Trump signs Russia-Iran sanctions as H-1B fee stays for another year
A series of developments across the United States and Asia on Saturday centred on sanctions, visas, regional security, disaster response and defence ties. In Washington, US President Donald Trump signed the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which seeks to impose steep levies on Moscow and its top energy buyers such as China and India. The White House also said Trump has extended by a year the USD 100,000 fee on employers for bringing in foreign workers on H-1B visas.
Elsewhere, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged Iran to ensure "uninterrupted energy supplies" and the "safe and expeditious passage of ships" amid concerns over disruption of crucial waterways in West Asia. Nepal set up a seven-member expert panel to examine last month's flash floods, investigators in Pakistan said a deadly mosque suicide blast was traced to Afghanistan, and Chief of Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth concluded a three-day Russia visit focused on defence cooperation. Top US and Chinese negotiators are also set to hold final preparatory talks in Washington ahead of an expected Donald Trump-Xi Jinping summit, while a Sri Lankan opposition lawmaker sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in a case involving a Tamil youth in Saudi Arabia.
Trump's signing of the Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act marked a major move in Washington's policy towards Moscow and Tehran. The measure seeks to impose steep levies on Russia and on top buyers of its energy, including China and India.
In a separate decision, Trump renewed for one year the USD 100,000 fee imposed on employers who bring in foreign workers on H-1B visas, according to the White House. The move also signals tighter scrutiny of such applications.
Reacting to the H-1B decision, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies welcomed greater scrutiny, but said this should not come at the cost of American innovation. It said jobs requiring highly specialised skills cannot always be filled immediately from the available domestic labour pool.
In Islamabad, Dar spoke to his Iranian counterpart and stressed the need for "uninterrupted energy supplies" as well as the "safe and expeditious passage of ships". The call came amid concerns about possible disruption to key waterways in West Asia.
Nepal's government has formed a seven-member expert panel to investigate what triggered last month's devastating flash floods. An official said the floods killed more than 1,400 people and left over 6,000 missing.
In Pakistan, officials said the suicide bombing at a mosque in the country's northwest, which killed at least 21 people, has been traced to Afghanistan. Investigators have identified one of the attackers as an Afghan national.
Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth concluded his three-day official visit to Russia after talks with the country's senior military leadership. Indian military officials said he also visited key military institutions during the trip, which focused on defence cooperation.
In Beijing, the commerce ministry said top US and Chinese negotiators will hold final preparatory talks in Washington from Saturday, including on tariffs. The discussions are aimed at paving the way for President Xi Jinping's expected visit to the United States for a summit with Trump.
In Colombo, a Sri Lankan opposition lawmaker urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to seek Modi's intervention in the case of a minority Tamil youth facing judicial proceedings in Saudi Arabia.
Overall, the day's developments ranged from Washington's moves on Russia, Iran and H-1B visas to regional diplomatic and security concerns in South Asia, Nepal's flood inquiry, India-Russia defence engagement, planned US-China talks and the appeal from Sri Lanka over the Saudi case.
