TOP NEWS North Korea Presses Demand for End of War Amid Talk of Pompeo Visit The New York Times U.S. Secretary of State names Brian Hook special envoy for Iran Reuters Russia says U.S. sanctions over North Korea risk undermining peace process Reuters East Asia North Korea Presses Demand for End of War Amid Talk of Pompeo Visit The New York Times08/17/18 North Korea pressed its demand on Friday that the United States agree to declare an end to the 1950-53 Korean War, as South Korea’s leader indicated that the American secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, was preparing for his fourth visit to the North. US Announces New Sanctions on Entities Facilitating North Korean Activities The Diplomat08/17/18 On Wednesday, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against one individual and three entities in connection with facilitating North Korea’s violations of United Nations Security Council sanctions. Pentagon says China military ‘likely training for strikes’ on U.S. targets Reuters08/16/18 China’s military has expanded its bomber operations in recent years while “likely training for strikes” against the United States and its allies, a Pentagon report released on Thursday said. Middle East U.S. Secretary of State names Brian Hook special envoy for Iran Reuters08/16/18 Hook will lead a newly established Iran Action Group to coordinate the State Department’s pressure campaign on Iran, Pompeo told a news conference. New US Iran Policy Chief Lays Out Agenda Voice of America08/16/17 The Trump administration’s new special representative for Iran says his team will focus most of its work on changing Tehran’s behavior on issues of nuclear weapons, terrorism and detention of Americans. Russia/FSU/Europe Russia says U.S. sanctions over North Korea risk undermining peace process Reuters08/16/18 Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that fresh sanctions, imposed by the United States against a Russian firm and an individual over North Korea, may undermine peace process in the Korean peninsula. Bolton to discuss arms control, Iran, Syria in talks with Russian counterpart Reuter08/16/18 U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton will discuss arms control treaties and Iran’s role in Syria in talks with Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev in Geneva next week, an administration official said on Thursday. South Asia AB Vajpayee: The PM who consolidated India as a nuclear power BBC News08/16/18 Atal Behari Vajpayee’s tenure as Indian prime minister brought his country’s emergence as a nuclear power, triggering fears of conflict with Pakistan. Opinion and Analysis The harsh effects of Trump’s Iran sanctions, and why Iranians worry the worst is still to come Los Angeles Times08/16/18 In the days since some U.S. sanctions on Iran snapped back into place, the signs of misery have been everywhere in Tehran’s commercial districts.