Mecca Pact: Unlikely Allies | Trump's Iran U-turn | North Korean Hackers
A new power equation is quietly taking shape in West Asia, and at the heart of it is a relationship nobody expected to see this close, this fast. Riyadh and Ankara. For over a decade, these two capitals sat on opposite sides of nearly every regional fault line. Washington's Iran strategy has just taken another dramatic turn, and this one deserves scrutiny, not just coverage. For weeks, the story was about diplomacy. Backchannels with the IRGC. Talk of a deal. The suggestion that Washington and Tehran were, however awkwardly, still in the room together. Now that story has changed. Trump himself says no talks are underway or scheduled with Iran. Not paused. Not stalled. Off. North Korea appears to have found a remarkably sophisticated way to penetrate the American economy. It involves technology, deception, and a network operating far from Pyongyang.
