Josh Earnest

Iran ordered its scientists on Dec. 13 to start developing systems for nuclear-powered marine vessels in response to what it calls a U.S. violation of its landmark 2015 atomic deal with world powers. 

A White House spokesman on Thursday played down an upcoming visit to Greece by President Barack Obama on November 15, saying that the US leader's trip is not aimed at brokering a new deal for Athens following indications by Greek government sources that an intervention could be in the cards.

An image purported to be a scanned copy of U.S. first lady Michelle Obama's passport was leaked online on Sept. 22 alongside personal emails said to belong to a low-level White House staffer who worked with Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. 

US President Barack Obama has warned North Korea of serious consequences , calling on the leaders of Jaan and South Korea for consultations, according to a White House spokesperson on Friday, after North Korea confirmed it had successfully conducted its fifth nuclear test.

The White House on May 5 praised Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu as a "good partner with the United States" and said it did not expect his departure from office to affect U.S.-Turkish relations as they pertain to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 

An airstrike hit a crowded refugee camp in Syria on May 6 close to the border with Turkey, killing at least 28 people, according to Syrian pro-opposition activists. Images posted on social media said to be of the aftermath of the strike showed at least a dozen tents burned to the ground and bloodied women and children being loaded onto a pickup truck.
     

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other top officials in unannounced visits to Baghdad and Arbil on April 28 to show support for a government battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) amid political and economic crises. 

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on April 14 condemned as dangerous and provocative a military encounter in the Baltic Sea that the United States has described as a simulated attack on a U.S. destroyer by two Russian warplanes. 

A Russian military jet came within a few feet of a US destroyer in international waters in the Baltic Sea during a series of "aggressive" overflights, US officials said on April 13.

The White House on March 31 indicated Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should not be part of any transitional unity government, echoing views from regime opponents inside the war-shattered country.