U.S. President Donald Trump posted a letter on social media on Wednesday saying he intends to impose a 50% tariff on “any and all Brazilian products sent into the United States” from August 1. Unlike his other tariff letters, this one specified that the levy is in response to the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial for trying to stage a coup. This follows Trump’s threat earlier this week of additional tariffs on the BRICS alliance. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rebutted Trump’s charges in a long X post, saying: “Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage.” (NPR)

China has denied media claims that it transferred weapons systems to Iran. On Monday, the press outlet Middle East Eye reported that air defense equipment from China had arrived in Iran following its war with Israel. It also alleged that Iran paid for the system in oil. China’s embassy in Israel denied the claim on Tuesday, saying that China “never exports weapons to countries engaged in warfare and maintains strict controls on the export of dual-use items.” China avoided involvement in the twelve-day war, but criticized Israel for initiating attacks on Iran. (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)