Tehran, Iran | AFP | President Hassan Rouhani warned on Tuesday that Iran could abandon its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers within hours if the United States keeps on imposing new sanctions as he outlined plans for his new term. In a speech to parliament, he also hit out at …
Read More »US-NKorea crisis tests Cold War’s nuclear deterrence doctrine
Paris, France | AFP | The doctrine of nuclear deterrence, put to the test in the standoff between Washington and Pyongyang, dates to the Cold War when the world’s two superpowers seemed hellbent on “mutually assured destruction”. The arms race between United States and the then Soviet Union saw a proliferation …
Read More »CIA chief says ‘nothing imminent’ in US-N.Korea standoff
Washington, United States | AFP | CIA director Mike Pompeo offered assurances Sunday there was “nothing imminent” in the US standoff with nuclear-armed North Korea but said he wouldn’t be surprised if Pyongyang conducted another missile test. Pompeo’s remarks cap a week in which US President Donald Trump vowed “fire …
Read More »China’s Xi urges Trump to avoid exacerbating N. Korea tensions
Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged US President Donald Trump on Saturday to avoid rhetoric that could inflame tensions with North Korea as an escalating war of words raised global alarm. Xi made the plea in a phone call hours after Trump ramped up his warnings to …
Read More »Satellite photos suggest North Korea preparing submarine missile test: report
Washington, United States | AFP | Recent satellite photos suggest North Korea could be preparing for fresh submarine-based ballistic missile tests, an expert on its military said Friday. Joseph Bermudez, a specialist in North Korean defense and intelligence affairs, posted photographs on the authoritative 38 North blog of the US-Korea …
Read More »Merkel rejects use of force in N. Korea and verbal ‘escalation’
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that she opposed any use of force to resolve the conflict with North Korea, after President Donald Trump said the US military was “locked and loaded”. “I don’t envision a military solution to this conflict but rather consistent work as …
Read More »Russia’s Lavrov warns risk of N. Korea escalation ‘very high’
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday cautioned that the risks of escalation of tensions between the United States and North Korea were “very high” following the recent war of words between Washington and Pyongyang. “I believe the risks are very high, especially considering this rhetoric, …
Read More »Trump says US military ‘locked and loaded’ on N.Korea
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday turned up the heat on North Korea, warning Pyongyang that the US military is “locked and loaded” in the event of a misstep by the totalitarian state, despite mounting international calls for restraint. Trump launched another salvo at the regime …
Read More »North Korea: Trump fire talk singes Tillerson’s wings
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | Will the United States defeat the North Korean nuclear threat through “peaceful pressure” or “fire and fury”? This week US Secretary of State and diplomatic good cop Rex Tillerson was in southeast Asia, working with allies to isolate and cajole Kim Jong-Un’s regime. Meanwhile, back …
Read More »Possible scenarios for next stage of N. Korea crisis
Washington, UNITED STATES | AFP | The crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program deepened Thursday when US President Donald Trump underscored his threat to rain “fire and fury” on Kim Jong-Un’s regime by saying his apocalyptic warning perhaps “wasn’t tough enough.” The latest escalation in the stand-off has set the world …
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