US secretary of defense has held meetings with South Korean officials in Seoul to discuss a series of issues including sanctions on North Korea and tensions in the Persian Gulf region.

China again urges the US to abandon its policy of “maximum pressure” targeting Iran, and stop obstructing implementation of a 2015 nuclear accord.

Political commentator David Yaghoubian says US President Donald Trump’s administration has failed in enforcing its so-called maxim pressure campaign against Iran to force it to negotiate outside the boundaries of the Iran deal.

A political commentator believes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is trying to make it look like Iran is giving in to US pressure.

A high-ranking Hezbollah official says US sanctions and campaign of pressure against the Lebanese resistance movement will only make it stronger.

Iran’s foreign ministry says the country’s response to US pressure is resistance and not democracy.

The Iranian foreign minister says the Islamic Republic will keep up resistance as it did during the 1980s Iraq war.

Turkish president has reiterated that despite US pressure, delivery of Russian S-400 missile system will go ahead next month.

Experts at a conference in Brussels say it is crucial that the remaining signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement exert all efforts to save the deal.

Recent weeks have seen a rise in Yemeni reprisal operations.