Iranian FM in Russia for talks on nuclear deal, Syria

Iran’s foreign minister is visiting Moscow for talks focusing on the future of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and the situation in Syria, where both nations support President Bashar Assad.

2 Koreas say they seek breakthrough at rare border talks

Senior officials from North and South Korea began the rivals’ first formal talks in about two years Tuesday to discuss how to cooperate in next month’s Winter Olympics in the South and how to improve their long-strained ties.

Koreas set up stunning direct bilateral talks with Trump, Olympics pressures mounting

North and South Korea are suddenly on a fast track to direct bilateral talks without the United States or China — an unexpected development at a moment of heightened tensions that intelligence sources say is being driven by several factors, including Pyongyang’s desire to sidestep Trump administration-backed sanctions.

How Trump could kill the Iran nuclear deal in January

President Donald Trump allowed the Iran nuclear deal to survive through 2017, but the new year will offer him another chance to blow up the agreement — and critics and supporters alike believe he may take it.

Pope Francis laments ‘winds of war’ blowing around the world

Lamenting ‘the winds of war’ blowing around the world, Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Monday called for a two-state solution to find peace in the Middle East and prayed that confrontation can be overcome on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea declares new UN sanctions ‘an act of war’

North Korea on Sunday called the latest U.N. sanctions to target the country ‘an act of war’ that violates its sovereignty, and said it is a ‘pipe dream’ for the United States to think it will give up its nuclear weapons.

Haley: New UN resolution punishing Iran could be in the works

Nikki Haley, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, said that based on a new report by the U.N. Secretary General, new pressure on Iran’s continued behavior could lead to a new resolution against the Tehran regime or the strengthening present ones.

Trump to Boost U.S. Missile Defense to Combat Iranian, N. Korean WMD Threats

The Trump administration will designate domestic U.S. missile defense as a ‘priority action’ as part of its forthcoming National Security Strategy, or NSS, according to draft language viewed by the Washington Free Beacon that singles out Iranian and North Korean missile threats as a direct danger to the American homeland.

The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook

In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation.

Putin visits Egypt in sign of closer ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Egypt on Monday, where he signed a deal to advance plans for a nuclear reactor but disappointed his hosts by delaying the resumption of direct flights that were suspended after the 2015 bombing of a Russian passenger plane.

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