WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's abrupt decision against military strikes may have prevented open military conflict with Iran, but it also showed him anew to be an unpredictable, unreliable, partner at home and abroad. Trump won his job partly on his claims to be a great dealmaker. But the celebrity...
Iranians Say Their 'Bones Breaking' Under US Sanctions
TEHRAN, Iran — As the U.S. piles sanction after sanction on Iran, it’s the average person who feels it the most. From a subway performer’s battered leather hat devoid of tips, to a bride-to-be’s empty purse, the lack of cash from the economic pressure facing Iran’s 80 million people can...
Amid Tough Talk, Trump Says He Could Be Iran’s ‘Best Friend’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday that military action against Iran was still an option for its downing of an unmanned U.S. military aircraft, but amid heightened tensions he dangled the prospect of eventually becoming an unlikely “best friend” of America’s longtime Middle Eastern adversary. Trump also said “we...
Pentagon Without a Chief as US Faces Numerous Global Threats
WASHINGTON — It's a difficult time for the Pentagon to be without a permanent U.S. defense secretary. The Trump administration is grappling with an escalating crisis with Iran, an unusual and controversial deployment of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, the nearly two-decade-old war in Afghanistan and stalled talks with North...
Trump: Strikes on Iran 'Cocked and Loaded,' Then Called Off
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran for downing an unmanned American surveillance drone, but he canceled the strikes 10 minutes before they were to be launched after being told 150 people could die. Trump's tweeted statement raised several questions, including...
Senate Votes to Block Saudi Arms Sales as Trump Vows Veto
WASHINGTON — The Senate has voted to block the Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia, launching a new challenge to President Donald Trump's alliance with the country amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Trump has promised to veto the measures. The White House said stopping the sales...
Iran Revolutionary Guard Shoots Down US Drone Amid Tensions
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. surveillance drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, though they disputed the circumstances of the incident. The Guard said it shot down the RQ-4...
Tensions Rise as Iran Speeds Up Enrichment, US Sends Troops
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran will surpass the uranium-stockpile limit set by its nuclear deal in the next 10 days, an official said Monday, raising pressure on Europeans trying to save the accord a year after the U.S. withdrawal lit the fuse for the heightened tensions now between Tehran and...
Iran Says It Soon Will Surpass Uranium Stockpile Limit
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran will surpass the uranium stockpile limit set by Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in the next 10 days, the spokesman for the country's atomic agency said Monday while also warning that Iran could enrich uranium up to 20% — just a step away from weapons-grade...
Huawei Says US Sanctions Will Cost It Billions in Revenue
SHENZHEN, China — Huawei's founder said Monday that the Chinese telecom giant's revenue will be $30 billion less than forecast over the next two years, as he compared the company to a "badly damaged plane" as a result of U.S. government actions against it. "We never thought that the U.S.'s...