U.S. defense chief Chuck Hagel, meeting with his counterpart from Azerbaijan, said Monday it was imperative Iran quickly resolve concerns about its nuclear program.

Azerbaijan, which borders Iran, has friendly links with Tehran's arch-foe Israel. In March, it denied allegations it had granted the Jewish state access to its air bases, which could assist in potential strikes against Iran.

The White House said Monday it would decide "in coming days" whether President Barack Obama will go ahead with a summit in Moscow in early September.

The United States has said it is reviewing whether Obama will meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow after Russia last week gave asylum to Edward Snowden, who is wanted by Washington for leaking details of U.S. surveillance programs.

The United States' unprecedented decision to close two dozen diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa has intensified the debate on its spy agencies' vast Internet surveillance program.

The embassies and missions were shut down until the end of Ramadan after what the State Department said were credible intelligence reports that al-Qaida is preparing a major attack on U.S. interests.

An Abidjan court on Monday released on bail 14 aides of former president Laurent Gbagbo, including his son Michel, who had been detained in the aftermath of Ivory Coast's deadly 2011 crisis.

"They are only being freed on bail, the proceedings leading up to the verdicts are in progress and will most likely be concluded by year's end," said a justice ministry statement read out on state television.

The Republican Party on Monday threatened to block presidential primary debate partnerships with two U.S. networks if they don't pull their planned documentaries on Hillary Clinton.

NBC Entertainment is planning a miniseries and CNN is working on a documentary about the Democratic former secretary of state as she mulls a potential run for the White House in 2016.

Seventy-six U.S. senators have urged President Barack Obama to impose tougher sanctions on Iran, saying Washington must stress its military option even as new President Hasan Rowhani urges dialogue.

"Mr. President, we urge you to bring a renewed sense of urgency to the process," said the letter, publicized Monday by authors Robert Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Somalia's northeastern Puntland region said Monday it had cut all relations with the central government in Mogadishu, raising the prospect of further fractures to the already war-torn nation.

In an official statement, Puntland accused the internationally-backed government in the capital Mogadishu of undermining the federal constitution and of ignoring "national reconciliation" efforts.

Clashes between Nigeria's military and Islamist extremist group Boko Haram in two northeastern towns have left at least 35 people dead, most of them insurgents, the army said Monday.

The clashes broke out after attacks on soldiers and a police station, according to the military, and occurred as security forces wage an offensive in the region aimed at ending a four-year Islamist insurgency.

Monsoon rain and floods have killed at least 58 people across Pakistan and affected tens of thousands of others, officials said Monday, warning of more rain to come.

"At least 58 people have died, more than 30 others were injured and 66,000 were affected by rain and flooding in Pakistan since July 31," Brigadier Mirza Kamran Zia, operations chief of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), told reporters.

Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy called on the United Nations Monday to help resolve the country's disputed election in order to protect "the victory" of the people.

The nation has been stuck in a political impasse since Premier Hun Sen's long-ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) claimed it had won last month's poll -- one of the most hotly contested votes seen in the country.