Iran has suggested isolating the US by ditching the dollar during a meeting yesterday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran. Remonstrating against US threats to impose new sanctions and cancel the nuclear agreement, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: “We can nullify US sanctions, using methods such as eliminating the dollar and replacing it with national currencies in transactions between two or more parties; thus, isolate the Americans.” Source Middle East Monitor
Beijing and Manila have agreed to a joint oil and gas exploration deal – one of 29 deals that were signed on Tuesday as Chinese President Xi Jinping began a two-day state visit to the Philippines. Source: South China Morning Post
The United States has suspended a total of $1.66 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, Department of Defense spokesperson Col. Rob Manning told reporters. Source: Sputnik
Two US Air Force B-52H bombers flew near the contested waters of the South China Sea on Monday, in what was described as a routine training mission. Source: South China Morning Post
