news highlight

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  Uzbekistan targets Central Asian hub status through South Korea partnership: envoy SEOUL, March 05 (AJP) - Uzbekistan is positioning itself as a central transport and logistics hub in Central Asia by leveraging its geographic location and expanding infrastructure partnerships with South Korea, a top envoy said. "True diplomacy is when political dialogue turns into production chains, investments and jobs," Uzbekistan Ambassador Alisher Abdusalomov told AJP in an exclusive interview Wednesday. Without direct access to the sea, the country relies heavi March 5, 2026
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  AI meets Realpolitik: How the U.S.–Anthropic rift turned a drone strike into a tech crisis SEOUL, March 05 (AJP) - In the latest contradiction from Washington, President Donald Trump last Friday ordered federal agencies to “immediately” stop using what he called the “radical-left” artificial intelligence systems developed by Anthropic, while the U.S. defense secretary labeled the company a risk to “national security.” Only hours later, the president authorized Operation Epic Fury. Within days, the very system Washington had just deno March 5, 2026
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  Trump assures US Navy will step in to protect tankers in Strait of Hormuz SEOUL, March 4 (AJP) - The U.S. Navy will escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz "if necessary," U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, amid growing concerns that the ongoing Middle East conflict could disrupt oil shipments through the strategically vital waterway. "If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible," Trump wrote on his own social media platform Truth Social. "No mat March 4, 2026
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  Middle East crisis: Korea pulled into war axis with 70% oil exposure SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - South Korea sources roughly 70 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East — and about 95 percent of that volume passes through the narrow Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast. Tankers bound for Korea and other Asian destinations must transit the strategic waterway, navigating under the shadow of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has threatened to “set fire” to vessels and “not let a single drop of oil l March 3, 2026
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  Iranian embassy in South Korea condemns military strikes by US and Israel SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - The Embassy of Iran in South Korea issued a formal statement on Tuesday strongly denouncing recent military operations by the United States and Israel against Iranian territory. The embassy characterized the air strikes as a criminal act of aggression and a violation of national sovereignty, asserting that Tehran had pursued every available diplomatic avenue to prevent the outbreak of hostilities. The statement follows a large-scale military campaign launch March 3, 2026
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  Uzbekistan joins international peace council for Gaza during Washington visit SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Washington from February 17 to February 19 at the invitation of United States President Donald Trump to participate in the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council. The working visit combined high-level political discussions with an extensive economic program, resulting in several agreements designed to strengthen the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and the United States. The Peace Council is an intergovernmental March 3, 2026
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  Middle East Crisis – NK condemns attack and likely recalibrate to wage own game SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - If the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Ali Khamenei and the capture of Nicolás Maduro were meant to signal American reach, the leader most coldly calculating their implications would be Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned what it called "illegal aggression" and "hegemonic and gangster-like" behavior by Washington, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The rhetoric was familiar. The strategic March 3, 2026
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  Trump 'won't rule out deploying US ground troops to Iran' SEOUL, March 3 (AJP) - The U.S. would not rule out sending ground troops into Iran "if they were necessary," U.S. President Donald Trump hinted amid an escalation of hostilities across the Middle East. In an interview with the New York Post on Monday, a day after the U.S.-led military action against Tehran dubbed "Operation Epic Fury," Trump said, "I don't have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, 'There wil March 3, 2026
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  Seoul braces for fallout as Trump vows to continue military action against Iran SEOUL, March 2 (AJP) - South Korea is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East after U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday vowed to continue what he calls a "righteous mission" against Iran until "all objectives are achieved." In a six-minute video clip posted to his social media platform Truth Social, he said, "We grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission fo March 2, 2026