United States

by Ron Paul

This has been the most dramatic week in US/Iranian relations since 1979.

U.S.-Iran diplomacy produced another good result over the weekend as four Americans detained in Iran were released as part of a prisoner exchange:

The negotiation over the prisoners began on the sideline of the nuclear talks, intensified after the deal was completed last April and heated up even further in recent months, senior administration officials told CNN.

It's not just stocks have a terrible start to the year, in fact the worst start in history: so is the amount of US Treasuries held in custody at the Fed, a direct proxy for the holdings of foreign central banks, reserve managers and sovereign wealth funds who park owned TSYs at the NY Fed for convenience.

Three Americans have reportedly been kidnapped by ‘militias’ in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The U.S. government is aware of reports and is working with Iraqi authorities to find them, a U.S. State Department official said on Sunday. Their disappearance was first reported by the a pan-Arab news channel Al- Arabiya. RT reports: While their identities have not yet been confirmed, Iraqi independent news agency Akad News said a US serviceman and a translator are among those who were captured in the south of Baghdad.

Just one day after international sanctions against Iran were lifted, the United States has imposed fresh sanctions on Iranian companies and individuals over a recent ballistic missile test. U.S. officials said that the Treasury planned to announce the penalties in late December, but held off after the Iranian foreign minister said they could have derailed the prisoner exchange that took place over weekend. The BBC reports: The new sanctions prevent 11 entities and individuals linked to the missile programme from using the US banking system.