"Possibility of Gaza Ceasefire Agreement Next Week"
President Donald Trump of the United States has signed letters specifying reciprocal tariff rates for 12 countries, and announced that these letters are scheduled to be sent out on the 7th (local time).
According to Reuters, President Trump made this statement to reporters aboard Air Force One on the 4th (local time), which is U.S. Independence Day. However, he did not disclose specific details such as which countries would receive the letters or the exact tariff rates.
The reciprocal tariff grace period set by the Trump administration is scheduled to expire on the 8th. Previously, President Trump stated that starting from the 4th, letters would be sent to each country, and that the reciprocal tariff rates assigned to each could rise from the current 10-20% level to as high as 60-70%. He also said that the tariffs would take effect on August 1.
Additionally, President Trump commented that it was a positive development that the Palestinian militant group Hamas had responded favorably to the U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip, and mentioned that there is a possibility a ceasefire agreement for Gaza could be reached by next week.
Reuters also reported that President Trump said regarding the sale of the Chinese-owned platform TikTok, that he would begin talks with the Chinese side on the 7th or 8th, and that a deal was highly likely. President Trump stated, "I think we will start (talks with the Chinese side) on Monday (the 7th) or Tuesday (the 8th). (...) We will talk to China, and the counterpart will probably be President Xi or one of his representatives. However, I believe a deal is highly likely." In this regard, Reuters reported that President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he might visit China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, or that President Xi might visit the United States.
President Trump said that Iran had not agreed to nuclear program inspections and had also not agreed to abandon uranium enrichment. He stated that he believes Iran's nuclear program has suffered a permanent setback, but also noted that Iran could restart its nuclear program at other locations. President Trump said that when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House on the 7th, they would discuss the Iran issue at that time.
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