Jordan to host talks on Syria’s return to Arab League

Jordan will host a meeting of Arab foreign ministers and Syria's top diplomat on Monday to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League as part of a broader political settlement of Syria's more than decade-old conflict, officials said.

The meeting, to be attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his counterparts from Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, would discuss a Jordanian plan to achieve a political settlement of the conflict, Jordanian government officials said.

The meeting comes two weeks after talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, failed to reach agreement on Syria's possible return to the Arab fold.

It is the first such meeting with a top Syrian official by a group of Arab states - most of whom endorsed the move to suspend Syria's membership of the League in 2011 after a crackdown on protesters denouncing President Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian rule escalated into a devastating civil war.

Arab states and those most affected by the conflict are trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to the Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh, to discuss the pace of normalizing ties with Assad and on what terms Syria could be allowed back.

Officials said the Jordanian initiative calls on Damascus to engage with Arab governments collectively on a step-by-step road map to end the conflict.

It would include tackling the issue of refugees, the fate of thousands of missing detainees, drug smuggling between Syria and the Gulf through Jordan and the presence of Iranian militias in Syria.

Regional superpower Saudi Arabia has resisted normalizing relations with Assad but said after its rapprochement with Iran - Syria's key regional ally - a new approach was needed with Damascus, which is under Western sanctions.

At the Jeddah meeting there was resistance to the move to invite Assad to the Arab League summit, with Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait saying it was premature before Damascus accepts to negotiate a peace plan.

Jordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, met on Sunday with visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, officials said.

Washington does not wish to change its policy towards the Syrian government which it terms a ‘rogue’ state, has urged Arab states that have shifted their stance to get something in return for engaging with Assad once again.

Defense chiefs of Iran, Russia, Turkey and Syria to meet in Moscow on Tuesday

Turkish Defense Minister Halusi Akar announced that a joint meeting will be held between Iran, Syria, Russian, and Turkey in Moscow on Tuesday.

Akar announced that the meeting will be held at the level of defense ministers and heads of intelligence agencies.

The meeting comes after Moscow hosted the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of the four countries.

Earlier this month, deputy foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, Syria, and Turkey held a meeting in Moscow to discuss the next meeting of the foreign ministers.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered the opening speech of the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Moscow talks will serve as a prelude to the upcoming meeting between the foreign ministers of the four countries, according to the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

Ali Asghar Khaji, senior advisor to the Iranian foreign minister for special political affairs, who had traveled to Moscow at the head of a delegation to attend the four-way meeting, met separately with the deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Syria, and Turkey.

Also, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali met in Moscow with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East.

In the meeting, the latest planning for holding a quadrilateral meeting of foreign ministers on the Syrian issue was discussed, the Iranian embassy in Moscow said in a statement.

 

As the United States focuses on its showdown with Russia in Ukraine and its escalating competition with China, the Middle East has been left to run its affairs the way it always has: with marriages of convenience between rival powers. These are not Catholic-style ‘holy matrimonies’, comprehensive and permanent, but coolly pragmatic deals to survive through short-term relationships that fit changing strategic conditions. If only Israel understood that.

Of course, one relatively constant factor—religion—does play an important role in determining whether countries in the region are rivals or allies. But the Sunni–Shia divide has been accorded excessive weight in assessments of the Middle East’s diplomatic shifts. Geopolitical interests and regime survival always prevail over religious identities. This helps to explain why conservative Arab regimes have shown such a remarkable ability to withstand both internal upheaval—exemplified by the resounding defeat of pro-democracy forces during the Arab Spring—and external pressures.

The Gulf countries exemplify this hard-headed approach. Business-oriented and living in the shadow of predator states like Iraq and Iran, they are much more concerned with commerce and discreet security understandings than with ideology. A particularly striking display of such diplomatic pragmatism came last month, when Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Sunni world and Shia Iran re-established relations.

Beyond the headlines trumpeting China’s role in mediating the rapprochement, the logic driving the shift is clear. For Iran—desperate to extricate itself from the economic and social crises that have fuelled popular uprisings in recent months—Saudi Arabia is a much-needed lifeline. For the Saudis, the failure of America’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran—thanks, not least, to its alliance with China and Russia—and Iran’s imminent emergence as a nuclear state make détente a necessity.

Saudi Arabia was most likely also motivated by the prospect of ending the war in Yemen, where it has suffered humiliating losses at the hands of the Houthis, Iran’s proxies. Peace would enable the kingdom to focus its attention on diversifying its economy away from oil and petrochemicals. As a trade-dependent economy, Saudi Arabia can thrive only in a context of peace and security.

Saudi Arabia’s opening with Iran is part of a broader regional accommodation. The United Arab Emirates re-established diplomatic relations with Iran last year, with Bahrain expected to follow suit soon. Turkey has reached out to both Syria and Israel, and the Arab states seem to be allowing Syria—with its distinctly secular and nationalist Ba’ath regime—back into the fold. Last month, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, long shunned as a pariah, visited the UAE, and a Saudi reconciliation with the ‘butcher of Damascus’ is now in the offing.

Here, too, pragmatism has been the guiding principle. Different conditions call for different policies, and at a time when the US—Assad’s main international nemesis—has become less assertive in the region, Syria has come to seem like a legitimate partner.

But no one should expect that the Arab League will welcome Syria back only if it pledges to reduce Iran’s military deployment on its territory. A key feature of Middle Eastern marriages of convenience is that they don’t entail policy changes that reflect the parties’ core interests. Iran won’t downgrade its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, whether it has embassies in Saudi Arabia or not.

Likewise, the Saudi–Iranian rapprochement won’t change the fact that the US is the ultimate guarantor of Saudi Arabia’s security. Nor does it rule out a Saudi–Israeli peace agreement. The House of Saud is always keen to diversify its strategic options.

Before a Saudi deal with Israel can happen, however, Israel will have to put its domestic political house in order, avoid escalation in the occupied territories, freeze settlement expansion and restore its relationship with the US. More fundamentally, Israelis must comprehend what the Arabs, Turks and Iranians already understand: pragmatic deal-making will do it a lot more good than an impossible quest for total victory.

The 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, were more a product of American pressure than diplomatic savoir faire on Israel’s part. And, in the eyes of its newfound Arab partners, Israel’s standing is already deteriorating, owing not only to its domestic crisis, but also to its refusal to rethink its Iran strategy.

While other Middle Eastern countries adapt to current strategic conditions, Israel remains committed to its longstanding ‘shadow war’ against Iran, with its covert attacks, including drone strikes and cyberattacks, as well as airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria. Despite the region’s recent surfeit of marriages, Israeli leaders’ lack of vision and courage implies that they are unlikely to step up to the altar any time soon.

Curtesy: The Strategist

Saudi Foreign Minister Meets Syrian President

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan on Tuesday. The Saudi minister is visiting Damascus currently in a significant step towards ending Syria’s decade-long regional isolation.

Al-Assad and Prince Faisal discussed the necessary steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis to end all its repercussions, achieve national reconciliation, and contribute to the return of Syria to its Arab surroundings.

They also discussed efforts made to reach a politician solution of the Syrian crisis that preserves the unity, security, and stability of Syria.

The Saudi minister stressed to the Syrian president the importance of providing a suitable environment for the arrival of aid to all regions in Syria, and preparing the necessary conditions for the return of the Syrian refugees and displaced persons to their homeland.

He also called for taking more measures that would contribute to stabilizing the situation in Syrian lands.

Prince Faisal conveyed the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman to the Syrian president, and their best wishes to the government and people of Syria to have security and stability.

The Syrian president extended his greetings and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince and for the government and people of Saudi Arabia.

The reception was attended by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Dr. Saud Al-Sati and the Director General of Prince Faisal office Abdul Rahman Al-Dawood.

Saudi Foreign Ministry said the visit comes within the framework of Saudi Arabia's keenness and interest to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that ends all its repercussions and preserves Syria's unity, security, stability, and Arab identity. It also aims to restore Syria to its Arab surroundings, in a way that achieves the good of its people.

Prince Faisal was received upon his arrival at Damascus International Airport by the Minister of Presidency Affairs Mansour Azzam.

Last Friday, Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting of the GCC countries, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, to discuss the Syrian crises. They called for unity in Syria and its return to the Arab fold.

They stressed the need to preserve Syria’s sovereignty by ending the presence of militias, emphasizing that the political solution is the only solution to the Syrian crisis.

Quds Day being observed under radically changed conditions

Today, Quds Day is being observed around the globe with mass anti-Israel protests. The founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, initiated the day of solidarity with Palestine on the last Friday of Ramadan. 

Israel is witnessing growing resistance against its colonialism, most significantly over the past year, from the occupied West Bank. 

Gone are the days when Israeli troops enjoyed the freedom to raid West Bank towns and villages to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians residing there. 

Today, newly formed armed resistance factions by the West Bank youth have changed the equation and are taking the battle to Israel's occupation troops.

They are conducting armed retaliatory operations against the regime's occupation including at its many military checkpoints scattered across the West Bank. Those retaliatory operations have struck the heart of the occupied territories, Tel Aviv.

They are also refusing to surrender to the regime's almost daily pre-dawn invasion of Palestinian towns and villages. Instead, these youths are confronting Special Forces in armed clashes, battles that usually last several hours. 

Their refusal to surrender explains the high Palestinian death toll. Israeli forces have murdered around 100 Palestinians so far this year.

It's no wonder Israel plans to set up a "National Guard" (described as a settler militia) to handle the West Bank resistance. 

That's how Israeli media described a photo published on April 9, 2023 of a meeting between the Secretary General of Lebanon's Hezbollah Sayyad Hassan Nasrallah and Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political bureau. 

The two leaders met in Beirut to discuss the readiness of the axis of resistance and to further expand their cooperation in light of Israel's terrorism these days at al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem).

The meeting between Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Hamas movement in the besieged Gaza Strip to expand and improve cooperation will be seen as a major concern among the security apparatus of the Zionist entity.

The salvo of missiles fired from Palestinian refugee camps in Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip in response to Israel’s desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque (Islam’s third holiest site) indicated one key element.

The regime responded by striking farmland in Lebanon and airstrikes in the Gaza Strip for one night. In both attacks it was careful not to kill anybody as it cannot afford a wider conflict with the Palestinian resistance.

It also cannot embark on a war with Hezbollah as it knows very well the powerful resistance movement has weapons that can strike deep inside all occupied territories, including precision missiles that can hit very sensitive sites, including Israel’s Dimona nuclear weapons plant.

The same can be said about the Gaza Strip. Israel cannot afford a conflict with the Palestinian resistance in the blockaded coastal enclave as the resistance has missiles in its hands that can hit vital Israeli infrastructure and humiliate the regime.

With the power of the resistance in Lebanon and Gaza significantly growing, Israel can’t even wage a war to divert attention from the crisis the entity is witnessing from within.

There have been mass protests by Israelis against their new coalition’s plans to overhaul the regime’s so-called judicial system.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets and clashed with forces in protest against the proposed measures by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-orthodox and fascist cabinet.

Such is the extent of the fighting within Israel and warnings by the regime’s President and other officials of a civil war, Netanyahu’s cabinet was forced to postpone the plans for a month.

But as the English say, he is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

If Netanyahu drops his overhaul plans, he could end up in prison for corruption charges as well as members of his fragile coalition withdrawing, which would mean an end to his majority in the Israeli Knesset.

That would result in fifth election in less than five years. There has never been so much internal division within Israel’s 75 years of occupation of Palestine. Nevertheless, Netanyahu needs to keep his cabinet at any cost. This explains the vicious storming into al-Aqsa Mosque and committing terror on innocent worshipers in a desperate bid to appease the settlers.

If there is anything that brings a smile on the settler’s faces, it is footage of the occupation troops mercilessly attacking women and men inside al-Aqsa Mosque. But again, this comes with its ramifications that Israel will face in the near future.

So much is the division over Netanyahu’s overhaul plans of the judiciary that even segments in nearly all of the regime’s military armed forces and units withdrew from crucial training, which Israeli military officials, in turn, said poses a direct threat to the existence of the occupation.

In another major setback for Israel, its staunchest supporter, the United States has lost its clout in West Asia as witnessed by the recent detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as the steady restoration of ties between Syria and the Arab world. 

In a sign of how developments are quickly changing in West Asia, a Saudi delegation travelled to the Yemeni capital Sana’a for talks with the head of the popular Ansarullah revolution, not the other way round.

This was not the case two decades ago, when Washington had major influence on the region. That influence is now shifting to the countries in West Asia itself. 

Alongside that, such is the fascist language being publicly broadcast by the minister in Netanyahu’s cabinet, that it has forced the US to end its decades long protocol of inviting a new Israel’s Prime Minister to the White House within two or three months.

Netanyahu, who assumed power again in January is still waiting for an invitation to hold talks with President Joe Biden. And he may have to wait longer.

On March 28, when Biden stressed he is not going to invite the Israeli prime minister to Washington “in the near term”, Netanyahu publicly hit back at the US President, underscoring the tense relationship between the current White House and the Israeli occupation.

However, it all goes back to the indigenous people of the land.

On Sunday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pointed out that the Palestinian nation’s perseverance has pushed the occupying regime to the brink of collapse.

Israel has never been in a fragile state (pardon the pun) as it is now, facing so many crises from within and from the developments in the region as well as the international community as it continues to pursue its extremely racist agenda. 

 

Jeddah Talks: Comprehensive settlement of Syrian crisis and its return to Arab fold

Signaling that Syria’s decade-long regional isolation is nearing an end, Damascus agreed with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to initiate the necessary steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement of the Syrian crisis, reports Saudi Gazette.

In a joint statement issued at the end of the official talks between Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Dr. Faisal Mekdad in Jeddah on Wednesday, the two countries decided to secure humanitarian aid access to all Syrian territories.

Mekdad arrived in response to an invitation extended by Prince Faisal bin Farhan. It is the first visit by a senior Syrian diplomat to the Kingdom in more than a decade, following a recent agreement between Riyadh and Damascus to re-establish bilateral ties and reopen their embassies.

The foreign ministers’ talks focused on adopting the measures to be taken to realize comprehensive settlement of the Syrian crisis that would end all its repercussions, achieve national reconciliation, and contribute to the return of Syria to its Arab fold, apart from the resumption of Syria’s natural role in the Arab world.

During the talks, the two sides discussed the efforts exerted to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves Syria’s unity, security, stability, Arab identity, and territorial integrity, in a way that promotes the welfare and prosperity of the Syrian people.

According to the statement, Saudi Arabia and Syria agreed on the importance of resolving humanitarian difficulties and providing a suitable environment for aid to reach all areas in Syria. They also agreed to create the necessary conditions for the return of Syrian refugees and displaced persons to their areas, ending their suffering and enabling them to return safely to their homeland, and taking further measures that would contribute to stabilizing the situation in the entire Syrian territories.

The two sides stressed the importance of strengthening security and combating terrorism in all its forms and organizations. The two countries also underlined the need to enhance cooperation in combating drug smuggling and trafficking, and the need to support the Syrian state institutions, to extend their control over its lands to end the presence of armed militias as well as the foreign interference in the internal affairs of Syria.

Saudi Arabia and Syria welcomed the start of procedures for the resumption of consular and diplomatic services and flights between the two countries.

On his part, the Syrian Foreign Minister Mekdad appreciated the efforts made by Saudi Arabia to end the Syrian crisis, and its provision of humanitarian and relief aid to those affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Syria in February this year.

US strikes Iran backed facilities in Syria

The US military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria on Thursday night against Iran-aligned groups whom it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor, wounded another and also hurt five US troops, the Pentagon said.

Both the attack on US personnel and the retaliation were disclosed by the Pentagon at the same time late on Thursday.

The attack against US personnel took place at a coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1038 GMT on Thursday, it said.

The US intelligence community assessed that the one-way attack drone was Iranian in origin, the military said, a conclusion that could further aggravate already strained relations between Washington and Tehran.

Although US forces stationed in Syria have been targeted by drones before, fatalities are extremely rare.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the retaliatory strikes were carried out at the direction of President Joe Biden and targeted facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

"The air strikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC," Austin said in a statement.

"No group will strike our troops with impunity."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the war in Syria, said the US strikes had left eight pro-Iranian fighters dead in Syria.

 

Saudi Arabia follows Iran in reestablishing ties with Syria

Saudi Arabia and Syria have agreed to reopen their embassies after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus's return to the Arab fold.

Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus had gathered momentum following a landmark agreement to re-establish ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad.

The re-establishment of ties between Riyadh and Damascus would mark the most significant development yet in moves by Arab states to normalize ties with Assad, who was shunned by many Western and Arab states after Syria's civil war began in 2011.

The two governments were "preparing to reopen embassies after Eid al-Fitr", in the second half of April.

The decision was the result of talks in Saudi Arabia with a senior Syrian intelligence official, according to one of the regional sources and a diplomat in the Gulf.

The apparently sudden breakthrough could indicate how the deal between Tehran and Riyadh may play into other crises in the region, where their rivalry has fuelled conflicts including the war in Syria.

The United States and several of its regional allies, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had backed some of the Syrian rebels. Assad was able to defeat the insurgency across most of Syria thanks largely to Iran and Russia.

The United States, an ally of Saudi Arabia, has opposed moves by regional countries to normalize ties with Assad, citing his government's brutality during the conflict and the need to see progress towards a political solution.

The United Arab Emirates, another strategic US partner, has led the way in normalizing contacts with Assad, recently receiving him in Abu Dhabi with his wife.

The Gulf diplomat said the high-ranking Syrian intelligence official "stayed for days" in Riyadh and an agreement was struck to reopen embassies "very soon".

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 in response to Assad's brutal crackdown on protests.

Saudi's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud earlier this month said engagement with Assad could lead to Syria's return to the Arab League, but it was currently too early to discuss such a step.

The diplomat said the Syrian-Saudi talks could pave the way for a vote to lift Syria's suspension during the next Arab summit, expected to be held in Saudi Arabia in April.

The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018, arguing Arab countries needed more of a presence in resolving the Syrian conflict.

While Assad has basked in renewed contacts with Arab states that once shunned him, US sanctions remain a major complicating factor for countries seeking to expand commercial ties.

Will Yemen turn into Syria?

The United States appears to be pursuing a new policy in Yemen by occupying the country’s natural resources. This is evident from the visit of the commander of the US Fifth Fleet and Naval Forces in the US Central Command to the Yemeni governorates of Al-Mahra and Hadhramaut on March 02, 2023.

Yemen has a sufficient amount of oil and natural gas resources for both domestic demand and exports. The US and its Western allies are in dire need of getting their hands on amid shortages in the wake of the Ukraine war.

In his latest speech, the leader of Yemen’s ruling Ansarallah movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, revealed that Washington had established military bases in the provinces of Hadhramaut and al-Mahra in eastern Yemen.

He added that the commander of the US Fifth Fleet, accompanied by an American diplomat, landed at the headquarters of the US-Saudi military coalition base in al-Mahra.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper and the US ambassador to the Saudi-led government in southern Aden travelled to the city of al-Ghaydah in Mahra governorate, in a flagrant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty.

According to reports the US officials were accompanied by a delegation of top US military officials at al-Ghaydah airport, which has been turned into a military base for American, British and Israeli forces on the Arabian Sea.

They also held talks with the pro-US-Saudi coalition and self-proclaimed governor Mohammed bin Yasser to discuss maritime issues.

It may be recalled that since 2018, the airport has been closed to the people of Mahra and has been occupied by Commander of the Coast Guard with the US-Saudi coalition that has been indiscriminately bombing Yemen since March 2015.

The US military visit came after a meeting held by bin Yasser with the US official in the Saudi capital Riyadh last January, in a bid to carry out new missions for the US forces occupying al-Ghaydah airport, under the pretext of combating smuggling and confronting the potential dangers of terrorism.

The eastern oil-rich Yemeni provinces of Mahra, Hadramout, Shabwa and Marib have recently become the focus of the ambitions of the occupying countries of the US, UK and France, with the aim of controlling the sources of oil and gas.

US and European countries intensified their movements in the eastern provinces of Yemen after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine last year, and have shown great interest in these regions.

The latest developments come as the West faces oil and gas shortages in the wake of its sanctions on the Russian energy sector following the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

Saudi media have confirmed from sources in the US Department of Defense that Washington has retained two CIA military bases in areas under the control of pro-US-Saudi coalition government, including in the city of Mukalla in Hadhramaut governorate.

While the West is claiming that its presence in the region is aimed to deepen bilateral and multilateral maritime cooperation, the evidence on the ground proves quite the opposite.

Yemen considers the presence of foreign forces on its territory as an occupation, and this leads to the question of the reason behind this exceptional concentration of foreign military bases in the country.

Yemen is facing a scenario similar to what is happening in northeastern Syria, where US has been plundering the country’s oil to the tune of billions of dollars.

Al-Houthi says the US has been working actively to end the talks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen in Oman intended to end the war.

"The US seeks to obstruct the Omani efforts, which is to distance the coalition from any agreement or understanding, and this is totally unacceptable," he said.

Experts say this makes sense as reaching a comprehensive political settlement means an end to the war. And ending the war would require the exit of all foreign forces led by the American and British militaries from the eastern and southern Yemeni coasts.

For this reason and other reasons as well, the US and the UK are working to impede the talks and obstruct reaching any political settlement.

Likewise, Yemen’s geographical location is one of the most important in the West Asian region. It has a large front on the Red Sea and has a large gateway to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea that extends to other regions. The Gulf is what America needs to build military bases and serve its other sinister goals.

The nature of the relations between the western-occupied regions in Yemen, and between Saudi Arabia and the UAE is important as well. The main point here is that the puppet authority in Yemen does not care about the issue of sovereignty.

If the authority put in place by the US and its regional allies had an independent voice, then there would be no occupation, military and naval bases, blockade or plans to seize the country’s natural resources. 

The existing government is contributing to the violation of Yemen’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Analysts have said that the foreign military bases, which have been listed by the leaders of Ansarallah as areas of occupation, will possibly be targeted to create realistic equations.

Others agree that after showing impressive steadfastness in the face of eight years of war, it would be natural for the Yemeni forces to have the ability to target foreign military bases as has been reflected over the years.

With the US putting the brakes on talks in Oman, Sana’a says its military capabilities are growing, and all branches of the armed forces are prepared for the next stage that could open the door to the option of a broad military operation.

All of US President Joe Biden’s boasting about ending support for Saudi military operations in Yemen, and the movement in the US Congress that pushed for an end to military aid to Riyadh has now turned out to be inaccurate, and if anything it was just an effort to deflect the growing global condemnation.

What is happening now in al-Mahra and Hadramout is clear evidence of the ongoing interest of the US in not only its military presence but also the expansion of it, one year after the Ukraine war.  

Analysts have pointed out that Saudi Arabia has practically taken full control of al-Mahra in cooperation with the US and local militias, and there are many reports citing Israeli naval cooperation as well, in addition to the US cooperation with the two parties.

But judging by the past few years, Yemeni forces have proved capable of confronting threats and turning their chants and slogans into extraordinary retaliatory operations.

“The level of our military capabilities has evolved compared to the beginning of the aggression” al-Houthi warned.

"If we look at the situation today as compared to the beginning of the aggression, and to previous years, there is a major difference in the level of Yemeni military capabilities," the leader of the Ansarallah movement explained.

Arab reluctance to react to Iranian protests

Wilson Center has tried to find an explanation for the lack of Arab support in highlighting the actions of Iranian ruling regime. Its efforts could be termed ‘Killing two birds with one stone’. Not only has it maligned Iran, but also Arab States for not opposing Iran because they also don’t like opposition.   

When protests in Iran broke out in September 2022 following the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the morality police, the world showed immediate support for the outraged Iranian women who took to the streets. Unlike before, these protests gained momentum as popular demands shifted from greater freedoms and economic reforms to the overthrow of the oppressive regime. The Iranian government’s harsh repression sparked international condemnation and sanctions against officials and entities, including the morality police itself.

As compared to strong responses from Western nations, Arab governments have stayed noticeably silent. This pattern of silence from Arab governments on internal Iranian issues, in contrast to Iranian involvement in Arab protests and revolutions, has been evident since the 2009 ‘green scarf movement’ in Iran and raises questions about the relationship between Arab states and Iran during times of popular upheaval.

While certain Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, harbor a desire for the downfall of the Iranian regime, their reluctance to engage with Iran’s protests and internal politics is due to a multitude of challenges and constraints.

Many Arab governments, particularly those in the Gulf region, have a complex relationship with Iran. They may disapprove of the suppression of protests, but they also see Iran as a regional rival and may not want to give the impression of supporting domestic dissent, in effect allowing Iran to justify its interventionist policies elsewhere in the region.

The GCC nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, are grappling with the uncertainty surrounding the potential consequences of taking a unilateral adversarial approach towards Iran amid concerns about US security commitments and a decline in bilateral relations. Nevertheless, since the early days of the protests, Iranian authorities have repeatedly blamed foreign nations, including Saudi Arabia, for instigating the demonstrations.

IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami warned the Saudi leadership, saying, “You are involved in this matter and know that you are vulnerable; it is better to be careful.” This warning was in reference to media supported by Saudi Arabia, such as funding for Iran International TV, which broadcasts in both Persian and English from London. It also refers to other Saudi-funded media outlets like Al-Arabiya and newspapers like Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Okaz, Al-Riyadh, and Al-Madina, as well as Qatari and Jordanian newspapers. Arab News, a Saudi English-language newspaper, even dedicated special coverage to the protests.

To such accusations, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister stated, “A country that strengthens itself with good governance and a clear vision does not need to turn to the outside, and the Kingdom firmly adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.”

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran was planning to attack Saudi Arabia, either directly or through its allies, such as the Houthis in Yemen, allegedly to distract from the protests.

Indeed, there is a state of uncertainty regarding the trajectory of events within Iran that raises four concerns:

First, it is unclear whether the current wave of protests will be more impactful than previous ones in affecting the regime. Given the past failures of protest movements to achieve their demands, it is understandable for Arabs to expect the current protests to fail or remain focused solely on reforms without aiming for regime change.

Second is the possibility of a desperate retaliation from the regime on neighboring states and interests should the protests escalate to the point of overthrowing the government—the ‘Samson option.’

Third is whether the support for the demonstrations will pressure the regime to respond positively to the JCPOA negotiations or vice versa.

Fourth is what the new regime will look like if the mullahs’ regime falls (to avoid repeating the deception of the 1979 revolution) and the role of opposition groups already plagued by sharp internal division.

Comparably, the silence and reticence of Arab capitals towards the Iranian protests are rooted in their varying relationships with Iran and their perceptions of the threat posed by the Islamic Republic.

Countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain hold a hostile attitude toward Iran, while Iraq, Syria, and Algeria maintain close ties and similar ideologies. Oman tries to maintain a balancing act between Iran and Saudi Arabia, while Qatar has strong economic connections with Iran that have only grown stronger in recent years after the GCC blockade in 2017.

 In some ways, this explains Al Jazeera’s limited media coverage of the protests in Iran compared to that of the Arab Spring uprisings. But at least the Qatari Foreign Minister, in his interview with Bloomberg, indicated that “We are opposing using violence by security forces against civilians whether a woman or a man. This is a domestic issue, and we don’t normally interfere in domestic issues with countries.”

Arab governments may be hesitant to speak out against the Iranian government’s repression of protests due to their fear of a domino effect. This fear stems from the potential for revolutionary contagion, as seen in the Iran Islamic Revolution and Arab Spring Uprisings, and the potential undermining of ideological ties with Iran.

It is clear that since the Arab Spring uprisings, the change in the power dynamic in the region has worked in Iran’s favor, allowing it to expand the axis of resistance it leads, particularly to the detriment of Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, these Arab governments may avoid taking a stance on the issue to avoid drawing attention to their own history of suppressing protests and to prove their goodwill and non-interference in Iran’s internal politics on the principle of good neighborliness—moral grandstanding. They believe this would strengthen their negotiating positions with Iran on outstanding and complex issues and strengthen their legitimacy in the international community.

Arabs and Iranians share the same region and religion. However, they have proud and distinct heritage, speak different languages and follow different branches of Islam, with Arabs predominantly Sunni while Iranians are Shiite. These cultural and linguistic differences create communication barriers and binary stereotypes, making it difficult to understand each other’s current common interests and demands.

Arab and Gulf media focus primarily on Iran’s regional influence and power struggles but pay little attention to local issues such as popular protests and human rights violations against minorities.

The lack of meaningful Arab media dedicated to in-depth coverage of Iranian society has heightened the divide between the Arab and Iranian peoples. The deliberate media stereotyping that portrays Iran merely through its regime and regional behavior, viewed from a narrow religious perspective, obscures the overall picture of Iranian society and erodes the trust and sympathy of the Arab public.

As against this, Iran has a vast media apparatus aimed at both the Arab and Iranian publics that reflects the views of the Iranian regime and presents political events through ideological and sectarian lenses.

Arab elites, especially after the Arab Spring, continue to face restrictions on freedom of demonstration and expression. Indeed, this impedes their ability to back advocacy campaigns for the protests in Iran organized by civil society.

Authorities are balancing a political equation that prevents them from officially supporting the protests in Iran. Nevertheless, some interaction with the protests, such as solidarity statements, condemnations, and vigils, can be observed in a few Arab capitals and elsewhere in the diaspora.

In Arab countries such as Lebanon and Iraq, which have close ties to Iran, any upheaval in Iranian politics could be viewed as a window of hope for those who grapple with their own internal struggles to challenge Iranian political influence.

In Lebanon, for example, Fe-male, a feminist organization, held a vigil to show support for the Iranian women protesting against mandatory veiling under the title “From us to you, [sending] all our love and support.” The vigil featured slogans in Arabic and Persian, including mantra of the protesters, “Woman, Life, Freedom.”

Other activist groups also sought to organize a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Beirut, calling it “From Tehran to Beirut, the killer regime is one,” but failed amid threats from Hezbollah’s militias.

In Iraq, some women on social media launched the “No to Compulsory Hijab” campaign to support Iranian women facing regime repression and the mandatory dress code.

Also, in Tunisia, human rights and feminist organizations held a rally outside the Iranian Cultural Center to express their support for women in Iran. The demonstrators denounced the discrimination and mistreatment of women in Iran and chanted slogans such as “Tunisian women support Iranian women,” “Here to voice our solidarity with Iranian women,” and “Revolution and freedom.”

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), including a coalition of Arab feminist and human rights groups, issued a statement on October 7, 2022, to express solidarity. The statement, ‘We stand in solidarity with women and demonstrators in Iran,’ condemned the suppression of peaceful protests.

We likely won’t see decisive Arab reactions to the protests in Iran any time soon. Despite Arab grievances to Iran’s regional behavior, states will maintain political neutrality given the uncertain trajectory of the protests.

Furthermore, they may fear exposing themselves ideologically if they endorse foreign protests. Lastly, in a cultural dimension, there is already a wide gulf between how Arabs and Iranians perceive each other. Despite what limited civic action we have seen, these factors inhibit any broad social expression of solidarity as seen in the west.

With the challenging and fading prospects of altering Iran’s behavior or the entire regime from within, Arabs still have other choices. These include waiting for a full-fledged revolution in Iran, capitalizing on international stances and sanctions, and luring its allies to abandon it, as were tried recently with China, Russia, and Iraq.

 

Saudi Arabia raises over SR145 million for earthquake victims

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) announced that as of Thursday evening, donations worth over SR145 million have been raised during the ongoing popular fundraising campaign to alleviate the suffering of the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.

“The Saudi teams are determined to deliver aid to those affected by the devastating earthquake despite the obstacles. The Saudi humanitarian assistance will reach the needy wherever they are,” KSRelief said in a statement carried by the Al-Arabiya channel.

Two planeloads of Saudi relief supplies have already arrived in Turkey and a third plane, carrying relief supplies, is ready to leave for Turkey, the KSRelief said, adding that the Saudi relief mission is currently working on the ground in Turkey.

The Saudi popular campaign, launched by KSRelief on Wednesday, through the Sahem electronic platform, had raised SR80 million on the first day itself and the Saudi air bridge operation started dispatching relief supplies to Turkey and Syria. Specialized Saudi medical teams and rescue teams reached Adana Airport in the quake-hit Turkish region at dawn on Thursday.

The popular fundraising campaign was launched in implementation of the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor at the Royal Court and general supervisor of the KSRelief, inaugurated the campaign at KSRelief headquarters in Riyadh. He said that the volume of donations collected even before the launch of the campaign amounted to more than SR13 million and this embodies the commitment of the Saudi people and their response to succor the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.

The death toll from the quakes, which struck early on Monday morning, passed 19,000 on Thursday across both Turkey and Syria. That surpasses the more than 17,000 people killed in 1999 when a similarly powerful quake hit Turkey’s more densely populated northwest.

Cold, hunger, and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria on Thursday, while hopes faded of many more people being found alive amid the ruins of cities. Hundreds of thousands of people across both countries have been left homeless in the middle of winter. Many have camped out in makeshift shelters in supermarket car parks, mosques, roadsides, or amid the ruins, often desperate for food, water, and heat.

Pentagon warns Turkey against attacking Syria

The Pentagon has warned NATO member, Turkey against a new military operation in Syria. The Turkish strikes in Syria late last month endangered US troops and caused casualties for their partner forces. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, conveying his strong opposition to a new Turkish military operation in Syria. 

Austin expressed concern over escalating action in northern Syria and Turkey, including recent airstrikes, some of which directly threatened the safety of US personnel who are working with local partners in Syria to defeat ISIS.  

Secretary Austin called for de-escalation, and shared the Department’s strong opposition to a new Turkish military operation in Syria. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month launched airstrikes on northern Syria and Iraq targeting Kurdish groups in the two neighboring countries. Ankara claims the strikes are in retaliation for a November 13, 2022 bombing in Istanbul that killed six people and injured 80 more. 

Erdoğan also suggested on November 23 that he also plans to order a ground invasion into northern Syria. 

The US has notably partnered with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the effort to defeat ISIS in the region and continues to work with the group to keep the terrorist group at bay. 

Since the Turkish strikes, the US military is operating at a reduced number of partner patrols with the SDF, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday.  

Ryder noted that while the US recognizes Turkey’s security concerns, the focus here is on preventing a destabilizing situation, which would put ISIS in an ability to reconstitute. 

He added that the US has frequent and open lines of communication with its Turkish allies at a variety of levels. 

“We did issue a statement highlighting the fact that a strike did come close to US personnel, and we clearly have communicated that,” he said. 

 

Biological war suspected in Syria and Lebanon

Cholera continues to sweep through Syria and Lebanon at an alarming pace, leaving thousands sick and hundreds dead. The number of cases of the bacterial disease in both countries is steadily increasing, with UNICEF estimating the total in Syria at 35,569 while the Ministry of Public Health puts that in Lebanon at 3,369. 

According to the European Union, the causes of the outbreak in Syria include drought, economic decline, and the battered state of the country’s water infrastructure, which leaves 47% of the population relying on unsafe sources of water for their daily needs.

Cholera is contracted by ingesting contaminated food or drinking water and causes intestinal problems and dehydration that can be fatal unless treated quickly. The key to fighting off the disease is good hygiene and clean water, yet in some remote and undeveloped areas in Syria access to these is scarce, meaning there is a real chance that the number of cases could soar.

In late September thousands of people across Syria started complaining of acute diarrhea, and the number of cases has grown steadily since.

According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), part of the cholera outbreak was due to cowboy merchants near the Euphrates River running a water scam, whereby they sold unclean water from unregulated trucks and billed it as clean.

Syria’s problems with water treatment are far broader and largely due to the impact of the decade-long war: Nearly two-thirds of the country’s water plants, half of its pumping stations, and one-third of its water towers have been damaged because of the conflict.

The unofficial total is thought to be higher — and 35,000 suspected cases. The scale and speed of the outbreak has prompted the EU to act, providing €700,000 in humanitarian aid to contain the epidemic. 

Cholera spreads into Lebanon

As the outbreak in Syria has grown, cholera has spread to neighboring Lebanon, which itself suffers from an economic collapse, an ongoing political crisis, and a plethora of other problems.

The transmission of the disease has been facilitated by the free movement between the two countries. Lebanon is home to a large number of Syrian refugees, estimated at 1.5 million, or one-fourth of the total population.

After cholera spread to Lebanon, the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the risk of an outbreak there as high due to the shortage of drinking water and the country's fragile and strained health system. A lack of electricity and a significant shortage of fresh water in Lebanon have placed further pressure on the system.  

The first cases in Lebanon were reported in early October. Speaking about them at the time, Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said, “The common point between these cases is the majority of patients are displaced Syrians.” He added, “The absence of basic services, like safe water and sewage networks, in places where refugees gather constitutes a fertile ground for the epidemic too.”

According to official figures from Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, as of Nov. 13 around 3,369 people have been infected and 18 have died in the first cholera outbreak in the country in more than 30 years.

UNICEF has taken rapid action to help with the effort in Lebanon, distributing 80,000 liters of fuel to water pumping and wastewater treatment stations in locations with confirmed and suspected cases, as well as procuring emergency medical supplies to treat cholera, such as oral rehydration salts and treatment kits.

The WHO has also gotten involved, helping to arrange a shipment of 600,000 doses of cholera vaccine. A vaccination campaign in Lebanon was launched on November 12, 2022 targeting both Lebanese and refugees.

The epidemic is spreading quickly in both countries and threatens to plunge Syria and Lebanon into more uncertainty, despair, and crisis. Unless the fundamental drivers are addressed and water treatment plants and facilities, especially in Syria, are improved, outbreaks will no doubt reoccur in the future with regularity.

Unveiling the real face of United States

The United States has been involved in hundreds of wars, invasions, coups and conflicts around the globe, yet it claims to be the flag-bearer of the international fight for freedom, liberation and human rights.

Even a cursory look reveals that in addition to its crimes, atrocities and attempts to divide countries, Washington stands accused of seditious acts through a widespread social media campaign and its embassies around the globe have been censured for their role in destabilizing different regions of the world.

It is often alleged that the United States itself was founded on violence against the indigenous people of America and since then it has survived on instigating violence with its hegemonic dreams and hopes of global hegemony following the collapse of the British Empire.

Over the past two decades Washington has had its eyes on West Asia with the disastrous invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as its support for Takfiri terrorist groups in countries such as Syria and Libya and in particular Iran.

It has since expanded its warmongering approach towards Eastern Europe with the aim of containing rising superpowers such as Russia. It has also pinned its hopes on China’s domestic issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and elsewhere with the hope of containing the rising economic and military power of Beijing. In essence, what is very clear is that wherever there is a US presence, there is also insecurity and no stability in that part of the world.

President Joe Biden claims the US will free Iran. Speaking at a campaign speech in California recently, he said, "Don't worry, we're gonna free Iran". The reality is, as noted by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran was freed from US captivity by toppling the Pahlavi regime. 

"I am telling Biden that Iran was freed 43 years ago," Raisi said in reference to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

It is also important to note that the Iranian people were free in 1953 before the American CIA and British MI6 orchestrated a coup that toppled the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq and replaced it with a puppet regime to loot the country’s large oil and gas resources.

This is something both Washington and its Western allies publicly acknowledge. The reality is that the US has been trying to repeat the exact same scenario in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It has no interest in freedom or the livelihoods of Iranian people. Experts say human rights are observed in Iran more than the United States where minority groups, including Black Americans, face systematic discrimination.

The US claims it wants to free the Iranian nation while at the same time it has imposed the harshest ever sanctions on Iranian people that have caused the majority of the country's population to suffer. American sanctions prevented and continue to prevent patients suffering from serious diseases, such as cancer or rare skin diseases, to gain access to vital medicines by banning money transfer from Iran. This is under the name of "US freedom".

American widespread support for riots in Iran over the past few weeks have also led to the brutal death of police forces. This is the freedom and human rights that America seeks to spread and preach about. 

The closer the United States approaches Iranian borders or any other border in West Asia and beyond, the more insecurity grows in that country. And the US has dozens of military bases surrounding Iranian borders but an independent Iran has proven it has the capability to prevent the Pentagon from toppling the Islamic Republic because of Tehran's military might.

The governments and kingdoms that have linked their own national security interests (knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly) to the US have been toppled because of their lack of sovereignty.

In cases where they have not been toppled, the US is stirring sedition and divide nations. This policy of spreading instability helps American arms manufacturers make lucrative profits from weapons deliveries, as has been witnessed in many countries, such as Cuba and other Latin American countries and more recently to Syria, Libya, Ukraine, etc.  

The US State Department has demanded that North Korea refrain from taking any defensive measures to protect its territory, and instead engage in dialogue. This is while the United States has hundreds of warplanes buzzing around North Korean borders in joint war games that have been extended and which Pyongyang views as a rehearsal for an imminent invasion. North Korea has test-fired ballistic missiles in response to these war games and Pyongyang, unsurprisingly, has been denounced by Washington for stirring up trouble.

The US is allowed to hold the largest ever war games next to North Korea with the deployment of B-1B strategic bombers but the North is not allowed to test its own missiles to protect its territorial integrity.

The US Navy missile-guided destroyers and other warships including US warplane carriers and strike groups regularly sail in the South China Sea and expect China to remain silent, which by the way Beijing has exercised praiseworthy patience with its diplomatic approach to the US provocations. A reflection of how one country is not after seeking military confrontation and how another has a warmongering approach under the pretext of spreading freedom that nobody even requested in the first place.

Critics argue that the delusional idea that Washington can provide security guarantees for another country can’t be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is, as history has shown and proven, the US only looks after its own interests, makes lucrative profit from its military adventurism and once these America’s interests are gone, so are the alleged security guarantees that Washington once promised to provide for certain governments and rulers and kings.

 

United States seeks to militarize unrest in Iran

The former US national security advisor, John Bolton, has said that rioters in Iran are getting weapons, an allegation reminiscent of how Syria plunged into a civil war.

In an interview with the Persian service of the BBC, Johan Bolton said the recent unrest in Iran is different from what happened in previous times because this time, protesters are receiving weapons from the Iraqi Kurdistan. 

Bolton is known for his hawkish stances against Iran and has long been the fiercest advocate of regime change in Iran. He has openly called for bombing Iran.

Bolton’s remarks come at a time when the Iranian elites are warning of a Syria blueprint for Iran aimed at bringing about the disintegration of Iran into smaller states fractured along ethnic and religious lines.

On Tuesday, Mohammad Dehghan, advisor to the Iranian president on legal affairs, said the recent developments in Iran were beyond protests and that the enemy seeks to use the unrest to disintegrate Iran.

“The recent incidents in the country have been beyond protests and as was admitted by a Pahlavi regime official, the enemy, using everything in its power, especially the media, is seeking to disintegrate Iran through regime change,” Dehghan was quoted as saying on Tuesday by IRNA.

Adding substance to that is the repetitive announcements by Iranian officials in recent days that border guards have detained several shipments of weapons headed to Iran. A senior border guard commander has said that the seizure of weapons shipments has risen as compared to last year. According to the commander, more than 600 contraband rifles have been seized by border guards over the last 45 days. 

This speaks to the efforts currently underway to militarize unrest in Iran, which suffers from many hardships. Iranian officials and analysts have said that the enemies seek to turn Iran into another Syria using public grievances. 

Many Iranians from all walks of life have fallen victim to that effort. Over the course of the unrest, many Basij members and clerics, along with ordinary people, have been targeted and in some cases martyred. A case in point is Sajad Shahraki, the prayer Imam of Zahedan’s Molaye Mottaqian Mosque who was assassinated in a drive-by shooting.

The police chief of Sistan-Baluchistan province said mask-wearing gunmen, using two Pride and Peugeot 405 sedans, fired into the car of Shahraki at point-blank range, hitting him in the head and chest.

Many Iranian analysts believe such incidents are meant to foment sedition in Iran with the ultimate goal of breaking up Iran. The disintegration of Iran is now even acknowledged by those who work for foreign countries.

A recently leaked private conversation between a BBC Persian anchor with her mother showed that the enemies have placed the goal of disintegrating Iran high on their agenda.

The anchor, Rana Rahimpour, told her mother that the enemies do not want a unified Iran and that their support for the unrest in the country isn’t sincere. Instead, she said, they seek to break up Iran through the unrest because a weaker Iran will ensure their interests. 

 

China urges US to stop plundering Syrian oil

The Chinese government has called on the White House to stop plundering Syrian national resources, while calling on US officials to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“We call on the United States to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, unilaterally lift sanctions, and end the theft of Syria’s national resources,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a briefing.

Since early August, there have been at least 10 oil thefts by US troops in Syria. Some 800 tankers were used to transport stolen oil to US bases outside of Syria. In the meantime, Syrian people have had to queue for hours to fill up at the gas station.

According to the Asian spokesman, the US government has a duty to investigate robberies committed by intervening military forces, as well as to compensate for the damages caused.

In this sense, the diplomat said, “This is not the first time that the United States military has stolen oil from Syria and they seem to be becoming more and more uncontrollable.”

From this he cited Syria’s Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources, which said, “The US military and their backed armed forces exported 82 percent of the barrels of Syrian oil in the first half of 2022.”

For its part, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said last week that around 40 civilian facilities had been destroyed or damaged in fighting by US forces.

In return, the Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned the serious damage inflicted by US forces and their armed groups in the oil and gas sector since the US intervention in the conflict.

 

Khamenei advises Erdogan not to launch military operation in Syria

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his delegation on Tuesday. During the meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized the need to increase cooperation between the two countries, especially commercial cooperation.

Discussing the Syrian conflict, the Leader reiterated the need to honor the territorial integrity of Syria. Responding to some statements about a possible Turkish military operation in northern Syria, he said, “Maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria is very important and any military attack in northern Syria will definitely harm Turkey, Syria and the entire region, and it will benefit the terrorists.”

Leader warned, if there is a policy to block the border between Iran and Armenia, the Islamic Republic will oppose it, as this border is a connection route that has been thousands of years old. The Leader added, “This is definitely to the detriment of Syria, Turkey, and the region. It will not achieve the expected political results from the Syrian government.”

Khamenei said the honor and greatness of the Islamic Ummah will be dependent on overcoming differences of opinion, as well as vigilance against divisive policies, mentioning the occupation regime of Israel as one of the causes of discord and enmity in the region.

The Leader considered Palestine as the first issue of the Islamic world and emphasized, “Despite the favor of some governments towards the Zionist regime, the nations are deeply opposed to this usurping regime.”

Emphasizing that the US and the Israeli regime should not be relied upon, he underlined, “Today, neither the Zionist regime, nor the United States, nor others will be able to stop the deep-rooted movement of the Palestinians, and the end result will be in the interest of the Palestinian people.”

Referring to the Turkish president's hatred of terrorist groups, Khamenei said terrorism must be countered, but a military attack in Syria will benefit terrorists, although terrorists are not limited to a specific group.

In response to the Turkish president's request for Iran's cooperation in fighting terrorist groups, the Leader said, “We will certainly cooperate with you in the fight against terrorism.”

Emphasizing that Tehran considers the security of Turkey and its borders as its own, Khamenei told Erdogan, “You also consider the security of Syria to be your security. The Syrian issues should be resolved through negotiations, and Iran, Turkey, Syria and Russia should resolve this issue through dialogue.”

Erdogan said, “In Syria, terrorist groups are supported by heavy weaponry from Western countries such as Germany, England, France, and especially the United States.”The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also called the rising cooperation between Iran and Turkey on all regional issues useful and necessary and said Iran has always defended Erdogan’s government in internal conflicts and against interference.

“As you said, we are friends of each other in difficult times and we pray for the Muslim nation of Turkey,” the Leader highlighted. 

Khamenei called the volume and quality of economic exchanges and cooperation between the two countries much less than the existing capacities, stressing that this issue should be resolved in the negotiations between the presidents.

In the meeting, which was also attended by President Ebrahim Raisi, Erdogan said it is necessary to unite the Islamic Ummah and increase the solidarity between Iran and Turkey. 

“Turkey has never been silent in the face of injustices against Iran, and the brotherhood of Iran and Turkey should expand in all areas,” Erdogan said in reference to illegal sanctions against Iran. 

Emphasizing that he has always been and will be against unilateral sanctions against Iran, Erdogan pointed out that Ankara supports Iran's legitimate demands based on the JCPOA talks and encourages Turkish companies to invest in Iran.

Referring to Iran and Turkey’s campaigns against terrorists for many years, the Turkish president said, “In Syria, terrorist groups are supported by heavy weaponry from Western countries such as Germany, England, France, and especially the United States.”

Erdogan concluded his remarks by stating that Turkey's position regarding the territorial integrity of Syria is clear, saying, “We expect the Syrian government to start political processes. At the Astana process, the Syrian issue is on top of the agenda, and we hope to achieve good results.”

Putin arrives in Iran

On Tuesday, in his first trip since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Iran for a summit with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts.

The three countries are working together to try to reduce the violence in Syria despite supporting opposing sides in the war. Russia and Iran are Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s strongest backers, while Turkey supports anti-Assad insurgents.

Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch another operation in Northern Syria, which Tehran and Moscow oppose. In Tehran, Putin and Erdogan will meet to discuss a deal aimed at resuming Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports.

The emergence of an US-backed Arab-Israeli bloc that could tilt the Middle East balance of power further away from Iran has accelerated its clerical rulers’ efforts to strengthen strategic ties with the Kremlin.

“Considering the evolving geopolitical ties after the Ukraine war, the establishment tries to secure Moscow’s support in Tehran’s confrontation with Washington and its regional allies,” said a senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named.

Sending a clear message to the West that Russia will seek to boost ties with anti-West Iran, Putin will meet the Islamic Republic’s most powerful authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just a few days after US President Joe Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Putin’s visit to Tehran is watched closely as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reconfigured the global oil market and because of Washington’s warning about Tehran’s plan to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones. Tehran has denied selling drones to Moscow to use in Ukraine.

Emboldened by high oil prices after the Ukraine war, Tehran is betting that with Russia’s support it could pressure Washington to offer concessions for revival of a 2015 nuclear deal.

Under the deal, Tehran curbed its sensitive nuclear work in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

But former US President Donald Trump exited the pact in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. A year later, Tehran started violating nuclear limits of the pact.

Almost a year of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington in Vienna stalled in March, with Iran questioning the United States’ resolve and Washington calling on Tehran to drop extra demands.

But Moscow and Tehran, both subject to US sanctions, have overlapped interests. Iran, whose oil industry has struggled for years under US sanctions, has long relied on Chinese oil purchases to keep the economy afloat. Since the start of Ukraine war, Moscow has taken away Iran’s oil market in Asia.

In May, Reuters reported that Iran’s crude exports to China have fallen sharply as Beijing favoured heavily discounted Russian barrels, leaving almost 40 million barrels of Iranian oil stored on tankers at sea in Asia and seeking buyers.

 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits Iran

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an unannounced visit to Iran on Sunday and met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi. 

This is the second time that Assad visits Tehran since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011.

According to the Leader's office, Ayatollah Khamenei told Assad, who was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation, that Syria has won an international war. "Syria's credibility is much greater today than in the past," the Leader noted.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the resistance of the Syrian people and establishment and their victory in an international war promoted Syria's charisma and pride.

More than 100 countries, calling themselves friends of Syria, backed the opponents which were poised to overthrow the Syrian government. Some of these countries backed terrorist groups, which were active in Syria under different names.

Highlighting Syria's great military and political achievements, the Leader said today’s Syria is not comparable to the Syria before the war.

Today the president of Syria and the Syrian people are proud of the nations of the region, Ayatollah Khamenei.

The Leader added, “Some leaders of our and your neighboring countries meet and greet with the leaders of the Zionist regime and drink coffee together, but the people of these countries take to the streets on Quds Day and chant anti-Zionist slogans, and this is the reality of the region today.”

Pointing to several factors influencing the resistance and victory of Syria in the international war, the Leader told Assad, “One of the most important factors is your high morale and with this spirit, God willing, you can rebuild the ruins of the war because you have a great job ahead of you.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also commemorated the memory of the legendary commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, saying, “The great martyr had a special liking towards Syria and literally sacrificed his life for the country. His behavior in Syria was no different from his behavior in the eight-year Sacred Defense of Iran.”

General Soleimani was very influential in defeating terrorists in Syria through his unique commandership.

Ayatollah Khamenei said General Soleimani and other prominent members of the IRGC, including martyr Hossein Hamedani, really worked hard and viewed the issue of Syria as a “sacred duty and obligation”.

“This bond between Iran and Syria is vital for both countries and we should not let it weaken. On the contrary, we should strengthen it as much as possible,” Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.

The Leader also referring to expression of friendship and love of certain countries that were on the front line against Syria in previous years, suggesting Iran and Syria must clarify the path to future “with the benefit of hindsight.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also praised the morale and vivacity of the Syrian president as the basis for doing great things.

During the meeting, which was also attended by President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Assad thanked the position of Iran toward the Syria war and thanked the Iranian people and government for supporting his country in times of need.

The Syrian president pointed out that the ruins of the war in his country can be rebuilt, but if the foundations and principles had been destroyed, they could not be restored.

“The adherences of the Iranian nation to the principles of Imam Khomeini, which continued with your efforts, paved the way for the great victories of the Iranian nation and the people of the region, especially the Palestinian people,” Assad told Ayatollah Khamenei.

The Syrian president added that some people think that Iran's support for the Resistance Front is of military nature but the most important support and assistance of the Islamic Republic is to breathe the spirit of resistance and continuing it.

In conclusion, the Syrian president stressed that what has made the Zionist regime unable to rule the region is the strategic relations between Iran and Syria, which must continue with strength. Raisi said parts of Syria still under foreign occupation must be liberated

Speaking in a separate meeting with the Syrian President before noon on Sunday, President Raisi said, “What we are witnessing today in Western Asia, which is the result of the resistance of nations against domineering powers and aggressors, is what the Leader of the Islamic Revolution had predicted.”

Commemorating the martyrs of the resistance from Syria and Iran, including General Soleimani, and appreciating the bravery of the Islamic world’s fighters against terrorism, the president called Assad one of the figures of the Resistance Front “like his father.”

Referring to the political and security developments in the region in the last decade, Raisi emphasized, “The warriors of the resistance have proven that they are a reliable force for establishing stability and security in the region, including in Syria.”

Emphasizing the need for all countries to respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the president stated that Iran stood by the Syrian people and government when some Arab and non-Arab leaders in the region were betting on the time of the fall of the Syrian government.

Raisi went on to say that the bravery demonstrated by the Syrian Army, national defense forces and Resistance fighters in the region, especially Hezbollah, played a key role in uprooting Daesh and other terrorist groups that threatened the security of the entire region.

Raisi also expressed regret that important parts of the Syrian territory are still occupied by foreign forces, suggesting, “The whole of the Syrian land must be liberated from foreign occupiers. This occupation should not be subject to the passage of time, and the occupying forces and their mercenaries should be expelled.”

Referring to repeated aggressions of Israeli forces, the president stressed that the threats of the Israeli regime in the region should be addressed by “strengthening and diversifying the deterrence equations.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Raisi referred to the need to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two countries, emphasizing, “The serious will and desire of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to improve the level of cooperation and relations with Damascus, especially in economic and trade fields.”

For his part, Syrian president stressed the role of Iran in the fight against terrorism in the region, noting that his country is ready for broader coordination with Iran in security, political and economic fields.

The Syrian president added, “In the years of resistance and confrontation with Western and Takfiri aggressions, Iran was the only country that stood by us from the beginning.”

He described the relations between Syria and Iran as “strategic” and stated that developments in the region after a decade of war against the axis of resistance, have shown that resistance is effective and vibrant.

“We have shown that by working closely with the countries of the region, we can defeat the United States and the hegemons who claim to be superpowers, and today we are witnessing the collapse of the role of the United States in the Western Asia region,” Assad stated, adding that the world is witnessing the declining role of the United States in the region.

Elsewhere in the conversation, the Syrian president said, “Experience has shown that the coordination and interaction of countries in the region on various issues, including the Palestinian issue, has been very effective, and the success of the Palestinian resistance has shown that compromise by some Arab states has backfired.”

Thanking Iran’s support for the Syrian people in the war on terrorism, Assad said, “The Syrian people and government are grateful to the Iranian people and consider themselves committed and indebted to Iran.”