(Reuters) - Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

China's trade with North Korea in 2024 fell 5 percent from the previous year to about $2.18 billion, official data showed Saturday, as two-way trade lacked momentum despite Beijing and Pyongyang marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The loose arrangement of hostile powers could pose a series of conundrums for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state.

Japan on Thursday formally inaugurated an independent mission to the NATO military alliance as Tokyo and NATO seek to bolster cooperation amid escalating tension from Russia, China and North Korea.

The U.S. Air Force has maintained a rotational presence of fighter jets at Kadena Air Base in Japan, which serves as an air power hub in the first island chain.

China cannot say it wants to maintain good relations with the West while continuing to fuel the war in Europe, says NATO military committee chair Admiral Bauer - Anadolu Ajansı

Now former President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, staged a just before the end of 2024. The result? It was over before it started, however, the short-lived coup rocked Korean politics to its core, and the ripple effects are still felt to this day.

Tour operators said Thursday that North Korea had reopened a border city to foreign tourists, five years after Pyongyang sealed its frontiers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pyongyang has provided Moscow with more than 10,000 soldiers, artillery, and ammunition during Russia’s war as the two sides have deepened their partnership.

Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

Yoon’s detention, after a tense standoff outside the presidential residence, marks the latest chapter in a bewildering series of events since his martial law decree.