Axios

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that his country will not accept the demands of "bullying countries".

Why it matters: Khamenei's comment seemed to refer to President Trump's claim he sent a letter to the Iranian leader about a possible nuclear deal.

President Trump's dismantling of the U.S.-led global order has injected deep uncertainty — and perhaps fresh opportunity — into China's timeline for a potential invasion of Taiwan.

Why it matters: U.S. officials have long been fixated on 2027 as the year Xi Jinping would be ready to move on Taiwan, citing military modernization goals tied to the 100th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army.

President Trump has shut the door to asylum for migrants worldwide. But he's holding it open for white South Africans because of its controversial new law aimed at countering the lingering impact of apartheid.

Why it matters: Trump's offer last month to "resettle" white South Africans in the U.S. — and his moves to cut aid to South Africa — are signs that an Afrikaner group that has promoted a debunked "white genocide" conspiracy theory has Trump's ear.

President Trump's tariff flip-flop, escalating tensions with Panama, and a controversial pause on aid to Ukraine dominated headlines this week.

Here's our recap of key developments.

Nearly 100 U.S. immigration court professionals are resigning or retiring, on top of the around 30 immigration judges and senior staff recently fired by the Trump administration, a union for immigration judges said Friday.

Why it matters: The staff reduction will likely add to the historic backlog of cases and slow President Trump's mass deportation plan, even as he asks Congress for more resources.

President Trump on Friday threatened new sanctions and tariffs on Russia as he ramped up pressure on the Kremlin to agree to a ceasefire and peace settlement with Ukraine.

Why it matters: This is the first time since taking office that Trump has issued a public threat against Russia, after taking a softer line toward Vladimir Putin while hammering Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Trump said he sent a letter on Wednesday to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei and stressed that he wants to reach a deal on the country's nuclear program.

Why it matters: Trump's letter to Khamenei, which the president revealed in an interview with Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo that will air in full on Sunday, is the first significant engagement between the U.S. and Iran since the new administration took office.

Thousands of residents in eastern Australia were ordered to evacuate, as Tropical Cyclone Alfred's heavy rains and powerful winds blast two states ahead of it's expected landfall near Brisbane, the country's third-largest city.

The big picture: It's already caused widespread power outages and triggered storm surge along the southern Queensland and northern New South Wales coasts. Those who haven't evacuated were urged to stay inside ahead of its expected hit as a Category 2 storm, per the Bureau of Meteorology.

Israel's concerns over the Trump administration's secret negotiations with Hamas erupted in a contentious call Tuesday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-hand man and the U.S. official leading the talks, an Israeli official and a source with knowledge of the call tell Axios.

Why it matters: When Trump aides sounded out Israeli officials in early February about the possibility of engaging directly with Hamas, the Israelis advised them not to do it — particularly not without preconditions. Israel found out through other channels that the U.S. was moving ahead anyway.

A federal judge gave the Trump administration until 6pm Monday ET to make some outstanding foreign aid payments to USAID partners, per multiple reports on Thursday.

The big picture: U.S. District Judge Amir Ali's ruling during a case involving several nonprofits and aid groups including the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council comes one day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt the lower court judge's order requiring the Trump administration to unfreeze some $1.9 billion in foreign aid payments.

SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded minutes after it launched from Texas Thursday.

The big picture: Debris from the rocket caused flight delays in cities across the U.S., including Miami and Philadelphia, FAA data show.