WASHINGTON — The United States’ top diplomat defended his country’s foreign policy record on Wednesday, saying progress had been made in the last year to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and to counter the “immense challenges” posed by Russia, China and Iran.

In an opinion piece in The New York Times, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said some 90% of Pyongyang’s export earnings had been cut off by a series of international sanctions after the Trump administration “abandoned the failed policy of strategic patience.”

Tensions have escalated dramatically on the Korean peninsula this year after the isolated but nuclear-armed regime staged a series of atomic and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests — and as US President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un traded personal insults.

Washington wants North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and has spearheaded three rounds of UN sanctions against the isolated regime, restricting crucial exports of coal, iron, seafood and textiles from the cash-starved state.

Pyongyang has hit out at those sanctions, calling the latest round “an act of war,” and has vowed to never give up its nuclear program.

In his piece Mr. Tillerson said “a door to dialogue remains open” for Pyongyang but warned “until denuclearization occurs, the pressure will continue.”

At the same time he called on China — Pyongyang’s only major ally — to “do more” to pressure North Korea.

Mr. Trump’s administration has been dogged by allegations his campaign team colluded with Russia to help him win last year’s election.

Addressing relations with Moscow, Mr. Tillerson said the Trump administration had “no illusions about the regime we are dealing with” and that they were “on guard against Russian aggression.”

But he added that Washington needed to “recognize the need to work with Russia where mutual interests intersect” citing Syria civil war where the two countries have backed opposing sides but pushed for peace talks.

On Iran he struck a less conciliatory tone.

“The flawed nuclear deal is no longer the focal point of our policy toward Iran,” he warned. “We are now confronting the totality of Iranian threats.”

He also defended his cuts to the State Department and USAID budget, saying they were designed to “address root problems that lead to inefficiencies and frustrations.”

Critics say Mr. Tillerson’s first year in office has seen scores of key diplomatic posts go unfilled, embassies hampered by cuts and many veteran staff leave the foreign service altogether. — AFP

SAINT PETERSBURG — A homemade bomb blast at a supermarket in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg injured 10 people Wednesday, officials said, sparking a probe into attempted murder.

“According to preliminary information, an explosion of an unidentified object occurred in a store,” a spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, Svetlana Petrenko, said in a statement.

The blast was caused by a “homemade explosive device with the power equivalent to 200 grams of TNT filled with lethal fragments,” she said.

“The investigation is looking at all possible causes of what happened,” she said, adding that a probe for attempted murder had been launched.

The incident comes several months after Russia’s second city was rocked with a metro bombing in April which killed 16 people and amid concern that hundreds of Russian citizens who traveled to fight alongside jihadists groups abroad could pose a mounting security challenge back home.

“Ten people have been hospitalized, their lives are not in danger,” the head of the Saint Petersburg investigative unit Alexander Klaus told Russian news agencies.

An emergencies ministry representative told AFP that one of the injured was in serious condition.

An AFP correspondent at the scene observed first responders and police as well as a car belonging to the Federal Security Service (FSB), which investigates acts of terror.

The building containing the supermarket did not appear to have sustained serious damage.

Police have cordoned off the area while the city’s transportation authorities briefly rerouted public transport in the neighborhood.

Passerby Galina Gustova, 58, observed the scene with horror.

“How terrible! And this happens as people are shopping ahead of the holidays,” she said. “It’s a good thing nobody died.”

The blast came ahead of New Year’s celebrations as well as Russian Orthodox Christmas, which falls on January 7.

“I often buy groceries here, I wanted to go in but everything is blocked,” said another local, 20-year-old Viktoria Smirnova.

“I’m a doctor, I heard on the news that there was an explosion. I live nearby and thought I could be useful,” another bystander, 50-year-old Marina Bulanova, told AFP.

Sources told Russian agencies that the explosive device had been placed in a storage locker.

“About 6:30 p.m. there was the sound of a blast. As a result, several people have been injured,” the Saint Petersburg police said.

“There is no fire. All shoppers have been evacuated,” an emergencies ministry representative told Interfax.

Witness Artur Yeritsyan told TASS news agency that he heard the blast and saw smoke in the shop, but that there were not a lot of customers at the time, with some victims being taken away by ambulances.

Saint Petersburg, which is set to host World Cup matches next year, is still reeling from the deadly metro bombing in April that killed 16 and wounded dozens.

That bombing was claimed by a group linked to al Qaeda which said it was a message to countries engaged in war with Muslims.

In July, the FSB said it had detained seven people who were preparing “acts of terror” in Saint Petersburg, particularly its railway system and major public gathering places.

And this month, Russian security services said they had dismantled an Islamic State group cell apparently preparing attacks in the city.

FSB Director Alexandra Bortnikov said earlier in December that around 4,500 Russian citizens had traveled abroad to participate in “terrorist” groups. — AFP