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Bessent says Trump tariffs could return by July after Supreme Court setback
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s tariffs could be restored as early as July, signaling a rapid pivot by the Trump administration after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s IEEPA-based tariffs earlier this year, forcing the administration to turn to other trade authorities.
«We had a setback at the Supreme Court in terms of the tariff policy,» Bessent said Tuesday at an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal. «But we will be implementing or conducting Section 301 studies — so the tariffs could be back in place at the previous level by [the] beginning of July.»
His remarks come after the Supreme Court ruled in February that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, does not authorize tariffs.
Trump has billed tariffs as «life or death» for the U.S. economy — underscoring the outsize importance the administration has placed on the issue.
TRUMP TARIFF PLAN FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE AS COURT BATTLES INTENSIFY
A protester holds a sign as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on President Trump’s tariffs on Nov. 5, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Bessent’s comments also come as the U.S. collected more than $133 billion in IEEPA tariff duties as of mid-December, according to data published by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, a figure that later grew to roughly $166 billion by early March 2026.
The administration moved to preserve tariffs in the weeks since the Supreme Court’s ruling to find new ways to implement the import fees, invoking several provisions of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 in order to do so.
Bessent’s remarks, first reported by Bloomberg, are a sign that the Trump administration plans to enact a combination of statutes under the trade law as it looks to move past the high court’s ruling and find new ways to sustain U.S. tariff pressure.
The strategy, long-term, appears to focus largely on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office (USTR) to implement «retaliatory import restrictions» against a country that is found to have engaged in unfair or «discriminatory» trade policies or practices towards U.S. businesses.
Section 301 allows the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate and respond to «unfair» foreign trade practices flagged by the president, though they require a formal period of notice and public comment, delaying enforcement.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Trump administration has initiated a flurry of more than 75 investigations under Section 301, according to a report from Alan Wm. Wolff, a senior fellow for the Peterson Institute for International Economics — far outpacing the average annual number of Section 301 investigations initiated during the past five decades.
TRUMP WARNS SUPREME COURT TARIFF SHOWDOWN IS ‘LIFE OR DEATH’ FOR AMERICA
President Donald Trump speaks during a trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
That’s not the only lever administration officials have pulled in an effort to keep Trump’s tariffs in place, however.
Trump last month announced new 10% global tariffs — an emergency provision under the trade law that allows a president to unilaterally impose import fees of up to 15% on U.S. trading partners for a period of 150 days, to respond to large and serious «balance of payments deficits,» or instances that risk immediately depreciating the power of the dollar.
The Section 122 announcement prompted a lawsuit from 24 attorneys general, who argued the move was an illegal attempt to «sidestep» the Supreme Court’s ruling. It also prompted another lengthy hearing before the U.S. Court of International Trade in Manhattan Friday, as judges on the three-member panel weighed the legality of Trump’s effort.
Lawyers for the challenges told the court Friday that upholding the administration’s broader view of the law would effectively turn Section 122 into an all-purpose trade weapon.
US COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE SIDES WITH TRUMP IN TARIFF CASE
President Donald Trump during a press conference at the White House on Feb. 20, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
But Justice Department lawyer Brett Shumate argued that Congress had provided presidents with broad discretion to assess economic conditions.
«A trade deficit was a large driver of a balance of payments deficit in 1974 as it is today,» Shumate said.
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«We’re not on the gold standard anymore,» he said. «We don’t have a fixed currency, but we can still have balance-of-payment problems.»
donald trump, politics, supreme court, federal courts, global economy, economy
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Trump’s favorite field marshal: Who is Pakistan’s powerful army chief Asim Munir with deep intel ties
Mark Dubowitz says Trump holds ‘maximum leverage’ over Iran as ceasefire begins
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, analyzes President Trump’s firm Iran policy following a two-week ceasefire agreement. He highlights the regime’s weakened state after 15 months of Trump’s administration, making Iran’s 10-point peace plan with «ridiculous demands» unlikely to be accepted. Dubowitz discusses the choice facing Iran’s new regime.
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President Donald Trump publicly thanked what he called Pakistan’s «great prime minister and field marshal, two fantastic people!!!» in a Truth Social post Friday praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir.
Sharif quickly responded on X, «On behalf of the people of Pakistan, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and on my behalf, I express my deep and profound appreciation for your kind and gracious words.»
The public exchange capped a remarkable rise for Munir, who has become one of the few foreign officials trusted both by Trump and by Iran’s security establishment.
TRUMP AGREES TO 2-WEEK CEASEFIRE IF IRAN OPENS STRAIT OF HORMUZ
In this photo released by the Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir, center, Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf, left, and Pakistan Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar attend a guard of honor ceremony at the joint military command headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Inter Services Public Relations via AP)
Munir recently became the first foreign military leader to visit Iran since the latest escalation between the United States and Iran, according to Pakistani and Iranian reports. Arriving in full military uniform, he was warmly greeted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and held meetings with senior Iranian military officials.
Retired Pakistani Gen. Ahmed Saeed told Fox News Digital that Munir has for months served as an informal back channel between Washington and Tehran, Iran, as the Trump administration tries to negotiate an end to the conflict, Iran’s nuclear program and the naval blockade in the Persian Gulf.
Few foreign figures appear to have closer ties both to Trump and to Iran’s military hierarchy.
That has raised a striking question: How did the same man become close both to Trump and to some of Iran’s most powerful commanders?
Saeed, who said he has known Munir personally for years, told Fox News Digital that Munir began building ties with Iran while serving as Pakistan’s director general of military intelligence in 2016 and 2017.
«He has been interacting with the leadership. He has been interacting with the intelligence community. He has been interacting with the IRGC,» or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saeed said.
According to Saeed, Munir built ties not only with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but also with Iran’s regular army and intelligence apparatus. Saeed said Munir had longstanding contact with former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. strike in 2020, commander Hossein Salami, who was killed in an Israeli strike in June 2025, and other Iranian military figures.
JD VANCE SAYS THE BALL IS ‘IN IRAN’S COURT’ AFTER PAKISTAN PEACE TALKS STALL
Few foreign figures appear to have closer ties both to Trump and to Iran’s military hierarchy. (Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«He continues to be a figure internationally who has personal interactions, a personal equation in the intelligence community in Iran, in the military hierarchy in Iran, in the diplomatic corps of Iran and also on the side of the political leadership,» Saeed said.
That longstanding relationship appears to explain why Iran welcomed him so warmly, even as he remains in direct contact with Trump and his team.
Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Bill Roggio told Fox News Digital that, «Trump should not trust the Pakistanis. Pakistan was a perfidious ‘ally’ in Afghanistan, backing the Taliban while pretending to be our friends. Munir’s ties to the IRGC should be a massive red flag for the Trump admin.»
Munir’s relationship with Trump dates back to the India–Pakistan crisis of May 2025. Munir played a key role in helping de-escalate the confrontation, and afterward Pakistan formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move widely viewed by Pakistani analysts as encouraged by Munir.
Pakistan’s Asim Munir has become one of the few foreign officials trusted by both President Donald Trump and Iran’s security establishment, according to Pakistani analysts and officials. (Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Since then, Trump repeatedly has praised him. Trump has called Munir an «exceptional man,» a «great fighter» and «my favorite field marshal.»
Pakistani officials and media reports say the two men now speak directly.
Pakistani analyst Raza Rumi told Fox News Digital that Munir’s appeal to Trump is not surprising.
«Trump has long shown a preference for strong, decisive leaders,» Rumi said. «Munir fits that mold as a centralized authority figure who can deliver outcomes.»
WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were greeted by Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon their arrival at Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, April 11, 2026. (Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/AP)
Rumi described Munir as «a disciplined, institution-first leader with a strong emphasis on order, hierarchy and strategic clarity.»
«Unlike more publicly charismatic military figures, his style is relatively understated, shaped by intelligence work and operational experience rather than overt political signaling,» Rumi said.
Munir’s background helps explain both his style and his influence.
Munir studied at the Fuji School in Japan, the Command and Staff College in Quetta, the Malaysian Armed Forces College in Kuala Lumpur, and Pakistan’s National Defence University, where he earned an master of philosophy degree n public policy and strategic security management, according to Pakistan’s Geo News. Munir was the first army chief in Pakistan to receive the Sword of Honour, the military’s highest distinction for a cadet. The outlet also described him as an avid reader, traveler and sportsman.
Munir is also a Hafiz-e-Quran, meaning he has memorized the entire Quran by heart.
A former head of both Pakistan’s Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence agencies, Munir spent years overseeing Pakistan’s most sensitive regional relationships, including with Iran, Afghanistan and India.
TRUMP AGREES TO 2-WEEK CEASEFIRE IF IRAN OPENS STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Vice President JD Vance shakes hands with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on April 12, 2026, after talks on Iran. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Chief of Defence Forces Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, and U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker look on as Vance prepares to board Air Force Two. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
In 2025, after the India-Pakistan crisis, he was elevated to field marshal, the first Pakistani officer to hold the rank since former military ruler Ayub Khan.
Pakistani officials say that later that year, he also was given the newly created title of chief of defense forces, further cementing his authority above the country’s military branches.
Munir rarely gives interviews, but his speeches offer clues to his worldview.
WHO ACTUALLY RUNS IRAN RIGHT NOW? THE KEY POWER PLAYERS AS TRUMP CLAIMS TALKS TO ‘TOP’ OFFICIAL
A former head of both Pakistan’s Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence agencies, Munir spent years overseeing Pakistan’s most sensitive regional relationships, including with Iran, Afghanistan and India. (Iranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
At the Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad in November 2024, he warned that «absence of proper regulations for freedom of expression is leading to the deterioration of moral values in societies worldwide.»
The remark reflected a broader emphasis on order, discipline and centralized authority.
Rumi said Munir operates from «a transactional, state-centric worldview rather than an ideological one.»
Yet critics argue that his rise has come at a cost to Pakistan’s democracy.
After becoming army chief in 2022, Munir focused heavily on domestic politics, including what critics described as a crackdown on political opposition and an unprecedented concentration of military power, according to The Guardian, which reported that key negotiations with the United States and Iran have been coordinated not from Islamabad, Pakistan’s civilian capital, but from Rawalpindi, the headquarters of the military.
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A broken frame of Pakistan’s field marshal and army chief, Asim Munir, hangs on the wall after an attack at the Cadet College Wana, a military-linked school, in the South Waziristan district near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Nov. 13, 2025. (Aamir Qureshi / AFP via Getty Images)
Critics say that reflects a broader reality: Pakistan’s foreign policy is increasingly being run by the army rather than the elected government.
Rumi said Munir’s rise reflects «the military increasingly eclipsing civilian leadership in Pakistan.»
As the current negotiations continue, much appears to rest on Munir. Saeed said that is because Munir has spent years building trust on both sides and is unlikely to stop now.
«Knowing our field marshal, and from my own personal knowledge of him, he is relentless. He would not give up,» Saeed said.
donald trump, pakistan, iran, military
INTERNACIONAL
Boston mayor denies funding LGBTQ migrant ‘wellness’ perks after program touts up to $500 benefits
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office is denying reports that city funds were used to support a program offering LGBTQ migrants up to $500 in «wellness» perks, after a local advocacy group advertised the benefits and later scaled back its description amid backlash.
Through its program «Belonging Matters,» the group had planned to provide yoga, arts and other recreational services.
«No funds have been distributed or directed for these purposes. This organization received a $7,500 grant through a City program to support mental health services. Those funds were not designated for and may not be used for the voucher program referenced,» a spokesperson for the city told Fox News Digital.
The dispute highlights conflicting claims about what the «Belonging Matters» program actually offered and whether any city-backed funding was tied to those benefits, drawing scrutiny over how Boston distributes and oversees grants to outside advocacy groups.
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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ordered the release of ICE body cam and surveillance footage, accusing federal agents of unconstitutional actions and pledging transparency and accountability. (Getty Images)
OUTnewcomers is listed as one of 45 recipients of a larger $200,000 push to support LGBTQ communities in Boston. The $200,000 figure was approved by Wu last year as a part of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement (MOLA).
According to Boston officials, OUTnewcomers was awarded a $7,500 mini-grant allocated from the 2026 budget. The city has not green-lighted grant funding or cash assistance.
«These investments represent our continued dedication to uplifting LGBTQ+ Bostonians by putting resources directly into the hands of trusted community organizations,» Wu said in a press release at the time.
The mayor’s office declined to answer questions about what the $7,500 fund had originally been approved for.
The registration form for Belonging Matters offered applicants yoga, breathwork and meditation, gym memberships, creative arts, peer support, storytelling, nature-based wellness and hair styling. If approved, the program promised applicants $250 to $500 in «wellness allowances» evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
But the organization later described the program as offering vouchers of $50 or less, creating a discrepancy between how the initiative was initially presented and how it was later characterized.
«Our City of Boston-funded program is modest and need-based. It provides small vouchers of $50 or less to eligible LGBTQ+ migrants living in Boston to access limited wellness support such as haircuts, acupuncture, or massage,» the organization said in a press release.
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Boston, Mass., skyline. (Getty Images)
The program drew scrutiny online, with critics calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars.
«Handing out perks & benefits like this all the while telling the tax payers of Boston you need to pay more because we have a huge shortfall in our budget,» one observer wrote in a post to X, alluding to property tax hikes approved by the Boston City Council in 2025.
OUTnewcomers did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on how many registrants are expected to join or how many have enrolled so far. The group announced on Thursday that it had temporarily suspended the program due to «security threats.»
Founded by Sal Khan, a queer journalist originally from Pakistan, OUTnewcomers describes itself as a «grassroots and volunteer-run organization based in the Greater Boston Area» focused on «community-led advocacy, resource navigation and collective care.»
Mayor Wu speaks as the Mayor and City leaders hold a press conference on violence and drug use in DTC on February 26. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald/Getty Images)
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OUTnewcomers only recently launched its website in April, according to a post to X put up by the organization.
Their website does not list a 990 form, the required disclosure for nonprofits that normally lays out an organization’s structure, leadership and revenue.
immigration, fitness and wellbeing, immigrant rights, boston, massachusetts
INTERNACIONAL
Donald Trump afirmó que el bloqueo estadounidense a los puertos iraníes “se mantendrá” si no se llega a un acuerdo
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmó este sábado que mantendrá el bloqueo a los puertos iraníes si no se alcanza un acuerdo de paz con Teherán y advirtió que podría no extender el alto el fuego una vez que expire, el miércoles de la próxima semana.
El régimen iraní reportó la supuesta reapertura del estrecho de Ormuz tras el acuerdo de alto el fuego entre Israel y el Líbano, aunque advirtió que podría volver a cerrar la vía marítima si persiste el bloqueo de las fuerzas estadounidenses en la región.
“Tal vez no lo extienda, pero el bloqueo se mantendrá. Desafortunadamente, tendremos que empezar a lanzar bombas de nuevo”, indicó Trump a los periodistas a bordo del Air Force One, en respuesta a consultas sobre la posible extensión de la tregua.
Consultado sobre la posibilidad de un acuerdo, Trump expresó: “Ya se enterarán. Simplemente creo que es algo que debería suceder… Creo que sucederá. Ya veremos qué pasa”. “Hace 20 minutos recibimos muy buenas noticias, pero parece que las cosas van muy bien en Medio Oriente con Irán”, detalló Trump.
No obstante, persisten diferencias fundamentales entre las exigencias de Washington y Teherán, que no lograron cerrar un entendimiento en las 21 horas de conversaciones indirectas celebradas en Islamabad, capital de Pakistán, la semana pasada.
“Estamos negociando durante el fin de semana… Espero que las cosas vayan bien. Muchas de estas cosas han sido negociadas y acordadas… Lo principal es que Irán no tendrá un arma nuclear. No se puede permitir que Irán tenga un arma nuclear, y eso prevalece sobre todo lo demás”, agregó Trump a bordo del avión presidencial.
El mandatario estadounidense también aseguró que Irán “no impondría peajes” a los barcos que crucen el estrecho de Ormuz, aludiendo a una propuesta previa planteada por la república islámica durante negociaciones anteriores sobre un acuerdo de paz.
Una periodista consultó a Trump de qué forma se llevaría de Irán el uranio enriquecido y el presidente contestó: “Si no lo hacemos (un acuerdo), lo conseguiremos en una forma diferente, en una forma mucho más hostil. Pero en cualquier caso, lo conseguiremos” .
Horas antes, el inquilino de la Casa Blanca anunció que su administración trabajará junto al régimen iraní para recuperar uranio enriquecido y trasladarlo a territorio estadounidense. En una entrevista telefónica, Trump declaró: “Vamos a entrar con Irán, con calma, y vamos a empezar a excavar con maquinaria pesada… Lo traeremos de vuelta a Estados Unidos”.
El mandatario se refirió al “polvo nuclear” que, según afirmó, quedó tras los bombardeos estadounidenses e israelíes sobre instalaciones nucleares iraníes en junio del año pasado y anticipó que la operación de recuperación se realizará “muy pronto”.
La respuesta de Irán fue inmediata. El portavoz del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Esmaeil Baqaei, rechazó que Teherán haya acordado transferir su uranio enriquecido a otro país.
“El uranio enriquecido de Irán no va a ser transferido a ningún lugar”, aseguró Baqaei durante una intervención en la televisión estatal. El funcionario subrayó que “la transferencia de uranio enriquecido a Estados Unidos nunca ha sido planteada en las negociaciones” y precisó que los últimos encuentros se centraron en la resolución del conflicto, no en la recuperación de material nuclear.
El intercambio público entre Trump y Baqaei pone de manifiesto la falta de acuerdo sobre uno de los temas más sensibles de la agenda bilateral: el futuro del programa nuclear iraní y el destino de un stock que, según la OEIA, antes de los ataques de junio de 2025 alcanzaba unos 440 kilogramos de uranio enriquecido al 60%. Desde esos ataques, la agencia internacional carece de acceso a los sitios afectados, ya que Irán no permite la entrada de sus inspectores.
Rafael Grossi, director general del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA), advirtió que la escalada de tensiones en torno al programa nuclear iraní representa un riesgo inédito para la estabilidad internacional.
En una entrevista con el programa Inside Geopolitics de The Economist, el diplomático explicó que, hasta días antes de la denominada “guerra de doce días” de 2025, el OIEA realizaba inspecciones regulares y llevaba registros precisos de ese material. “No sabemos ahora, y por eso necesitamos volver”, advirtió el miércoles pasado.
A su vez, indicó que, según la última evaluación técnica, el uranio sigue “donde estaba en ese momento”, pero subrayó la importancia de verificar de forma presencial los sellos que la agencia colocó en las instalaciones nucleares iraníes en junio del año pasado.
Domestic,Politics,North America,Government / Politics
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