Washington DC

27 August 2022; AA: Frank McKenzie, a former top general who led US Central Command from 2019 to April 2022, has said that Washington engaged in failed nation-building in Afghanistan and insisted on a Western model for the country which was wrong.

27 August 2022; AA: The US announced Friday that it will appoint an envoy for the Arctic region for the first time in its history amid Russia’s increased military actions in the region recently.

"... the President plans to elevate the Arctic Coordinator position by appointing an Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate," Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson of the State Department, said in a written statement.

27 August 2022; MEMO: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani announced on Friday that the US military presence in Syria is illegal.

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Kanaani expressed: "Condemnation of the recent American aggression against defenders of Syria's independence and territorial integrity."

The United States, on Monday, pushed back against Iranian accusations of delaying the indirect talks aimed at reinstating the 2015 nuclear deal, saying it was working as quickly as it can to put together an appropriate response to Tehran's comments on a draft text put forward by the European Union, Reuters reports.

Washington, Aug 15 (PTI) The US and India are indispensable partners, President Joe Biden has said and recalled Mahatma Gandhi's "enduring message of truth and non-violence" to honour 75 years of India's democratic journey.

This year, the US and India also celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Biden said, underling that the two democracies will continue to stand together to defend the rules-based order, advance a free and open Indo-Pacific and address the challenges that the world is facing.

14 August 2022; MEMO: The United States and the administration of President Joe Biden have insisted that the country and its presence in the Middle East "is not going anywhere," countering claims that China is replacing it as the hegemon in the region.

Speaking to the American news channel CNBC, the US's special envoy for Yemen – Tim Lenderking – commented on the reported visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia next week, saying that diplomatic visits by other world powers are to be expected.

Washington, Aug 7 (PTI) The United States, Australia and Japan have urged China to immediately cease its military exercises and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

A joint statement was issued by US Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa after their in-person meeting in Phnom Penh on the margins of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

04 August 2022; MEMO: Palestinian American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has secured a comfortable victory in Michigan's 12th Congressional District Democratic primary elections which have been dominated by the "dark money" funnelled by the influential pro-Israel lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

03 August 2022; MEMO: The United States said yesterday that it has "no DNA confirmation" of the death of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was apparently killed in a drone attack in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.

"We do not have DNA confirmation, and we don't need it," White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. He explained that the US government had "visual confirmation" as well as confirmation "through other sources." Kirby added that there was a "small Al-Qaeda presence remaining in Afghanistan."

01 August 2022; MEMO: The United States, on Monday, imposed sanctions on Chinese and other companies it said were used by one of Iran's largest petrochemical brokers to sell tens of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian products to East Asia, as Washington continues to crack down on Iranian oil sales to the region, Reuters reports.