Trump orders cut in Korea drills; Kushner meets Hamas; Iran deadline lapses
Trump reduces Korea exercises, Kushner meets Hamas in Egypt, and the US-Iran nuclear deal deadline passes without an agreement.
Washington is recalibrating its approach on several fronts, with new moves on the Korean Peninsula, in the Middle East, and toward Iran.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has directed the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, a longstanding ally. The instruction signals a shift in the posture of the US military presence in the region, though no further details on the scope or timeline of the reduction were provided.
In a separate development, Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and a close adviser, met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday. The meeting was confirmed by two Hamas officials and another individual briefed on the discussions, marking a rare direct contact between the administration and the group.
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran have missed the 60-day deadline to finalize an agreement aimed at curtailing Tehran's nuclear programme. The deadline was part of the cease-fire terms agreed to in June, a truce that President Trump had said would bring an end to the war. The lapse underscores the fragility of that arrangement.
These events come as the administration faces mounting questions about its foreign policy coherence. Attorney General Todd Blanche, newly confirmed, declined on Sunday to commit to acting independently of White House influence, though he maintained that President Trump has never asked him to pursue charges against specific individuals.