IRAN/SECRETARY OF STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Monday [5-7-18] to condemn former Secretary of State John Kerry for engaging in ‘shadow diplomacy’ to try to preserve the Iran nuclear deal by holding meetings and speaking with major players, who, like Kerry, do not want Trump to withdraw the US from the agreement. Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at the United Nations in New York two weeks ago, their second meeting in about two months, to discuss ways of keeping the deal limiting Iran’s nuclear weapons program intact, according to two sources familiar with the interactions. The former secretary of state also met last month with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, separately sat down with French President Emmanuel Macron and spoke on the phone with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, the sources told CNN. The Boston Globe was first to report Kerry’s meetings with Zarif, Steinmeier and Mogherini. Trump slammed Kerry’s reported engagement on Monday.”
-Zachary Cohen, Veronica Stracqualursi and Laura Koran, “Trump slams Kerry over ‘shadow diplomacy’ to save Iran deal,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 7, 2018 4:37 pm