protesters going violent Iran is Blowing Up

[Laid Back]

Iraq… the arena of messages exchanged between Washington and Tehran.

The angry Iraqi street directed a new blow to Iran by burning its consulate in the city of Najaf, the center of spiritual Shiism in the world, and the headquarters of the Supreme Shiite authority over time.
This is the third Iranian consulate burned by Iraqi protesters, after the Basra consulate in 2018, and the Karbala consulate a few weeks ago, reflecting the bitter reality Iran is ignoring – a radical shift in the mood of the Iraqi Shiite street towards it , even though it presents itself to the world as a guardian of the Shiite sect. .

As for why the consulate was burned, Iraqi observers believe that Iran is behind the devastation that has ravaged their country for the past 16 years, under the auspices of both Shiite and Sunni political parties, adding that since the protests began, protesters have been trying to convey this message to Iran but no avail.
Iran shows that it is dealing lightly with demonstrations in Iraqi cities that it has not closed its embassy and consulates, nor deported its diplomats and their families, as do the countries concerned for the safety of their citizens working in dangerous areas. Observers of the Iraqi issue attributed the Iranian behavior, which they described as irresponsible, to an Iranian desire not to look at the protests in its normal size. Iran also does not want to give the protesters a sense of victory over it that it formed an additional reason to the decision taken by protesters to burn its consulate in Najaf, which had previously burned its consulates in Basra and Karbala.

The burning of the consulate is also a symbolic destruction of the great banner in which Iran exercises its dominance over the region as a patron of Shi’ism. Thus, when the strike comes from the Iraqi Shia themselves, and in the holy city of Najaf, home to important Shia shrines, it dismantles the ideological stockpile of Iran and its parties loyal to it .

Following this, Brigadier-General Erg Mesjedi, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, described Iraqi protesters as vandals and foreign agents, while the Iranian TV reporter criticized the authorities for “watching what was happening and doing nothing.”

In light of the ongoing protest movement in Iraq and the targeting of the Iranian consulate, which is an important message in rejecting Iranian influence by the Iraqi people, it means that Iraq has reached the brink of the abyss of the civil war and another aspect of the US-Iranian conflict in Iraq. In spite of the missiles targeting US interests in Iraq, Aramco and the resignation of Adil Abdul Mahdi, and in return for the Iranian protest movement that Tehran sees as Washington, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv are behind it, the message war between Washington and Tehran has continued and these messages may continue with the new Prime Minister especially if he receives the US and Iranian approval in his appointment as prime minister of Iraq. The Iranian missile messages on US interests in Iraq may be the American answer in the coming days. Washington may move to impose sanctions on Iraqi figures allied to Tehran.

To defend its interests in Iraq and the Arabian Gulf against Iranian threats, the United States is prepared to confront anyone who tries to tamper with its interests. This confrontation does not stop at the limits of economic and military sanctions, but may even extend to direct confrontation.

Geography is irreplaceable. Iran is a large and ancient country in the region. The presence of its neighbors is also ancient. The only realistic option is coexistence. But this coexistence will remain difficult, booby-trapped and threatened unless it is based on a new language that respects international borders, and away from the policy of infiltration and holding cards in the maps of others. It is the right of any state to seek a role and influence, but the question remains about the means. The new role is created by an attractive model, economic success and improvement of people’s living conditions. Germany has a role in Europe, but it does not try to gain veto power in Paris or create parallel armies in Madrid.

It is clear that the current Iranian role in Baghdad is greater than Iraq’s tolerability. The same can be said of Lebanon, of course, with regard to geographical differences and demographics. You have the right to choose what you want within your borders, but you do not have the right to impose yourself on the maps of others.

Iraqi Studies Unit
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies

[MyLadiesDaddy]

 

[MyLadiesDaddy]

Dang these guys are getting desperate for money 

 

 

[Butifldrm]

 

 World news

Thursday، 05 December 2019 11:12 PM

US: Iran’s protests death toll may surpass 1,000 amid crackdown

Brian Hook, the US pointman on Iran accused the Iranian regime of killing over 1,000 people since protests began in November, saying that it was the “worst political crisis the regime has faced and its 40 years."

“As the truth is trickling out of Iran, it appears the regime could have murdered over a thousand Iranian citizens since the protests began,” he said in a speech.

He added that the regime’s forces also arrested over 7,000 people and wounded thousands others.

https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/Story/44956/US-Iran-s-protests-death-toll-may-surpass-1-000-amid-crackdown

[Karsten]

A little History of Iran from one that lived it.

 

https://www.facebook.com/watchparty/2624652907621795/?entry_source=FEED

 

Karsten

[siberian_shaddow]

On 12/5/2019 at 6:52 AM, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

Dang these guys are getting desperate for money 

 

 

Well why dont you come out and drop anchor,  out by the Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln and keep running your mouth, and then let's sit back and see what the A-Team has to say about that.

[Butifldrm]

Amnesty raises to 304 number of Iranians killed in protests

 

 

The wave of protests was followed by pro-government rallies. (File/AFP)

 

December 16, 201912:08

29

The protests were sparked by a sharp rise in gasoline prices

Iran acknowledged that the security forces have shot and killed protesters

DUBAI: Amnesty International said Monday that at least 304 people were killed in last month’s anti-government protests in Iran, a significantly higher number than what the rights group had reported previously.
The protests, which lasted about four days in several cities and towns in Iran in November, were sparked by a sharp rise in gasoline prices. During the violence and in the days that followed, Iranian authorities blocked access to the Internet.
Amnesty said that Iranian security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing scores. Iranian authorities subsequently arrested thousands of protesters as well as journalists, human rights defenders and students in a sweeping crackdown to prevent them from speaking up about the protests, the London-based watchdog said.
Tehran has yet to release any statistics about the scale of the unrest, though two weeks ago the government acknowledged that the security forces shot and killed protesters. Iranian state media referred to some of those shot and killed as “rioters”.
Amnesty said earlier this month that at least 208 were killed in the Nov. 15-18 protests. It did not provide an explanation for the new and higher death toll, reiterating that it had spoken to dozens of people inside the country and had compiled credible reports.
The majority of the deaths recorded by Amnesty were the result of gunshots to the head, heart and other vital organs. Among those killed, according to Amnesty, was a 15-year-old boy in the city of Shiraz who was shot as he passed by a protest on his way from school.
The rights group had noted how during the protests, Iran shut down Internet access, blocking those inside the country from sharing videos and limiting knowledge about the full scale of the turmoil.
The protests were rooted in widespread economic discontent that has gripped the country since President Trump imposed crushing sanctions after withdrawing America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Iran’s national currency, the rial, has sharply plunged from the time of the 2015 nuclear accord while daily staples have risen in price.
Despite the hike in prices, gasoline in Iran remains among the cheapest in the world.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1599781/middle-east

[trident]

Middle East

At least 304 people killed in clashes with security during Iran protests: Amnesty

Kurdistan 24 |

7 hours ago

 

 

---

Riot police disperse protesters against increased gas prices on a highway in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 16, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)

 

Iran Iran Protests Amnesty International Amnesty

 

 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Amnesty International said on Monday that security forces had killed over 300 people during demonstrations in Iran.

In a new report, the rights group said that “at least 304 people were killed, and thousands injured” during three days between Nov. 15 to 18 “as authorities crushed the protests using lethal force.”

“The majority of the deaths that the organization has recorded occurred as a result of gunshots to the head, heart, neck, and other vital organs indicating that the security forces were shooting to kill,” it added.

Protests in Iran started on Nov. 15 after Tehran passed a new law on subsidized gasoline that tripled its price.

Demonstrations began calmly but quickly spread to dozens of other parts of the country, including multiple cities in Kurdish-majority western provinces.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has mobilized hundreds of thousands of its Basij paramilitaries and other security forces to crack down on protestors.

Earlier this month, Iran Human Rights Monitor said over 1,000 Iranian protestors were believed to be dead in clashes with security forces.

It also reported that over 12,000 people had been arrested, many after being wounded by gunfire, claiming that “protestors are under severe torture to make false confessions.”

Meanwhile, Kurdish rights watchdog Hengaw reported in November that there had been at least 48 deaths and 1,000 arrests in the provinces of Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam, and West Azerbaijan. The group previously said that some wounded protesters had been avoiding hospitals for fear of capture.

[yota691]

The Iranian Parliament is a "great and great country" ... surprising Iranian statements regarding Saudi Arabia and its role in Iraq

Political | 04:13 - 24/12/2019

 

 

 

 

Baghdad - Mawazine News
, a spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament, Hossein Naqawi Hosseini, said today, Tuesday, that his country considers "Saudi Arabia a great and great country in the Islamic world."
In an interview with the Iranian "Shafaqna" news agency, Hosseini stressed that his country welcomes the removal of tension through conducting dialogue and negotiations, considering that "Saudi Arabia is a great and great country in the Islamic world."
He said: "But the path Saudi Arabia is taking and the practices it is taking, including the attack on Yemen and its relations with the Zionist entity, are preventing the unification of ranks in the region. Iran has not and will not want tension with Saudi Arabia and that building the relationship between it and Saudi Arabia has a positive impact on regional stability."
Regarding the crisis in Iraq, the spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament stressed that "the crisis the Iraqi government is going through has caused many tensions to emerge in this country," saying: "If the constitution that enjoys the support of the Iraqi people is implemented then a lot will be resolved." Of problems in Iraq. "
He added: "After ISIS was suppressed and eliminated in Iraq, the US administration felt that it had lost its position in Iraq, as a new regime was created in Iraq, a legitimate government took over, and parliamentary elections were held. On this, these matters raised the wrath of the American administration."
Hussein Naqawi Hosseini continued, saying: "That is why the Triangle of America, Saudi Arabia and the Zionist entity began to be active. This is why internal crises continued in Iraq, but the authority entered the scene and did good work to solve the crisis in Iraq, but the problems are still going on there, because the triangle above is still active in Iraq."
He continued, "The eminence of the supreme religious authority, Ali Sistani, has a pivotal and influential role in Iraqi society, and as I said, the conspiracies in this country are very many, and that the debate between the internal currents is so great that it has not been solved yet despite the statements of the supreme authority and the passage of time."
Hosseini said, "The United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Zionist entity are looking to transform Iraq into another Lebanon, that is, they want to provoke a government crisis inside Iraq. There is no doubt that this crisis causes the emergence of many crises in Iraq. The Iraqi people and the politicians there should think about achieving the security of their country." And not to allow the central government to weaken. "
On how to solve the Iraqi crisis, he said: "If the constitution that enjoys the support of the Iraqis is applied, then certainly the problems of Iraq will be solved, and I see that the problems there are on the way to a solution, because the Iraqi constitution is clear and clear and democracy prevails in this country, on this and through the assistance of neighboring countries and the will of the people and the role The positive reference solves what Iraq suffers from. "
Iraq has witnessed since the beginning of last October, massive protests to demand improving living conditions, fighting corruption, dismissing the government, dissolving parliament, holding early elections, and killing at least 350 people since the largest wave of protests in the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. End ended 29 / H

[Butifldrm]

An unannounced emergency in Iran coinciding with the forty dead people protests

Arab and internationalprotests, Iran, Iranian security

 12/26/2019 08:27:13

 

The Iranian authorities imposed an undeclared state of emergency in Tehran and other Iranian cities for fear of demonstrations, which activists called for to revive the "forty dead people of the November protests."

Iranian opposition websites and activists reported that security forces and riot police deployed extensively in Tehran and the towns surrounding the capital, such as Islam Shahr, which witnessed a massacre of protesters last November.

 

 

In the Citadel of Hassan Castle in Tehran, helicopters were seen flying overhead, in conjunction with the deployment of security forces in most of the main streets.

News reports also spoke of an intensified security deployment in the cities of Rabat Karim, Sari, Isfahan, Mashhad and Karaj.

Iranian activists called on people to demonstrate again in the country to commemorate the killing of Iranian activist Buya Bakhtiari and other protesters, shot by security forces on November 16, in conjunction with gasoline protests in the country.

And night demonstrations took place in many regions of Iran on Wednesday night, while the authorities cut off the internet service in many provinces in an attempt to reduce the contact between activists who coordinate their protests and invite them through social media.

Iran has not yet released official figures for the total number of victims of the gasoline protests that erupted last November, but Amnesty International estimated it more than 300 people.

https://www.shafaaq.com/ar/عربي-ودولي/طوارئ-غير-معلنة-في-إيران-تزامنا-مع-أربعينية-قتلى-الاحتجاجات/

[trident]

World News

December 26, 2019 / 9:20 AM / Updated 2 hours ago

China, Russia and Iran to hold joint naval drills from Friday

BEIJING (Reuters) - China, Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, China’s defense ministry said on Thursday，amid heightened tension in the region between Iran and the United States.

China will send the Xining, a guided missile destroyer, to the drills, which will last until Monday and are meant to deepen cooperation between the three countries’ navies, ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a monthly news briefing.

The drill was a “normal military exchange” between the three armed forces and was in line with international law and practices, Wu said.

“It is not necessarily connected with the regional situation,” he said, without elaborating.

The Gulf of Oman is a particularly sensitive waterway as it connects to the Strait of Hormuz - through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes - which in turn connects to the Gulf.

The drills are also coming at a time of fraught tensions between the United States and Iran.

Friction has increased since last year when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions on the country, crippling its economy.

 

Washington has proposed a U.S.-led naval mission after several attacks in May and June on international merchant vessels, including Saudi tankers, in Gulf waters which the United States blamed on Iran. It denies the accusations.

Tension has risen in the region not only over Iran’s disputed nuclear program but also over a September attack on Saudi oil facilities blamed on Iran by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Iran also denies involvement.

The Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman are key areas for international trade and maintaining security in the waterways is an important task, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said on Wednesday, according to the official IRNA news agency.

“This drill will take place for supporting and increasing experience in the security of international trade in the region,” he said.

 

China has close diplomatic, trade and energy ties with Iran.

But China also has good relations with Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, meaning it has long had to tread a fine line in a part of the world where it has traditionally exerted far less sway than the United States, Russia, France or Britain.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Saudi Arabia next year as it is the host of the 2020 G20 summit.

Reporting by Ben Blanchard; additional reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh in Geneva; Editing by Gareth Jones and David Clarke

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[yota691]

Iran is taking urgent measures to ward off upcoming protests

- One Minute Ago

The specter of the popular uprising has returned to haunt the Iranian regime again, which is living in regional and international isolation, which has plunged the country into a suffocating economic crisis due to the actions of its regime's arms in the region, and also its work to destroy the nuclear agreement. The Iranian regime seeks to abort the signs of the uprising in various ways, especially as anger is escalating among Iranian circles because of economic measures pushed by the government in order to put an end to the financial crisis, but its critics see it as unfair decisions against them.

Tehran - The calls to demonstrate in Iran have gone public again, defying the restrictions imposed by the regime and its militias.

An Iranian news agency said late on Wednesday that the authorities had suspended the internet service on mobile phones in several provinces, a day before expected new protests called by activists through social networking sites.

Publications on social networking sites and some of the relatives of those killed in the unrest that erupted over the fuel price hike called for the resumption of protests and the commemoration of the dead.

At the same time, official media reported that officers of the Intelligence Ministry seized an arms depot containing 126 weapons, most of which were American industry, which were smuggled to the central city of Isfahan from abroad, according to their claim.

This comes at a time when the Iranian authorities announced the arrest of a group of 13 people from the "Arab Struggle for the Liberation of Al-Ahwaz" movement, which it considers a "terrorist organization", and another person working for the opposition "International TV Iran" based in Britain.

On Thursday, the Iranian Fars News Agency said that the security forces arrested 13 people of the "Arab Struggle for the Liberation of Al-Ahwaz" terrorist group in Iran, in possession of various weapons in the western province of Khuzestan. The Iranian agency added that the group is accused of killing protesters during the recent demonstrations after the government announced that it had raised fuel prices in the country.

In turn, Khuzestan police chief Haider Abbaszadeh, in a statement to the Iranian Youth Journalists Association, affiliated to state television, announced that a person working for the opposition International TV Iran had been arrested.

He added that this is a crime according to the law, and that legal procedures will be initiated against the perpetrators of this type of crime. For his part, Director General of the Iranian Police, Hossein Ashtari, said in a written statement that the arrested person was sending news, pictures and videos related to the demonstrations in Iran to hostile media.

The protests initially broke out in November, due to higher fuel prices, but the protesters expanded their demands to include calls for more political freedom and other issues.

The government, which launched the bloodiest crackdown in the Islamic Republic's 40-year history, has blamed foreign elements for responsibility for stoking those unrest, in reference to Saudi Arabia, the United States and France.

An official denied that any order by the authorities to disable the Internet service, which was suspended for about a week during the November unrest, had been suspended. The news agency also quoted mobile phone companies as saying that their services were not disrupted.

The semi-official Iranian Labor News Agency quoted a source familiar with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology as saying that the disruption of mobile Internet access to external sites was carried out by order of the "security authorities" in the provinces of Alborz, Kurdistan and Zanjan in central and western Iran and Persia in the south. "More regions are likely to be affected by the disruption of international mobile phone calls," the agency said.

Publications on social media and relatives of those killed in the November unrest call for the protests to resume

"There is evidence of the disruption of the mobile Internet in parts of Iran ... network data at the present time shows a clear decrease in communication this morning amid reports of service interruptions at the level of several regions, this disruption is continuing," the Netbooks observatory said to monitor the Internet on Twitter. "I just checked my phone, and asked a friend and the internet is broken on our cell phones," said a resident of Ahvaz, the capital of the oil-rich Khuzestan region.

However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Communications denied the existence of orders to disable the Internet. "No such order has been issued by the judiciary or any other relevant body," Jamal Hadian said on Twitter. The fake news continues. ”

In Al-Barz province, one of the districts where the service was disrupted, the authorities earlier this week arrested the parents of a young man who had been shot dead during the protests, after they were pressured to cancel the fortieth anniversary of their son on Thursday, based on fears that this would cause unrest.

The Islamic Republic News Agency reported that the weapons seized in Isfahan included rifles, hand grenades and cartridges. She added that most of the weapons are American-made.

Disabling the Internet has made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to garner support and also obtain reliable reports on the scope of the unrest. Security forces are preparing for any events that could spark further unrest after the death of 1,500 people in less than two weeks after protests erupted on November 15, according to a Reuters report.

The Arabs