North Korea to Bolster Nuclear Forces as Iran Busts Venezuela Sanctions

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to bolster nuclear deterrence and an Iranian tanker entered Venezuela waters over U.S. objections on Saturday, setting up new tests for a Trump administration distracted by the pandemic.

In his first public appearance in three weeks, Kim set in place new policies to further ramp up the nation's nuclear war deterrence during a meeting with the ruling Workers' Party's Central Military Commission on Saturday, state news agency KCNA reported.
The hermit kingdom's move comes as Trump-led denuclearization negotiations have made little progress since late last year as the U.S. president continues to prioritize his domestic response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
Trump's offshore worries compounded on Saturday as Iran, ignoring U.S. warnings and sanctions, sent the first of five tankers loaded with gasoline into Venezuela's exclusive economic zone. According to Refinitiv Eikon, the vessel, named Fortune, arrived at around 7:40 p.m. local time today, despite a warning from American officials that Washington would likely respond to such shipments to the fuel-starved nation.

More at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-to-bolster-nuclear-forces-as-iran-busts-venezuela-sanctions/ar-BB14vOZt?ocid=spartanntp

Trump administration discussed conducting first U.S. nuclear test in decades

The Trump administration has discussed whether to conduct the first U.S. nuclear test explosion since 1992 in a move that would have far-reaching consequences for relations with other nuclear powers and reverse a decades-long moratorium on such actions, said a senior administration official and two former officials familiar with the deliberations.

The matter came up at a meeting of senior officials representing the top national security agencies May 15, following accusations from administration officials that Russia and China are conducting low-yield nuclear tests — an assertion that has not been substantiated by publicly available evidence and that both countries have denied.
A senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive nuclear discussions, said that demonstrating to Moscow and Beijing that the United States could “rapid test” could prove useful from a negotiating standpoint as Washington seeks a trilateral deal to regulate the arsenals of the biggest nuclear powers.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-administration-discussed-conducting-first-us-nuclear-test-in-decades/ar-BB14tYgy?ocid=spartanntp

More 5D chess or is something up????