It is hard to believe that the United States has been obliged by its incompetent diplomats to make concessions desperately sought by the North namely, ending the application to North Korea of the Trading with the Enemy Act and removing it from the State Department list of terrorist-sponsoring nations for so little in return.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Bad deal: all carrots, no sticks

Maybe the State Department and the White House press office have the luxury of trading in convenient fictions in order to reduce international tensions.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Oppose Brennan for CIA Director

Since last week's announcement by the State Department that it was sanctioning the Israeli firm Ofer Brothers' Shipping for reportedly violating US law by trading with Iran, there has been a deluge of news reports alleging that the Ofer Brother's ships were used by the Mossad and perhaps the IDF to infiltrate and exfiltrate agents into and out of Iran.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Is Obama Deliberately Harming Israeli Covert Ops in Iran?