Iranian official calls for negotiations with Washington in Iraq

[yota691]

The face of Iran reveals the wrath of Trump from his closest advisers .. US reports: The president complains of John Bolton's tendencies to the military confrontation in contrast to his vision in foreign policy .. And deplores the impression that his team leads him to war

Friday, 17 May 2019 11:12 PM

Trump and his adviser John Bolton

Written by Reem Abdel Hamid

The current confrontation between the United States and Tehran has strained the relationship between US President Donald Trump and his closest aide, National Security Adviser John Bolton, amid Trump's anger that his advisers are leading him toward a war he does not want.

CNN reported that Trump was furious at the emerging impression that his hawkish national security advisers were leading him toward a war with Iran despite his isolationism, according to people familiar with the matter.

Instead, Trump indicated his intention to talk to the Iranians as tensions with Tehran rose, and his team for national security took steps that they hoped could facilitate a new diplomatic opening.

 

But the US network has ruled out the possibility of such an opening, but Trump has been alarmed by the escalating rhetoric, believing that widespread military intervention would be politically devastating, according to people familiar with the situation.

 The US president said to his advisory team that the start of a new conflict would be a breach of the promise made during his election campaign to get rid of external entanglements. Trump was dismayed to note that his aides, led by National Security Adviser John Bolton, lead him in one way or another to war.

Until a few days ago, Trump had been calling advisers outside his administration to complain about Bolton, according to people familiar with the talks. Trump is frustrated that Bolton allowed the situation in Iran to reach a point where armed conflict seemed to be a real possibility, but his frustrations with his national security adviser began earlier in Venezuela, when Bolton and other aides hinted at military options, warning Trump to his team The need to soften their tone.

A former report to the Washington Post reported that Trump questioned his administration's strategy in Venezuela after the failure to overthrow its president, Nicolas Maduro, and complained that he had been misled about how easily his government could be overthrown and changed by the opposition leader. Trump was angry at Bolton and his attitude, With his personal vision of the need to get the United States out of the marshes.

Trump on Wednesday denied there was any internal fighting over his Middle East policy, but stressed his desire to open talks with Iran. He wrote a tweet on Twitter saying: "There are different opinions expressed, and I make a final and decisive decision. , Is a very easy process. All parties, opinions and policies are covered, and I am sure Iran will want to talk soon.

The New York Times quoted US administration officials as saying Trump told Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Chanahan that he did not want to go to war with Iran. Trump sent a letter to his hawkish aides that he did not want to intensify the pressure campaign America against the Iranians to reach an open conflict.

The Washington Post reported that Bolton, who had called for regime change in Iran before joining the White House last year, was in a different place from Trump for Iran, although the latter was a strong critic. To Tehran even before Bolton was appointed national security adviser.

Trump is not comfortable talking about regime change, which he sees as similar to discussing regime change in Iraq before the 2003 invasion, an official was quoted as saying.

[yota691]

 

 

A gesture of Iranian openness to dialogue with America

 

Washington, the new Arab Tehran

17 May 2019

After days of escalation between Iran and the United States , which seemed to push for a military confrontation between the two countries, following major US reinforcements in the Gulf and the Middle East, in return for Tehran's threat to strike Washington's forces and interests in the region, the atmosphere appeared on Friday to calm down, The situation, with Tehran showing an opening to negotiate with Washington, despite its continued high tone. This is in line with multiple leaks that revealed that US President Donald Trump does not want to go to war with Tehran, while a single alliance that supports the idea of war will bring together Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the Washington Post reported.

" 

" In the first sign of Tehran's readiness for dialogue, after several statements stressing the refusal to negotiate with America, the Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian parliament, Hishmatullah Faisah Bishah, to hold US-Iranian negotiations in Qatar or Iraq, to manage the tension between the two countries. "Although top officials in Iran and America deny the intention to ignite the war, there is a third party in a hurry to destroy a large part of the world," he wrote on his Twitter page. "There should be a table with red lines in Iraq or Qatar, which includes the officials of the two countries (Iran and America), which has a special task of managing tension," he said. 

In parallel, Iran's verbal escalation continued. "Iran's short-range missiles can reach US warships in the Gulf," Iran's Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Mohammad Salih Jokar said yesterday, adding that the United States was unable to withstand a new war. "America can not afford a new war and the country is in a bad situation in terms of manpower and social conditions," he said. In what appeared to be a message against any calls by President Hassan Rowhani's allies at home for talks with Washington, Jocar said: "The Western trend in the country raises the dilemma of war in exchange for talks ... and is trying to impose new nuclear agreements on the country."

Separately, a senior Iranian military official accused US President Donald Trump of deceit and said Washington was calling for the talks while "aiming a gun" at Tehran, the Mehr news agency reported. "What US leaders are doing is putting pressure and imposing sanctions ... while they are talking about talks, it is like pointing a gun at someone and calling for friendship and negotiations," IRNA quoted deputy commander of the armed forces for political affairs Rasul Senai Rad. "The behavior of America's leaders is a political game with threats and pressures, while at the same time showing willingness to negotiate in order to present themselves in a peaceful manner and deceive the public."

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday continued his Asian tour to get more support. After visiting India, he landed in China yesterday, calling on the international community and Iran's "friends" to take "concrete steps" to save the nuclear deal. Put "danger" as tensions escalate with the United States. Zarif said: "Iran should be able to establish normal economic relations ... So far most of the international community has issued statements instead of taking positions." "If the international community and other parties to the nuclear agreement and our friends in the nuclear agreement, such as Russia and China, want to keep this achievement, they are required to make the Iranian people enjoy the gains of the nuclear agreement through concrete measures."
For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that China strongly opposes unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States. Wang said after a meeting with Zarif in Beijing that China supports Iran to protect its legitimate rights and understands Iran's position, said a foreign ministry statement.

In another sign that Tehran was preparing for a confrontation with Washington, although its officials insisted on openly talking about an American "psychological war" against their country, the Guardian newspaper revealed that the commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guard Qasim Soleimani, At a meeting three weeks ago, pro-Iranian factions in Iraq were asked to "prepare for a proxy war." The newspaper quoted two high-level intelligence sources as saying that Soleimani had summoned the militias to a meeting in Baghdad amid mounting tension in the region. "It was not an invitation to armament, but it was not far from it," one source said. The intelligence sources told the newspaper that all faction leaders under the umbrella of the "popular crowd" in Iraq, attended the meeting called by Soleimani.

But military action is unlikely, with more signs of Trump's unwillingness to do so. The New York Times, quoting unnamed administration officials, said Trump had told Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Chanahan that he did not want to go to war with Iran. According to the newspaper, the US intelligence pointed out that Iran has placed missiles on small boats in the Gulf, raising fears of hitting the American forces and assets or the forces of their allies. But Trump was firm in saying he did not want a military clash with the Iranians, the paper said.

" 
Trump stressed that it was" good "that US policy would confuse Iran 

" The Washington Post reported in a report yesterday that the possibility of US military action against Iran has little international support. The US allies this time publicly rejected it. Major powers such as Russia and the European Union called for restraint, Little support among US members of Congress. However, the paper pointed to a single alliance supporting the idea, which brings together Saudi Arabia, Israel and the UAE, adding that it is no coincidence that these countries resorted to the White House since Trump took office in January 2017, when it saw that his administration will be an ally against Iran . 

The current situation seems to comfort Trump, Which confirmed yesterday that it is "good" that US policy will confuse Iran. Trump launched a sharp attack on the media because of what he called "the wrong and inaccurate coverage of Iran." But from his point of view, the coverage had one positive effect. "At least Iran does not know how to think, which at this time is a good thing," he said.

[6ly410]

Friday، 17 May 2019 11:44 PM

Many US warplanes fly over Iraq's western region: source

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/40638/Many-US-warplanes-fly-over-Iraq-s-western-region-source

 

US Warplanes - Four U.S. Air Force fighter jets - dvidshub - Airman 1st Class Derek Seifert

Many US warplanes have flown over Iraq's western region, especially near the Ayn al-Asad Airbase, without stating reasons, a security source in Anbar province said on Friday.

The US fighter jets flew at low attitude, the source, who spoke in condition of anonymity, said.

Tensions have escalated recently between the US and Iran with increasing concerns about a potential US-Iran war. Earlier this week the US pulled some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad following weekend attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf, Reuters reported.

MP Manar Abd al-Muttalib warned that Iraq can be harmed politically and economically in case a war breaks out between the United States and Iran.

In case a war broke out, it would be a "third world war" between theUnited States of America and its allies, and Iran and the states allying with it, Abd al-Muttalib said, adding that war will not be good to any country in the region.

Iraq's initiative to pacify the region and bring together the views of the United States and Iran is a good step to avoid bloodshed and to reduce the amount of damage that will be be caused as a result of the war, Abd al-Muttalib said, affirming that Iraq plays a significant role in the region.

Edited May 17, 2019 by 6ly410

[yota691]

 

[ChuckFinley]

2 hours ago, 10 YEARS LATER said:

 

Most definitely.....a Cruise Missile 

 

2 hours ago, Pitcher said:

Yes, I agree Chuck!!!

 

A cruise missile works for me 10 years!

When this goes down and ends I feel things will be much better for Iraq, the people,  and this investment. 

[Synopsis]

Well, OK, a SHORT AND QUICK Solution to ALL THIS crap.

 

PUBLICLY HANG ON INTERNALLY TELEVISED CHANNELS former President Flimsy Carter IN FRONT of CIA Headquarters IN Langley, Virginia FOR former President Flimsy Carter's Grand Daddy of ALL Globalist former President Of America TREASONOUS Crimes.

 

Imagine the CHILL sent THROUGH the INTERNATIONAL Community WHERE The United States Of America Patriots UNQUESTIONABLY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY EXERCISED Rule Of Law!!!

 

Likie, "Oh, #$&@, WE ARE $#@&#@!!!"!!!

 

Former President Flimsy Carter IS the REASON for the rise to power of the Insanians, to INCLUDE the Insanian IRGC!!!

 

GO RULE OF LAW NO MATTER HOW LONG THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW TAKES TO EXECUTE!!!

 

Go Moola Nova!

[6ly410]

US warns commercial aircraft of risks flying over Persian Gulf

By Rudaw 8 minutes ago 

47Views

         http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/english/middleeast/18052019

Crew direct an aircraft crash and salvage crane on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf of Aden on May 14, 2019. The carrier has been deployed to Middle Eastern waters amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran. Photo: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Michael Singley/US Navy

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United States aviation authority has issued a warning to commercial airlines flying over the Persian Gulf about the risk of being “misidentified” during increased military activities in the region as tensions ratchet up between the US and Iran. 

Commercial aircraft flying over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman should be aware of “heightened military activities and increased political tension,” read the order issued by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) on Thursday and relayed by US diplomats in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, AP reported. 

The situation presents “an increasing inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations due to the potential for miscalculation or misidentification,” the warning said. Aircraft could also experience interference with its navigation instruments and communications “with little to no warning.”

Over the past two weeks, the United States has announced the deployment of a number of ships to the Middle Eastern waters, including an aircraft carrier, as well as an Air Force bomber task force and a Patriot missile defense system in response to perceived threats emanating from Iran. Last weekend, four ships were damaged in attacks off Fujairah, UAE that have not yet been claimed by any group. 

The escalation comes a year after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear accord with Iran and began a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy. On May 8, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced Iran’s intention to scale back some of its nuclear commitments under the deal if it did not get some relief from sanctions. 

The Persian Gulf is a major transportation hub – about a third of the world’s oil tanker traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz and Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest for international travel. Airlines based in the region have not immediately commented on the FAA warning and there is heavy air traffic as of Saturday morning, according to the tracking website flightradar24. 

Iran has denied playing a role in the Fujairah attack and called for an investigation. A Norwegian insurance company, however, concluded that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were “highly likely” to have facilitated the attacks, Reuters reported. One of the ships damaged was a Norwegian vessel. 

The insurer’s assessment concluded the attack was likely done by a nearby surface vessel that dispatched underwater drones carrying 30-50 kg of explosives that detonated on impact, Reuters reported after seeing the confidential report. The report reasoned that the IRGC was behind the attack because of similarities with Iranian-supplied weapons used by Houthi groups in Yemen. 

Leaders in both Iran and the US have said they don’t want to go to war, despite the daily ratcheting up of tensions. “With all of the Fake and Made Up News out there, Iran can have no idea what is actually going on!” Trump tweeted on Friday. He had previously told Iran’s leader to “call me,” indicating he wants to open a channel of negotiations. 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded on Twitter saying the confusion is coming from the United States’ side where Trump says one thing but what he has dubbed the “B-team,” referring to US National Security Advisor John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed, are doing something else. 

“We in Iran have actually known what to think for millennia,” he said. 

[6ly410]

Through Iraq .. Britain convey messages of "calm" US to Iran

https://www.almaalomah.com/2019/05/18/406856/

 

Information / Baghdad ..

A British newspaper reported on Saturday that Britain had conveyed "calm" messages from the United States and Western countries to Iran following the recent escalation of tension.

"The British ambassador in Iraq, who met with the Iranian ambassador, conveyed to the Iranians messages of American and Western appeasement, while warning against the misunderstanding of these messages of calm," Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported in a report.

The newspaper added that "the British warned the Iranians of the seriousness of the situation in the event of errors."

The head of the National Security Committee in the Iranian parliament, Hishmatullah Fallah Bisha, called on Friday to negotiate with Washington in Iraq or Qatar to manage the current tension. Ending / 25

[6ly410]

Abdul-Mahdi calls the members of the intermediary delegation between America and Iran

08:40 - 18/05/2019

https://www.almaalomah.com/2019/05/18/406864/

 

Information / Baghdad ..

The political analyst Amir al-Saadi, on Saturday, the formation of the Iraqi government high-level negotiating delegation to enter the line of mediation between the United States and Iran, noting that the delegation formed under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Security Adviser and head of the intelligence service.

"Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi ordered the formation of a high-level negotiating committee from Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim, head of the intelligence service Mustafa al-Kazimi and head of the national security apparatus Faleh al-Fayadh," al- Saadi said in a statement.

He added that the committee is ready to leave Iraq and open a comprehensive dialogue with all parties to the Iranian-American conflict to defuse the crisis in the region. "The American escalation scenario is very close to North Korea's scenario. .

"The United States and even Iran want Iraq to have an important role in the health between the two sides, in addition to the authority of Oman and Switzerland, which has already started reconciliation efforts," Saadi said

[6ly410]

Through Iraq .. Britain convey messages of "calm" US to Iran

http://iraqtoday.com/ar/news/30028/عبر-العراق-بريطانيا-تنقل-رسائل-تهدئة-أميركية-إلى-إيران?latest

 

Policy , 2019/05/18 12:15 Number of readings:

 

 

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq -

A British newspaper reported on Saturday that Britain had conveyed "calm" messages from the United States and Western countries to Iran following the recent escalation of tension. "The British ambassador to Iraq, who met with the Iranian ambassador, conveyed to the Iranians messages of American and Western appeasement, while warning against the misunderstanding of these messages of calm," the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported in a report. The newspaper added that "the British warned the Iranians of the seriousness of the situation in the event of errors." The head of the National Security Committee in the Iranian parliament Hishmatullah Fallah Bisha called on Friday to negotiate with Washington in Iraq or Qatar to manage the current tension

[6ly410]

The role of Iraq in the event of a war between America and Iran

http://alahadnews.net/index.php/permalink/157287.html

Al-Ahed News - Baghdad - Private

Mahmoud Al-Mafraji Al-Husseini

 

The millions of dollars Washington has lost by bringing its guns into the Gulf seem to be on the wind, and these weapons are nothing more than an empty fan that was meant to force Iran into the US negotiating table, which Iran refuses to sit on.

Despite the ongoing US escalation and statements suggesting a war is imminent, all the indications are that the chances of this war are far from impossible, for many reasons, including the interests and future of America in the region.

US media quoted intelligence sources as saying that the recent escalation between Tehran and Washington was a result of a mistaken belief in each other's desire to escalate.

A senior administration official, Donald Trump, said they were sitting near the phone waiting for a call from Iran to agree to negotiations.

"Washington has not received any Iranian response on direct negotiations," the official said, adding that they were "sitting near the telephone waiting for a call from Iran."

If America enters into a real war with Iran, it will have introduced itself in a real, multi-faceted holocaust in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. This is something that America has not tried in its history to wage war on a whole region, armies and armed factions possessing sophisticated technological weapons, May be comparable to those possessed by America, especially in the areas of missiles and aircraft.

The most dangerous arena in this war will not be the Iranian arena or the Syrian arena or any other arena, but the Iraqi arena, which is the most important at all in this war, and America knows this well, and for many reasons.

Including: the Iraqi factions will not consider the war on Iran as a war of state with another country, but will consider it targeting the line of "Islamic resistance" in the region, which is resisted on many fronts, some related to the roots of cultural and ideological, and some of them are crucial issues, .

Including: the great armament possessed by these factions, which reached large dimensions and took very advanced steps.

Including: the advanced training and the great experience gained through its fight against terrorist gangs.

This all suggests that if the war did not forgive God, the Iraqi arena would be one of its squares and outside the will of the government.

But if we go to the objective reading of the chances of this war, we find that it does not exist at all, and that America itself does not have a real strategy for this war, as confirmed by military officials in the Pentagon, who acknowledged, Iran.

Time magazine quoted three US military officials involved in military planning and supervision in the Middle East as saying there was no feasible plan, or anything like that, to deploy large-scale forces in the Gulf.

"It requires knowing what should be targeted, is it Iran's military forces or is it a militia? Is the enemy in Iraq, Syria or elsewhere? Is it a car bomb, a missile or an electronic threat? Is there any credible evidence linking any attack to the Iranian government so that the targets within Iran are legitimate? "

[yota691]

Zarif: There will be no war in the region and Trump is not seeking it

Editorial date: • 2019/5/18 13:39 • 60 times read

{International: Euphrates News} Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said there would be no war in the region, stressing that no country in the region could face Iran.

He said in a statement from Beijing on Saturday that the US president, Donald Trump, does not seek war, but in his administration there are those who want to push him to war. 
He pointed out that Israel and the countries of the region seek to impose their policies on the US administration through money

[yota691]

18-05-2019 09:16 AM

Iran's crude oil exports drop to half a million barrels

 

 

Baghdad

Iran's crude oil exports fell in May to 500,000 bpd or less after the United States tightened sanctions on Tehran's main source of revenue, compounding losses in global supplies, data for tanker tracking showed.

Washington has re-imposed sanctions on Iran in the second Chlrin aimed at reducing Iranian crude exports to zero. The United States ended this month with exemptions granted to eight importers of Iranian oil.

Despite that, Iran has exported between 250,000 and 500,000 bpd of oil since the beginning of May, according to industry sources monitoring flows. The data from "Revivitiv Akon" showed shipments of crude at about 250 thousand barrels per day and exports of crude and condensates, a light oil, at about 400 thousand barrels per day.

The bulk of shipments are destined for Asia. It was unclear who the buyer was and whether the oil was going to consumers or to storage depots.

An Iranian official declined to comment on the export rate.

"The destinations are mainly India and China ... there are no longer shipments to Europe or to Turkey," said an industry source, who asked not to be identified.

Iran's oil exports have fallen more than half since April when the Islamic Republic shipped less than one million bpd. It is also less than 20% of shipments sent by Iran in April 2018, which amounted to more than 2.5 million barrels per day.

Iran's exports have become more uncertain since the return of US sanctions in November. Tehran no longer sends its production figures to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and there is no confirmed information on its exports.

Analysts expect shipments of Iranian crude in May to be less than 500,000 bpd. The analyst at SVB Energy International, an energy consultant, expects to export between 200,000 and 550,000 bpd.

"Iran already has abundant quantities of oil and condensates stored in China ... so we do not expect large crude exports in May," she said.

[yota691]

Newspaper reveals a meeting of the presidency on the US-Iranian tension

 Slider  18/05/2019  32

 

The newspaper said Saturday that the Presidency of the Republic will hold an important meeting of political leaders in the coming hours to discuss the easing of US-Iranian tension.

"Iraq is leading mediation efforts to calm the escalating tension between the United States and Iran, after its territory is about to become a battlefield for military confrontation between the two countries," an Arab newspaper said in a report.

She added that "President Barham Saleh continues with Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, to ensure the opening of an effective communication channel between Washington and Tehran, to prevent the slide into the abyss of war," indicating that "is scheduled to host the Office of the Iraqi President a high-level, Iraqi, during the coming hours, to discuss the role of Iraq in containing the high tension between the United States and Iran. "

[Butifldrm]

 

2019/05/18 13:41

• Number of readings 57
• Section: Iraq
•  

International coalition resumes training Peshmerga

Baghdad / Al-Masala: International coalition forces will resume training of the Peshmerga forces from Sunday after stopping for days.

The Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations in the Ministry of Peshmerga Major General Qaraman Kamal, in a press statement, "Masala", that "were notified officially by the International Coalition to the decision to resume training Peshmerga forces."

"After the coalition forces stopped training the Peshmerga forces since last Sunday in a temporary manner, they were informed of the resumption of the exercise from Sunday, according to normal and according to the previous curriculum," he said.

"A special plan of action for 2019 has been drawn up in cooperation with coalition forces, and

The United States, Germany and the Netherlands announced on May 15 that they would stop training the Peshmerga and other Iraqi forces because of tensions in the region.

Follow the obelisk

 

training will continue as usual," he said.

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/171216/التحالف-الدولي-يستأنف-تدريب-البيشمركة

Edited May 18, 2019 by Butifldrm

[KDuesing]

"Noone in Europe wants a second Iraq"

 

These people are so stupid, Iran is the only thing that has ruined Iraq since the war ended.

 

Looks like those sanctions are starting to work, they used to hang the phone up on us now they starve until they call us.

 

[Butifldrm]

Gulf nations ‘approve US request to deploy troops in the Gulf’

 

USS Abraham Lincoln. (Reuters)

Updated 17 sec ago

ARAB NEWS

May 18, 201903:11

0

Media reports quote unnamed sources as saying the move is designed to deter aggression from Iran

Tensions have risen in the region following attacks on tankers in the Gulf and a Saudi oil pipeline

 

 

JEDDAH: The United States is planning to deploy military forces in the waters of the Arabian Gulf and in a number of Gulf Cooperation Council countries, according to media reports in the region last night.

The request from Washington was approved by a number of GCC nations, including Saudi Arabia, according to a report by Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, which quoted unnamed Arab diplomatic sources.

The main objective of the move is to allow Washington and Gulf nations to work together to deter any aggression or military threat from Iran against its neighbors or US interests in the region, the sources said. Tensions have escalated following attacks this week on a Saudi oil pipeline and a number of cargo ships in the Arabian Gulf off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE.

The sources reportedly said a number of Arab nations also plan to hold a summit on the sidelines of the Islamic summit scheduled to take place in Makkah during the last 10 days of Ramadan. They added that the countries involved “are united by principles and visions that are consistent with regional and international developments,” according to the report.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1498611/saudi-arabia

[Butifldrm]

UAE minister blames Iran for heightened tensions in the region 

 

 

 

 

UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash gives a press conference in Dubai on May 15, 2019. (AFP)

Updated 17 May 2019

ARAB NEWS

May 17, 201917:15

0

Anwar Gargash says attack on oil tankers a 'very serious incident because it affects maritime commerce'

'Iranian behaviour over the last decade or two has led us to where we are today'

LONDON: Iranian behavior has led to the current heightened tensions in the region, a UAE minister has said, reiterating comments made earlier this week. 

In an interview with CNN aired Thursday, Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said a sabotage attack against four oil tankers off the Emirates’ coast had come at a “sensitive and difficult period in the region.”

:

Connect the World✔@CNNConnect

@AnwarGargash tells @BeckyCNN the @UAE is investigating recent incidents in the Gulf alongside France and the U.S. and calls for dealing with things in a "mature, rational" way. #Iran

4

8:13 AM - May 16, 2019

See Connect the World's other Tweets

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“We are where we are largely because of Iran behaviour,” Gargash said. “This is a behaviour that is not new to the region. This is a behaviour that has been basically compiling and clearly right now that – American sanctions on Iran are biting.”

The attacks on the tankers came amid escalating rhetoric between the US and it Gulf allies on one side and Iran on the other. The US has deployed an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Gulf in response to an unspecified Iranian threat.

Saudi Arabia said Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Tuesday attacked an oil pipeline in the Kingdom with drones.

The investigations into the tanker attack were on going, Gargash said, adding that in a few days “we should know what took place.”

“We are collaborating with France, and the United States, and other friends are also offering their help,” he said. “Clearly this is a very, very serious incident because it affects maritime commerce, and it comes also at a very very, what I would call a very sensitive and difficult period in the region.”

The minister said all parties have an interest in deescalating the situation and “dealing with things in a mature, rational way.”

But he added the onus was on Iran, not Washington, to deescalate the situation.

“Iranian behaviour over the last decade or two has led us to where we are today,” he said. “There’s very little trust in the region.”

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1498446/middle-east

[Butifldrm]

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatens that missiles ‘can easily reach’ US ships in Gulf

 

 

 

A handout picture made available by the Iranian Army office reportedly shows a Sayad missile fired from the Talash missile system during an air defence drill at an undisclosed location in Iran on Nov. 5, 2018. (File/AFP)

Updated 18 May 2019

REUTERS

May 17, 201909:44

0

Iran-US tensions have escalated, with increasing concern about a potential conflict

Washington has ratcheted up sanctions and political pressure on Tehran and built up the US military presence in the region

DUBAI: A deputy head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said even short-range Iranian missiles could reach US warships in the Gulf, adding that the United States could not afford a new war, the semi-official news agency Fars reported on Friday.
Iran-US tensions have escalated, with increasing concern about a potential conflict as Washington has ratcheted up sanctions and political pressure on Tehran and built up the US military presence in the region.
“Even our short-range missiles can easily reach (US) warships in the Gulf,” Mohammad Saleh Jokar, the Guard’s deputy for parliamentary affairs, was quoted by Fars as saying.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1498361/middle-east

[Butifldrm]

Tehran reveals "new tactic" to export its oil

16:15 - 18/05/2019

0

 

  

Information / Baghdad ...

Iran has adopted a new tactic and new directions to export its oil in response to the resumption of US sanctions against Iran, a senior Iranian maritime official said.

"The Ministry of Oil's tactic regarding the export of oil and petroleum products has changed, and it is possible that the movements of our oil carriers from our ports have also changed," Hadi Haq Shinas, assistant head of the Iranian Ports and Maritime Ports Corporation, told IRNA. "He said.

"Of course, it is undeniable that the export of oil and its products has fallen compared to what it was before, but the launch of cargo ships carrying oil from our ports has not really stopped."

Shinas did not provide any further details on the new tactics and trends.

Iran's crude oil export in May was reduced by US sanctions to 500,000 bpd and less. Finished 25 s

https://www.almaalomah.com/2019/05/18/406977/

[Butifldrm]

US forces expand operations outside the base of Ayn al-Assad in western Iraq

 Saturday, 18 May 2019

save  Print 

 

 

 

 

 

Baghdad - Writings

Arab media reported from London that Iraq was monitoring US military movements in the west of the country.

According to Iraqi military sources, Saturday, May 18, 2019, US forces at the base of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province stepped up their movements throughout the night of Friday until dawn on Saturday and carried out maneuvers outside the base.

The sources pointed out that the American moves extended from the borders of the military base visited by US President Donald Trump in the last week of December, to the length of the tape parallel to the Iraqi-Jordanian border through movements on the international highway to Jordan.

However, the Iraqi military sources played down these movements, pointing out that they do not come in the context of the American escalation against Iran, but only as combing operations and tours to secure the area adjacent to the Western desert of Iraq from any potential threats.

To that, is scheduled to discuss the Iraqi Council of Representatives on Saturday, the US attacks on Iraqi forces, the most recent of the control of security in Kirkuk, after the urging of the deputies of the Fatah Alliance led by Hadi al-Ameri on this item on the agenda, at the time warned political blocs Other than provoking the United States in any of

these actions at this time when Washington is preparing to escalate against Iran and its factions in Iraq.  

https://kitabat.com/news/القوات-الأمريكية-توسع-عملياتها-إلى-خا/

 

 

 

[Butifldrm]

Top Iran Commander Invokes 9/11 To Say US Is "Frail"; A "Full Intelligence War" Is On

by Tyler Durden

Sat, 05/18/2019 - 13:40

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lran is currently in "a full intelligence war" with the United States, according to statements by the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Major General Hossein Salami on Saturday.

“We are in a full intelligence war with the United States and the enemies of the Islamic Republic. This war is a combination of psychological warfare, cyber operations, military operations, diplomacy, fear, and intimidation,” Salami, who became head of Iran's elite military force last moth, was quoted as saying by Fars news agency. He further noted Americans in the region face "great risks" at this point. “America has lost its power, and even though they look powerful, they are frail,” he said. 

The recently appointed head of the elite IRGC, Major General Hossein Salami.

But what's most likely to capture the West's attention is his invoking the 9/11 terror attacks: “In reality America’s story is the same as the story of the World Trade Center that collapsed suddenly with one strike,” he said, using the example both as a threat and to claim the mighty US empire can be brought to its knees with one strategic blow. 

 

His combative statements came days after he said provocatively that the IRGC stood on the “cusp of a full-scale confrontation with the enemy.” In that prior address , Salami notified his forces, "This moment in history, because the enemy has stepped into the field of confrontation with us with all the possible capacity, is the most decisive moment of the Islamic revolution," according to Fars.

Washington has already deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and new Patriot missiles, along with a B-52 bomber group to the Persian Gulf region, but Saudi Arabia and other gulf states this weekend have reportedly agreed to host American forces "at sea and on land to deter Iran" according to a new report in Israeli media, citing Arabic sources:

Saudi Arabia and a number of Gulf states have agreed to let the United States deploy its forces at sea and on land to deter Iran from a possible attack, Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday.  

An unnamed Saudi official told Al-Awsat that the "agreement was aimed at deterring Iran from a military escalation, including attacking American targets... and not with the aim of entering into a war with it." 

Saudi Arabia has blamed the IRGC of "sabotage attacks" on two of its vessels as they entered the Strait of Hormuz a week ago, which further involved damage to two other international vessels. 

Iran for its part dismissed these and other accusations as part of "psychological warfare" - according to one top Iranian parliamentarian and spokesman this week.

Meanwhile, even as the IRGC chief highlights an ongoing "full intelligence war," de-escalation could be on the horizon, given that multiple headlines Friday noted "Trump doesn't want war" and appears to be clamping down on hawks in his own administration. 

Trump tweeted something Friday which actually lends credibility to Iran's dismissing both the "sabotage" accusation and heightened bluster out of Washington over the past two weeks as a continuing Psyop — part of Bolton and Pompeo's broader "maximum pressure" campaign. 

Donald J. Trump

 

✔@realDonaldTrump

 

 

With all of the Fake and Made Up News out there, Iran can have no idea what is actually going on!

 

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11:53 AM - May 17, 2019

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Ironically, Trump and Gen. Salami appear somewhat in agreement over this being fundamentally an "intelligence war" and not yet headed toward an actual direct war, given the US president tweeted the following astounding statement : "With all of the Fake and Made Up News out there, Iran can have no idea what is actually going on!"

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-18/top-iran-commander-invokes-911-say-us-frail-says-full-intelligence-war

[mr.unlikely]

Pretty sure Sean Connery is going to play him in the movie.

[pokerplayer]

14 minutes ago, mr.unlikely said:

Pretty sure Sean Connery is going to play him in the movie.

 

That was funny !! Thought he looked like someone I should know, but you.........

 

  NAILED IT !!

 

  pp

 

  

Edited May 18, 2019 by pokerplayer
spelling, what else ? lol

[ChuckFinley]

I bet he is home right now writing a script.