America launches the economic side of the Middle East peace plan amid skepticism

[10 YEARS LATER]

They won’t be happy until the entire M.E. Is in flames, then turn around and blame the USA claiming They’re a peaceful country while labeling the USA The Great Satan/Imperialist nation picking on them so.

[Butifldrm]

 

Behold Israel

Published on Sep 1, 2018

 

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Amir's update on the Russian build-up of power in Syria in preparation for the battle on Idlib, the continued Iranian entrenchment efforts in Syria and Iraq, the alternative peace plan of the Palestinians and much more.

[Butifldrm]

 

Behold Israel

Published on Sep 2, 2018

 

SUBSCRIBED 115K

Amir's update from South Africa on the IDF strikes in Syria overnight. He speaks about Iran's attempted weapons shipment to Syria, the strikes in Damascus and much more. Be sure to watch Amir's Middle East Current Events Update from Sept. 1 for more details on regional developments in Syria and Iran

[Butifldrm]

• Politician

A Hebrew newspaper reveals a US-Israeli dispute over the strike on Iraq

14:29 - 04/09/2018

 

  

Information / Translation

The newspaper "Jerusalem Post" Zionism, Tuesday, that American officials warned the Zionist entity not to carry out air strikes inside Iraq after allegations of the Zionist army the existence of so-called Iranian military sites in the country.

"Washington had asked the Zionists a few weeks ago not to launch any air strikes in Iraq before the emergence of reports of Zionist military allegations."

The newspaper added that "American officials told the Zionist defense officials by saying: (Please leave Iraq to us)."

And I was the Iraqi Foreign Ministry denied at the time of allegations reported by the agency "Reuters" on the United States of America to transfer missiles to Iraq. Ending / 25 z

http://www.almaalomah.com/2018/09/04/341280/

[Butifldrm]

Trump warns Syria, Russia and Iran against 'reckless' attack on Idlib

 

US president says Assad’s allies will make a ‘grave humanitarian mistake’ if they help his forces

Guardian staff and agencies

Mon 3 Sep 2018 20.46 EDTLast modified on Tue 4 Sep 2018 05.58 EDT

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 Syrian rebel fighter prepare on Monday for an expected attack by the Assad regime on Idlib province. Donald Trump has warned any assault would be ‘a grave humanitarian mistake’. Photograph: Nazeer Al-Khatib/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump has warned Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian president’s allies Iran and Russia not to “recklessly attack” in the rebel-held Idlib province, warning that hundreds of thousands of people could be killed.

“The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!” Trump tweeted on Monday night.

Up to three million people in the region are bracing for imminent attack by Russian forces who sense victory in one of the last parts of Syria still out of regime control. On Friday the Russian navy manoeuvred in the nearby Mediterranean, while other nations also took positions; the Turkish army sent an armoured convoy deep into Syria, Iranian-backed militias mobilised to the south and the Syrian army was placed on high alert.

Civilians in Syria's last rebel stronghold brace for final battle

 

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The northern province and surrounding areas are the last major enclave held by insurgents fighting Assad, who has been backed by both Russian and Iranian forces in Syria’s seven-year-old civil war.

Trump has sought better relations with Russia since taking office in 2017 but the US has been unable to rein in Moscow’s military and diplomatic support for Assad.

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said on Friday that Washington viewed any government assault on Idlib as an escalation of Syria’s war, and the state department warned that Washington would respond to any chemical attack by Damascus.

Earlier on Monday, Iran called for militants to be “cleaned out” of Idlib as it prepared for talks with Syria and Russia about confronting the last major enclave held by rebels opposed to Assad.

 Russia softens up west for bloodbath it is planning in Syria’s Idlib province

Simon Tisdall

 

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The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, visited Damascus to discuss plans for an upcoming summit between the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey, which Tehran will host on 7 September to discuss Idlib, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

Turkey, which has long supported anti-Assad rebels, has cooperated with Russia and Iran on talks over Syria in recent years and has troops in the Idlib region on an observation mission.

Last week Iran’s defence minister travelled to Damascus and signed an agreement for defence cooperation between the two countries with his Syrian counterpart.

Reuters contributed to this report

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/04/trump-warns-syria-russia-and-iran-against-reckless-attack-on-idlib

[Butifldrm]

America threatens Damascus and calls for Security Council meeting on Idlib

 Tuesday 04 September 2018 - 09:33 GMT

 

The United States called for a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday to discuss the current situation in the Syrian province of Idlib north of the country.

 

World - Syria

"The issue of Idleb is serious," US Ambassador to the United Nations Nicky Hailey told a news conference, adding that the majority of the council's members supported the meeting.

Hayley recalled recent allegations by US President Donald Trump about Damascus's use of chemical weapons to free Idlib province, warning that if chemical weapons were used, the United States would respond.       

In parallel, the White House announced that the US and its allies would respond immediately if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad chose to use chemical weapons.

"Let's be clear, our position remains firm, that if President Bashar al-Assad chooses to use chemical weapons again, the United States and its allies will respond quickly and appropriately," a White House statement said on Tuesday night.

The White House said in a statement that it was closely monitoring developments in the Idlib province, which is controlled by terrorist groups, where the Syrian government is expected to begin a military operation to free them.    

On April 14, the United States, France and Britain carried out a triple missile attack on Syria in retaliation for an alleged chemical attack in the eastern Ghouta, to which the Syrian authorities have categorically denied responsibility.

The Syrian authorities have repeatedly stated that all stockpiles of chemicals have been removed from Syria under the auspices of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The United States and a number of European countries have accused Damascus of using chemical weapons against civilians in the Syrian city of Douma. The Syrian authorities denied involvement. Moscow considered this a pretext for missile strikes by the United States and its Western allies against Syria, Which has suffered collapses and defeats in the eastern Ghouta.

Source: Agencies

http://www.alalam.ir/news/3760941/اميركا-تهدد-دمشق-وتدعو-لاجتماع-بمجلس-الامن-حول-إدلب

[Butifldrm]

Russian-Iranian talks in Moscow on Syria and Yemen

 Tuesday 04 September 2018 - 06:12 GMT

 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Verchinen discussed with his Iranian counterpart Gholamhossein Deghani on Tuesday the situation in Syria, Yemen and developments in the Middle East.

World - Iran

"The two sides exchanged views on a number of pressing issues on the international agenda, including the situation in Syria, Yemen and Middle East issues," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued after the talks.

According to the ministry, Dehghani is visiting Moscow to participate in the conference "Countering illegal supply of arms in the fight against international terrorism".

The conference will last for two days with the participation of representatives from 21 countries as well as heads of counter-terrorism bodies in 11 international organizations.  

http://www.alalam.ir/news/3760826/محادثات-روسية-إيرانية-في-موسكو-حول-سوريا-واليمن

[Butifldrm]

Syria will warn Iraq against Israeli raids before it launches

 Tuesday 04 September 2018 - 10:38 GMT

 

A Syrian military expert said his country would be able to warn Iraq of any possible "aggression" after recent Israeli hints of hitting targets inside Iraq.

 

World - Syria

The expert, who preferred not to be named, said that the Syrian radars can monitor the Israeli warplanes and follow up since taking off. He will follow up his movements if he enters Jordanian territory and then it will be seen that these planes are likely to target sites in Iraq and thus warn the Iraqi side to take precautions and camouflage targets. Or not.

"There will be at least 10 minutes for planes to reach the interior of Iraq, a reasonable time to take the necessary steps," he said.

The source said that he believes that Damascus will not hesitate to warn the Iraqis because it is linked with Iraq, several security committees and there is permanent coordination through the Office of the four in Baghdad.

The expert revealed the existence of another line of aircraft is through Turkey, but added that this path requires that more than one squadron comes back and humiliates the other in Turkey (camouflage operations) and then fly after providing fuel to carry out combat missions in Syria or Iraq, which is repeated repeatedly.

The expert said that the Syrians learned in 1981 that Israeli warplanes may be heading towards a target in Iraq, but he did not know if the contact was then between the two countries to warn of an attempt to destroy the Iraqi reactor or not.

Source: RT

http://www.alalam.ir/news/3761046/سوريا-ستحذر-العراق-من-الغارات-الإسرائيلية-قبل-شنها

[Butifldrm]

A trilateral "trilateral" summit between Rouhani, Erdogan and Putin in Tehran over Syria

 

 

Tehran Farah Al - Zaman Shawqi

7 September 2018

 

Joins Turkish presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian Vladimir Putin , in the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday to the Iranian counterpartHassan Rowhani , to hold  a three - way summit , considered "articulated" on Syria , especially about the fate of the province of Idlib , which regime threatens its allies to launch a military attack on .

The summit, the third meeting at this level, between the heads of the three countries guarantor of the " Path of Astana ", after two summits held in Sochi southern Russia, and the Turkish capital Ankara.

Prior to the trilateral summit, Erdogan and Rohani held a bilateral meeting at the headquarters of the summit in the Iranian capital, closed to the media.

Earlier this afternoon, Turkish Foreign Minister Mouloud Gaooshoglu met with his Iranian counterpart Jawad Zarif for the second time in two days as part of preparations for the summit without allowing the media to cover the meeting.

Putin arrived in the capital Tehran to attend the summit. He was received at the Mehrabad International Airport by Energy Minister Riza Ardkanian and is expected to meet with Rohani in a bilateral meeting.

The Turkish and Russian presidents are due to meet Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the reason for the transfer of the summit venue from Tabriz to Tehran.

" 
Ansari: The 
timing of the summit, which coincides with the US sanctions on the three parties, indicates the importance of 

"

Iran's special envoy to the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the representative of Tehran at the meetings of Hussein Gabri Ansari said that the summit would end with a joint statement prepared after several meetings between representatives of the three countries and will be published after the summit. In the case of approval by the presidents. "

"The statement includes several addresses, including the return of Syrian refugees and the file of detainees and missing persons," Ansari said in an interview with local Iranian television. He confirmed the formation of a special committee known as the exchange committee.

"The timing of the summit, which coincides with unilateral US policies imposing sanctions on the three parties, is important," he said.

"The previous meetings between Tehran, Ankara and Moscow have produced areas to reduce the escalation , but this does not mean a cessation of the war on terror," Ansari said . "Idlib is still the only region beyond the control of the Damascus government. Situation ".

He added that "the Nasra Front is still present in Idlib, a terrorist organization recognized by the international community, so we will try at the summit in Tehran to know the fate that will be solved by the terrorists." He stressed "the need not to divide Syria or accept a scenario, , According to him.

Ansari pointed out that " there is disagreement with the Turkish side is related to Ankara's desire to delay taking military steps against Idlib, and focus more on a political action plan for the future of Syria," and expressed his belief that "Turkey and Iran will face a challenge at this summit, Major losses, without causing the division of Syria. "

In a remarkable statement, Ansari stressed that Tehran wants to separate between those described as "elements associated with terrorist organizations" and civilians in Idlib, who number three million, and said that "the question of that region must be resolved without heavy losses, and any solution to be announced must take into account this Human dimension ".

He added that "the fate of the forces and armed elements present there, and the destination they should go out to make the issue more complicated," adding that "the political solution will lead to the outcome to end the Syrian crisis, and meetings Astana fit in this context," he said.

Ansari said Tehran was totally opposed to the use of chemical weapons in Idlib. He accused the West and the United States of "exploiting this issue in a psychological war aimed at delaying the control of the Syrian government over all of Syria."

On the issue of reconstruction, Ansari said that "this is about the future of Syria after the achievement of political stability," referring to the visit of Foreign Minister Mohammed Jawad Zarif to Damascus, recently, which discussed the role of Iran in this file.

"We do not seek to open a charity, but we want Iranian companies to benefit from economic opportunity in post-war conditions," he said, expressing his country's readiness to export engineering, technology and goods to Syria.

The summit coincides with the visit of the President of the Islamic Shura Council Ali Larijani to Russia to participate in the meeting of the cooperation committee between the Iranian parliament and the Russian duma, stressing the importance of "continuing Iranian-Russian cooperation at all levels."

 

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/2018/9/7/قمة-ثلاثية-مفصلية-في-طهران-اليوم-بشأن-سورية

[Butifldrm]

 

[Butifldrm]

Eight European countries call on Moscow and Tehran to ensure a cease-fire in Idlib

 

New York

7 September 2018

 

Basra protesters closed a port and cut through an oil field

The Swedish ambassador to the United Nations, Olaf Skog, warned of the danger of recent developments on the Syrian arena. Schug was speaking at a press conference with the ambassadors of the eight EU member states - France, Britain, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy. 

In a joint statement, the eight European countries considered that "a large-scale military offensive in Idlib could threaten the lives of more than three million civilians, including one million children, living in the region." "We call on the guarantor countries to follow the path of Astana, which established tension reduction zones in Syria, especially Russia and Iran, to maintain the ceasefire and arrangements previously agreed upon, including the priority of protecting civilians," the statement added.

The eight countries signatories to the statement said any military operation launched by the Syrian regime "may also lead to a new displacement of large numbers of people, including those who have previously been displaced by the military operations and the brutal siege of the regime" in other areas of Syria.

The press conference of the Swedish delegate on Thursday before the monthly meeting of the Security Council on the file of chemical weapons in Syria. The monthly session is usually held behind closed doors, but the United States, which chairs the UN Security Council for this month, requested an open session. 

"The conflict in Syria has led to a great number of loss of life and has also caused widespread suffering for the millions of Syrians who have been forced to leave their country ," said Scug, who spoke on behalf of the eight European  countries. Which will have catastrophic consequences for civilians.The military operation will endanger the lives of civilians, including more than a million children, and may also lead to large-scale displacement. " Then be warned of any use of chemical weapons. He appealed to both Russia and Iran to abide by agreements to prevent escalation and maintain the ceasefire. He stressed that there are a number of open and closed meetings of the Security Council in New York to discuss the situation in Syria, most notably a meeting in the Council to discuss the situation in Idlib on Friday. 

For her part, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Acholi Akaloso, briefed her on the latest developments on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2118 on the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria. She had held several meetings prior to today's consultations, including her consultations with the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. "The Technical Secretariat of OPCW has verified the destruction of the 27 chemical weapons production facilities disclosed by the Syrian Arab Republic, which is an essential step towards the full implementation of the resolution and efforts are still under way to clarify  outstanding issues ." 

The French Ambassador to the United Nations, Francois Dulter, said during his speech that "Syria is on the brink of a new abyss. I hope that everyone appreciates the meaning of a large-scale attack on Idlib, which is home to three million people and its humanitarian consequences. The implications of migration and security will be catastrophic and will open a new chapter In the long-term Syrian tragedy. " The French ambassador appealed to the countries supporting Damascus to exert influence over the Syrian regime to prevent the crisis. "Damascus supporters can prevent this crisis, because the regime can not act alone, and we remain very vigilant about the possible use of chemical weapons and their reuse by the Assad regime will not be unpunished," he said. 

For his part, the Kuwaiti ambassador to the Security Council, Mansour al-Otaibi, expressed his country's dissatisfaction with the lack of renewal of the mechanism to identify those responsible for the recent attacks that proved the use of chemical weapons in Syria. He condemned any use of chemical weapons anywhere and by any party, stressing the need to hold officials accountable.

For his part, the Russian ambassador defended the Syrian regime, saying that "the Syrian government has provided all the information it possesses and there is no basis for a discussion claiming that Syria still has chemical weapons." "We have seen the same method followed in Iraq, and the organization did not mention that the facility, which was hit by France and the United States, was destroyed because of air strikes." He then attacked the White Helmets and claimed that she was "acting and acting, and talked about being funded by Western countries," and questioned her integrity. He said that blaming the Syrian government is only to create an opportunity to attack areas under the control of the regime. He criticized the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and questioned the integrity of its work in the past. 

In a related context, the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Deng, expressed deep concern about reports of a possible military attack on Idlib in the coming days. In a press release issued by his office, the New Arab Office in New York also expressed concern about the devastating impact this attack will have on civilians living there. The statement referred to "reports indicating the gathering and directing of the Syrian government forces to Idlib, and carried out raids in different parts of Idlib province on the fourth of September."  

The statement said Idlib is the last remaining area of the "reduction of escalation" that was agreed upon within the Astana agreement in May last year. The statement also noted that these are the areas where hundreds of thousands of civilians have taken refuge, as well as the evacuation of the Syrian regime and its allies from thousands of other areas: Aleppo, the eastern Ghutah, Deraa and Quneitra, within the "reconciliation agreements", to Idlib. In these areas, including one million children, and about half of the population of the area has been displaced from other places in Syria. 

 

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/2018/9/6/مجلس-الأمن-الدولي-يناقش-ملف-الأسلحة-الكيميائية-بسورية

[Butifldrm]

Rouhani: Fighting "terrorists" in Idlib should not harm civilians  

21:50 - 07/09/2018

0

 

  

Information / Baghdad ..

Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said on Friday that "fighting terrorists in Idlib should not harm civilians or cause destruction."

He told Rouhani in a speech at a trilateral summit on Syria in the capital Tehran, which includes his Russian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Iranian president stressed "the need to take measures to prevent harm to civilians," and stressed "the need to continue combating terrorism in Syria, especially in Idlib."

Rohani called for "the international community to include the reconstruction of Syria and the delivery of aid to it on the agendas of its work," adding that "his country is ready to fulfill its positive role."

He continued in the same context, that "the intervention of the United States in Syria does not comply with international treaties," stressing that "such intervention failed efforts to achieve peace there."

http://www.almaalomah.com/2018/09/07/342430/

[ChuckFinley]

If it was me and we had these problems I would be taking out the head of the snake.

[Butifldrm]

3 minutes ago, ChuckFinley said:

If it was me and we had these problems I would be taking out the head of the snake.

 

Yes Rouhani,  This whole situation is about to blow wide open.  This battle may end up a proxy war between US vs Ian and Russia.  Trump is not backing down on their threats.  Many Kurds will die in this battle which consist of most of the civilain population.  IMO, it's not good and we/the US have nothing to gain their.  Iranian regime, and it's ability to manipulate Assad is the Snake.  I wouldn't be surprised if Israel joins in on this battle as an ally to the US due to Iranian malitia's presence on it borders,  Let's pray for calmer minds to prevail.  Sometimes there's  bigger price to pay for sanctions and the US Dollar.

[Butifldrm]

More than 100 demonstrations in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo rejected any attack on the regime

Idleb Amer Al Sayed Ali

7 September 2018

 

More than 100 demonstrations took place in the governorates of  Idlib,Hama and Aleppo on Friday, rejecting any possible attack by the Syrian regime and its allies, Russia and Iran on the province of Idlib, and denouncing statements by the UN envoy to Syria, Stephane de Mistura .

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المعرة اليوم ALMarra Today

11 hours ago

المعرة اليوم ALMarra Today
آلاف المتظاهرين من مدينة #معرة_النعمان وريفها خرجوا في مظاهرة حاشدة رافضة للمصالحة مع نظام إيران الطائفي ومطالبة بإسقاطه وإسقاط ديمستورا المتواطئ مع المجرمين كما حيت الأتراك ومواقفهم من الثورة ونددت بالاحتلال الروسي

المعرة اليوم ALMarra Today
Thousands of protesters from the city of #maaret and and went out in a mass demonstration, rejecting reconciliation with Iran's sectarian regime, claiming to bring it down, and and d with criminals as the Turks and their positions came from the revolution. Russian

 

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Demonstrations under the slogan "De Mistura and Assad as Partners in Murder" and "Our Resistance Option" extended from the center of Idlib and its countryside to the northern countryside of Aleppo and the southern countryside of Hama.

The demonstrators raised the flags of the Syrian revolution and chanted against the threats of the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian partners, and demanded international protection for more than three million people. 
They considered that the UN envoy to Syria, Stephane de Mistura, was a partner of Assad's forces in the inciting campaign and demanded his removal from office.

t.me/AlAtarebMediaCenter

A massive demonstration in # _ City following Friday prayer in which a number of nearby villages took part and shouted to overthrow the regime and called for the release of detainees and international protection of civilians in #idlib and north editor and confirmed the continuity of #revolution
#مركز_الأتارب_الإعلامي
t.me/AlAtarebMediaCenter

 

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The demonstrations coincided with the Tehran tripartite summit, which will decide the fate of the province, preceded by aerial bombardment and artillery on the vicinity of the cities of Khan Sheikun and Hbeit, killing four civilians, and wounding seven.

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حماة الآن - Hamah Now

11 hours ago

مظاهرات حاشدة تعم مدينة إدلب رفضاً لدخول جيش النظام .

Mass demonstrations in idlib city refused to enter the system army.

 

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https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/2018/9/7/أكثر-من-100-تظاهرة-بسورية-رفضا-لأي-هجوم-للنظام

[Butifldrm]

 

 

France: Ready to hit targets in Syria if chemical system is used in Idlib

6 September 2018

Demonstrators burn the Iranian consulate in Basra

French army chief General Francois Lokwanter said on Thursday his forces were prepared to strike at  Syrian targets if chemical weapons were used in a possible attack by  the Syrian regime to restore  Idlib provincein the north of the country.

In a speech to a small group of journalists,  the French chief of staff said: "We are ready to carry out strikes if chemical weapons are used again ... This can be done at the national level, but it is in our interest to do so with as many partners as possible."

Lockwinter predicted that the remnants of the terrorist organization would be eliminated by the end of November.

The French Chief of Staff said that the organization "Daash" will not regain control of any territory before the end of the year, stressing: "This will be without doubt before the end of the autumn." 

A French military source said there were indications that Russia and its allies wanted to end the Idlib attack by the end of this year.

He said Paris believed the United States would maintain its presence in Kurdish-controlled areas in the northwest, because Washington wanted to reduce Iranian influence in Syria.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib was complex and "there are hardline forces to fight." 

Merkel said in an interview with RTL television that she had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the situation there and stressed the need to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

In the context of the warnings of the attack on Idlib province, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the world and the United States are monitoring developments in Syria."A sad situation in Idlib province, if there is a massacre, the world will be very angry," he said.

"We are making intensive efforts to prevent attacks on Idlib and to prevent the regime from violating the ceasefire," Turkish Foreign Minister Mouloud Gaooshoglu said.

"The regime wants to attack and control Idlib, and this is clear, but there are guarantors of the regime, Iran and Russia, and our contacts with them continue," Oglu told a news conference in Ankara with his German counterpart Haiku Mas.

Millions of civilians in the province of Idlib and its environs are turning to  the Tehran summit between Russia, Iran and Turkey over Syria on Friday to resolve the fate of northwestern Syria, amid reports of divergent visions between the tripartite guarantor of the Astana Accords. 


(New Arab, Agencies)

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/2018/9/6/فرنسا-مستعدون-لضرب-أهداف-بسورية-إذا-استخدم-الكيميائي-بإدلب

[Butifldrm]

Washington Is Growing Exasperated Over Iran's "Defiance" In Region

by Tyler Durden

Fri, 09/07/2018 - 19:10

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Just when the world may have thought stability could be returning to Syria after rapid Syrian Army and Russian advances over the summer, it appears we are once again on the path of an eventual major showdown between US forces and Iran inside Syria.

Washington defense officials are pointing to ways that Iran continues to "defiantly" spread its military clout beyond its borders even as its economy is in a tailspin and under possibly the most aggresive sanctions regimen in history. 

A new Wall Street Journal report outlines what could be the start of a dramatic White House pivot towards escalation against Iranian and pro-Tehran forces in Syria like Hezbollah. This follows the Washington Post dropping an exclusive bombshell Thursday night based on top White House policy planning sources that President Trump has approved a plan for complete 180 policy shift in the region involving "an indefinite military and diplomatic effort in Syria".

The WSJ reports, based on US defense sources: 

Tehran signed a long-term security pact with Syria in August, and has kept up the flow of arms and financial support to proxy forces around the region, according to U.S. officials and a person close to Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia.

It's such activities that Washington has hoped, but failed to curtail after President Trump pulled the US from the 2015 nuclear deal last May and renewed sanctions targeting everything from defense to automobile manufacturing in Iran. 

But it appears that while economic turmoil guts Iran domestically, mostly impacting middle class families and common citizens on everything from having their savings wiped out to being unable to find diapers on store shelves, the guns continue to flow from Tehran to its proxies in the region as in the words of the WSJ it's "signaling that it will buck U.S. efforts to roll back its military presence in the Middle East, moving to cement foreign alliances and continuing to project power abroad despite sanctions that have helped put intense pressure on its economy."

A top Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, Ali Vaez, for example told the WSJ, “It is an absolutely misguided perception that the Iranians will retreat from the region if they have economic problems.” And he underscored: “Whenever they come under increased pressure, they feel the need to double down.”

During a meeting with his military leadership on Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly said that Iran must urgently boost its personnel and buy more equipment, though downplayed the threat of direct war with the US. 

In Syria and Lebanon, one Middle East defense official was quoted by the WSJ as saying “Not much has changed,” in terms of Iran's significant financial support to Hezbollah and Shia militias. “Wages are paid, training and funding is the same,” the official said. 

Meanwhile a week ago a new Reuters report based on regional and US defense sources alleged that  Iran has transferred ballistic missiles to Shia proxy forces in Iraq — a story which Tehran has officially denied, calling it propaganda to gem up support for military action. 

Responding to the story, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter that he was “deeply concerned” about the reports. “If true, this would be a gross violation of Iraqi sovereignty,” he said, noting that “Baghdad should determine what happens in Iraq, not Tehran.”

But this WSJ constitutes perhaps a rare admission, and lends credence to Iranian officails' claims that it is not looking for confrontation in the region with the United States or Israel: 

Iran has exercised some restraint in confronting the U.S., according to analysts who noted that it has stopped harassing U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf and hasn’t tested a medium-range missile since July 2017.

While Tehran has rebuffed the Trump administration’s demands that it withdraw from Syria, it has pulled its forces out of the southwestern areas near the Israeli border at the behest of Russia, which sought to accommodate Israeli concerns.

However Washington analysts quoted by the WSJ write this off as “strategic patience” not an intent to withdrawal or play nice.

“Iran might have decided to slow down. But it’s a passing phase,” according to the analyst. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-07/washington-growing-exasperated-over-irans-defiance-syria-uptick-arms-flow

Edited September 7, 2018 by Butifldrm

[Butifldrm]

 

Edited September 7, 2018 by Butifldrm

[Butifldrm]

 

[Butifldrm]

 

[ChuckFinley]

It is about time. It is up to the people to push this scum out. 

[3n1]

power to the people ...........

[Butifldrm]

 

Rohani: America is negotiating Iran in periodic letters

 

 

Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said in a speech Saturday that the  United States is imposing pressure on Iran on the one hand and negotiating with it on the other hand, stressing that it sends messages to open bilateral dialogue from time to time.

"The 
government, parliament and judiciary in Iran must stand together 
 

"If you are really honest, why do you put pressure on the lives of the Iranian people," Rowhani told the United States. "The  current US administration is not just targeting Iran, but is confronting old allies and friends of the United States. 

Rohani said that his country is today subjected  to economic and psychological war , stressing that it will not succumb to the pressures of the United States, calling on the currents of the Iranian interior to stand together in the field of confrontation and felt that Iran has been under great pressure in the past and successfully overcome, which should be repeated, 

In a large part of his speech, Rouhani focused on addressing his critics at home, saying that his government can not face America on the one hand, focusing all its senses on the left and the right at home, and he said everyone should stand with the government to reach a fruitful outcome.

Rohani, who had attended a parliamentary session to answer the MPs' questions and criticized his work earlier, said that what is happening to his government carries electoral goals, saying that he understands the circumstances of the elections and the issue of differences of opinion, but the government, parliament and judiciary in Iran must stand together. 

The US president, Donald Trump, withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran in May and re-imposed sanctions, the first of which entered into force last month. Trump offered Iran a second negotiating position after he considered the nuclear agreement incomplete and did not include issues Such as its regional role and its missile program.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/2018/9/8/روحاني-أميركا-تعرض-التفاوض-على-إيران-في-رسائل-دورية

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Confirm Deadly Missile Strikes On Kurdish Rebels In Iraq

 

 

Last Updated: September 09, 2018 10:03 GMT

 

 

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says it was behind a rocket assault on an Iranian Kurdish rebel group in Iraq that killed at least 11 people.

In a September 9 statement carried by Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency, the IRGC said it fired seven missiles in the attack a day earlier on the armed opposition group in northern Iraq.

"In a successful operation, the Guards' aerospace unit, along with the army's drone unit...targeted a criminal group's meeting and a terrorist training center with seven short-range surface-to-surface missiles," the statement said.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) told the AFP news agency on September 8 that its organization was holding a meeting at the time of the attack.

"Eleven KDPI members were killed and 30 wounded by Katyusha rockets fired on their headquarters in Koysinjaq," Kamran Abbas, director of the city's hospital, told AFP.

"Iran used long-range missiles in a coordinated attack on [KDPI] bases and adjacent refugee camps," the group said on Twitter.

The KDPI occasionally carries out attacks inside Iran from its bases in Iraq and is listed as a "terrorist" group by Tehran. Several of its leaders have been killed in attacks the group has blamed on Iran.

The group is an armed leftist party made up of ethnic Kurds from Iran. It has been based in northern Iraq after it was banned in Iran.

It conducted a guerrilla war against Iranian forces from 1979 to 1996, when it declared a cease-fire. In 2016, it announced it would resume armed resistance.

The Kurdistan regional government -- the Irbil-based and Western-backed government of the autonomous region in Iraq -- condemned the attack, saying it violated Kurdish law and territorial integrity

"We reiterate our rejection of using the Kurdistan region's land to attack neighboring states, which is in no way acceptable and can lead to instability in the Kurdistan region," it said in a statement.

Millions of ethnic Kurds live in the mountainous region along the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

Some have links to Turkey's militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has for decades fought for an independent homeland.

https://www.rferl.org/a/at-least-11-iranian-kurdish-fighters-killed-in-attack-rebels-blame-on-tehran/29479697.html

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Judicial Watch

Published on Sep 10, 2018

 

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