Trump says US ‘moving forward’ with additional sanctions on Iran

[nannab]

Is this saying that the guard attacked the tankers or they were on one of them? 

46 minutes ago, yota691 said:

The two brigades of (Tigris): The Revolutionary Guard is one of the targeted tankers in the Sea of Oman

 

 

Number of readings: 1253 16-06-2019 09:42 PM

16-06-2019 09:42 PM

The two brigades of (Tigris): The Revolutionary Guard is one of the targeted tankers in the Sea of Oman

 

[yota691]

Iran limits its future production of enriched uranium

 

Building a nuclear reactor in Iran.

Arab and international Economy News Baghdad TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran announced on Monday that its production of enriched uranium would rise to 300 kilos, adding that it would increase further under developments in attitudes with European countries. "The entry of Iran into the second phase of the reduction of its obligations in the nuclear agreement depends on the commitment of European countries," Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) spokesman Bahruz Kamalundi told a news conference on reducing Iran's commitments to the nuclear deal and its follow-up, noting that "our production of enriched uranium Will rise to 300 kilos and increase further under the developments in positions. " "We have reached a high level of production of medicines through our production in the nuclear field of heavy water," Kamalundi said. "What is important is our real application on the ground by the Europeans to their obligations." He pointed out that "Iran's steps come within the framework of Articles 26 and 36 of the nuclear agreement," noting that "if we see that the Europeans did not implement their commitments will be re-operation of the reactor closed."  Views 30   Date Added 17/06/2019

[yota691]

Newspaper warns of "oil shock" in the world because of Trump

Reports | 11:23 - 17/06/2019

 

 

 

Follow - up - the balance of News 
considered the newspaper " The Guardian" British, on Monday, that the position of US President Donald Trump 's "hard - line" from Iran could lead to "oil shock in the world." 
Rising oil prices due to tension in the Middle East bring to mind the 1973 crisis, when high oil prices halted the global economic boom, the paper said in a report. 
Western countries were accustomed to the price of two dollars per barrel of oil if within weeks had to pay $ 11 a barrel. Inflation has risen, economic growth has fallen, and unemployment has reached levels not reached in the 1930s. 
Attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz last week rekindled memories of 1973 when Arab states decided to use oil as an economic weapon in the hope that the West would put pressure on Israel.
The report explains last week's attacks that Tehran, whose economy is suffering from US sanctions, has decided that if Trump wants to tamper with Iran's economy, it will tamper with the US and global economy. 
Iran denies involvement in the attacks, but if that is its thinking, it has chosen the right time. 
The report says that the crisis that could explode is more like what happened in the late 1970s when the world economy was hit by a second oil shock caused by the Iranian revolution. 
He says that the White House's use of tariffs resonates positively with Trump's electoral rules, but has led to a loosening of the global economy and has shaken corporate confidence. 
He added that the second half of 2019 will be difficult, and governments will resort to stimulus measures to prevent the transmission of economic laxity into recession. These procedures may work for a certain period, but they will only be temporary.
Indeed, the world economy has been stagnating for years. We have a big crisis. If the unrest in the Gulf does not erupt, then there is another thing that must explode

[yota691]

 

Rouhani: Europe has no time to save the nuclear deal

Arab and international

13:15

Last updated

01:48 PM

87

Watch

 

 

Follow - up / Tomorrow 's Press: 

assured Iranian President Hassan Rowhani on Monday that Europe is no longer in front of plenty of time to save the international nuclear agreement concluded with Tehran after Washington 's withdrawal. 

"It is a crucial moment and France can still work with two other sites to agree and play a historic role to save it in this very short time," Rohani said.

Rohani said the collapse of the nuclear deal would not be in the interest of the region and the world. 

The attacks on two carriers last Thursday increased tensions between Iran and the United States and its Gulf Arab allies after similar attacks on four ships in May, including two Saudi oil tankers off the coast of the UAE. 

Tehran has denied involvement in the attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for shipping world oil supplies.

[yota691]

Iranian official: Tehran is responsible for the security of the Gulf and calls on America to leave

Political | 03:35 - 17/06/2019

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - 
A senior Iranian official called on US forces in the Gulf to leave, pointing out that Tehran is responsible for the security of the Gulf, according to the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation. 
The Gulf region is witnessing moves that have raised regional and international concern, as US fighter jets carried out deterrents over the Gulf directed against Iran. 
This comes after Washington sent the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its combat group, grenade launchers to the Gulf, and sent a specialized ship to support the attacks and the Patriot missiles to the region in response to what it called Iranian preparations for an attack against it. 
Iran faces charges of responsibility for recent attacks in the region, including the sabotage of four Saudi and UAE merchant vessels in the Gulf of Oman. The Iranian government denies the charges.
Four oil tankers were damaged in what the UAE described as subversive attacks, while drone attacks on two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia carried out by Iranian-backed Houthis led to a temporary closure of a pipeline. 
Iran has denied being behind the attacks, but US Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Gilladi has accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of being directly responsible. 
At the same time, the United States has strengthened its military presence in the region, with tensions also increasing between Washington and Tehran

[Butifldrm]

IRAN

Published 2 hours ago

Last Update 1 hour ago

Pentagon approves sending 1,000 more troops to Mideast as US releases new photos of tanker attack linked to Iran

By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News

 

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released new images Monday showing the aftermath of mine attacks against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week, including some images purporting to show Iranian forces removing an unexploded device from the hull of one of the vessels.

Hours later, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he had approved a request from CENTCOM to send approximately 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East "to address air, naval, and ground-based threats" in the region.

"The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region," Shanahan said. "The United States does not seek conflict with Iran.  The action today is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests."

VideoThe military says that some of the 11 new images taken from a Navy helicopter show members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy removing a limpet mine from the side of the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous oil tanker. Other photos show a large hole on the side of the Courageous, above the water line, that officials say appears to have been caused by another mine.

In a statement, Central Command reaffirmed the Trump administration's previous claim that Iran was responsible for the attacks on the Kokuka Courageous and the Front Altair "based on video evidence and the resources and proficiency needed to quickly remove the unexploded limpet mine."

 

Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy remove an unexploded mine from the hull of the M/T Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman last week (U.S. Central Command)

The images were made public one day before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was scheduled to meet with CENTCOM commanders Tuesday. Pompeo has said that a new deployment of U.S. troops to the Middle East is an option in response to last week's attack.

IRAN TO BREAK URANIUM STOCKPILE LIMIT SET BY NUCLEAR DEAL, SPOKESMAN SAYS

The early Thursday attack severely damaged both vessels and forced the evacuation of 44 sailors. The incident took place near the Strait of Hormuz, a key strategic water route through which about 20 percent of all oil traded worldwide passes.

 

Damage to the Kokuka Courageous from Thursday's blast. (U.S. Central Command)

Relations between Iran and the U.S. have deteriorated in recent months. The U.S. has accelerated the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group to the region, sent four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Qatar and bolstered its defenses in the region by deploying more Patriot air defense systems.

Earlier Monday, Iran announced that it would break a limit on uranium stockpiles established by the 2015 nuclear agreement with the U.S. and five other world powers that was intended to restrict Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international sanctions. President Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement last year.

 

Material left on the hull of Kokuka Courageous after the removal of a limpet mine (U.S. Central Command)

Under the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds of low-enriched uranium. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran's atomic agency said it would pass that limit on Thursday of next week. Iran has shown no willingness to negotiate another deal and vowed not to enter into talks with the United States while the administration maintains its "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions.

 

In addition to reinstating economic sanctions, Trump recently ended waivers that allowed some countries to continue buying Iranian oil. That has deprived Iran of oil income and has coincided with what U.S. officials said was a surge in intelligence pointing to Iranian preparations for attacks against U.S. forces and interests in the Gulf region.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/centcom-iran-tanker-attack-pompeo-centcom

[Butifldrm]

Iran faces backlash over ‘nuclear blackmail’

 

Updated 13 sec ago

ARAB NEWS

June 17, 201911:19

US, Europe reject Tehran’s threat to increase its uranium stockpile

 

JEDDAH: Iran faced a backlash from Europe and the US on Monday after it threatened to breach uranium stockpile limits set by the 2015 deal to curb its nuclear program.

The White House said Iran’s new threat was “nuclear blackmail” and European signatories to the agreement said the regime in Tehran must stick to its commitments.

Iran set a 10-day countdown on Monday to exceed the 300-kilogram limit set on its enriched uranium stocks, dealing another blow to the crumbling nuclear accord signed by Tehran and six international powers.

“Iran’s enrichment plans are only possible because the horrible nuclear deal left their capabilities intact,” US National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said. “President Trump has made it clear that he will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. The regime’s nuclear blackmail must be met with increased international pressure.”

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also rejected the Iranian ultimatum. “We have already said in the past that we will not accept less for less. It is up to Iran to stick to its obligations,” he said. “We will certainly not accept a unilateral reduction of obligations.”

A spokesman for the British government said the European signatories to the deal had “consistently made clear that there can be no reduction in compliance.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would hold talks with Iran and its partners to avoid any further escalation in the region.

“I regret the Iranian announcements made … and we strongly encourage it to be patient and responsible,” Macron said. He said there was a window between now and July 8 for more dialogue to save the nuclear deal.

“All forms of escalation do not go in the right direction and won’t help Iran itself and the international community, so we will do all we can with our partners to dissuade Iran and find a possible path for dialogue.”

European countries have been trying to save the nuclear deal since US President Donald Trump withdrew last May and reimposed crippling economic sanctions. Iran has demanded their help to sidestep the sanctions, and in particular to enable it to sell oil on world markets.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1511906/middle-east

Edited June 18, 2019 by Butifldrm

[yota691]

Iran limits its future production of enriched uranium

 

Building a nuclear reactor in Iran.

Arab and international

Economy News Baghdad TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran announced on Monday that its production of enriched uranium would rise to 300 kilos, adding that it would increase further under developments in attitudes with European countries. "The entry of Iran into the second phase of the reduction of its obligations in the nuclear agreement depends on the commitment of European countries," Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) spokesman Bahruz Kamalundi told a news conference on reducing Iran's commitments to the nuclear deal and its follow-up, noting that "our production of enriched uranium Will rise to 300 kilos and increase further under the developments in positions. " "We have reached a high level of production of medicines through our production in the nuclear field of heavy water," Kamalundi said. "What is important is our real application on the ground by the Europeans to their obligations." He pointed out that "Iran's steps come within the framework of Articles 26 and 36 of the nuclear agreement," noting that "if we see that the Europeans did not implement their commitments will be re-operation of the reactor closed."  Views 58   Date Added 06/17/2019

[Butifldrm]

US will maintain pressure campaign on Iran, says Pompeo

 

Pompeo told reporters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida that the US would maintain its pressure on Iran. (Screenshot/YouTube)

Updated 18 June 2019

REUTERS

June 18, 201919:51

0

Pompeo said US does not want conflict with Tehran to escalate

WASHINGTON: The US will maintain its pressure campaign on Iran and continue to deter aggression in the region, but does not want the conflict with Tehran to escalate, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday.

"We have been engaged in many messages, even this moment right here, communicating to Iran that we are there to deter aggression," Pompeo told reporters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

"President Trump does not want war and we will continue to communicate that message while doing the things that are necessary to protect American interests in the region."

Fears of a confrontation between Iran and the US have mounted since Washington blamed Iran for last Thursday's attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

In an interview with Time magazine released Tuesday, Trump said he was prepared to take military action to stop Tehran from having a nuclear bomb but left open whether he would sanction the use of force to protect Gulf oil supplies.

"Now we need to make sure that we continue to do that so that we ultimately we get the opportunity to convince Iran that it's not in their best interest to behave in this way."

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1512651/middle-east

[Butifldrm]

‘Hypocrite’ Rouhani rejects war as Iran’s drones target Saudi civilians

 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, speaking on live TV, said his country will not wage war against any nation. (AFP)

Updated 13 sec ago

ARAB NEWS

June 18, 201907:00

0

Tehran regime has fanned sectarian flames in region for four decades, analyst tells Arab News

IRGC chief says Iranian missiles capable of hitting "carriers in the sea" with great precision

JEDDAH: Iran “will not wage war against any nation,” President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday — hours after two drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen targeted civilians in southern Saudi Arabia.

Rouhani's statement sounded a note of restraint after the United States announced more troop deployments to the Middle East.

“Iran will not wage war against any nation,” he said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. “Despite all of the Americans’ efforts in the region and their desire to cut off our ties with all of the world and their desire to keep Iran secluded, they have been unsuccessful.”

But he was also contradicted by the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Gen. Hossein Salami, who said Iran’s ballistic missile technology had changed the balance of power in the Middle East.

“These missiles can hit, with great precision, carriers in the sea ... they are domestically produced and are difficult to intercept and hit with other missiles,” Salami said.

He said Iran's ballistic missile technology had changed the balance of power in the Middle East.

 

Before both men spoke, Saudi air defenses intercepted and shot down two Houthi drones packed with explosives. One targeted a civilian area in the southern city of Abha, and the second was shot down in Yemeni air space. There were no casualties, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said.

Rouhani’s offer to avoid war was “the height of hypocrisy,” the Saudi political analyst and international relations scholar Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri told Arab News.

“Rouhani is the biggest hypocrite in the world,” he said. “On the one hand, he is saying that Iran does not seek a conflict with anybody, and on the other it is launching attacks through its militias on oil tankers, oil pipelines, civilian airports and holy cities.

“This is nothing but the height of hypocrisy. Who does he think he is fooling with those words? Why are they enriching uranium? Why are they seeking nuclear bombs? What have they done over the past four decades? They have only caused trouble. They have only fanned sectarian flames in the region.”

The Saudi Cabinet, meeting in Jeddah, also condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi civilians, and last week’s terrorist attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, widely blamed on Iran. 

 

Confrontation fears

Fears of a confrontation between Iran and its long-time foe the United States have mounted since Thursday when two oil tankers were attacked near the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, which Washington blamed on Tehran.

Iran denied involvement in the attacks and said on Monday it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under a 2015 nuclear deal, which had sought to limit its nuclear capabilities.

Exceeding the uranium cap at the heart of the accord would prompt a diplomatic crisis, forcing the other signatories, which include China, Russia and European powers, to confront Iran.

The standoff drew a call for caution from China. Its top diplomat warned that the world should not open a “Pandora’s Box” in the Middle East, as he denounced US pressure on Iran and called on it not to drop out of the landmark nuclear deal.

Russia urged restraint on all sides.

On Monday, Iranian officials made several assertive comments about security, including the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, who said Tehran was responsible for security in the Gulf and urged US forces to leave the region.

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Monday announced the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes, citing concerns about a threat from Iran.

The new US deployment is in addition to a 1,500-troop increase announced last month in response to tanker attacks in May. Washington previously tightened sanctions, ordering all countries and companies to halt imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system.

'Nuclear blackmail'

Iran’s announcement on Monday that it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under the deal was denounced by a White House National Security Council spokesman as “nuclear blackmail.”

The move further undermines the nuclear pact, but Rouhani said on Monday the collapse of the deal would not be in the interests of the region or the world.

The nuclear deal seeks to head off any pathway to an Iranian nuclear bomb in return for the removal of most international sanctions.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi said the United States should not use “extreme pressure” to resolve issues with Iran.

Wang told reporters China, a close energy partner of Iran, was “of course, very concerned” about the situation in the Gulf and with Iran, and called on all sides to ease tension.

“We call on all sides to remain rational and exercise restraint, and not take any escalatory actions that irritate regional tensions, and not open a Pandora’s box,” Wang said.

“In particular, the US side should alter its extreme pressure methods,” Wang said. “Any unilateral behavior has no basis in international law. Not only will it not resolve the problem, it will only create an even greater crisis.”

Wang also said the Iran nuclear deal was the only feasible way to resolve its nuclear issue, and urged Iran to be prudent.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would only react to any breach if the International Atomic Energy Agency formally identified one.

The Trump administration says the deal, negotiated by Democratic President Barack Obama, was flawed as it is not permanent, does not address Iran’s missile program and does not punish it for waging proxy wars in other Middle East countries.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1512461/middle-east

[nannab]

 

These sleazy crazy men should have dealt with swiftly a long time ago. 

[6ly410]

Published on Jun 18, 2019
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country is not seeking to wage war against any nation while at the same time stressing that it will withstand mounting U.S. pressure and emerge victorious.

Rouhani's remarks on Tuesday came as Tehran and Washington are edging toward a flashpoint after Tehran announced it was breaking compliance with the nuclear deal with world powers and the Trump administration ordered 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.

Rouhani says the "entire Iranian nation is unanimous in confronting" U.S. pressures and that "the end of this battle will see victory of the Iranian nation."

The escalation follows apparent attacks last week on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, assaults that Washington has blamed on Iran. Tehran has denied being involved in the attacks.

[blueskyline]

https://www.alsumaria.tv/news/alsumaria-articles/308195/البنتاغون-مقاتلات-أمريكية-تتجه-إلى-الخليج?src=web-push&utm_campaign=Softimpact-Web-Push&utm_source=SI-Push-Documents&utm_term=Softimpact-Push-Documents&utm_medium=SI-Push-308195....

Pentagon: US fighters heading to the Gulf

International

2019-06-18 12:38

 

Source:

Sputnik

 

8,744 views

 

 

A squadron of US F-15A jets flew from the Seamore Air Base in North Carolina to the Gulf.

According to US media, the Pentagon said that a squadron of F-15s, known as the Strike Eagle, flew to the Gulf from the US base of Seymour Air Force. 

The US Joint Forces Corps has warned Iran of misjudging the capabilities of US forces.

 

 

 

[gregp]

This baby owns the vertical speed record. 

Not sure if it’s been broke. 

 

On another note:

My buddies friend got recalled.  He has only gotten recalled when theirs been a real conflict. He’s never been called out for a close call. He does intelligence. He said it’s fixing to get real. 

[yota691]

Iran in trouble: nuclear trade-offs will not break its isolation

- 1 Hour Ago

LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is benefiting from the softening of the European position to salvage the nuclear deal, which has led to new pressure on its nuclear program by denouncing enrichment and breaking its commitment to an agreement reached in 2015.

Observers believe that Tehran's disregard for its obligations to the international community and use of the nuclear program as a political blackmail will only increase its isolation and confusion at all levels.

A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said on Wednesday that Iran would not extend the 60-day deadline to start giving up more of its obligations under the nuclear deal.

Bahruz Kamalundi said Wednesday that the two-month deadline Iran has given to the remaining parties to the nuclear deal to meet its obligations is "indefensible".

"According to the planned plan, the second step has been taken and the plan will be followed closely," the official Tasnim news agency reported.

"On the basis of reciprocity by the Islamic Republic of Iran in implementing the nuclear agreement, our actions are related to how the other members of the nuclear agreement can implement the commitments. It is not possible to abide by our commitments while they are not doing anything on the ground," he said.

He pointed out that the reality shows that "the other side does not want to abide by its commitments or not the ability to do so."

In May, Iran stopped implementing some of its obligations under its nuclear deal with world powers in 2015 after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

Iran said in May it would start enriching uranium at a higher level unless world powers protect its economy from US sanctions in 60 days.

"The two-month deadline for the other two signatories to the joint comprehensive action plan (the nuclear agreement) can not be extended and the second phase will be implemented as planned," the official IRNA news agency quoted Behruz Kamalundi as saying.

Britain, France and Germany are planning a new push to maintain a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, despite Tehran's threat to violate one of its basic provisions, but may be nearing the end of the diplomatic route they began more than 15 years ago.

The three countries have been making significant efforts to maintain agreement between world powers and Iran since US President Donald Trump announced a withdrawal from the deal last year and re-imposed US sanctions on Tehran.

While the Iranians initially reacted to wait in the hope that Trump would lose the next presidential election in 2020, Trump's sudden decision in May to try to cut Iran's oil exports to zero made them change their calculations.

The result was a series of attacks in the Gulf that the United States blamed on Iran or its proxies, despite Tehran's denials, as well as Iran's threat on Monday to exceed the limit stipulated in the agreement on its uranium hexafluoride stockpile within 10 days.

"If they do, it will be settled for the EU," said a senior EU diplomat.

Attacks on six tankers in the region since the start of May, as well as two airliners on oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia, have raised fears of a military confrontation between America and Iran, either deliberately or accidentally.

Diplomats said the three countries, which began talks with Iran on curbing its nuclear program in 2003, would step up diplomatic efforts in the coming days, including talks with EU political leaders in Brussels on Thursday.

Two sources said that Brian Hook, who is in charge of the Iran file at the State Department, plans to meet with the political directors of the three countries in Paris on June 27, a date Iran says it will violate the nuclear agreement.

Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany may visit Tehran for talks on the nuclear deal, but this is still a choice at the moment.

The Arabs

[yota691]

Shamkhani: There will be no military war between Iran and America

Editorial date:: 2019/6/19 13:24 • 136 times read

"The United States has launched an economic war to target the Iranian people," Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani said in a statement.

"In contrast to the atmosphere raised by some against Iran, a military war is not going to happen," Shamkhani said Wednesday in a statement to the Iranian news agency IRNA and the Iranian TV and Radio News on the sidelines of the 10th meeting of senior security officials in the world. There is no reason to go to war knowing that the indictment of other countries may turn into a popular method for US officials who are seeking in this way to put pressure on those countries. 
"Today, we are witnessing an economic war on the part of the United States, which was launched by Washington officials against the Iranian people, and they imagined that in such actions they could bow to the Iranian people, but we saw the people stand before them. 
"The Iranian people, thanks to al-Bari, will turn the American threats into opportunities once again," the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said

[yota691]

 

[yota691]

TEHRAN: There is no reason for a war with Washington

 

Expression picture

Number of readings: 1736 19-06-2019 02:14 PM

19-06-2019 02:14 PM

Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani said on Wednesday that there would be no war between Washington and Tehran, saying there was no reason for it to happen. 

"We believe that if America leaves the region, there will be no clash in it, and the reason for the chain of insecurity is the presence of America and the pressure on the Iranian people," Shamkhani said in a press statement to Russian media. 

"Today, all available resources are being used in the field of soft war against independent peoples. This is being used as a threat by the worst criminals in the world, first and foremost the United States of America. Independent governments must unite and benefit from the enormous potential. Which is in its possession to stop this trend, otherwise the world will become less secure ', 

Shamkhani said that 'his country will not accept that the nuclear agreement is one-way', noting that 'Tehran will reduce its obligations under the agreement step by step'.

[Butifldrm]

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shoot down US drone

 

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said it shot down the drone Thursday morning when it entered Iranian airspace. (File/AFP)

Updated 13 sec ago

AP

REUTERS

June 20, 201903:29

US official says military drone was shot down in international airspace

Heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal.

TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a US drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, while disputing the circumstances of the incident.

The Guard said it shot down a RQ-4 Global Hawk over Iranian airspace, while a US official said the downing happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz. The different accounts could not be immediately reconciled.

Previously, the US military alleged Iran had fired a missile at another drone last week that was responding to the attack on two oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman. The US blames Iran for the attack on the ships; Tehran denies it was involved.

The attacks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the US and Iran following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Tehran’s nuclear deal a year ago. The White House separately said it was aware of reports of a missile strike on Saudi Arabia amid a campaign targeting the kingdom by Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels.

Iran recently has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and threatened to boost its enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels, trying to pressure Europe for new terms to the 2015 deal.

In recent weeks, the US has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and deployed additional troops to the tens of thousands already in the region. In Yemen, Iranian-allied Houthi rebels have launched bomb-laden drones into neighboring Saudi Arabia.

All this has raised fears that a miscalculation or further rise in tensions could push the US and Iran into an open conflict, some 40 years after Tehran’s Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said it shot down the drone on Thursday morning when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province. Kouhmobarak is some 1,200 kilometers southeast of Tehran and close to the Strait of Hormuz.

While Iran’s state news agency IRNA carried the same report, identifying the drone as an RQ-4 Global Hawk, a US official said a US Navy MQ-4C Triton had been shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.

The MQ-4C Triton’s manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, says on its website that the Triton can fly for over 24 hours at a time, at altitudes higher than 10 miles, with an operational range of 8,200 nautical miles.

The US official told the AP the Iranians fired a surface-to-air missile striking the American drone. The official said the incident happened over the Strait of Hormuz in international airspace. The strait is the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which 20 percent of all global oil moves through.

The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity as the information had yet to be cleared for release to the public.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1513446/middle-east

[Butifldrm]

Trump briefed on missile strike in Saudi Arabia: White House

 

White House spokesperson said they are closely monitoring the situation after the Houthi missile attack on Saudi Arabia. (File/AFP)

Updated 4 sec ago

AFP

June 20, 201905:52

White House official said they are closely monitoring the situation

Houthi militants said they attacked a power station in Saudi Jizan province

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has been briefed about a missile strike on Saudi Arabia, the White House said Thursday, after Houthi militia claimed an attack on a power station in the kingdom’s south.
“The president has been briefed on the reports of a missile strike in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing to consult with our partners and allies.”
There was no immediate confirmation of the attack from Saudi authorities.
Late Wednesday, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants said they struck a power station in southern Jizan province, according to the group’s Al-Masirah TV.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the militia said a Houthi drone was intercepted over Yemeni airspace.
Last week, a Houthi missile attack on the international airport in southern Abha city left 26 civilians wounded, drawing promises of “stern action” from the coalition.
Human Rights Watch denounced last week’s strike as an apparent “war crime,” urging the Houthis to immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
The attacks come amid heightened regional tensions with Iran, which Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused of arming the militia with sophisticated weapons. Tehran denies the charge.
Following recent Houthi attacks, Saudi state media has reported the coalition was intensifying its air raids on the militia’s positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.
The coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the militants closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden.
The conflict has triggered what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 24 million Yemenis — more than two-thirds of the population — in need of aid.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1513481/world

[Butifldrm]

Iran linked to rocket attack on US oil targets in southern Iraq

 

An Iraqi soldier stands next to a military vehicle at the entry of Zubair oilfield after a rocket struck the site of residential and operations headquarters of several oil companies at Burjesia area, in Basra, Iraq, on June 19, 2019. (REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani)

Updated 16 sec ago

ARAB NEWS

June 20, 201900:22

Fourth oil-related terrorist assault since Tehran’s threat to halt exports from Gulf

Three people were injured in Wednesday’s incident

BAGHDAD, Iraq:  Iran was accused of sowing further chaos on Wednesday when a rocket hit a site near Basra in southern Iraq used by US and other oil companies.

The attack came hours after three rockets landed in the Rumailah oil field in Basra, near a camp used by the US oil services company Baker Hughes.

It was the fourth oil-related terrorist attack since Tehran threatened to halt exports from the Arabian Gulf in response to US sanctions aimed at reducing Iran’s oil sales to zero.

Three people were injured in Wednesday’s incident, when a short-range Katyusha rocket hit a drilling site in the Burjesiya area near Basra, an operational area for oil companies including Royal Dutch Shell, Eni of Italy and the US giant ExxonMobil.

The finger of blame was immediately pointed at Iran-backed armed groups in the area, particularly Kata’ib Hezbollah. “They are equipped with this type of rocket, which is ubiquitous among the Iranian-supported militias,” security analyst Dr. Theodore Karasik told Arab News.

TIMELINE OF TERROR

● July 21, 2018 Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says if Iran’s oil sales are impeded by sanctions, ‘no other country in the region will export oil either.’

● April 21, 2019 US says it will end sanctions exemptions allowing some countries to buy Iranian oil, with the aim of reducing its exports to zero.

● May 12 Four tankers — two Saudi, one Emirati and one Norwegian — are sabotaged with explosive mines off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE. ● May 14 Drone attacks on two oil pumping stations temporarily shut down pipeline from eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu port on the Red Sea.

● June 13 Two tankers, one Japanese and one Norwegian, are attacked in the Gulf of Oman, leaving one ablaze and both adrift.

● June 19 Rocket attack targets foreign oil installations near Basra in southern Iraq, where Iran-backed militias are active.

“The Islamic Republican Guard Corps has created a supply network for local militias that helped to build up a weapons stock around Basra. It is easily fed by new supplies from Iran because of the porous nature of the border between the two, both on land and at sea,” said Karasik, senior adviser at Gulf State Analytics in Washington, DC.

An Iraqi security source also blamed Iran-backed militias. “The team that launched the rocket is made up of more than one group and were well trained in missile launching,” he said.

The rocket was fired from farmland about 4 km away and landed 100 meters from part of the site used as a residence and operations center by Exxon. Company staff were flown to Dubai.

Abbas Maher, mayor of the nearby town of Zubair, said he believed Iran-backed groups had specifically targeted Exxon to “send a message” to the US.

“We cannot separate this from regional developments, meaning the US-Iranian conflict,” he said. “These incidents have political objectives.”

Meanwhile US investigators presented more evidence that Iran was behind last week’s tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman.

“The limpet mine used in the attack … bears a striking resemblance to Iranian mines already publicly displayed in Iranian military parades,” said US Navy Commander Sean Kido.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1513341/middle-east

[yota691]

It is in America's interest not to test Iran

By AhadNA3 Articles 20/06/2019 02:51 PM | Number of readings:

 

 

Majed Hatem

The air defenses of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an American spy plane on Thursday morning as it violated Iran's maritime border in the southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan.

The Global Hawk is one of the most sophisticated US spy planes produced by the Northrop Grumman aircraft manufacturer. It is capable of flying more than 24 hours per flight at a height of more than 16 kilometers in a range of 8,200 nautical miles, Of $ 200 million.

This is not the first time Iran has dropped US spy planes that have violated its airspace. In 2011, it succeeded in landing a safe US RQ-170 aircraft after violating the Iranian border with Afghanistan using electronic warfare. Today radically different with previous accident conditions.

It is certain that if a country other than Iran had thought a thousand times before bringing down a spy plane belonging to the most powerful country in the world, and in these sensitive circumstances that have not been seen in the region for a long time, where the region is full of aircraft carriers and warships and bombers, The high level of American troops, the high readiness of the American bases surrounding Iran, and the high-level threats emanating from every hour of the most extreme and racist American administrations, Iran sees in its international borders a red line that will not allow any country in the world to violate it, This country is America, and J under the leadership of people like Trump and Bolton Pompeo.

It is clear that the circumstances surrounding the shooting down of the US spy plane are very sensitive, and Iran is well aware of this. But what happened was that Iran, because of this high sensitivity, dropped the US plane, so that the messages it wanted to send to Trump and those around him And impact, namely:

Iran is not seeking war, but it is not afraid.

- No impact of the threats of Trump, Bolton and Pompeo, on Iran's will to defend itself.

- No impact on US fleets, bases, launchers, planes and radars, nor on the thousands of American soldiers who are packed in the region.

Finally, Iran, the leadership and the people, is not under the influence of the US intimidation, its decision is taken only by the elements of the force it possesses, a force of interest not to test America, if the violation of the US spy plane to the Iranian airspace, the pulse of the pulse of Iran, or know its readiness For the military confrontation, or a test of its power, America has received more than enough answers.

[yota691]

Putin: The use of military force against Iran will lead to disaster

Political | 03:47 - 20/06/2019

 

 

 

Putin: The use of military force against Iran will lead to disaster

[Butifldrm]

REPORT: IRAN DOWNS U.S. NAVY DRONE, IS ‘READY FOR WAR’

7:54 AM 06/20/2019 | MILITARY

David Krayden | Ottawa Bureau Chief

 

Iran reportedly shot down a high-altitude U.S. Navy drone on Thursday.

A surface-to-air missile apparently hit the MQ-4C drone over the Strait of Hormuz — the same site of an apparent attack on two oil tankers last week, according to Fox News and multiple other sources.  Both Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are accusing Iran of the explosions.

 

Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

The attack was reportedly meant as a warning to the U.S. that it won’t be cowed by threats or an escalating military presence in the region.

At least one military analyst is suggesting Iran was not at fault for the tanker attacks.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander reportedly said the incident sends “a clear message” to America, adding that while Iran is not looking for a fight with the U.S. or its allies, the Middle Eastern state is “ready for war.” (RELATED: Rep. Omar Blames Alleged Iranian Aggression On Trump Rejecting Obama Nuclear Deal)

The drone, which is as large as a Boeing 737, was flying over international airspace at the time it was reportedly shot down, according to U.S. authorities, and was 17 miles away from Iran.

 

U.S. Central Command has offered no comment on the alleged attack, but public affairs officer Capt. Bill Urban indicated that no drone was situated over Iran.

The state news agency IRNA described the drone as an RQ-4 Global Hawk, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has also acknowledged the attack, but says the drone had violated Iranian airspace.

Another U.S. drone reportedly received fire from Iranian Sources last week when it arrived at the Strait of Hormuz to respond to the oil tanker attacks. (RELATED: Video Shows Iran Removing A Mine From Oil Tanker, US Says)

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the oil tanker attacks a “blatant assault” by Iran, according to Fox.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives at presidential palace to meet with Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun in Baabda, Lebanon March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Pompeo says he’s pointing his finger at Iran because of the “intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,” according to Fox.

Tensions have been on the rise in the Middle East since National Security Advisor John Bolton announced that the U.S. was sending an aircraft carrier strike group and bomber task force to the  region due to a “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.”

The U.S. announced Monday that it would be sending 1,000 troops to the Middle East, an apparent response to the rising tensions.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/20/report-iran-navy-drone-strait-hormuz-ready-war/

[Butifldrm]

Iran's Downing of US Drone 'Clear Message' to America − IRGC Commander

 

CC0

WORLD

10:36 20.06.2019(updated 14:40 20.06.2019)Get short URL

291207

Iranian paramilitary forces stated on Thursday that a US spy drone had been shot down after entering Iran's airspace; it had flown over Hormuzgan province in the south of the country.

Major General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Thursday that the country had downed a US drone to send a "clear message" to Washington.

"The downing of the American drone was a clear message to America," Salami said, as quoted by state TV. He went on to warn that Tehran would "react strongly" to any aggression, describing Iran's borders as its red line.

"Iran is not seeking war with any country, but we are fully prepared to defend Iran," he added.

Iran's Foreign Ministry indicated that the drone had violated its airspace. "Any such violations of Iran's borders are strongly condemned ... We warn of the consequences of such illegal and provocative measures," said Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry.

Earlier in the day, the IRGC reported that Iran had downed a US spy drone, identified as a RQ-4 Global Hawk, which had flown over Hormuzgan province in Iran's south.

According to the Revolutionary Guards, the drone took off from a US base and disabled its "tracking equipment".

The US military, meanwhile, confirmed that the drone had been downed with a surface-to-air missile over the Strait of Hormuz but insisted that it had not breached Iran's airspace.

"US Central Command can confirm that a US Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (or BAMS-D) ISR aircraft was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at approximately 11:35 p.m. GMT on June 19, 2019," the CENTCOM said in a statement.

A US official also told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Iran did shoot down a US drone − an MQ-4C Triton − while it was flying in international airspace.

This follows last week's oil tanker incidents near one of the world's most strategic chokepoints, just off Iran's coast. Washington was quick to blame Tehran for what appeared to be an attack on the vessels, but the Islamic Republic denied any involvement.

Days after the incidents, the Pentagon okayed the dispatching of an additional 1,000 troops to the region, following the deployment of an air carrier group and a bomber task force in response to reports that Iran or one of its proxies was planning an attack against the United States.

© RIA NOVOSTI . BRIAN M. WILBUR

June 1, 2019 file photo, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, conduct joint exercises in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian sea

The IRGC commander, however, said that the "aircraft carriers’ scenario is over" for Iran as it has acquired an unspecified system capable of "steering a ballistic missile".

The US Central Command accused Iran last week of attempting to shoot down its drone that was monitoring the movement of one of the two tankers that were hit in the Gulf of Oman.

Relations between Washington and Tehran have spiralled since May 2018, when Donald Trump scrapped the 2015 nuclear deal, which curbed Iran's nuclear programme, claiming that it failed to stop Iran's ballistic missile programme or its alleged sponsorship of terrorism across the region. The US administration has since adopted a "maximum pressure" policy aimed at pressuring the Islamic Republic into negotiating a 'better' deal, but appears to have achieved quite the opposite so far.

Iran last month stopped curbing its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water and vowed to continue suspending its commitments under the 2015 accord if the remaining signatories fail to shield it from tough US sanctions.

 

https://sputniknews.com/world/201906201075975805-irans-downing-of-us-drone-clear-message-to-washington-irgc-commander/