The Pentagon: We Have No Intention Of Withdrawing From Iraq, And Our Aim Is To Remain In The Middle East !

[umbertino]

Iraqi cleric's supporters take to streets in call for removal of US troops

 

Moqtada al-Sadr aide calls for end to joint security deals and closure of airspace to US military

 

Agence France-Presse in Baghdad

Fri 24 Jan 2020 11.39 GMT

 

 

Protesters raise a placard as supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr gather in Baghdad on Friday demanding the expulsion of US forces

Photograph: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/24/iraqi-clerics-supporters-take-to-streets-in-call-for-removal-of-us-troops

[DinarThug]

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Find out about the security situation in the pretending squares in Baghdad

 

 

 

24th January, 2020

 

Demonstrations continue in the squares of the capital, Baghdad, in order to demand a change of regime to rule and fight spoilers.

A security source told "Al-Ikhbaria", "The situation is good in the demonstration arenas, where you are witnessing a continuous flow to Tahrir Square, Al-Khilani, Al-Tayaran, and Mohammed Qasim Road."

He explained that "there is no firing of live bullets and tear gas, with the continued closure of all roads leading to the Karrada and Jadriya areas, and the two-storey and Jadriya bridges."

[DinarThug]

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Political analyst: The sovereignty that Al-Sadr has raised is selective. It concerns America only, not Iran
 

 

24th January, 2020

 

 

Political analyst Aqeel Abbas described on Friday that the sovereignty of Iraq, raised by the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, as "selectivity", indicating that sovereignty relates only to the American breach and not the Iranian breach and its armed factions.

"After the assassination of Qasim Soleimani this month, there is an effort to rearrange the priorities of politics in Iraq by the forces and factions allied with Iran," Abbas said in a press statement, which was followed by the news agency.

He explained that "the sovereignty of Iraq must have a popular Iraqi and political consensus in an attempt to invest in the American assassination process by changing the course of the October demonstrations."

He added that "the sovereignty raised by Sadr and the factions allied with Iran is selective, related to the United States and not to the armed factions with Iran," noting that "there is an effort to undermine the protest and make it secondary and remove the interest that succeeded in attracting the demonstrators."

Abbas continued, "The Iraqi people are more interested in reform than sovereignty in the context raised by factions allied to Iran."

[siberian_shaddow]

Much Appreciated Thugs, it sounds like the true iragi people know what they want. But I say just detour one of our drones near Sadr's location and at the same time send him a text message saying look up what's that it's a bird no its plane no it's a friggin drone missile, bye bye Sadr.

Edited January 24, 2020 by siberian_shaddow

[Kenny_Logins]

6 hours ago, umbertino said:

Iraqi cleric's supporters take to streets in call for removal of US troops

 

Moqtada al-Sadr aide calls for end to joint security deals and closure of airspace to US military

 

Agence France-Presse in Baghdad

Fri 24 Jan 2020 11.39 GMT

 

 

Protesters raise a placard as supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr gather in Baghdad on Friday demanding the expulsion of US forces

Photograph: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/24/iraqi-clerics-supporters-take-to-streets-in-call-for-removal-of-us-troops

 

I'm shocked -- just shocked -- that no one bothered to find out if anyone in the crowd was Iranian.

 

Western media is as useful for truth as Adam Schiff is for Burbank.

[DinarThug]

"Millionaire" al-Sadr is consistent with Iran's militias and does not meet the demands of the street

 

- 52 Minutes Ago

 

 

The departure of the supporters of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, in a "millionaire", was a clear response to Iranian demands to divert attention from the continuous popular uprising against the authority based on sectarian quotas in the country 16 years ago.

Observers believe that Al-Sadr's attempts to ride on the events became exposed after his tireless work in order to be an honest outlet for the orders of the regime in Tehran, especially after the killing of the Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in an American raid this month.

Hours before the launch of a million demonstration called by al-Sadr and supported by pro-Iranian factions to demand the exit of American forces from Iraq, protesters in the capital, Baghdad, were attacked by gunmen.

Medical sources indicated that one person was killed and several wounded, bringing to 12 the number of dead protests during three days in Iraq. The Iraqi Commission for Human Rights indicated that four protesters were killed in Baghdad, one in Diyala, two in Karbala, and five in Basra in general.

"Violence against the demonstrators continues clearly," said UNHCR member Ali al-Bayati, adding that "unknown armed groups targeting protesters show that the security forces are unable to protect citizens."

The demonstrators accused the authorities of duplication in dealing with security issues, if they immediately arrest anyone who cuts the streets with burning tires, but they are unable to arrest those who kidnapped and killed dozens of activists.

Activists in the Iraqi protests were concerned about Sadr's call, fearing that it would be close to Tahrir Square, the main center of the protests, and lead to a confrontation. However, a spokesman for Sadr made it clear that the demonstration would be in a different location, which is the Jadiriya area near the presidential compound and the Green Zone.

And Salah Al-Ubaidi, in an interview on Wednesday evening with the official channel, "Iraqiya", that the path of the demonstration is unknown, speaking of several scenarios. The demonstrators are likely to be dragged to the US embassy, the repetition of the same series that occurred last month that sparked tension between the United States and Iran, and made Iraq an arena for settling scores.

Al-Ubaid summarized the objectives of the demonstration with two demands, namely the exit of foreign forces from the country and the beating of the corrupt.

Thousands of followers of the Sadrist movement in Iraq Moqtada al-Sadr arrived in the center of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Friday.

The demonstrators raised slogans calling on foreign forces to leave Iraq, in implementation of the decision of the House of Representatives demanding the exit of these forces.

The security authorities closed the two bridges, Al-Jadiriyah and central Baghdad, to ensure the safety of the demonstrators.

An alert precedes the demonstrations of Iran's allies 

An alert precedes the demonstrations of Iran's proxies and Iraq has been witnessing since October 1, a movement of demanding protests, which has witnessed a decline in recent times after the United States assassinated an airliner in early January, the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, General Qassem Soleimani and deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Authority Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, near Baghdad, has sparked outrage among large groups of Iraqis.

Ten days ago, Sadr said in a tweet via his Twitter account that "the sky, its land and its sovereignty are being violated by the invading forces."

In his tweet, he called for an Iraqi revolution, neither eastern nor western (...), for a united, peaceful, millionaire demonstration condemning the American presence and its violations.

Sadr's call, which came after a vote in the Iraqi parliament on authorizing the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country, won wide support from Shiite factions close to Iran, which are accused of being behind some violence against the demonstrators gathering in the central liberation square, which raises fears of A clash between the two parties.

Violence in demonstrations across the country resulted in the deaths of about 470 people, the majority of whom were protesters, and wounding more than 25,000, according to paramedics, security sources and the Iraqi Human Rights Commission.

Observers expect many scenarios, as the demonstrators are likely to be dragged to the American embassy, and the repetition of the same series that occurred last month and sparked tension between the United States and Iran, and made Iraq an arena for settling scores.

The Iraqi expert at the Carnegie Harith Hassan Center said Sadr was trying to preserve his "multiple identities" by supporting various protests.

And Hassan considered that "on the one hand, he seeks to position himself as the leader of a reformist movement, as a populist, and anti-establishment."

On the other hand, he also wants to preserve his image as a leader to resist "the American occupation", partly to win Iranian support.

Tehran recently stressed that all American forces should leave the Middle East, amid escalating tensions between them and Washington.

"This protest will show that Sadr is still able to mobilize large groups of people on the streets, but it is also possible that he wants other groups to respond by giving him more room to choose the prime minister," the political expert said.

The Arabs

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[DinarThug]

Reveal the spread of a millionaire "fake" image used for today's demonstrations: it returns to Karbala last year

2020-01-24

 

 

Yassin Iraq: Baghdad

 

The Technology for Peace page revealed today, Friday, the spread of false news of an old picture, which it promoted from the millionth demonstration that took place today.

The technology said in a post that “this image that is circulated on social media is in Karbala and dates back to the month of the tenth of 2019”, while I published the original video clip that belongs to this image.

(ORIGINAL TWEET PHOTO FROM OCTOBER .. LINK)

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[DinarThug]

What the United States should and what it is prohibited to do in Iraq

 

- 4 Hours Ago

 

 

In the coming weeks, the Iraqi parliament may appoint an alternative to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. This is a very positive development, as the Iranian-backed multiple militias in the country prefer above all to keep this leader who lost his credibility at his disposal as caretaker for an indefinite period after his resignation in November. On the other hand, the new prime minister who is granted a new mandate can push the government to move again, pass the budget, bring the criminals responsible for killing the protesters to justice, and calm the angry protesters by making clear preparations for early elections, free and fair - and thus the voting results are compensated Which was widely underestimated in 2018.

This is the political field that has been opened up since the killing of the Iranian “Quds Force” commander, Qassem Soleimani, and the leader of an Iraqi militia, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, earlier this month. For the United States, the challenge is how to support these changes without disrupting the positive local dynamics.

A good sign emerged earlier this week, when Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr and a group of other Iraqi politicians unanimously defended President Barham Salih after Iran-backed militias criticized him for his meeting with President Trump in Davos on January 22. These militias have previously warned President Saleh of this meeting with his American counterpart.

The militias suffered another setback in a vote in the House of Representatives on January 5, when all Kurdish members, most Sunni members, and even many Shi'a members boycotted a session aimed at endorsing a proposal to expel American forces from Iraq. As a result, the session was held without a quorum being fulfilled, the validity of the supporting votes was canceled and it was shown that intimidation of the militia was not enough to force the opposition deputies to sabotage their own national interests.

These amazing developments arise from the continued disruption of the regime governing the "Jerusalem Corps" in Iraq. Indeed, the assassination of Soleimani and the engineer on January 3 created a passing opportunity for Iraqi nationalists to regain political control of the militias and restore Iraqi sovereignty.

How can Washington support these trends without inadvertently undermining them? Several duties and prohibitions come to mind as follows:

The duty to defer more sanctions for a few weeks. The first priority is to avoid interrupting the story. Today’s story can be enjoyed in Iraq: From protesters to President, nationalists are trying to restore the right to live in a sovereign, stable, and democratic country. To avoid being distracted by these events, US officials should wait for the imminent issuance of "Magnetsky Global Law" sanctions groups for at least two weeks. Then they should note that Washington is closely monitoring individual politicians who are to be targeted in the new sanctions groups, and some people not far from being classified as sanctions.

The duty to approve a new waiver document in the energy field. The US government should issue a new exemption document for sanctions on Iraqi purchases of Iranian natural gas and Iranian electricity in early February, when the current 120-day exemption period expires. Tehran has indicated that it will reduce this gas supply from more than 800 million cubic feet per day to only 200 million, noting the unusually cold supply and winter in Iran. Washington will not lose much in renewing the concession document - the Iranian regime does not benefit much from these transfers due to the American restrictions on dollar payments, especially with the decline in its size now. The release of the exemption document will also prevent Tehran from blaming the United States for Iraq's suffering any shortage of electricity.

Duty to warn against additional crackdowns. On January 24 [major new protests] spread in the country, and as of this writing, it is not known whether the militia has perpetrated more violence against peaceful protesters. [The United States and other international partners may soon have indicated that they will closely monitor the protests and question Iraqi officials about harming or intimidating civilians.

Not over-responding to anti-protests. Washington must bear in mind that any large militia in Iraq can take thousands of people onto the streets for a day, and many of them will likely march on their own alongside the peaceful protests [that spread] on January 24. This does not mean that they or that their usual anti-American slogan and symbols represent the majority of the 39 million Iraqi citizens, or even the majority Shiites in the country. Whatever the number of pro-Iranian militia supporters [who took] to the streets, they constitute only a small percentage of all Iraqis.

Not to make more public threats. On the protection issues of sanctions and troop presence, it is time to put American messages behind closed doors. Washington had previously expressed its views on these two issues, so making new threats or other comments publicly would not be helpful. Meanwhile, US officials must take advantage of many of their current channels and communicate calmly with militia leaders and inform them that harm to Americans or their associates in any way will be matched with the same decisive force used against Soleimani and the engineer - with the clarification that this response will target Iranian advisers in Iraq And Iraqi militia leaders similarly.

The duty to tell the Iraqi allies that Washington is their support. After renewing its deterrent stance, the United States should engage quickly and calmly with Iraqi nationalists in a way that makes them feel safe and supported, because they will undoubtedly continue to confront the types of threats that President Saleh has faced before meeting with President Trump. This means telling openly key officials such as House Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi that Washington is behind them, closely monitoring their efforts, and is ready to support and protect them as they try to resume the political process and save their country. Although partners such as the United Nations, the European Union and the Gulf countries can help promote these messages, there is no substitute for private messages conveyed by senior US officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Michael Knights

The Washington Institute

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[DinarThug]

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The US Treasury Department announced the expansion of the list of sanctions against Iran

 

23rd January, 2020

The US Treasury announced today, Thursday, the expansion of the list of sanctions against Iran.

The ministry said the new sanctions included two people and six entities, including four companies linked to the Iranian oil company.

Since its withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran in May 2018, the administration of US President Donald Trump has reinstated the US sanctions that were imposed against Tehran, in preparation for imposing new sanctions on it, especially those targeting the Iranian oil sector.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon, sponsoring terrorism and destabilizing the region.

 

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US sanctions against oil companies in Hong Kong and Dubai have helped Iran

23rd January, 2020

On Thursday, the US administration imposed sanctions on several companies in the oil sector, accusing them of helping the Iranian Oil Company to export products worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a statement issued by the Treasury Department.

These companies classified as facilitating exports in violation of the US economic sanctions imposed on Iran are: Hong Kong-based Trilliance Petrochemical Co. and Sage Energy H.K. Limited is also headquartered in Hong Kong, and Shanghai-based Peccio Industrial Co. and Penethco D Mother. Dubai based. "The oil and petrochemical sectors are sources of financing for the terrorist activities of the Iranian regime all over the world, and they facilitate the use of force against its people," said US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin in the statement.

Sanctions were imposed on companies that together transferred "hundreds of millions of dollars" from the exports of the National Iranian Oil Company, which is a "major entity to fund (Quds) Jerusalem, the special force in the Revolutionary Guard, and to subordinate terrorists."

Thursday's decision comes in the wake of a series of similar US sanctions targeting major funding sources for Iran, including the  Iranian mineral sector

Under these sanctions, all property and interests of the individuals or entities mentioned are prohibited, within the United States or in the possession or control of people residing in the United States. Americans are also prohibited from dealing with these entities

[DinarThug]

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Barzani: The problem with Iraq is that there is no such thing as "loyalty to the country"

 

 

 

24th January, 2020

 

The president of the Kurdistan region, Negrvan Barzani, stressed that the problem is that there is no such thing as "loyalty to Iraq", while the parliament’s decision to remove American forces from Iraq is not correct.

Barzani said during his participation in a dialogue session within the work of the Davos Economic Forum, that "when it comes to what is happening in Iraq, talk is going on about a generation between the ages of 15 to 23 years, that is, they did not live during the period of Saddam Hussein or America, but rather they seek a better life compared to the rest of Peoples."

The President of Kurdistan affirmed that "the demonstrators are dissatisfied with the performance of the political class and have conveyed their message through the protests."

He expressed his surprise at those who put all the blame on the outside, assuming that if 70% of the protesters were affected by external parties, the rest would pretend to be spontaneous, so the feeling of responsibility and self-review must be mentioned, recalling that the demonstrations in Fallujah in 2013 went out to demand simple services, But failure to meet the demands has resulted in the emergence of ISIS. "

The President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq stressed that "the Kurds are part of Iraq, and they cannot distance themselves from what is happening," explaining that "Kurdistan works to calm the situation and communicate with Baghdad for this purpose."

Regarding the presence of the American forces in Iraq, Barzani emphasized that "the American forces are present at the request of the Iraqi government to help counter ISIS and its tasks are clear and specific." He added that "the Iraqi parliament's decision was not correct and was passed in the absence of the Kurds and Sunnis, because Iraq still needs American support because the threat of ISIS still exists."

Barzani reiterated that "the problem in Iraq is that there is no such thing as" loyalty to Iraq ", while Iraq must be inclusive of all components."

[DinarThug]

Barzani is surprised by the blame abroad: the protesters did not live with Saddam and America

 

Policy

 

2020-01-24 | 02:51

 

The President of the Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, stressed that the Kurds are part of Iraq and they cannot distance themselves from what is happening, stressing that the demonstrators "who did not live at the time of Saddam Hussein's rule" are not satisfied with the performance of the political class, surprising who blames all the blame abroad.

Barzani said, during his participation in a dialogue session within the work of the Davos Economic Forum , that it is not possible to blame external hands in the Iraqi crisis, stressing that the demonstrators seek only a better life.

He added, "We are talking about a generation between the ages of 15 to 23 years, meaning that they did not coexist with Saddam Hussein or America, but rather they seek a better life compared to the rest of the people, as he put it."

He stressed that the demonstrators were not satisfied with the performance of the political class and had conveyed their message through the protests.

He also expressed surprise at those who place all the blame on the outside, assuming that if 70% of the protesters are affected by external parties, the rest pretends to be motivated automatically, so the feeling of responsibility and self-review must be mentioned, recalling that the demonstrations in Fallujah in 2013 went out to demand simple services, However, failure to meet the demands resulted in the emergence of ISIS .

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Barzani from Davos: Parliament’s decision to remove US forces from Iraq is incorrect

 

 

Politics 01/20/2020 09:23 524 Editor: gf   
 

Baghdad today - Baghdad

 

The President of the Kurdistan Region, Negrvan Barzani, saw on Friday that Iraq needs international and American assistance, and that the vote to remove the American forces in the Iraqi parliament is not correct.

On one side of his speech as part of his participation in a session entitled "The Turbulent Middle East", on the sidelines of the Davos Forum, Barzani asked, "Why are American forces and the international coalition present in Iraq?", Noting that it "came at the request of Iraq when ISIS approached in 2014. From Baghdad airport, and the Iraqi government requested assistance through the United Nations Security Council. "

He added, "These forces are still present in Iraq and assist the Iraqi forces, including the Peshmerga forces, and their tasks are clear and stated and are to assist and train Iraqi forces for the ISIS war, and this continues until now . "

He continued: "We see that what happened in the Iraqi parliament was not a right thing, as there are two main components in Iraq are the Sunnis and the Kurds, these two parties did not support that step in any way." He explained: "We see that Iraq needs international and American assistance, because The issue of ISIS and the re-emergence of terrorism in Iraq is a very serious matter, and we believe that this goal will not be achieved without the help of the international community, led by America, and American forces should remain in Iraq . "

He continued, "What the Prime Minister of Iraq is calling for is to start talks, I see that it is very natural that there will be sessions again and that a way to reorganize the way to increase joint work between Iraqi and coalition forces be reorganized. As for the matter of the principle of their stay, I think Their survival is necessary . "

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[DinarThug]

"Creative chaos" is all that remains of Iran's militia in Iraq

 

- One Day Has Passed

 

 

The pro-Iranian Iraqi militias face specific challenges after the killing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander Qassem Soleimani, who had been managing and coordinating their movements among them, as their political and field influence waned after the popular protests toppled Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi. Faced with the risk of militias losing a political belt in the prospective Iraqi government, the militias are pushing to cover up anti-government protests that have challenged the factions ’control of power by fueling hatred and hostility to the United States.
BAGHDAD - The killing of the United States by the Iranian military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad this month, gave new impetus to Iran's allies in Iraq, who are now feeling the danger of their political gains eroding after the outbreak of a wave of popular protests that tasted the sectarian quota and foreign agendas in managing the country's affairs.

Iranian militias, the military arm of political parties, face great challenges on a land where social tumors have exploded away from the logic of loyalty, doctrine and betrayal, as Iraqi protesters have been calling for a national government since last October that fights corruption and treats the deteriorating economy.

In front of the protesters' adherence to the slogans, neither for quotas nor sectarianism, "We want our Iraq", the militias and pro-Iranian parties found themselves in front of two options. The first, absorbing the anger of the street, failed to achieve the goals, and she pondered over the second option, which is the option of "creative chaos", which may produce a new situation through which Repositioning.

Washington's hostility to reunification

With the intensification of the protests and the protesters' adherence to their basic demands, which is a national government loyal to Iraq only, Iran now feels a danger to its interests and its map of influence.

To deal with this situation, political leaders allied with Iran intensified calls this month for the withdrawal of American forces, in what is considered a rare display of unity among the competing Shiite factions, but Iraqi deputies do not expect this unity to continue for a long time and the power struggles will continue.

The process may be further delayed because of the differences between Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist movement and his main political rival Hadi al-Amiri, who has a powerful influence on Iranian-backed factions in his leadership in parliament.

For the first time in nearly two years, parliament was voted on sectarian basis to demand that the government remove American forces from the country. Shiite parties voted in favor of the motion, while Sunni and Kurdish MPs boycotted the session.

A senior Iraqi politician told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, "When Iraq faced the challenge of ISIS, there was a healthy political process, but the country is now fragmented and that process has disappeared."

Iran and the militias loyal to it have long sought the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, and the killing of Qassem Soleimani was a new impetus for this effort. But there are many pending questions about whether Iran really is able to take advantage of the situation.

The withdrawal of US forces from Iraq would be a victory for Iran. Tehran has long pursued a two-pronged strategy to support the United States, the militias that carry out the attacks, as well as political pressure on Iraqi lawmakers sympathetic to its cause.

Perhaps what the Iraqi uprising has demonstrated most clearly today is the size of the rejection of the hegemony of parties and failed and corrupt personalities first, and of Iranian influence in the country second, and of the hateful and sectarian quotas third. More importantly, this refusal exploded in the southern provinces that are inhabited by the majority of Iran, and the sectarian parties that follow its orbit or affiliated claim to represent it and strive to protect its interests and that it forms its supportive environment.

The Iraqi aversion to Iran increased after Tehran described the Iraqi popular uprising as an American-Israeli conspiracy, at a time when Iran's leaders know, before others, that this popular gift is mainly due to the scale of corruption of the ruling models they support and the extent of their failure to manage the country and the size of the rejection it holds Iraqis for them and for their stay in power.

Militia coup

It is not easy for the Iranian leadership to swallow the fact that everything it planned to impose its guardianship on Iraq, since it took over its key, since the American invasion and the beginning of the application of the idea of creative chaos heralded by Condoleezza Rice on the day the Americans occupied Iraq.

Tehran today faces the fact that what I worked on a decade ago went unheeded and that the Shiites of Iraq that I included in its parish were not really in this matter, but today they stand in the face of its project, not only to end its hegemony over Iraq but also to cut the road It is facilitated by the supply line that reaches Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

It seems that the parties, which are feeling that the time of the end of their hegemony is coming soon, are trying today to gain more time to rearrange their cards after their ability to use their militias in direct repression has been restricted.

Iran has worked in a number of Arab countries to form several militias. Tehran can count on these militias in the event of a conflict with the United States, but to what extent do these groups remain faithful to their sponsor?

Qassem Soleimani and his allies in the region were the most knowledgeable people that the popular protests in Iraq pose a serious threat to the Iranian project. When he was killed, he was just coming from Damascus to Baghdad as part of his efforts to tackle the tense situation.

Soleimani was preoccupied with dealing with these severe domestic challenges facing him and his allies, and attacks on the US embassy and military base were designed in part to divert attention from the protests.

Although his death does not constitute the end of the Iranian hegemony project, it is a major blow to the regime's ability to expand its influence and deal with the aggravating crises. In all countries where Iran has created a profound influence, its allies are left at risk from popular trends and local rivals. The only man with a proven track record in dealing with such crises has died trying to do so.

The political awareness of the new generation of Iraqi youth increased, especially in the Shiite milieu, where a systematic policy of ignorance was practiced, which made it believe the cylinders of corrupt religious parties and their militias from the danger of infiltrators and extremists, and playing on the string of sectarian contradictions to justify the policies that harm Iraq and serve the interests of Iran and fill the pockets of the corrupt And the mafias of power and religion, and this probably prompted them to use excessive and unjustified force to end it, but the end of the demonstrations for a period does not mean that the demonstrators were convinced of promises or feared bullets as long as their reasons remain without real treatments.

On the other hand, the events and the crackdown with live bullets, statements and positions demonstrated the link of the militias, many parties, politicians, and even the Iraqi government to Iran, by presenting its interests and narratives to the narrators of the peaceful demonstrators and addressing the reasons that prompted them to take to the streets and demand legitimate rights and peaceful tools that were met with snipers' bullets.

The Arabs

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[DinarThug]

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Washington and Erbil are looking to establish military bases and deploy 2,000 soldiers in Kurdistan

 

 

 

25th January, 2020

 

 

The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat revealed on Saturday that the United States is conducting negotiations with the Kurdistan region to establish military bases in the region and raise the number of American soldiers to 2,000.

A newspaper quoted in its news, quoting Western officials, that "there are proposals to strengthen the military presence, including stressing that any discussion with Baghdad must address other matters broader from the military side, including economic relations, in addition to pushing the (NATO)" ) To play a greater role in the fight against ISIS. "

According to the newspaper, "The proposals include research with the Kurdistan Regional Presidency to establish points - military bases near Sulaimaniyah, southern Erbil, near Halabja, and to raise the number of troops from 500 to 2,000 soldiers, in addition to five thousand present in Iraq."

Diplomats pointed to the "integration between the military presence in western Iraq and eastern Syria, because most of the forces that withdrew from east of the Euphrates, at the beginning of the year, resided in Iraqi Kurdistan, where the number of American forces decreased from one thousand to 500 elements present near the oil fields east of the Euphrates."

[DinarThug]

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The Fars website was blocked because of the US sanctions

 

 

 

25th January, 2020

 

 

The Iranian “Fars” news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, said in a news on its channel in "Telegram" that its website has been blocked, by order of the US Treasury against the backdrop of sanctions against Iran.

The agency stated that the international Internet service provider sent her an e-mail stating that the reason for the ban came "at the request of the American Foreign Assets Control Authority (OFAC) and the blacklist of this institution (SDN)". Meanwhile, the Iranian agency announced that its site with the (Domain name) -.ir domain is operating normally, while the .com domain site is still blocked.

Yesterday, Thursday, the United States imposed additional sanctions on individuals and companies, against the backdrop of pressure on Iran. The list of sanctions for violating sanctions against Iran includes a Chinese citizen and an Iranian citizen, as well as companies in the oil sector.

[DinarThug]

Newspaper: America is strengthening its bases on the Syrian-Iraqi border

2020-01-25

 

 

 

Yassin Iraq: Follow-up

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper said that the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to enhance its military presence on both sides of the Syrian-Iraqi border for several reasons, including "confronting Iran", in conjunction with pressures in Baghdad to put the future of the American presence on the table, and pressure from Russia to strengthen its military presence East of the Euphrates.

The newspaper stated that, the topic of the American military presence in Iraq was a major item in two separate meetings that President Trump held in Davos with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih, and the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, as a contrast emerged between the White House’s emphasis on “continuing economic and security partnership” with Iraq, and cooperating with Iraqi Kurdistan in the war against ISIS, in exchange for Saleh's talk about "sovereignty."

The newspaper quoted information available to it from Western officials. There are 10 proposals to deal with the demands of Iraqi politicians to discuss the American presence and preserve tools to "confront Iran", including:

1 - Emphasizing that any discussion of the American presence must address other matters broader from the military side, as the American envoy to the international coalition against ISIS, Ambassador James Jeffrey, announced yesterday that “Iraqi officials should think about bilateral relations that go beyond the issue of The American presence. ”

2 - Urged the "North Atlantic Treaty Organization" (NATO) to play a greater role in the fight against "ISIS" if Washington decided, in accordance with an understanding with Baghdad, to redeploy, or because the American forces were busy defending themselves after the escalation of pressures and threats in recent months, especially after the assassination of a leader "Quds Force" in the "Revolutionary Guard" Qassim Soleimani. This will be an item for the International Alliance meeting in Denmark next Wednesday.

3 - Discussing with the Kurdistan Region Presidency an increase in the American presence, whether in terms of the number of individuals or military bases. Intelligence sources reported yesterday that there were proposals that included setting up military bases points near Sulaimaniya, southern Erbil and near Halabja. The proposals included raising the number of American forces from 500 to two thousand soldiers, in addition to five thousand present in Iraq. Diplomats said that strengthening the deployment in Kurdistan aims to protect military bases against increased risks.

4 - Integration between the military presence in western Iraq and eastern Syria, since most of the forces that withdrew from east of the Euphrates, at the beginning of the year, resided in Iraqi Kurdistan, so that the number of American forces decreased from one thousand to 500 elements present near the oil fields east of the Euphrates.

5 - Maintaining the Al-Tanf base in the corner of the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian borders, with 150 American soldiers, missile launchers, and air protection, to cut off the Tehran-Baghdad-Damascus-Beirut road.

6 - Maintaining the air presence of the international coalition against ISIS in the airspace of northeastern Syria, and keeping the main allies, Britain and France, on the battlefield to fight ISIS and supporting the "Syrian Democratic Forces".

7 - Preventing Syrian forces and Iranian organizations from advancing to the Al-Tanf base and adhering to the "rules of engagement".

8- Removing the Russian forces from the strip that extends from Fash Khabour in the Syrian-Iraqi-Turkish corner to the north of Albukamal on the Euphrates River. This happened several times in the last days, when American patrols blocked the road in front of the Russian police who tried to reach Fesh Khabur, the gate of eastern Euphrates, on Iraqi Kurdistan.

9 - Adherence to the agreement "to prevent a clash" between Russia and America in the northeastern airspace of Syria, especially after Moscow strengthened its air system in Qamishli.

10 - The continuation of "mysterious raids" on Iranian sites in Albukamal, which Tehran has tried to establish infrastructure to serve as an alternative route between Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut.

According to the information, an American delegation is touring London and Brussels in the coming days to hold talks with European officials to impose economic sanctions, and agree to coordinate steps in Iraq and Syria to pressure Moscow and confront Tehran's influence after Soleimani.

LINK

[ididitfirst]

i do not understand. they want the americans out. what about the iranians, shouldnt they want them out too. dont they want to rule themselves???

[DinarThug]

An American official: We are ready to discuss our comprehensive strategic relations with Iraq, including security, financial and economic aid

January 24, 2020

 

 

 

Washington - (AFP) - Discussions with Baghdad about the future of the American forces that the Iraqi parliament has called for their departure have not started yet, adding that it will not be possible for the soldiers to stay indefinitely without ending their interest in fighting jihadists.

Since the United States killed the Iranian general, Qasim Soleimani, and the leader of the popular crowd, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, in a raid near Baghdad airport on January 3, "operations in Iraq" have stopped against the Islamic State, according to the American special envoy to the international coalition, James Jeffrey. .

"We are focusing on protecting our forces," which is threatened by Iranian reprisals, he added during a press conference in Washington Thursday.

In the wake of Soleimani’s death, the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution demanding the departure of US and foreign forces. After that, resigned Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi asked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send a delegation to discuss a "safe withdrawal of forces from Iraq."

"There has not yet been a real dialogue," Geoffrey said, before repeating the US position, "We don't think we should withdraw."

"We are ready to discuss with the Iraqi government our comprehensive strategic relations," he added.

He pointed out that this includes financial and economic aid, security, equipment for Iraqi forces, and diplomatic relations. "We look at that as a whole."

The diplomat said that the coalition had not observed "an increase in violence in Iraq by ISIS during this period." However, he added, "If this is prolonged (...) there is a danger that our efforts against the Islamic State will be undermined."

LINK

[DinarThug]

Iran plays the card of Muqtada al-Sadr to sabotage the popular movement

- 18 Hours Ago

 

 

 

 

BAGHDAD - The leaders of the popular movement in Iraq poured out their anger at the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who suddenly ordered his supporters to leave the sit-in squares, in a move aimed at weakening the popular movement and providing a valuable service to Iran and allied militias that were unable to stop the protests calling for a new Iraqi government from outside the corrupt circle .
Observers of the Iraqi issue say that the position of al-Sadr to penetrate the popular movement was not surprising, but the most important thing is that the move allowed the Iraqis to find out the truth of the cleric who is trying to always appear in the ranks of the popular movement, but within a maneuver option that Iran makes to absorb the anger of the street, and to protect Muqtada al-Sadr As a possible alternative to political faces that have lost the trust of Iraqis.

And accused the Iraqi popular movement, Saturday, Muqtada al-Sadr, of "betraying" the protesters in exchange for receiving a promise from Tehran to assume the presidency of the next Baghdad government.

This came in a statement issued by the "Coordinating Committee" of the demonstrators, against the background of al-Sadr's announcement, withdrawing his support for the popular movement, and the withdrawal of his supporters from the sit-in areas.

"We did not come out with a religious fatwa and we did not come out with a pectoral tweet, so Muqtada and his supporters do not bet on the impatience of our patience and the end of our revolution, he rode our wave, then we rode it and tried to exploit us, and we overcame it."

"They remain in the arenas until the achievement of the goals of the revolution, and we will not fail the blood of the martyrs, and they will not be a card on the political trading table as Sadr did," the statement added.

Sadr .. the alternative plan for Iran

The committee considered that what Al-Sadr did "is a shame and a betrayal of the revolutionaries, and its price will be to lead the next government, as promised by Iran."

"I will try not to interfere with them (the protesters), neither in the negative nor in the affirmative, until they take into account the fate of Iraq," Sadr wrote on Twitter late on Friday evening. He did not go into other details.

Hundreds of people demonstrated in Basra against al-Sadr’s decision, raising slogans denouncing what they called the Sadrist leader’s betrayal of the Iraqi street’s confidence and demands. The same slogans were raised among the sit-ins in the capital, Baghdad.

Activists on the media also attacked Sadr’s decision, and hashtag said, “Whoever went out for the sake of Sadr, then Sadr has escaped, and whoever went out for Iraq, Iraq will remain unrepentant.”

These developments come after Al-Sadr's announcement, on Friday evening, that he withdrew his support for the popular movement, in response to the chants of the demonstrators against him, against the backdrop of his recent proximity to Shiite factions close to Iran.

Iraqi observers have said that the chest card, which Iran has kept for a long time, has been completely burned, and that the street can no longer be deceived again, and that Iraqis now know that Sadr is an arm of Iran that he visits frequently under justifications such as i'tikaaf or Education.

The Sadrists sought during the past years to raise rumors of Iran's anger at Sadr and his statements regarding the militias, but his orders to thwart the movement revealed that these rumors were intended to cover up his relationship with Tehran and deceive the Iraqis.

Sadr deceived thousands of his supporters, who hail from cities and slums, who were betting on him to improve their living conditions.

Sadr endorsed the protesters' demands to remove corrupt politicians and provide services and jobs shortly after the start of the demonstrations last October, but he did not reach the point of inviting all his followers to join them.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr began leaving the sit-in camps overnight after announcing that he would no longer participate in anti-government demonstrations.

Security forces raided Tahrir Square, the main sit-in in Baghdad, on Saturday, and attempted to disperse protesters in southern cities and fired tear gas and bullets, wounding more than 30 people, just hours after Sadr said he would end his supporters' participation in anti-government demonstrations.

The clashes occurred after the authorities began removing concrete barriers near Tahrir Square, where anti-government protesters have been protesting for months, and at least one major bridge over the Tigris River in Baghdad.

In the city of Basra in the south of the country, security sources said that security forces raided the main anti-government sit-in during the night and deployed heavily to prevent protesters from gathering there again, and that they arrested at least 16 protesters in Basra.

The protesters appealed to Sadr to reconsider what they described as withdrawing in support of the popular demonstrations. In a message circulated on social media, they called for support from Sadr's supporters, without whom the protestors feared attacks from the security forces.

Security and medical sources said that at least 34 people were wounded in clashes between the police and protesters in Baghdad, and six others were injured in the city of Nasiriyah in the south of the country.

The Arabs

LINK

[screwball]

16 hours ago, ididitfirst said:

i do not understand. they want the americans out. what about the iranians, shouldnt they want them out too. dont they want to rule themselves???

The Iranians want Americans out....those loyal and corrupted by Iran.

[Ziggy]

Go ahead Al-Sadr keep painting that bullseye 🎯 

[screwball]

7 hours ago, Ziggy said:

Go ahead Al-Sadr keep painting that bullseye 🎯 

Exactly his ticket will be up next 

[Ziggy]

That’s what I’m thinking as well screwball. Bullseye doesn’t need to be that big. But he can keep painting it to make it nice a shiny. 

[DinarThug]

Southwestern Iran is experiencing a strong earthquake 

 

 

Localities 01/27 2020 16:52 253 Editor: ht    

Baghdad today - follow up

 

On Monday (27 January 2020), southwest Iran, southwest Iran, was hit by a strong earthquake measuring 5.4.

Iranian media reported that an earthquake struck Persia, southwestern Iran. 

She added that the quake's magnitude was 5.4, without providing any other details.

link

[DinarThug]

Monday، 27 January 2020 04:43 PM

 

Iran's chief judge says 'we will meet' Soleimani's killers, but not for talks

 

 

 

 

The head of Iran’s Judiciary has said, “We will soon meet the killers of Qassem Soleimani, but not for talks”, adding that Iran will pursue legal action in international tribunals.

In a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Judicial Council, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raeesi said that Soleimani’s killing has “aroused the people of the region” and has united them with the Iranian nation, Tasnim news agency reported.

Raeesi emphasized that Iran will pursue legal options against those responsible for the targeted killing, He said he has spoken with his Iraqi counterpart and received assurances the Iraqi government is also planning to pursue the matter but did not offer any details.

The conservative cleric announced: Sooner or later we will meet with the killers of Qassem Soleimani, but not for talks, rather we will pursue the matter through international bodies and take the killers to trial and punishment.

 

General Qassem Soleimani was the commander of Iran’s extraterritorial Qods (Quds) Force, which is a military and intelligence unit of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC). He was killed by a U.S. drone strike on January 3 near the Baghdad airport.

 

The killing raised tensions further between Iran and the United States and was also seen as a hard blow to the Islamic Republic’s influence-building efforts in the region.

There have been no reports so far of Iran taking any steps to start legal action in Soleimani’s case. Western governments regarded the shadowy general as someone involved with militant groups in the Middle East and possibly in attacks against Western interests.

LINK

[DoD]

LMAO!!! Will these legal actions take place before or after all the international law suits against the QUDS and the Ayatollah for killing the 176 people on the plane they shot down. 
Gonna be some busy lawyers in Iran...lol