BAGHDAD: US President Donald Trump will host Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House next month, the Iraqi leader&#39;s office and the US embassy in Baghdad said Tuesday. &quot;Special Presidential Envoy Barrack conveyed President Trump looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Al-Zaidi to the White House mid-July to discuss the future of this important relationship,&quot; said a joint statement from the Iraqi leader and Trump&#39;s special envoy to Iraq, Tom Barrack, issued by the embassy. The announcement comes during a visit by Barrack to the Iraqi capital Baghdad, during which he discussed with the prime minister disarming and dissolving Iraq&#39;s armed groups operating outside state authority. The United States has recently increased pressure on Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups. In early May, Washington pledged to resume financial transfers to Iraq and security assistance once &quot;concrete steps&quot; have been taken against the groups. Armed groups launched attacks against US facilities in Iraq after the Middle East war broke out in late February, before a ceasefire took effect on April 8. The US has also launched strikes on some of the factions, which has strained ties between Washington and Baghdad. Al-Zaidi, who took office in mid-May, has promised to ensure that the state maintains a monopoly on weapons. He has also reaffirmed Iraq&#39;s commitment to deepening trade and investment relations with Washington. A framework agreement to end the Middle East war was announced on Monday by Iran and the United States. Iraq has long been a battleground between the United States and Iran, with successive governments negotiating a delicate balance between them.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi chairs a session of the Council of Ministers on June 14, 2026, in Baghdad. (File photo: X/@IraqiPMO

Middle East

The announcement comes during a visit by Barrack to Iraqi capital Baghdad, during which he discussed with the prime minister disarming and dissolving Iraq's armed groups operating outside state authority.

Trump to host Iraqi PM at White House in mid-July: US embassy

WASHINGTON: A US federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump from imposing a $100,000 fee on employers filing visa applications for foreign highly-skilled workers. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic-ruled states that the move usurped taxation powers held by Congress and the fee for the H-1B visas constituted an unlawful tax. &quot;The substance and application of the $100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regardless of what the payment is called,&quot; Sorokin wrote in his 42-page ruling. &quot;The President had no power or delegated authority to impose a tax on H-1B petitions,&quot; he wrote. A different federal judge upheld the $100,000 fee in December in a separate case. That ruling is currently being appealed. That lawsuit was brought by the US Chamber of Commerce, a pro-business lobbying group, and the Association of American Universities, which represents 69 US-based research schools. Trump announced the new H-1B visa policy in September, arguing that the system was being abused to replace American workers with people willing to work for less money. The H-1B fee is part of a larger immigration crackdown by the Republican president, who has unleashed a massive push against migrants since returning to the White House. The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year on a lottery system. India accounts for around three-quarters of the recipients. H-1B visa fees previously cost up to $5,000. Tech entrepreneurs -- including Trump&#39;s former ally Elon Musk -- had warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying that the United States does not have enough homegrown talent to fill important tech sector job vacancies.

Business

A US federal judge blocks President Donald Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, ruling it constitutes an unlawful tax that exceeds presidential authority and falls under Congress’s powers.

US judge blocks Trump's $100,000 fee for skilled visa applications

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;The Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat level for Israel to its highest level, US media reported on Saturday. The Pentagon&#39;s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said Israel&#39;s &quot;ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a &#39;critical level&#39;,&quot; NBC News said, citing US officials. The move came after concerns that Israel had been attempting to spy on top US officials to get information on &quot;the Trump administration&#39;s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East,&quot; the American network said. The New York Times cited reports of Israeli efforts to eavesdrop on senior officials, including President Donald Trump&#39;s top negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and the Pentagon&#39;s top policy official, Elbridge Colby. The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, triggering the war. Since then, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s relationship appears to be under strain. Trump unleashed a tirade over the phone at Netanyahu over Israel&#39;s threats to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut, fearing it would undermine talks with Tehran, the Axios news outlet and ABC News reported earlier in the week.

The move comes after concerns that Israel is attempting to spy on top US officials to obtain information on 'the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East,' an American network says.

Pentagon raises threat of Israeli spying to 'critical': US media

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call on Monday, expressing frustration over Israel&rsquo;s escalating military operations in Lebanon, according to US officials cited by American news agency Axios. According to Axios,&nbsp; Trump called the Israeli premier &ldquo;crazy&rdquo; on the call&nbsp;and accused him of ingratitude. The reported exchange came amid growing concerns that the conflict could undermine ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran.&nbsp; Sources familiar with the conversation said Trump warned Netanyahu that expanding military action, particularly threats to strike Beirut, would further isolate Israel internationally and jeopardize diplomatic efforts. US officials told Axios that Trump claimed he had helped keep Netanyahu out of jail. This referred to Trump&rsquo;s support during the corruption trial against the Israeli premier. A second source briefed on the call told Axios that Trump was &ldquo;pissed&rdquo; and at one point yelled at Netanyahu, saying, &ldquo;What the f*** are you doing?&rdquo; According to officials, Trump acknowledged Israel&rsquo;s right to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah but argued that recent Israeli actions had become disproportionate.&nbsp; He was reportedly concerned about civilian casualties in Lebanon and objected to strikes that resulted in extensive damage while targeting individual Hezbollah commanders. The call followed warnings from Iran that it could abandon negotiations with Washington if Israel intensified its operations in Lebanon.&nbsp; US officials said Trump viewed the escalation as a direct threat to diplomatic progress. Following the conversation, an Israeli official told Axios that Israel no longer planned to carry out strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut.&nbsp; However, Netanyahu later stated that Israel would continue operations in southern Lebanon and maintain its position unless Hezbollah halted attacks.

Americas

American news agency Axios reports that Trump criticized Netanyahu over Israel’s operations in Lebanon, warning they could derail US-Iran talks, while Israel has reportedly shelved plans to strike Beirut but will continue operations in southern Lebanon

Trump rebukes Netanyahu over Lebanon escalation, urges restraint

NEW YORK: Aerospace giant Boeing on Friday confirmed that China had committed to purchasing 200 aircraft, as previously announced by US President Donald Trump during his visit to Beijing.&nbsp;&quot;We had a very successful trip to China and accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft,&quot; the company, whose CEO Kelly Ortberg was part of the US delegation to China, said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;This included an initial commitment for 200 aircraft and we expect further commitments will follow after this initial tranche,&quot; Boeing said, thanking the Trump administration &quot;for making this milestone happen.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We now look forward to continually addressing China&#39;s aircraft demand,&quot; it said.&nbsp;China&#39;s last order from Boeing dates back to 2017, when Trump went to Beijing at the start of his first White House term. At that time, it ordered 300 single-aisle and wide-body planes -- a mega-deal valued at $37 billion.&nbsp;On Thursday, Trump had referred to the new Boeing commitment, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview: &quot;I think it was a commitment.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s a lot of jobs,&quot; the president added.&nbsp;Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew home from China, Trump said the deal included &quot;a promise of 750 planes, which will be by far the largest order ever, if they do a good job with the 200.&quot;&nbsp;US media have reported for several months that Beijing was poised to make a major order from Boeing that would include 500 single-aisle 737 MAXs and about 100 larger 787 Dreamliners and 777s.

Asia

Boeing confirmed China committed to purchasing 200 aircraft during US President Donald Trump’s Beijing visit, reopening Boeing’s China market after years without orders, with prospects for additional commitments and a possible larger future deal.

Boeing confirms China commitment to buy 200 aircraft

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said Pakistan-US relations strengthened during the tenure of President Donald Trump. According to a statement from Pakistan&#39;s Interior Ministry on social media platform X, the remarks were made during a meeting between Mohsin Naqvi and US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur in Islamabad. US Charg&eacute; d&rsquo;Affaires Natalie Baker, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, and senior officials also attended the meeting. The Interior Ministry said discussions focused on Pakistan-US bilateral relations and the latest situation in the Middle East.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2055159850523324894&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=4925f88f0d01108cb10407a3f776750d4b118061&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Both sides also exchanged views on enhancing cooperation in security, counter-terrorism, and anti-narcotics efforts. &ldquo;Pakistan-US relations are based on mutual trust and bilateral cooperation,&rdquo; Naqvi said during the meeting. The minister added that foolproof security arrangements have been ensured for American companies working on the Reko Diq project. According to the ministry, Naqvi also expressed Pakistan&rsquo;s desire to see direct flights between Pakistan and the United States resumed soon. &ldquo;We are hopeful for a lasting and peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict,&rdquo; he added.

Foreign Affairs

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Pakistan-US relations strengthened during Donald Trump’s tenure, as officials discussed security cooperation, counter-terrorism and regional developments during a meeting in Islamabad.

Interior minister says Pakistan-US relations strengthened under Trump administration 

BEIJING: President Donald Trump said he had made &quot;fantastic trade deals&quot; with China&#39;s Xi Jinping, as the pair met on Friday at final talks of a superpower summit that according to the US leader has also reaped a Chinese offer to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had arrived in Beijing seeking to seal deals in sectors including agriculture, aviation and artificial intelligence, as well as to contain differences between the two sides in a number of tense geostrategic areas -- not least the Middle East war. Trump&#39;s overtures to Xi, whom he described as a &quot;great leader&quot; and &quot;friend&quot;, have so far been met with more muted tones by the Chinese leader. But the US leader said &quot;a lot of good&quot; has come out of the visit. &quot;We&#39;ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries,&quot; he said after a walk with Xi among the rosebushes in the gardens of Zhongnanhai, a central leadership compound next to Beijing&#39;s Forbidden City. &quot;We&#39;ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn&#39;t have been able to solve,&quot; he added, without providing details. Xi said it was a &quot;milestone visit&quot;, and that the two sides had to date established &quot;a new bilateral relationship, which is a relationship of constructive strategic stability&quot;. He promised to send Trump seeds for the White House Rose Garden. &#39;Help on Hormuz&#39;&nbsp;In an interview with Fox News after the first day of the summit wrapped, Trump said Xi had agreed to several US wish list points. On the topic of the war in Iran, the US president said Xi had effectively assured his counterpart that China was not preparing to militarily aid Tehran, which has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz. &quot;He said he&#39;s not going to give military equipment... he said that strongly,&quot; Trump told Fox. &quot;He&#39;d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said &#39;if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help,&#39;&quot; Trump added. Asked whether the two leaders had discussed Iran, the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday released a statement calling for &quot;a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire&quot;. &quot;Shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible in response to the calls of the international community,&quot; it added. Boeing, oil, soybeans&nbsp;Trump did not spell out on Friday the trade agreements that he said had been sealed with China. However, in the Fox interview, Trump said one big business deal struck involved Xi agreeing to purchase &quot;200 big&quot; Boeing jets. Shares of the US aviation giant fell after Trump&#39;s comments, in a sign the market had expected a more robust purchase from China. The US president also said Beijing had also voiced interest in buying US oil and soybeans. And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Trump and Xi were talking about setting up &quot;guardrails&quot; for the use of artificial intelligence. Bessent said the world&#39;s &quot;two AI superpowers are going to start talking&quot;, though US export controls on the advanced technology to China remain a sore point in relations.

China

'We've made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries,' he said after a walk with Xi among the rosebushes in the gardens of Zhongnanhai, a central leadership compound next to Beijing's Forbidden City.

Trump says made 'fantastic trade deals' with Xi

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would ask President Xi Jinping to &quot;open up&quot; China to US business when the two meet in Beijing this week for high-stakes talks. &quot;I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to &#39;open up&#39; China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People&#39;s Republic to an even higher level!&quot; Trump wrote on social media, referring to US business CEOs accompanying him on the trip. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in Beijing on May 14-15, a summit that was delayed in March following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.&nbsp; It marks the first state visit to China from a US president since 2017, when Trump was first in office. Geopolitical tensions, particularly trade, Taiwan, the Iran war, and artificial intelligence, loom over the upcoming meeting. Meanwhile, the global economy continues to feel the effects of soaring oil and gas prices from the Strait of Hormuz blockade and the fragile trade truce between the United States and China.

Says that during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14-15, he would ask his Chinese counterpart to open the country to US business.

Trump says will ask Xi to 'open up' China to US business

WASHINGTON: Top US executives, including Tesla&#39;s Elon Musk and Apple&#39;s Tim Cook, will accompany US President Donald Trump on his visit to China this week, a White House official said Monday. Beijing has said it is ready to work with the United States in pursuit of &quot;more stability&quot; and confirmed that Trump will visit, the first US president to do so since 2017. His trip runs from Wednesday to Friday. Washington and Beijing have been at loggerheads over key issues ranging from trade tariffs to the Iran war to Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. While in Beijing, Trump will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the countries&#39; myriad trade and economic issues on the table. Trump and Xi agreed in October to a one-year truce in a blistering trade war that saw tariffs on many goods exceed 100 percent. The US president has been pressuring companies to build manufacturing facilities in the United States, a bid to both reduce imports and increase domestic economic activity. Many top tech companies&#39; supply chains, however, heavily involve China, making them particularly exposed to bilateral trade tensions. The United States has also sought to block China from accessing the highest-end artificial intelligence chips from US companies. According to a list shared by a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, Musk and Cook will be accompanied by 15 other chief executive officers. They include the chiefs of Boeing, GE Aerospace, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and Visa. Among tech companies, top executives from Cisco, Meta, Micron and Qualcomm will be on the trip, the official said. Musk, the richest person in the world, heavily backed Trump on the campaign trail for his second term as US president, contributing more than $280 million. The two had a public falling out in July last year, but appear to have since reconciled, with Musk reappearing in White House circles.

Top US executives, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, will accompany President Donald Trump on his China visit this week, where talks with Xi Jinping are expected to focus on trade, technology and regional tensions.

Musk, Apple's Cook to head to China with Trump: White House

ROME: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, the second day spent calming tensions in Rome following criticism by President Donald Trump. The day after a &quot;friendly and constructive&quot; audience with Pope Leo XIV, whom Trump lambasted for his anti-war rhetoric, Rubio will meet with far-right Meloni at her office in Rome. Meloni is one of the US president&#39;s closest European allies, but he has sharply criticized her for failing to help with the war with Iran. In an interview with an Italian newspaper last month, Trump said he was &quot;shocked&quot;, saying: &quot;I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.&quot; His comments came a day after Meloni said Trump&#39;s criticism of Leo, the first ever US pontiff, was unacceptable. More recently, Trump threatened to pull US troops from Italy, saying Rome &quot;has not been of any help to us&quot; in the Iran war. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who also met Rubio on Friday, stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance. &quot;We are absolutely convinced that Europe needs the United States, and that the United States also needs Europe,&quot; he said on Thursday. &quot;If there are things we disagree with, we say so, we have said so, and we will say so, because this is what being allies is all about: always with our heads held high, convinced of our position, and we intend to play a role.&quot; In a meeting at the Italian foreign ministry on Friday morning, Tajani and other officials presented Rubio with documents tracing the US diplomat&#39;s Italian origins. &quot;It&#39;s a true honor and a very special moment to receive all of this information,&quot; Rubio said, adding that he was going to learn Italian. The Cuban-American, who speaks fluent Spanish, said: &quot;The next time I&#39;m back... I&#39;ll give a speech &#39;in Italiano&#39;.&quot; NATO commitments&nbsp;Tajani said he intended to discuss with Rubio the issue of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively blocked by Iran, as well as the conflict in Lebanon. They would also discuss Venezuela and Cuba and the war in Ukraine, in which Rome has supported Kyiv against Russia, Italian officials said. Earlier this week, Meloni said the idea of pulling US troops out of Italy was &quot;a decision that does not depend on me, and one that I personally do not agree with&quot;. But she added: &quot;Italy has always honored all its commitments, particularly within NATO, even when our direct interests weren&#39;t at stake, in Afghanistan and Iraq.&quot; Trump has also threatened to pull US troops out of Spain, while the Pentagon has announced it will withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany. As of Dec. 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany, there were 36,436.

Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

Europe

Top US diplomat met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome to ease tensions sparked by President Donald Trump over the Iran war, NATO commitments, and criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

Articles tagged with "President Donald Trump"