Foreign Policy

The North Korean regime launched a series of ballistic missiles over the Sea of Japan on Saturday, according to multiple reports.

The Korean government, in an act of provocation, coincided with the U.S. celebration of the Fourth of July.

The test follows through on numerous threats from the government in recent weeks.

Iran plans to try two of the nine British Embassy employees seized recently, a top cleric said today.

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the head of the influential Guardian Council and an ally of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told worshipers at Friday Prayers in Tehran that the local employees would be tried after they "made confessions."

Ayatollah Jannati did not say how many of the British detainees would be tried or what charges they would face, news reports said.

Iranian officials have previously accused the British staffers of encouraging protests.

In response to the news of possible charges, European governments are threatening to pull out their ambassadors from Iran. Some fear that would tie the hands of Western nations if things worsen.

Joe Biden got some face time with his son today as the VP continued his two-day swing through Iraq.

Biden's son, Beau Biden, is serving in Iraq as part of the Delaware National Guard. (The younger Biden is also Delaware's Attorney General.)

ABC reports:

A bonus for Biden on this trip: some family time. His son Beau, who is both Delaware's Attorney General and an Army Reserve Captain serving with the Delaware National Guard here in Iraq, is billeted just a couple of minutes from Camp Victory, so the Bidens have enjoyed a mini-reunion.

On Sunday, Biden will appear on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

The Treasury Department took steps to curb terrorism in Iraq today, designating an Iranian materials supplier and an Iraqi militia group as terrorists.

In a release, the Treasury targeted Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a known adviser to Iraqi insurgent groups and a materials supplier, and the Iraqi Shia extremist group Kata'ib Hizballah for aiding and providing "lethal support" to well-known terrorists groups such as Hamas, Hizballah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The department invoked Executive Order 13438 against these groups, which takes aim at insurgent and militia groups and their supporters.

"These designations play a critical role in our efforts to protect Coalition troops, Iraqi security forces, and civilians from those who use violence against innocents to intimidate and to undermine a free and prosperous Iraq," said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

According to the release, the State Department also deemed Kata'ib Hizballah a terrorist group under Executive Order 13224. These executive order outlaw any financial transactions between these groups and U.S. entities as well as freezing any assets these groups have under U.S. jurisdiction.

Earlier this week, the Treasury Department took similar actions against Hong Kong Electronics, an Iranian firm known to have funneled funds toward North Korea's nuclear program.

The Treasury Department took aim at North Korea's nuclear weapons program on Tuesday, freezing the assets of an Iranian firm suspected of financing the Korean regime's efforts.

The Treasury targeted Hong Kong Electronics -- an Iranian firm -- for funneling money to a North Korean bank and mining company suspected of facilitating the country's nuclear weapons program.

The State Department also targeted a North Korean trading company under Executive Order 13382, which reezes the assets of designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with them.

"North Korea uses front companies like Hong Kong Electronics and a range of other deceptive practices to obscure the true nature of its financial dealings, making it nearly impossible for responsible banks and governments to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate North Korean transactions," said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

"Today's action is a part of our overall effort to prevent North Korea from misusing the international financial system to advance its nuclear and missile programs and to sell dangerous technology around the world," Levy added.

The Treasury said that Hong Kong Electronics had transferred millions to Korean banks to aid proliferation efforts since 2007.

About three-quarters of Americans favor withdrawing American soldiers from Iraqi cities and towns, a new CNN poll finds.

That withdrawal is being made official today, which is the deadline for U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraqi cities.

73% of those polled favor the withdrawal, including 72% of Democrats and, somewhat surprisingly, 74% of Republicans.

Yet almost two-thirds say troops should go back into cities if violence escalates significantly. 52% of those polled believe some increase in violence is likely.

The poll's margin of error is +/- 3%

The Iranian government faces a "huge credibility gap" with the people of its country, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday.

Clinton, in a briefing with reporters, also declined to say whether the U.S. would recognize incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the rightful leader of Iran.

"Obviously, they have a huge credibility gap with their own people as to the election process," Clinton said.

"And I don't think that's going to disappear by any finding of a limited review of a relatively small number of ballots," she added, referencing the limited recount authorized by Iran's guardian council, which concluded the election results are, in fact, valid.

Still, the secretary maintained the administration line that the election is an Iranian -- not American -- issue.

Clinton also ducked a question about the legitimacy of the ruling regime in iran.

"We're going to take this a day at a time," she said. "We're going to watch and carefully assess what we see happening."

President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras was reportedly overthrown in a coup today and is now seeking asylum in Costa Rica.

President Obama issued the following statement on the matter:

"I am deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras regarding the detention and expulsion of President Mel Zelaya. As the Organization of American States did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized President Obama Saturday for "interfering" in Iranian's domestic affairs.

"We are surprised at Mr. Obama," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, according to AP witnesses. "Didn't he say that he was after change? Why did he interfere?"

"They keep saying that they want to hold talks with Iran...but is this the correct way? Definitely, they have made a mistake," Ahmadinejad added.

Republicans have criticized Obama for being too tepid in his response to the Iranian upheaval.

On Friday, Obama stated his support for the protesters.

"Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice," Obama said. "The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. In spite of the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel got somewhat of a vocal proponent in her fall reelection bid from President Obama on Friday, who effusively praised the European leader.

"I think that Chancellor Merkel is smart, practical, and I trust her when she says something," Obama said during a press conference after meeting with Merkel. "So that kind of approach is exactly what you want from an international partner."

Merkel, considered a right-leaning candidate in German politics, is sure to get a boost from the left-leaning Obama, who tends to be popular in Europe and