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TOP STORIES
President Trump said Thursday that he was naming former
ambassador John Bolton, a Fox News commentator and conservative
firebrand, as his new national security adviser, replacing Lt. Gen.
H.R. McMaster. The president announced the news in a tweet, saying that
Bolton would take the job starting April 9, making him Trump's third
national security adviser in the first 14 months of his presidency.
In dismissing McMaster from the job, Trump praised the Army general
for his "outstanding job" and said he would "always
remain my friend."
A disagreement between Washington and Europe over a key
Trump administration concern about the Iran nuclear agreement
threatens to scuttle efforts to preserve the international accord,
U.S. officials said, as talks continue on a supplemental agreement.
on ballistic missiles and inspections...
In Iran, the Reformists are becoming increasingly
suspicious about the possibility that the centrist Hassan Rouhani
administration will officially form a coalition with moderate
conservative parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.
NUCLEAR DEAL
If you want to get a sense of just how the next national
security adviser, John Bolton, fits into Washington's foreign policy
ecosystem, consider his lobbying last year against the Iran nuclear
deal.
In picking John Bolton as national security adviser,
President Donald Trump appears to have found a longtime Washington
hand who is in step with his views on major national-security issues,
including objections to the Iran nuclear agreement, the need to stop
North Korea's nuclear program and an "America First"-driven
foreign policy. But Mr. Bolton's foreign-policy record could put him
at odds with his new boss on certain issues, namely how best to deal
with Russia and the wisdom of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNAL DISCONTENT
During his annual Nowruz speech from the city of
Mashhad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the important
issues of the year that has passed and discussed the upcoming year.
One segment of his speech, however, stood out among others, which
received a large reaction online. During the speech, Khamenei said,
"Some unfair individuals take advantage of free speech and say
that there is no freedom in the country, and foreigners repeat this
propaganda, while in the country there is freedom of thought, freedom
of speech and freedom of choice." He continued, "Today, no
one under the Islamic Republic is pursued or put under pressure for
being opposed to the government in their thoughts or views, and there
is no intention to do this."
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Iran's supreme leader criticized U.S. involvement in the
Middle East, accusing it of sponsoring organizations such as the
Islamic State militant group (ISIS) that were responsible for
destabilizing the region.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
It began with a televised address in Iran in celebration
of Persian New Year on Tuesday, when Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
urged Iranians to support local products rather than importing from
abroad. Soon afterwards, photos began to emerge on social media of
some officials purportedly failing to follow that advice - including
Khamenei himself.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Speaking from the Brookings Institute Saudi Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir said military cooperation between his country
and the United States goes back decades and that both countries are
working on containing Iran's militia activities in the region.
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