US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with senior North Korean officials in Pyongyang on Wednesday, with speculation swirling around the fate of three US detainees ahead of a planned US-North Korea summit. But optimism over the process was dealt a blow by Trump’s pullout from a nuclear deal with Iran on Tuesday. Pompeo’s visit came with rumours flying over three US citizens being held in the North, fuelled by South Korea where the president’s office said they expected the men to be freed. “We think relationships are building with North Korea,” Trump said in televised comments from the White House. But it can be a great thing for North Korea, South Korea and the entire world.”But the US president spoke as he yanked the US out of a nuclear deal with Iran, complicating the prospects of persuading Pyongyang to surrender its atomic arsenal.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 09, 2018 12:00 UTC