US officials and lawmakers in recent weeks have voiced fears of the wildly popular video platform being used by Beijing for nefarious purposes, but the company has denied any links to the Chinese government.

Media reports circulated earlier Friday saying that Trump would require the US operations of the app be divested from its Chinese parent firm ByteDance, but the president announced a ban.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said: “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.”

He added he would take action as soon as Saturday using emergency economic power or an executive order.

Trump’s move comes following a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) in the United States, which investigates deals affecting US national security.

TikTok, especially popular with young audiences who create and watch its short-form videos, has an estimated billion users worldwide.

Queried by AFP, TikTok declined to comment on the reports of the forced sales, saying only: “We are confident in the long-term success of TikTok.

“Hundreds of millions of people come to TikTok for entertainment and connection, including our community of creators and artists who are building livelihoods from the platform.”

The firm this week pledged a high level of transparency, including allowing reviews of its algorithms, to assure users and regulators.

“We are not political, we do not accept political advertising and have no agenda — our only objective is to remain a vibrant, dynamic platform for everyone to enjoy,” TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer said in post this week.

“TikTok has become the latest target, but we are not the enemy.”

The popularity of the platform surged after ByteDance acquired US-based app Musical.ly in 2017 and merged it with its own video service.

James Lewis, head of the technology policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said he believes the security risk of using TikTok is “close to zero” but that ByteDance could face pressure from China to engage in censorship.

“It looks like ByteDance may be getting squeezed by Beijing, so making them divest makes sense,” Lewis said. “They could start censoring stuff.”

Lewis said US authorities under CFIUS have the power to unwind an acquisition previously approved and that a similar action was taken in 2019 with the dating app Grindr after it was bought by a Chinese firm.

Source: Agency Report

At least one rocket struck the Balad airbase where an unspecified number of U.S. troops are housed while another hit near the embassy compound in the Green Zone, U.S. Army Public Affairs spokesperson Maj. Charlie Dietz confirmed on Twitter.

Dietz said Balad was the only confirmed point of impact, although a second rocket seemed to strike just south of the Tigris river in the Green Zone.

According to a Reuters report, the Iraqi military said Celebration Square, just a few blocks away from the U.S. embassy, was hit.

“Several rockets targeting Celebration Square and the Jadriya area in Baghdad, and the Balad air base in Salahuddin province, with no loss of life. Further details to come,” the statement read.

Images from one of the impact points appeared to show a car hit with shrapnel and a sidewalk that was blown out.

News of the rockets came just hours after it was reported that a senior Iranian military official threatened an attack on some 35 “American targets” in retaliation of the U.S. airstrike at Baghdad International airport that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Senior Revolutionary Guards commander Gen. Gholamali Abuhamzeh foreshadowed a possible attack on “vital American targets” located in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital point for the West and a large number of American destroyers and warships cross there,” Abuhamzeh said according to a Reuters report, citing Tasnim news agency.

“Vital American targets in the region have been identified by Iran since long time ago … some 35 U.S. targets in the region, as well as Tel Aviv, are within our reach.”

About 30 rockets landed at the base used by the U.S and Iraqi forces, the official said.

“Several” U.S. troops were also injured in the rocket attack, the official said. It’s not immediately clear how severe the injuries are.

This is the 11th rocket attack on U.S. and Iraqi forces since late October, according to a U.S. defence official.

Two U.S. officials blamed Iranian-backed proxy forces the attack, not the Islamic State (ISIS).

“We’ve not seen ISIS conduct sophisticated rocket attacks in probably a year,” said the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

There are roughly 5,000 U.S. troops deployed to Iraq.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for two separate rocket attacks on the Baghdad International Airport, on Dec. 9 and 11, where U.S. and Iraqi forces are located on the other side of the commercial airport.

In a statement, Pompeo warned of a “decisive U.S. response” if any Americans were harmed in the future.

Iran’s foreign minister and the White House both announced that Princeton University graduate student Xiyue Wang was exchanged for scientist Massoud Soleimani.

Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, accompanied the Iranian scientist to Switzerland to make the exchange and will return with Wang, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The swap took place in Zurich and Hook and Wang are now en route to Landstuhl in Germany where Wang will be examined by doctors, the official said. Hook is expected to return to the U.S. from Germany alone, as Wang is expected to be evaluated for several days.

“After more than three years of being held a prisoner in Iran, Xiyue Wang is returning to the United States,” President Trump said in a statement released by the White House on Saturday. “The highest priority of the United States is the safety and well-being of its citizens. Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that Wang was on his way back to the United States, where he will soon be reunited with his wife and son.

“The United States will not rest until we bring every American detained in Iran and around the world back home to their loved ones,” he said in a statement.