Trump signs proclamation to restrict student visas at Harvard

United States President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to restrict foreign student visas at Harvard University, the White House said on Wednesday (Jun 4), amid an escalating row with the academic institution.
Last month, the US State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters.

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Business Times

an hour ago

• Business Times

Oil prices settle lower as US sanctions ease fears of escalation in Iran

[HOUSTON] Oil prices settled down on Friday (Jun 20) as the US imposed new Iran-related sanctions, marking a diplomatic approach that fed hopes of a negotiated agreement, a day after US President Donald Trump said he might take two weeks to decide US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Brent crude futures settled down US$1.84, or 2.33 per cent, to US$77.01 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude for July, which did not settle on Thursday as it was a US holiday and expires on Friday, was down 21 US cents, or 0.28 per cent, at US$74.93. The more liquid August contract settled at US$73.84. Brent rose 3.6 per cent on the week, while front-month US crude futures increased 2.7 per cent. The Trump administration issued fresh Iran-related sanctions, including on two entities based in Hong Kong, and counter-terrorism-related sanctions, according to a notice posted to the US Treasury Department website. The sanctions target at least 20 entities, five individuals and three vessels, according to the Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up 'Those sanctions are cutting both ways. They may be part of a broader negotiation approach towards Iran. The fact that they are undertaking this is a signal that they are trying to resolve this outside of conflict,' said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital in New York. Oil prices jumped almost 3 per cent on Thursday after Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, while Iran, Opec's third-largest producer, fired missiles and drones at Israel. Neither side showed any sign of backing down in the week-old war. Brent prices retreated after the White House said Trump would decide whether the United States would get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks. 'Although a major escalation is yet to occur, risks to supply from the region remain high, still hinging upon the potential for US involvement,' said Russell Shor, senior market analyst at Israel's UN ambassador said Israel seeks genuine efforts on Iran's nuclear capabilities from Friday's meeting between European and Iranian ministers, not just another round of talks. 'However, while Israel and Iran carry on pounding away at each other, there can always be an unintended action that escalates the conflict and touches upon oil infrastructure,' PVM analyst John Evans said. Iran in the past has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for Middle East oil exports. Oil exports so far have not been disrupted and there is no shortage of supply, said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS. 'The direction of oil prices from here will depend on whether there are supply disruptions,' he said. An escalation of the conflict in such a way that Israel attacks export infrastructure or Iran disrupts shipping through the strait could lead to oil at US$100 a barrel being a reality, said Panmure Liberum analyst Ashley Kelty. Elsewhere, the EU has abandoned its proposal to lower the price cap on Russian oil to US$45, Bloomberg reported. US energy firms this week cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating for an eighth week in a row for the first time since September 2023, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its closely followed report. The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, fell by one to 554 in the week to Jun 20, the lowest since November 2021. REUTERS

Straits Times

an hour ago

• Straits Times

While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 21, 2025

British foreign minister David Lammy (left) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot briefing the media in Geneva on June 20, after their talks with Iran's Foreign Minister on Tehran's nuclear programme. PHOTO: AFP While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 21, 2025 Europe-Iran talks yield little at 'perilous' moment There were few signs of progress after European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on June 20 in a bid to prevent conflict in the Middle East from escalating, although all signalled readiness to keep talking, despite major sticking points. The foreign ministers of Germany, Britain, France - known as the E3 - plus the EU, urged Iran to engage with the United States over its contentious nuclear programme even as Tehran has repeatedly insisted it will not open discussions with the Trump administration until Israeli strikes on Iran end. The talks aimed to test Tehran's willingness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being no obvious prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon, diplomats said. For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran was ready to consider diplomacy once Israel had ceased its attacks and been held accountable for its actions. READ MORE HERE Trump says he may support Israel-Iran ceasefire President Donald Trump said on June 20 he might support a ceasefire in the week-old aerial conflict between US ally Israel and its regional rival Iran 'depending on the circumstances'. Asked by reporters if he would support a ceasefire while negotiations are ongoing, Mr Trump said: 'I might, depending on the circumstances.' Europe would not be able to help much in the war between Iran and Israel, Mr Trump added. READ MORE HERE US judge orders release of pro-Palestinian activist A US judge ordered on June 20 that Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil be released from immigration custody, a major victory for rights groups that challenged what they called the Trump administration's unlawful targeting of a pro-Palestinian activist. Mr Khalil, a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war on Gaza, was arrested by immigration agents in the lobby of his university residence in Manhattan on March 8. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has called the protests anti-Semitic and vowed to deport foreign students who took part, and Mr Khalil became the first target of this policy. READ MORE HERE Russia must not let economy slip into recession, says Putin Russia's economy must under no circumstances slide into recession, President Vladimir Putin told an economic forum on June 20, in a clear instruction to assembled government ministers and central bankers. The Bank of Russia hiked its key interest rate to the highest level since the early 2000s in October, seeking to curb stubbornly high inflation, before cutting it by one percentage point to 20 per cent earlier this month. Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, in a downbeat message to Russia's showcase economic event, said on June 20 that the economy was on the verge of sliding into recession and monetary policy decisions would determine whether it falls into one or not. Pressure on the central bank is mounting. READ MORE HERE Liverpool shatter club record to sign Germany's Wirtz Liverpool have signed Germany's Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, the Premier League champions said on June 20, as they smashed their transfer record to seal a deal for the attacking midfielder. Leverkusen will receive a guaranteed amount of £100 million (S$170 million) and a further maximum of £16 million in potential bonuses. That makes the 22-year-old Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever, ahead of Netherlands centre back and captain Virgil van Dijk who joined for £75 million in 2017. READ MORE HERE Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

CNA

an hour ago

• CNA

Commentary: Trump's unpredictable approach to Iran could seriously backfire

LONDON: Donald Trump has dismissed reports that he has approved a plan of attack against Iran, which includes a strike against its underground nuclear facility at Fordow. This will only add to the speculation and confusion about what the US president might do in response to the mounting conflict between Iran and Israel. And that's exactly what Trump wants. This is not a case of indecision or buying time. Trump has long based his foreign policy on being unpredictable. Iran is another example of his strategy to be as elusive as possible. Yet, his approach has always been difficult – and now threatens to destabilise an already fractious conflict. One interpretation of Trump's new public threat towards Iran could be deterrence. Trump is warning Iran that there would be significant consequences if they do not reverse their nuclear ambitions. Change or you will regret it. If this is Trump's plan, then he is doing it badly. Successful deterrence relies on clearly communicating the exact penalties of not complying. While Trump has specified a possible attack on Fordow, the rest of the plan is extremely hazy. Trump said he wants 'better than a ceasefire'. But what does that mean? Just Fordow? Boots on the ground? Regime change? His ambiguity creates problems for deterrence because if your adversary doesn't know what the outcomes of their actions will be, they can't formulate a response or will think you just aren't serious. UNPREDICTABILITY AND UNCERTAINTY But current US foreign policy on Iran is more than bad deterrence. Trump's vague rhetoric and his refusal to commit reflects his long-standing strategy of being unreliable when it comes to foreign policy. Trump's prevarication has all the hallmarks of his unpredictability doctrine – which states that you should never let anyone know what you will do. The doctrine is also about uncertainty. The idea being that you unnerve your opponents by making them unsure, allowing you to take the advantage while they have no idea what to do themselves. Trump's rhetoric on Iran reflects that unpredictability doctrine. Trump actively said of his future action: 'I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' This would not be the first time he has used unpredictability in relation to Iran. In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the joint comprehensive plan of action. This agreement – signed by the US, France, Germany, the UK, China, Russia and the EU – was designed to limit Iran's nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief. The US withdrawal was seen as disruptive and creating unnecessary uncertainty, not just for Iran but also US allies. WILL THE STRATEGY WORK? Being unpredictable is a dangerous way of doing foreign policy. Stable international politics depends on knowing what everyone else will do. You can't do that with Trump. The downsides of unpredictability will be even worse in a conflict. In the case of Iran, adding even more uncertainty to a fragile situation will only add fuel to what is already a massive fire. Trump's refusal to specify exactly what the US response would be is more proverbial petrol. The insinuation that this could escalate to regime change may be true or not (or just unpredictable bluster). It's also the case that only 14 per cent of Americans support military intervention and so a more aggressive policy may not be realistic. But if Iran is led to think that Trump is directly threatening their state, this could encourage them to hunker down as opposed to changing their nuclear policy – risking greater military action on both sides. Even just the implicit threat of US military intervention will damage what little relations there are between America and Iran. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said: 'Any US military intervention will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage.' Unpredictability then undermines any diplomatic negotiations or solution to the crisis. Trump is also risking his foreign policy relations beyond Iran. While preventing a new member of the nuclear club is a laudable aim, any US attack on a state over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) will lie in the difficult shadow of the 'war on terror', the US-led military campaign launched after 9/11. With the International Atomic Energy Agency questioning Iran's capacity to build a nuclear bomb, the US' legacy of intervention over the WMD in Iraq that never were still looms large. Trump will need to be fully transparent and clear if any action over nuclear arms is going to be seen as legitimate. Unpredictability does not allow for that. Trump's fellow state leaders are going to feel disrupted by yet another example of unpredictability. Even if they support curbing Iran, they may find it difficult to back someone they simply can't depend on. And if they feel cautious about the Iran situation because they can't rely on Trump, Trump needs to start asking whether he can rely on them for support in whatever his next move is.