Iran threat to Britain, significant and rising

Iran poses a significant and wide-ranging threat to Britain and, while not in the same league as Russia or China, it is one which is rising and for which the British government is not fully prepared, British lawmakers said in a report released on Thursday, reports Reuters.

Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said the Iranian risk varied from physical attacks on and potential assassinations of dissidents and Jewish targets, to espionage, offensive cyber capabilities and its attempt to develop nuclear weapons."

Iran is there across the full spectrum of all the kinds of threats we have to be concerned with," the committee chair, Kevan Jones, said in a statement.

Although the evidence given to the committee concluded in August 2023, the lawmakers said their recommendations about action the government should take remained relevant and it is the latest message from the British authorities on the danger they say Tehran poses.

Last year, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said since January 2022, his service and British police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in the United Kingdom regarded by Tehran as a threat.

In March, Britain said it would require the Iranian state to register everything it does to exert political influence in Britain, subjecting Tehran to an elevated tier of scrutiny in light of what it said was increasingly aggressive activity.

British security services say Tehran uses criminal proxies to carry out its work in Britain, and the ISC said the threat to individuals was comparable to that posed by Russia.

In December, two Romanians were charged after a journalist working for a Persian language media organization in London was stabbed in the leg, while just last month three Iranian men appeared in court charged with assisting Iran's foreign intelligence service and plotting violence against journalists.

The ISC said the British government should fully examine whether it would be practicable to proscribe the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), an action for which some lawmakers have long called.

Macron calls for a new international order

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday urged the need for “a new international order” following the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Speaking at the "Meeting for Peace" organized by the Catholic Sant'Egidio community in Paris, he called on European leaders to prepare for a post-war reality that reevaluates the continent's organizational framework.

"We must be imaginative enough to think about the peace of tomorrow, a peace in Europe in a new form," Macron stated, advocating for an inclusive vision that transcends the current structures of the EU and NATO.

He emphasized the importance of a broader approach to cooperation and peace building, particularly concerning the Balkans and Europe’s geographical realities.

Macron criticized existing institutions like the UN, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) for not adequately reflecting the modern world.

"Our order today is incomplete and unjust. Many of the most populated countries did not exist when the seats were distributed," he remarked.

Addressing past criticisms of his approach to Russia, Macron reiterated the necessity of reconciling relations with the nation, albeit within a new organizational framework. He stressed that Europe needs to "rethink" its interactions with Russia in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In May 2022, shortly after the war began, Macron faced backlash for stating that Russia should not be "humiliated." His recent hesitance to rule out sending French troops to Ukraine has also drawn Western criticism.

Looking ahead, Macron plans to present his concerns at the UN General Assembly, advocating for global reforms to create “fairer” and more inclusive international institutions. “I will come back to this this week at the UN,” he stated, highlighting the urgency of these reforms.

In addition to addressing European security, Macron commented on the escalating conflicts in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza. He stressed that peace must be rooted in “coexistence” and the recognition of all individuals' rights to live peacefully.

As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, Israel’s offensive has resulted in over 41,400 deaths, primarily among women and children, and more than 95,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.

The conflict has displaced nearly the entire population of the territory, exacerbated by a blockade leading to severe shortages of essential supplies. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

Reemergence of ISIS in Oman

According to Reuters, Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shi'ite mosque in Oman. The reemergence of ISIS in Oman, attack on Shi'ite mosque and killing of large number of Pakistanis is a cause of grave concern. We refer to one of our blogs dated November 28, 2015 where effort was made to answer a key question, who is godfathering this most brutal group of killers? Even at that time we strongly believed that ISIS would have not become a phantom unless some of the countries were not supplying funds, trained mercenaries and above all the most lethal arms.

The terrorist threat can only be fought jointly and arriving at few consensuses is a must. These are: 1) the US must accept its defeat in Syria, it has destroyed the country but could not overthrow Assad, 2) the US must also stop supplying funds and arms to the ISIS, 3) the US and its allies must also stop buying stolen oil from ISIS. If all these measures are not taken immediately than the world will be right in assuming that ISIS is ‘B’ team of CIA and pentagon.

The immediate reply was provided by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who said that the US actions in the Middle East helped ISIS becoming the monster.

He also said that ISIS attained the present size due to irresponsible US politics that focused on fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad instead of joining efforts to root out terrorism.

Lately, President Barack Obama said that Russia has to make a strategic choice as Assad can’t stay in power. This statement is a challenge to Russia who openly defies any and every attempt to depose Assad.

No one has a doubt that the US is godfathering ISIS; it has earlier godfathered al-Qaeda, which led to the armed assault against Afghanistan and Iraq. Ironically both the countries were not involved in 9/11 attacks in any manner what so ever.

Medvedev and Obama met in the Malaysian capital at the East Asia Summit that followed a week of talks and conferences in Asia dominated by the battle against terrorism. The UN unanimously endorsed a resolution calling the member countries to take all necessary measures to combat ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Obama said the US and its allies must go ahead with their battle against ISIS in Syria and Iraq with or without Russia’s cooperation.

Obama made two policy statements: 1) Russia has not officially committed to a transition of Assad moving out but they did agree to a political transition process and 2) we’ll find out over the next several weeks whether or not we can bring about that change in perspective with the Russians.

Medvedev has rightly said that global cooperation in fighting terrorism can only be successful if all actions are coordinated and sponsored by international institutions like the UN. He said this after a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in Kuala Lumpur.

Ban urged Russia and the US to cooperate in fighting terrorism, adding he would unveil a plan early next year. However, Obama categorically said that the US and its allies will press ahead with their battle against ISIS with or without Russia’s cooperation.