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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 12, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTEL AVIV/WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday that Iran would not gain access any time soon to $6 billion in Iranian funds parked in a Qatar bank last month as part of a prisoner exchange and that Washington retained the right to completely freeze the account.The question of Iranian access to the funds has been in the spotlight since Iran-backed Palestinian...

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Early in the Biden administration, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed that the United States would only hold talks with China if they led to "tangible outcomes" to resolve disputes between the strategic rivals.Two-and-a-half years later, that approach appears to have changed.Since the start of the summer, the administration has embarked on a largely unreciprocated push to talk with Beijing, establishing working groups and sending three cabinet-level officials and its top climate envoy to Beijing.The strategy, intended in part to salvage a relationship that...