The United States may be close to deciding whether to resume military action against Iran, Israeli media, The Times of Israel, reported Friday, as Israel steps up preparations for the possibility of renewed conflict.
According to another report from U.S. media, Axios, two U.S. officials said that U.S. Central Commander Brad Cooper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine briefed President Donald Trump on new operational plans targeting Iran on the evening of Thursday. The briefing reportedly lasted 45 minutes.
The Axios report also said that the U.S. Central Command prepared a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes against Iran, aimed at breaking the deadlock in the U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Israeli officials have also indicated that military action could resume in the near future. On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that although Israel supports U.S. negotiations with Iran, it may "soon have to resume military action against Iran."
On the same day, Israel's Defense Ministry said that 6,500 tons of military equipment had arrived in Israel over the past 24 hours. The ministry added that procurement and transportation operations are expected to expand in scale in the coming weeks.
U.S. 'close to deciding' on renewing military action against Iran: Israeli media
U.S. 'close to deciding' on renewing military action against Iran: Israeli media
Ethiopian coffee, famous for its unique flavor, is quickly gaining ground in the Chinese market, and producers hope to further propel exports by leveraging China's newly implemented zero-tariff measures.
China's zero-tariff policy for all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations takes effect on Friday, marking a new stage for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
For Ethiopia, the policy opens a timely growth avenue. The country ranks among the top five global coffee producers, and China has already emerged as its fourth-largest export market.
Finette, a coffee trader from the east African country, recently traveled to China to visit a coffee processing company in central China's Henan Province. During the trip, she hopes to establish a more stable and in-depth cooperative relationship this and other Chinese companies.
"I came here be because this company is a key buyer of green (coffee) beans from Ethiopia. I also come here for displaying Ethiopian traditional culture, information sharing. I'm the delegate of coffee trading company in Ethiopia. I hope more and more Chinese can drink coffee, drink the original Ethiopian coffee," said Finette.
On Thursday, the first branded store in China specializing in African coffee officially opened inside Zhengzhou Airport, a major import hub in the country's eastern region. The store is run by Huichuan Industrial Development Company, which has cooperated directly with Ethiopia and invested 300 million yuan (about 43.9 million US dollars) in the construction of a coffee processing industrial demonstration park in 2020.
"We already have more than a dozen varieties of African coffee on display here. We want to make high-quality African coffee a local specialty of Henan and bring it to more friends from other places," said Lu Ying, deputy general manager of the company.
Ethiopia's blooming coffee trade is part of a larger story. Trade between China and Africa has reached a record high for five consecutive years and is expected to exceed 300 billion US dollars for the first time in 2025. China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years. Over the past five years, China's annual imports of agricultural products from Africa have averaged over 5 billion US dollars.
"Since China expanded cooperation through unilateral openness, more and more African agricultural products have entered the Chinese market, such as Ethiopian coffee, Egyptian citrus fruits, South African pecans, and Kenyan avocados. This is partly due to China's expanding zero-tariff policy towards the least developed African countries, and partly a result of cooperation between relevant government departments and enterprises,” said Jing Ning, deputy director of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs under the Ministry of Commerce.
Ethiopian coffee gains momentum in China as zero-tariff policy takes effect
