Trump to impose 50% tariff on countries supplying arms to Iran — no exceptions
President Donald Trump warned he would impose a 50% tariff on countries that supply weapons to Iran, shortly after agreeing to a two-week cease-fire with Iran.On the 8th (local time), Trump posted on his Truth Social account that the United States would immediately impose a 50% tariff on all U.S.-bound exports from any country that supplies military equipment to Iran, adding there would be no exceptions or waivers.
At the same time, Trump signaled a strong willingness to improve relations with Iran. In another post he said he judged that Iran had undergone a \"very productive regime change\" and that the United States would work closely with Iran.
On nuclear issues, he said Iran's uranium enrichment would no longer continue and asserted that the U.S. would cooperate with Iran to excavate and remove all deeply buried nuclear remnants. He added that the area had been under precise satellite surveillance and that, following U.S. strikes, nothing was damaged or altered.
U.S. defense officials claim decisive victory over Iran; planned military objectives achieved
U.S. military officials said they achieved a decisive military victory against Iran shortly after the two-week truce took effect.Defense Secretary Pete Hegses and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Cain held a briefing at 8 a.m. on the 8th (local time), about 12 hours into the temporary truce, to outline the operation's results.
Reuters quoted Hegses saying Iran's military capability had been annihilated and that the U.S. used less than 10% of its total force in Operation \"Epic Fury.\"
He also said Iran requested the cease-fire and claimed that Moztaba Hameinei, Iran's supreme leader, had been wounded and his appearance disfigured.
Describing Iranian losses, he said Iran's missile program had been functionally destroyed and that Iranian factories had collapsed into rubble.
Police summon Kim Keon Hee's mother, Choi Eun-soon, as suspect in alleged luxury-goods payoff
Police investigating remaining cases from three special prosecutor probes summoned Choi Eun-soon, the mother of Kim Keon Hee, as a suspect in connection with allegations that Ms. Kim received luxury items.According to Yonhap, the National Police Agency's Special Investigation Headquarters for cases transferred from the three special prosecutors said it summoned Choi on charges including accepting a bribe under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. This was the first investigation by the special unit since it received the case from the Min Joong-gi special prosecutor team (the Kim Keon Hee special prosecutor) in December.
Police focused on whether Choi was involved in receiving large quantities of luxury goods and roughly 100 million KRW (about $75,000) in cash that investigators found at the home of Han, the mother-in-law of Kim Jin-woo, Ms. Kim's elder brother.
Last July, special prosecutors searched Han's home and seized high-value items, including a Lee Ufan painting, \"From the Dot No.800298,\" valued at about 140 million KRW (about $105,000), a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a gold turtle, counterfeit necklaces, a watch case and certificates, and cash. The special prosecutors concluded that Ms. Kim's camp received these items from figures including former senior prosecutor Kim Sang-min, Seohui Construction chairman Lee Bong-gwan, and former National Education Committee chair Lee Bae-yong in exchange for personnel and nomination favors.
First day of U.S.-Iran truce sees strikes on Gulf sites and Iranian oil facilities
On the first day the U.S.-Iran two-week truce took effect, Gulf states including Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and several major Iranian oil facilities came under attack.Yonhap reported that Kuwait's Defense Ministry activated air defenses that morning to repel Iranian drone attacks. Kuwait's military said it shot down multiple drones and that some targeted southern oil facilities, power plants and desalination facilities, causing significant damage to infrastructure.
The UAE Defense Ministry also said it engaged missiles and drones originating from Iran that same morning with its air defenses, explaining that the explosions heard across the area were the result of interception efforts.
Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported additional explosions near Siri Island, southeast of Lavan Island. The two islands host Iran's second-most important crude oil and gas refining facilities and oil export terminals after Kharg Island.
Kim Gwan-young accepts court's rejection of injunction to suspend expulsion: 'Disappointed but will accept'
Kim Gwan-young, governor of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, who was expelled from the Democratic Party over allegations of distributing cash, lost his bid to suspend the expulsion in court and said he would accept the ruling.On the day, the Seoul Southern District Court's Civil Division 51 (Presiding Judge Kwon Seong-su) dismissed Kim's requests to suspend the effect of his expulsion and to halt the party's candidate-selection process for the Jeonbuk gubernatorial primary.
The Democratic Party held an emergency supreme council meeting on the 1st and expelled Kim amid allegations he distributed cash. Kim protested that he had not been given sufficient opportunity to present his case and filed an injunction on the 2nd.
After the court rejected his injunction, Kim posted on his Facebook, \"I'm truly disappointed, but I will humbly accept the court's decision. I deeply reflect on and repent for the ethically inappropriate aspects of my conduct.\"
