Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Harsh Vardhan Shringla blasts Kashmir ‘disinformation’ from Pakistan
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: Pakistani charges that India has conducted a militarized takeover of Kashmir and jailed thousands of political prisoners are "completely wrong" and designed to undermine New Delhi's attempts to bring economic prosperity to the disputed territory, India's top diplomat in Washington said Thursday. Published September 5, 2019
U.S. to pay up to $15 million for info on oil smuggling by Iranian military
The Trump administration announced Wednesday the U.S. government will pay up to $15 million in reward money to anyone offering information leading to the disruption of "financial operations" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its elite Quds Force. Published September 4, 2019
Iran’s allies reach out as U.S. levels new round of sanctions
The Trump administration leveled sanctions against Iran's space agency for the first time Tuesday, elevating its pressure campaign against the Islamic republic at a moment when other powers were offering Tehran a possible lifeline to evade U.S. restrictions on Iranian oil exports. Published September 3, 2019
U.S.-Japan-South Korea alliance crumbles, threatens Trump’s North Korea nuclear diplomacy
South Korea's cancellation of a key intelligence-sharing pact with Japan has triggered a growing diplomatic spat with Washington that analysts say weakens President Trump's North Korea policy and throws into question the three-way alliance underpinning American security architecture across Asia. Published September 2, 2019
Asad Majeed Khan calls on U.S. to pressure India on Kashmir curfew
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: The United States and the international community "must do more" to pressure India to end its militarized curfew over Kashmir, Pakistan's top diplomat in Washington says Published August 28, 2019
Donald Trump fumes as France, Germany reject ISIS captives
The Trump administration's push for allies to take custody of foreign-born Islamic State fighters held in makeshift prisons in Syria is yielding only limited results, fueling mounting anger in Washington in the effort to secure long-term defeat of the terror group. Published August 27, 2019
Pentagon slams South Korean president for ending intel-sharing agreement with Japan
The Pentagon sharply criticized the government of South Korea President Moon Jae-in on Thursday for canceling a key intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, escalating a bitter dispute between two key U.S. allies. Published August 22, 2019
State Department accuses China of muscling Vietnam out of oil and gas exploration
The State Department ramped up its criticism of Chinese interference activities in East Asia Thursday, asserting that Beijing has intensified its efforts to muscle oil and gas opportunities away from smaller countries in the region -- most notably Vietnam. Published August 22, 2019
Iran rolls out homemade missile defense system
Iran rolled out what officials there described as long-range, surface-to-air missile defense system Thursday -- a homegrown platform the Islamic Republic claims to have built since international sanctions blocked it from purchasing a similar system from Russia. Published August 22, 2019
Stephen Biegun North Korea nuclear negotiation aims for working level talks
President Trump's top envoy for North Korea sought to kick-start stalled nuclear talks with Pyongyang on Wednesday, asserting during a visit to South Korea that the U.S. is eager to meet with officials of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's regime and is just waiting for a response. Published August 21, 2019
Mike Pompeo: ISIS ‘more powerful today’ in some areas of the world despite losing Syria caliphate
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the Islamic State remains a "complicated" foreign policy challenge and is actually stronger in some corners of the world today than it was before having its self-proclaimed "caliphate" decimated by U.S.-backed forces in Syria and Iraq. Published August 20, 2019
ISIS undercuts Donald Trump’s push for Afghan peace deal, troop withdrawal
An Islamic State suicide bombing that killed 63 people in Kabul has underscored Afghanistan's violent state even as the Trump administration nears a peace deal with the nation's other major militant group, the Taliban, that could take thousands of U.S. troops out of the country. Published August 19, 2019
IAEA blasted for lax oversight of Iran nuclear deal
The United Nations watchdog agency charged with examining Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal has failed to fulfill its mission and has operated in an opaque and politicized manner, according to a new report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Published August 19, 2019
Khalifa Haftar’s forces claim to target Turkish drones as tensions flare in Libya
Tensions rose anew in Libya's civil war over the weekend, with the country's main U.N. office dismissing rebel commander Khalifa Haftar's claim that a government-controlled airport recently bombed by his forces housed Turkish military equipment. Published August 18, 2019
ISIS suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, raises questions over fate of U.S.-Taliban talks
Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility Sunday for a suicide bombing that killed 63 people at a wedding in Kabul and underscored the threat of ongoing violence in Afghanistan even if the Trump administration reaches a peace deal with the nation's other major militant group, the Taliban. Published August 18, 2019
Hong Kong protests rage on as U.S., China watch
Massive pro-democracy protests continued Sunday in Hong Kong, with more than 100,000 filling a central park and major avenues in the Chinese-ruled territory for an 11th consecutive weekend. Published August 18, 2019
N. Korean missile tests fly in the face of Bolton warnings
North Korea launched more projectiles into the sea Friday, just days after U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton warned that Pyongyang's recent wave of short-range missile tests have violated long-standing U.N. Security Council resolutions banning such tests. Published August 16, 2019
Kashmir conflict: U.S. watches warily as Pakistan warns of Indian-led genocide
Tensions over India's imposition of a curfew and communications blackout in Kashmir escalated Thursday, with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan warning that Indian forces could be on the verge of carrying out a major "ethnic cleansing" against Muslims in the disputed territory. Published August 15, 2019
Ahmed Omar Maiteeq of Libya warns Donald Trump of Khalifa Haftar
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: A top leader from Libya's internationally recognized government says the Trump administration should be doing more to exert American power and diplomatic influence toward ending his country's brutal and destabilizing civil war. Published August 13, 2019
Mitch McConnell warns China: U.S. won’t tolerate violent crackdown in Hong Kong
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned China's government that a violent crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong would be "completely unacceptable" as pro-democracy demonstrations in the Chinese-ruled territory widened anew Monday. Published August 12, 2019