
President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to anyone trading with Iran, following his re-imposition of sanctions on the country. Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States, the president tweeted.

At midday on Tuesday, the first wave of U.S. sanctions suspended under the Iran nuclear deal will snap back into place, as the Trump administration tries to ramp up the economic pressure on Iran. But without partners in Europe, let alone buy-in from countries like Russia, China, and India, it's unclear how strong that pressure will be.

China’s state media said on Saturday the government’s retaliatory tariffs on US$60 billion in U.S. goods showed rational restraint, although in an opinion piece it still admonished the United States for blackmail and bullyboy tactics.

The Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Wednesday and reaffirmed its plans to continue raising borrowing costs at a gradual pace. The decision to hold rates had been widely expected and came after a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, which dictates monetary policy.

A US federal judge in Seattle has blocked the release of software that allows consumers to 3D-print firearms. Gun access advocacy group Defense Distributed was due to put downloadable gun blueprints online on Wednesday.

The United States is revoking visas for Nicaraguan officials responsible for violence against anti-government protesters, saying these are just the start of what could be more sanctions.

Argentina's hydrocarbons company YPF is facing a fresh lawsuit in the United States, this time for US$14bn, which is twice the market value of the state oil firm, over alleged corporate restructuring that the company was said to have carried out several years ago.

United States president Donald Trump declared on Monday that he would meet Iran's leaders “anytime they want,” an invitation for face-to-face dialogue with a country he had appeared to threaten with war only days before and an affirmation of Trump's faith in his brand of personal diplomacy.

President Trump's chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow says that trade negotiations with the European Union are set to begin immediately following a meeting between Mr. Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The two agreed to work toward zero tariffs and hold off on additional tariffs at the meeting at the White House on Thursday.

In a letter to Brazilian Ambassador in Washington Sergio Silva do Amaral, 29 members of the United States Congress voiced their concerns about an intensifying assault on democracy and human rights in Brazil, particularly the incarceration of former president Lula da Silva and the assassination of Rio de Janeiro city councilor Marielle Franco.