North Korea, Iran, Sierra Leone: Your Wednesday Briefing
Here’s what you need to know: • President Moon Jae-in of South Korea issued a blunt rebuke to the United States, the latest sign
that President Trump’s "fire-and-fury" approach to North Korea was putting new strain on the longstanding alliance.
_____ • Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, had strong words for the United States and warned
that the country’s nuclear program could be restarted in a matter of "hours," if the American government imposes further sanctions on Tehran.
Mr. Rouhani said that a reconstituted nuclear program would be "far more advanced," a veiled threat
that the country could start enriching uranium up to the level of 20 percent, a step toward building a nuclear weapon.
_____ • Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, above, accused New Zealand’s opposition party of trying to "undermine the Australian government" after revelations emerged
that Australia’s deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, was a New Zealander by descent.
[Reuters] • President Trump’s threat to use the U.S. military against the government of President
Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has united Latin American leaders against Washington.
[The New York Times] • China and South Korea called on Japan to face up to its wartime past after Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe sent an offering to a war shrine on the anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender.
