US Politics Live Updates: Billions of dollars wiped out on Wall Street as AI stocks tank

US officials will ease restrictions on Iran’s World Cup team, permitting the squad to enter the country two days ahead of its next match.

The team will still be required to leave after Friday’s match in Seattle, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the Iran Football Federation confirmed that the team will leave its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday for Seattle, in the north-west US.

The policy change was first reported by NBC News.

There are differing claims by the US and Iranian leaders over Tehran’s missile programme.

Donald Trump, speaking in Pennsylvania, has claimed Iran will no longer have any missile capacity or a nuclear program.

“No missile capability, no nuclear program,” Trump said of Iran.

“We’re leaving them without any nuclear capacity and they’ve agreed to that. And we’re getting along quite well, although if you read the fake news, you’d never know.”  

He said the only thing Iran understands “is the hammer”.

Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran’s missiles are not part of the memorandum of understanding with the US.

“The discussion over our missiles does not exist in the MoU, and it never will,” he said during a visit to Pakistan.

The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has unveiled a plan to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors who’ve been stranded in the Gulf.

They’ve been in limbo since the US-Iran broke out in late February.

IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said the “large-scale operation” was being rolled out after Iran and the US signed an interim agreement to end the conflict.

The evacuation would be carried out with the help of Iran, Oman, the US, other coastal countries and the shipping industry.

“We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” Dominguez added.

Global investors have been unloading shares in AI companies, with Wall Street and Asian markets recording heavy losses.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 2.2 per cent and the S&P 500 slumped 1.4 per cent overnight as investors sold semiconductor chip stocks and other AI-related shares.

The declines came after steep sell-offs in Asia. Nerves about AI quickly spiralled into full-on panic trading in South Korea, where the Kospi index tumbled 10 per cent.

The Pentagon is telling American politicians it needs about $US80 billion ($115 billion) to cover the cost of the war against Iran.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth (below) has been canvassing senators for the extra money, adding to an already major military budget hike sought by Donald Trump.

But the move is almost certain to meet opposition from Democrats in the Senate, who highlight the high cost of living for Americans at home.

“You’re spending families’ hard-earned tax dollars on a war that many strongly oppose,” Democratic Senator Patty Murray told Hegseth in a hearing last month.

In an update on the Reflecting Pool saga in Washington DC, Donald Trump has written that six people have been arrested over recent damage.

The president’s US$14 billion renovation project of the landmark has become a flashpoint over law enforcement, aesthetics and environmental concerns during the lead-up to the United States 250th anniversary celebrations.

In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed without supporting evidence that there had been a “350-foot gash” in the paint.

He also said the federal government would release images to substantiate his claim.

“It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition,” Trump alleged.

The Israeli ambassador to the United States has warned his country and Lebanon are “heading toward a train wreck”.

Yechiel Leiter was speaking as the latest round of Israel-Lebanon talks kicked off in Washington DC, reports CNN.

In his opening remarks, Leiter said Hezbollah’s ongoing presence in Lebanon, coupled with Iran’s influence, threaten to derail hopes of a a comprehensive peace agreement between two neighbouring countries.

The memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran calls for a complete ceasefire in Lebanon, which would ultimately protect Hezbollah’s presence.

The US Senate has for the first time approved a war powers resolution seeking to block American military action against Iran, as legislators warily watch Trump’s efforts to resolve a conflict that the administration launched on its own and now needs Congress to fund.

It was the 10th time the Senate has tried to stop the war, and the outcome, on a vote of 50 to 48, was a stunning turnaround from past efforts.

While the resolution is largely symbolic, and does not fully carry the force of law, it reflects the growing concerns from a number of Republican politicians in both the House of Representatives and Senate over both the war and the deal Trump struck with Iran to end it.

The House approved the resolution earlier this month.

US President Donald Trump says Iran has agreed to regular nuclear inspections, taking to Truth Social to say these may occur for “infinity”.

In a wide-ranging post, the president said if Iran did not agree to the nuclear inspections, the talks would end and fighting would restart.

“Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!),” he wrote.

“This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations! Based on this and other major concessions being made by Iran, I have agreed to allow the Hormuz Strait to remain OPEN, with no further Naval Blockade.

“However, all ships are remaining in place should it be necessary to reinstitute the Blockade, which seems, at this point, highly unlikely.”

Trump went on to say that Iran is now facing a “humanitarian crisis” and he feels “it is necessary to help, NOW, before it is too late.”