Daily World Briefing, Feb. 21
Trump says considering limited strike on Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering a limited military strike to pressure Iran to make a deal.
"I guess I can say I am considering that," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Trump is weighing "an initial limited military strike" on Iran's military or government sites.
U.S. Q4 GDP growth up 1.4 pct, well below estimate
U.S. GDP increased at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2025, well below the 2.5 percent growth market analysts had projected, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The growth represents a marked deceleration from the 4.4 percent expansion seen in the third quarter, as a federal government shutdown and cooling consumer demand weighed on activity.
The data release was delayed by a month due to the federal government shutdown, which economists estimate stripped between 0.25 and 1.5 percentage points from the quarterly growth. While experts generally expect the economy to recoup these losses in the current period, the report highlighted a notable decline in federal spending and a pullback in goods purchases.
U.S. Supreme Court rules Trump administration's sweeping tariffs illegal
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs under a law meant for use in national emergencies are illegal.
In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court said that the tariff policies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are unconstitutional, officially striking down the global tariffs Trump has introduced since April.
The justices ruled that the president did not have the authority under IEEPA to impose import tariffs on goods from nearly all the U.S. trading partners.
Hungary to block 90-bln-euro EU military loan for Ukraine over pipeline dispute
Hungary will block the disbursement of a planned 90-billion-euro (106-billion-U.S.-dollar) European Union (EU) military loan for Ukraine until crude oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline are restored, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Friday.
In a video statement posted on his official social media page, Szijjarto said Ukraine has decided not to restart oil shipments to Hungary "despite the absence of any physical or technical obstacles." He accused Ukraine of using the blockade of the Druzhba pipeline to exert political pressure on Hungary ahead of parliamentary elections.
"Until Ukraine restarts crude oil deliveries to Hungary, it will not have access to the 90-billion-euro military loan," Szijjarto said, repeating that Hungary will block EU decisions favorable to Ukraine as long as the pipeline remains suspended.
6 killed, 25 wounded in Israeli raids on E. Lebanon: media
At least six were killed and 25 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Friday on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, the country's National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The injured were sent to hospitals in the region, according to the report.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it struck Hezbollah command centers in the city of Baalbek, located in the Bekaa Valley, claiming that Hezbollah militants used the targeted centers to advance "terror" attacks against IDF troops and Israel.■