we were obliged to respond as per international obligations”.

First launched in 2015, the Iris Dena is a destroyer attached to Iran’s Southern Fleet, which is tasked with deployments in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.

It had recently participated in International Fleet Review 2026, a military exercise hosted by India.

The sinking of the Iris Dena comes as the US and Israel have continued to launch air strikes on Iran for a fifth day, with the Israeli military saying it had hit “security headquarters” across the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday.

Israel has also conducted air strikes on Lebanon and has sent ground forces into the south of the country after armed group Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israel.

Iran appears to have continued to carry out retaliatory attacks. New strikes were reported in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Wednesday, while Turkey said “Nato defences” shot down an Iranian missile heading towards Turkish territory.

Sri Lanka has remained neutral in the conflict. It has refrained from taking any side, calling for “restraint and immediate de-escalation” from “all concerned parties”. (BBC)

Herath, its foreign affairs minister, paid tribute to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini after he was assassinated on Saturday.

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US presidents gather to honour Jesse Jackson at memorial service

Former US presidents, celebrities and thousands of members of the public have gathered to honour civil rights leader, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died last month.

Former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were among those who spoke at a memorial service in Chicago for the activist.

Mourners included former Vice President Kamala Harris, filmmaker Tyler Perry and former basketball star Isiah Thomas. The service also featured performances, including from singer and actress Jennifer Hudson.

Jackson, who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr, twice ran to be the Democratic nominee for president and founded the Rainbow PUSH coalition, a social justice and civil rights non-profit.

While praising Jackson in his remarks at the service, Obama made a thinly veiled mention of US President Donald Trump. He said, “Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions”.

He said the late reverend inspired people to take a harder path and called “on each of us to be heralds of change”.

Former Vice President Harris received a standing ovation when she spoke at the service. She appeared to take a jab at Trump, saying, “Let me just start out by saying: I predicted a lot of what is happening right now. I hate to say I told you so, but we did see it coming”.

But, she added, that she didn’t realise they would be tackling this moment without Jackson’s guidance.

Calling Jackson “impatient,” she noted, “He did not waste time waiting, even when the doors in front of him were barred and bolted, even if those on the other side hesitated or even ignored him. He always devised a way through”.

Civil rights leader, the Reverend Al Sharpton, who worked closely with Jackson during the civil rights movement, was also among the speakers. (BBC)

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Spain’s Pedro Sánchez hits back at Trump threat to sever trade saying ‘no to war’

Pedro Sánchez has delivered a strong rebuttal to US President Donald Trump’s threat to end trade with Spain by restating his opposition to war and what he called the “breakdown of international law”.

In a 10-minute televised address, the Spanish prime minister reflected on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the Iraq War more than 20 years ago, and said the Spanish government’s position could be summed up as “no to war”.

Trump threatened to impose a full trade embargo on Spain in response to its refusal to allow the US to use the jointly run bases at Morón and Rotafor to strike Iran.

“Spain has been terrible,” Trump said during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday.

“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he added.

Merz said later he had told Trump very clearly that he could not conclude a separate trade agreement with Germany or all of Europe but not with Spain.

In response to the US economic threat, the Élysée Palace said French President Emmanuel Macron had conveyed his “solidarity” with Spain during a phone conversation with Sánchez on Wednesday. European Council President António Costa also said he had spoken to the Spanish leader “to express the EU’s full solidarity”.

Trump accused Spain on Tuesday of being a “terrible partner” in Nato for failing to increase its defence budget in line with a target of 5% of economic output (GDP).

Earlier this year, Sánchez drew Trump’s ire by speaking out against the US military incursion into Venezuela.

Sánchez said in his televised address from the prime minister’s official residence in Madrid on Wednesday that the government was studying economic measures to counter the impact of the conflict on Spaniards, though he avoided directly referring to Trump’s trade threat.

“The question is not if we are on the side of the ayatollahs [Iran’s clerical rulers] – nobody is. The question is whether we are in favour of peace and international legality,” he said.

“You cannot answer one illegality with another, because that is how the great catastrophes of humanity begin.”

Spain’s Socialist prime minister explained that the government’s position was comparable to its stance on Ukraine and Gaza. Sánchez has been a vociferous critic of Israel’s military response to the Hamas attacks in 2023.

Spain has been among Europe’s most outspoken governments on Gaza, describing Israel’s actions there as “genocide” and acknowledging a Palestinian state before many other EU members did.

That position was in step with his coalition partners to his left and, broadly speaking, with Spanish attitudes toward the Middle East.

Looking back to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which he said had failed to achieve its goals and had made life worse for ordinary people, he warned that the attacks on Iran could have a similar economic impact for millions.

His reference to the Iraq invasion will connect with many Spanish voters. Spain’s support at the time from the conservative People’s Party (PP) government was deeply unpopular, and triggered mass anti-war protests.

Many believe it also lay the groundwork for the Socialist Party’s surprise election victory in March 2004, days after Madrid had been hit by deadly jihadist bombings.

Sánchez reminded Spaniards of the “Azores trio” – the then-US President George W Bush, the UK’s Tony Blair and Spanish conservative leader José María Aznar – who had met on a Portuguese base in the region days before the Iraq invasion.

He said they had handed Europeans the “gift” of “a more insecure world and worse life”.

The Spanish leader’s stance contrasts strongly with that of Merz, who told German TV on Tuesday that regime change in Iran would leave the world “a little better off”, though he also said this was “not without risk and we would also have to bear the consequences”.

Unlike Spain’s fellow Nato allies – the UK, France and Greece – it has not yet committed to any military involvement in response to the war.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that Spain had “agreed to co-operate” with the US military after hearing Trump’s message “loud and clear” – a claim Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares categorically denied, telling local media that his government’s position “has not changed one iota”. (BBC)

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India and Canada reset ties with ‘landmark’ nuclear energy deal

India and Canada have announced a host of agreements, including a 10-year nuclear energy deal, after their prime ministers met in Delhi to reset ties that plummeted due to diplomatic tensions.

Narendra Modi and Mark Carney also struck agreement in areas such as technology, critical minerals, space, defence and education.

Carney said they agreed to conclude a free trade deal, years in the making, by the end of 2026. Both countries want to reduce exposure to punitive US trade tariffs.

Under Carney, the two governments are trying to repair ties that were strained when his predecessor accused Delhi of a link to the 2023 assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

India vociferously rejected the allegation by Justin Trudeau.

Trade and diplomatic relations almost came to a standstill as both sides expelled each other’s diplomats and cancelled visa services. Canada hosts a huge expatriate Indian community.

But since Carney took office last year, the relationship has been cautiously rebuilt —helped by the fact that his government has said it believes India is not currently linked to violent crimes or threats on Canadian soil.

Some in Canada have countered that claim, however, including a Liberal MP from Carney’s own party and members of the Sikh diaspora in Canada, who say they believe they continue to be targeted by India.

Canada’s spy agency listed India late last year as one of the countries carrying out espionage and foreign interference in the country, along with Russia, China and Iran.

In a statement on Monday, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said its “threat assessment of the main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada has not changed”.

Canada’s foreign minister Anita Anand has distanced herself from comments made by a senior Canadian official saying that India had ceased all foreign interference in Canada.

“The words of the senior official are not words that I personally would use,” she told reporters in Delhi after Carney’s meeting with Modi on Monday.

But Anand defended Canada’s decision to re-engage with India, saying “we need to have these diplomatic conversations in order to make progress”.

Carney has not yet spoken to Canadian reporters since his trip began. His office cancelled a planned news conference following the meeting with Modi, citing his tight schedule.

The case of four men charged over Nijjar’s killing is still before the courts.

At talks in Delhi, both Carney and Modi underscored India and Canada’s long-standing relationship, mutual goals and close people-to-people ties.

“In civil nuclear energy, we have reached a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply. We will also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors,” Modi told reporters after their meeting at Hyderabad House in Delhi.

He described the two countries as “natural partners in technology and innovation” and said they would enhance co-operation in AI, supercomputing and semiconductors, as well as jointly host a renewable energy summit.

Carney said Canada was well positioned to contribute to energy-hungry India’s nuclear fuel needs and added that the two countries were launching a strategic energy partnership.

He hailed the progress made in rebuilding relations.

“There has been more engagement between the Canadian and Indian governments in the last year than there has been in more than two decades combined,” he said.

On trade, Modi said: “Our target is to reach $50bn in bilateral trade. This is why we have decided to finalise a comprehensive economic partnership soon.”

Carney said he wanted to reach a deal on the “ambitious agreement” by the end of the year. It’s been discussed on-and-off for the past 15 years so concluding it would be a significant achievement.

Analysts say that Carney’s decision to put diplomatic tensions behind him and extend an olive branch to India is a pragmatic one, based on present day geopolitical shifts.

The same holds true for India, which is looking to forge new trade partnerships to diversify its imports and also reduce its reliance on Russia for its energy needs.

Surveys suggest a majority of the Canadian public support re-engaging with India. One recent poll conducted by Angus Reid found that half believe it is the “right time” to restore ties.

The poll also suggests that more Canadians have a favourable view of India (30%) than of the US (26%), as Canada continues to be squeezed by tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

Earlier on Monday, Carney met India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar where the two discussed charting a “forward-looking partnership”.

Carney’s four-day trip began with a visit to the financial capital, Mumbai, where he met business leaders and ministers on 28 February with a view to boost trade and investment in India.

After concluding his trip in Delhi, Carney is set to travel to Australia and then Japan as part of his strategy to diversify Canada’s trade and invite new investments. (BBC)

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Texas authorities identify Austin bar shooting victims

Authorities have identified the three people fatally shot outside a bar in Austin, Texas when a gunman opened fire in the early hours of Sunday.

Ryder Harrington, 19, and Savitha Shan, 21, died in the shooting outside a bar popular with University of Texas students, police said. Authorities announced on Monday that third victim, Jorge Pederson, 30, had also died.

More than a dozen people were injured in the shooting, including some who remain in critical condition.

The alleged gunman, Ndiaga Diagne, was shot and killed by police. The FBI said it was looking into a potential “nexus of terrorism” link to the war in Iran, among other possibilities.

After responding to calls of an active shooter at around 02:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Sunday near Buford’s bar in Austin, police said they shot and killed the suspect.

Diagne was a naturalised American citizen born in Senegal, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Officials said two of the victims were students but could not yet confirm which university they attended.

“We recognise that this is a very traumatic moment in our city,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said in briefing on Monday, adding: “I cannot imagine the grief, pain and loss these families are feeling today, and my heart is with them.”

Two sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News that the gunman was wearing a sweatshirt with the words “Property of Allah”.

CBS was also told by an official with knowledge of the investigation that officers who searched the gunman’s home found an Iranian flag and pictures of Iranian leaders.

The attack came on the weekend that the US and its ally Israel launched multiple strikes on Iran, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said federal and state officials would investigate whether the violence had any connections to terrorism.

“We will not rest until every last trail or piece of information is pursued to determine if there’s anybody else involved in this whatsoever,” the governor said in a news briefing on Monday.

“And if so, obviously, we will track them down, find them, and bring them to justice.”

In an earlier briefing, Police Chief Davis said officers who were on patrol in the more popular, crowded bar district known as East Sixth Street quickly responded to reports of a man with a gun at Buford’s, located farther down on West Sixth Street.

She said a man in a large SUV driving by Buford’s put on the vehicle’s hazard lights, rolled down his window and fired a pistol, striking people on the patio and pavement outside the bar.

He parked the vehicle nearby, got out with a rifle and started walking back towards the bar, according to Davis. Three police officers confronted the suspect at an intersection, and shot and killed him.

The SUV was searched and was not carrying explosives, officials said.

However, Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran, from the FBI’s San Antonio office, said there were indications in the SUV and on the suspect that suggested a “nexus to terrorism”.

But Doran said the investigation was in its early stages and he was “not prepared to release those details”.

“We are committed to seeing this process through to the very end,” he said.

Kelson Lee, 25, was within earshot when gunfire erupted at Buford’s. He walked inside to look for a friend, according to the Austin Current.

“I see about seven to eight bodies on the floor,” Lee told the local news outlet. “No-one should ever have to see that.

“I kind of blacked out, froze up. I felt kind of helpless because I wanted to help people.” (BBC)

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Bill Clinton grilled by House in Epstein deposition

Former President Bill Clinton denied wrongdoing in his relationship with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein as House Republicans grilled him on Feb. 27 about the late financier’s fundraising, numerous visits to the White House and pictures in Justice Department files.

Clinton, the first former president forced to testify before Congress, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in his opening statement that he “had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing.” He dismissed the 20-year-old pictures from the department’s files and Epstein’s estate.

“I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,” Clinton said. “As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing – I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals.”

Upon exiting the session, Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, said questioning the former president was “very productive” while declining to elaborate.

“You’ll see the video. … Everybody knows President Clinton. He’s got Southern people skills; he’s a charming individual,” the congressman said. “We picked up new facts; we asked the Clintons where we should go from here.”

The former president’s deposition at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, near the Clintons’ home in suburban New York, comes just a day after his wife and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified. The former first lady, who was also subpoenaed, told the committee on Feb. 26 she didn’t know Epstein and never flew on his plane. She called her deposition “repetitive” and a “fishing expedition.”

Video of the depositions will be released “within the next 24 hours,” Comer suggested.

GOP committee members said they have questions for the former first couple because Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president and then Clinton traveled 27 times on his private plane after leaving office. Clinton also appeared in a number of pictures released in the Epstein files with celebrities or in more casual surroundings with the faces of women redacted.

Comer said documents from the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate portray the late financier as raising money for the Clinton Global Initiative, a foundation seeking action on issues such as the climate and health care. Hillary Clinton told the committee Feb. 26 to ask her husband about it because she was a senator during the period in question.

“This is a historical day for the United States Congress,” Comer said. “Nobody is accusing anyone of any wrongdoing. But I think the American people have a lot of questions.”

The inquiry comes as lawmakers and women who accused Epstein of abuse have forced the Justice Department to released 3 million pages of documents about his criminal investigation. But millions more pages remain sealed, and President Donald Trump has said the country should move on.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of child sex trafficking. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term for conspiring to transport minors for illicit sex. Critics of the investigation have questioned why more coconspirators haven’t been charged. (USAToday)

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Australia, New Zealand back axing Andrew from succession

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday his government was writing to the Commonwealth realms that it would back the removal for former prince Andrew from the line of royal succession.

Albanese said he had been in touch with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the former royal who is being investigated for alleged misconduct in public office, after new revelations of his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Australia likes being first and we have made sure that everyone knows what our position is and we’ll be writing today to the other realm countries as well, informing them of our position,” Albanese told public broadcaster ABC.

Albanese told reporters that Australians were “disgusted” by the “grave” revelations. 

“King Charles has said that the law must now take its full course. There must be a full, fair and proper investigation. And that needs to occur,” he added.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s office said it would also back such a move, in a statement to media on Tuesday. 

“The bottom line is no one is above the law, and once that investigation is closed, should the UK government decide to remove him from the line of succession, that is something we would support,” Luxon told reporters after the statement was released.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, is the third child of late Queen Elizabeth II.

He is currently eighth in the royal line of succession, behind Prince William; William’s children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis; William’s brother Prince Harry; and Harry’s children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Last week, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential government documents while in public office. The allegations originate from documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of the so-called Epstein Files.

The UK Police released Mountbatten-Windsor “under investigation” after 11 hours in custody but the arrest itself was unprecedented in modern British history.

Mountbatten Windsor has denied any wrongdoing over his ties to Epstein, having been named by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in her posthumous memoir, but has not responded to the latest allegations.

In response to the investigation, the British government said it was considering introducing legislation to ensure the former prince could never be king. The Commonwealth realms would also have to consent to the move for a formal removal. (DW)

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British government considers removing former Prince Andrew from the royal line of succession

The British government is considering formally removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession once the police investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office has concluded, a source familiar with the deliberations told NBC News.

Any such move would require an act of Parliament, a lengthy and politically uncertain process that would also likely have to be approved by other Commonwealth countries, such as Canada and Australia, where the British monarch is the head of state.

The former Prince Andrew became the first British royal in centuries to be arrested Thursday. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released “under investigation” hours later, meaning he has been neither charged nor exonerated.

The Thames Valley Police force earlier this month said it was looking into a claim that the former prince, while serving as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy in 2010, had shared confidential documents with the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein but has made no comment on his arrest this week or allegations arising from the recent release of Epstein files.

Previously, the controversy swirling around Mountbatten-Windsor centered on the accusations of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged that Epstein trafficked her to his powerful friends, including the former prince. In 2022, the royal reached a settlement in a sexual assault case brought by Giuffre for an undisclosed amount without admitting any wrongdoing. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied ever having met Guiffre, who died by suicide last year.

Despite being stripped of his remaining royal titles last year, Mountbatten-Windsor remains eighth in line to succeed his brother King Charles III, though it is highly unlikely he would ever be crowned.

At birth, he was second in line to succeed his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, behind Charles, but he has moved steadily down the line as Charles’ own family has grown.

Mountbatten-Windsor is now behind Prince William and his three children, as well as Prince Harry and his two children.

In October, amid a renewed storm of controversy over Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with Epstein, Charles stripped his brother of his princely title and ordered him to leave his Windsor residence, the Royal Lodge.

However, no action was taken to remove him from the royal line of succession, and Buckingham Palace also did not take other steps, such as seeking the formal abolition of Mountbatten-Windsor’s Duke of York title, that would have required cooperation from British lawmakers.

At the time, the palace cited concerns about taking up parliamentary time on the issue.

A poll by YouGov on Friday found 82% of Britons now believe that Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed from the line of succession.

A move to exclude a named royal from the line of succession is without precedent in modern times, with royal rule continuing largely unaltered since the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936.

Reforms to royal succession were passed in 2013 to give male and female royals an equal right to the throne in future, ending centuries of male-preference primogeniture. The reforms also abolished centuries-old rules that disqualified royals who married a Catholic from the line of succession. (NBC)

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UN marks fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The United Nations on Tuesday marked four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a high-level debate and renewed calls to end the war.

The General Assembly also passed a resolution reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Meeting in an emergency special session on Ukraine at UN Headquarters in New York, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution titled “Support for lasting peace in Ukraine.”

The General Assembly called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

The text reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, the exchange of prisoners of war, and the return of civilians forcibly transferred, including children.

The resolution was adopted by 107 votes in favour, including Nigeria, 12 against and 51 abstentions.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in a statement, said the invasion was a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.

“This devastating war is a stain on our collective consciousness and remains a threat to regional and international peace and security.

“The longer the war continues, the deadlier it becomes. Civilians bear the brunt of this conflict, with 2025 witnessing the largest number of civilians killed in Ukraine.

“This is simply unacceptable. I reiterate my call for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace,” he said.

According to him, for peace to be just, it must be in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, respecting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The United Nations remains ready to contribute to all efforts towards this end,” he added. (Punch)

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After court ruling, Trump says U.S. global tariff rate will rise from 10% to 15%


President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will raise a temporary tariff from 10% to 15% on U.S. imports from all countries, the maximum level allowed under the law, after the U.S. Supreme ‌Court struck down his previous tariff program.

The move came less than 24 hours after Trump announced a 10% across-the-board tariff on Friday after the court’s decision. The ruling found the president had exceeded his authority when he imposed an array of higher rates under an economic emergency law.

The new levies are grounded in a separate ‌but untested law, known as Section 122, that allows tariffs up to 15% but requires congressional approval ⁠to extend them after 150 days. No president has previously invoked Section 122, and its use could ⁠lead to further legal challenges.

Trade ⁠experts and congressional aides are skeptical the Republican-majority Congress would extend the tariffs, given polls that show growing numbers of Americans blame ‌the duties for higher prices.

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said he would use the 150-day ⁠period to work on issuing other “legally permissible” tariffs. The administration intends to ⁠rely on two other statutes that permit import taxes on specific products or countries based on investigations into national security or unfair trade practices.

“I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been ‘ripping’ the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully ⁠allowed, and legally tested, 15% level,” he wrote in a Truth Social post.

The Section 122 tariffs include exemptions for certain products, including ⁠critical minerals, metals and energy products, according to the White ‌House.

Wendy Cutler, a former senior U.S. trade official and senior vice president at the Asia Society think tank, said she was surprised Trump had not opted for the maximum Section 122 rate on Friday, adding that his rapid-fire change underscored the uncertainty trading partners faced.

The Supreme Court’s decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, concluded the law Trump had used for most of his tariffs, the International Emergency Economic ‌Powers Act, did not grant the president the powers he claimed.

Roberts was joined in the majority by fellow conservatives Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, both Trump appointees, and the court’s three liberal justices.

Trump reacted with fury to the ruling, calling the justices in the majority “fools” and describing Gorsuch and Barrett in particular as “embarrassments,” while vowing to continue his global trade war.

Some foreign leaders applauded the decision. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday the ruling showed it is good for democracies to have counterweights to power and the rule of law.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expected the decision would ease the burden on German companies. He said he would use his upcoming U.S. trip ​to reiterate that “tariffs harm everyone.” (JapanToday)