Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan envoy, denies any nuclear aid for Saudis
Pakistan's top diplomat said Thursday his nation is eager for the U.S. and its allies to reach a nuclear accord with Iran so sanctions on Tehran can be lifted, while vehemently denying charges that Islamabad might provide nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia to counter Iranian aggression in the region. Published June 4, 2015
‘Virtual U.S. Embassy Tehran’ helps U.S. connect with Iranians on Facebook
While full diplomatic relations with Iran remain a distant dream of the Obama administration, a small clutch of American officials have spent the past three years quietly building a "Virtual U.S. Embassy Tehran" that now boasts more than a half-million Facebook fans and a digital footprint that sources say is read even by hard-liners in the Islamic republic. Published June 3, 2015
Obama deal in jeopardy as Iran nuclear fuel stockpile grows
The White House scrambled Tuesday to try to limit the damage from reports from a U.N. watchdog group that Iran nuclear fuel stockpiles are growing, revelations that could put a nuclear accord with Tehran by this summer in doubt. Published June 2, 2015
Obama admin dismisses reports of Iran hoarding nuclear fuel
The White House is downplaying the latest report from a United Nations watchdog that Iran's stockpile of nuclear fuel has grown by roughly 20 percent over the past 18 months and not been "frozen" during that period as the Obama administration has previously claimed. Published June 2, 2015
John Kerry’s injury casts pall over Iran nuclear negotiations
Secretary of State John F. Kerry's broken leg in a cycling accident raised questions Monday about the fate of nuclear talks with Iran, with White House officials acknowledging that Mr. Kerry won't be able to keep up his usual demanding schedule as negotiators race an end-of-the-month deadline. Published June 1, 2015
Cuba officially removed from U.S. terror list
The Obama administration on Friday officially removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, removing a key barrier toward full normal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the communist island. Published May 29, 2015
U.S. to probe allegations that Iran, North Korea are linked in nuclear and missile research
U.S. officials said they were seriously examining an Iranian dissident group's claims on Thursday that Iran and North Korea are forging ballistic missile and nuclear research ties -- but that the allegations are unlikely to derail ongoing nuclear negotiations between Western powers and Tehran. Published May 29, 2015
U.S. slams Russian push to classify military casualties as Ukraine coverup
The State Department on Thursday slammed the Russian government's decision to stop making public its peacetime military casualties, calling the decree a clear attempt by Moscow to hide the deaths of Russian soldiers conducting clandestine operations inside eastern Ukraine. Published May 28, 2015
Beijing brushes off South China Sea complaints, adopts aggressive military stance
U.S. officials pushed back Tuesday against China's attempt to justify its construction of artificial islands and naval bases in the contested South China Sea -- and expressed wariness over a new Chinese Defense Ministry policy paper that analysts say is the most assertive military document issued to date by Beijing. Published May 26, 2015
Russia recovery talk premature as sanctions threaten to cripple economy
Russian government officials -- and even some outside banking institutions -- are sounding increasingly confident that the Russian economy has weathered the storm brought on by U.S. and European sanctions, but some private analysts say the worst is yet to come. Published May 25, 2015
Obama’s Islamic State solution still military advisers in Iraq, says U.S.-led coalition winning
The administration said Thursday that it would consider sending more military advisers to Iraq, although President Obama doesn't believe the U.S.-led coalition is losing the war against the Islamic State after the terrorist group's significant gains in recent days. Published May 21, 2015
John McCain rips Obama administration over losses in Middle East
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain ripped into President Obama's policy for combating the Islamic State, asserting in a hearing Thursday that the extremists' takeover of the Iraqi city of Ramadi this week "highlights the shortcomings of the administration's indecisive policy, inadequate commitment and incoherent strategy." Published May 21, 2015
Osama bin Laden seen as isolated, frustrated in documents
Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden spent his final years pleading with followers to stay focused on the goal of large-scale attacks against Americans, and avoid getting sucked into the regional wars and Muslim-on-Muslim violence that have come to define so much of the global jihadi narrative since his death. Published May 20, 2015
Iraq, Afghanistan forces struggling despite years of U.S. investment, training
Battlefield reverses in Iraq and the stepped-up tempo of terrorist strikes in the heart of Afghanistan's capital in recent days are raising fresh questions about whether U.S. efforts to stand up and train both countries' armed forces will ever pay off militarily. Published May 19, 2015
Russia aggression prompts Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania to seek NATO force
Reflecting growing nervousness about recent aggressive moves from Russia, NATO's three Baltic members -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- said Thursday that they will ask the alliance to permanently deploy thousands of ground troops to their nations, prompting a quick and sharp condemnation from Moscow. Published May 14, 2015
U.S. must alter arms flow to retake Mosul from Islamic State, Sunni lawmaker warns
President Obama will have to step up pressure on Baghdad to share U.S. military hardware with the country's Sunni and Kurdish forces if Washington is serious about retaking the key northern city of Mosul from the jihadi Islamic State movement. Published May 13, 2015
Divisions among Kurdish factions fighting militants seen as increasing
The U.S. and its allies have failed to unify rival Kurdish peshmerga factions fighting the Islamic State in Iraq, according a report published Tuesday, highlighting the risk of a return to internecine war that gripped Iraq's Kurds during the 1990s. Published May 12, 2015
John Kerry to push Vladimir Putin for help in Syria
Secretary of State John F. Kerry hopes to focus ending Syria's war when he meets Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but will steer clear of trying to "normalize" U.S.-Russia relations in his first face-to-face meeting with the Russian leader since relations plummeted over the confrontation in Ukraine. Published May 11, 2015
Iraqi Kurdish chief hopes to sidestep region’s clash with Iran
Iran's influence over the Middle East is expanding but the region's Kurds are determined to stay neutral in the face of tensions stemming from Tehran's role in conflicts from Iraq to Syria and Yemen, the president of Iraq's Kurdistan region said Friday. Published May 8, 2015
Saudis intensify strikes in Yemen despite calls for cease-fire
A day after claiming to be on board with the Obama administration's push for a cease-fire in Yemen, Saudi Arabia intensified its airstrikes Friday against Iran-backed rebels in the nation. Published May 8, 2015