Trump promised an E.U. deal on tariffs
President Trump met yesterday with one of the few European leaders he actually likes: Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. As Trump greeted her at the White House, he said that “there’ll be a trade deal, 100 percent” with the E.U. before the end of the 90-day pause on some tariffs.
Meloni has been clear that she cannot negotiate an agreement for the E.U. But U.S. officials said they believed the prime minister, a conservative, could be a conduit to the rest of Europe. The European Central Bank cut interest rates yesterday as policymakers grappled with economic uncertainty, particularly as a result of Trump’s chaotic trade policies.
Trump also said that “we are going to make a very good deal with China,” which has been hit by U.S. tariffs of 145 percent. Negotiations between the two governments appear to be limited. Japanese officials left the White House on Wednesday without an agreement. Trump, though, said they were getting closer to one.
Iran is worried about mixed U.S. signals
Iranian and U.S. officials are set to meet tomorrow in Rome for a second round of nuclear talks. But Iranian officials said the White House had been shifting messages about what it wants from an agreement.
Divisions have emerged within Trump’s inner circle over whether to demand the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program or to settle for limits on it. Iran’s foreign minister said that the shifting messages were “not helpful,” but that Tehran planned to participate “calmly and coolly” in the negotiations. The first meeting was held in Oman last week.
Israel’s war plan: Trump decided to enter talks with Iran after months of internal debate over whether to pursue diplomacy or support Israel’s plan to strike Iranian nuclear sites as soon as next month in order to hobble Tehran’s ability to build a bomb, according to U.S. officials and others briefed on the discussions.
The U.S. pulled troops from Syria
The U.S. has started withdrawing hundreds of troops from northeastern Syria, after the fall of the Assad regime in December.
Three of the eight small U.S. operating bases there have been closed, and the number of troops has been cut to 1,400, from about 2,000, U.S. officials said. Some analysts said that further U.S. troop cuts could threaten the stability of the new Syrian government. The Islamic State remains a danger in the northeast.
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This month, news broke of Washington’s third-most expensive property sale in the city’s history. The home sold for $23 million. The buyer? Mark Zuckerberg.
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