Aides included a section in Mr Trump's briefing materials for the Tuesday morning call stating: "DO NOT CONGRATULATE," a senior administration official has said.

An Israeli minister has said that by striking key Iranian sites in Syria it sent a clear message that it will not tolerate an Iranian military foothold on its doorstep.

Venezuela's constitutional assembly has ordered presidential elections by April 30 as the ruling socialist party seeks to consolidate its grip on power amid a worsening economic crisis.

Mysterious incidents affecting the health of American diplomats in Cuba continued as recently as August, the US has said, despite its earlier assessments that the attacks had long stopped.

The United States has retaliated against Russia by forcing the closure of its consulate in San Francisco and scaling back its diplomatic presence in Washington and New York.