U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced additional tariffs on Turkey to punish the NATO ally for its continued detention of American Pastor Andrew Brunson. The announcement of the latest tariffs caused further damage to Turkish currency, which already had hit a record low Friday. Trump said tariffs on Turkish aluminum imports will increase to 20 percent, and steel tariffs will rise to 50 percent. The latest sanctions come after high-level meetings this week between U.S. and Turkish officials failed to yield any resolution to Brunson’s case.

In a statement released late last month, 34 house churches in Beijing called on the Chinese government to respect the freedom of religious belief clause in the Chinese Constitution. Since Communist officials implemented new religious regulations back in February, house churches around China have faced greater government pressure: In some areas, police have shut down church gatherings, banned children from attending services, and forced churches to take down crosses.

High-level meetings in Washington between U.S. and Turkish officials on Wednesday regarding detained American pastor Andrew Brunson concluded without a resolution. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal met with the aim to address Brunson’s detention in Turkey and last week’s punative sanctions on two Turkish Cabinet members, hopefully ending the sharp rift between the two NATO allies, according to the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday for the release of detained American pastor Andrew Brunson. The two met on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian security conference in Singapore, two days after the Trump administration slapped sanctions on Turkey’s justice and interior ministers over the case.

UPDATE: The White House announced Wednesday that the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on two Turkish officials over the NATO ally’s refusal to release American pastor Andrew Brunson. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Trump administration will sanction Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu, both of whom played major roles in the arrest and detention of Brunson, who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.

Nadia Murad moved quietly, almost invisibly through the crowd in Remembrance Hall at the U.S. Holocaust Museum. In a sea of heels and pencil skirts, she wore a khaki jacket over a black T-shirt and pants, her dark hair loosely pulled back.

President Donald Trump said Thursday the United States would impose sanctions on Turkey for the ongoing detainment of American Pastor Andrew Brunson. A Turkish judge released Brunson Wednesday from prison but placed him under house arrest, citing unspecified health concerns for the pastor, who still faces charges of espionage and cannot leave the country. Vice President Mike Pence first announced the potential sanctions Thursday morning at the close of a conference on international religious freedom in Washington, D.C.