TEHRAN: President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday (Aug 6) that Iran favours talks with the US if it lifts sanctions against the Islamic republic, despite his top diplomat turning down a meeting with US President Donald Trump.Rouhani said that "peace with Iran is the mother of all peace" and "war with Iran is the mother of all wars" as he defended a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers."The Islamic Republic of Iran favours talks and negotiations and, if the US really wants to talk, before anything else it should lift all sanctions," Rouhani said in remarks aired live on state television.Rouhani, speaking at the foreign ministry after meeting with his top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said Iran was ready for talks regardless of whether or not the US was party to a landmark nuclear deal."Whether they want to come into the JCPOA or not, it's up to them," said Rouhani, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action."All … [Read more...] about Iran ‘favours’ talks despite Trump snub
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Eyeing 2020 election, Trump doubles down on xenophobic tweets
President Donald Trump stepped up his xenophobic attacks on four Democratic congresswomen WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump stepped up his xenophobic attacks on progressive Democratic congresswomen on Monday, prompting denunciations of racism from Democrats and mostly awkward silence in the Republican camp.A day after saying the Democratic lawmakers should "go back" to the countries they came from, Trump doubled down with another series of provocative race-baiting tweets.Trump's move appeared to be aimed at galvanizing his mostly white electoral base ahead of the 2020 presidential vote while also stoking divisions among his political opponents."With his deliberate, racist outburst, @realDonaldTrump wants to raise the profile of his targets, drive Dems to defend them and make them emblematic of the entire party," said David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for Barack Obama's two White House campaigns."It's a cold, hard strategy," Axelrod said on Twitter. "Fasten … [Read more...] about Eyeing 2020 election, Trump doubles down on xenophobic tweets
Tanks, warplanes to join Trump’s July 4 event
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said Monday that tanks and warplanes will take part at the event he's hosting -- in a major change of tradition -- to celebrate the July 4 holiday. Opponents have criticized the US president for placing himself at the center of the independence day holiday Thursday by planning a speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Trump said his event would only add to what has long been considered a non-partisan day, when Americans of all stripes gather across the country to celebrate the nation's founding. "It will be like no other, it will special," he told reporters in the White House. Trump confirmed US media reports that in another break with the past, he has asked for major military hardware to be on display. There will be "planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world," and "we're going to have some tanks stationed outside," he said. sms/ft © Agence France-Presse … [Read more...] about Tanks, warplanes to join Trump’s July 4 event
Trump in Japan: Pomp and tense circumstance
By Jill Colvin And Darlene Superville The Associated Press Mon., May 27, 2019 TOKYO - All the pomp and pageantry in the world couldn’t paper over the tensions between President Donald Trump and Japan’s Shinzo Abe on two of their most pressing issues: North Korea and trade. The president and prime minister tried mightily to minimize their differences during Trump’s four-day state visit to Tokyo, while playing up their close personal friendship and their countries’ long-held ties. But tension abounded, with Trump on Monday brushing off the significance of North Korean short-range missile tests that have rattled Japan and reasserting his threats to hit Abe with potentially devastating auto import tariffs. Asked if he was bothered by the missile tests, Trump said: “No, I’m not. I am personally not.” Abe, in contrast, said the missile tests were “of great regret.” The conflict demonstrates the limits of Abe’s … [Read more...] about Trump in Japan: Pomp and tense circumstance
For many Democrats desperate to beat Trump, Biden’s their man
PHILADELPHIA: The crowded 2020 presidential race features six women, three African Americans and a dozen youthful contenders. But Denise Haley is going old school, supporting white male frontrunner Joe Biden as the Democrat best positioned to beat Donald Trump."He could lead the nation and bring us back together," Haley, who is black, told AFP of the 76-year-old former vice president, reflecting what appears to be a solidifying sentiment amid voters whose support has given Biden a commanding poll lead.Haley, a 60-year-old health care professional, was in the crowd Saturday when Biden came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to address the biggest, most boisterous rally of his four-week-old White House campaign.Many attendees thrilled at Biden essentially sidestepping discussion of the gruelling primary battle ahead and focusing on the general election face-off with Republican Trump, whom he often attacked with explicit condemnation."Biden is Trump's biggest rival and has the highest chance … [Read more...] about For many Democrats desperate to beat Trump, Biden’s their man