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Iranian official calls for negotiations with Washington in Iraq


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2019/01/15 10:52
  • Number of readings 538
  • Section: Iraq
  •  

Engineer: The popular crowd has started to manufacture weapons and its missiles do not target Saudi Arabia

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The rockets made by the popular crowd are not aimed at neighboring countries, especially Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, said Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, deputy chairman of the popular crowd, on Tuesday, January 15, 2019.

The Engineer said, in media statements followed by the obelisk that cadres of the crowd engineering, succeeded in manufacturing short-range missiles and other medium.

The engineer added that these missiles are not to threaten Saudi Arabia or any other entity, but to fill the vacuum of the absence of an air force for the forces of the crowd.

The vice-chairman of the Popular Propaganda Organization has revealed a media campaign against the popular crowd.

"The Americans are not looking for an end to this," he said, adding that they were trying to keep the organization and invest it for at least three years.

He added that there is an external media campaign directed against the crowd, especially that the immediate challenge is not the externalization of the crowd, but the internal challenge, which aims to float the popular crowd.

The obelisk

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/161205/المهندس-الحشد-الشعبي-بدأ-في-صناعة-السلاح-وصواريخه-لا-تستهدف-السعودية

 
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Deputy demands Abdul Mahdi to clarify his position on the US demand to dissolve the factions of the resistance and the crowd

15:04 - 15/01/2019
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Information / special ... 
Student leadership in the coalition of reform MP Ali Sheikh, Tuesday, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, clarify his position on the US demand to resolve the resistance factions and the popular crowd in Iraq. 
The Sheikh said in a statement to the Agency / information / "The talk about the presence of US movements as well as the escalation of US calls against the resistance factions in Iraq, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, in front of an illustrative position of great concern about these files." 
The MP called on the government to "preserve the sovereignty of the state and not to exceed other countries on the reputation of Iraq and the Iraqis," calling for "a clear and national response from the office of Abdul-Mahdi to those who interfere in the internal Iraqi affairs."
The newspaper "Al Arab" London has published a report has not been verified that Washington provided a list of 67 factions of the Islamic Resistance and popular mobilization to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, demanding their dissolution. Ending / 15

https://www.almaalomah.com/2019/01/15/382960/

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2019/01/15 13:34
  • Number of readings 109
  • Section: Iraq
  •  

Crowd: Request for a US freeze on the factions under the "simplicity" of the fighters .. And the engineer: will not fight outside the borders of the homeland

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's demand for a troop freeze will be placed under the "shadow" of faction fighters, the popular crowd said on Tuesday (January 15, 2019).  
The leader of the crowd Ali Husseini said in statements to the "obelisk" that "Iraq is a sovereign state and rejects any commandments from any country," noting that "what he asked Pompeo, according to a report of the intervention of a flagrant and blatant intervention in the Iraqi internal affairs, and this request We do not care about him under the simplicity of our fighters, "he says.  

"The factions have become part of the popular mobilization," he said. "It has been approved by law and has become an official body and no one can compromise it, no matter what."  
Al-Arabiya, a Saudi newspaper published on January 15, 2019, published a list of factions that said the United States had asked Iraq to freeze and withdraw arms.  

 "The crowd will not fight outside the borders of the country except by order of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and will defend every land in the homeland," said Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, vice chairman of the popular crowd. And the responsibility of guarding the gains of the revolution in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the rally came to fight after the collapse of the Iraqi defense system in the face of attacks and advocated a law, He did not come from a party without law And it did not establish, starting with the new system and the state in full strength, was downright popular idea of establishing a force to protect Baghdad's belt had taken the decision in March 2014 and began to work out, but a fatwa reference is granted from the crowd this differentiation and privacy.

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/161216/الحشد-طلب-التجميد-الامريكي-للفصائل-تحت-بساطيل-المقاتلين-والمهندس-لن-يقاتل-خارج-حدود-الوطن

 

 
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Iran satellite launch, which U.S. warned against, fails

sat
 

Iranian satellite

Iran's bid to launch a satellite has failed, Telecoms Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi said on Tuesday, after it ignored US warnings to avoid such activity.


Washington warned Tehran this month against undertaking three planned space rocket launches that it said would violate a UN Security Council resolution because they use ballistic missile technology. 

 

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/35199/Iran-satellite-launch-which-U-S-warned-against-fails

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Iran Satellite Launch Fails After Defying US Warnings

Profile picture for user Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/15/2019 - 17:05

Iran on Tuesday conducted at least one of two planned satellite launches despite warnings from the United States, however the satellite failed to reach the "necessary speed" in its third stage and did not enter orbit, according to an official. 

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The rocket carrying the Payam satellite failed to reach the "necessary speed" in the third stage of its launch, Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said.

Jahromi said the rocket had successfully passed its first and second stages before developing problems in the third. He didn't elaborate on what caused the rocket failure but promised that Iranian scientists would continue their work. -CBS News

The launch took place at Imam Khomeini Space Center in the province of Semnan, and was overseen by the country's Defense Ministry according to Jahromi. Images published last week by CNN show activity at the launch site. 

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Tuesday's launch follows warnings by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said that the launches would violate a 2015 United Nations Security Resolution by incorporating ballistic missile technology, passed in order to endorse the Iran nuclear deal which Trump withdrew from last May. 

"The United States will not stand by and watch the Iranian regime’s destructive policies place international stability and security at risk," said Pompeo in a Jan. 3 statement. "We advise the regime to reconsider these provocative launches and cease all activities related to ballistic missiles in order to avoid deeper economic and diplomatic isolation."

That said, the Security Council resolution says Iran "is called upon" not to conduct any activity related to ballistic missiles, but does not ban the activity. 

Next up is the Doosti satellite, which may or may not be delayed according to Jahromi, who just tweeted that: "Doosti is waiting for orbit," adding "We should not come up short or stop. It's exactly in these circumstances that we Iranians are different than other people in spirit and bravery."

The Payam satellite was meant for use in communications and imaging and had four cameras, Reuters reports.

Iranian state television had aired footage of its reporter narrating the launch of the Simorgh rocket, shouting over its roar that it sent "a message of the pride, self-confidence and willpower of Iranian youth to the world!"

The TV footage shows the rocket becoming just a pinpoint of light in the darkened sky, but not the moment of its failure. Jahromi's comments that the problem developed in the launch's third stage suggest something went wrong after the rocket pushed the satellite out of the Earth's atmosphere. -CBS News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Iran over the launch, accusing Tehran of lying about the

"innocent satellite" which was actually "the first stage of an intercontinental missile

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-15/iran-launches-failed-satellite-defying-us-warnings

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Iran, India Ditch Dollar In Oil Trading To Counter 'Bullying' US Sanctions

Profile picture for user Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/15/2019 - 18:05

Authored by Darius Shahtahmasebi, op-ed via RT.com,

In an effort to circumvent US-imposed sanctions, India and Iran have reportedly ditched the US dollar and are trading oil in rupees.The reason becomes clear after considering the dynamics at play in the region.

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In mid-February last year, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited India, and the two countries signed nine agreements signalling a strengthening of ties. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to celebrate the growing relationship, stating that it was “a matter of great pleasure” for India that an Iranian president came to India “after a gap of 10 years.”

Fast-forward a few months later, and then-UN ambassador Nikki Haley was bluntly telling India that they should rethink their relationship with Tehran.

Donald Trump’s decision to rip up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year, also known as the Iranian nuclear accord, was a particularly significant blow to Iran-India relations. At the time the JCPOA was formulated, Indian officials believed the deal to be the “best deal available.” After the JCPOA’s implementation in 2016, exports of Iranian oil to India increased by more than 110 percent.

Maybe the issue isn’t always that Washington wants to contain its rivals in the Middle East and Asia, but perhaps there is a chance that it also wants to keep a lid on its so-called allies as well. Right now, India is the third largest oil consumer in the world, and is expected to become the largest by the year 2040. As its domestic reserves are not meeting the needs of its rapidly expanding economy, India has been importing 80 percent of its oil supply from overseas, including and especially Iran.

Prior to Washington’s Iran-sanctions regime, Iran was India’s third largest supplier of crude oil (it is now about sixth place). It is no surprise therefore, that India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson responded by saying that Haley had “her views, and our views on Iran are very clear.”He also warned that India would “take all necessary steps, including engagement with relevant stakeholders to ensure our energy security.”

It does seem like the days of foreign states being bullied into adopting a dangerous foreign policy are over. If Washington has any doubt about this, they need only turn to this exclusive Reuters report which revealed that India had begun paying Iran for its oil in rupees, according to a senior bank official, under the guise of a six-month waiver which was given to seven other countries (including China). According to the report, in a previous round of US-imposed sanctions, India settled approximately half of oil payments in rupees and the remainder in euros. However, this time around, all payments are to be made in rupees.

Furthermore, the agreement, worth $1.5 billion, reportedly hands Iran a tax break of $637 million. For its part, Iran will use its rupee supply to fund its imports of pharmaceuticals and other items from India, invest in Indian businesses and pay for Iranian missions and students in India.

Prior to this arrangement, US-led sanctions continued to decimate Iran’s ability to trade freely with its partner. Oilprice explains that in December, Indian oil imports from Iran plunged by 41 percent to just over 300,000 barrels per day (bpd). This is effectively the amount allowed under Washington’s waiver.

Insurance companies are becoming increasingly unwilling to engage in transactions involving Iran, due to the risk that sanctions attract. However, according to a separate Reuters report, Russian and Chinese shipping companies had been pitching to facilitate India-Iran trade.

It seems to me that if enough countries continue to pull together to override Washington’s sanctions, they will at some point be rendered completely ineffective. It also seems as though Washington is pushing these countries to work more closely together, whereas these countries may have been freer to explore their differences and their disagreements had they been left to their own devices.

The blunt truth is that India and Iran have too much in common for India to submit fully to Washington’s strategy of global bullying. There is also a lot of things that Iran can give India which the United States cannot, and not just free shipping, insurance and extended credit. As the Diplomat explains, India and Iran both share an interest in combating Sunni-backed extremism, especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They both have an interest in doing what they can to outmanoeuvre China in certain aspects.

In February last year, the two nations came to an agreement involving a lease between Iran’s Port and Maritime Organization and India Ports Global Limited, which allowed India to run part of Chabahar Port for 18 months.

The two countries released a joint statement at the time, describing the port as a “golden gateway” that will help the two countries in reaching out to Afghanistan and Central Asia. This gateway is so golden, it seems, that India has already committed over $500 million to the project, with indications that it could become a multi-billion dollar project.

The idea of the project is to improve “energy, security and regional connectivity” to reach Afghanistan. In reality, it allowsIndia to ship supplies to Afghanistan while bypassing Pakistan. Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran is approximately 90km (56 miles) west of the Pakistani port of Gwadar, the epicentre of an enormous Chinese infrastructure program in Pakistan. This is the same location where it was rumored that China was establishing a military base.

In other words, if India is forced to join the US effort to completely isolate Iran on the world stage, it may risk losing out on a significant chunk of the regional fruits to Pakistan and China. This is not conjecture; Iran has already reached out to Pakistan and China to participate in the Chabahar project. As the all-knowing Atlantic Council summarised, if India bows to the US, it risks losing Iran to China.

India also needs Iran’s ports to complete the so-called International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which would ideally connect India to the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, Russia and even Europe, and would allegedly increase India’s $1 billion trade with Central Asia to a whopping $170 billion.

China already has a direct connection to Central Asia, placing India at a disadvantage by default, and its trade with Central Asian nations is already at $30 billion; well above India’s. In 2000, India, Iran and Russia signed an agreement for the purpose of developing the North-South transport corridor.

India, Iran and Afghanistan held a tripartite meeting in September last year in which they discussed the Afghanistan peace process, cooperation against terrorism, as well as Chabahar Port. It is noticeable, to say the least, that Pakistan and China were not involved in this discussion. Just last week, Iran and India held a similar meeting.

India is also currently developing two gas fields, Farzad-B in Tehran and the South Pars field located between Iran and Qatar (which is the largest gas field in the world). Trump may soon begin to realise how difficult it is to isolate these states from one another after the simple examination of a world atlas.

Even the effect of US sanctions on ordinary people that the United States consider allies appear to not have been taken into account. Most reports allege that the absence of Iranian oil makes oil market prices shoot through the roof, affecting common Indian residents who had been enjoying cheaper oil prices under the JCPOA. Does the US want the people of India to hate Iran, or to hate the enforcer of these sanctions?

Reportedly, a “preferential trade”agreement between Iran and India is also in the works which will come into force in the not-so-distant future. The two nations have also already signed an agreement worth $2 billion on cooperation in the railway sector. At the start of this year, Iran also announced it would invest Rs 1,500 crore to expand a refinery run by Chennai Petroleum Corp, in a move that sees Iran attempting to counter US-imposed sanctions and cement its position in India.

You won’t see this in the mainstream media, but India also quietly allowed an Iranian bank to open a branch in Mumbai just last week.

Despite undue pressure from Washington, at the end of the day India still has indicated it will abide by its sanctions and the waiver that it has been given (as far as possible).

It is therefore unclear what the US is hoping to achieve through this strategy. Yes, sanctions greatly weaken Iran’s economy and threaten the collapse of its currency, but they also push these adversarial states to consider agreements which circumvent the use of the US dollar, even with Washington’s more traditional allies. If enough countries drop the use of the dollar in bilateral trade, the dollar will no longer have the international use it once had. As of right now, Venezuela, Qatar, China, Russia, India and Iran – just to name a few – are all nations who have considered the use of alternative currencies to counter Washington’s sanctions regime.

If the ultimate aim of the US is to weaken the dollar’s status on the global markets, then it can be my guest.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-15/iran-india-ditch-dollar-oil-trading-counter-bullying-us-sanctions

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1 hour ago, ChuckFinley said:

Time for a little rolling thunder.  

 

It’s funny how a lazer works. 

One locks on the nose. 

One locks on the heat source. 

And one blows the Shiite out of zee mittle!

Edited by gregp
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Washington expects sanctions on Iran's energy sector to continue until 2021

10:02 - 16/01/2019

 
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Mtabah- balances News 
saw the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy, said on Wednesday that US sanctions on Iran 's energy sector will continue, at least until the end of the year 2020. 
According to the monthly report of the Management 's expectations: " You see the Energy Information Administration that US sanctions on exports Iranian oil will remain in effect until the end of the forecast period (2019-2020) 
In addition, current projections reflect the non-renewal of exemptions from oil sanctions for eight countries because of the continued purchase of Iranian oil after May 2019. " 
On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced his country's withdrawal from the nuclear deal. The ban, which was suspended after the implementation of the nuclear deal, was restored after 90 days and 180 days after the agreement was announced.
On November 5, the United States began implementing the second package of sanctions, covering two vital sectors for Tehran: oil and banks, as well as 700 personalities and entities.

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Iran cries for help, Soleimani leads negotiations with Washington to ease sanctions

Khamenei  deceives Iranians…"There will not be war with U.S."
 
 

US President Donald Trump (L) Khamenei (R)

As a result of the escalating sanctions imposed by Washington on the Iranian regime, the Mullah and his loyal soldier Qaesm Soleimani are looking for a breakthrough to their troubled economy, by begging Trump's administration for halving the economic sanctions, an insider source in Washington told The Baghdad Post on Wednesday.

 

"The Iranian regime is seeking to lift half of the sanctions, making a bid to withdraw its militias from Iraq and Syria," the source said, speaking under anonymity condition.

 

Worthy to mention that Iran has made the same promises before, to previous US administrations, which led to the Nuclear Deal with Obama and the EU in 2015, but 4 years later, politicians and leaders figured out that Iran is just bluffing to lift the sanctions, that choke its ability to fund its militias.

 

President Trump has annulled the Nuclear Deal past November, the EU followed him after revealing the assassinations orchestrated by the Iranian intelligence.

 

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/35249/Iran-cries-for-help-Soleimani-leads-negotiations-with-Washington-to-ease-sanctions

 
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30 minutes ago, Pitcher said:

I love the picture.  

 

🤣 me too..... he definitely needs more fiber in his diet. Poster Boy for chronic constipation and a whole lotta PAIN.

 

Id tell him to 1) DISARM COMPLETELY 2) the entire government steps down 3) Free Elections - obviously allot more to this, but Regime Change must happen-I know, I’m dreaming.

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International crises expect Iraq to become a battleground between America and Iran

International crises expect Iraq to become a battleground between America and Iran



 Twilight News    
 6 hours ago

A study by the International Crisis Group (ICG) predicted that Iraq would bear the brunt of the crisis if tensions between Iran and the United States escalated.

The group, which looks into ways to prevent war, said it had interviewed officials around the world, including in Iran, to prepare a comprehensive report on the situation after Washington withdrew from the agreement on Iran's nuclear program signed by Tehran and the major powers in 2015.

President Donald Trump has pulled the United States out of the deal and boosted economic pressure to isolate Iran, although Europeans still support the deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

The International Crisis Group said Iran was likely to continue to comply with the deal, seeing itself as behaving morally and capable of waiting for what would happen next year.

But the study said Tehran's calculations could change if its oil exports, which hit 3.8 million barrels in 2017, fell to less than 700,000 bpd, a level that could lead to excessive inflation and intensify domestic protests that the government seems to be able to date. To deal with.

But if Iran decides to take revenge on the United States, the report sees Tehran as finding its best option to recruit its Middle East agents, a path that may be ambiguous enough to avoid a strong European reaction.

The report quoted a senior Iranian national security official as saying that the likely theater for this is Iraq, where militias belonging to the Shiite majority have close ties to Tehran.

"Iraq is where we have the experience, the ability to deny and the ability to strike the United States without reaching the threshold that can lead to a direct response," the official was quoted as saying.

Iran is also heavily involved in Syria and Lebanon, but the situation there is fragile and Tehran may lose its gains, the official said.

The official added that Iran has limited mobility in Afghanistan, while escalating support for Houthi rebels in Yemen would hurt Saudi Arabia, its regional rival, more than the United States.

John Bolton, a tough national security adviser to Trump, asked about military options to strike Iran after an Iranian-linked group launched a mortar attack on September 7 in the Green Zone in Baghdad, the Wall Street Journal reported. The fortified area where the US embassy is located. The United States said its embassy was the target.

On the same day, demonstrators looted the Iranian consulate in Basra during a wave of protests against the economic situation in Iraq in September.

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International Crisis Group: Iraq may be the scene of settling scores between America and Iran

usa-eran.jpg

 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) - A study by the International Crisis Group (ICG) predicted that Iraq could bear the brunt in the event of escalating tension between Iran and the United States.

The group, which looks into ways to prevent war, said it had interviewed officials around the world, including Iran, to prepare a comprehensive study on the situation after Washington withdrew from the agreement on Iran's nuclear program signed by Tehran and the major powers in 2015.

 

President Donald Trump has pulled out of the deal and boosted economic pressure to isolate Iran, although Europeans still support the deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

The International Crisis Group said Iran was likely to continue to comply with the deal, seeing itself as behaving morally and capable of waiting for what would happen next year.

 

But the study said that Tehran accounts can be changed if reduced its oil exports, which amounted to 3.8 million barrels in 2017 to less than 700 thousand barrels per day, a level that can lead to excessive inflation and to intensify local protests that the government seems to be able so far to deal with her.

 

But if Iran decides to take revenge on the United States, the report says Tehran may find its best choice is to recruit its Middle East agents, a path that may be ambiguous enough to avoid a strong European reaction.

 

The report quoted a senior Iranian national security official as saying that the possible theater for this is Iraq, where armed groups are linked to close ties with Tehran.

 

"Iraq is where we have the expertise, the ability to deny and the ability to strike the United States without reaching the threshold that can lead to a direct response," the official was quoted as saying.

 

Iran is also heavily involved in Syria and Lebanon, but the situation there is fragile and Tehran may lose its gains, the official said.

The official added that Iran has limited mobility in Afghanistan, while escalating support for Houthi rebels in Yemen would hurt Saudi Arabia, its regional rival, more than the United States.

 

John Bolton, a tough national security adviser to Trump, asked about military options to strike Iran after an Iranian-linked group launched a mortars attack on September 7 in the Green Zone, the Wall Street Journal reported. Baghdad, the fortified area where the US embassy is located.

The United States said its embassy was the target.

 

On the same day, demonstrators looted the Iranian consulate in Basra during a wave of protests against the economic situation in Iraq in September.

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Iraq likely to be US-Iran war theater: study

 

 

Trump's visit to Iraq vs Zarif's visit

Iraq could bear the brunt if conflict intensifies between Iran and the United States, a think-tank study said Wednesday.


The International Crisis Group (ICG), which researches ways to prevent war, interviewed officials around the world including from Iran for an extensive report on the state of the 2015 denuclearization accord between Tehran and major powers.

President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States and ramped up economic pressure aimed at isolating Iran, although Europeans still back the accord negotiated under former president Barack Obama.

The ICG said Iran would likely continue to comply with the deal, seeing itself as holding the moral high ground and capable of waiting out Trump, who faces a re-election battle next year.

But the study said that Tehran's calculations could change if its oil exports, which stood at 3.8 million barrels a day in 2017, fall below 700,000, a level that could trigger hyper-inflation and intensify domestic protests which for now appear manageable.

If Iran decides to retaliate against the United States, the report said that Tehran may find its most attractive option to be to employ its proxies around the Middle East, a path that would be murky enough to avoid a strong European reaction.

The report quoted a senior Iranian national security official as saying that the likeliest theater was Iraq, where militias from the Shiite majority have close ties with Tehran. 

"Iraq is where we have experience, plausible deniability and the requisite capability to hit theUS below the threshold that would prompt a direct retaliation," the official was quoted as saying.

Iran is also deeply involved in Syria and Lebanon, but the two countries are especially fragile and Tehran could lose its gains, the official said.

Iran has limited assets in Afghanistan, while stepping up support for Houthi rebels in Yemen would hurt regional rival Saudi Arabia more than the United States, the official said.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Trump's hawkish national security advisor, John Bolton, asked for military options to strike Iran after an Iranian-linked group launched a mortar attack in September on Baghdad's "Green Zone," the protected area where the US embassy is located. The US says its embassy was the target.

No one was hurt and demonstrators also ransacked the Iranian consulate in Basra during the wave of protests over economic conditions in Iraq.

Bolton, in a tweet marking the third anniversary of the accord's implementation, described the deal as "horrible," saying it "gave Tehran billions in sanctions relief but didn't end its nuclear ambitions, missile tests, support for terrorism or regional expansionism."

European allies say the accord has successfully curbed Iran's nuclear program, even though there are other areas of concern.
 
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2 hours ago, Pitcher said:

It won’t last long.  The people of Iran want new leadership.  This is what my friends in Iran say.  They don’t want war especially all the proxy wars that Iran supports.  

 

In another thread I predicted another war.... Now here it is from the experts...  It doesn't matter if the people of Iran or Iraq want it, it's what our corporations want. And that is to make money.

And people call me crazy...

 

B/A

Edited by bostonangler
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Europe's patience with Iran wears thin, tiptoes towards Trump

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) with French counterpart Emanuel Macron (L)

In Tehran on January 8 during a meeting with European envoys, Iranian officials abruptly stood up, walked out and slammed the door in an extraordinary break with protocol, according to Reuters on Friday.

The French, British, German, Danish, Dutch, and Belgian diplomats in the Iranian foreign ministry room had incensed the officials with a message that Europe could no longer tolerate ballistic missile tests in Iran and assassination plots on European soil, according to four EU diplomats.

"There was a lot of drama, they didn't like it, but we felt we had to convey our serious concerns," one of the diplomats said. "It shows the relationship is becoming more tense," a second said.

An Iranian official declined to comment on the meeting.

The next day, the European Union imposed its first sanctions on Iran since world powers agreed the 2015 Vienna nuclear arms control deal with Tehran.

The sanctions were largely symbolic but the stormy meeting encapsulated the unexpected shift in European diplomacy since the end of last year. Smaller, more dovish EU countries have joined France and Britain in a harder stance on Tehran, including considering new economic sanctions, diplomats say.

Those could include asset freezes and travel bans on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Iranians developing the Iran ballistic missile program, three diplomats said.

The new approach moves Europe closer to US President Donald Trump's policy of isolating Iran with tough sanctions even though European governments still support the 2015 Vienna deal from which he withdrew in May.

Although there are diverging views in Europe, the shift could have consequences for President Hassan Rouhani's government as it looks to European capitals to salvage that deal.

Iran's firing of short-range ballistic missiles into Syria on Sept. 30, missile tests and a satellite launch this month have niggled Western powers.

For Europe, alleged assassination plots by Iran on French and Danish soil in 2018 were the last straw, diplomats say.

Tehran denies the plots and says the missile tests are purely defensive.

"The accusations against Iran over the past few months have awoken a few countries in Europe that were against a tougher line on Iran," a European-based Middle East diplomat said.

The same day as the meeting, the Netherlands publicly blamed Iran for killings on its soil in 2015 and 2017. Tehran denies any involvement. Then on Jan. 9, the EU designated a unit of Iran's intelligence ministry a terrorist organization, froze its assets and those of two men.

"Take the Dutch for example. They had kept very quiet until the Danish attack and now they are more hawkish than the French," said the diplomat.

A US State Department official said there was now "a growing international consensus" on the range of Iranian threats.

"The US welcomes Europe's efforts to counter Iranian terrorism on European soil, its missile launches, human rights abuses, and other threats," the official said.

DIALOGUE FALTERS

As the Trump administration accused Iran last year of harboring nuclear ambitions and fomenting instability in the Middle East through its support for militant groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, the EU sought dialogue with Tehran.

At meetings between European and Iranian diplomats last year, Britain, France, Germany and Italy, pressed for gestures on Iran's role in Syria's war and for help to end the conflict in Yemen.

But multiple bilateral talks on the ballistic missile program have yielded no results.

The EU tried to show Iran that compliance with the nuclear accord would still mean economic benefits despite Trump's decision to reimpose US sanctions and choke off Iranian oil exports by pressuring US allies.

The European Union is set to officially launch a mechanism, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) to trade with Iran later this month but it will not be operational for several months. It will be registered in France, run by a German and likely to include Britain as a shareholder.

"There's a feeling of frustration among Britain, France and Germany, and others, after the first phase of diplomacy with Iran," another senior EU diplomat said. "We thought we could get some effort from the Iranians in several areas."

Iran says Europe may not be able to safeguard the nuclear deal anyway and accused European officials of dragging their feet.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said last week "operational steps" were needed from Europe as political support not enough.

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of Iran's powerful Assembly of Experts said on ThursdayEurope "would do nothing in our interest."

"The Europeans are worse than the Americans. If not, they are not any better," he said, state TV reported.

EU DISAGREEMENTS

Last March, as part of efforts to convince Trump to stick to the nuclear deal, France, Britain andGermany proposed asset freezes and travel bans on the IRGC and Iranian companies and groups developing the missile program.

Now, a similar set of measures is being prepared, three diplomats say.

"We'd prefer not to take these measures, but they need to stop trying to kill people on our territory and over the last three years they have beefed up their ballistic program," said one senior European diplomat.

The diplomats say getting all 28 EU members to agree will take time.

The EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini, who helped seal the 2015 deal, is wary of moving too fast for fear of provoking a complete collapse of the accord, four diplomats said.

EU foreign ministers planned to issue a rare joint statement on January 21 about what they say is Iran's interference in the region and calling for an end to missile tests. Diplomats said Mogherini wants to see the SPV established first.

An EU official denied any split in policy between Mogherini and EU governments, saying the statement will be published as soon as the SPV is launched.

EU diplomats said eastern European governments could also go too far against Iran to please Trump in return for security guarantees against Russia.
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