North Korea to Bolster Nuclear Forces as Iran Busts Venezuela Sanctions in Twin Tests for Trump – By Christina Zhao (Newsweek) / May 23 2020
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to bolster nuclear deterrence and an Iranian tanker entered Venezuela waters over U.S. objections on Saturday, setting up new tests for a Trump administration distracted by the pandemic.
In his first public appearance in three weeks, Kim set in place new policies to further ramp up the nation’s nuclear war deterrence during a meeting with the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission today, state news agency KCNA reported.
The hermit kingdom’s move comes as Trump-led denuclearization negotiations have made little progress since late last year as the U.S. president continues to prioritize his domestic response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
Trump’s offshore worries compounded on Saturday as Iran, ignoring U.S. warnings and sanctions, sent the first of five tankers loaded with gasoline into Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone. According to Refinitiv Eikon, the vessel, named Fortune, arrived at around 7:40 p.m. local time today, despite a warning from American officials that Washington would likely respond to such shipments to the fuel-starved nation.
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