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Iran loses last innocence papers from Aramco attack


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Why The Saudis Are Lying About Their Oil Production

By Simon Watkins - Sep 23, 2019, 6:00 PM CDT

Saudi Arabia’s comments about its hydrocarbons industry have long been regarded by industry experts as being as believable as China’s comments about its economic growth: that is, not at all. Saudi Arabia’s skill in lying is definitely improving, though, from the outright transparent lies about its level of oil reserves, spare capacity, and why the omni-toxic Aramco should nonetheless be valued at US$2 trillion.

Its latest lies - along the lines of ‘everything is fine after the attacks and we will be back to full production really quickly’ – are relatively nuanced. “The Saudi statements may not contain any direct falsehoods as such but nor are they entirely being fulsome with the truth,” Richard Mallinson, senior energy analyst for Energy Aspects, in London, told OilPrice.com last week.

The stage was set for the Saudis’ latest lying extravaganza with the aerial attacks on its massive Abqaiq oil processing facility and Khurais oil field launched, according to various sources, by Houthi ‘rebels’ in Yemen or by Iranian operatives in Yemen or in Iran. The effect of the combined attack on Abqaiq and Khurais caused the temporary suspension of 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd). This equates to well over half of Saudi Arabia’s actual crude oil production capacity, not the capacity figure that Saudi has plucked out of nowhere for geopolitical power purposes in recent years, and resulted in the biggest rise in oil prices in a single day ever.

Once the hedge funds, who had handily positioned themselves long some days before the attacks, had taken their profits, and younger traders remembered that the U.S. can release vast amounts of oil at the drop of a hat from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to keep the price of oil – and, crucially ahead of an election year, the highly correlated and politically enormously sensitive gasoline pump price in the U.S. down – oil prices came down again, obviously.

A number of interesting things happened from the Saudi Arabian side as the prices went up and then went back down again. The first of these, as OilPrice.com was informed repeatedly by senior oil traders throughout the day, was the lack of real understanding that senior Saudi officials seem to have on how the oil market works or any details of Saudi’s own oil industry.

“I used to think the Saudis thought all of us [oil traders] were idiots, with all the rubbish they used to come out with and thought we’d believe, but recently it’s occurred to me that they genuinely don’t know anything about the oil industry, so they don’t understand that other people actually do know what they’re talking about and this has also been one of the reasons for the constant delaying of the Aramco sale, by the way,” one senior oil trader based in Asia told OilPrice.comRelated: Millennials Really Do Ruin Everything, And Big Oil Is Next

The Aramco sale to one side for another time (although OilPrice.com has exclusively previously highlighted all of the lies pertaining to it), one particularly striking comment came from Saudi Arabia’s new oil minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, just after the attacks. He stated that the Kingdom plans to restore its production capacity to 11 million bpd by the end of September and recover its full capacity of 12 million bpd two months later.

“It was extremely telling that he spoke of ‘capacity’ and later of ‘supply to the market’, as these are terms that Saudi tends to use in order to avoid talking about actual production, as capacity and supply are not the same thing at all as actual production at the wellheads,” said Energy Aspects’ Mallinson. “What Saudi is trying to do by not revealing the true picture is to protect its reputation as a reliable oil supplier, especially to its target clientele in Asia, so we have to take all of these comments with a hefty pinch of salt,” he added.

So hefty a pinch of salt as to be mountainous in the case of its capacity and corollary spare capacity figures. The country has stated for decades that it has a spare capacity of between 2.0-2.5 million bpd, implying – given actual production during virtually all of this time averaging less than 10 million bpd - total production capacity of 12.0-12.5 million bpd. This level, though, or anywhere near it, has never been even remotely tested, with the highest production ever recorded being just over 11 million bpd in November last year.

This is despite the all-out oil price war that Saudi started in 2014 against U.S. shale producers to try to destroy the industry through low prices caused by flooding the markets with oil. “If the Saudis had anything near 12 million barrels per day capacity, that would have been the time to pump it but all it managed was just under 10 [million bpd] with 10.5 [million bpd] managed for just one month over that two-year period [2014-2016 before Saudi reversed it strategy],”

Additionally, the EIA defines spare capacity specifically as production that can be brought online within 30 days and sustained for at least 90 days, whilst even Saudi Arabia has said that it would need at least 90 days to move rigs to drill new wells and raise production to the mythical 12 million bpd or 12.5 million bpd level. Many serious oil market players now do not believe that the Saudis have anywhere near 2 million bpd of spare capacity, as it would imply production of 12 million bpd plus. Instead, many now believe that the Saudis have sustainable spare capacity of no more than around 0.5-1.0 million bpd.

Whatever Saudi’s actual capacity, there is absolutely no way that it can have made any accurate assessment of how long it would take to get back to any particular capacity level either – another lie. “Engineers we have spoken to have said that following an incident like this it would take several weeks just to assess the damage, never mind to begin doing anything about it, rather than the few days that the Saudis have taken and then announced the actual timeline – and a very short timeline at that – to bring back various stages of capacity,” said Energy Aspects’ Mallinson. 

“Instead, what the Saudis will do to keep exports up is draw down supplies to its domestic industry and reduce the amounts it is sending to domestic refineries – one big refinery, SASREF, is conveniently bringing forward its planned maintenance for later in the year to now - and we hear very mixed reports which of the other refineries are operating at regular rates,” he added. “But some buyers are already being warned of delays, some are being offered swaps with other grades and so on,” he underlined. Related: US Shale Kept Oil Prices From Surging After Attacks On Saudi Oil

Specifically, a number of customers of Saudi’s Arab Light and Arab Extra Light grades – the grades most affected by the recent attacks – have been offered Saudi’s Arab Medium or Arab Heavy as substitute grades.OilPrice.com understands from oil trading sources. This even applies to Saudi’s number one target country, China. A number of refineries have been told by Aramco that their rolling orders for Arab Extra Light crude cannot be supplied for the time being but can be switched for either Arab Medium or Arab Heavy, depending on the set-up of the refinery. Others, looking for their usual monthly supply of Arab Light have been told that this will be switched to Arab Heavy as a substitute for September loading at least.

The other measure that Saudi is taking - which it has vehemently denied but OilPrice.com can confirm from various oil trading sources and from sources in the Iraq Oil Ministry – is looking to buy Iraq oil grades, which are close to the key export grades that Saudi ships to various destinations, including Asia. “Aramco Trading Company has been aggressively checking prices and lot sizes for Iraqi crude with various [oil] trading houses since the attacks and are looking are shorter-term potentially rolling contracts,” one trading source told OilPrice.com last week.

“A number of the Iraqi grades are close in specifications to their Saudi counterparts, and part of this activity by Saudi to fill customer supply quotas for these grades is to make sure that the demand we are still seeing for such Iranian grades from Asia, but mainly China, is not boosted to make up for the shortfall from Saudi.,” a senior source who works closely with Iraq’s Oil Ministry told OilPrice.com.

The supreme irony, of course - as OilPrice.com has repeatedly underlined, and as many in the oil markets now know, although apparently not the Saudis - is that a cornerstone strategy used by Iran to circumvent current U.S. sanctions against it (as was also the case in the previous period of sanctions) is to rebrand its oil into Iraqi oil, which is extremely easily done, both at the massive and porous border between the two or via various pipeline and shipping routes.

It may well be, then, that Saudi Arabia ends up boosting the bank accounts of the very people that it thinks was behind the attacks on its own oil infrastructure, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps – a staunch and active supporter of Yemen’s Houthis - through its various oil-industry associated businesses by buying Iranian oil, albeit with the stickers changed on the barrels.

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2 minutes ago, Pitcher said:

This has been a dream of the Socialist Dems for years.  Steal the oil Industry to pay for free everything.  Or tax it until it is non competitive. Great for the New Green Deal.  

 

They only people I see stealing are the elite. The wealthy are cashing out and building cash reserves. I see young and old, conservatives and liberals, white and black, educated and uneducated and whatever else you can think of being raped by the system. They (the elite) are about to blow it up again and buy everything on the cheap.

 

Pitcher I know you understand this, but many here believe what our leaders are telling them. It is going to another lost decade for some. Too bad people with brains don't explain to them what's coming instead of propping up the bull being spread by Trump and the rest of the crooked system.

 

B/A

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2 minutes ago, bostonangler said:

They only people I see stealing are the elite. The wealthy are cashing out and building cash reserves. I see young and old, conservatives and liberals, white and black, educated and uneducated and whatever else you can think of being raped by the system. They (the elite) are about to blow it up again and buy everything on the cheap.

 

The plunder of America has been going on for decades. The disparity between the rich and the average Joe has never been higher, higher than even the Gilded Age.  

 

The Sphere of Wealth and Influence is shifting to the East.  The Fiat currency and banking system of the West is on life support.  Many of the larger US banks are moving vast amounts of capital East and they are also buying large quantities of gold and silver.  Me thinks they know the plan to distroy our country.  They helped create the perfect storm.  

 

Are we going back to the Gold Standard or will it be a Wild Wild West show with a Bitcoin electronic currency?  I don’t have a clue but things as we know it are about to change in a drastic way imo.  I’m not so sure it’s going to be good for the USA.  

 

All that being said, as long as the USA is a Rule of Law country and has its Constitution I can’t see the Socialist Dems take over the oil business.  I believe that would start a revolution, at least in the Oil Patch of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.  

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16 minutes ago, boosterbglee said:

Pitcher, thanks for all the articles.  In your professional opinion, do you think the Aramco IPO will be a worthwhile investment?

 

Thats a great question boosterbglee.  I have family that work for them and they say yes, get in early.  I’m not so sure about that.  It will depend on the IPO price, the price of oil, and the atmosphere in the ME.  It will also be interesting to see what kind of dividend if any they offer.  There is no doubt in my mind the attack was staged to keep them from going public.  The ME and SA are so vulnerable especially with the emergence of Iran becoming a Missle and probably Nuclear power.  

If you do buy in try to filter in and don’t rush in with all your allotted money for that stock.  New IPO’s have a tendency to be very volatile.  

 

When any new IPO comes on the market I am very cautious for a few months, 3-6 months. I haven’t made up my mind yet.  I want to see what shakes out on the things I mentioned above.   I’m thinking we have some great oil companies with a track record of earnings and fudiciary responsibly that are very stable in a very crazy business.  Companies like Chevron, Exxon, EOG Resources, and  Occidental Petroleum to name a few.  Those might be a better investment all things considered. 

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The kidnapping and detention of American citizens in Iraq if the crowd is targeted again

 Wednesday 25 September 2019
 
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Baghdad - Writings

Popular armed groups belonging to the Popular Mobilization (PMU) have threatened Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi that they will not stand idly by if the camps and weapons depots are subjected to new targets.

According to media reports, on Wednesday, September 25, 2019, it quoted what it described as an informed source as saying that some armed factions sent letters to Abdul Mahdi assuring him that they would escalate if repeated attacks and air strikes on their camps.

The source explained that the message of the threat included the kidnapping and detention of US citizens as hostages in response to repeated targeting of the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization, which explains the embassy warning to its citizens in Iraq the need to exercise caution and vigilance.

According to the report, the vicinity of the US embassy in Baghdad was targeted by an armed faction belonging to the Popular Mobilization in response to the targeting of its headquarters in the Syrian city of Albukamal a few days ago by unknown planes likely Israeli and American, a target that was obscured by the media, and even denied by the crowd.

As for the targeting of the embassy, the source said that the operation was carried out by Katyusha rockets, pointing out that one fell near the southern door of the US embassy from the region of Hor Rajab south of Baghdad and the second from an area near Kadhimiya.

https://kitabat.com/news/الخطف-والاحتجاز-لرعايا-أمريكا-في-العر/

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The Pentagon deploys Patriot missiles, radars and about 200 troops in Saudi Arabia

World | 09:41 - 26/09/2019

 
image
 
 

 

 

Follow-up Mawazine News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Thursday it planned to send four radar systems, a Patriot missile battery and about 200 support personnel to bolster Saudi Arabia's defenses after the biggest-ever attack on its oil facilities this month.
The US military said in a statement it had allocated additional equipment "in preparation for orders to deploy," which means it could be used faster in the event of a crisis. This includes two Patriot missile batteries and a THAD system.
Earlier, US Defense Secretary Mark Asper disclosed the role of the troops that US President Donald Trump has agreed to send to the Middle East, saying they would "carry out air and missile defense functions."
The Pentagon chief said sending new US troops to the Middle East would be a first step to respond to "Iranian aggression," pointing out that " 
Asbir added that the United States is sending additional weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to improve their defense capabilities. 
Asper announced that US President Donald Trump had agreed to send additional troops to the Middle East in the wake of the alleged Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia.
The United States has accused Iran of attacking Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure. Iran denies this.
Trump's decision to send additional troops to the Middle East is part of his administration's approach to the policy of maximum pressure against Iran, and against the backdrop of the attack on the facilities of the oil company "Aramco" on September 14, which the Houthis claimed responsibility.

is over

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2019/09/26 22:06
  • Number of readings 2914
  • Section: Iraq
  •  

Masjedi: We will bomb the Americans in Iraq or anywhere else if Iran is targeted militarily

BAGHDAD / Obelisk: Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Erj Masjedi, said on Thursday that his country would bomb the US presence even in Iraq like anywhere else, in the event of military targeting of the United States.

"The Islamic Republic does not want war with the Americans or anyone else," Erj Masjedi said on the Tigris TV channel. "The war is not in the interest of the United States and Iran."

"The Americans have always said that the military option is on the table. On the other hand, we have never talked about any military solution. Our position is defensive, but we will respond to anyone if they are attacked.

The Iranian ambassador to Iraq, that "Iran in the event of a military attack from the United States, will respond strongly and bombing the US presence in Iraq or anywhere else," stressing that they "know very well that Iran is not joking at all."

"The departure of US forces from the region is an Iranian demand because they are not doing any constructive and positive work," he said. "This is the responsibility of the officials in their countries, but we are asking them to get the American forces out because this is the view of Iran."

"Providing the visitors with the Iraqis, and if the Revolutionary Guards or the Iranian force wants to take any steps to secure them, will be inside Iranian territory only.

Regarding the bombing of Saudi Aramco's oil facilities, he said that "these operations are Yemeni and do not belong to Iran because Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen daily for four years by Saudi Arabia and they are doing self-defense.

"Iran has been hit hard by the drug problem, which is a big problem," Masjedi said. "Most of the drug production sites are in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"The Iranian authorities are taking measures to combat drugs, and do not want even a small part of them to enter Iraq," he said.

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/179261/مسجدي-سنقصف-الأمريكان-في-العراق-أو-أي-مكان-آخر-في-حال-استهداف-إيران-عسكريا

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Mosques embarrass Baghdad .. If Washington targets Iran, we will respond in Iraq

 Friday 27 September 2019
 
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Baghdad - Writings

A statement that puts Iraq in extreme embarrassment that was launched by the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad, Erj Mosjedi, when he threatened to target American positions in Iraq.

The Iranian ambassador said that his country would respond strongly to the United States if it targeted any military operation, but the response would be to target American bases in Iraq and elsewhere.

"If Washington launches a military strike against Iran, the first response from Iran will hit its positions in Iraq and elsewhere," he said.

The Iranian ambassador stepped up his rhetoric against the United States by saying that Iran is not kidding its intention to respond to any military aggression and that the Americans are well aware of this, he said.

https://kitabat.com/news/مسجدي-يحرج-بغداد-إذا-استهدفت-واشنطن-إي/

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Date: Editing:: 2019/9/27 12:27  186 times read
Ministry of Defense: Iraq will not be the starting point to attack Iran
BAGHDAD: The Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced that the territory of Iraq "a red line."
The spokesman for the ministry, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, on Friday, his refusal to turn Iraq into an arena for conflict between any conflicting.
He added that "Iraq rejects the threats made by Iran or America, which threaten the interests of the two countries, and we stressed that Iraqi territory is a red line."
He stressed that "Iraq will not be the starting point for aggression against Iran, nor will it allow American interests to be threatened on its soil."
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 DEPUTY: IRAN WANTS TO DRAG IRAQ INTO WAR
 
 
Deputy: Iran wants to drag Iraq into war

Deputy: Iran wants to drag Iraq into war

Written by: saadin:September 27, 2019In: Iraq News , the most important newsNo comments

Alnoor News / Baghdad

Former MP Majid Shankali questioned the position of the Foreign Ministry regarding the statement of the Iranian ambassador against the American forces in Iraq, pointing out that Iran wants to drag Iraq into war.

"What will be the response of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to the statement of the Iranian ambassador against the US forces in Iraq, which are in agreements with the Iraqi government?"

"Some of them talk about the state and sovereignty. The Brotherhood in Iran wants to drag Iraq into the war if it happens, whether Iraq wants it or not."

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http://alnoornews.net/archives/232861/نائب-إيران-تريد-جر-العراق-إلى-الحرب/

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 2019/09/27 07:22:26
 

Rising tensions between the United States and Iran have raised the prospect that Iraq will once again become a battleground on which the two powers are battling and a cradle of attacks on US forces and their allies in the region, according to The Washington Post.
However, recent developments suggest that the Iraqi government is trying to "cut" the wings of Iranian-allied militias operating in Iraq, and in return Tehran wants its Middle East proxies to intensify pressure on US interests, the Washington Post reported.
Iraqi officials worry that their country will get involved in the conflict, with fears mounting after the attack on two oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Iraqi officials were embarrassed when the attack reportedly came not from Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen, but from Iraqi territory, according to Western lawmakers and officials.
The CNN network quoted an informed source as saying the drone attack took off from Iraq, not Yemen. But Iraq then officially denied all the news.
"The prime minister (Adel Abdul Mahdi) was very angry," said one lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The news was followed by a "tense" meeting between Abdul Mahdi and Faleh al-Fayyad, head of the Popular Mobilization Commission, according to a number of people familiar with the meeting, quoted by the American newspaper.

A ticking time bomb
and said one of those that Abdul Mahdi al - Fayad , called attention about these developments, and asked him firmly to solve the problem of security and re - evading crowd into the hands of the state.
Another Iraqi official pointed out that the situation is very sensitive, and address it will be important, because the crowd has become a time bomb, and the Prime Minister must deal with it, but it depends on the flood and the way to deal with different factions.
After US officials blamed Iran for the attack, both US and Iraqi officials appeared relatively confident this time that Iraq was not the source of the attack.
"Notice the confidence. The prime minister immediately issued a statement denying that the attack came from Iraq, where he was sure this time," said an Iraqi parliamentarian quoted by the newspaper.
The Saudi Defense Ministry has announced that the attack on the Aramco facilities in Abqaiq and Hijrah Khurais started from the north with Iranian supportMinistry spokesman Turki al-Maliki offered evidence of Iran's involvement in the attack, which has become an international consensus that Tehran is behind it.

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Oil Prices Drop As Bearish Risk Soars

By Nick Cunningham - Sep 25, 2019, 6:00 PM CDT

Oil prices fell back even more mid-week as Saudi Arabia says it’s ahead of schedule to make the necessary repairs to the Abqaiq facility. The easing of concerns surrounding the world’s largest oil supply outage allowed traders to shift their sights back to the deteriorating economy.

“Market participants are no longer focusing on the risks to supply now that Saudi Arabia has raised the prospect of its oil production being rapidly restored,” Commerzbank said in a note on Wednesday. “Instead, concerns about demand have gained the upper hand again.”

President Trump did his best to beat down oil prices further this week. He spoke to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he laid into China over its trade practices, souring hopes of a breakthrough in the trade war when the two countries resume negotiations next month.

Trump also made some scathing remarks about Iran, but notably, left a small door open for a path to de-escalation. “America knows that while anyone can make war, only the most courageous can choose peace,” Trump said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gave an interview to Fox News, a move likely aimed at speaking directly to Trump.

While an easing of sanctions remains highly unlikely, a dialing down of tensions is bearish for crude. “The geopolitical risk premium has all but vanished and bullish catalysts suddenly appear in short in supply across the oil market,” PVM analyst Stephen Brennock told Reuters.

The return of Abqaiq, the lack of retaliation on Iran (thus far), Trump’s harsh comments on China – it all adds up to a slide in oil prices.

More importantly, the worrying economic signs continue. Manufacturing has been slumping worldwide. Just this week, Germany posted some of the most worrying numbers yet, an indication that the German economy is on the edge of recession. Manufacturing activity has also slowed sharply in the U.S., but up until now the American consumer has kept the economy humming along.

However, there are signs that consumer sentiment is finally beginning to sour. Consumer confidence plunged by the most in nine months in September, according to the Conference Board, falling to a reading of 125.1, down from 134.2 in August. “We are clearly seeing a [U.S.] economy that’s slowing. How far it slows is the big question right now,” Joe Song, senior economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told the Wall Street JournalRelated: You’re Footing The Bill For Bankrupt Shale Drillers

An economic slowdown has also hit India, particularly in the nation’s auto industry. The deceleration in India alone could shave off 100,000 bpd of global oil demand. Car sales in India plunged by 27 percent for the three-month period between June and August compared to a year earlier, the largest contraction in 16 years, according to Reuters.

Trade volumes are going “from bad to worse,” according to ING Bank.

Finally, to cap off the bearish sentiment for oil, the EIA reported a surprise uptick in crude oil inventories for the week ending on September 20, which is all the more notable after the Abqaiq outage. Oil sank on the news.

Still, despite Trump’s harsh language for Beijing, both the U.S. and China are under pressure to make a deal. Both sides have also made some positive gestures in recent weeks, delaying tariffs on select items. China is preparingto purchase more pork from the U.S., a move that will both meet domestic shortages but also buy some goodwill with Washington. The American and Chinese leadership would not be making such moves if they weren’t convinced that at least a minor breakthrough in the trade talks was possible.

One other minor bullish factor could be China scrambling to buy up oil cargoes following the Abqaiq outage. “We believe that China will likely speed up the pace of its strategic oil reserves build out, lending support to oil demand in 2020,” Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a note.

In fact, the Abqaiq attack could affect the trade talks. “Oil is China's Achilles heel and the US is the only country capable of securing Beijing's oil supply chain in the short run. This factor could entice China to make additional concessions on trade,” Bank of America said. “Needless to say, a full resolution or even a temporary agreement on US-China trade would be a very bullish factor for all cyclical assets, including oil.”

Trump said on Wednesday that a trade deal with China could happen sooner than you think, a statement that should be taken with a grain of salt, but arguably offers a window into his thinking.

Much of that is speculation, however. In the meantime, rising inventories, weak demand and a souring economy are at the top of oil traders’ minds.

“Barring a repeat attack on Saudi infra-structure, oil will weaken further,” BNP Paribas Harry Tchilinguirian told the Reuters Global Oil Forum.

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Iran’s Ultimate Middle East Power Play

By Yossef Bodansky - Sep 26, 2019, 6:00 PM CDT

There was little doubt by late September 2019 that Iran’s clerical leadership was truly in command of the dynamic of the transformation of the Persian Gulf region.

The crux of the Iranian regional strategy – including the Iran-sponsored rôle of the Houthi pre-dawned unmanned aerial vehicle strikes on Saudi Arabian oil facilities on September 14, 2019 – became increasingly clear as the shock of those strikes began to be absorbed.

Tehran was playing a masterful game, delicately balancing between its publicized confrontation with the US in the Persian Gulf and its real quest for a regional power status.

The Iran-proxy strike on Saudi Arabia and the ensuing threats to the US served both as a demonstration of the impotence of Saudi Arabia and its guardians, and as a diversion of attention away from the crucial and successful Iranian surge westward to the Mediterranean.

The Iranian declaratory threats of escalation remained focused on the Persian Gulf and particularly on warning the US against intervention. The Houthi strike reiterated anew the inherent vulnerability of Saudi Arabia, as well as its inability and unwillingness to act unilaterally against Iran. Tehran has long insisted that the US is reluctant to act against Iran, and every passing day reinforces the veracity of the Iranian message.

Hence, Tehran argues, all regional states and entities should take notice of the inherent power of Iran and Iran’s proxies, as well as of the absence of US protection. Iran urges these states and entities to use the Houthi strike as an excuse to bring the current crisis to an end under conditions favorable to Iran.

Iranian Pres. Hassan Rouhani introduced the concept in the cabinet meeting of September 18, 2019. He explained that the Houthi strike was “a warning to the enemies to end war and conflicts in the region”. There was, he indicated, an urgent imperative to exploit and capitalize on the current shock. “Enemies of the region should take lesson from this warning and should be after extinguishing the fire of war in the region to let the people live in freedom and welfare,” Rouhani said.

In a major speech delivered on September 22, 2019, Rouhani elaborated on the theme and now urged all the Persian Gulf states to reconcile with Iran and reject US intervention. Iran was ready to “extend the hand of friendship and fraternity to all of its neighboring states” in the current “critical and historic” juncture. “In this regard, we are even ready to forgive their past mistakes, because today we are faced with conditions in which the enemies of the region, particularly the US, the arrogance and the Zionism, are seeking to exploit the gap, rift, and division among the regional countries,” Rouhani said.

Time was of essence because “enemies of Islam and the region seek to make the most out of our division”. “The presence of foreign forces can be dangerous for the region, international waters, as well as the security of shipping lines and energy, but [Iran’s] path is to create unity and coordination with regional countries.”

Rouhani questioned the sincerity of the US claim to be pursuing regional peace. “If they [the Americans] are telling the truth, they’d better not turn the region into a stage of arms race,” he said, “if they are after [establishing] security, they’d better get out of the region.” He further reminded the US of Iran’s steadfast stand during the debilitating war with Iraq. Rouhani concluded that “today’s enemies of the country [should] think twice before deciding any attack on our soil and imposing another war on our nation. They don’t have the courage to make a move against Iran’s great armed forces and nation and will never find that courage.” 

As before, Tehran relied on HizbAllah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah to deliver the more explicit and threatening message.

In a sermon on September 20, 2019, Nasrallah analyzed the situation in the Persian Gulf. He noted that the world reaction to the Houthi strike “clearly showed how expensive is oil once compared to blood. Saudi warplanes continue to kill Yemeni children, but no concrete action is taken (to stop the onslaught).” He stressed the futility of Riyadh’s policies. “Saudi Arabia is highly advised to stop the war on Yemen instead of seeking to purchase advanced air defense missile systems. All costly weapons purchased from the United States cannot protect you from drone attacks.”

He warned Riyadh of US duplicity, explaining that “Trump has commenced a new process of milking the Saudi kingdom. Trump is desperately seeking for a bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.” Nasrallah emphasized the futility of confronting Iran and its allies. “Continuing the war against Yemen with no [political] solution is pointless. You are starting to pay the price,” Nasrallah warned the Saudis. “One strike knocked out half the oil production, and another strike, you can imagine what it will do,” he taunted.

“Don’t bet on a war against Iran because they will destroy you. Your house is made of glass and your economy is made of glass. Like the glass cities in the UAE. ... You have already begun to pay the price of the war against Yemen.” Saudi Arabia “should think well, as a war with Iran will mean their destruction.” Nasrallah concluded by reiterating the regional ramifications of the Houthi strike. “This attack shows the strength of the Axis of Resistance,” Nasrallah said. Related: Traders Scramble To Find ‘Plan B’ As Sanctions Ground Chinese Oil Tankers

In a September 22, 2019, interview with Al-Alam TV, Nasrallah raised the ante by insisting that HizbAllah had its own reasons for confronting the House of al-Sa’ud. He explained that the “ruling regime of Saudi Arabia has got very old and is spending the last stages of its lifetime”. Riyadh should not complain about its plight because this is a natural outcome of its long-term policies. “In fact, Saudi Arabia was the initiator of hostility against Iran, and its problem with Iran was the same problem it had with other Arab countries, namely, [over] supporting the Palestinian issue and regional resistance movements,” Nasrallah said.

Given this background, Nasrallah said, “this is not a proxy war and we believe that Saudi Arabia is hostile to [the] Lebanese resistance forces, regardless of Iran’s position, so our problem with Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with Iran”.

The next day, September 23, 2019, Iran’s Press TV also published an interview with Nasrallah. He repeated his observation that “the al-Sa’ud regime may be in the final stages of its life, and the incumbent rulers are expediting the regime’s demise through their policies. ... [The] al-Sa’ud regime is old and may be in the final stages of its life because of natural reasons like its cruel measures over the past 100 years and the systematic corruption in the regime, suppression of people, and totalitarianism of its rules.” Nasrallah pointed to the growing anti-Saudi sentiments throughout the Arab World. “We currently see for the first time that ‘Death to al-Sa’ud’ slogan is being chanted in several Arab countries, and we see political and popular powers and governments that take explicit stances toward al-Sa’ud and its interference in the region.”

He reiterated Tehran’s long-term grievances against Riyadh. “Saudi Arabia started its hostility toward Iran after the victory of the Islamic Revolution [in 1979] and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, which supported the issues of Arab and Islamic countries.” Hence, Saudi Arabia should not be surprised by Iran’s determination to triumph in the Persian Gulf region to the detriment of Saudi interests.

On September 23, 2019, Kayhan published an interview with Sheikh Nabil Qaouq, the Deputy Chairman of the HizbAllah’s Executive Council. He noted that the Houthi “operation against the Saudi oil facilities ushered in a new era in the region, which [is] not favorable to the US and its regional client states”. Consequently, “Saudi Arabia is in despair, because it has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to purchase weapons and gain US support, but all to no avail.” Meanwhile, “the US Administration is now embarrassed and distraught”.

Qaouq further noted that “the occupying regime of Israel” is also “alarmed by the severity and accuracy” of the Houthi strikes, and is now “fearing similar strikes on Zionist targets”. This Israeli dread, Qaouq explained, had an overarching adverse impact on the US posture in the region given Israel’s importance.

“The US axis in the region is retreating now as it admits its defeats in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, the besieged Gaza Strip, and Lebanon, and also against Iran.” With the pro-Iran regional camp rising, the US and its proxies “receive new defeats every day, while the Axis of Resistance continues to add to its achievements and victories”. Qaouq focused on the plight of Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia now faces two prospects, either humiliation or defeat. ... If the Saudi regime stays longer in Yemen, it will be humiliated. And if it pulls its forces out of Yemen, there will be a heavy defeat for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Army, and the Arab Kingdom’s status in the region,” Qaouq said. Under such circumstances, he concluded, there was no alternative but to accept the new regional posture: that of the ascent of Iran and the Shi’ite allies.

Meanwhile, Tehran started to introduce stronger and more explicit aspects of the evolving Iranian grand strategy.

On September 20, 2019, the authoritative AyatollahAhmad Alamolhoda, a protégé of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, discussed Iran’s new regional posture in a Friday Sermon. He stressed the Iranian regional dominance because “Iran is the resistance in the region”. Iran was, he said, no longer limited to a “geographical location” because all of Iran’s proxies throughout the region were “all Iran” now.

“Iran, today, is not only Iran and not limited to a geographical location. Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi, Lebanon’s HizbAllah, Yemen’s AnsarAllah, Syria’s National Defense Forces, Palestine’s Islamic Jihad and the Hamas are all Iran,” Alamolhoda stated. “Do you even know where Iran is? Isn’t [the] south of Lebanon Iran? Isn’t HizbAllah Iran? The drones sent by the Yemenis that caused such damage to Saudi Arabia: wasn’t that Iran? You say that (these drones) came from the north and not from the south. South or north, what difference does it make? Iran is both to your south and to your north. Today there is an alert Muslim in every part of this region, (and any place) where a fighting movement exists is Iran and its Imam is Iran and its leader is Iran.”

Also on September 20, Maj.-Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, the top military aide to Khamene’i, delivered a sermon in Tehran to a select group of senior officials and officers. He analyzed Iran’s emerging regional and global posture. “With the grace of God and thanks to the vigilance and patience of the great Iranian nation and the unforgettable sacrifices of 200,000 martyrs ... the Iranian nation has become an invincible regional power in West Asia,” Safavi said.

“The Islamic Republic has turned into a major and invincible power in West Asia and if the Americans are planning any plots in the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea or the Indian Ocean, Iran will not leave them unanswered. ... If the Americans think of any plots against Iran, the Islamic Republic’s will respond from an area extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean,” he warned. “Any anti-Iranian move will overturn the region.”

Safavi explained that one of the key factors facilitating the ascent of Iran was the ongoing global transformation along the principles pursued by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia. Consequently, he stressed, “[the] US’ policies in West Asia and its hegemony are defeated as the world is moving towards multilateralism”.

These emerging circumstances enabled Iran to expect conducive regional dynamics while seeking a favorable regional posture. “Our policy is to create lasting peace and security in the region and (seek) the withdrawal of foreign forces, and we hope that our trans-regional enemies would know that Iran does not intend to invade (other countries) or expand its territory,” Safavi said. As for more remote nemeses like Israel, Safavi reminded them of the assertion by HizbAllah Leader Nasrallah that “any move against Tehran will throw the whole region in a great turmoi”.

Other senior officers elaborated on these themes over the next few days. On September 21, 2019, IRGC Commander Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami addressed a select group in Tehran. He assured them that Iran was “ready for any type of scenario” the US and its allies might contrive. Iran was preparing to fight the war on enemy territory. “Our readiness for giving response to any aggression is definitely assured. Now, whoever wishes to turn its land into a battleground is free to start it. But we will never allow the war be dragged into our land,” Salami stated.

He stressed Iran’s commitment to a decisive victory. “We will stand till the end because the response to a limited strike will not be limited. We will pursue any aggressor. We are after punishment and we will continue until the full destruction of any aggressor. ... We are result-oriented and good at follow-up. We have proven it. We won’t spare any secure place [for our enemies]. So be careful and don’t make a strategic mistake,” he advised Iran’s enemies.

Also on September 21, IRGC Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi emphasized the new stature of Iran: “Today defending the values of [the] Islamic Revolution does not know any geographical boundaries and many people want to sacrifice their lives in the path of truth.” The next day, September 22, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi also warned Iran’s enemies of the dire consequences of attacking Iran. “In case of any miscalculation and aggression by the enemy, [the] Army’s Navy, along with other armed forces of the country, will give the most crushing reaction in the shortest time possible,” he claimed. “Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s defense power is at its highest possible level and [the] forces of [the] Army and [the] IRGC are ready to defend [the] marine borders of the country.”

Khanzadi belittled the threat posed by the US and its allies. “No one should worry at all about the theatrical and fake coalitions that they form under the pretext of regional security. This region’s security is established by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the regional states’ naval forces.”

Addressing the Iranian Parliament on September 24, 2019, Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Bagheri articulated Iran’s Persian Gulf strategy.

He differentiated between efforts to reconcile with the regional Arab states and the possibility of a major war with the US to the detriment of the US’ local allies. Tehran saw no difference between economic sanctions and the use of force.

“Today, enemies, who are fearful of a war with Iran, have taken the path of economic terrorism,” Baqeri said. The only viable issues were the specter of escalation and the Iranian response. “We have repeatedly told our enemies that we will stand strong against acts of aggression and the same response that was given to the intruding (US) drone, and intruding UK fleet and ship will be given to any other aggressor. [The] result of aggression against Iran will be destruction and captivity,” Bagheri asserted.

Bagheri contrasted the Iranian resolve to defeat any US and allied forces with what the Iranian clerical leadership claims was the absence of animosity toward any of Iran’s neighbors.

Iran was convinced that “Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are leading conspiracies against [Iran] in the region, are Islamic countries and have lost their path. They should return to the path of Islam and come closer to Iran. That is when we will have a secure and prospering region.” Related: Secret Survey: U.S. Shale In A State Of 'Deep Anxiety'

This would surely happen once the Arabs states pulled away from the US influence and became true to their Islamic selves. Bagheri offered military cooperation to the Arab and Muslim worlds as part of mutual security arrangements and agreements. “(Now that) we have an independent defense industry in Iran today, these (military advances) belong to the Muslim world and everyone should know that regional security is provided by the cooperation of regional countries,” Bagheri stated. Tehran was eager to bring the Persian Gulf crisis to an amicable solution, which must include the banishment of the US and its Western allies, so that Tehran could focus better on the implementation of Iran’s regional surge.

For Tehran, the Persian Gulf is but a component in Iran’s true regional strategy and aspirations as articulated by Khamene’i on September 11, 2019. On September 22, 2019, the powerful Speaker of the Parliament, Ali Larijani, put everything in context, combining the Persian Gulf strategy with the surge to the Mediterranean strategy. Larijani stated that the formation by the US of “a coalition to create so-called security in the Strait of Hormuz” was “a new means for plundering the region”.

Iran would not permit this to continue. “The security of the Strait of Hormuz finds meaning with the security of other international waterways. Iran won’t let the Persian Gulf become a playground for adventurism. Iran believes that this measure [the US-led coalition] is the start of an operation to destroy regional security,” Larijani said. Tehran was urging the Arab states across the Persian Gulf to adopt a mutual security regime which would replace the US. “The regional countries, themselves, are capable of establishing security and the Islamic Iran’s Armed Forces do not allow the Persian Gulf to be played with [as a tool] to create insecurity in the region.”

However, Larijani emphasized that the primary source of threats to Iran and its allies was not the US operations in the Persian Gulf but rather the US-Israeli cooperation in Syria and Iraq. The US objective was “to prepare [the] domination of the occupying regime in Tel Aviv over regional states”. A major instrument in this conspiracy were the US-sponsored jihadist forces in Syria and Iraq which operated against Iran and its local proxies.

“America is now helping terrorists and this is not a secret to us. But they should know that Iranian forces gave a heavy blow to terrorists in the region. Terrorists endangered the lives of Muslims. But the West should know that terrorist groups like ISIL will one day fly at them.”

Ultimately, however, Iran considered Israel to be the main threat to Iran’s regional interests. “Tel Aviv is acting as the main enemy of the countries of the Middle East,” Larijani said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is a friend and brother of all regional countries while the Zionist regime is a major enemy of Muslims.” This determined Iran’s security priorities. “We know that our main duty today is to defend the oppressed Palestinian nation”: that is, to fight Israel.

Larijani concluded by highlighting Iran’s achievements to-date.

“Our armed forces are stronger than ever. Security of Islamic Iran and the region is provided by our forces which are great assets for the region. When Iraq and Syria had been plagued by terrorism, it was our armed forces which defeated them. Despite the authority and power that the Iranian military has, Iran has never invaded a country in the past 40 years.” Larijani repeated Tehran’s urging for the entire Arab World to build new relations of friendship, cooperation, and confidence with Iran.

“We emphasize that Islamic and Arab countries are our brothers and we wish to have good ties, in areas of culture and economy, with our neighbors.” The mutual challenge was in evicting all “foreign entities” from the region, starting with the US and Israel. “It is necessary to use [all] our energy power to counter outsiders and Zionists,” Larijani asserted. 

The possibility that Israel would support the US operations in the Persian Gulf raised the urgency of confronting Israel to a higher level. On September 21, 2019, the Commander of the Iranian Army Maj.-Gen. Sayyed Abdolrahim Mousavi stressed the point. “The Persian Gulf is our home and we will not allow a regime like the Israeli regime to enter our home.” He warned that “any wrong move by Tel Aviv will even shorten its life.” Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda warned that any attempt to “trespass [Iran’s] border” would lead to “Israel becoming dust in half a day.”

However, as repeatedly stressed by Khamene’i, the top Iranian priority was to sustaining and strengthening the “Axis of the Resistance” and particularly the on-land access to the Mediterranean it provided. The struggle over this access, rather than the Persian Gulf, was the most explosive clash point.

Iranian and Shi’ite officials have reiterated that Israel was the primary concern in this context. This was because it was Israel which was actually challenging the consolidation of the on-land access to the Mediterranean through repeated bombings and raids. And, as reiterated by Safavi, Nasrallah, and many other leaders, any move against Tehran and/or its vital interests “will throw the whole region into a great turmoil”.

With tensions rising quickly, the Hashd al-Shaabiimmediately started to implement the concrete resolutions reached during the secret visit to Baghdad of Qods Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani on September 16, 2019. Two days later, on September 18, Hashd al-Shaabi launched Operation The Will of Victory under the command of Col. Qassem Masliyah of the Qods Force.

The objective of the operation was to have sizeable units of Hashd al-Shaabi seize Iraq’s borders with Saudi Arabia and Jordan, on top of the Iraqi border with Syria which it already controlled. In key points along both borders, Hashd al-Shaabi was to build staging facilities for surges by Shi’ite forces against Riyadh from the north and Jerusalem from the east. The actual seizure of the entire border with Saudi Arabia and Jordan was completed on September 21, 2019. Hashd al-Shaabideployed several thousand mechanized troops with artillery and support units. The local Iraqi units withdrew peacefully.

Meanwhile, the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] started to transfer dozens of ballistic missiles to Hashd al-Shaabi. Initially, these missiles would be deployed in Diyala province. To reduce their vulnerability to Israeli strikes, the missiles were dispersed among numerous bases and concealed sites. These missiles were intended to both replace the losses caused by the recent Israeli bombings and to increase the arsenals in accordance with the contingency plans for the forthcoming surge and escalation by the Axis of the Resistance.

The Iranians also started delivering supplies for the newly announced air force of Hashd al-Shaabi. The first weapons delivered were “anti-drone weapons” and a wide variety of anti-aircraft guns.

Official Baghdad was not oblivious to both Operation The Will of Victory and the massive resupply effort.

Hence, on September 22, 2019, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced a new “restructuring initiative” for Hashd al-Shaabi which would expedite and smooth their “ongoing integration into the Iraqi Army”. Abdul-Mahdi appointed Falah al-Fayyad of Hashd al-Shaabi to be in charge of implementing these steps. Baghdad’s rhetoric notwithstanding, the real objective of the new initiative was to provide fig-leaf legitimization for the surge of Hashd al-Shaabi, the dramatic changes along Iraq’s borders, and the Iran-controlled war preparations. 

Politically, Tehran continued focusing on stocking anti-US sentiments in order to compel the US out of the greater Middle East.

The September 14, 2019, Houthi strike on the Saudi oil installations was a major contribution to this effort.

However, the focus remained on the surge of Iran and its Axis of Resistance to the Mediterranean, and the struggle with Israel to make this happen. The two foci of Iranian operations are intertwined, however.

Iran seems convinced that once the US withdrew from the greater Middle East then Israel would no longer enjoy a free hand to strike with impunity against Iranian and Iran-proxy targets throughout the region. Until then, Iran would keep consolidating the Shi’ite Crescent and escalating the push westward despite Israel’s strikes. At the same time, Iran simultaneously intensifying the challenges to the US where it hurt: striking the US’ Persian Gulf protectorates and their hydrocarbon infrastructure.

If this dual track approach failed to deliver the anticipated results quickly, Tehran would escalate further, ordering Iran’s proxies to strike US forces and vital interests throughout the greater Middle East.

Iran has indicated that it was adamant on winning, and that it was ready to pay whatever price it would take. And presently, Iran’s strategy is succeeding.

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Bahraini Foreign Minister: Iran bears responsibility for attack on Aramco factories

Bahraini Foreign Minister: Iran bears responsibility for attack on Aramco factories
Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed - archive
 28 September 2019 11:02 PM

RIYADH - Iran is responsible for the attack on Saudi Aramco factories, Bahrain's foreign minister told the UN General Assembly.

In his speech, Khalid bin Ahmed added that Iranian terrorism is a threat to the region and the global economy.

The minister said Iran was continuing its attacks on merchant ships on international sea lanes in the Persian Gulf .

On Yemen, the Bahraini Foreign Minister said his country supports the efforts of the coalition led by the Kingdom to support legitimacy in Yemen.

On the Iraqi issue, the minister said that the approach of collective action is necessary to achieve peace, and the militias of Iran in Iraq threaten its stability.

Ben Ahmed noted that the Syria crisis has provided a platform for the emergence of multiple terrorist groups.

Saudi Aramco was attacked on Saturday, September 14, 2019, by a terrorist attack that reduced crude oil supplies by 5.7 million barrels, representing nearly 50 percent of the company's production, according to previous statements by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman before production returned to its levels. Previous, two days after the accident.

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  • yota691 changed the title to Maliki calls for cooperation with Iran

Maliki calls for cooperation with Iran

Monday 30 September 2019 67

Maliki calls for cooperation with Iran

 
Baghdad / morning
Head of the coalition of the rule of law Nuri al-Maliki, on Sunday, the cooperation of Iraq and Iran
With neighboring countries to restore stability in the Middle East, while a senior Iranian official stressed his country's unwillingness that Iraq be a battleground between Iran and other countries.
According to a statement issued by his office, received "morning", a copy of it, that al-Maliki "received the Assistant Foreign Minister of Iran for political affairs
 Hossein Jaberi Ansari in the presence of Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi, indicating that it "took place
 During the meeting, they discussed developments in political and security positions on the regional and international arenas. They also discussed the future of bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.
Al-Maliki said, "The region faces major crises that require action to overcome them, by working to consolidate peaceful solutions, away from the language of escalation." He called the president of the coalition of state law to "the need for the cooperation of Iraq and Iran with neighboring countries to restore stability to the Middle East." For his part, Ansari praised "the role of Iraq and its importance in the rapprochement among the countries of the region," stressing "his country's unwillingness to be a battleground between Iran and other countries."
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Clackamsh Press / Continue

The head of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, announced that there are embassies of countries outside the region in the Kurdistan region of Iraq providing support to terrorists against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In an exclusive interview with Fars News Agency, Brigadier-General Pakpour said that anti-Islamic countries from outside the region are always under the cover of the embassy and consulate movements and provide intelligence, financial and weapons support to the elements of the terrorist terrorist groups and put pressure on them to carry out sabotage and anti-security operations against Islamic Republic and its citizens.

Brigadier-General Pakpour pointed to the stunning and surprise attack by the Revolutionary Guards on the venue of the dissolved Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) annual meeting in Quesangq, northern Iraq, which killed and injured more than 100 officials and key Shura and party elements, a prominent example of intelligence control and ground force capabilities. To the Revolutionary Guards and to counter the anti-revolutionary terrorist factions.

He added that after the assassination of the martyr Hasel Ahmadi (a commander of the Revolutionary Guards in the province of Kurdistan in western Iran) was destroyed most of the headquarters and bases of anti-revolutionary factions on the other side of the border in the northwest of the country by the ground force units of the Revolutionary Guards.

 

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Abdul Mahdi: No one wants a war in the region except Israel

14:26 - 30/09/2019
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photo_2019-09-30_14-30-24-696x464.jpg

Information / Baghdad ..
called on Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi , on Monday, the need to keep the specter of war from the region, stressing that no one wants a war in the region , with the exception of the Israeli entity.
"The specter of war must be kept out of the region," Abdul-Mahdi told Al-Jazeera television.
"Everybody is talking about accepting negotiations to resolve the crisis," Abdul-Mahdi said, adding that "many indications show that no one wants a war in the region except Israel."
On his visit to Saudi Arabia and what has been raised about them, Abdul-Mahdi said that "my visit to Saudi Arabia was for the sake of calm and this means that there is a willingness to make concessions." Done / 25

https://www.almaalomah.com/2019/09/30/431582/

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2019/09/30 14:36
  • Number of readings 42
  • Section: Iraq
  •  

Abdul Mahdi: Investigations indicate that Israel is behind the targeting of the crowd

Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said on Monday that investigations into the bombing of some of the Popular Mobilization Units indicate that Israel was behind the attack.

Al-Jazeera television quoted the prime minister as saying that "going to war may happen at any moment, by a single decision, but it will be difficult and harsh to get out of it."

He said Abdul Mahdi, "Talk now about how to formulate ends to resolve the Gulf crisis will put us in a dead end."

He added, "My visit to Saudi Arabia was to calm down and this means that there is a willingness to make concessions," adding: "I think that Saudi Arabia is looking for peace and the resolution of the Yemen crisis may be a key to the resolution of the Gulf crisis."

Follow the obelisk

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/179463/عبد-المهدي-التحقيقات-تشير-إلى-وقوف-إسرائيل-وراء-استهداف-مواقع-الحشد

 

 
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Abdul-Mahdi accuses Israel of targeting the crowd positions: wants the outbreak of war

Abdul-Mahdi accuses Israel of targeting the crowd positions: wants the outbreak of war

 

Written by: saadin:September 30, 2019In: Iraq NewsNo comments

 

Alnoor News / Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has accused Israel of targeting some of the Popular Mobilization sites, saying it wants war to break out.

"The specter of war must be kept out of the region and everyone is talking about accepting negotiations to resolve the crisis," Abdul-Mahdi said in an interview with Al Jazeera television. "There are many indications that no one wants a war in the region except Israel."

He added, "Going to war may happen at any moment and a single decision, but to get out of it will be difficult and harsh," noting that "several countries in the region can be a forum for the solution and negotiations and Baghdad, one of them."

"I think Saudi Arabia is looking for peace and resolving the Yemen crisis may be the key to solving the Gulf crisis. The countries concerned are talking about negotiations and Saudi Arabia and Iran are ready to negotiate."

The Iraqi prime minister, "Talking now about how to formulate endings to resolve the Gulf crisis will put us in a dead end, and we are with any coalition to secure the Gulf provided that it includes all the Gulf states."

On the targeting of sites belonging to the Popular Mobilization, Abdul-Mahdi said, "Investigations into the targeting of some sites of the crowd indicates that Israel did this."

http://alnoornews.net/archives/233273/عبدالمهدي-يتهم-اسرائيل-باستهداف-مواق/

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  • yota691 changed the title to Iraq suspends the work of its consulate in Iran

Iraq suspends the work of its consulate in Iran

Iraq suspends the work of its consulate in Iran
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 01 Oct 2019 05:05 PM

Direct: The Iraqi Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday, the issuance of instructions from Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim, to suspend work in the Consulate of the Republic of Iraq in the Iranian city of Mashhad.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry, in a statement by the spokesman of the ministry Ahmed al-Sahaf, said the decision against the backdrop of the attack on Iraqi diplomats.

On Friday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry responded to comments by Iran's ambassador to Baghdad that his country would hit US forces in Iraq if attacked.

The spokesman for the ministry, Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, refused his country to become a battleground for any conflict, stressing that Iraq rejects the threats posed by Iran or America, according to an interview with the channel "Arab event."

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Political meeting precedes Saturday's session and upcoming parliamentary resolutions against Israel

12:08 - 01/10/2019
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Information / Baghdad ..

MP likely from the coalition of victory Nada Shaker Jawdat, on Tuesday, a meeting of heads of political blocs ahead of the parliament session scheduled for next Saturday, stressing that the House of Representatives will issue a number of resolutions against the Israeli entity.

Jawdat said in a statement to the information, that "the heads of political blocs in the parliament will hold a meeting will precede the meeting Saturday to discuss the recent Israeli attacks on Iraq after the announcement by the Iraqi government."

She added, "The House of Representatives will take a number of recommendations and actions against the Israeli entity commensurate with the size of the attacks," calling for the need to "There is a strong response by the parliament and the government and take decisions and actions against the Israeli entity."

The Fatah Alliance, the second largest bloc in the House of Representatives, confirmed on Tuesday, it retains the option of force against the Israeli entity after the announcement of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, the entity's responsibility for targeting sites of the Popular Mobilization . Ends / 25 pm

https://www.almaalomah.com/2019/10/01/431737/

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  • yota691 changed the title to Iran loses last innocence papers from Aramco attack

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