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Iranians feel strain of turmoil and sanctions


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Iranians feel strain of turmoil and sanctions

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On a crisp winter's day the snow glistens on the mountains above Tehran, but the mood is as heavy as the pall of pollution that often shrouds Iran's capital, AFP reported.

In a country weighed down by sanctions, shaken by protests and stressed by military tensions with the United States, many Tehranis struggle to hide their pessimism.

"Life is really hard right now. The situation here is unpredictable," said Rana, a 20-year-old biology student walking in the upmarket district of Tajrish.

It is a part of the city where young women subtly thwart the Islamic republic's conservative dress codes, opting for short coats, stylish make-up and scarves revealing ever more hair.

But, despite such relative liberties, Rana said she feels trapped.

"The quality of life isn't good at all -- we have pollution, angry people, high prices," she said, pointing also to a "huge class gap" and Iran's deepening "isolation".

Iran's economy has been battered since US PresidentDonald Trump in 2018 abandoned an international nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions and a "maximum pressure" campaign.

When Iran hiked petrol prices in November, nationwide protests erupted and turned violent before security forces put them down amid a near-total internet blackout.

Tensions with Washington escalated in early January when a US drone strike killed powerful Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Iran retaliated by targeting US forces but then accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people on board, in a tragedy that sparked anger at home and abroad.

Rana said she still feels "sad" about the disaster that claimed the lives of many young people who had left Iran to study abroad.

Angry with Trump

One young Iranian who has chosen to stay in her country is Pegah Golami, a 25-year-old engineer who was shopping three days ahead of her wedding.

"The country's economic condition is now really difficult, especially for youths," she said, dressed in a chic coat and suede boots.

"I feel very bad... my friends have decided to leave. But I, as an Iranian, decided to stay and build my country."

The strains of a violin filled the air as a busker tried to make himself heard above the noise of the heavy traffic.

It is increasingly difficult to make a living, said Bahram Sobhani, a 47-year-old electrician who was unshaven, nervous and almost completely toothless.

"It's a little difficult to find work these days, but it is out there," he said.

"The sanctions have of course affected us, but we have to tolerate it because we can't do anything else. We live in Iran, not somewhere else."

The economic situation is also hurting Mohammadreza Khademi, vice-president of the Delham Tabesh company that sells smart technology devices from Italy for luxury homes.

His company took a hit after the renewed sanctions trippled costs, forcing it to lay off 20 of its 30 employees.

"The end of 2018 was awful and all of 2019 was not good at all," said Mohammadreza.

"I will continue to run my business. I will try to have that line of production in Iran locally, but it is super difficult to change," he said, adding that "I am angry with Mr Trump".

 

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Rouhani: Iran May Collapse Soon

 

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14th February, 2020

 

President Hassan Rouhani warned of Iran's "collapse", ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

He said in a speech before thousands of people in the square "Azadi" in the center of the capital, Tehran, thatthere is instability, if the elections are conducted in a "unilateral" manner, and he warned of the imminent consequences of a "revolution" if the Iranians could not vote in "sound and free" elections .

According to the Iranian opposition radio, "Farda", Rouhani warned of what he described as "collapse" if the scheduled elections were suspended within 10 days, which shows the depth of the country's political crisis, and reveals that the presidency appears to be a bystander to the expected event.

On Tuesday, crowds of Iranians participated in the forty-first anniversary of the establishment of what was known as the “Islamic Revolution”, and Rouhani used this occasion to send several political messages. Ruhollah Khomeini, saying that the last king of Iran, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, was "a corrupt person."

Rouhani added that "the revolution would not have taken place in Iran if there had been no corruption, and if the regime toppled at that time gave people the right to choose."

In statements considered by observers as a hint, Rouhani added that the revolution broke out because the elections were not an option in front of people, and when this road was closed, people had to go out to open the path.

Rouhani entered into a deep disagreement with the most hard-line faction in Iran over the upcoming elections on February 21, because of preventing the most prominent reformists from submitting their candidacy and entering the competition. Even the reformists who have consistently participated in Iran's elections, have retracted their positions or preferred to boycott, because of harassment by militants.

Observers said that Rouhani was ostensibly talking to crowds in central Tehran, but that the letter was actually addressed to the mentor Ali Khamenei and other military institutions in the country such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Rouhani's warnings about controlling the elections reveal a pictorial nature of the country's electoral process, given that the President of the Republic himself takes the initiative to warn and demand transparency like any independent observer.

Rouhani is not the only politician who warned the country's ruling establishment. Just a week ago, Iranian government spokesman Ali al-Rubaie, an official who had accumulated an important intelligence experience, warned that going to elections was the only solution that avoided Iran the risk of collapse.

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Saturday, 15 February 2020 12:34 AM
 

Iran Cancer of the Middle East ... a new American cry calling for the exclusion of the mullahs from all the files of the region

 

Graham is an American senator
 
The hot statements, made by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, described Iran as the cancer of the Middle East and stressed the need to exclude it in order to push the confrontation with Iran to greater heights.

 Not the problem with Iran in Iraq, but it is in all the files of the region.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said that resolving the crises of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq is linked to excluding Iran's role in it.

At a session at the Munich Security Conference, Graham described Iran as the cancer of the Middle East. He said Iran was "aiming to obtain a nuclear bomb" and that if it got it, it would "use it."

Graham stressed that the administration of US President Donald Trump is ready to lift sanctions against Tehran in exchange for a European nuclear fuel bank that will distribute to all Middle Eastern countries Iran for peaceful energy, adding that this alternative, which Washington sees for the Iranian nuclear agreement. He described Iran as behind all the problems the region suffers from, and enumerated Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that intercepting weapons from Iran on the way to the Houthis is proof that it is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, stressing that Tehran is defying the Security Council by smuggling weapons to the Houthis, calling for international action to renew the arms embargo imposed on it, which ends soon.

"The US Navy has intercepted 385 Iranian-made missiles and other weapons components on its way to the Houthis in Yemen," Pompeo said in a tweet on his Twitter account. Another example of Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, continues to defy the UN Security Council. Pompeo added: "The world must reject Iran's violence and is now moving to renew the arms embargo imposed on it, which will end soon."

 Earlier, US President Donald Trump quickly responded by rejecting a negotiating offer by Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. "The Iranian foreign minister says that Iran wants to negotiate with the United States, but with the removal of sanctions," Trump wrote on his official Twitter account . He said Trump , "No thank you."

In a press interview, Zarif expressed Blah's readiness to engage again in negotiations with the United States to resolve the outstanding issues between them, especially the nuclear file.

In the interview, Zarif said that the Trump administration could "correct its past" by lifting the sanctions it re-imposed on the Tehran regime and returning to the negotiating table. "We are still at the negotiating table, and they (the United States) are the only party that left it."

The United States withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, in what is known as a campaign of maximum pressure. Trump sees the nuclear deal concluded by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015 as "catastrophic" and opened at the same time to IranThe door to a new agreement prevents it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. It also addresses the issues of its militia in the region and its ballistic missiles, with sanctions remaining in the negotiations. Trump has vowed that Tehran will not get a nuclear bomb, as long as he is the president of the United States.

 Experts are aware that Graham's cry that Tehran is the region's cancer confirms that the Trump administration still sees the mullahs as a greater threat to stability in the Middle East and will work to eliminate them in various ways.

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Pompeo: Iran is the largest country sponsoring terrorism in the world, and weapons should be banned

 

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14th February, 2020  Extra article to yesterdays
 
 
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed today, Friday, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, while calling on countries of the world to ban Iranian weapons.


Pompeo said in a tweet on his profile on Twitter, followed by "Al-Akhbariya", that "the US Navy intercepted 358 Iranian missiles and other weapons components on their way to the Houthis in Yemen."

He noted that "this is the biggest example that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world," stressing that "the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to challenge the UN Security Council."

Pompeo called on countries of the world to "reject Iranian violence and move to renew the arms embargo on Iran."

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The Minister of Electricity sets the deadline for Iraq to develop its capabilities and end dependence on Iranian gas

 

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Localities 02/15/20 15:10 480 Editor: am    


Baghdad today - Baghdad 

 

On Saturday (15 February 2020), the Minister of Electricity, Louay al-Khatib, set a deadline for Iraq to develop its capabilities and end dependence on Iranian gas. 

"I am sure that the United States understands the situation well and will not stop these concessions to settle the urgent public services in Iraq," al-Khatib said in a tweet on Twitter.

He added: "We need a three-year grace period to develop our capabilities in the field of gas, infrastructure capacity and the national network, and regional linkage to energy security."

The Ministry of Electricity, has revealed, on Friday (February 07, 2020), the date of dispensing with Iraq from importing gas and electric energy from neighboring countries, while detailing the US sanctions on Iran and their impact on Iranian gas supplies to Iraq. 

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Abadi told the Iraqi News Agency that "the US sanctions that were imposed on Iran stipulated not to supply gas and oil derivatives to all countries of the world, including Iraq."

He pointed out that "the Ministry of Electricity previously clarified the technical and service aspects in the event of stopping the import of gas and energy from Iran, which will constitute a negative impact on the deterioration of the electricity system and energy supply hours," noting that "Iraq feeds on approximately 4,500 to 5,000 megawatts of Iranian gas, in addition to Approximately 1,100 to 1,200 megawatts of Iranian energy. "

He explained that "the ministry, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, notified the American side of an official memo of the need to continue the flow of gas and electricity from Iran," noting that "the financial dealings with the Iranian side were not in the hard currency, but in the Iraqi currency, as the money is deposited in Iranian banks that do not deal in the US dollar ".

And he added, "Accordingly, the American side agreed to exclude Iraq from sanctions on Iran," noting that "Iraq is committed to the periods specified for it regarding the exception, and in the event that the period expires, the ministry can also feel the American side for the purpose of extending the exemption period, so that it does not affect the system National electricity hours.

Al-Abadi said that "Iraq started working on the fuel plan, especially after the approval of the Council of Ministers to launch the fifth licensing round for the rehabilitation of gas fields in Diyala province, as well as the rehabilitation of the pipeline network that would produce approximately 750 million cubic meters, stressing that in the event of completion of the implementation of the fuel plan Iraq will dispense with importing gas and energy from neighboring countries. "

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Washington is pressuring Iraq economically to keep it away from Iran
 

- 3 Hours Ago
 
 
The United States started pressuring Iraq from the gateway to its fragile economy with the aim of ending its rapprochement with Iran, by reducing the period of exclusion from the sanctions associated with dealing with the Islamic Republic and delaying the release of vital cash payments.

The United States decided at the last minute this week to allow Iraq to continue importing gas and electricity from Iran. But it seems that the patience of the United States is finally running out,as the period of exemption has decreased from ninety and 120 days, to only 45.

"This is the beginning of death with a thousand stab wounds,"said Ahmed Tabaqli, a researcher at the Institute of Regional and International Studies in northern Iraq. He added: "The less the exception, the shorter we will be able to bear the result of any mistake we make."

Iraq stands at a crossroads. His Prime Minister-designate Muhammad Allawi faces difficulties in forming a new government, while anti-power demonstrations continue in several cities, amid a US-Iranian conflict that turned into a bloody confrontation on Iraqi soil last month.

Iran has significant political and military influence in Iraq, but the United States holds the card.

The Central Bank of Iraq transfers monthly between one billion and two billion dollars in cash from its account in the Federal Reserve in New York, where its revenues flow from oil, to pay for official and commercial transactions.

But the payment that was supposed to arrive in mid-January last, was delayed by two weeks, according to an Iraqi official and an oil sector source, noting "political reasons" behind the White House decision to delay the exit of funds.

"We are walking on the edge of the knife," the Iraqi official said.

The "Nuclear Option"

This was the first indication that Washington might implement a threat it issued in January to prevent Iraqis from accessing their money if Baghdad expelled US forces stationed in Iraq, numbering about 5,200 soldiers.

This came after the Iraqi parliament voted to end the presence of foreign forces due to discontent over an American raid that killed the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani, and the head of the Popular Mobilization Committee, which includes Iraqi Shiite factions Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, near Baghdad Airport.

And Washington has discussed for months the issue of prohibiting funds to put pressure on Iraq, according to an American diplomat who described this step last year as a "nuclear option."

As the February payment arrived on time, Iraqi officials expect the United States to begin determining how much money Iraq can withdraw.

Depriving Iraq of money may lead to severe consequences, especially as its economy depends almost entirely on oil exports paid in dollars.

In the event that the period of exclusion from the sanctions related to dealing with Iran expires without renewing it, this means that Iraq will have to stop importing gas and electricity from Tehran, or continue to deal with Tehran and face the possibility of US sanctions.

Iraq suffers from a shortage of electricity, which leads to its interruption at varying periods of up to 20 hours in some areas.

Washington has linked the pressure to other issues, including about 20 missile attacks against the US embassy in Baghdad and bases that include US forces in Iraq since last October.

An Iraqi official said that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “shouted” at resigned Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi during a phone call last month. "He told him to forget the issue of renewing the exception if the attacks continue," the official said.

In another sign of the decline in relations between Washington and Baghdad, Pompeo did not meet Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammad al-Hakim on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference Friday and Saturday, but in return he met the Kurdistan Regional Prime Minister Mansour Barzani, who also met with the US Energy and Defense Ministers.

"Booby-trapped" exceptions

The United States is also upset about the Iraqi slowdown in signing contracts with major American companies specialized in the energy sector, with the aim of accelerating the disengagement from Iran in this field.

And weeks before the end of the last exception period, a US official stated that the Iraqis "have continuously rejected agreements with General Electric and Exxon."

And he considered that Iraqi officials "choose to rely on the Iranians, giving Tehran an influential position in their economy and infrastructure."

Iran, which has long worked to limit the influence of the United States in the region, is the second largest exporter to Iraq. However, the United States surpasses it in terms of direct investment, especially in the vital oil sector and infrastructure.

Sources in Baghdad and Washington talk of a split in American policy, as the White House appears to support the strategy of increasing pressure on Iraq, while others prefer to adopt flexibility.

The sources stated that the hawks in the American administration have become "dominant" positions, while an Iraqi official said that these people are now using financial transactions to "bully" in their relationship with the Iraqis.

Iraqi Minister of Electricity in the resigned government, Luay al-Khatib, said in an interview that Washington should not "corner Iraq".

But at the same time, he expressed confidence that the United States would not “booby-trapped” the exemption from sanctions “with the aim of undermining public services.”

Al-Khatib mentioned that there is progress in the search for other sources, noting the signing of agreements with Jordan and Gulf countries to support the electricity network, and the possibility of buying gas from the autonomous Kurdistan region.

The Iraqi government had given the green light to sign six contracts to develop Iraqi gas fields three weeks before the end of the last exception.

According to Tabaqali, “The announcement came in response to American pressure. It is clear that the Iraqi government was terrified.

However, the United States may find itself unable to brand more than "economic threats," says Ramzi Mardini, a researcher at the Peace Institute in the United States.

He explained, “This approach may help protect American interests in the short term, but the bilateral relationship as a whole will remain subject to mistrust and hostility.

Arab Jerusalem

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Pompeo: Saudi Arabia has contributed greatly to the stability of the Iraqi economy

 

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16th February, 2020


US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that Saudi Arabia has contributed greatly to the stability of the Iraqi economy.


"The American operation against the Iranian Qasim Soleimani saved many American lives and protected the sovereignty of Iraq.  Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of more than 600 Americans and countless Arabs and others in Iraq, Syria and other places," Pompeo said in an interview with "The Middle Theft." Another, and he was working effectively to kill more the moment we killed him, and as President Donald Trump made clear, we will not tolerate attacks that harm Americans. "

He added, "President Trump focuses on the importance of increasing the role of NATO in preventing conflict and maintaining peace in the Middle East. We are continuing discussions on this matter, and there is broad agreement that NATO can contribute more to regional stability and fighting International terrorism. "

He explained that "Saudi Arabia plays a pivotal role in this regard, and we will maintain this important strategic partnership between our two countries. We must remember that for 75 years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a strong partner in achieving common goals in the Middle East region, and it was also a founding member In the coalition to fight ISIS, and contributed to the Stabilization support Fund in Syria,and the Kingdom has clear efforts to help stabilize the Iraqi economy and thwart the Iranian aggression.

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Saudi Arabia announces its willingness to export gas .. Will Iraq find an alternative to Iran that would prevent sanctions?


2020-02-16
 
 
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Yassin Iraq: Baghdad

 

The Saudi Ministry of Energy confirmed that the Kingdom will export gas soon, in conjunction with the American threat to Iraq to stop extending the exemption from importing gas from Iran.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy, said today, during the inauguration of the activities of the "SABIC 2020 Conference" which will be held in the eastern region today, Sunday, that the exploitation of oil and gas will bring about a qualitative shift in the field of energy, and we are seeking to integrate the electrical system by introducing wind energy.

He pointed out that the main primary goal of establishing the Ministry of Energy is to expand the development of energy sources and create an integrated system of these sources.

The Minister of Energy revealed that the Kingdom is in the process of announcing a topic that will be a source of pride in the energy sector, expressing his hope to announce it in the "near future", and that the program, whose details will be announced as a national program, will be implemented according to a road plan within the next two months related to the circular carbon economy in which "Aramco" participates. "SABIC", "KAUST" and "CAPSARC", the CDM, the Ministry of Energy, the G20 Secretariat and some of the agencies responsible for implementing this program.

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper revealed on Sunday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shouted at the outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and told him to forget the issue of exclusion from Iranian sanctions in the event of repeated attacks on American headquarters in Iraq.

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Rouhani: We face unprecedented sanctions that we cannot escape


Last update: Sunday, 22 Jumada II 1441 AH - 16 February 2020 KSA 17:28 - GMT 14:28


Publication date: Sunday 22 Jumada II 1441 AH - 16 February 2020 KSA 17:11 - GMT 14:11

 

Source: Dubai-Arabia
 
 
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani acknowledged on Sunday that his country faces unprecedented sanctions. In a different tone from the speeches repeatedly made by military commanders of the Revolutionary Guards, Rouhani stressed that Iran is unable to evade the sanctions imposed on it by the United States.

He said: The ban on Iran is unrivaled worldwide.

He also added: "You can sit at the negotiating table in the framework of 5 + 1 when America returns to the nuclear agreement and lift the embargo on Iran.


In addition, the Iranian President acknowledged that the shooting down of the Ukrainian plane was a strange mistake and the delay in declaring it harmed the country.

Regarding the protests that swept the country last November, he admitted that there were deaths, but he considered that the figures announced were exaggerated.

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Analyst: Iran will be harmed if Iraq is punished because it is its only window to smuggle oil and hard currency

 

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16th February, 2020
 
 
Political analyst Mujahid al-Ta’i confirmed Sunday that Iran will be harmed if Iraq is punished, because the latter is its only window to smuggle oil and obtain hard currency.

Al-Ta’i told Al-Akhbariya that “the American presence in Iraq does not have any Iraqi legal framework, and despite all the media jesting, no member of parliament close to the axis of the resistance in Parliament spoke about this, because they are not serious about that.”

Al-Tai added, "Iran will be harmed if Iraq is punished with it, as it is today its only window of hard currency and oil smuggling."

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Deputy: America imposes its control on more than 5 bases in Iraq .. There are "unknown details" that the government does not know about

 

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Security 02/22/16 16:23 1740 Editor: amm    


Baghdad today - Diyala 

 

Member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, Deputy Karim Alioui, confirmed on Sunday (February 16, 2020) that the American forces impose their control on more than 5 military bases inside Iraq, indicating that the government does not know anything about what is going on inside it. 

Aliwi told (Baghdad Today) that "the American forces effectively impose their control on more than 5 Iraqi military bases, the most prominent of which is the Ain al-Assad base in addition to bases in the provinces of Erbil and Kirkuk."

He pointed out that "the American forces present in these bases do not allow any Iraqi to enter them," stressing at the same time that "the government does not know what is going on in those bases."

He added, "The American bases are witnessing permanent and intense movement for flying, but does anyone know what these planes carry?"

He pointed to the need to "pay attention to the seriousness of what is happening in those military bases, because their impact affects public security in the country."

He stressed the need to "be aware of what these aircraft carry, and search their contents until the decision to execute those forces from Iraq, in implementation of the decision of the Iraqi parliament." 

In a press statement to him, Member of Parliament Security Ali Al-Ghanmi said, "There are no foreign military bases in Iraq, but rules that these forces have controlled as a result of the deteriorating security situation in the country," noting that "there is no legal cover for the presence of NATO forces in Iraq."

He stressed that "the issue of counseling and training is important, but it must come within the sovereignty of the country and not violate it." 

A member of the Anbar Provincial Council, Eid Ammash, revealed on Tuesday, January 01, 2019, a map of the presence of US forces in the province, pointing out that there are three American bases with soldiers and advisers.

"The Ain al-Assad base in Al-Baghdadi is shared with Iraqi forces, but it is a combat base with Apache planes, tanks, armored vehicles, and heavy weapons," Ammash said in an interview with (Baghdad Today).

He added, "The rule of Ain al-Assad has been in existence since 2003 and has continued in the period of Nuri al-Maliki and Haider al-Abadi, up to the stage of Abdul-Mahdi, according to a security agreement with the United States." 

He pointed out that "there is another base, Base 22, which is about 30 kilometers from the Al-Qa’im district center, and has been present since 2003 and stopped after ISIS took control of these areas, but it recently returned, and it is an American combat base and there is no Iraqi force in it."

"There is another base at Al-Waleed Airport in Al-Rutba district, and a group of military barracks in the Anbar desert. There is a presence of US forces and Aratl moving in the streets and coordinating with Al-Jazeera and Al-Badia operations according to a strategic agreement since 2008 and their presence is official," Amash added.

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Iraqi lawmaker: America started "secretly" by installing the Patriot system at Ein al-Assad base without government approval

 

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Politics 02/22/1920 19:29 1358 Editor: mst   


Baghdad today _ Baghdad  

 

Member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, Deputy Karim Aliwi, confirmed on Sunday 16-2-2020, that Washington started installing the Patriot system at Ein al-Assad base in Anbar Governorate without the Iraqi government stopping it. 

Karim Aliwi said, in an interview with (Baghdad Today), that "there is intelligence and we have reported that the American forces began in secret to install the Patriot system at Ein al-Assad base in Anbar province, in the west of the country."

Aliwi added, "The Patriot system was installed in Ain al-Assad and was transported by large cargo planes, which have recently started operating at the base."

A US Defense Department official had revealed earlier this month that talks with the Iraqi authorities on moving Patriot missile defense batteries to protect US interests inside Iraq had reached an advanced stage, as Washington hoped to be delivered as quickly as possible to protect American soldiers, employees, and diplomats working inside Iraqi territory. 

And American media quoted the official, who said he refused to be named, as saying that "the US Defense Department will have to send additional American forces within the 400 soldiers to Iraq to support and operate these batteries, which will provide - according to the official - great potentials that do not fall only in Protecting the US embassy complex in the capital, Baghdad, will provide a security umbrella for the green zone. " 

The official stressed that the Patriot defensive batteries will protect American soldiers and employees in Iraq from the danger of tactical-indiscriminate missiles such as "Katyusha" and others, which (i.e. batteries) will be part of a series of security measures that will be taken with the Iraqi side to protect the American units that help the Iraqi army In the fight against ISIS and preventing its re-emergence. Among the most prominent of these measures is the activation of radar and early warning devices. 

The commander of US forces in the Middle East, General Kenneth "Frank" McKinsey, arrived in Iraq on Tuesday 5 February 2020, at a time when the administration of President Donald Trump is working to save relations with Iraqi leaders and end the government’s push to push for the withdrawal of US forces from the country. 

McKinsey became the most senior military official to visit Iraq since the strike by an American drone in Baghdad, which killed the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization Organization, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, prompting the Iraqi parliament to demand the departure of American forces. 

The United States has more than 6,000 soldiers in Iraq to train and advise the Iraqi security forces in their fight against ISIS, and to provide protection for those forces, according to US officials.

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Magazine: The sanctions have made Iran unable to protect
corrupt politicians and militias in Iraq and Lebanon

 

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17th February, 2020
 
 
A report published by Foreign Policy magazine, today, Monday, considered that Iran is not continuing to protect corrupt politicians and militias in Iraq and Lebanon, due to the US sanctions and its significant impact.


The report, prepared by Dennis Ross, a former US diplomat, and Dana Stroll of the Washington Institute, and his "news" translation: "that US sanctions have made Iran unable to continue to protect" the corrupt from its politicians and militias "in Iraq and Lebanon," stressing the need for America is getting more involved, focusing on "what Washington can do for the region" and making it a "milestone" for America in facing Iran, which has become morally and financially bankrupt.

The report called on the US administration to mobilize the necessary support from Republicans and Democrats to make a fundamental shift in its policy for the stability of the Middle East. Only support the Lebanese army.

The report recommended, with an important point, that all this should be linked to clear timetables with the American presidential elections, with the aim of sending an important signal to the region away from the administration’s fluctuations in recent years.

He added: It seems that many possibilities are mortgaging the outcome of these elections, and there is no doubt that Iran hopes Donald Trump will leave the presidency, while he seeks to achieve a great victory that allows him to continue the siege of the Iranian regime’s policy.

The report concluded that, until that time, Iran will continue to annoy the Americans in Iraq, and the Lebanese leader of Hezbollah, Nasrallah, will seek behind his project to establish a "comprehensive resistance throughout the Arab and Islamic world to confront America", but it is a project fraught with difficulties, the first of which is that saving Lebanon needs Supporting the world not to a front against others, and Nasrallah, who called on the Lebanese to separate politics and economics when working to solve the problem of Lebanon, drowned in politics, adopting the Iranian vision that did nothing but generalize crises from Beirut to Baghdad.

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US report: Washington is unable to deter attacks against it in Iraq ... It must return to the method it used with Saddam Hussein 

 

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Politics 02/20/17 16:01 340 Editor: as   


Baghdad today - follow up 

 

A US report said on Monday (February 17, 2020) that Washington is unable to deter attacks against its forces in Iraq and that it must return to the method it used with Saddam Hussein during his rule in Iraq.

The author of the report, Michael Nats, published by the "Washington Institute" for Near East Policy, said that "America has also informed the government of Iraq and Iran that it will respond to any strikes against its forces and interests in Iraq, but this red line opened the door to a dangerous gray area that encouraged the continuation of those strikes, as well as The fact that such severe attacks can lead to more American deaths at some point, will also result in many additional casualties if they are allowed to continue, as demonstrated by the strike on January 8. More broadly, it will challenge Americans are free to move in the open S, which would undermine the goal of being there in the first place. " 

"This situation is unacceptable - the United States needs a way to deter such behavior, even if the attacks do not kill Americans. When the US military faced similar challenges in the past decades, it was creating account systems that match punishment with crime, with beneficial levels of Predictability, proportionality and accountability. "

The author put forward what he called the lessons learned from the Iraqi no-fly zones, and said, "In the 1990s, the forces of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein gradually tested the American red lines in the no-fly zones, using air defense units to target daily American patrols with varying degrees of severity. American officials realized that It needs a mechanism to continue updating and calibrating punitive deterrent responses, not only to maintain the safety and work of their forces, but also to delegate responses to local leaders as well while maintaining accountability and proportionality. The solution came in two forms: the response rate The response options, and the response rate was a calculation system that classified various types of enemy provocations, and then linked them roughly to various American armed responses. The system took into account the following factors: 

Amount of attacks: the number of attacks within the given coverage period.

Qualitative classification. For example, random anti-aircraft artillery fire was rated lower than the SA-6 surface-to-air missile; attacks on fragile platforms such as airborne early warning aircraft were also ranked high. . 

Response rate. The severity of each kinetic reaction of the United States was chosen based on the numerical calculation of the quantitative and qualitative factors or on a less formal calculation (for example, five anti-aircraft artillery attacks could be considered as the equivalent of a single missile attack). 

The response options, according to the author, were sets of pre-set targets that could quickly obtain authorization to take retaliatory actions against them. The system included two variables:

Choice of targets: Response options have been evaluated, as the lowest option may involve a direct hit on the offending air defense unit, while the next response level may be a direct hit on a distant and more valuable group of air defense targets. Top-level options may include hitting targets outside the no-fly zone or targets other than air defenses. This system has occasionally given American leaders the option to pursue valuable strategic goals such as leadership at the national level and military sites. 

Leadership Powers: Each response option was associated with a specific authorization level. The lowest option may be approved at the tactical level (i.e. the pilot whose plane was hit), while the more robust options require approval from the CENTCOM commander-in-chief or even senior civilian leaders in Washington. 

The author of the report stated, "More importantly, the former Iraqi regime was classified at the secret level, so the enemy did not know exactly how revenge was likely to be authorized or authorized. As such, it could be secretly adopted to suit the changing circumstances in Iraq and the political will in Washington. The system US officials have the option of withholding the response and adding it to the enemy's "file" to launch a stronger response at a later time and strike at the time and place they choose - but always with logical analysis and clear internal arithmetic calculations. And when these methods are applied boldly, as was the case in the northern no-fly zone In 1998, it was downgraded Effective Iraqi attacks on American aircraft, according to the writer. "

Michael Nats put forth a second vision about the situation now and said that "there are at least some mechanisms that support the response ratios and options on the deadlock in protecting the forces currently facing the United States in Iraq and Syria, where the American forces are working again in the range of their attackers on a daily basis. In fact, he points out The quick American response to the deadly missile attack that occurred on December 27 is that pre-screened response options were used, but the current US position is fragile and generally predictable, and that total defense measures will not be sufficient to protect American forces, diplomats, and contractors. US to meet the duty to ensure the highest degree of protection enables the government only through defensive measures Pairing with deterrent punishment. "

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In conjunction with the "FATF" meeting, the dollar exceeds 14 thousand Iranian tomans


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02/17/2020 13:26:45

 

Shafaq News / The Financial Action Working Group (FATF) started its meeting in Paris, on the understanding that it will be one of the most important topics on the agenda of this meeting, the topic of studying the implementation of Iranian obligations in the field of international regulations to combat money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism.

And the government newspaper "Iran" wrote in its issue, issued today, Monday, February 17 (February): "Some economic activists believe that the reason for the rise in the price of the dollar in recent days is the meeting of the International Financial Action Group", knowing that the price of the US dollar exceeded, today, Monday, The figure that the Iranian Central Bank considers a red line, which is 14 thousand Iranian tomans, was traded on the market at 14,300 tomans.

More than 800 representatives from 205 countries in the world participate in this meeting, which started on Sunday, and lasts 6 days, in addition to the participation of international organizations including the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, and the World Bank.

It is noteworthy that the Financial Action Group (FATF), which is active in the field of combating money laundering globally, considers the approval of these regulations necessary to prevent monetary and banking restrictions on the Iranian banking system.

On Friday, October 18, the FATF announced that it would give Iran a deadline of four months, until February 2020, in order to adopt the CFT treaties and combat transnational organized crime ( Palermo).

Among the four regulations that the Rouhani government has submitted to the Iranian parliament to meet the request of international institutions to combat money laundering, the fate of the CFT and the Control of Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo) remains unclear in the Expediency Council.

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Iranian contacts reveal their exposure to large-scale
cyber attacks from outside and inside the country

 

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17th February, 2020
 

Iranian Deputy Minister of Communications Amir Nazimi revealed that his country is witnessing these days organized and continuous cyber attacks targeting infrastructures from outside and inside the country.

Nazmi described the attacks as "very large and growing, and that they are bigger than last week's attacks, which at that time were described as the largest in Iran's history." He said: "The attacks affect the quality of the internet in the country." He expressed his concern that it would lead to a decrease in the speed of the Internet and create a state of discontent among the citizen who may think that the government is working on this.

On the eighth of this month, Iran announced that it was subjected to a cyberattack, saying it was "the largest in its history", which led to a limited internet cut for an hour.

The Iranian authorities pointed out that it originated in East Asia and the North of the United States of America, and was aimed at cutting off the Internet and affecting the anniversary celebrations of the Iranian revolution and parliamentary elections.
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After Suleimani: Iran's scramble to recover from general's death

 

Loss of revered Quds Force commander and his aides has derailed country’s momentum in region

 

 

Tue 18 Feb 2020 15.10 GMT

by Martin Chulov and Dan Sabbagh

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/18/after-suleimani-iran-scramble-recover-genera-death-quds-force

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