CIA staff ‘offered payoffs to quit’ as China warns of ‘no winners’ in trade war – US politics live | US news

Donald Trump has called for a “verified peace agreement” with Iran that would allow the country “peacefully grow and prosper”.

“I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon,” he said on his Truth Social platform.

“Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens, ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED.”

Ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump signed a memorandum restoring his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which includes efforts to drive the country’s oil exports to zero to discourage it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Trump continued: “I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper.

“We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!”

During his first term, Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal, which had been agreed with Iran by the US, the UK, France, China, Russia, and the EU.

The deal limited Iran’s nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions, but faced widespread opposition on the American right.

More now on those reports that the Trump administration has offered the entire staff of the CIA a payoff if they quit their jobs.

A spokesperson told CNN the decision was taken to “ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the administration’s national security priorities” and that it was “part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy”.

The White House last week offered two million civilian full-time federal workers an opportunity to stop working this week and receive pay and benefits through 30 September.

Including the CIA in that programme seems to have been a recent decision taken personally by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, CNN reported.

The agency has also frozen the hiring of job applicants already given a conditional offer, the WSJ reported.

Read the full story here:

Good morning and welcome to our US politics blog. Early news is being dominated by Donald Trump’s claim that the US could “take over” Gaza and Palestinians should move to neighbouring countries.

His comments have sparked condemnation at home and abroad and you can follow developments in our Middle East blog here:

But there is plenty of other news for us to follow today, including reports that the CIA has offered its entire staff a payoff to quit as part of Trump’s purge of federal government.

The move is part of aim to bring the agency in line with Trump’s priorities, the Wall Street Journal and CNN have reported.

The US spy agency is also freezing the hiring of job applicants already given a conditional offer, the WSJ reported, quoting an aide to CIA director John Ratcliffe.

The aide, not named in the report, said some of those frozen offers were likely to be rescinded if the applicants did not have the right background for the agency’s new goals, which include targeting drug cartels, Trump’s trade war and undermining China.

In other China news, the country’s foreign ministry has expressed “strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition” to the 10% tariffs Trump has imposed on all Chinese goods. Spokesman Lin Jian called for “fair and mutually respectful dialogue” and said there were “no winners in a trade war or a tariff war”.

And a federal judge in Maryland is due to hear arguments in a case brought by immigrant rights group seeking to pause Donald Trump’s executive order ending the right to citizenship for anyone born in the US.

The plaintiffs argue that the principle of birthright citizenship is a “foundation of our national democracy… and has shaped a shared sense of national belonging for generation after generation of citizens”.

Stay with us for more on all that and the latest developments throughout the day.