June 8, 2016 Iran refuses to grant visas to congressmen amid nuclear deal row Iran said Tuesday it would not grant visas to three U.S. congressmen opposed to the nuclear deal, calling their request to monitor the accord a "publicity stunt."
May 23, 2016 US lifts Vietnam arms embargo in move to counter China President Obama lifted the decades-long U.S. arms embargo against Vietnam on Monday in an apparent effort to shore up the communist country's defenses against an increasingly aggressive China – though he faced criticism that the move takes away U.S. leverage to press for human rights freedoms.
May 21, 2016 Group that helped sell Iran nuke deal also funded media A group the White House recently identified as a key surrogate in selling the Iran nuclear deal gave National Public Radio $100,000 last year to help it report on the pact and related issues, according to the group's annual report. It also funded reporters and partnerships with other news outlets.
May 16, 2016 Congressman: Classified details of Iran's treatment of US sailors will shock nation The classified details behind Iran’s treatment of several U.S. sailors who were captured by the Islamic Republic during a tense standoff earlier this year are likely to shock the nation, according to one member of the House Armed Services Committee, who disclosed to the Washington Free Beacon that these details are currently being withheld by the Obama administration.
May 14, 2016 Pentagon report says China weaponizing man-made islands in South China Sea A new Pentagon reported released Friday said that China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land in the South China Sea and the country’s focus has shifted to developing and weaponinzing the man-made islands.
May 10, 2016 US sends warship near Chinese-claimed island in South China Sea The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it had sent a warship near a disputed reef in the South China Sea, representing a new warning to China over Beijing's territorial claims in the region.
May 2, 2016 US officials secretly communicated with Assad regime for years, report says U.S. and Arab officials say the White House secretly looked to communicate with parts of the Syria regime in an effort to quell the violence and to get President Bashar Al-Assad to step down, according to a published report.
May 2, 2016 Top Democrat says Obama too slow in fight against ISIS Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., criticized on Sunday the pace of the Obama administration’s war against the Islamic State, said the U.S. needs to “change the dynamic on the ground.”
May 2, 2016 Russia adding 2nd airbase in Syria, pursuing 'expansion' in military campaign Russia has expanded its military operations in Syria to include a second airbase as well as other posts, according to a U.S. official briefed on the latest intelligence from the region – even as President Obama expresses muted optimism that Russian President Vladimir Putin eventually will “shift” his strategy and work with the West.
May 2, 2016 Obama touts progress against ISIS, sets low expectations for Russian cooperation President Obama used a press conference Tuesday at the Paris climate summit to once again claim progress in the U.S.-led coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State, while also setting low near-term expectations for gaining Russian President Vladimir Putin's full cooperation in the fight.