Iran loses last innocence papers from Aramco attack

[yota691]

 

[yota691]

US reinforcements to the Gulf to encircle Iran's subversive activities

- Two Minutes Have Passed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump on Friday tightened sanctions on Iran to become the "toughest sanctions ever" imposed on a country, as the Pentagon announced US military reinforcements to the Gulf after attacks on two Saudi oil facilities that Washington blamed on Iran.

Recalling the destruction of a US drone by Iranian forces in June after Iran seized a British oil tanker, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that the September 14 attack on two Saudi oil facilities "constitutes a major escalation of Iranian aggression."

The Pentagon said the deployment would involve a modest number of troops, not thousands, and would be primarily defensive in nature. The Pentagon detailed plans to accelerate the delivery of defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The United States is also considering keeping an aircraft carrier in the region indefinitely. "In response to the kingdom's request, the president has agreed to send US troops that will be of a defensive nature, primarily focused on air and missile defense," US Defense Secretary Mark Esper told a news briefing.

"We will also work to accelerate the delivery of defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to enhance their defense capabilities," he said. The Pentagon announcement late on Friday closed the door to any imminent decision to launch retaliatory attacks against Iran following attacks that have strained world markets and exposed major gaps in Saudi air defenses.

On Friday afternoon, Trump gathered his national security team with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his secretary of defense to discuss various options, including the military option, to respond to Saturday's attacks on two Saudi oil facilities.

"We have just imposed sanctions on the National Bank of Iran," Trump said in an Oval Office statement. "It's about their central banking system, which are the highest-level sanctions."

For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on Friday, that the new sanctions approved by President Donald Trump aimed at "Iranian entities that support regime terrorism and regional aggression," stressing that attacking countries "has a price."

In a statement, the US secretary of state said the United States had imposed sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and its National Development Fund, as well as the Pars Trading Accreditation Company, an Iran-based company, Pompeo said. Military, "according to the network" CNN "American.

Pompeo accused Iran of making a "failed attempt to disrupt the global economy by attacking Saudi Aramco's two oil facilities."

He described the attack on Aramco, as "an act of aggression, sophisticated in planning, and rude in its implementation."

He pointed out that "the evidence refers to Iran, Iran only ... As a result, President Trump ordered his administration to increase the historic sanctions already existing on the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism."

"Attacking other countries and disrupting the world economy has a price," he said.

He added that the regime in Tehran must be held accountable through diplomatic isolation and economic pressure.

"The maximum pressure campaign will continue to increase Iran's losses until it retracts its destabilizing policies across the Middle East and around the world," Pompeo said.

US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said it was about targeting the “last source of income for the Central Bank of Iran and the National Development Fund, their sovereign fund, which would be cut off from our banking system.”

"That means there will be no more money going to the IRGC to finance terrorism," he said.

Iran's central bank governor said the new US sanctions on the bank on Friday showed Washington's "little trick", the official IRNA news agency reported.

"There has never been a country that is more prepared than the United States to launch military strikes," Bush said, warning Iran that "this would be the easiest solution for me."

Trump stressed that "hitting 15 major sites in Iran (…) takes no more than a minute (…) and will be a very bad day for Iran." But he added, "But that's not my preference."

He said that "highlighting the power" of the United States is through "some restraint," stressing that he "changed the positions of many" in this regard.

The US Treasury has targeted the Central Bank of Iran and the Iranian sovereign fund for "providing them with billions of dollars" from the Revolutionary Guards and its Qods Army, which is responsible for foreign operations, as well as funding their Lebanese terrorist ally Hezbollah.

Washington has designated these three entities as "terrorist organizations."

Iran's central bank and most Iranian financial institutions have been under U.S. sanctions since November 2018 after Washington withdrew from the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

Some "hawks" of the US administration have called for extending the reasons for the sanctions, which have so far been limited to Iran's nuclear activities, to include financing terrorism, so that such sanctions would become more difficult if a Democratic president is elected in 2020. Nuclear.

"This proves to Tehran that US sanctions will not stop unless Iran changes its behavior," said Behnam bin Talablu, of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, which calls for "maximum pressure" on Iran.

The Arabs

[yota691]

Tehran denies exposing its oil facilities and infrastructure to "successful cyber attack"

Political | 03:24 - 21/09/2019

 

 

 

 

BAGHDAD -
Iran denied on Saturday that its oil facilities and infrastructure had been subjected to a "successful cyber attack."
In a statement, the AFTA Center of the Presidency denied media allegations.
The Center called on all news agencies, news sites, newspapers and electronic activists to ensure the accuracy of the news through the competent authorities, before publication.
The reports come a day after Iran's oil minister, Begin Zanganeh, instructed to prepare for possible cyber attacks against Iranian oil facilities.
The Iranian Energy News Agency (IAEA) announced on Friday that the state of alert in the strategic installations in southern Iran has been raised to a high orange level, so that the competent forces and authorities such as crisis and emergency management are ready to face any emergency immediately.

[Butifldrm]

Abdul Mahdi asks Fayyad to immediately withdraw the Hashd factions from the Saudi border

 Saturday 21 September 2019

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Baghdad - Writings

Gulf News reports claimed that Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi gave his urgent instructions to quickly withdraw the armed factions of the Popular Mobilization from all their positions on the Iraqi-Saudi border.

The Iraqi government has asked the Popular Mobilization Forces to immediately withdraw its factions from that area for fear of being targeted in retaliation for Saudi Arabia's targeting of its oil facilities, as well as for fear of accusing the kingdom of standing, according to the UAE daily Al-Bayan. Behind the targeting of Aramco factories because it owes allegiance to Iran, the main accused in the bombing of Saudi facilities.

The newspaper quoted a Defense Ministry official as saying that the Joint Iraqi Operations Command will be responsible for the distribution of responsibility for the security file with Saudi Arabia in the Iraqi army through the leadership of Anbar operations and operations Badia and Al-Jazeera and the operations of the Middle Euphrates, as well as the command of the border guards to secure an extended border of about 800 kilometers.

According to the military official, Abdul-Mahdi asked the head of the Popular Mobilization Authority Faleh al-Fayyad, the army chief of staff Othman al-Ghanmi and the assistant commander of joint operations commander Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah to ensure that Iraq does not embarrass any operation against its neighbors, especially after the mobilization of factions belonging to the crowd about 75 kilometers towards the Jordanian-Saudi border.

https://kitabat.com/news/عبد-المهدي-يطلب-من-الفياض-سحب-فصائل-الح/

 

 

 

[Synopsis]

3 hours ago, yota691 said:

US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said it was about targeting the “last source of income for the Central Bank of Iran and the National Development Fund, their sovereign fund, which would be cut off from our banking system.”

 

I am wondering what impat THIS WILL have on THEE Bicraqi Iraqi CORRUPT Weekday Bicraqi Iraqi DAILY Currency Auctions???!!!

 

IF THEE Bicraqi Iraqi ARE "helping" THEE Insanians, to INCLUDE the Insanian IRGC, THEE Bicraqi Iraqi CORRUPT Weekday Bicraqi Iraqi DAILY Currency Auctions SHOULD sky rocket IF NOT TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

3 hours ago, yota691 said:

The US Treasury has targeted the Central Bank of Iran and the Iranian sovereign fund for "providing them with billions of dollars" from the Revolutionary Guards and its Qods Army, which is responsible for foreign operations, as well as funding their Lebanese terrorist ally Hezbollah.

Washington has designated these three entities as "terrorist organizations."

 

Buh Bye Insanian IRGC!!!

 

                  

 

Buh Bye Insanian Qods Army!!!

 

                  

 

Buh Bye Insanian Terrorist Ally Lebanese Hez'blah!!!

 

                  

 

!!!BOOM!!!

 

!!!SUDDENLY!!!

 

YYYEEEAAAHHH BBBAAABBBYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Go Moola Nova (YEAH AND YEE HAW, BABY, READY WHEN YOU ARE BROTHER (OR SISTER) - LET 'ER BUCK!!!)!!!

   

[Butifldrm]



US sending reinforcements following attacks in Saudi Arabia

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper the US will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s ability to defend itself against any threats. (AFP)

Updated 21 September 2019

REUTERS

September 21, 201901:50

 

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday approved sending American troops to bolster Saudi Arabia’s air and missile defenses after the largest-ever attack on the kingdom’s oil facilities, which Washington has squarely blamed on Iran.

The Pentagon said the deployment would involve a moderate number of troops — not numbering thousands — and would be primarily defensive in nature. It also detailed plans to expedite delivery of military equipment to both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. Dept of Defense

 

✔@DeptofDefense

 

 

The attack on September 14th on Saudi Arabian oil fields represents a dramatic escalation of Iranian aggression.

 

 

985

8:54 PM - Sep 20, 2019

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Reuters has previously reported that the Pentagon was considering sending anti-missile batteries, drones and more fighter jets. The United States is also considering keeping an aircraft carrier in the region indefinitely.

“In response to the kingdom’s request, the president has approved the deployment of US forces, which will be defensive in nature and primarily focused on air and missile defense,” US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at a news briefing.

“We will also work to accelerate the delivery of military equipment to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to enhance their ability to defend themselves.”

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper

 

✔@EsperDoD

 

 

Tonight @POTUS approved the deployment of U.S. forces and equipment in response to Saudi Arabia’s request for defensive assistance. The purpose of additional defensive support is:

 

1,037

8:49 PM - Sep 20, 2019

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The Pentagon’s late Friday announcement appeared to close the door to any imminent decision to wage retaliatory strikes against Iran following the attack, which rattled global markets and exposed major gaps in Saudi Arabia’s air defenses.

Trump said earlier on Friday that he believed his military restraint so far showed “strength,” as he instead imposed another round of economic sanctions on Tehran.

“Because the easiest thing I could do, ‘Okay, go ahead. Knock out 15 different major things in Iran.’ ... But I’m not looking to do that if I can,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper

 

✔@EsperDoD

 · 14h

 

Replying to @EsperDoD

•Send a clear message - the U.S. supports our partners in the region.

•Ensure the free flow of resources necessary to support the global economy.

•Support our commitment to upholding international rules-based order we have long called on Iran to obey.

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper

 

✔@EsperDoD

 

We urge the Iranian leadership to cease their destructive and destabilizing activities and to move forward on a peaceful, diplomatic path.

 

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Relations between the United States and Iran have deteriorated sharply since Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear accord last year and reimposed sanctions on its oil exports. For months, Iranian officials issued veiled threats, saying that if Tehran were blocked from exporting oil, other countries would not be able to do so either.

However, Iran has denied any role in a series of attacks in recent months, including bombings of tankers in the Gulf and strikes claimed by the Houthis. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have fingered southwest Iran as the staging ground for the attack, an assessment based at least in part on still-classified imagery showing Iran appearing to prepare an aerial strike.

They have dismissed Houthi claims that the attacks originated in Yemen. US Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said officials were still hammering out the best array of capabilities to defend Saudi Arabia, noting the difficulty combating a swarm of drones.

“No single system is going to be able to defend against a threat like that, but a layered system of defensive capabilities would mitigate the risk of swarms of drones or other attacks that may come from Iran,” Dunford said.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1557466/saudi-arabia

[Pitcher]

Has Iran Won The War For The Middle East?

By Yossef Bodansky - Sep 21, 2019, 6:00 PM CDT

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The most important historic milestone was not the heavy damage to the Saudi oil installations during the attacks on them on September 14, 2019.

Rather, it was a quiet Ashura ceremony held in the ImamKhomenei Hussainia in Tehran on September 11, 2019. Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamene‘i led the mourning ceremony for the Martyrs of the Tragedy of Karbala on the Day of Ashura¹. To Khamene‘i’s left, sitting on cushions on the ground, were, in order of proximity to Khamene‘i, Hojjat al-Islam SayyedMuqtada al-Sadr, the Shi’ite-Iraqi leader known as “nationalist” and far from being Tehran’s protégé, and then, Qods Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami.

 

 

Significantly, it was Soleimani who invited Sadr and organized his visit, as well as convinced Khamene‘i to give him the honor. At the meeting, Khamene‘i had animated discussions with the three and showed them far more attention than he showed to all other dignitaries in attendance. Significantly, Iranian Pres. Hasan Rouhani did not attend the ceremony.

The pro-Khamene‘i Kayhan newspaper emphasized the significance of Sadr’s presence and called the event “the return of the prodigal!” The true meaning of Sadr’s presence is in reflecting the new relationship between Tehran and Karbala (which is more important than Baghdad).

“The message was loud and clear. ... It means both the neighbors share identical views on the peace, security, stability, and independence of the entire region, which should be cleared of all vestiges of terrorism, including the illegal presence of CENTCOM terrorists.” Special attention should be paid to Sadr’s own rôle, Kayhan explained. “Sadr, whom the Western and Arab media had portrayed as a prodigal, ready to sacrifice Iraq’s independence by drifting away from his roots for a few favors from the Persian Gulf sheikhdoms and his former enemy, the US, has made all calculations go awry by visiting Iran at the right time and choosing the Ashura occasion to announce his unity with the Resistance Front.”

As a result of the Tehran visit and audience with Khamene‘i, “the Resistance Forces consider Sayyed Muqtada Sadr among the pillars of the regional movement against American imperialism, Zionism and Arab reactionaries, side by side with HizbAllah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and AnsarAllah Leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi. No wonder, Trump, Netanyahu and the Saudis are already beginning to see their dreams of dominating the region turning into nightmares.”

 

 

The coverage of the Ashura meeting in Iranian media focused on the emphasis Khamene‘i gave to “the Axis of Resistance”, particularly the surge to the Mediterranean, the consolidation of the on-land access to the Mediterranean, and the tight control of the shipping choke points in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb. Khamene‘i stressed the great importance and centrality of the Axis of Resistance in the regional strategy of Iran and its proxies. “The Axis of Resistance is on the rise while the enemy is falling,” Khamene‘i stated, according to several Iranian newspapers.

Although the ceremony of September 11, 2019, was the formal turning point, the key tenets were first introduced on the September 9, 2019, by the HizbAllah’s Nasrallah. He sent a special message to Khamene‘i on account of the Ashuracommemoration in which Nasrallah emphasized the gravity of the current situation and “the unique historic leadership” of Khamene‘i. “Today, we are in the middle of a big battle and our camp is being besieged by the US and Israel and their tools. The leader of this camp is Imam Ali Khamene‘i and the center of this camp is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Nasrallah wrote. “This is our camp, and this is our Imam, our Leader, and [the] Hussein of this era. In this battle there is no place for neutrality. You are either with Hussein or you are with Yazid. The battle is renewed and so is the confrontation [with implacable foes].”

Nasrallah vowed that HizbAllah and all other Shi’ite allies were ready to sacrifice themselves for the Shi’ite cause as led by Khamene‘i. “By Allah, o master and leader, if we are to be killed, all of us … we shall never leave you o son of Hussein,” Nasrallah wrote. Nasrallah reiterated the Iranian doctrine of a single Iran-centric confrontation in the region. “Any war on Iran will ignite the region and destroy countries and people,” he stressed. “It will be a war against the entire Axis of Resistance. We will not be neutral in the battle between right and wrong. This war will be the end of Israel and the American hegemony and presence in the region.”

On September 12, 2019, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, told commanders that Iran had always been ready for a “fully fledged” war with the US and its allies. Related: ‘’Catastrophic Flooding’’ Threatens Heart Of Texas Oil Industry

Hajizadeh described the Iranian preparations (as translated by MEMRI): “In addition to the US bases in various regions like Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, the Emirates, and Qatar, we have targeted all naval vessels up to a distance of 2,000 kilometers, and we are constantly monitoring them. They think that they are out of our firing range if they go out to a distance of 400 kilometers. Wherever they are, it only takes one spark for us to hit their vessels, their airbases, and their troops.” There was a new strategic posture dictating that “America has to pick up and leave this region. The Iran of today is not the Iran of 30 years ago. Iran is powerful. There was a time when an aircraft could fly to the center of the country ... but today is very different. Today, we are powerful, and our response will be very powerful and crushing.”

Hajizadeh emphasized that Iran’s allies were all integral components of a single system.

“If [these allies] are being attacked in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen by enemies that are being supported by America and European countries, it is our duty to support them to the best of our ability and to stand with the resistance. We will definitely help Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen.” US sanctions would, he said, fail to change Iran’s resolve. “Yes, blockades and limitations exist, but we will support them and stand with the Resistance Front at all costs. We will defend the oppressed, and they have now become a coalition. It’s not like in the past, when they were alone. We used to be alone, and some of these smaller groups used to be alone, but today we are all a coalition standing next to each other. The US can no longer do something here and see no consequences in Lebanon. We are definitely interrelated, and we are standing next to each other. The era of hit-and-run is over. We will not allow [the US and allies] to oppress us. We have stood and we continue to stand united against America.”

On September 14, 2019, a video of Soleimani was posted to an IRGC Twitter account. In the video (located and translated by MEMRI), Soleimani highlighted the unprecedented spread and rise of the Iran-led Resistance Front — the regional Shi’ite alliance. “We are the nation of martyrdom. We are the nation of Imam Hussein. Ask! We have already overcome difficult events. Since the beginning of the Revolution, our victories in all fronts were guaranteed by adherence to Imam Hussein’s culture, and we have won many victories as a result of this path. This Front is founded on the reliance on Imam Hussein, the Prophet’s family, and the Imams and their companions. Today, you can witness it being reborn every day. Yesterday, [the Resistance Front] had a branch only in Iran. Today, it has branches in many [locations] as a result of this reliance. Today, AnsarAllah in Yemen are following the path of Imam Hussein and his household. Today, the [Iraqi] PMU is also getting inspiration and the power of resistance from this valuable position.”

The September 14, 2019, pre-dawn strike on two major oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia had a huge effect on the regional and global oil system.

The strike eliminated a major element of Saudi oil production and delivery, cutting the output by 5.7-million barrels per day, or more than 50 percent of Saudi exports, for many months to come. Far more important, the strike created new long-term market dependency on Iranian and Shi’ite-Iraqi oil, the only two sources of oil in the greater Middle East which were not threatened by the Houthis and their allies. Furthermore, the strike demonstrated to all the vulnerability of the US allies in the Persian Gulf to Iranian and Iran-proxy strikes.

According to Iranian and Houthi sources, the raiding force was comprised of 12 drones/cruise missiles, all from the Qaseffamily, which were launched from the Sanaa area in Yemen, and at least 20 drones which were launched “from nearby”, most likely Iran-held island(s) and/or barges, and provided intelligence coverage, last minute reconnaissance, jamming, decoys and diversion (including strikes on secondary objectives). According to the Iranian and Houthi sources, 10 of the Qasef 3 drone/cruise missiles hit their targets. A few Saeghestealth drones launched Sadid-345 glide bombs against additional six to eight targets. Satellite damage assessment confirmed this statement.

On September 19, 2019, Houthi Brig.-Gen. Yahya Saree provided a detailed description of the strike.

Three types of strike drones/cruise missiles were used for the attack: the Qasef 3 combat drones, the long-endurance Sammad-3 drones (both with operational range of 1,500-1,700 kms) and “newly-developed drones equipped with jet engines”. This missile is actually a derivative of Iran’s Quds-1 cruise missile.

Saree explained that “the attacks were launched from three locations. Qasef 3 drones were launched from one site, Sammad 3 drones from a second and new jet-powered drones from a third.” The Sammad-3 drones “carried four precise [precision] bombs per strike”. As well, numerous “other drones” were also “used to confuse the enemy so the main combat drones could hide in their shadow without being detected, and signal jamming devices effectively disabled the enemy’s air missile defense systems.”

Consequently, the strike drones “could reach their targets” undetected and unmolested by the Saudi air defense. “The destruction of the targeted facilities is far greater than what has been announced,” Saree concluded.

According to Saudi sources, citing US intelligence, most or all of the drones took off from Iranian bases in Khuzestan, and overflew southern Iraq and Kuwait. However, satellite pictures show that most of the key targets were hit on their west side, the most logical direction had the cruise missiles come from Yemen. The Saudis claimed, on the basis of recovered debris, that at least “18 delta-winged UAVs and seven cruise missiles” as well as “multiple smaller drones” were launched by the Iranians. The Saudis claimed that they had identified a total of at least 17 points of impact in Abqaiq and Khurais. Most of the drones and missiles which impacted were “precision-guided munitions” which had highly accurate “GPS guidance”.

The debris suggested that the main strike drones/cruise missiles were of either the Iranian Ababil-T or the Houthi Qasef 3 (itself derived from the Ababil-T) which have a range of about 2,000 km. Other drones involved in the strike were the armed version of the delta-shaped Iranian Saeghe or Houthi Sammad-3 stealth drones which carry miniature, precision-guided Sadid-345 glide bombs (including incendiary munitions) and have a range of more than 1,000 km. There were unconfirmed reports that the Iranians also launched from Khuzestan a few jet-propelled Soumar cruise missiles which inflicted the main damage.

There was no forensic evidence pointing to the use of the Soumars and the main reason for the assertion was the conviction of US intelligence that the Ababil-T/Qasef 3warheads “could not have” caused such heavy damage. The US assertion that the drones/cruise missiles must have been launched from Iran was based mainly on the claim that the Houthis were not known by US intelligence to have advanced versions of the Ababil-T or the comparable Qasef 3 derivative.

Simply put, there is no concrete evidence that the main strike drones/cruise missiles were launched from Iran. It is plausible the strike drones/cruise missiles were indeed launched from Yemen as claimed by Iran and the Houthis.

Throughout, the Saudi Arabian air defense system — using the best US and Western systems money could buy — proved to be blind, paralyzed, and utterly inadequate. This, even though the Saudi air defense was up-graded and boosted after the May 14, 2019, drone strikes on East-West pipeline near the central town of al-Duwadimi. Like the strike of May 14, 2019, the September 14, 2019, strike also caught Riyadh and Washington by complete surprise. 

Although Iranian media attributed these and earlier strikes on Saudi Arabia to the Houthi AnsarAllah forces, official Tehran has never denied the complete control Iran exercises over the AnsarAllah and other proxy forces. One of the most explicit statements to this effect was made on August 6, 2018, in the aftermath of a Houthi attack on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea. In a conversation with Fars News (as located and translated by MEMRI), IRGC Brig.-Gen. Naser Shabani put the strike in the context of Iran’s overall relations with proxy forces. “We told the Yemenis to attack the two Saudi tankers, and they attacked. HizbAllah in Lebanon and AnsarAllah in Yemen are our homeland depth. The enemy is so vulnerable that we can entangle it from across the border.” Under Soleimani, Iran’s system of proxies has markedly improved and Iran’s direct control tightened. Given the immense strategic significance of the strike on Saudi Arabia, the operation was under Soleimani’s direct command. In turn Soleimani had received personal approval for the strike from Khamene‘i

By September 19, 2019, Tehran was convinced that the US was capitulating and withdrawing from the greater Middle East, starting with the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Syria.

What was left for Tehran to do in the near-term was to “help” convince Washington that it was best to expedite the withdrawal. Tehran was convinced that the best approach was to convince the US of the futility in attempting to confront and contain Iran, and by dangling in front of the Trump White House the lure of concluding a deal with Iran so that the US withdrawal would seem to be part of a great success.

On September 15, 2019, official Tehran began reacting to the reverberations of the strike on Abqaiq and Khurais, and particularly the initial US suggestions of a possible retaliation against Iran. Tehran did so indirectly by reiterating Iran’s resolve to retaliate had the US struck Iran after the downing of the US Northrop-Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle in June 2019. Several Iranian generals claimed that during the US forewarning of the then post-drone retaliation, Tehran had threatened to hit three major US bases in the region. Consequently, the Iranian generals believed, Washington canceled the retaliatory strike for fear of cycles of escalation than the US would ultimately lose.

Most explicit and detailed was a lecture delivered by the Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Brig.-Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Iran was ready for a regional war. “Had the Americans shown a reaction, even if in the form of an attack on an empty and derelict land of ours, then we would have responded to them and if they had continued with a second reaction, then a war would have started.” Hajizadeh stated that, as ordered by Tehran, the entire Iranian forces were on alert to deliver the major retaliatory strikes against the cornerstones of the US presence in the Middle East. Related: Saudi Aramco: We Never Asked Iraq For Extra Oil

“Specifically, al-Udeid base (the US base in Qatar), al-Dhafra airbase (the US base in the UAE) and a US warship in the Sea of Oman had been picked as targets to be attacked in case of a US reaction.” Hajizadeh stressed that the Iranian forces were also ready to further expand and escalate the confrontation into a major war. “In addition to US bases in the region, we have all their vessels, including aircraft carriers and warships, under fire of our missiles to a radius of 2,000 kilometers, and [we] are constantly monitoring them.”

Meanwhile, Iranian generals also reminded that in early July 2019, Iran formally adopted the strategy of deep attack and increased the pertinent arsenal of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. On July 9, 2019, IRGC Chief Commander Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami addressed a meeting of commanders and officials of the IRGC Ground Force. He reiterated that Iran “is today strong enough to defeat the enemies in any war on the ground against the Islamic Republic.”

The Commander of the IRGC’s Ground Force, Brig.-Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, elaborated on the “new strategies for assault on the enemy” called the “deep-attack doctrine”. The new doctrine focuses on drone and missile strikes, Pakpour explained. “The IRGC Ground Force’s drone and missile power has grown considerably compared to the past, and this will boost our power in battles.” This new build-up and assertiveness had transformed profoundly the regional posture of both Iran and its enemies. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has turned into a credible regional power and it is intolerable for the US. Targeting an enemy drone that happened recently changed the conditions in favor of the Islamic Republic,” Pakpour concluded. On July 14, 2019, the Commander of the Iranian Army, Maj.-Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, further elaborated on the new doctrine in a lecture to officers. “We have never been the initiator of any war and will never be; however, we are not relying solely on defense; in the early stage of the enemy’s attack, we will defend, but our offensive power and our ability to strike the enemy is devastating and will make enemies regret [starting a war].”

Hence, claimed Iranian generals and senior politicians, the US would not dare start a war with Iran. On September 15, 2019, Mojtaba Zonnour, the powerful Chairman of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, disclosed what he claimed to be what Iranian Intelligence knew about the White House deliberations in the aftermath of the shooting down of the US drone.

He claimed that “US President Donald Trump revised his decision to respond to Iran’s downing of an American spy drone in June after he was handed an assessment of Tehran’s power to react.” “The Americans reached this assessment after destruction of their drone that in case of military reaction to the move [the shooting down of the drone], they will sustain 15,000 [casualties] and then a war of attrition would break out and Trump was, hence, forced to avoid any military action against Iran after the assessment of Iran behavior,” Zonnour elaborated. This analysis and assessment are relevant to the current crisis.

Addressing a meeting with senior commanders on September 15, 2019, Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, also related to the precedent set by the US reaction to the downing of the US drone. “The day when the drone was downed, the US president was on the brink of a decision [to attack Iran] and the biggest lie was that they did not do it to prevent the death of 100 people, while the decision was the result of intelligence assessment of the US Army and after they briefed the US President about the outcomes of their attack and about Iran’s missile response, in islands, in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and the regional states where Iran’s arms are deployed. ... They sat with him [Trump] in two two- to three-hour sessions and explained to him that he cannot attack Iran.”

Bagheri stated that Trump’s advisors should know that, should they use force after the strike on Saudi Arabia, the Iranian reaction would be even more fierce.

Tehran also took formal diplomatic steps in order to dissuade the US from striking Iran.

On September 16, 2019, Iran issued “a sober warning” to the US through the Swiss embassy. Tehran denied any involvement in the attack on Saudi Arabia. Any US “retaliation” against Iran “will be met with an immediate response”. The message further warned that “if any attack is launched against Iran, the Islamic Republic’s reaction will be rapid and crushing and will likely target more extensive areas than the source of the act of aggression”. 

Starting September 18, 2019, Iranian senior officials became even more explicit in warning the US against retaliation. Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, dismissed all allegations of Iranian involvement in the attacks on the Saudi oil installations, and warned of “a crushing and powerful response” to any retaliatory aggression. Shamkhani noted that “Iran monitors, with full preparedness, any intention and move for the purpose of aggression against the country or the interests of the Islamic Republic and will give a decisive and all-out response to possible mischiefs in the harshest way which can surprise the aggressors”.

On September 19, 2019, Maj.-Gen. Salami raised the ante.

“We do not fear our enemies — large and small — and have overcome such worries and the enemy is well aware of this. Today, we have become so powerful that they are forced to connect any incident with us through making false claims.” Deputy Coordinator of the Iranian Armed Forces, Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, reiterated that the US and its allies do not dare face Iran because they are aware of its power.  “The enemy is still present but doesn’t dare face a powerful country; our Armed Forces enjoy full readiness. The enemy knows that the Iranian nation backs the Armed Forces and that [the] people and [the] Leader are united.”

Because the US could not confront Iran directly, it resorted to covert actions and conspiracies. “Today, they are busy designing different conspiracies with different approaches, but they have always failed.” Sayyari stressed Iran’s enduring posture. “Today, the Islamic Iran is a regional power. We are a great missile power and despite all pressures and sanctions, we could manufacture aircraft.”

Practically, however, Iran’s focus remains on the strategic-regional priority: consolidating the on-land access to the Mediterranean via Iraq and Syria that is the primary goal of the Resistance Front. Toward this end, Soleimani and a group of aides arrived in Baghdad on September 16, 2019. He first met with Iran’s closest ally, former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. They discussed enhancing the Iranian dominance over Shi’ite Iraq in case of a major crisis. Soleimani then met with the key senior commanders of the Hashd al-Shaabi and their main elements: Hadi al-Amiri, Falah al-Fayyad, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. They went over the preparedness of the Iraqi forces to implement their allotted tasks in Soleimani’s war plans, namely, to attack and destroy the US forces in Iraq and Syria (mainly the al-Tanf area). If possible, the Hashd al-Shaabi would also launch missiles and raids against Israel and in support of the Shi’ite onslaught throughout the Shi’ite-populated Eastern Arabia.

The Iraqi commanders assured Soleimani that the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) were capable of carrying out all their missions despite the repeated Israeli bombings on their key installations in both western Iraq and eastern Syria. 

Indeed, despite the on-going Israeli bombings, the on-land access to the Mediterranean was rapidly consolidated and new installations were being built. Tehran, Baghdad, and Damascus had already committed to building, in the near future, railroad tracks and pipelines from Iran to the shores of the Mediterranean. The best Israel could do under these circumstances was slow down the pace and raise the price of the surge. The US had all but ended any attempt to prevent surge of Iran.

Hence, Tehran pays more attention to striking Israel in case of a major regional conflagration. On September 7, 2019, Maj.-Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi clarified the centrality of confronting Israel in case of a war with the US. “Everyone will witness the demise of the Zionist regime. That day is not far away,” Mousavi noted. “The Resistance Front will overthrow America and the imperialist regime.”

Mousavi reiterated Iran’s intent to escalate and expand any conflict regardless of their foes’ intent. “The enemies are well aware that any tension and insecurity in the region will place them in the most insecure situation.” Hence, Iranian senior officials and commanders kept warning Israel of Iran’s capabilities and resolve even when world attention was on Saudi Arabia.

Significantly, Iranian and Arab senior officials (including pro-US) interpret the proposed US-Israeli defense agreement as a reflection of US weakness. Rather than join Israel in attacking Iran as long advocated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump was now promising Israel protective umbrella in case of an Iranian attack. For Tehran, this analysis reinforced the conviction that the US was not interested in attacking Iran. Hence, Tehran keeps focusing on furthering the offensive surge of the Qods Force and their Axis of Resistance proxies rather than dealing with a possible US retaliation.

The Arab world sees and seethes, giving up on the US and its guarantees. Arab leaders were, by September 2019, desperate to strike deals with Iran which would ameliorate the threats to their survival. As well, the Arab leaders sought strategic umbrellas from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, all the more so since Iran had recently concluded long-term strategic agreements with the PRC.

Iran had become emboldened and returned to threatening a major regional war with Israel and the US should they try to block the ascent of Iran and the Axis of Resistance. Considering that Iranian population would only embrace a Persian chauvinist government as a substitute to the mullahs’governance (which is increasingly in trouble over the socio-economic problems but far from being endangered by them), the specter of “regime change” serving the interests of the West no longer existed. And so, for all the Arab, and, for that matter Trump’s, bluster, the die was cast.

Iran was winning the quest for regional power. 

 

https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/Has-Iran-Won-The-War-For-The-Middle-East.html

[ChuckFinley]

Thanks Pitcher, on a global scale China's "Road and Belt" or also known as "One Road - One Belt". 

 

[Butifldrm]

Iran says it will destroy any aggressor

6 MIN READ

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will pursue any aggressor, even if it carries out a limited attack, and seek to destroy it, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday, after attacks on Saudi oil sites which Riyadh and U.S officials blamed on Tehran.

 

“Be careful, a limited aggression will not remain limited. We will pursue any aggressor,” the head of the Guards, Major General Hossein Salami, said in remarks broadcast on state TV. “We are after punishment and we will continue until the full destruction of any aggressor.”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday approved sending American troops to bolster Saudi Arabia’s air and missile defences after the Sept. 14 attacks.

RELATED COVERAGE

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See more stories

Iran denies involvement in the attack, which was claimed by Yemen’s Houthi movement, a group aligned with Iran and currently fighting a Saudi-led alliance in Yemen’s civil war.

Trump’s move drew fire in Washington on Saturday from U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called it his “latest outrageous attempt” to circumvent Congress.

“These unacceptable actions are cause for alarm,” Pelosi said in a statement accusing Trump of turning “a blind eye” to Saudi violence against innocent Yemenis, human rights abuses and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The United States cannot enable more brutality and bloodshed,” she added. “Congress will do our job to uphold the Constitution, defend our national security and protect the American people.”

Meanwhile, Amirali Hajizadeh, who heads the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace branch, said any attacks on Iran would receive “a crushing response”, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Hajizadeh was speaking at a public exposition called “Hunting Vultures”, where remains of drones which were downed in Iran or crashed there were displayed, along with the Iranian air defence system which shot down a U.S. military drone in June.

The exposition is part of annual events commemorating the start of the 1980-88 war with Iraq, which also includes air and naval displays in the Gulf and military parades on Sunday.

A metal part of a damaged tank is seen at the damaged site of Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, September 20, 2019. REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed

Iran’s foreign minister meanwhile denounced renewed U.S. sanctions against its central bank following the Saudi attacks as an attempt to deny ordinary Iranians access to food and medicine, and said the move was a sign of U.S. desperation.

The United States on Friday imposed more sanctions, targeting the Central Bank of Iran, which was already under U.S. sanctions, the National Development Fund of Iran - the country’s sovereign wealth fund - and an Iranian company that U.S. officials say is used to conceal financial transfers for Iranian military purchases.

“This is a sign of U.S. desperation ... When they repeatedly sanction the same institution, this means their attempt at bringing the Iranian nation to its knees under ‘maximum pressure’ has failed,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in remarks shown on state television.

“But this is dangerous and unacceptable as an attempt at blocking ... the Iranian people’s access to food and medicine,” Zarif said, speaking after arriving in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly next week.

Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi rejected what he called “unreal and repetitious accusations by certain Saudi officials” about the attacks, state media said.

A senior Saudi official said earlier that Riyadh would wait for the results of a probe before responding to the attacks on its oil facilities, for which it believes Iran is responsible.

SANCTIONS

Zarif said he would on Wednesday meet foreign ministers of the remaining signatories to the 2015 nuclear accord, which was agreed with Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia as well as the United States.

Slideshow (3 Images)

“As we have said before, the United States can only attend if it returns to the (nuclear accord) ... and ends its economic war against Iran,” Zarif said.

The United States withdrew from the accord last year and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran.

After reports on social media of a cyber-attack on some petrochemical and other companies in Iran, a state body in charge of cyber security denied there had been a “successful” attack.

“Based on our observations ... there has not been a successful cyber-attack on oil facilities and other critical infrastructure,” said an official statement carried by IRNA.

NetBlocks, an organisation that monitors internet connectivity, earlier reported “intermittent disruptions” to some internet services in Iran starting on Friday evening.

The group said the impact was limited, affecting only specific providers, and the cause was unclear. “Data are consistent with a cyber-attack or unplanned technical incident on affected networks as opposed to a purposeful withdrawal or shutdown incident,” it said in a tweet.

NetBlocks Director Alp Toker said they saw four Iranian networks falling offline over a three hour period on Friday evening. This began when the first reports emerged and ended shortly afterwards. The networks have been stable since.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco-iran/iran-says-it-will-destroy-any-aggressor-idUSKBN1W603G

[Butifldrm]

 

2019/09/22 21:37

• Number of readings 39
• Section: Iraq
• 
• 

Maliki and Halbousi discuss developments in the regional and international situation in the region

Baghdad / Obelisk: received Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammed Halbousi, on Sunday, the President of the coalition of law Nuri al-Maliki.

During the meeting, they discussed the developments of the political situation in the country, the importance of activating the supervisory and legislative role of the House of Representatives, and the need to coordinate and unify positions among the political forces regarding important legislation that serve the citizen.

The meeting also discussed developments in the regional and international situation, the events taking place in the region, the importance of keeping the specter of war away from them, and giving priority to the language of understanding and dialogue to defuse the crisis and maintain stability to serve everyone, and the need to keep Iraq away from being a battleground for any conflict.

Follow the obelisk

http://almasalah.com/ar/news/178950/المالكي-والحلبوسي-يبحثان-مستجدات-الوضع-الإقليمي-والدولي-في-المنطقة

 

 

[nannab]

What a joke Malarki of all people having dialogue to defuse crisis and keeping Iraq 

away from conflict.  

 

 

[md11fr8dawg]

It is a shame that ****** bag is still breathing!!!

[Pitcher]

It’s coming Iran. You wanted a damn war and you are going to get it.  

[CSM (R) Thack]

Time to break out the MOAB!!!!👍🇺🇸

[Pitcher]

5 minutes ago, CSM (R) Thackrey said:

Time to break out the MOAB!!!!👍🇺🇸

 

 One of my best friends who is a Marine has been saying for years we should turn Iran into a lake.  It may be time to expand the Persian Gulf. 

[yota691]

The drone attacks overturned the concepts of war

Sunday 22 September 2019 83

 

Translation: Anis al - Saffar       's
devastating attack on Saudi oil facilities using unmanned aircraft and missiles not only alter the balance of military power in the Middle East but turning point in the nature of the methods of wars waged by the world - wide point.

On the morning of September 14, 18 unmanned drones and seven cruise missiles (all low-cost and complex compared to modern warfare) paralyzed half of Saudi Arabia's crude production and raised world oil prices by 20 percent.

This happened despite Saudi Arabia spending $ 67.6 billion on its defense budget last year, most of which went on expensive military aircraft and air defense systems, all of which apparently failed to stave off the attack. The US defense budget is $ 750 billion, and its intelligence budget is $ 85 billion. However, US forces stationed in the Gulf only learned of what had happened.

Various excuses have been made to justify this failure, including the fact that the drones were flying at very low altitudes, which the monitoring means were unable to pick up. Such justifications seem pitiful when placed in the face of the vivid, vivid revelations made by weapons makers and military commanders about the effectiveness of their weapons systems.

The debate is raging today over whether the Iranians launched the attack or the Houthis. The likely answer is that the two were involved, but the Iranians coordinated the process and provided it with the requirements and means. However, the over-emphasis on identifying the responsible party distracts from a much more important development: a mid-level power such as Iran, under siege, with limited resources, capabilities, and expertise, both individually and through its allies, has taken a devastating blow to Saudi Arabia. Theoretically, it is better armed and presumably protected by the United States, the world's largest superpower.

The US and Saudi Arabia are particularly reluctant to respond to Iran. The reason is that they now know with certainty, and contrary to what they imagined a year ago, that their counter-attack would not pass free and would not be cost-free, because what happened could be repeated and Iran did not fire. In vain, it should be called the “superpower of the drones”. Oil production facilities and desalination plants, which provide most of the potable water in Saudi Arabia, are all focused and suitable targets today for drones and small missiles.

In other words, the theater of military operations will be much more equitable in the future in the event of any confrontation between a country with advanced air forces and highly developed air defense systems and others that do not. The trump card that the United States, NATO and Israel have long waved has been the overwhelming air superiority of any potential enemy. Suddenly, these calculations have collapsed, because almost any party can now become a low-cost player on the aerial capability stage. 

Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, outlined the significance of this shift by writing: "A new generation of drones, cruise missiles and precision ballistic missiles have entered Iranian armories and are spreading to the hands of the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon," Cordesman explains.

Military history states that such turning points have occurred in the past, through the emergence and sudden proliferation of accessible weapons and production that can refer the most sophisticated means on the other side to the status of "zzzzzzzzz, the king died."

A good example of this is the attack on November 11, 1940, on five Italian warships anchored at their base in Taranto. The attack was launched by 20 old British slow-moving Swordfish planes armed with torpedoes from an aircraft carrier. By the time the attack ended, three of the five warships were sunk or seriously injured, while the British lost only two aircraft. The gravity of this victory, achieved at such a low cost, ended the time when warships dominated the sea to be replaced by the time of the domination of aircraft carriers bombed or armed with torpedoes. This was a lesson to the Japanese naval force that attacked Pearl Harbor in a similar manner one year after the Taranto attack.

Last week, the Saudis offered the wreckage of drones and missiles to a crowd of diplomats and journalists in a bid to convince them that the Iranians were behind the air operation. But the most important testimony of these crashed aircraft and missile parts is that the equipment and weapons that have just shaken the global economy have not been costly, even when they are in good health and ready for action. For comparison, one Patriot anti-aircraft missile, Saudi Arabia's main defensive weapon, which was not proven on September 14, cost $ 3 million.

Cost and simplicity of composition are important because they mean that Iran, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and almost any country in the world are capable of producing drones and missiles in dense numbers enough to conquer any defensive means to counter them.

Consider comparing a drones that cost only tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to a single F-35 fighter, which costs up to $ 122 million. This aircraft is so expensive that it can only be bought in very limited numbers. As governments around the world grasp the reality of what happened to the Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities, they will begin to ask their air force commanders to explain why so much money is spent as long as there are more cost-effective alternatives. Compared to past events, air commanders and arms makers will have to fight to the last breath in order to inflate their budgets so they can buy weapons of questionable value in the war. 

The real.

The attack on Saudi Arabia has fostered a trend in warfare that low-cost, affordable weapons are at the forefront. If we look at the track record of IEDs planted on the side of the roads, we find that they are usually made of easily available fertilizer available and then detonated with a control wire after planted on the side of the road. This type of device had a devastating effect when the IRA used it in areas south of Armagh that forced the British army to abandon the use of ground roads and switch to helicopters.

Roadside bombs have also been used in large numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan and have had great effects against US-led coalition forces. The US military then devoted enormous resources to finding out what would be the deadly way to go, including $ 40 billion spent on the production of 2,700 special armored vehicles called MRAP. However, a later military study revealed that the number of US soldiers killed or wounded when attacked in MRAPs remained exactly the same as when using old vehicles.

I cannot imagine that the American, British, and Saudi senior military commanders would accept the logic that they have expensive, technologically advanced forces under their command, but in practice they have become a thing of the past. This means that they will maintain their adherence to weapons that absorb resources greedily but in practice are outdated. 

The Japanese, for their part, having demonstrated the fragility of the warships through the Pearl Harbor attack, immediately brought the world's largest warship, the Yamato, into active duty. This ship only fired its cannons before it was sunk by a torpedo fired by a US aircraft and bombers launched from carriers.

 Planes. 

 

Patrick Cockburn / The Independent 

[yota691]

Source: Saudi Arabia will restore full oil production by next week

 

Workers repair damage at the Khurais oil facility of Saudi Aramco. Reuters

Arabic and International Economy News - Baghdad Saudi Arabia has recovered about 75 percent of its crude oil production losses from attacks on two of its oil facilities and will return to full volumes by early next week, a source familiar with the latest developments told Reuters on Monday. The source said that the production of Saudi oil from Khurais now exceeds 1.3 million barrels per day, while the current production from Abqaiq at about three million barrels per day. Attacks on Khurais and Abqaiq, two of the kingdom's largest oil facilities, have halted 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd) or more than half of the kingdom's oil production. Saudi officials say production will return to full capacity by the end of September. Views: 15   Date Added: 23/09/2019

[yota691]

Qanbar to (Tigris): Iran moved the battlefield to Iraq thanks to its loyal factions

 

- 20-09-2019 08:17 PM - Readings: 919

 

The head of the Future Foundation in Washington, Intifad Qanbar, said Friday that Iran had moved the battlefield to Iraq thanks to its loyal armed factions.

Qanbar said the new US sanctions would make Iran economically kneel down and would destroy Iran more than military strikes.

[yota691]

Jubair: Iran arms targeted Saudi Arabia with 260 ballistic missiles

Policy

- 21-09-2019 06:49 PM - Readings: 499

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Saturday that Iranian arms in the region targeted the kingdom with 260 ballistic missiles and his country would take appropriate steps to respond to the attack.

Al-Jubeir said that the attacks on Aramco were not from Yemen, but from the north of the kingdom, and the investigations will prove that Iran is responsible.

[yota691]

Oil prices rise on Aramco fallout

Monday, September 23, 2019 38

 

SINGAPORE / Reuters

 

Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on doubts about how quickly Saudi Arabia will resume full crude supplies after an attack on the kingdom's largest crude processing and refining facility.

Brent crude futures rose to $ 65.50 a barrel, and the nearest maturity contract was $ 65.04, up 76 cents, or 1.18 percent, at 0645 GMT. 

Greenwich.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $ 58.73 a barrel, up 64 cents, or 1.1 percent, from $ 59.39 earlier.

Despite efforts by Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, to reassure world markets that they can resume full production at the end of this month after the attack in the middle, customers and traders remain skeptical as the attack halted half of the kingdom's production. 

Oil.

State-owned Saudi Aramco changed some shipments to other ore and delayed delivery of crude shipments and refined products to customers for several days after the attack.

[Butifldrm]

Baghdad Post Tuesday, September 24 , 2019 14:30

The Washington Institute: Iraq has become a "house without a roof" .. And America fears Iranian electronic support for the sectarian crowd

 

 

 On September 10, an explosion rocked a base of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Anbar province, killing one Hashd member and wounding another.

Crowd spokesmen blamed the strike on Israeli drones from Syria.

They also claimed that it was carried out "through the presence of air cover by US airspace for the area as well as a large surveillance balloon placed near the area," referring to a US air surveillance aircraft deployed around a US base.

In the wake of the latest air strikes and the September 5 announcement by the Popular Mobilization Forces of a new air force with defensive functions, the incident points to the country's growing domestic discontent over the issue and the potential repercussions of such operations on relations with Washington.

Challenges of air defense  Public discourse in Iraq was disturbed throughout the summer by a series of bombings targeting local PMF bases, as well as attacks on convoys and facilities of specific groups operating on both sides of the border with Syria.

On July 19 and August 20, two bombings were reported in two camps belonging to a "special group" called the Hezbollah Brigades. Similarly, on 25 August, one of the group's logistics convoys on the Iraqi side of the border was destroyed. Then another huge explosion - when the munitions were detonated on August 12 in the "Falcon camp" south of Baghdad - adding to the tension.

The government's inability The
Iraqis blamed Israeli air strikes suspected of various forms, highlighting the government's inability to monitor and defend its airspace. These strikes may have been carried out from outside international borders by long-range drones or drones, or carried out at close range by small drones loaded with explosives or "suicide bombers" - in both cases Baghdad was unable to prevent them.

A house without a roof

Seeking help from her American partner is also not easy. The mission of the US- led coalition in Iraq does not include defending sovereign airspace, and requesting US help to prevent foreign operations would put Washington in a particularly sensitive position with its Israeli ally. As a result, Iraq may look for other ways to show that it is not a "house without a roof."

During Saddam Hussein's rule, Iraq developed a massive and comprehensive air defense system with the help of France and the Soviet Union. This network was significantly reduced during the 1991 Gulf War and never succeeded in regaining its strength, but Iraq still faces today a multi-faceted challenge in the field of air defense:
Israel: From the West, Israel insists on preventing the use of Iraqi territory for either of these purposes. (1) as a strategic corridor to deliver supplies to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian forces bent on threatening the Israeli border, or (2) to be used as a direct platform for launching Iranian missiles into Israel. There has been talk in recent years that Iraq could be used as a corridor for Israeli air operations against Iran's nuclear program.

It is also known that Iranian aircraft crossed Iraqi airspace while delivering military supplies to Syria and Lebanon.
SAUDI ARABIA: From the south, Saudi oil facilities were attacked by drones on May 14, and the kingdom could retaliate against Iraq in the event of such incidents.

Baghdad options
are the most prominent air defense priorities in Iraq during the next phase in the Israeli strikes to prevent and control the US air moves closely to detect any signs of collusion. The Iraqi government is likely to pursue these goals by strengthening its air defenses, even if this is a public demonstration in which it pretends to defend its sovereignty. If Baghdad decides to take this course, it will have a range of international options:
  During August 2013, Iraq requestedAcquisition of a US $ 2.4 billion integrated US air defense system for deployment by 2020. The deal included three Hawk-21 surface-to-air artillery missiles flying at medium altitudes with a range of 35 to 56 kilometers of engagement, in addition to Forty Avenger air defense systems use machine guns and missiles to hit targets from as low as a maximum of 8 km, associated surveillance radars, command and control systems, underground operations centers and training.

Avenger Systems 

So far, however, only eight Avenger systems have been delivered while the rest of the deal is still pending. Although Iraqi forces have since received several new F-16IQ fighter jets, the failure of the Iraqi government to prioritize air defense during the war against ISIS and the slow pace of US military sales abroad have prevented the planes from being supported. Effective monitoring and interception of radar threats. Iraq
has been receiving Russian systems on a regular basis since 2014. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Iraq requestedIn 2012 the following: 48 mobile air defense systems missile-type artillery "Panzer-S1" with a range of engagement of 12 km, similar to the system "Avenger", 1200 missile rockets of its own, and 500 "portable air defense system" type "Igla" A "including what is launched from the shoulder and some of which are installed on the mechanisms. But any further future purchases from Russia will have three negative consequences for Iraq. First, Russia has been reluctant to give those who buy surface-to-air missiles, such as Syria, full control over such systems, and has delayed the training of local crews. Second, even the S-300 systems operated by Russian crews deployed in Syria have not deterred Israeli air strikes against Iranian forces there. Third, the US Anti-adversary through Sanctions Act requires Washington to limit its military cooperation with IraqIf you buy weapons from Russia. The sanctions could damage the bilateral defense relationship and hamper US support for Iraq in terms of F-16IQ fighter jets, air-to-air missiles, radars and other sensitive technologies.

Under Appendix B of UNSCR 2231, Iranian arms sales to Iraq are officially prohibited until January 2021. However, Tehran may secretly transfer air defense systems to the PMF before then, just as it has That I did with the Houthis in Yemen. Possible systems could include medium-altitude mobile surface-to-air missiles such as the Tlash, Power-373 or Khordad III, which are alleged to have a range of 75 to 100 kilometers and that shot down a US RQ reconnaissance drone. 4a "over the Strait of Hormuz on June 20.
Another possibility is that Iran would offer low-level "portable air defense systems" of the type "charter" or improvised systems such as "Peyruz" (Iranian version of the missile "Cornet"

"Popular Mobilization"
Perhaps the most effective step is for Iran to provide "popular mobilization" with electronic warfare support, taking advantage of its proven ability to interfere with US drone control systems. Since the recent strikes on Hashd targets, Iranian and Iraqi leaders have been discussing joint air defense exercises, joint production of related defense and surveillance systems, as well as the operationalization of a 2017 intelligence agreement on air traffic data sharing to improve the monitoring capabilities of “enemies”. Subscribers. "
If Iraq finds it difficult to buy Russian or Iranian weapons, it could buy air defense systems from Europe or China, such as Aster, FM-2000 or HQ-22. Iraq bought four CH-4 armed drones from China in 2014, indicating its willingness to diversify from where to buy its military equipment.

Counting

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/ar/Story/180594/معهد-واشنطن-العراق-بات-منزلا-بلا-سقف-وأمريكا-تخشى-دعما-إيرانيا-الكترونيا-للحشد-الطائفي

[Butifldrm]

Tuesday، 24 September 2019 01:03 AM

 

Pompeo: Aramco attack was Iranian, carried out with cruise missiles

 

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would seek international support in the face of Iran, which Washington accuses of targeting two oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

"President Donald Trump and I personally want to give diplomacy every chance of success," Pompeo said on ABC.

"I am in New York. I will be at the United Nations all week to talk about that," he said. "We hope that the United Nations will adopt a firm position."

He pointed out that the international organization was established for this kind of things - when attacking another country - and we hope to move in this regard.

He reiterated that what Saudi Arabia was subjected to was "an Iranian attack carried out with cruise missiles."

http://www.iraqnow.news/TopArticles/75303

[Pitcher]

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/FERC-Warns-A-Gas-Pipeline-Attack-Could-Cause-Mass-Blackouts.html
 

FERC Warns A Gas Pipeline Attack Could Cause Mass Blackouts

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Sep 24, 2019, 1:00 PM CDT

An attack on a single natural gas pipeline in the United States could lead to mass blackouts, Neil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), told CNN Business, discussing America’s energy infrastructure in the aftermath of the attacks on crucial oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. 

Those attacks in the world’s top oil exporter should serve as a wake-up call for America to pay attention to potential vulnerabilities in its own infrastructure, Chatterjee told CNN.

With the growing share of natural gas in the U.S. power mix, one outage of a gas pipeline could cause cascading blackouts, the official said.

“Twenty years ago, a single generator might not have even flinched if a pipeline went down,” he told CNN, adding “Today, we have eight or nine generators depending on a single gas pipeline.”

An outage would have cascading effects “and our adversaries know this,” Chatterjee said.

“Protecting that infrastructure is of utmost focus,” FERC’s chairman told Yahoo Finance’s Julie Hyman at the 2019 Concordia Summit in New York City on Monday.

“One of the exciting things we are seeing as the energy transition is taking place in the United States is that the reliability of the grid has been maintained while costs are coming down for consumers,” Chatterjee said, but was quick to add that “we are also seeing an increased interdependence between the use of gas and the power sector.”

“That’s why it is so important that we at the Commission work with our federal partners, state partners, industry to stay ahead of these ever evolving threats,” FERC’s chairman noted.

The U.S. Department of Energy said last year it was awarding up to US$28 million in research and development of next-generation tools and technologies aimed at improving the cybersecurity of the critical American energy infrastructure, including the electric grid and oil and natural gas infrastructure.

In December 2018, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that actions need to be taken to address significant weaknesses at the Pipeline Security Program Management of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  

[Pitcher]

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/US-Shale-Kept-Oil-Prices-From-Surging-After-Attacks-On-Saudi-Oil.html
 

US Shale Kept Oil Prices From Surging After Attacks On Saudi Oil

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Sep 23, 2019, 12:00 PM CDT

The U.S. shale boom was one of the reasons why oil prices didn’t soar to triple digits when more than half of the oil production of the world’s top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was knocked offline by attacks in the middle of September, Andy Critchlow, head of news in EMEA for S&P Global Platts, said in a blog post on Monday.

The September 14 attacks on Saudi oil infrastructureknocked 5.7 million bpd—or 5 percent of global oil supply—offline. Immediately after the attacks, the oil market went into panic mode early last week, with prices jumping by the most on record last Monday.

Oil prices could test the US$80 a barrel Brent Crude price, following the attacks, S&P Global Platts Analytics said immediately after the two vital Saudi facilities went offline.

However, later in the week, oil prices eased off after Saudi Arabia started to insist through official statements and sources that it would fully restore oil supply by the end of September. 

By Friday, Brent Crude was already trading very close to its year-to-date moving average of US$64 a barrel.

According to analysts who spoke to Critchlow, slowing oil demand growth, soaring U.S. shale production, and assurances that stocks and reserves around the world could meet supply crunches in the short term were the key drivers for oil prices to retreat from the initial shock when they had soared 20 percent in one day.

Warren Patterson, ING’s Head of Commodities Strategy and Senior Commodities Strategist Wenyu Yao,

[Pitcher]

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Attacks-On-Saudi-Oil-To-Once-Again-Delay-Aramco-IPO.html
 

Attacks On Saudi Oil To Once Again Delay Aramco IPO

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Sep 24, 2019, 11:00 AM CDT

The attacks on vital Saudi oil infrastructure that took offline more than half of Aramco’s oil production would likely mean that the Kingdom will not list its oil giant this year, two sources with direct knowledge of Aramco’s thinking told Reuters.

The attacks on the Abqaiq facility and the Khurais oil field in Saudi Arabia on September 14 had investors anxious as the Kingdom had just accelerated plans to list Saudi Aramco in what would be the world’s largest initial public offering (IPO) ever. The heightened security risks following the attacks and Aramco’s actual ability to restore production could undermine the valuation of the company at this time, analysts believe.

Saudi Aramco now needs to build up confidence among potential investors, on top of fully restoring production, one of the sources told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia has been consistently claiming that production would be restored in a matter of weeks rather than months, with the oil production lost in the attacks fully restored by early next week.

Before the attacks, the Saudi oil giant was saying it was ready to list on international markets alongside its primary listing on the Saudi stock exchange.

The top managers of the Saudi state oil firm reiterated that it’s up to the sole shareholder of the company—the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—to decide when the listing will take place.  

Even after the attacks, Aramco’s CEO Amin Nasser continued to claim that “We have said we are ready and will proceed with the IPO when our shareholder takes the decision.”

Aramco is also said to be holding meetings this week with more than a dozen junior underwriters as part of the IPO process.

Before the attacks, reports had it that Aramco could list shares on its domestic stock exchange as early as in November 2019. Following the attacks, it looks like international investors and analysts have started to account for major supply risks in Aramco’s valuation and brand.