VOA Focus Today (August 4, 2026) President Trump Warns: Current Time is the "Last Chance" for Negotiations with Iran
This episode of VOA Today's Focus reports on the final negotiation warning issued by U.S. President Trump to Iran, confirming that talks regarding nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz are underway. Additionally, the video covers Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to the earthquake-stricken areas in Kumamoto Prefecture, where she expressed gratitude for international aid; the successive visits by U.S. members of Congress to Taiwan, reaffirming support for the island; and protests by Tibetans in Mumbai, India, and New York, opposing the Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress implemented by China and commemorating the Tibetan activist Lobsang Rinchen, who self-immolated outside the United Nations headquarters. Finally, the report covers the meeting between detained former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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Welcome to VOA Today's Focus for August 4. I am Huang Yaoyi, broadcasting live from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Every day, Today's Focus brings you a 15-minute quick summary of the latest developments in the U.S. and around the world, broadcast simultaneously on YouTube, Facebook, X, and other channels. You can also listen via radio. Here are today's headline news.
President Trump discusses U.S.-Iran tensions, stating this is Iran's last chance to sign a good agreement. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visits the earthquake-stricken areas in Kumamoto and thanks the United States, China, and Taiwan for their assistance. It has been one month since Tibetan Lobsang Rinchen self-immolated outside the United Nations; memorial and protest activities are being held in New York and India.
First, we focus on the situation in Iran. After President Trump canceled plans for a large-scale military strike against Iran, he confirmed on Monday, August 3, that negotiations regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear weapons are underway. Iran, for its part, denies holding direct negotiations with the United States. Please watch the VOA television report below.
On Monday, August 3, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed at the White House that negotiations with Iran are ongoing. Previously, he had canceled a large-scale military strike that the U.S. had planned against Iran.
We are talking about reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring its navigation. In fact, it could be fully opened as early as tomorrow. This is the first phase. In the second phase, we will discuss nuclear capabilities, which is the nuclear issue you keep mentioning. Ultimately, the most important thing is that Iran must achieve denuclearization; it must be achieved. This will be the second phase. The first phase is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and the second phase is achieving the denuclearization of Iran. This will still take some time, but our position is very firm: they absolutely cannot possess nuclear weapons.
President Trump said he delayed the strike at the request of Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran to pursue diplomatic negotiations. However, he also warned Iran that this would be the last chance for negotiations.
I think we might be able to achieve some results, but before taking decapitation actions, I want to give them one last chance. The action we planned, and which is still in the plans, would be very difficult. We shall see. That is indeed a very, very difficult thing, and I am very proud of it.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that there are no direct negotiations with the United States, but confirmed that Iran is holding talks with Oman regarding the management of the strait. He told reporters in Tehran that the discussions with Oman focus on reaching an understanding to ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Reporting from Washington by Voice of America.
The United States intervened to buy Japanese yen for the first time in over a decade. President Trump said today that this move is intended to send a signal of friendship to Japan. The exchange rate of the Japanese yen against the US dollar has dropped to a 40-year low. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that the Trump administration has taken foreign exchange market action to help stabilize the yen. Bessent emphasized that economic security is national security, and the US-Japan alliance is formally built upon both.
President Trump stated in response to reporters' questions aboard Air Force One on Sunday that because our relationship with Japan is very good, the US fiscal situation is very strong, and the yen is depreciating, we hope to get some help. We always support Japan, and Japan has always been very good to us, of course, with the exception of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Continuing with news from Japan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi traveled to the earthquake-stricken area in Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan on Monday. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake recently struck the area, causing casualties. Takaichi stated that the government is making every effort to maintain water supply for medical institutions and care centers, and hopes to announce a timetable for restoring water supply in more areas in the near future.
Kumamoto Prefecture suffered a major earthquake in 2016, which resulted in 260 fatalities. While the death toll this time is lower than in 2016, nearly half of the victims lost their lives during commercial operations. Sanae Takaichi earlier posted on Twitter thanking the various regional countries and international organizations that have provided assistance to Japan so far, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, Brazil, China, South Korea, and Taiwan.
High-ranking US congressional lawmakers have visited Taiwan successively in recent time. Michael McCaul, Chairman Emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, arrived in Taiwan for a visit on Sunday, just a few days after Young Kim, Chair of the committee's Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, led a cross-party delegation to visit Taiwan. For details, we now cross live to our Voice of America reporter, Xiangyun, for a further introduction.
Xiangyun, recently two batches of high-ranking US lawmakers have visited Taiwan consecutively. Could you introduce the latest situation? Okay, Yaoyi. We know that Republican US Representative Michael McCaul arrived in Taiwan on Sunday. According to a statement released by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during his visit he will meet with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te and deliver the opening keynote speech at the Ketagalan Forum 2026 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue, sharing his experience in promoting Indo-Pacific security and deepening US-Taiwan relations. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed welcome for McCaul's visit. He pointed out that the recent successive visits to Taiwan by US senators and representatives fully demonstrate the firm bipartisan US support for Taiwan. This is McCaul's third visit to Taiwan since becoming a member of Congress. In April 2023, he visited Taiwan leading a delegation in his capacity as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In May 2024, he represented House Speaker Mike Johnson in leading a delegation to Taiwan to congratulate President Lai Ching-te and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim on taking office.
Xiangyun, just before McCaul arrived in Taiwan, another group of US lawmakers had just concluded their visit to Taiwan. Tell us about that visit. Okay, Yaoyi. This delegation was led by Representative Young Kim and included four cross-party lawmakers. They visited South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. While in Taiwan, the delegation met with Lai Ching-te, Hsiao Bi-khim, as well as Taiwan's defense and national security officials, and also toured a drone production facility. According to a press release issued by Young Kim's office, the delegation reiterated US support for Taiwan's self-defense and strengthening deterrence capabilities across the Taiwan Strait.
Xiangyun, what other activities did this delegation have during their visits to Japan and South Korea? The delegation first visited South Korea, heading to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone, and met with US Forces Korea, South Korean government officials, and South Korean lawmakers. They also discussed the implementation of the $350 billion US-South Korea investment partnership with representatives from the shipbuilding and semiconductor industries. Subsequently, the delegation visited Japan, receiving a briefing from the US Navy's 7th Fleet and meeting with officials from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The delegation also exchanged views with government and industry figures on issues such as critical minerals, semiconductor supply chain security, coordinating export control measures, and preventing sensitive technology from flowing to the Chinese military. Additionally, during the delegation's visit to Japan, an earthquake struck Kyushu, prompting the four representatives to issue a joint statement expressing condolences to the earthquake victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery, and expressing sympathy to the affected families. Thank you very much for the report by Voice of America reporter Xiangyun. Thank you, Xiangyun.
Dozens of activists from the Tibetan Youth Congress held a protest near the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai on Monday, opposing the Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress implemented by China starting July 1. The exiled Tibetan protesters chanted slogans, held flags and banners, and demanded that China immediately stop implementing this strict law. Please watch the following VOA television report.
Emotional Tibetan protesters chanted in Mumbai, India, on Monday, August 3, slogans such as "We want freedom to leave Tibet" and "Stop the genocide in Tibet," and demanded that China immediately stop implementing the Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress, this strict law.
Protester Tenzin Tsundue stated that China is attempting to erase the Tibetan language, Tibetan culture, and Tibetan identity by implementing this law. "Our demand is that China must immediately stop implementing this harsh new law known as the Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress. This is a law announced by China in March and scheduled to be implemented on July 1 of this year. The essence of this law is China's attempt to erase the Tibetan language, Tibetan culture, and Tibetan identity. This new Chinese law stipulates that everyone within China, including their so-called 56 ethnic minorities, must speak Mandarin. They have now banned Tibetan language instruction."
One day earlier, on Sunday, July 2, marked the one-month memorial of the self-immolation protest by exiled Tibetan activist Lobsang Gyatso outside the United Nations headquarters. Protesters held a candlelight vigil in the northern mountain town of Dharamsala to mourn Lobsang Gyatso. VOA reporting from Washington.
Over the past weekend, hundreds of Tibetans and supporters in the United States also gathered in New York to mourn Lobsang Gyatso. Long-time Tibetan human rights supporter and renowned Hollywood actor Richard Gere also participated in the memorial event and called on the international community to pay more attention to human rights in Tibet after the Chinese government began implementing the Law on Ethnic Unity. Please watch the following VOA television report.
One month after Tibetan Lobsang Gyatso died by self-immolation in front of the UN headquarters in New York, his family spoke publicly for the first time. Lobsang Gyatso's niece, Tenzin Chokyi, who is a university student, expressed her longing for her uncle.
"My uncle, Lobsang Gyatso, was the bravest, kindest, and most caring person I have ever known." The exiled Tibetan media outlet Voice of Tibet reported that in his final message, Lobsang Gyatso condemned the Chinese Communist Party for occupying Tibet and depriving Tibetans of their human rights, and called on Tibetans to unite and resist.
Lobsang Gyatso's niece, Sonam Chodron, took the opportunity to call on the international community not to ignore the current human rights situation in Tibet. "The message I want to convey to the international community is, please do not ignore what is happening in Tibet. Tibetans inside Tibet have no freedom of speech, no freedom of religious expression, and not even the right to display a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama."
At the event site, Tibetan students used a "die-in" protest performance art to recreate the impact of Tibetan self-immolations, hoping to make the outside world realize that Tibetan self-immolation is not an isolated incident, but a political protest that continues to this day.
Long-time Tibetan human rights supporter and renowned Hollywood actor Richard Gere also arrived to deliver a speech, criticizing the Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress implemented by China on July 1. He also called on supporters at the scene to contact their U.S. members of Congress and demand their support for the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act.
"Lobsang Gyatso's action woke me up, and I think all of us should wake up now. China's oddly named Law on Ethnic Unity is actually having the exact opposite effect. It poses an existential threat to Tibet; it threatens the fundamental conditions for the survival and continuation of the Tibetan language, Tibetan culture, and Tibetan identity."
Event organizer and President of the Tibetan National Congress, Jigme Ugen, stated, "We call it the Genocide Law because that is its essence. It is erasing the languages, identities, and ways of life of non-Han ethnic groups. This is effectively a systematic destruction of different civilizations led by the Chinese government. They have been doing this all along, and now they are just trying to legalize it through legislation, so we believe this is a genocide law."
In addition to the Tibetan community, activists from Hong Kong, the Uyghur community, and Southern Mongolia also attended to show their support. Former Hong Kong activist Nathan Law also participated in the rally. Despite the laws of the Chinese authorities, representatives from the New York City Mayor's Office attended the event. New York State Assembly members Steven Raga and Catalina Cruz arrived to show their support and delivered speeches.
After the event concluded, hundreds of participants held candles and marched toward the UN headquarters, calling on the international community not to remain silent on Tibet. VOA reporting from New York.
Ousted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday, a rare moment of contact. The ICRC stated that the head of its delegation in Myanmar, Ariane Bauer, visited Aung San Suu Kyi and spoke with her privately. Neither the ICRC nor the Myanmar military-backed government specified the exact location, but photos released by the government show Aung San Suu Kyi standing and shaking hands with Bauer, and another photo shows her cutting a birthday cake.
In 2021, the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained ever since and later sentenced to imprisonment after trial. That is all for today's VOA Economic Focus. For more reports, please visit the Voice of America Chinese website. A reminder that VOA will launch new satellite symbol rates on August 5. Friends who watch VOA Chinese Television via satellite can find details on the Voice of America Chinese website.