Iran

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blindpig
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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Tue Nov 15, 2022 4:37 pm

On Iran - Fakenews From Newsweek

How fake news is made.

James Melville @JamesMelville - 19:10 UTC · Nov 14, 2022
Iran 🇮🇷
The Iranian parliament has voted overwhelmingly to execute 15,000 protesters - and all because they dared to protest for the rights and freedoms of women not to wear a headscarf.

Absolutely despicable.

newsweek.com
Nearly 15,000 Iranians have been arrested in connection with the protests, which were spurred by the death of Mahsa Amini in September.


The above was retweeted more than 3,300 times. It is fake news. But you only learn that when you go back to the sources.

The Newsweek report linked in the tweet, though full of lies, does not say that the Iranian parliament "voted overwhelmingly to execute 15,000 protesters".

Image

But it comes near to that:

After numerous calls for harsh punishments in recent days, the Iranian parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of the death penalty for protesters.
...
Iranian lawmakers have, in recent days, called for strict punishments for the protesters who have been arrested. On Monday, CNN reported that a letter signed by 227 members of the Iranian parliament urged that the protesters be given harsh punishment that "would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time."
"Now, the public, even protesters who are not supportive of riots, demand from the judiciary and security institutions to deal with the few people who have caused disturbances in a firm, deterrent, and legal manner," Iranian government spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said, according to Reuters.

On Tuesday, parliament did just that, voting to impose the death penalty on all protesters in custody as a "hard lesson" for all rebels. The majority in favor of the penalty was considerable, 227 out of the 290 total members, matching the number of lawmakers who signed the letter.


The above fake news piece also includes a tweet by a Ukrainian propaganda outlet:

ТРУХА⚡️English @TpyxaNews - 9:45 UTC · Nov 8, 2022
Iran's parliament voted by a majority (227 out of 290) to execute all protesters.

The authorities emphasize that the rebels need to be taught the most "hard lesson".


In replies to that tweet someone asks for a source. In response another person post a link to an Iran International piece:

Iranian Lawmakers Urge Judiciary To Sentence Protesters To Death

Iran International is a Saudi financed TV channel and website made in Britain:

A UK-based Iranian TV station is being funded through a secretive offshore entity and a company whose director is a Saudi Arabian businessman with close links to the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Guardian can reveal.
The disclosures are likely to raise concerns about the editorial independence of Iran International, and comes at a time of growing fears about a number of Saudi-linked stations operating across London.

A source has told the Guardian that Prince Mohammed, who many believe is responsible for the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is the force behind Iran International. The station, which is operating out of Chiswick, has not denied claims that it receives its funding from the Saudi royal court.

Iran International TV emerged abruptly on the London media scene last year; many of the 100-strong staff network were offered generous salaries, often double what rivals paid, but was elusive about its source of funding.


The Iran International report claims:

A group of 227 parliament members in Iran has called on the Judiciary to issue death sentences for people arrested during the ongoing antigovernment protests.
The parliament, elected in a non-competitive election in February 2020, is packed with hardliners and Revolutionary Guard officers.

In a statement that was read out in the parliament on Sunday, the lawmakers called the protesters ‘mohareb’ -- which literally means warrior in Arabic, but in Islamic law or sharia it means ‘enemy of God’ that carries the death penalty. They also compared the protesters to members of ISIS, who "attack people's lives and property..."

The Iranian regime has so far charged several people with ‘moharebeh,’ “corruption on earth,” “assembly and collusion against national security” and “confrontation with the Islamic Republic” for participating in the protests.


Moharebeh, or hirabah in Arabic, is a legal category for a number of crimes under Islamic law:

In Islamic law, hirabah is a legal category that comprises highway robbery (traditionally understood as aggravated robbery or grand larceny, unlike theft, which has a different punishment), rape, and terrorism. Ḥirābah (Arabic: حرابة) is an Arabic word for 'piracy', or 'unlawful warfare'. It comes from the triliteral root ḥrb, which means “to become angry and enraged”. The noun ḥarb (حَرْب, pl. ḥurūb حُروب) means 'war' or 'wars'.
Moharebeh (also spelled muharebeh) is a Persian term that is treated as interchangeable with ḥirabah in Arabic lexicons. The related term muḥārib (محارب) (perpetrator of muḥāribah) has been translated by English language Iranian media as "enemy of God".[ In English-language media sources Moḥarebeh in Iran has been translated variously as "waging war against God," "war against God and the state," "enmity against God." It is a capital crime in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran.


Peaceful protests are not a crime and do not fall under the moharebeh category. Extreme rioting can be a crime under the doctrine but the penalty for that varies and is not necessarily a sentence to death.

If the Newsweek writer had bothered to read the CNN piece he refers but does not link to, he would have know better than to claim that the parliament was "voting to impose the death penalty on all protesters".

CNN wrote:

Iranian lawmakers have urged the country’s judiciary to “show no leniency” to protesters in a letter cited by state-run Press TV on Sunday, as thousands of people continue to rally on the streets despite the threat of arrest.
...
In an open letter signed by 227 of Iran’s 290 members of Parliament, Press TV reports the lawmakers calls for protesters to be taught a “good lesson” to deter others who threaten the authority of the Iranian government.
“We, the representatives of this nation, ask all state officials, including the Judiciary, to treat those, who waged war (against the Islamic establishment) and attacked people’s life and property like the Daesh (terrorists), in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time,” the letter read according to state-run Press TV.

Lawmakers added that such a punishment – the methods of which were not specified – would “prove to all that life, property, security and honor of our dear people is a red line for this (Islamic) establishment, and that it would show no leniency to anybody in this regard.”


There was no vote in the Iranian parliament about the issue. There is an open letter, signed by all members of the conservative Principalist faction, that asked the Judiciary for harsh punishment or rioters. There is no mention of the moharebeh category or the death penalty.

Going even further down the source chain we can look at CNN's source, the Press TV report on the issue. It says:

Iranian lawmakers have called for firm punishment of those who incited the recent riots across the country and caused loss of life and extensive damage to public property.
The call was made in a Sunday letter to the Judiciary, signed by 227 Iranian lawmakers, who asked the judicial officials to consider severe punishments for all those involved in the riots, both as agents on the ground and inciters.

“We, the representatives of this nation, ask all state officials, including the Judiciary, to treat those, who waged war [against the Islamic establishment] and attacked people’s life and property like the Daesh [terrorists], in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time,” they said.
The lawmakers added that such a punishment will “prove to all that life, property, security and honor of our dear people is a red line for this [Islamic] establishment, and that it would show no leniency to anybody in this regard.”


Again - no parliament vote, no mentioning of peaceful protesters, no request for the death penalty.

The Press TV report was posted on Sunday, November 6. On November 8 Reuters reported on the response of the Judiciary to the parliament letter. The Newsweek writer also got the date of the letter and the sequence wrong claiming that the parliament reacted to the judiciary. It did not:

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's courts will deal firmly with anyone who causes disruption or commits crimes during a wave of anti-government protests, the judiciary said on Tuesday, signalling the authorities intend to hand down harsh sentences to convicted demonstrators.
...
"Now, the public, even protesters who are not supportive of riots, demand from the judiciary and security institutions to deal with the few people who have caused disturbances in a firm, deterrent and legal manner," judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said.
Reuters also lets us know that the 'peaceful protests' have, according to the U.S. financed opposition media, not been peaceful at all:

The activist HRANA news agency said that 318 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Saturday, including 49 minors. Thirty-eight members of the security forces had also been killed, it said.


State media said last month that more than 46 members of the security forces, including police officers, had been killed.

Police officers do not die from 'peaceful protests'.

As I reported a month ago the current riots in Iran are concentrated in the southeastern Baluchistan region and in the northwestern Kurdish region of Iran. There are foreign financed terrorist movements active in both of those regions. Iran International, the Kurdish terrorist organization PDKI and other foreign entities are inciting the rioters:

PDKI @PDKIenglish - 20:43 UTC · Nov 14, 2022
Now that the voices of the marginalized, the oppressed nations and all Iranian freedom fighters have echoed around the world, the message of death [to the regime] have reached Tehran. It is certain that we will be victorious.

...

Media like Newsweek, who publish fake news about Iran, are complicit in damages and deaths those riots are causing.

Posted by b on November 15, 2022 at 13:09 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/11/o ... .html#more

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JOHN BOLTON ADMITS THAT THE US IS BEHIND THE COUP AGENDA IN IRAN
9 Nov 2022 , 9:15 am .

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In Iran they would be applying the same interventionist recipe as in Syria (Photo: CNN)

In Iran, a wave of protests has been unleashed since mid-September that has spread and heated up throughout the country. Since the beginning of the conflict, too many elements of the recipe for color revolutions that the United States has put into practice in several countries in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have appeared.

That the focus of the protest shifted from outrage over the death of Mahsa Amini to undermining Iran's institutions was already an indication. Another element that caused suspicion was the direct intervention of some embassies and the treatment given by the big news networks that were bent on the imperial agenda.

Confirmation of the coup agenda came via John Bolton, one of the US neoconservatives considered a serial war criminal. The head of National Security in the era of Donald Trump admitted that the United States is indeed using the same scheme of the "Syrian Revolution" in Iran.


In an interview, he said the weapons are confiscated from the Basij militia and imported from US-occupied Iraqi Kurdistan. Bolton has ties to the Albania-based MEK terror group, a "splinter" organization outside of Iran, formally supported by the US State Department, according to researcher Tim Anderson.

It is not the first time that Bolton has openly confessed that the United States has promoted coups around the world. One of the promoters of "maximum pressure" against Venezuela and other countries during the administration of Donald Trump said in July that he helped overthrow several governments.

https://misionverdad.com/john-bolton-ad ... ta-en-iran

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"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Mon Nov 28, 2022 3:38 pm

IN IRAN THEY WENT FROM "SOCIAL MOBILIZATIONS" TO THE DIRECT ARMED PHASE
27 Nov 2022 , 10:33 a.m.

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The classic sequence of a destabilization process is established in Iran under the color revolution coding, a format repeated ad nauseam and exhaustion (Photo: AP Photo)

Since mid-September, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been subjected to a new cycle of destabilization. The death, on the 16th of that month, of the young Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini (22) was the starting point. Amini, who had been briefly detained by the moral police on September 13 for failing to wear her hijab correctly, collapses at a police station, dying after three days .

Images from closed-circuit cameras reflect the moment when the young woman fell to the ground suddenly and without visible police coercion, when she was going to receive an ordinary course on the Islamic dress code. But before the police made these images public (and the government ordered an investigation), the rumor had already begun to spread that the young woman had died of a stroke, as a result of beatings received at the police station.

Little did the health problems he had (with several history of health problems: in 2006 he had undergone brain surgery), the audiovisual archive shows that nothing extraordinary happened prior to the collapse, that there was no physical contact between officials and the young woman , who dies of cerebral hypoxia and a heart attack, after spending almost three days in a coma.

The news, initially reported by the reformist Shargh newspaper , was quickly picked up by "human rights" groups and Kurdish information agencies that began a follow-up that was gradually replicated in the international media, while the initial follow-up was adulterating the nature of the news, to later consolidate the matrix that the young Amini died as a result of the physical attacks perpetrated, in short, by "minions of the Islamic regime."

Two informative factors visibly led to the leap from the domestic to the global embedded in the pre-established communication system: on the one hand, the "monitoring" of the events that the "activist" of the Department of State Masih Alinejad (about her, later) made of the already adulterated version of the event, and the entry into the Twitter sphere by the former soccer player based in the Emirates, Ali Karimi, from where numerous newly created accounts began to replicate the "news" and hashtags such as #OpIran , among others , since the hijacked and modified version of the events was already circulating throughout the anti-Islamic republic media system.

On the basis of an event recognized as tragic by all parties without distinction, a large number of well-oiled and organized devices, with ramifications and feedback abroad, were launched. Soon after, the representation of the conflict went from denouncing the death of the young Amini to the liberal pattern of "anti-hijab" protests, for "democracy", against the Islamic system and socioeconomic difficulties.

And while the tailored version for "freedom" and against oppression was narrated abroad, presenting the demonstrations as "peaceful", in numerous cities of the country they began to witness riots, armed violence, attacks against people and public property (nothing more in the first week the "protesters" destroyed 61 ambulances), attacks against religious and government institutions, murders and lynchings against security forces, in addition to terrorist actions.

Until now, two moments or waves can be distinguished with enough precision from this cycle. The first, in direct reaction to the Amini case, where visibly (and over the other actions) the format of the "peaceful demonstrations" predominated, obfuscating the rest of the ultraviolent events, from September 16 to mid-October.

A second wave, more explicitly terrorist, armed, and of even more indiscriminate violence, which could have been established since October 26, when an armed man opened fire on pilgrims and parishioners , killing 15 and injuring more than 40, in the temple of Shah Cheragh, in the city of Shiraz, in the province of Fars. Said attack was claimed by the Islamic State. The security forces also thwarted a bomb attack that must have occurred at the same time in the city.

This is how the classic sequence of a destabilization process is established under the color revolution coding, a format repeated ad nauseam and exhaustion, which, from the "mobilizations" of "civil society" that gives it coverage and context that politically does not achieves the objectives (regime change), it passes to the direct armed phase. This without, beyond the damage of all kinds, does not seem to achieve the objectives of putting the Iranian government and society in check.

As is also often the case, the same Western media and network equipment that gives life to the story tailored to liberal precepts is forced to hide and/or deny the existence of large demonstrations, counter-marches, and massive attendance. to funerals in honor of the martyrs, in defense of the country and the government, which have also taken place alongside the different operational phases of regime change.


THE ENORMOUS ARCHITECTURE OF THE INFORMATIVE LANDSCAPE: THE NARRATIVE WORKSHOP

It always is and has been an essential component, but noting it is not surprising because of the dimension, magnitude and scope that in the Iranian case is deployed to establish the narrative apparatus, exceeding the usual parameters. Here the most important components will be highlighted, which, without a doubt, are shaped and sustained in the logistical, financial and operational aspects by the same actors as always: the United States, the United Kingdom, the monarchies of the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia and the characters main of the European Union.

*Masih Alinejad. Iranian exile "activist," known for her flashy looks and longstanding, consistent promotion of hijab burning and State Department protégé (despite criticism for her proximity to the Trump administration), He was above all a leading figure in the first hour in shaping and consumable the narrative of regime change. Her "follow-up" of her, based on the available source apparatus, accelerated and installed 1) the version of Amini's death as a state crime, and 2) the framing of it within the Western, "feminist" moral consumer catechism. ".

*Resident in the United States, domiciled in an FBI safe house, Alinejad, "correspondent" for Voice of America Persia, has been the recipient of funding from the United States Agency for Global Media for more than half a million dollars. Dollars. Throughout time, Alinejad has been a leading figure in legitimizing any action against the Islamic Republic, being a conspicuous promoter of economic sanctions, the main source of difficulties in daily life in the Persian nation. Portrayed with figures of the moral stature of Mike Pompeo, Alinejad also publishes "articles" promoted, among others, by the NED itself *. Alinejad is one of the usual steps that leads from the diffuse universe of non-state actors to the officialization of the narrative by Western governments, particularly the United States. The White House officially "positioned" itself , condemning the Iranian government and supporting the demonstrations, on October 3.


*The five main media and their ecosystem. At the center of the collection, casting, die replication and narrative projection are the BBC 's Persian service , Voice of America , Manoto TV (based in London), Iran International (also UK-based and funded by the Saudi kingdom) and Radio Farda (the arm of Radio Free Asia , operating from Prague). This first floor is the one that has been in charge of collecting and installing the matrix that later replicates the mainstreamglobal, since it also collects "information" from "alternative" media of lesser importance and reports from NGOs (mainly Kurdish), such as Dariche News and Fahim News on the "journalistic" level , or "human rights" organizations such as HANA and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center , recipients, among others, of the $631,500 that the NED provided to these organizations in 2021 . According to the Fars agency , the five media above have been responsible for the dissemination of at least 38,000 false reports between September 14 and October 16 (the context of the first wave).

*Technology, psychological operations and viralization. By themselves, in a time of little reading and vocation to the ephemeral in information matters, it is known, the weight of social networks can even be greater than that of the "information-generating" groups. The dissemination and creation of a pact of verisimilitude based on a diverse range of sources and accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram (mainly) is another central attribute of the ecosystem of the narrative apparatus.

*The Central Command (CENTCOM), the division of the Pentagon that operates in West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia and North Africa, recently conducted an audit based on research by the Graphika social media think tank and the Internet Observatory. from Stanford University where the work of psychological operations carried out by bots and trolls created by CENTCOM was reflected, confirming the use of a huge number of clusters in charge of the task of dissemination, replication, certification and consolidation of the base information issued by the "news agencies" linked to the mainstream; a perpetual recycling. Informative actions that cover a broad spectrum of segmented target audiences, within the framework of CENTCOM's powers, which includes Iran. Fake accounts and bots that, within this synergy, attack from the most conservative audiences to the disenchanted and cosmopolitan youth of the large Iranian cities, depending on the case, and that feeds off and interacts with other pre-established information actors, making the Western perception official. which separately are perceived in a diffuse way but which grouped, would say the researcher Kit Klarenberg , form "a powerful and potentially dangerous weapon that turns out to be one of many in the Pentagon's arsenal of regime change" in terms of psychological operations, installation of matrices and misinformation.

*Along with this, and in redundancy in this case with intelligence services such as the CIA, censorship circumvention and server control technologies also gain importance, representing instruments such as the Psiphon application for managing IP and VPN beyond the regulatory authorities of any target state. This particular instrument, which in all likelihood has been employed in the disruptive journeys in Iran, was created by Radio Free Asia's Open Technology Fund (a CIA arm), and recognized by the US Agency for Global Media as a highly effective tool .

*Anatomy of a Twitter factory. Researcher and university professor Marc Owen Jones (hardly a pro-Iranian figure) analyzed the Twitter hashtag #MashaAmini in its Western designation, and in Farsi ( مهسا_امینی# ), noting that as of the end of October the former was tweeted 66 million times. and the second 350 million, surpassing, for example, #BlackLivesMatters(63 million). It also stands out that among 623 thousand 777 of 84 thousand 199 unique accounts, in a period of 24 hours, it reflected that 23.7% of the accounts were created between mid-September and the end of October, 15% of them in a period of ten days in September. Account creation peaks on September 23 and then declines sharply, of which 32% were tweeted from accounts created in the period between October and September (there are also accounts dating back several years), many of them with 1 to 0 followers. That is to say, a high percentage of the installation of these labels are part of what can clearly be understood as an artificial and conjunctural information bubble, and what Jones analyzed is undoubtedly a moderate expression.

*To this, too, should be added another component: the massive Albania-based "troll farms" of the Mujaheddin el Khalq (MEK) armed organization/cult, one of the US's favorite terrorist organizations since it was removed from the US in 2014. its list of terrorist organizations. This armed group, which gravitates to American political figures such as John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and Rudy Giuliani, acted on the Iraqi side in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s of the last century, carries out operations on the ground designed by the Mossad and both within In Iran as in other countries, targeting the diaspora, it carries out violent and mobilization actions.


*The 15 thousand for execution, Newsweek and Justin Trudeau. Newsweek magazine , on November 8, published a note that goes global noting that the Iranian parliament, the Masij, had voted in favor of the execution of 15,000 protesters. The dissemination of the species reflected the interaction between the different levels of media, since Iran International was the first to publish the news on the 6th of the same month, and Newsweek took it to its official consecration on the 8th. In reality, the news original is about 227 (out of 290) deputies of the Masij requested in an open letterthat a "good lesson" be taught to the protesters. The adulteration of the news reached the point that on November 15, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau officially condemned on behalf of Canada on his Twitter account (which he later deleted) the "decision" of parliament to "execute 15,000 protesters." . The combination of scope, institutionalization, clumsiness and implausibility of Western information synthesize the logic, nature and degree of dedication of the narrative component of the information battlefield.

FROM SAYING TO DOING: TERRORISM, ARMED VIOLENCE AND "REALITY CREATION"

In the last five years (to give you a short time reference), the Islamic Republic has not been free of demonstrations that reach intense levels of violence, nor of terrorist attacks, nor of border incidents with separatist formations in its territorial periphery. What has distinguished this day from the previous ones is, perhaps, the degree of intensity, simultaneity, concentration and national deployment of all these elements in the framework of the destabilization days.

The second wave, as it has been decided to characterize in this report to contrast the coverage of "civil society" with actions already framed in unconventional warfare, from the terrorist attack in Shiraz on October 26 onwards, has not enjoyed the apparent fluidity of the first, but it has been a constant and active force throughout these almost two months. What most differentiates one moment from another has been that in this second stage it has found itself stripped of an effective narrative packaging: the nakedness of armed violence compromises the story as it came.

Until the third week of November, the death toll among civilians, police officers, security corps officials (Basijs, Revolutionary Guard) reaches 60 . In various circumstances, high-level officials such as a general or regional intelligence chiefs are among the casualties, usually when confronted or passed by mobs, or shot by motorcycle hitmen.

At the beginning of October, a spokesman for the Shura Council stated that around 45,000 foreign intelligence service operators are involved in the protests. 40 foreigners have been detained , including Polish, German, Italian, French, Dutch and Swedish citizens. The Fars agency also points out the role of the German embassy in the development of the mobilizations.

Since both the Revolutionary Guard and the Ministry of Intelligence confirm the role of the CIA and the Mossad in the establishment and training of operational networks in which money has been invested in different ways . Which leads to another factor that has been highlighted since the start of the revolts: Kurdish separatist or minority groups (Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran; Kurdish Freedom Party; Komala), Baloch (Free Balochistan Movement or FBM; Jaish al-Adl), Arab or Azeri secessionism.


Thus, cities like Zahedan or Chabahar in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan , Kermanshah in the Kurdish province of the same name or Izeh in the province of Khuzestan with Arab minorities, at different times have been the scene of violent uprisings or indiscriminate terrorist attacks.

And it is that whether they are Baloch, Kurdish or Azeri, the imprint of the Mossad is evident (especially in the last two), as a historical constant, either with direct relations between Tel Aviv and Baku, or between Israel and Iraqi Kurdistan , where the bases of operations and training are located.

To this must also be added the own monarchist and MEK factions that also receive support, training and endowment. This is what the ex-Trump national security adviser and ultra-hawk, John Bolton, openly admitted in an interview for the BBC 's Persian service : the weapons are either sent from Iraqi Kurdistan or taken directly from the Basij militias ( the latter probably more diffuse and less real than the former).

In this way, the Contra model, first used in the 1980s of the 20th century in Central America and then in the first decade of the 21st in Syria or at the end of the decade in Venezuela, once again highlights the role of borders as beachheads. for training, infiltration and supply of weapons and other logistical equipment.

However, despite a mega deployment on multiple fronts, from the media to the youth to the military, the impact achieved in terms of damage to people and public property, the "complex war" against Iran, in the words of President Raisi , has not achieved regime change goals.

The rearguard points in the Kurdish region in Iraq have been attacked for several weeks by drones and missiles from the Revolutionary Guard, many of the arms trafficking channels, such as in the province of East Azerbaijan where they have been condemned, and Western opinion itself He admits that the disparate groups that have led the revolt are unable to unite and become an effective political option.

COUNTERPOINTS ON THE GEOPOLITICAL TABLEAU

*The start of the protests under the pretext of the young Mahsa Amini occurred almost simultaneously with Iran's official entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Council, gradually becoming one of the fundamental nodes of the Belt and Road Initiative, particularly with the North South International Transport Corridor. That is to say, when Iran becomes with greater weight a factor on the rise within multipolarity.

*Faced with the status of the nuclear energy file, with a new resolution of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) denouncing Iran and politicizing the cooperation scheme between Tehran and the agency, the Iranian government has made the decision to enrich the uranium produced at the Fordow plant to 60% .

*On the other hand, Europe redoubles , with regard to the "protests", the sanctions regime against Tehran, further accentuating the distance of Europe from the Asian sphere, since by deepening this disconnection the bond of Iran is reinforced within its own multipole sphere.

*It is also not forced to point out that within this same scheme of disruption and attempts at regime change, it also occurs when Venezuela and the Islamic Republic take their cooperation agreements to strategic levels and in different spheres of economic, political, security and cultural. In this sense, it is convenient to consider the danger of a similar reflection in our own geography, an exercise of simultaneity that has occurred in previous conjunctures, such as in 2014, but in relation to the events of regime change in Ukraine itself.

_____________________________________________

* Fun fact : in 2020, Alinejad had "denounced" an alleged kidnapping plan in which operators of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard would abduct her, to then be transferred by sea to Venezuela.

https://misionverdad.com/globalistan/en ... da-directa

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‘Strategic Mistake’: Iran Strongly Condemns UNHRC Resolution as Politically-motivated
NOVEMBER 28, 2022

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This photograph taken in Geneva on November 24, 2022, shows a sign at the seat of the Iranian representative prior to the beginning of a special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the situation in Iran. Photo: AFP.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has vehemently condemned the meeting and resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council, noting that “multifaceted political goals” are behind these anti-Iranian measures.

In a statement late on Thursday, the ministry blasted the measure of a few Western countries in “imposing” an anti-Iranian resolution to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) earlier that day.

“It is a source of regret that the UNHRC is being misused by few countries to pursue their short-term interests,” read the statement.

“Undoubtedly, the measure adopted by the German regime and other founders of the UNHRC special meeting was a historic mistake originated from multifaceted political goals,” it highlighted.

The meeting was convened at the request of Germany and Iceland to discuss alleged human rights violations in Iran during the handling of recent foreign-backed riots in the country.

During the Thursday session, the council members adopted an anti-Iranian resolution, calling for the establishment of an international fact-finding mission to probe Iran’s response to the protests.

Riots broke out in Iran on September 16 after a young Iranian woman, identified as Mahsa Amini died. The 22-year-old fainted at a police station in the capital, Tehran, and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

An official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization said that Amini’s controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.

Voicing regret over the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, the ministry said the Iranian government has already established fact-finding committees and the results of investigations have been shared with the public as well as with human rights mechanisms in Geneva and New York.

“Despite some protesters’ resorting to violence and causing riots based on foreign-organized abuses, provocations, and interventions in the past two months and adoption of terrorist measures by few individuals and armed groups, defending forces of the country’s security have dealt with rioters with maximum restraint as tens of police and security forces have been martyred and thousands more have sustained injuries,” reads the statement.

The statement reminded that the activities of the Human Rights Council should be based on dialogue and aim to help governments to promote human rights, adding, “Despite many selective, unfair, and even biased behaviors of a group of countries in the council, Iran has always emphasized constructive participation and deeply believes that the international community members can only help promote human rights by dialogue, cooperation and exchange of experience.”

‘Strategic mistake’

“The German government and some other contributing Western countries to this resolution have made a strategic mistake based on wrong calculations and under the pressure of specific political lobbies and the fake news of some anti-Iranian media,” noted the ministry, adding, “time will show that this political short-sightedness will be to their detriment.”

Referring to Western-back media’s provocation of terror and violence in Iran, the statement said the resolution passed in Geneva was a “direct result of using wrong information to pursue anti-Iranian goals in by few Western states.”

According to the statement, Iranian authorities have shown maximum restraint towards arrested rioters, especially with regard to women, however, “the German regime and its aligned governments raised provocative and false claims about violation of human rights and the rights of women and children.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran was opposed to the special meeting and considered it inconsistent, abnormal, and unnecessary based on grounds for holding 34 previous special meetings about different countries and issues in the past years and hence, completely rejects the resolution passed in the meeting,” added the statement.

‘Violation of national sovereignty’

Referring to the establishment of a specialized committee to investigate the death of Mahsa Amini and another one comprised of lawyers and independent representatives to study the recent developments in Iran, the Islamic Republic “considers the creation of any new mechanism for probing issues of the past two months as unnecessary and a violation of the country’s national sovereignty and will not recognize the assigned mission,” it concluded.

The rioters have been going on a rampage in the country, attacking security officers, resorting to vandalism against public property, and desecrating religious sanctities.

Earlier in the month, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said the United States and the United Kingdom were “directly” involved in the recent riots, adding that dozens of terrorists affiliated with the Zionist regime and anti-revolution groups have also been detained in the unrest.

(Press TV)

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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Mon Jan 09, 2023 2:15 pm

Soleimani Assassination Commemorated in Mass Rallies Across Middle East
JANUARY 9, 2023

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Thousands of Iranians march to commemorate General Qassem Soleimani, assassinated by the US three years ago. Photo: Twitter.

On Januray 3, 2023, the martyrdom of the anti-imperialist hero, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was commemorated in Iran, Iraq, Syria and several other countries of West Asia and across the world.

As Iranians and Iraqis commemorate the three-year anniversary of Washington’s illegal assassination of Iran’s Quds Force Commander General Soleimani and Iraq’s Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, scores of people rallied in the streets of both countries.

On January 3, people from all over the Islamic Republic of Iran, and particularly in Soleimani’s hometown of Qanat-e Malek in Kerman province, gathered to remember the fallen commander. At Tehran’s main prayer hall, a national congress to commemorate the assassination was held and attended by several senior officials.

The following day, a scholarly congress under the title “The Global Hero of Resistance” will also be held and attended by a number of officials and figures from abroad.

Similarly, in Iraq, citizens and officials attended a ceremony in the Iraqi city of Dujail, Salaheddine province, where they paid their respects to Soleimani as well as Muhandis, who, at the time of his death, was the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Al-Hashd al-Shaabi.

On January 2, a day earlier, thousands of Iraqis gathered near Baghdad International Airport to commemorate the assassination.


During the ceremony, the people of Iraq honored and expressed their appreciation for the role played by Soleimani and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as Muhandis and the PMU in Iraq’s fight against ISIS.

On the night of January 2, in the city of Damascus in Syria—where Soleimani’s presence also played a highly significant role to root out the scourge of extremism—scores of Syrian youths, political figures, and representatives of popular organizations held a ceremony to honor the Iranian general at the Shrine of Sayyeda Zainab.


In Aleppo—which, with the aid of Soleimani, was completely liberated from extremist groups by Syrian government forces—the tribes and nomad groups held various ceremonies and commemorations to honor the martyred general.


Gatherings and ceremonies were also held in a number of different countries, reaching as far as El Salvador and India.


Soleimani and Muhandis were assassinated by the Trump administration in an illegal drone strike on 3 January 2020 near Baghdad International Airport. Representing a gross violation of international law, the strike was condemned by several world leaders and international organizations, yet justified by President Donald Trump and his government, who claimed to have taken out “the number one terrorist in the world.”

Following his death, several million Iranians took to the streets to mourn the former head of the IRGC’s Quds Force, in what has been described by many as one of the largest funerals in Iran’s history.

The Quds Force commander has since become a highly revered, regional and even international symbol in the fight against terrorism and western hegemony.

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US Base in Syria Struck by Missile Barrage in Largest Attack ‘of Its Kind’
JANUARY 5, 2023

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Al-Omar oil field in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. Photo: Hussein Malla/AP.

Local sources confirmed that there were likely casualties among US forces, as the missiles reportedly struck the facility’s housing section

Washington’s military base in the occupied Al-Omar oilfield in Syria’s eastern governorate of Deir Ezzor, came under intense rocket fire late on 30 December in what has been described as the largest attack “of its kind,” with media suggesting the likelihood of US military casualties.

“The American base in the Al-Omar oil field in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor was subjected to violent missile strikes of unknown origin this evening,” a Russian media correspondent reported.

The correspondent also quoted local sources as saying that the sounds of massive explosions were heard in the vicinity of the base before US military aircraft were seen heavily patrolling the skies. The sources confirmed that the missile barrage targeted the Green Zone area of the facility, where the troops are normally housed.

“There were [most likely] casualties among the American forces,” the sources added, citing the fact that the missiles accurately hit their targets.

Loud warning sirens were heard, as helicopters and ambulances were seen rushing into the facility. Forces belonging to the US-backed Kurdish proxy, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as well as US military personnel, closed all roads leading to the base and oilfield “for fear of any further attack.”

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack – although attacks of this sort are usually attributed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or groups linked to it.

This is the second attack on the Al-Omar base this month, the last of which took place on 17 December. As was the case in yesterday’s attack, no statement was released by US Central Command (CENTCOM), contrary to what normally happens after such attacks. Although not as large as the latest attack, the last one was also described to have been larger than usual.

As Washington bolsters its occupation of northern Syria and continues its systematic campaign of looting the country’s natural resources, it is possible that – as was the case in the last two attacks on the Al-Omar base – that attacks against US bases in Syria will not only become more frequent, but will also become larger, more intense, and more likely to result in casualties.

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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Thu Mar 23, 2023 2:04 pm

THE CRADLE EXCLUSIVE
THE HIDDEN SECURITY CLAUSES OF THE IRAN-SAUDI ARABIA DEAL
hasan illaik

22 Mar 2023 , 3:44 pm .

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Iranian and Saudi intelligence delegations met in the Chinese capital for five days without Israeli intelligence being aware (Photo: The Cradle)

Under the auspices of China, on March 10 in Beijing, longtime regional competitors Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year hiatus .

At best interpreted, the agreement can be seen as strategic and historic, reflecting the major changes taking place in West Asia and the world. At worst, it can be characterized as an "armistice agreement" between two great rivals, which will provide valuable space for regular and direct communications.

The joint Sino-Saudi-Iranian statement on Friday, March 10, had strong implications beyond the announcement of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh, broken since 2016.

The statement is very clear:

The embassies of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran will reopen in less than two months.
Respect for the sovereignty of States.
Activation of the security cooperation agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, signed in 2001.
Activate the cooperation agreement in the economic, commercial, investment, technological, scientific, cultural, sports and youth sectors signed between the parties in 1998.
Urge the three countries to make all efforts to promote regional and international peace and security.

At first glance, the first four clauses suggest that the deal negotiated by China is, in essence, an amendment of diplomatic relations between the old adversaries. But in fact, the fifth clause departs from the standard text inserted in joint declarations between States.

It seems to set a new benchmark for conflicts in West Asia, where China plays the role of "peacemaker" (in partnership with Iran and Saudi Arabia) where Beijing takes a role in various conflicts between regions or influences relevant parties.

Sources familiar with the negotiations have revealed to The Cradle that Chinese President Xi Jinping did not just seal a deal that was already underway between Tehran and Riyadh. Xi has, in fact, personally laid the groundwork for this deal to come to fruition. The Chinese head of state delved into the details since his visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2022, and then during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Beijing in mid-February this year.

More than one phase of negotiations took place under Chinese auspices, during which the Iranians and the Saudis finalized details negotiated between them on Iraq and Oman during previous rounds of talks.

It was by no means an established fact that the two parties would reach an agreement in their last phase of discussions (March 6-10, 2023). But the Chinese representative managed to overcome all the obstacles between the two delegations, after which the parties obtained approval from their respective leaders to announce the agreement on Friday, March 10.

CHINA AS A REGIONAL GUARANTOR
Much has been written in recent days about the strategic implications of a Chinese-brokered Saudi-Iranian deal and its impact on Beijing's global role vis-à-vis the United States. The Persian Gulf is a strategic region for both powers, and China's main source of energy supply. Beijing likely intervened to ease tensions between its two strategic allies. It's also something that Washington, long seen as the "guarantor of security," could never have achieved.

Undoubtedly, much will be said about the "strategic adventurism" of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MbS) and his exploitation of global changes to offset declining US regional influence. The emergence of a post-American, multipolar order leaves some space for America's traditional allies to explore their international options away from Washington, and in the service of their immediate national interests.

The current interests of Saudi Arabia are related to the ambitious political, economic, financial and cultural objectives that MbS has set for its country, and are based on two pillars:

Diversify regional and global partnerships to adapt to global systemic changes that will help realize Riyadh's grand plans.
Establish security and political stability to allow Saudi Arabia to implement its major projects, especially MbS's "Vision 2030" outlines, through which Riyadh envisions itself transforming itself into a regional incubator for finance, business, media and entertainment industry, similar to the role played by the United Arab Emirates in past decades, or by Beirut before the Lebanese civil war in 1975.

In short, regional and national security and stability are vital for Riyadh to execute its strategic objectives. As such, confidential clauses were inserted into the Beijing agreement to reassure Iran and Saudi Arabia that their security imperatives would be met. Some of those details were provided to The Cradle , courtesy of a source involved in the negotiations:

Both Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake not to participate in any activity that destabilizes either of the two States, at the security, military or media level.
Saudi Arabia pledges not to fund media outlets that seek to destabilize Iran, such as Iran International.
Saudi Arabia pledges not to fund organizations designated by Iran as terrorists, such as the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran (MEK), Iraq-based Kurdish groups, or militants operating from Pakistan.
Iran is committed to ensuring that its allied organizations do not violate Saudi territory from inside Iraqi territory. During the negotiations there were discussions about the attack on the Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia in September 2019 and Iran's guarantee that an allied organization would not carry out a similar attack from Iraqi soil.
Saudi Arabia and Iran will seek to make every possible effort to resolve the conflicts in the region, particularly the conflict in Yemen, in order to consolidate a political solution that ensures lasting peace in that country.

According to sources involved in the Beijing negotiations, no details on the conflict in Yemen have been agreed upon as significant progress has been made in direct talks between Riyadh and the Yemeni resistance movement Ansar Allah in January. These have led to important understandings between the two warring states, which the United States and the United Arab Emirates have furiously tried to undermine to prevent a resolution to the war.

In Beijing, however, the Saudis and Iranians agreed to help advance decisions already reached between Riyadh and Sanaa, and use them to end the seven-year war.

Thus, while the Beijing statement mainly addresses issues related to diplomatic rapprochement, the understandings between Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to have been negotiated primarily around security imperatives. Supporters of each side will likely claim that their country fared better in the deal, but a deeper look shows a healthy balance in the terms of the deal, with each side receiving assurances that the other will not upset its security.

While Iran has never expressed a desire to undermine Saudi Arabia's security, some of its regional allies have made no secret of their intentions in this regard. In addition, MbS has publicly stated its intention to take the fight inside Iran , which the Saudi intelligence services have been doing in recent years, specifically supporting and financing armed dissident and separatist organizations that Iran classifies as terrorist groups.

The security priorities of this deal should have been easy to spot in Beijing last week. After all, the deal was reached between the National Security Councils of Saudi Arabia and Iran and included the participation of the intelligence services of both countries. Present in the Iranian delegation were officials from the Iranian Intelligence Ministry and the intelligence branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a slightly separate note related to regional security, but not part of the Beijing Agreement, sources involved in the negotiations confirmed to The Cradle that during the talks, the Saudi delegation stressed Riyadh's commitment to the peace initiative. of 2002, refusing normalization with Tel Aviv before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Perhaps most notably (and illustrates the parties' determination to reach a deal without the influence of saboteurs) is that Iranian and Saudi intelligence delegations met in the Chinese capital for five days without Israeli intelligence being aware of it. . It is perhaps yet another testimonial that China (unlike the US) understands how to get a deal done in these changing times.

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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:38 pm

Geopolitical Game Changer: China’s Iran-Saudi Peace Deal Is Big Blow to Petrodollar and US Economic Hegemony
APRIL 11, 2023

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Wang Yi, center, China’s top foreign policy official, with Ali Shamkhani, right, the secretary of Iran’s security council, and Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban, Saudi Arabia’s minister of state, in Beijing during the ceremony marking the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2023. Photo: China Daily.

By Ben Norton – Mar 17, 2023

China’s peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a big blow to the petrodollar that undergirds US economic hegemony. Both countries are top oil producers that are discussing selling energy in other currencies. They also applied to join BRICS, and are members of the Belt and Road Initiative.

China surprised the world on March 10, announcing that it had successfully sponsored peace talks between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Four days of secret negotiations in Beijing led to a historic agreement in which the two West Asian nations normalized relations, following seven tense years without any official diplomatic ties.

Iraq had previously hosted peace talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but these were sabotaged in January 2020 when US President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike to assassinate top Iranian official Qasem Soleimani, who had been involved in the negotiations.

China’s diplomatic breakthrough is part of a larger process of Asian integration, and constitutes a step toward bringing both Iran and Saudi Arabia into the BRICS system and institutions like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

In addition to encouraging stability and peace in a region that has been devasted by decades of US wars and meddling, this deal will have huge economic repercussions across the planet.

More tangibly, the agreement is a significant blow to the petrodollar system that the United States has used to maintain the dollar as the global reserve currency, thus threatening the very foundation of its economic hegemony.

Saudi Arabia has long been one of the world’s leading producers of oil, in the top three (along with the US and Russia). Iran has consistently been among the top 10 producers of crude.

As de facto leader of OPEC, Saudi Arabia has significant influence over the price of oil on the global market. Since the 1970s, Riyadh has agreed to sell its crude in dollars and then invest those petrodollars in Treasury securities, helping to strengthen the value of the greenback and increasing global demand for the US currency.

But the petrodollar system is facing new challengers. The Saudi government publicly confirmed in January that it is considering selling oil in other currencies.

This declaration came just a few weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping took a historic trip to Riyadh. There, Beijing signed agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab League.

Xi announced that China would be buying oil and gas from the Persian Gulf region with its own currency, the renminbi, not dollars.

“China will continue to import large quantities of crude oil from GCC countries, expand imports of liquefied natural gas … and make full use of the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange as a platform to carry out yuan settlement of oil and gas trade“, he said.


Xi’s trip to Riyadh was a resounding success when compared to Joe Biden’s attempt at a “reset” in July 2022. A photo of the US president refusing to shake hands and instead fist-bumping with the de facto Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), was a symbol of a trip that was widely panned as a diplomatic failure.

At the time, Biden had been struggling with significant consumer price index inflation at home, with midterm elections on the horizon. The US president pressured MBS to increase oil production in an attempt to bring down prices. But Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ refused to do so.

Riyadh’s gradual move away from its historical role, firmly ensconced in the heart of the US-led camp, reflects a larger global trend toward a multipolar world.

Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states are adopting a more non-aligned foreign policy that balances the US and Europe against China and Russia.

This also is a result of China’s growing economic importance, as the biggest economy in the world (according to a purchasing power parity measurement, which is more accurate than nominal GDP).

China is the largest trading partner of both Saudi Arabia and Iran. Beijing enjoys close relations with the West Asian nations.

In its readout announcing the peace deal, China’s Foreign Ministry described itself as “a reliable friend of the two countries”.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have formally applied to join the extended BRICS+ bloc, alongside founders Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

BRICS is currently planning to “develop a fairer system of monetary exchange”, to weaken the “dominance of the dollar”, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor revealed in January.

As part of this process, BRICS is considering creating a new international reserve currency, based on a basket of currencies of its members.

As BRICS seeks to economically integrate the Global South, China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will provide the physical infrastructure to do so. And both Iran and Saudi Arabia are also important parts of the BRI.

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Complementing the BRICS system is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which brings together China, India, Pakistan, Russia, and numerous Central Asian republics in a massive association representing around two-fifths of the global population and more than one-third of the world’s GDP.

Iran is in the process of becoming a full member of SCO. The organization’s Secretary-General Zhang Ming visited Tehran in March. He met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who “described the SCO as the world’s largest regional international organisation that plays an important role in maintaining regional and global security and stability”.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia became an official SCO dialogue partner, in a step toward membership. Qatar and Egypt did the same in 2022.

BRICS+: a global commodities powerhouse
If all of these countries can be economically and politically integrated, the extended BRICS+ bloc would be the world’s commodities powerhouse.

BRICS founding members Russia, China, and Brazil are among the top 10 biggest producers of oil in the world, along with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

If the West Asian nations officially join, BRICS+ will include at least half of the world’s top 10 oil producers, representing more than one-third of global petroleum output.

OPEC, too, would become a natural partner of BRICS, given Saudi Arabia’s key role in the organization, along with Russia’s influential voice in the extended OPEC+.

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It is not just oil that is central in this geopolitical shift. Gas and other commodities are crucial as well.

Russia is the world’s second-largest producer of natural gas. Iran is the third biggest, China is the fourth, and Qatar is fifth.

Algeria, which has also expressed interest in joining BRICS+, is a major gas producer.

Qatar is tied with the United States as the biggest producer of liquified natural gas (LNG) on Earth. Algeria is in the top 10.

This alliance is deeply complementary. China is the world’s largest consumer of oil, and one of the biggest importers of gas.

Already for over a decade, China has bought more oil from West Asia than has the United States. Beijing imports one-third of its energy resources specifically from the Persian Gulf region.

And as the planet transitions away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy technologies, minerals will become increasingly important. BRICS-curious countries are very well placed here as well.

Brazil is the second-biggest producer of iron ore, followed by fellow BRICS members China, India, Russia, and South Africa in third, fourth, fifth, and seventh place, respectively. Potential BRICS member Iran is the eighth largest.

China and Brazil are top producers of lithium, the “white gold” needed for batteries. So, too, is Argentina, which has applied to join BRICS+, and virtually attended the bloc’s summits in 2022.

Iran announced this March that it also found significant lithium reserves, which could be the second biggest in the world.

What all of this shows is that, by extending and including countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran as new members, BRICS+ could become a commodities powerhouse, with significant influence in global markets.

None of this would have been possible if Saudi Arabia and Iran were at war with each other. Now that they have normalized relations, Asian integration is likely to move forward, full steam ahead.

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Countries by their current account balance (red is a deficit, green is a surplus)

Has the petrodollar met its match?
The Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 established the US dollar as the global reserve currency. At that time, the dollar was pegged to gold at the price of $35 per troy ounce, making it essentially as good as gold.

US military spending in its wars on Korea, Vietnam, and beyond led Washington’s gold reserves to run low. So in 1971, President Richard Nixon unilaterally ended the convertibility of the dollar into gold, making the greenback a freely floating fiat currency.

This led to a period of instability, which was further compounded by OPEC’s 1973 oil embargo.

In 1974, Nixon sent his Treasury secretary, William Simon, to Saudi Arabia. “The goal” of the trip, Bloomberg explained, was to “neutralize crude oil as an economic weapon and find a way to persuade” Saudi Arabia “to finance America’s widening deficit with its newfound petrodollar wealth”.

Washington signed a historic agreement with Riyadh, pledging to protect the Gulf monarchy in return for Saudi Arabia selling its oil exclusively in dollars, depositing those petrodollars in US commercial banks, and investing in Treasury bonds.

Bloomberg explained: “The basic framework was strikingly simple. The U.S. would buy oil from Saudi Arabia and provide the kingdom military aid and equipment. In return, the Saudis would plow billions of their petrodollar revenue back into Treasuries and finance America’s spending”.

This petrodollar system helped ensure global demand for the dollar, because countries that imported oil and other commodities needed dollars to pay for them.

As economist Michael Hudson showed in his book Super Imperialism, the ballooning US current account deficit was almost entirely from military spending, as Washington waged war after war and built a constellation of foreign bases across the globe.

For most countries, such a consistent, long-term deficit would lead to a devaluation of their national currency and related economic problems. But not for the US, thanks in part to the petrodollar system.

The status of the dollar as global reserve currency and the steady demand for dollars to import oil and other commodities granted the United States an “exorbitant privilege” that has allowed it to maintain this massive current account deficit (importing significantly more than it exports).

The 2008 financial crash, however, inspired some countries to think about alternatives. China, specifically, floated the idea of unseating the US dollar as the global reserve currency.

The governor of China’s central bank, Zhou Xiaochuan, published a white paper in 2009, arguing that the “crisis again calls for creative reform of the existing international monetary system towards an international reserve currency with a stable value, rule-based issuance and manageable supply, so as to achieve the objective of safeguarding global economic and financial stability”.

Ever escalating Western sanctions on China and allies such as Russia, Iran, and Venezuela have only further incentivized Beijing to seek new financial alternatives.

US-dominated institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have taken note. In 2022, an IMF report warned of the “erosion of dollar dominance”, acknowledging that the share of foreign-exchange reserves of central banks around the world held in dollars had shrunk from 70% to 60% in the previous two decades.

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This was not a massive decrease, but it is part of a steady trend that is likely to accelerate, as the United States wages a new cold war on China and Russia.

According to the Federal Reserve, the US dollar is involved in roughly 80% of international trade, but this varies greatly depending on the region.

The use of other currencies for trade in Asia is increasing, as countries targeted by unilateral Western sanctions develop new financial mechanisms to trade with their national currencies.

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For more than a decade, China has already been using yuan to buy oil from Iran.

After the Donald Trump administration unilaterally sabotaged the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), back in 2018, Reuters noted that the newly imposed US “sanctions could advance China’s ‘petro-yuan’”.

The NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine was a shot of adrenaline into the arm of de-dollarization. Unprecedented US and EU sanctions led Moscow to develop new financial arrangements with its top trading partners in Asia.

Russia has made importers of its gas pay in rubles, while using local currencies in bilateral trade with countries like India and Iran.

China is also conducting more and more bilateral trade with Russia in yuan.

It took a while, but the call that the People’s Bank of China made in 2009 for a new international monetary system is now coming to fruition.

And if Beijing is serious about challenging the hegemony of the US dollar, Saudi Arabia is a key player it needs on its side.

Before the landmark peace deal this March, China had been worried it may have to choose between either Iran or Saudi Arabia. Now, it can maintain good relations with both.

Asian integration accelerates
The normalization of ties between Tehran and Riyadh is a significant development in a larger process of Asian integration. (This is frequently referred to as Eurasian integration, but Europe has essentially politically expelled Russia from the continent over the proxy war in Ukraine, leading Moscow to seek closer ties with its Asian neighbors instead.)

In his 1997 opus “The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives”, US imperial strategist Zbigniew Brzezinski warned that “the most dangerous scenario” for Washington’s unipolar hegemony “would be a grand coalition of China, Russia, and perhaps Iran, an ‘antihegemonic’ coalition”.

US sanctions and aggressive policies toward these three powers have pushed them to unite in exactly the way that Brzezinski feared.

In 2021, China and Iran signed a historic, 25-year economic and strategic partnership agreement estimated at $400 billion. Reporting on the deal, Forbes summarized: “a power shift threatens Western energy“.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi took an important trip to China in February 2023. It was the first visit by an Iranian president in 20 years.

In a readout on the meeting, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry affirmed, “China always views and develops relations with Iran from a strategic perspective, and no matter how the international and regional situation changes, China will remain steadfast in developing friendly cooperation with Iran and advancing China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership“.

Condemning US attacks on Iran, “Xi Jinping emphasized that China supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national dignity, supports Iran in resisting unilateralism and bullying, opposes external forces interfering in Iran’s internal affairs and undermining its security and stability”.

China and Russia are already close allies, with a comprehensive strategic partnership that they say has “no limits”. Even with the unprecedented Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in 2022 over the proxy war in Ukraine, China declared that Russia is its “most important strategic partner” and called their friendship “rock solid”.

At the same time, Iran and Russia are deepening their integration, especially economically. The two countries are building trade routes to circumvent Western sanctions.

The multibillion-dollar International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) will connect India’s western Mumbai port to Iran’s southern Bandar Abbas port, with goods then traveling north on rail networks, passing through the Caspian Sea, and reaching Russia.

INSTC will not only cut out the need for products to transit through the Mediterranean Sea; it will also nearly halve the transit time of 40 to 60 days on average to instead just 25 to 30 days, while reducing costs by approximately 30%.

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China, Russia, and Iran are likewise developing alternatives to the SWIFT inter-bank messaging system, which is dominated by the United States.

As part of the proxy war in Ukraine in 2022, the US and EU disconnected several Russian banks from SWIFT – a scandalous decision that was called the financial “nuclear option“.

In response, in January 2023, the central banks of Iran and Russia made an agreement to integrate their inter-bank communication and transfer systems, connecting 52 branches of Iranian banks that use Iran’s SEPAM system to 106 banks using Russia’s System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS).

Even Riyadh is moving closer to Moscow.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia and Russia signed a military cooperation agreement. Riyadh has also been buying significant military equipment from Moscow.

Russia’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia told state media Sputnik in 2023 that Riyadh “is a regular and trusting dialogue at the highest level”, adding that the two countries’ relations have “a real prospect of reaching the level of strategic partnership“.

China’s diplomacy could help bring peace and stability to West Asia, after decades of US wars
Despite China’s diplomatic breakthrough, clearly, no one expects the Saudi monarchy to become a friend of Iran and to join the anti-imperialist Axis of Resistance.

That said, Riyadh’s balancing of relations with Washington and Brussels on one side and Beijing and Moscow on the other reflects the transition toward a multipolar world.

Persian Gulf monarchies that were long loyal clients of the United States have gradually moved toward a more non-aligned foreign policy.

There are certainly profound ideological differences between the Wahhabi and ultra-conservative strains of Sunni Islam sponsored by the Gulf states and the revolutionary Shia liberation theology promoted by Iran.

But Riyadh’s normalization of relations with Tehran is a sign that the kingdom’s animosity toward the Islamic Republic was much more motivated by geopolitical pressure from the United States than it was religious disagreements.

Washington has sought regime change in Tehran ever since the Iranian people’s 1979 revolution overthrew the country’s Western-backed dictator. And the US has long seen Saudi Arabia as a key ally, even a proxy, needed to enforce its “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran.

Through decades of illegal unilateral sanctions, constant destabilization operations, and relentless information warfare and propaganda, the United States has desperately tried to make Iran into a pariah state.

China has effectively neutralized this US strategy by brokering peace between West Asia’s arch-rivals.

The outrage in Israel reflects the growing realization that Iran has not been isolated. The regime of Benjamin Netanyahu is furious. Tel Aviv sees the peace agreement as a threat, because it thwarts its plans to divide Arabs and Iranians, Sunnis and Shia.

The US has spent years trying to form an alliance between Israel and the Persian Gulf Arab states against Iran. The Donald Trump administration took a victory lap in 2020 with the signing of the so-called Abraham Accords, which were mostly symbolic, but formalized diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel.

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US President Donald Trump signing the Abraham Accords normalizing relations between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain in 2020

The fact that the US and Israel see China’s peace talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia as a threat demonstrates the fundamental difference between Beijing’s and Washington’s policies.

China wants stability in the region, to deepen economic integration and trade. In Beijing’s readout on the negotiations, top diplomat Wang Yi stressed that “the improvement of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran has paved the way for realizing peace and stability in the Middle East”.

Wang added that “China supports countries in the Middle East in upholding strategic autonomy, strengthening solidarity and cooperation, getting rid of external interference, and really holding the future of the Middle East in their own hands”.

This approach could hardly be more different from US foreign policy toward the region, which derives from an obsessive drive to destabilize and control it, to advance the geopolitical objectives of the Wolfowitz Doctrine, to maintain “full-spectrum dominance”, to bring about regime change “in seven countries in five years“.

Just in the two decades since September 11, 2001, US wars against Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Yemen killed millions of people, created tens of millions of refugees, and devastated entire countries.

Washington and its allies intentionally stoked sectarianism, giving rise to extremist Salafi-jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Countries like Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in particular suffered heavily from this sectarian conflict.

Now that Saudi Arabia and Iran have normalized relations, these battleground nations serve to benefit the most.

This is a key reason why Iraq spent years trying to broker a deal itself. But the US government, again, intentionally sabotaged Baghdad’s peace initiative by murdering Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, when the top Iranian general was negotiating with Saudi Arabia.

Thanks to China’s diplomacy, the war in Yemen may also finally come to an end, after nine years.

Saudi Arabia’s gruesome bombing campaign, sponsored by the United States and Britain, has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and unleashed the largest humanitarian catastrophe on Earth.

West Asia will undoubtedly be the first region to benefit from the diplomatic breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But the geopolitical and economic implications are truly global.

Decades from now, historians will likely look back at this agreement as a watershed moment, reflecting China’s new role on the global stage as a negotiator of peace, symbolizing the end of US unipolar hegemony and the rise of a multipolar world.

(Geopolitical Economy)

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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:28 pm

Missing The Context - U.S. Media Fail To Understand Persian Gulf Diplomacy And Action

There is a lack of ability or lack of willingness in 'western' media and politics to see the world through the eyes of others. This leads to wrong conclusions about certain situations and in consequence to misguided policies.

An example is yesterday's New York Times piece about an recent announcement by the United Arab Emirates:

As Iran Seizes Tankers in Gulf, U.A.E. Pulls Back From U.S.-Led Maritime Force - New York Times - May 31, 2023

The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it had stopped participating in a maritime security force led by the United States, the latest hint of tensions between Washington and key Persian Gulf allies who complain that America has not done enough to protect them from Iranian threats.
The unusual public statement came after Iran seized two commercial tankers in waterways near the Emirates in quick succession over the past two months. The Emirati Foreign Ministry said the country “withdrew its participation” from the Combined Maritime Forces two months ago “as a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners.”

Political analysts say the Emirati statement could be intended as a message to the United States that the country is displeased with the level of American protection for its allies in the Persian Gulf against threats from Iran and must look out for its own interests. Emirati and Saudi officials have repeatedly expressed frustration with U.S. policy toward Iran.


The parts of the above in italics mark the assumptions and miss-conclusions that come with the inability to see the world through the eyes of others. The ignorance of the state of affairs in the Gulf expressed through them is embarrassing.

The reason the UAE officials have given, bold in the above, is easy to understand when one sees the world through their eyes.

What was the last significant measure Emirati and Saudi officials took to "expressed frustration with U.S. policy toward Iran"?

Here is a hint:

Mediated By China Iran And Saudi Arabia Restore Ties - Moon of Alabama - Mar 20, 2023

The Saudis and the UAE, the later of which was never really enthusiastic about fighting Iran, have made their peace with it. They want and need economic development.

They had found that U.S. policies were leading either nowhere or towards a full fledged war in the Gulf which probably would have hurt themselves more than Iran. They therefore no longer want to support U.S. measures designed to express hostility towards Iran.

Here is it straight from the pages of the Tehran Times:

UAE determined to boost relations with Iran: minister - Tehran Times - May 31, 2023

Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, who is a Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), made the remarks during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Tuesday.
The UAE’s minister emphasized Abu Dhabi’s determination to boost relations with the Islamic Republic, the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.
...
“There are no limits to the all-out expansion of relations,” the top Iranian diplomat said, according to a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry at the time.

The two sides stressed the importance of broadening cooperation, including in the private sector.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his part, highlighted the common interests of the two countries in the development of mutual relations in various fields, laying emphasis on various opportunities for joint cooperation.

Regarding the new conditions in the region, he said that in recent weeks, the region is witnessing the strengthening of cooperation, including good relations between Tehran and Riyadh and the new conditions in Syria.

The two sides mutually invited one another for visits to Tehran and Abu Dhabi.


As the UAE (and the Saudis) are intent to build better relations with Iran it would be counterproductive for them to take part in any U.S. led security measure that is intended to take on Iran.

The New York Times interpretation, that the UAE wants more U.S. pressure on Iran, is wrong because it fails to recognize the seriousness of the steps the UAE and the Saudis have taken with Iran. It fails to see the world through their eyes.

We know the Times is wrong because the UAE had said so itself after a similarly wrong report appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

UAE rejects mischaracterisation of US-UAE conversations regarding maritime security - Gulf Today - May 31, 2023

The UAE has rejected the mischaracterisation, in recent press reports, of US-UAE conversations regarding maritime security.
In a statement today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said that the UAE is committed to peaceful dialogue and diplomatic engagement as a means of advancing the shared goals of regional security and stability.

'As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces,” added the statement.

MoFA stressed that the UAE remains committed to responsibly ensuring the safety of navigation in its seas, in accordance with international law.


The "effective security cooperation with all partners" now obviously includes Iran. The renewed relations with Iran are the reason why the UAE stopped taking part in anti-Iranian measures. It comes, as the UAE statement mentions, two months after the Saudis and UAE made peace with Iran.

But what about those two tankers Iran has seized?

Well, the New York Times is of course harping about those two but it forgets to mention a third, earlier seized one which started the whole clash and is the reason for seizing the two later ones.

US confiscates Iran oil cargo on tanker amid Tehran tensions - Arab News/Reuters - Apr 28, 2023

The US confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm.
...
Maritime security company Ambrey said the US confiscation took place at least five days before Iran’s action on Thursday. “Ambrey has assessed the seizure by the Iranian Navy to be in response to the US action,” it said in an advisory to clients.
“Both tankers were Suezmax-sized. Iran has previously responded tit-for-tat following seizures of Iranian oil cargo.”
The sources familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Washington took control of the oil cargo aboard the Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan after securing an earlier court order. The tanker’s last reported position was near southern Africa on April 22, ship tracking data showed.


The tanker Iran-owned oil load the U.S. stole at high sea is currently anchored off Texas. Iran responded by seizing two U.S. related tankers and their load in the Gulf.

It is obvious that this was a tit for tat action as Iran has done this before:

Last year the US tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil near Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf. Greece’s supreme court ordered the cargo returned to Iran. The two Greek tankers were later released.
So here is the real story, the one the UAE based its decision on:

Iran and the UAE have made peace and want to build on that. They want win-win economic relations with each other.

1.The U.S. steals an Iranian tanker load.
2.Iran reacts by seizing two U.S. related tankers.
3.The U.S. revives a U.S.-led maritime security force to push against Iran's tanker seizure.
4.The UAE rejects to take part in the renewed anti-Iranian measure and says so publicly.
5.That is the full context the UAE acted in.

The New York Times however completely ignores the first two issues. Neither UAE-Iran relations nor the tanker the U.S. has seized are mentioned in its piece. It only reports the third and fourth measure to then misinterpret number 5, the step the UAE has taken in consequence of 1 and 2.

The Times writer even finds 'experts' who are as arrogant and ignorant as the herself to support her false assertions.

Think of the bad consequences such misinterpretations might cause when U.S. policy makers, who only digest the New York Times news diet, take action on such basis.

The lesson is that to understand one must see the world through the eyes of others. What information do they have? What is historic context they are living and acting in in? One can only understand what they do and why they do it when one puts oneself mentally into their situation.

Posted by b on June 1, 2023 at 15:20 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/06/m ... .html#more

*******

Water Wars: Drought, Disputes, and Deadly Skirmishes Between Iran and the Taliban
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JUNE 1, 2023
F.M. Shakil

Image

Recent border clashes have escalated tensions to a critical point between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban over Iran’s unfulfilled water rights. Do the Taliban have a deeper motive, and what are their demands?

Long spells of drought in Afghanistan and southeastern Iran have reignited a decades-old dispute between the two countries over the equitable distribution of water from the Helmand River, which originates in the mountains north of Kabul, and flows through much of Afghanistan before emptying into the Sistan wetlands in Iran.

One factor contributing to the dispute is the incomplete Kajaki Dam on the Helmand River, a project initiated by the United States in 1950 that has remained inconclusive despite successive deadlines issued by Washington and aid agency USAID.

But the dam has been “successful” in depriving Iran of its water rights, with the reservoir’s significant water storage capacity leaving very little for Iran’s marshes. The situation worsened between 1998 and 2001, when Taliban officials, during one of the worst droughts in the area, cut off Iran’s access to water via the Kajaki Dam.

As a result, the Hamoun Lake area experienced severe dust storms, exacerbating Iran’s public health crisis. To make ends meet, thousands of people from the Hamoun Lake area were forced to leave for the cities.

Iranian agonies

As Afghanistan’s longest river, the Helmand stretches 1,150 km from the majestic Hindu Kush Mountains to the once-captivating Hamoun Wetlands in Iran’s Sistan Basin, and holds immense significance. It generously provides around 40 percent of the country’s surface water, shaping the livelihoods and ecosystems of the region throughout history.

Once upon a time, this area was a thriving habitat for a diverse array of flora and fauna. But sadly, the construction of numerous dams and canals in Helmand, Nimruz, and Kandahar has gradually dwindled the flow of water, resulting in the near disappearance of the Hamoun lakes and their unique vegetation and species.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, the inauguration of the Kamal Khan Dam by former pro-US Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in March 2021 has posed further challenges for Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province. This dam has also caused harm to the lower Helmand River dam built in Nimruz. As per the provisions of their 1973 agreement, Kamal Khan marks the point where Iran and Afghanistan share the Helmand River’s resources.

Dubbed a diversion dam with a detour road, the Kamal Khan Dam redirects spilled water to Afghanistan’s Gowdzare salt marsh, leaving Iran with a mere trickle from the Helmand’s precious flow. Iran’s Kabul Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi has expressed concern about this water imbalance. Recent negotiations between Iranian officials and the foreign ministry of the Taliban government have revealed that technical issues with the Kamal Khan Dam have led to increased water wastage.

Border skirmishes

On 27 May, despite repeated assurances from Kabul and warnings from Tehran with regards to the latter’s water rights, tensions finally erupted between Iran and the Taliban. The two sides exchanged heavy gunfire on the border resulting in two or three casualties on both sides before matters de-escalated.

Indian-American political scientist and the University of Delaware professor Dr. Muhammad Abdul Muqtedar Khan tells The Cradle that some social media posts showed the Taliban making extensive use of weapons abandoned in Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union, NATO, and most recently, the US, who unceremoniously withdrew its military forces in August 2021.

“American tanks, machineguns, and an obsolete Soviet howitzer measuring in at 122 millimeters (mm) D-30 are among the weapons that the Taliban brought to the Iran-Afghan border. It was as if American and Soviet military hardware were facing off against Iranian troops.”

The border clashes came hours after Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, met with an Iranian envoy to Afghanistan to discuss the Helmand River water-sharing agreement, according to an Afghan foreign ministry official. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency confirmed the meeting and stated that “issues between the two countries will be resolved more effectively through dialogue.”

The source of the problem

The sudden and reckless reaction from Kabul regarding the water rights dispute with Iran can be attributed to several factors, says geopolitical analyst Andrew Korybko. He tells The Cradle that the Taliban’s motivation for engaging in a border clash with Iran can be understood through four key reasons.

First, he argues that the Taliban may believe that such a clash could pressure Iran into publicly recognizing its government as a precondition for negotiating the 1973 agreement. By demonstrating its military prowess, the Taliban aims to strengthen its position and set the stage for future political negotiations.

The second goal may be “to strengthen the Taliban’s grip on the country’s population and factions. A conflict with Iran was meant to appeal to nationalism and ultra-sectarianism.”

Third, “the Afghan-Pakistani border has calmed in recent weeks. This suggests an Afghani agreement or a secret accord may have been reached with Pakistani officials, which is damning for the Taliban’s image at home. Thus, the latest Iran problem may be intended to distract public opinion.”

Fourth, and last, the Taliban may anticipate that their skirmishes with Iran would garner the approval of the US. They hope that such actions would lead to the unfreezing of Afghanistan’s assets and a gradual rapprochement between the Taliban and Washington.

“Given these four goals, the Taliban started this crisis to consolidate control at home and gain international prominence. Iran can only defend itself until the Taliban gives up,” Korybko maintains.

Taliban’s negotiations with Iran

Interestingly, just a week prior to the border clash, the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, assured Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian via phone that the Taliban government would meet its obligations under the 1973 treaty and reaffirmed its intention to resolve all issues through negotiation.

During the call, Amir-Abdollahian raised the issue of Iran’s water rights and warned that Iran’s water share of the Helmand River is a “serious demand” of Tehran that could undermine bilateral relations.

The top Iranian diplomat stressed the need for the full implementation of a 1973 water-sharing treaty between Iran and Afghanistan, under which Iran is annually entitled to receive 820 million cubic meters of water from the Helmand River.

He suggested that a joint technical committee analyze the state of Afghanistan’s water resources, given that due to decades of instability and conflicts in Afghanistan, the 1973 agreement has never been fully implemented.

Dr. Muqtedar Khan explains to The Cradle that drought conditions have persisted in both nations for the past decade:

“Ninety percent of Iran’s population and farmers may have experienced water scarcity. Afghanistan has the same problem. Iran and Afghanistan base their water distribution on the Helmand Water Sharing Agreement of 1973, which is similar to the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan. According to Iran, Afghanistan is breaking the terms of its water sharing deal by not letting water flow to Iran.”

While negotiations between the two sides are ongoing, he says the question remains as to whether the Taliban will stand by the agreements signed by the previous Afghan government or renege on those promises.

“The war euphoria created with battle songs in Kabul and the fiery speeches made by hard-core Taliban militants is, of course, something to be worried about,” he adds.

‘We will conquer Tehran’

Tensions between Kabul and Tehran have reached such a height that Taliban officials have begun making aggressive statements in response to Tehran’s demand for a fair water distribution formula. General Mobeen, a member associated with the influential Haqqani network and spokesman for the Kabul security department, was quoted by local news outlet Afghanistan International, stating, “For every 10 liters of water, we need 20 liters of fuel from Iran. Iran owes us 75 billion US dollars for the water that flowed into Iran over the past 40 years.”

Online supporters of the Taliban have also contributed to the heated rhetoric on social media, recently sharing a song and video urging Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob – Afghanistan’s acting defense minister and son of the Taliban’s late founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar – to confront Iran.

The song emphasizes the necessity of standing up to the Islamic Republic, boldly proclaiming:

“We are a government; we have power … If we do not stand up to Iran, we will not be the government of the country, says our leader, Mullah Yaqoob. Our commander, Mullah Yaqoob, will stand up to Iran because we are not slaves.”

It is worth noting that even Taliban factions that had significant differences with the Taliban leadership have now emerged to issue threats against Iran. Abdul Hamid Khorasani, a former deputy police chief for central Panjsher province who faced allegations of murder, extortions, hostage-taking, and drug smuggling, released a video message that quickly went viral on social media.

In his message, Khorasani warned Iran not to underestimate the Taliban’s power, stating, “You are behind the curtain with the westerners; we are real Muslims; if the elders of the Islamic Emirates allow us, we will conquer Tehran.”

However, London-based Arabic daily Rai al-Youm warns of a sectarian agenda behind the new, escalatory rhetoric surrounding the water dispute. A 28 May editorial notes the dissatisfaction of certain external parties over the groundbreaking Iran-Saudi rapprochement, which has effectively sidelined negative Sunni-Shia narratives in the region, saying:

“The United States was defeated and lost more than two trillion dollars after twenty years of occupying Afghanistan. It now wants to retaliate by igniting a sectarian war between the Taliban Movement and its most dangerous enemy, Iran. Sadly, there are some Arab parties and even countries that support this blood-ridden scenario from behind the scene.”

Prioritizing water security

Water disputes between Iran and Afghanistan have a long history, dating back to the British rule of Afghanistan in the 1870s. During that time, a British officer demarcated the Iran-Afghanistan border at the main branch of the Helmand River.

Efforts to resolve the conflict began in 1939 when Reza Shah Pahlavi’s government in Iran and Mohammad Zahir Shah’s government in Afghanistan reached a convention on the distribution of the river’s waters. However, the Afghan government did not ratify this agreement.

In 1948, a new attempt to settle the water dispute took place in Washington. Iran and Afghanistan appointed a three-person commission to investigate the matter and provide recommendations, based on an American proposal. The Helmand River Delta Commission published its report on 28 February, 1951, proposing that Iran’s share of the Helmand waters should be twenty-two cubic meters per second.

A significant breakthrough was achieved in 1973 when Iranian Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveida and his Afghani counterpart Mohammad Musa Shafiq signed an agreement allowing for the transfer of 22 cubic meters of water per second from Afghanistan to Iran. It also offered the potential for Iran to receive an additional 4 cubic meters per second during “normal” water years. In return, Iran granted Afghanistan access to the ports of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar without further requirements.

However, various political and security circumstances in both countries hindered the ratification and full implementation of the agreement: The 1973 Afghanistan coup d’etat, the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, and the subsequent rise of the Taliban in 1995.

The water dispute between Iran and Afghanistan persists, driven by a combination of geopolitical, and internal factors. De-escalation and diplomacy should be prioritized, as they serve the interests of both countries in reaching a mutually beneficial solution.

Kabul should also acknowledge Tehran’s recent statement expressing non-recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate as a warning of more serious consequences if Iran’s water security continues to be undermined and disregarded.

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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Mon Oct 30, 2023 1:48 pm

OCTOBER 27, 2023 BY M. K. BHADRAKUMAR
US diplomacy lost traction in Middle East. Isolating Iran no longer possible.

Image
Russia’s Dy Foreign Minister & Special Envoy Mikhail Bogdanov (C) held talks with Iran’s Dy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Hamas’ head of International Relations Mousa Marzouk, Moscow, Oct. 26, 2023

The US President Joe Biden is convinced that one of the reasons why Hamas launched the attack on Israel was because of the announcement during the G20 Summit in New Delhi on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor . But he also admitted that this reading was based purely on his instinct and he did not have any proof for it.

Biden’s motivation in saying so lies in the US’ desperate need to reclaim its leadership role in the Muslim Middle East. The two most compelling realities rejecting the American leadership are: one, a strong united regional solidarity cutting across sectarian divides to seek a settlement on Palestine, like at no time before, and, two, the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.

The latest developments involving Hamas and Israel undermined the US efforts to persuade Saudi Arabia to recognise Israel. No doubt, the Saudi stance on the Palestine problem has hardened. Biden reached out to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday in an attempt to create as much convergence as possible between Washington and Riyadh.

But the White House readout shows that a critical mass remained elusive; even as the two leaders agreed on generalities, they couldn’t agree on the all-important specific issue of an urgent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

This profound disagreement is also reflected in the UN Security Council where the United Arab Emirates supported the Russian draft resolution, which called for “an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian ceasefire”, but opposed the US draft resolution, which was evasive on ending the fighting and instead harped on Israel’s right to self-defence.

A joint statement on Thursday signed by the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza Strip. In an admonition to the US and Israel, the statement stated, “The right to self-defence by the United Nations Charter does not justify blatant violations of humanitarian and international law.”

Looking ahead, the big question is about American intention. Is it muscle-flexing or a hidden plot to create facts on the ground that can be seized as casus belli to launch an offensive against Iran, which has been a longstanding project of the neoconservatives dominating the US foreign policy discourses?

Biden declared at a press conference in the White House on Wednesday that he had warned Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that if Tehran continued to “move against” US forces in the region, Washington would respond.

To quote Biden, “My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond. And he should be prepared. It has nothing to do with Israel.” (Biden was referring to growing attacks on American bases in Iraq and Syria.)

The political deputy at the Iranian president’s office, Mohammad Jamshidi has since countered Biden’s remark, saying, “The US messages were neither directed to the leader of the Islamic Revolution nor were they anything but requests from the Iranian side. If Biden thinks he has warned Iran, he should ask his team to show him the text of the messages.”

Hours later, when asked to clarify, the US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby parried, “There was a direct message relayed. That’s as far as I’m going to go.” Conceivably, the recent attacks by militant groups in Syria and Iraq pose a headache to Biden in domestic politics. Reportedly, some two dozen US servicemen have been injured and one military contractor killed so far. There are roughly 2,500 American troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria.

Possibly, Biden was grandstanding. That is not something unusual in US-Iran standoffs. But more likely, the US hopes to nudge Iran to rein in the free-wheeling militia groups in Syria and Iraq from exacerbating the situation.

Iran is on the same page as China and Russia and the Arab States in calling for an immediate ceasefire so that conditions are available for diplomacy to meaningfully tackle the Palestine problem. They stand for a 2-state solution. Ironically, the US also claims it supports a two-state solution.

This is what Biden stated at a press conference in the White House yesterday, reading out of a prepared text: “Israel has the right and, I would add, responsibility to respond to the slaughter of their people. And we will ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against these terrorists. That’s a guarantee…

“But that does not lessen the need for — to operate and align with the laws of war for Israeli — it has to do everything in its power — Israel has to do everything in its power, as difficult as it is, to protect innocent civilians …

“I also want to take a moment to look ahead toward the future that we seek. Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity, and peace. And there’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on October the 6th …

“It also means that when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution. It means a concentrated effort from all the parties — Israelis, Palestinians, regional partners, global leaders — to put us on a path toward peace.”

Do these words sound as if Biden is preparing for a war with Iran? For the first time, perhaps, there is a ray of hope that the US will no longer work around the Palestine problem. The bottom line, as the deliberations at the UN Security Council also testify, is that all responsible powers understand that the Middle East continues to be the centre of gravity in world politics and a conflagration in the region could easily turn into a world war. And none of the big powers wants such an apocalyptic outcome.

That said, while the US still has unrivalled power in the Middle East, its influence has diminished, as new realities emerged:

*Israel has grown more powerful militarily and economically vis-a-vis Palestinians, but no longer enjoys regional dominance.
*Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two dominant powers in the Middle East, are increasingly asserting their own interests.
*China, although a relatively new player, is no longer confining itself to economic diplomacy.
*US has lost the capacity to leverage the world oil market, as Russia works closely with Saudi Arabia within the ambit of OPEC+ to calibrate oil production level and prices.
*Consequently, petrodollar is weakening.
*The Abraham Accords have been shelved practically.
*The Arab-Israeli conflict has assumed new dimensions in the recent years, thanks to the ascendance of the axis of resistance, which require new postures and operational thinking on the part of the US.
*Israeli politics has swung sharply to extreme right.
*The global environment is highly complicated; the peace process can no longer be under US mentorship. On Thursday, Russia hosted a trilateral meeting in Moscow with Iran’s deputy foreign minister and a Hamas delegation. Later, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, announced that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas “will soon arrive on an official visit” to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an all-out war with Iran, the US will take heavy casualties and the state of Israel may face destruction. Indeed, Iran may opt for nuclear deterrent capability. It is a near-certainty that a US-Iran war will turn into a world war. Clearly, war is not an option.

There is high risk, therefore, in an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. If Israel gets bogged down in Gaza, which by no means cannot be ruled out, there is a high possibility that Hezbollah may open a second front. And that, in turn, can trigger a chain reaction that may spin out of control. Herein lies the danger if a ceasefire is not agreed upon early enough in the conflict.

https://www.indianpunchline.com/us-dipl ... -possible/

It should be noted that both principles have effectively shelved the two state solution. I could see a two state solution which would depend upon an effective Hamas victory(very possible), magnanimity on the Palestinian part and humility on the Israeli part.(good luck!) It might require:

*Return to 1967 border..
*A corridor linking Gaza with the West Bank across southern 'Israel'. This would include the Red Sea port formerly known as Akaba.
*Compensation for Palestine provided by the West.
*De-militarization of both parties.
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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Wed Jan 03, 2024 2:38 pm

Soldier of the Motherland
January 2, 22:47

Image

Iranian article on the anniversary of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani.

Soldier of the Motherland

He was neither an aristocrat nor a member of a special class of society, although The Guardian newspaper wrote about him: “He is the smart general of the region” and described him in such phrases as “He is the sword of Iran in the west”, “A general who is extremely silent and able to repel any American operations in Asia,” and the Western media portrays him as a “shadow commander,” but in his will he asked that his grave be inscribed simply with the following: “Soldier, Qassem Soleimani.”

How Hajj Qasem Soleimani became one of the most influential political and military figures of the modern period, what bitter, sweet, and sometimes attractive ups and downs his life had, is something that many definitely want to hear and know about. But, perhaps, few people know that the roots of Hajj Kasem’s personal qualities, especially his courage, which everyone learned and talk about, and which always caused fear among enemies, were laid in his childhood, in a remote and poor village, but next to a good and religious family. In this series of programs we intend to tell you some of these ups and downs. Stay with us.

Qassem was born into a religious family on 1 Farvardin 1335 (March 21, 1956) near the village of Kanat Malek in the village of Rabor, Kerman province. He himself says in his memoirs: “I loved the coming of spring; our winter was very harsh. We dressed without any underwear, a plastic shirt, which we called “wash and wear,” which was sewn by Karamat’s wife Iran-Khanum. Sometimes, because of the cold, we took an overnight tent or my mother’s veil with us.

Mom tightly wrapped her saffron around my head so that, as she said, the wind would not blow into my ears. We constantly ground our teeth from the cold; in winter, my mother gave us dried food, similar to boiled turnips, which was hard as stone. It took us half a day to chew this turnip.

It was a difficult time, there were cold and snowy winters in those years, my brothers and sisters and I dug, cooked and ate potatoes under the fire. I remember my father bought a pair of rubber boots for the winter, but the snow was above the waist, and the boots did not help. In addition, since they were rubber, their feet froze even more. The school heater was like my mother’s stove, it united us all around it, as if we wanted to hug this fiery stove.

My father was a man who said prayers. Perhaps at that time namaz was read by a small circle of people. But my father was very strict about performing namaz immediately after adhan. He knew the time of morning prayer by the star and afternoon prayer by the shadow. Just as my father was committed to salat, he was also committed to giving up haram (forbidden things). Our whole tribe knew him well. I can be proud that haram did not enter my father’s life, even in the amount of one grain of wheat.”

Kasim was a fearless child. He wrote in his notes: “I remember myself when I was a 10-year-old child. It was summer and school was closed. It was harvest season. My father had a dangerous bull whose horns everyone was afraid of. But I rode this bull 15 kilometers to get to my aunt’s house. The proud bull did not want to obey and hit my little legs with his head, but I rode through this desert alone on this dangerous animal, and reached my aunt’s village."

Yes! That’s how, from childhood, fear had no meaning for him.

He was the great-grandson of nobles from the Fars region, who participated in the campaign to India with Nadir Shah Afshar and upon their return settled in Kerman.

Qassem contracted rubella at a young age, but was able to recover from the disease. His childhood was spent in constant migrations between the warm and cold regions of the province of Kerman and in the form of a nomadic life. He began to study in the village of Kanat Malek and at the same time helped his father in agriculture and animal husbandry.

From childhood, Kasem tried to help everyone. He cared very much about his family. Living conditions at that time were very difficult, to the point that even wheat bread was difficult to prepare, and people made a living from barley and even millet bread, and sometimes from picking vegetables in the fields in spring and summer.Early in his youth, he realized that his father was in debt to the rural cooperative bank, so he decided to go to the city Kerman and work to pay off his father's debt and keep him out of prison. 13-year-old Qassem went to Kerman in search of work, but due to his thin stature, no one was able to hire him, and in the end, through begging and crying, he was able to work as a laborer in an unfinished building. After some time, he became a hotel employee in Kerman and after five months he sent his entire salary, amounting to a thousand tomans, to his father so that he could pay his debt.

Kasem's first trip to Kerman lasted 9 months. On the next trip, the entrance to the zurkhana was opened for him. After working at the hotel, he usually either studied or went to zurkhana and played sports. When the first karate school was created in Kerman, he was one of the first to go there and, at the same time as working and studying, he continued professional sports up to bodybuilding. Haj Qasim says in his memoirs: “I started playing sports, first I went to Zurkhan Atai, then to Zurkhan Jahan, the sports and religious beliefs that my parents passed on to me led to the fact that despite the seriousness of corruption in society, I did not approached her. In 1355 (1977), at the suggestion of my friend, Ahmed, I visited the Qaem Mosque where Mr. Haghighi taught the Holy Qur'an. His words greatly influenced me, and gradually a spirit and religious fanaticism was formed in me.”

His brother Sohrab Soleimani says: “Qassem was forced to return to Kerman to solve economic problems, but he loved his parents and tried not to neglect the situation of his relatives and parents, despite his busy work schedule. He visited his parents whenever possible and showed them special respect. He always kissed the hands of his father and mother and believed that one of the reasons why God dedicated his life to serving Islam, Muslims and the oppressed of the world was because of the prayers of his father and mother, their halal food and their religiosity.”

After receiving his diploma, Kasem began working as a contractor at the Kerman Water Office. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1357 (1979), while also working as a contractor for the Kerman Water Office, he became an honorary member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Kerman. Before the start of the Holy Defense and the revolt in Kurdistan, he went to the western regions of the country. During the Islamic Revolution in Iran, he met a cleric from Mashhad named Reza Kamyab, who introduced him to revolutionary movements. Although the assassination of Kamyab in 1360 by "Munafiqin" ended his friendship with Qasim Soleimani, this short-lived friendship allowed Qasim to meet another cleric from Mashhad, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, an acquaintance that made him more determined to serve as a soldier of his homeland .

The life story of Hajj Qassem, as a resident of a remote village in Kerman who reached the peak of prosperity and empowerment after life's difficulties and then entered the University of the Holy Defense, is a perfect example of a hero who was able to overcome obstacles and problems in the course of his life, and thanks to serious With determination and firm faith he achieved the high position of a noble Muslim.

https://parstoday.ir/ru/radio/iran-i195362 - zinc

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8869635.html

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Mumbai Organizations Honor Soleimani Martyrdom Anniversary

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An event in memory of Qasem Soleimani and their comrades, 2024. | Photo: Hashim Reza

Published 2 January 2024 (20 hours 34 minutes ago)

This tribute highlights the legacy of those martyrs who fought for justice and peace.

Until January 7, the Yaad e Shohada Program will hold solemn events on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Qasem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi Al Mohandes and their comrades.

Their purpose of these events is to commemorate the sacrifices that respected individuals made in the name of justice and peace.

The programme took place throughout a broad range of Mumbai's neighbourhoods, in places including Andheri, Dongri, Jogeshwari, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Ambivali, Mira Road, Mumbra, and Kurla. These venues ensured that the message of reflection and remembering was felt throughout the city by providing a wide platform for the event.

Prominent speakers graced the occasion, offering wisdom and insights that deepened the remembrance. Maulana Syed Mohammed Askari of Delhi, Maulana Hasnain Rizvi Kararvi of Mira Road, Maulana Najeeb ul Hasan of Mumbai, Maulana Abid Rizvi of Jogeshwari, and Maulana Kamaal Ahmed Khan of Mumbra comprised the esteemed panel of speakers.


Every speaker contributed a distinct viewpoint, enhancing the occasion with their extensive expertise and sincere contemplations on the selfless acts of the martyrs.

Through the successful fostering of unity and remembering, the programme brought together individuals from many backgrounds.

Participants in the events engaged in prayers, dialogues, and memorials, highlighting the significance of group commemoration and the martyrs' ongoing legacy.

The Yaad e Shohada Program indicated that the success of the tribute to Qasem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi Al Mohandes and their comrades was determined by the participation and commitment of the community, as well as the variety of sites it covered.

All of those present were imbued with a sense of fortitude and dedication to justice by the martyrs' legacy, which never stops inspiring and uniting people.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Mum ... -0010.html

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Two terrorist attacks in Kerman, Iran, leave at least 103 dead and 170 injured

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The explosions occurred in the vicinity of the Kerman Martyrs' Cemetery. | Photo: IRNA
Published January 3, 2024

The authorities reported two explosions and linked the incident to terrorism.

The Iranian Emergency Organization reported this Wednesday that at least 103 people were killed and another 170 were injured as a result of two explosions in the city of Kerman, southeast of that Central Asian nation.

The entity reported that all the injured have been transferred to hospitals, some of them in critical condition, so the number of fatalities could increase in the coming hours.

The explosions occurred near the Kerman Martyrs Cemetery, where tens of thousands of people gathered to pay tribute to the martyred counterterrorism commander, General Qasem Soleimani, on the fourth anniversary of his assassination, ordered by the Donald Trump Administration (2017- 2021).

Kerman deputy security governor Rahman Jalali confirmed that the explosions are related to terrorism.

According to press reports, the first explosion occurred at 2:50 p.m. local time, approximately 700 meters from the tomb of Soleimani, who when he died commanded the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. The second explosion took place 15 minutes later, about a kilometer away.

Local authorities deployed rescue teams to assist the victims and confirmed that the situation is currently under control.

Soleimani was assassinated on January 3, 2020 near the international airport in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. Along with him, the second in command of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) of Iraq, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and other Iranian and Iraqi comrades lost their lives.

The assassination, carried out via drones, was expressly ordered by former President Trump.

Soleimani and Al-Muhandis played a relevant role in the anti-terrorist fight throughout the Middle East, and in particular in Iraq and Syria, as they faced the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also Daesh or ISIS).

During a meeting with the family of the martyred commander, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei, expressed that his most important service was "the revitalization of the Axis of Resistance in Western Asia."

Furthermore, he linked the feat of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip, after resisting the Zionist siege for almost three months, with Soleimani's work to articulate and strengthen said Axis.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/iran-ant ... -0016.html

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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Mon Jan 08, 2024 3:10 pm

Who wants war with Iran?

War hawks in the USA are obsessed with the idea that ‘taking out’ Iran will destroy the Axis of Resistance. They are dead wrong.
Proletarian writers

Sunday 7 January 2024

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Used to their own world of bought-and-paid-for fascistic proxies, the warmongers in the west are incapable of understanding the nature of the bonds of struggle and brotherhood, blood and solidarity that the real glue that binds the various strands of middle-eastern anti-imperialist resistance into an increasingly united front. Acting separately, they nevertheless support and learn from one another in their common struggle against the same enemy.

John Bolton, erstwhile US national security advisor (and neocon blowhard for all seasons, in or out of office) wrote an article in the Telegraph newspaper shortly after Christmas.

The article lambasted the inaction of the Biden administration over attacks on Israel-affiliated shipping, accusing it of “ignoring the reality of who is calling the shots in this conflict” (supposedly Iran), and claiming that “only if Israel, America, Britain, and others show they possess the resolve and capability to impose significant costs on Iran, as punishment for its aggression, will they persuade the ayatollahs that proceeding further will bring them intolerable pain. Very likely, only direct military force, applied against critical targets inside Iran, will impose such costs.” (The West may now have no option but to attack Iran, 28 December 2023)

What appears to have slipped Bolton’s mind is the disastrous outcome of every other such effort to ‘punish’ US enemies into compliance with imperialist diktat, be it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen or Russia. Nowhere has the imposition of any amount of ‘intolerable pain’ on US enemies succeeded in installing a stable comprador government fit to undertake the sisyphean task of shoring up US hegemony and reversing US decline – or, in his own words, “overthrowing the mullahs” and “replacing them with some other form of government that enjoys the support of Iran’s citizenry [!], is central to decreasing insecurity throughout the middle east”.

Instead, the more the USA, Nato and imperialism’s proxy forces have piled on the truly ‘intolerable pain’, the less willing have their targets been to tolerate this treatment and the more willing to find new and innovative ways of striking back at their tormentors, sharing a common interest with millions of other oppressed and exploited peoples. So it is that the agony of zionist oppression visited on the heads of the people of Gaza has not only resulted in their own most heroic uprising but has also swept the middle east with an unstoppable tidal wave of solidarity with that struggle.

That is why the national naval forces of Yemen, misleadingly dubbed as “Houthi rebels”, have been running circles around Israel-affiliated shipping, opening fire on and occupying boats blockading Israel and forcing the rest of the ‘international community’ to wake up to the new reality that turning a blind eye to the ongoing genocide now has material consequences.

Bolton makes a meal out of a statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps correctly hailing the Al-Aqsa Flood operation as “one of the acts of revenge for the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani by the USA and the zionists”. Desperate for a casus belli against Iran, Bolton pretends that this supposed “gaffe” reveals that Tehran is pulling all the strings and is paying all strands of the resistance.

Contrary to Bolton’s lies, the richly deserved solidarity pledges and actions that are now strengthening the anti-imperialist cause globally are not a put-up job paid for by evil puppet masters in Tehran. Nobody had to fund the Yemeni comrades to carry out their brilliant solidarity work in the Red Sea.

Nobody had to pay Hamas and the other Palestinian resistance forces, so intimately integrated with Palestinian society, to fight to the death to defend their people. Nobody needed to pay Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Army or the Iraqi resistance brigades to come out in support of Palestine. It is the imperialists who dig their own graves deeper with every new frantic attempt to bury the resistance.

If we want a genuine example of a foreign power bankrolling a terrorist group to commit heinous atrocities, we should rather look to Washington’s proxies in the Islamic State (Isis).

“Isis has claimed responsibility for the deadly twin blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani in southern Iran. At least 84 people were killed and 284 injured in the blasts on Wednesday, state-run news agency IRNA reported, in what was the deadliest attack in Iran since its 1979 revolution.

“Isis media wing Al-Furqan issued a statement on Thursday – more than 24 hours after the explosions – claiming two suicide bombers, who are brothers, had detonated their explosive vests as mourners gathered for the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani near his grave in his hometown of Kerman.” (Isis claims responsibility for deadliest attack in Iran since 1979 revolution by Eyad Kourdi and Jennifer Deaton, CNN, 5 January 2024)

This barbaric atrocity would seem to indicate that John Bolton, clutching his dogeared regime-change playbook to his chest, is not alone in pushing for war with Iran. But should his hawkish line gain serious traction in ruling circles, the endgame for US imperialism could arrive even sooner than anticipated.

https://thecommunists.org/2024/01/07/ne ... with-iran/

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Iran Arrests all Those Involved in Attacks in Kerman City

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The explosions left 89 people dead, including 76 Iranians and 13 Afghans, dead and 286 others wounded, some of them in critical condition. | Photo: IRNA/EFE

Published 7 January 2024 (21 hours 44 minutes ago)

The terrorist group Islamic State, also known as Daesh, claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks in Kerman.

All the terrorists involved in the recent deadly attack on the city of Kerman, in southeastern Iran, have been arrested, said city prosecutor Mehdi Bakhshi, who revealed the information in a televised interview on Saturday, three days after the terrorist attack.

"Thirty-two people have been arrested in [connection with] Kerman’s crime [terrorist] case and are going through preliminary interrogations," he said, quoted by IRNA.

In addition, the judicial official added, "16 bombs have been discovered throughout the province of Kerman" whose explosive power exceeded that of the suicide vests used in Wednesday’s attack.

The terrorist attacks, claimed by the US-backed Daesh Takfiri group, were carried out near the burial site of Iran’s late anti-terrorist commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, during a ceremony commemorating the fourth anniversary of his martyrdom.


The terrorist group Islamic State, also known as Daesh, claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks in Kerman. The explosions left 89 people dead, including 76 Iranians and 13 Afghans, dead and 286 others wounded, some of them in critical condition.

The prosecutor noted that the province faced a large number of threats during the anniversary of General Soleimani’s martyrdom this year, amid reports of possible terrorist attacks by ISIS and the anti-Iranian terrorist sect Mujahedin-e-Khalq.

The terrorists' hideouts have also uncovered operational equipment, including two explosive vests: "Therefore, the whole province mobilized" to counter possible threats, he said.

Bakhshi dismissed accusations that this year’s anniversary did not have as many security precautions as the previous year; and stated that this year’s event was marked by more preventive security measures and more security forces were deployed, in addition to the extensive use of thermal cameras and surveillance drones.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ira ... -0002.html
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Re: Iran

Post by blindpig » Thu Jan 18, 2024 3:28 pm

The Optics & Timing Of Iran’s Strikes In Pakistan Are More Important Than The Military Impact

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ANDREW KORYBKO
JAN 17, 2024

The impression that Iran regards Pakistan as a serious security threat on par with the Israeli spy base in Iraq and ISIS ones in Syria that it also struck in sequence. With all three taking place as the latest Israeli-Hamas war escalates into a regional proxy war between Israel-US and Iran, the innuendo is that Pakistan is aligned with them against Tehran, which could turn the whole Global South against Islamabad.

Iran launched several drone and missile attacks against Jaish al-Adl (JAA) terrorist bases in the Pakistani border region of Balochistan on Tuesday as retaliation for that group’s attack last month against a police station in Iran’s border region of Sistan & Baluchestan province that killed 11 officers at the time. This came shortly after it also struck an purported Israeli spy base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and ISIS ones in Syria in what represented Iran’s most regionally diverse anti-terrorist operation ever.

Pakistan reacted by condemning “the unprovoked violation of its airspace” that allegedly killed two kids and injured three girls, warning that it “can have serious consequences” that “will lie squarely with Iran.” They also added that “It is even more concerning that this illegal act has taken place despite the existence of several channels of communication between Pakistan and Iran.” Quite clearly, Pakistan regards Iran’s strikes as a breach of bilateral trust, but Tehran has its own side to this story.

From the Islamic Republic’s perspective, it might not have been an unlucky coincidence that last month’s terrorist attack by JAA occurred at the same time as Pakistani Chief Of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir’s trip to the US, which confirmed the long-running suspected rapprochement in Pakistani-US ties. April 2022’s post-modern coup against former Prime Minister Imran Khan is considered by many observers to have resulted in the reassertion of American hegemony over Pakistan in the nearly two years since then.

Despite that, Iran still sought to retain and expand pragmatic ties with Pakistan, especially due to the fact that they’re fellow Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) members and Iran just became a full-fledged member of the SCO last year in which Pakistan has participated in the same capacity since 2017. To that end, these two tried jointly managing shared problems with terrorist-designated groups like JAA and the “Balochistan Liberation Army” (BLA) within the broader Balochistan subregion between them.

Each had traditionally accused the other of weaponizing such groups against them whether as part of their own security dilemma that’s been in place since 1979, for suspected sectarian reasons, and/or at the behest of India and the US as regards Iran and Pakistan respectively. Referencing these allegations isn’t intended to lend credence to them but simply to inform the reader of the background to the latest developments. This is arguably the most sensitive issue in bilateral relations and has been for a while.

The military impact of Iran’s anti-JAA strikes in Pakistan is much less important than the optics and timing, however, since the latter two create the impression that Tehran regards its neighbor as a serious security threat on par with the Israeli spy base in Iraq and ISIS ones in Syria that it also struck in sequence. With all three taking place as the latest Israeli-Hamas war escalates into a regional proxy war between Israel-US and Iran, the innuendo is that Pakistan is aligned with them against Tehran.

Nevertheless, Iran would have tried to address Pakistani-emanating terrorist threats through diplomacy before resorting to unilateral military action, which suggests that such efforts failed or were deemed insufficient in terms of whatever Islamabad promised to do or claimed to have already done. Iranian policymakers would have only acted as they did if they felt that Pakistan was unable or unwilling to ensure their country’s legitimate security interests and that the terrorist threat was still growing.

After all, it’s no small matter that Iran just unilaterally struck a nuclear-armed “Major Non-NATO Ally” (MNNA) of the US and fellow ECO-SCO member in spite of “the existence of several channels of communication” between them for addressing this issue, so this decision wouldn’t have been made lightly. Iran knew that it would implicate Pakistan in the eyes of the Global South as a “rogue state” that might even be operating as an American proxy in support of Israel’s Hybrid War on Iran.

From the domestic Pakistani perspective, these strikes might appear to discredit the armed forces, which were unable to deter or intercept them due to perceived incompetence and/or misplaced priorities in cracking down on former Prime Minister Khan’s PTI opposition party over nearly the past two years. Whatever the reason may be for why Pakistan couldn’t deter or intercept these strikes, the public might agitate for a response in order to uphold their country’s integrity, thus risking a dangerous escalation.

Any reciprocal strikes against Islamabad-designated terrorists-separatists inside Iran could be presented by Tehran as a false pretext for the Israeli-US duopoly to conventionally attack it by proxy, even if Pakistan only strikes uninhabited areas, whether unilaterally or after tipping Iran off ahead of time. The Global South is more likely to sympathize with Iran than with Pakistan if forced to choose between them since the first supports Palestine like the majority of the world does while the latter is a MNNA of the US.

A larger Iranian-Pakistani war is unlikely however since the latter would risk leaving itself open to a large-scale offensive by Afghan-based and Islamabad-designated TTP terrorists. India could also be enticed to strike Pakistani-based and Delhi-designated terrorists-separatists like it previously did a few times over the past decade but which Islamabad consistently denied. Pakistan might provoke a nuclear standoff in the second scenario, however, so the first is more likely since it can’t do the same if the TTP attacks it.

Looking forward, Iranian-Pakistani ties might take a long time to recover after what just happened, with the timeframe being pushed even further back in the event that Pakistan opportunistically seeks more military support from the US against Iran. The ideal scenario would be for the armed forces to prioritize anti-terrorist operations against JAA, but they don’t seem interested in that and might have even let this threat fester precisely to provoke an Iranian strike for the purpose of requesting more aid from America.

https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-opti ... ns-strikes

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Iran’s Missile Strikes Send an Important Message to the World

Declan Hayes

January 17, 2024

Iran’s recent pinpoint ballistic missile strikes on ISIS-occupied Pakistan, Kurdish occupied Iraq and Turkish occupied Syria send clear messages NATO ignores at its peril.

Iran’s recent pinpoint ballistic missile strikes on ISIS-occupied Pakistan, Kurdish occupied Iraq and Turkish occupied Syria send clear messages NATO ignores at its peril. That message is that Iran has a huge stockpile of top shelf missiles that can destroy, with pinpoint accuracy, targets as far away as Tel Aviv which, as numerous billboards in Tehran attest, is only 400 seconds, or less than seven minutes, away by supersonic missile.

NATO should listen to Iran. But then, NATO never listens. It certainly didn’t listen to the rumblings in Iran before the Shah and his Peacock Throne got their marching orders in 1979. Even now, over 40 years after those events, NATO does not listen or even analyse how MI6’s puppet Peacock Throne got overthrown. Talk about NATO having its head up its own backside!

I have met charming young Iranian women whose grandfathers were generals in SAVAK, the Pahlavi dynasty’s notorious secret police, and I have smirked surreptitiously to myself as they lamented the passing of those halcyon days when the Shah ruled the roost and the vast majority of Iranians subsisted by the grace of God and little else. And, looking at those anorexic women, I know they have lived their lives in gilded cages, like pathetic and somewhat redundant princesses in an Oscar Wilde fable. But, given that wrestling is Iran’s national sport, I know better than to extrapolate their views or physiques onto the Iranian masses as a whole.

Although we hear a lot about MI6’s 1953 Iranian coup, we hear precious little of MI6’s 1921 coup or of the 1901 D’arcy oil concession, which was a continuation of Albion’s policy of bleeding Iran dry and leaving the Persian masses with, at most, crumbs to subsist on. MI6’s policy towards Persia has been the same devious one it used to create a vast number of other client states following the Versailles Treaty, the deadly consequences of which we are still living with in arenas as diverse as the Ukrainian Borderlands, the Horn of Africa and Mesopotamia itself, the land where life and civilisation itself began.

The long term singularity of Iran’s 1979 Revolution is that it is now inter-generational and, unlike the gangsters of “Kurdistan” or the IRA, the Iranian military have not only stayed with the Islamic program of resistance but have exported it to Lebanon, Yemen and a number of other equally colourful destinations. If they are the cubs, then Iran is the lion, whose tail you should be extremely loath to tweak.

But NATO do not do caution. They go in, as we repeatedly see, with guns, planes and ships blazing and to hell with their victims or, for that matter, with any modicum of civility or civilisation. Send in the marines and keep them stoked up on Coca Cola, Big Macs and little children to augment their kill count.

The Iranians have taken enough and, with those missiles, Iran has signalled that its patience has limits, not only regarding Iran itself but also with regard to Gaza, Lebanon and Mesopotamia, from which MI6 have carved a number of fake statelets, the most recent of which is oil rich Kurdistan which, despite its vast oil wealth, is so corrupt that most try to flee Barzani’s greedy clutches.

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

If your schedule ever allows it, go watch Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, the 1962 American psychological horror thriller film starring the wonderful Bette Davis and the equally wonderful Joan Crawford, about an ageing former child star tormenting her paraplegic sister, a former movie star, in an old Hollywood mansion. When I see Savak’s scions or, indeed, Clown Prince Zelensky and that Ursula von der Leyen idiot expound on military matters at Davos, those wonderful Hollywood actresses come to mind.

As does Macbeth’s famous speech on the passing of Lady Macbeth. But, whereas Macbeth, whatever his faults, had the stomach for what lay ahead, Zelensky, von der Leyen and the other lily-livered Baby Janes will, when their time comes, run, Forest, run, like the Great Shah did, first to Egypt and thence to the jungles of Panama, with some very irate Iranians hot on his heels.

Today’s Iran aligned militia see their lives as something more precious than the gloomy picture Macbeth painted. Though the theologians amongst them have their own doctrinaire take on how the world should run, their legions of foot soldiers see themselves, not without justification, as fighting the same defensive rearguard action their ancestors have been fighting since Karbala in 680 AD.

Instead of trying to come to grips with Iran’s global and historical takes, NATO’s Baby Janes can only ever resort to their stock, one size solution of blasting the world to smithereens with “the help of God and a few marines”. Former John McCain sidekick, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee Christian Brose spells all this out in The Kill Chain, which explains how America “can apply advanced technologies to prevent war, deter aggression, and maintain peace”, by getting its kill chain in order and, as the Center for Strategic & International Studies advisss, constantly replenishing NATO’s arms cabinet with ever more lethal weapons of mass destruction.

All very well but the Iranians have not spent the last 40 years watching reruns of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Starting with The War of the Cities, they have developed their drone and missile technology to such an extent that they and their Yemeni and Lebanese chums are no pushovers. And, as much of that development has been done with allies from North Korea and China, they are further variables NATO and MI6 must factor into their crayon and colouring book calculations.

Certainly, when the Iranians really take the gloves off, I hope I am not sitting in Mossad’s Tel Aviv HQ or their sub offices in Erbil or anywhere else for that matter unless I have my affairs in order. Iran’s missiles have signified not only that the Islamic Republic will not go down without a fight but that that fight will be, as the late Saddam Hussein might have put it, the mother of all missile and drone fights that NATO would be well advised to avoid.

Towards a New Versailles & Westphalia

Given that Iran has signalled that it can play both hard and soft, those outside of the NATO alliance who wish to avoid Armageddon should take heed and start building bridges to peace. Those bridges include making Iran and its allies militarily sufficiently robust that attacking them is not worth the candle. Next, sustained paths to economic freedom must be laid for Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and other countries currently dependent in whole or in part on Iran’s security umbrella.

Regarding Israel and Palestine, there must be an urgent rethink there where, for example, Israel agrees to surrender its weapons of mass destruction in exchange for the safe passage of its citizens to Britain, France, Argentina and the United States. The future of MI6’s Gulf States, likewise, should be open to negotiation so that Palestinian, Iraqi and Syrian children might actually have enough to eat and enjoy some semblance of childhood.

There is a lot then even in those basic demands to discuss and agree upon by Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and whatever other true diplomats might be out there in the wide blue horizon.

Just as Rome was not built in a day, so will it take longer than a few fireside chit chats to persuade Iran to sheathe its very impressive arsenal. Though Iran’s trading partners hold the key here by helping Iran grow in all fields, the keys to peace in Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Elam and Greater Syria itself lie with the diplomats of Russia, Iran, Syria and those who will talk with them. As Iran’s missile barrages have shown the world, the ostriches of NATO excepted, what the alternative to diplomatic jaw jaw is, the onus is now on those at the top table to break bread and end NATO’s endless wars, if not by fair means, then by the foulest of all missile barrages.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2024/ ... the-world/

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Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar
January 18, 8:46

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Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar

Pakistan carried out a series of strikes in the border areas of Iran in the provinces of Balochistan and Sistan in the morning.
Pakistan's Ministry of Defense stated that they "struck terrorists."
Iran stated that 3 women and 4 children, who were not Iranian citizens, were killed.

Both sides clarify that both Iran's strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan's strikes on Iran targeted Baloch terrorists and separatists.
Pakistan says its planes entered Iranian airspace. Air defense did not work against them.

Apparently, there was some kind of arrangement so that Pakistan could save face after the Iranian strikes.
Earlier, Pakistan recalled its ambassador for consultations and demanded Iran to temporarily remove its ambassador from Pakistan.
The exchange of blows took place against the backdrop of upcoming elections in Pakistan.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8901282.html

Google Translator

*****

Pakistan militants struck by Iran have Israel ties: Amir-Abdollahian

Iranian missiles struck the bases of Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan's Balochistan province Wednesday

News Desk

JAN 17, 2024

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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian gives a press conference at Bayan Palace in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on March 31, 2015. (Photo credit: STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on 17 January that the militant group targeted by Iran with missile strikes in Pakistan is linked to Israel.

The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran respects Pakistan's sovereignty and continues to have good relations with Islamabad.

The Iranian Minister of Defense, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, repeated Amir-Abdollahian's claim, saying, “Iran respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring countries, but will never accept the presence of machinations and conspiracies on its borders.”

Iran's Tuesday strikes in Pakistan targeted a militant group known as Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant and Baluchi separatist organization that operates mainly across the border in southeastern Iran.

Pakistani officials said two children were killed and three others injured, while Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran had not killed civilians. He said Iran "targeted the terrorists in Pakistan (Jaish al-Adl) and not Pakistani citizens."

Formerly known as Jundallah, the group has long-standing ties to Western intelligence agencies. ABC News reported that according to unnamed US and Pakistani intelligence sources, the group has been "secretly encouraged and advised" by the American government since 2005.

The group claims that Iran's Shiite government is oppressing its Baluchi minority and has announced responsibility for bombings, kidnappings, and televised beheadings of Iranian troops and officials.

In 2007, an analysis by Stratfor, a global intelligence consulting firm, noted the US could be using Jundullah as a "poking device" against Iran. The firm said the US "has an interest in demonstrating that it has friends among Iran's minority groups to gather intelligence, stir up public unrest and distract the clerical regime."

But in 2012, Foreign Policy reported that a series of memos written by US intelligence analysts during the last years of President George W. Bush's administration investigated and debunked reports that the CIA was supporting Jundallah. Instead, the memos described how "Israeli Mossad officers recruited operatives belonging to the militant group by passing themselves off as American agents."

Foreign Policy added that the recruitment campaign came amid "a covert, bloody, and ongoing campaign aimed at stopping Iran's nuclear program," which included the assassination of several Iranian nuclear scientists.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/pakis ... bdollahian

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JANUARY 18, 2024 BY M. K. BHADRAKUMAR
Decoding Iran’s missile, drone strikes

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The building described as ‘Mossad Headquarters’ in Iraqi Kurdistan with underground facilities for conducting covert operations hit by Iranian missile attack, Erbil, Northern Iraq, January 15, 2024

The stunning missile and drone strikes on three countries — Syria, Iraq and Pakistan — over a period of 24 hours and Tehran taking the extraordinary step of announcing its responsibility for the attacks conveyed a very big message to Washington that its stratagem to create a coalition of terror groups in the region surrounding Iran will be resolutely countered.

That the US strategy against Iran was taking new forms began emerging after the October 7 attack on Israel and the consequent erosion of its standing as the regional supremo. The China-brokered Iran-Saudi rapprochement and the induction Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt into BRICS put the US strategists in panic mode. See my analysis titled US embarks on proxy war against Iran, Indian Punchline, November 20, 2023.

There were signs already by the latter half of 2023 that the US with Israeli axis was planning to use terrorism as the only viable means to weaken Iran and restore the regional balance back in favour of Tel Aviv, which is critically important for Washington’s prioritisation of Asia-Pacific and yet need to control oil-rich Middle East. Indeed, a conventional war with Iran is no longer feasible for the US, as it risks the potential destruction of Israel.

Future historians are sure to study, analyse and arrive at sober conclusions as regards the attacks on Israel by Palestinian resistance groups on October 7. In classic military doctrine, they were quintessentially a pre-emptive strike by resistance groups before the US-Israeli juggernaut of terrorist groups — such as ISIS and Mujahideen-e-Khalq — turned into a rival platform matching the Axis of Resistance.

Tehran is cognisant of the urgent necessity to carve out strategic depth before the wolves close in. Tehran has been pressing Moscow to expedite a bilateral strategic pact but Russians, unsurprisingly, took time over it. One key agenda item during President Ebrahim Raisi’s “working visit” to Moscow on December 7 to meet with President Putin was the finalisation of the pact.

On Monday, finally, the Russian Defence Ministry disclosed in a rare statement that Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu called his Iranian counterpart Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani to convey that Moscow has agreed to sign the pact. The MoD statement stated:

“Both sides stressed their commitment to the fundamental principles of the Russian-Iranian relations, including unconditional respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which will be confirmed in the major intergovernmental treaty between Russia and Iran as this document is being finalised already.”

According to Iranian news agency IRNA, Shoigu conveyed that Russia’s commitment to Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will be explicitly stated in the pact. The report added that “the two ministers also pointed out the importance of issues related to regional security and emphasised that Moscow and Tehran will continue their joint efforts in establishing a multipolar world order and negating the unilateralism of the United States.” [Emphasis added]

On Wednesday, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, told reporters in Moscow that the new treaty would consolidate the strategic partnership between Russia and Iran and cover the full range of their ties. “This document is not just timely, but also overdue,” said Zakharova.

“Since the signing of the current treaty, the international context has changed and relations between the two countries are experiencing an unprecedented upswing,” she took note. Zakharova said the new treaty was expected to be signed during what she described as one of the upcoming contacts between the two presidents.

Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the TASS state news agency as saying that an exact date for a meeting between Putin and Raisi is to be determined. Clearly, something of profound significance to the geopolitics of the Middle East is happening in front of our eyes.

Suffice to say, Iran’s missile and drone strikes against terrorist targets on Wednesday are a vivid demonstration of its assertiveness to act in self-defence in the new regional and international milieu. Iran’s so-called “proxies” — be it Hezbollah or Houthis — have reached adulthood with a mind of their own, who would decide their own strategic positioning within the Axis of Resistance. They don’t require a life-support system from Tehran. It may take some time for the Anglo-Saxon strategists to get used to this new reality, but eventually they will.

Clearly, it is an underestimation to regard Iran’s missile and drone strikes as merely counter-terrorist operations. Even with regard to the strike on Baluchistan, interestingly, it took place within a month of COAS Gen. Asim Munir’s weeklong trip to Washington in mid-December.

Munir met senior US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, US Forces Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q Brown, and US Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer — and, of course, the redoubtable Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, the driving force behind the Biden administration’s neocon policies.

An official statement in Islamabad December 15 on Munir’s high-flying tour stated that Pakistan and the US “intend to increase interactions” for “mutually beneficial” engagements. It said the two sides discussed the ongoing conflicts in the region and “agreed to increase interactions between Islamabad and Washington.”

The statement said, “Matters of bilateral interests, global and regional security issues, and ongoing conflicts were discussed during the meetings. Both sides agreed to continue engagement for exploring potential avenues of bilateral collaboration in pursuit of shared interests.”

The statement added that during the meeting between the top defence officials of the two countries, “counter-terrorism cooperation and defence collaboration were identified as core areas of cooperation.” On his part, Munir underscored the importance of “understanding each other’s perspectives” on regional security issues and developments affecting strategic stability in South Asia, according to the Pakistani statement.

Pakistan has an entire history of serving American interests in the region and the GHQ in Rawalpindi has been the charioteer of such collaboration. What is on evidence today is that the forthcoming elections in Pakistan did not discourage the Biden administration from rolling out the red carpet for Munir. But the good part is that both Iran and Pakistan are smart enough to know each other’s red lines.

The US intentions are clear: outflank Tehran in the west and east with failing states that are easy to manipulate. The hastily arranged meetings in Davos between the US National Security advisor Jake Sullivan and top Iraq officials (here and here) in the downstream of the Iranian strikes underscored

“the importance of (Kurdistan) resuming oil exports (to Israel) and Washington’s support for “the Kurdistan region’s strong partnership with the United States”;
the importance of stopping attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria;
US commitment to “enhancing security cooperation as part of a long-term, sustainable defence partnership”;
US support for Iraqi sovereignty; and,
Biden’s invitation for Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani to visit the White House “soon.”
In a nutshell, Sullivan has voiced the US’ intention to strengthen its presence in Iraq — and it has similar objectives to pursue in Pakistan too. Washington trusts Munir to ensure that Imran Khan languishes in jail no matter the outcome of the Pakistani elections.

This strategic realignment comes at a time when Afghanistan has conclusively slipped out of the Anglo-American orbit and Saudi Arabia shows no interest to be a cog in the American wheel or dabble with the forces of extremism and terrorism.

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