Iran issues warning on US provocative presence in Persian Gulf

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a warning against the provocative escalation of the US military presence in the Persian Gulf, saying that it is taking place just when regional nations are mending fences.

Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that instability in the Persian Gulf region serves the interests of littoral states.

Talking to reporters at a weekly press conference, Kanaani stressed that the security of the region, especially that of the Persian Gulf waterway, must be ensured within the region itself by the Persian Gulf states. It is a general principle.

The United States has sent new fighter jets and destroyers to the Persian Gulf, especially at a time that Iran and Arab countries on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf are taking steps to open a new chapter in ties.

“Coinciding with growing convergence among regional countries, we hear claims made by the US government and witness an increase of its military forces, a measure that is provocative. However, we are optimistic that cooperation between the countries of the region will advance faster,” Kanaani added.

He also reiterated how very important the Persian Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz are to Iran’s security, stressing that the Iranian Navy will respond to any illegal activity in the area professionally and legally.

The spokesperson also addressed allegations that a container of Iranian crude oil that the US had confiscated was unloading off the Texas coast.

“I read the story in the media and I have no confirmed information. There is a general principle that says the era of hit-and-run is over. Iran will not stand idly by in relation to any violation of the nation’s rights and will cut the hands of the aggressors,” he remarked.

Kanaani also said that the acts of trespassing on tankers carrying Iranian oil are a clear example of piracy.”

In response to a recent move according to which the US agreed to release Iranian funds blocked in South Korea, Kanaani also stated that Washington was forced to acknowledge Iran’s rights.

“The release of Iran’s assets comes at a time when the US tries to block them by imposing unilateral sanctions. However, we forced the United States to pay attention to Iran’s rights through our good diplomatic and legal efforts,” he added. 

After former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reinstituted economic sanctions on Tehran, South Korea blocked US$6 billion of Iranian oil revenues. They resisted releasing them under pressure from the US.

He averred that a maximum framework of two months has been specified for the process, stating that Iran is working hard to get its assets released from Iraq.

Part of the process has been completed, he added.

Also, he ruled out the possibility of any meeting between the Iranian and U.S. presidents on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York, saying, “Such a plan is not on the agenda.”

He emphasized that indirect negotiations between Iran and the US are taking place in relation to a number of specific matters, such as the exchange of prisoners and the release of Iran’s foreign assets.

 

Goldman sees US shutdown over spending “more likely than not”

The United States government looks "more likely than not" to shut down later this year due to political differences on spending that could temporarily hit economic growth, Goldman Sachs analysts said in a research note.

The Goldman economics analysts said prior shutdowns - which occur if Congress fails to pass annual spending bills - have stemmed either from disagreement on the level or distribution of spending, or a dispute over other issues that one party wants to address in spending legislation.

"At the moment, both types of risks are in play," Goldman said in the note.

A broad government shutdown stands to directly reduce growth by around 0.15 percentage points for each week it lasts, while the reduction could be 0.2 percentage points a week when including a modest impact in the private sector, according to Goldman.

However, the analysts said, in the quarter following the government reopening, growth would rise by the same amount.

Markets have not had strong reactions to three past shutdowns, in 1995-96, 2013, and 2018-19, according to the note.

Equity markets were flat or up at the end of those shutdowns, though in each instance equity prices were lower at some point in the days following the start of the shutdown than when it began, the analysts wrote, while the 10-year Treasury yield declined more consistently after the start of the shutdowns.

The Goldman analysts said a shutdown is not a foregone conclusion, pointing to support for a temporary extension after the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2023.

They also noted that compared to the severe macroeconomic impact of a failure to raise the US debt limit, the less dramatic economic effect of a shutdown also makes it more likely that Congress fails to act in time.

Iran natural gas export on the rise

According to the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Iran’s natural gas exports in the current Iranian calendar year increased by 16% as compared to the previous year.

According to Majid Chegeni, the country’s annual liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exports also registered a 22% increase this year, IRNA reported.

“Since the beginning of the 13th government tenure, more than 5,297 villages with 307,000 households and 41 cities with 94,000 households have been connected to the national gas network,” he said.

He further noted that currently more than 98.6% of the country’s urban population and 86.3% of the rural population enjoy natural gas through the national network.

According to Chegeni, since the beginning of the 13th government’s administration (August 2021), more than 680 trillion rials (US$1.4 billion) has been invested in different areas and sectors of the gas industry (rural and urban gas supply projects, gas transmission lines and pressure boosting stations, refineries and research affairs).

The official further mentioned some of NIGC’s priority projects, saying, “Strengthening the gas network in the northeast of the country is one of the most important projects of the National Iranian Gas Company.”

He pointed to the smartening of the gas distribution network as another priority project of the National Iranian Gas Company and added, “The implementation of this project is one of the legal duties and responsibilities of the NIGC.”

“Last year, the consultant contractor of the project was selected, and soon the project will be implemented as a pilot in six provinces, and after that, the project will be implemented throughout the country, and we hope to be able to distribute 27 million smart gas meters across the country,” he explained.

US must reduce aid to Israel, says Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy, a long-shot contender for the Republican presidential nomination, said in an interview that the United States should reduce its aid to Israel.

In an interview on Rumble, a platform popular with far-right viewers, Ramaswamy said Israel should not get more aid than its Middle Eastern neighbors after 2028, the year that the current US aid package of US$38 billion expires.

Later on Friday, he was referred to as a promising candidate by Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk reacted to a post shared by former FOX News presenter Tucker Carlson showing a clip from an interview conducted with Ramaswamy.

"Vivek Ramaswamy is the youngest Republican presidential candidate ever. He's worth listening to," Carlson wrote on X.

He said that he would expand the Abraham Accords, the normalization deals between Israel and Arab countries. After Israel is more integrated with its neighboring countries, Ramaswamy said, Israel should be able to stand on its own two feet financially.

“Come 2028, that additional aid won’t be necessary in order to still have the kind of stability that we’d actually have in the Middle East by having Israel more integrated in with its partners,” he said.

The policy point separates Ramaswamy from his two main rivals vying for the nomination — Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, who are staunch supporters of Israel and its military. But it puts him in line with a growing number of voices from across the ideological spectrum who says Israel should no longer get as much from the United States as it has.

Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur, and investor, appeared on comedian-turned-podcaster Russell Brand’s video show on Rumble. The comments on aid to Israel were a response to a viewer's question.

He argued that Israel should not receive preferential treatment from the United States, even though our relationship with Israel has advanced American interests over time. “There’s no North Star commitment to any one country, other than the United States of America,” Ramaswamy said.

Ramaswamy’s popularity is on the rise and he is now close behind DeSantis in national polls. A Fox News survey published Wednesday found 11% of respondents support him, compared to 16% for DeSantis and 53% for Trump.

Ramaswamy mentioned Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Indonesia as countries he would target as Abraham Accords partners; while Saudi Arabia is deep in negotiations with Israel and the United States about a possible Israel treaty, Oman recently criminalized relations of any kind with Israel. Indonesia is also noted for its high levels of antisemitism — FIFA, the world soccer body, this year moved its under-20 World Cup from Indonesia to Argentina after the Southeast Asian nation protested Israel’s inclusion in the event.

US aid to Israel has become more of a campaign issue over the past two presidential contests. In the lead-up to the 2020 election, prominent Democrats such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought up the idea of conditioning at least some aid over Israel’s policies, particularly those involving the Palestinians.

In May, Betsy McCollum, a longtime critic of Israel policy, re-introduced a bill that would condition US aid to Israel. Sixteen progressive House representatives co-sponsored the bill, including other prominent Israel critics such as Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Pramila Jayapal.

More recently, centrists and people on the right have joined in openly considering reducing aid to Israel, though for different reasons. Last month, New York Times columnist Nick Kristof floated ending aid to Israel entirely.

Ramaswamy — who had before his campaign been a leading defender of Donald Trump in his ongoing indictment crises — has also indicated he would pull back funding and military support for other allies, including Ukraine and Taiwan.

He told Jewish Insider in June that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had allowed Jews and other minorities to be mistreated during the country’s war with Russia, Zelensky himself is Jewish.

 

 

 

 

 

US steps to destabilize Hasina government not positive for South Asia

This morning I was not surprised to read an Indian claim that the US indulgence in destabilizing Hasina’s Government in Bangladesh could destabilize South Asia. People around the world can recall the US was also accused of toppling Imran Khan Government in Pakistan.

India has conveyed to the United States that the way various steps are being taken by the US to destabilize the Hasina Government was not positive for the overall security of India as a neighboring country and South Asia as a whole, reports Anandabazar Patrika.

India is not happy with the current role of the United States centering the upcoming elections in Bangladesh and this message has also been conveyed to Washington, said the newspaper published from Kolkata.

In next three weeks, US president Joe Biden and Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina will share the same stage in New Delhi as they will attend G20 Leaders Summit.

Before that, this message from India is considered to be significant enough, according to Anandabazar.

South Block (the seat of India’s external affairs ministry) thinks that if Jamaat-e-Islami is given ‘political concession’ Dhaka will be taken over by fundamentalism in the near future, reads the report that also mentioned that the liberal environment that exists will no longer exist.

According to diplomatic sources, New Delhi communicated this to the Biden administration at multiple levels of meetings.

According to the diplomatic camp, the security system of the entire region has turned upside down after the decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan. India’s Northeast Frontier region is in a dangerous situation said the report.

The Taliban is now at the peak of power in Afghanistan.

It is believed that the US made a closed-door deal with Afghanistan without considering its women, children and minorities, and is now facing the consequences.

The Ministry of External Affairs feels that America’s policy towards Kabul as well as India’s other neighbours is increasing New Delhi’s discomfort with questions of national interest, said the report.

Bangladesh has the longest land border with India. As a result, any adverse situation in that country affects India as well.

Quoting the sources, the report mentioned that New Delhi has told the Biden administration that if the Jamaat is patronized to grow, India’s cross-border terrorism can increase and China’s influence in Bangladesh will increase a lot, which is not desired by Washington.

It is believed that America always tries to show Jamaat as an Islamic political organization.

America compared Jamaat with the Muslim Brotherhood. But in reality, the report said, New Delhi is in no doubt that the Jamaat is in the hands of radical fundamentalist organizations and Pakistan.

The Biden administration has announced a separate visa policy for Bangladesh only.

According to sources, New Delhi does not think it is justified at all.

As a result of this new visa policy, those who try to disrupt the upcoming elections in Bangladesh will not be allowed to enter America.

The diplomatic camp feels that the American administration directly interfered with the internal politics of Bangladesh by applying its own country’s laws and adopting a separate visa policy for that country, reads the report.

Recently, a five-member delegation of Bangladesh Awami League visited New Delhi and held meetings with the top leadership of BJP and the ministers of the central government.

There, they also gave a message that the BNP-Jamaat alliance is dangerous in terms of maintaining regional stability.

Leader of the delegation Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque held a positive meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister  S Jaishankar.

Right after that meeting, he said, “We told India that regional stability is important for both countries. The government led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to not allowing the soil of Bangladesh to be used for anti-India activities.”

 

If ECOWAS takes military action against Niger

The West African regional bloc says it has agreed on a "D-Day" for military intervention in Niger to restore the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) made the declaration at the end of a two-day meeting of West African army chiefs in Ghana's capital Accra, where they have been carefully discussing the logistics and strategy for a possible use of force in Niger.

ECOWAS has not disclosed a date for when a military intervention will take place, saying it will resort to the use of force if diplomatic efforts fail. The 15-member bloc has insisted that it will not be holding endless talks with the military rulers. The bloc did, however, say that any military action would be considered as a last resort.

"We are ready to go anytime the order is given," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said during the closing ceremony. 

"The D-Day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose."

Musah has said that a peaceful resolution remains the bloc's preferred option in the path ahead. 

"As we speak we are still readying (a) mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door... (but) we are not going to engage in endless dialogue."

There was no immediate response from the defiant military rulers in Niger, who have insisted they will defend their country against any foreign aggression. 

Critics have accused the United States and France of fueling the prospects of war to maintain their military presence in Niger. They also accuse the US of driving a wedge between Niger and its neighbor Nigeria. 

Niger’s military officers deposed President Bazoum on July 26 and have strongly defied calls from ECOWAS and Western leaders, in particular the United States and former colonial power France, to reinstate Bazoum, prompting ECOWAS to order a standby force to be assembled.

The military in Niger has said they have gained enough evidence to prosecute Bazoum for high treason and undermining the security of the country. 

“The Nigerian government has so far gathered enough evidence to prosecute the deposed President and his local and foreign accomplices before the competent national and international bodies for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger,” a Colonel-Major said on state TV. 

The new military leaders have formed a new government with a civilian prime minister. 

They have also slammed former colonial power France for meddling in their country’s domestic affairs and fueling instability while demanding all French forces leave their country immediately. 

Critics have accused the United States of using the pretext of fighting extremist militants to plunder Niger’s natural resources, such as its vast uranium, which is used for nuclear energy and amounts to around seven percent of the world reserves, as well as the country’s oil reserves. 

The military leaders have accused the United States and France, both of whom have military bases stationed in Niger – in an agreement with deposed President Bazoum – of increasing insecurity and stability in their country. 

There have been demonstrations in support of the military, with protesters holding up signs against France and ECOWAS; but the African bloc has refused to take the use of force off the table. 

"We've already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention," Musah said, declining to share how many troops would be deployed, which states will contribute and other strategic information.

According to ECOWAS, most of its 15 member states are prepared to contribute to the joint force with the exception of those already under military rule such as Mali and Burkina Faso as well as Guinea and Cape Verde.

In a sign of how fragile the situation could become, Mali and Burkina Faso have stated that any military intervention in Niger would be considered a “declaration of war” against their nations. This could see a military coalition between the three nations that could drag any ECOWAS military intervention beyond Niger’s borders. 

Neighboring state Algeria has also expressed its opposition to the use of force. Russia has taken a similar position. 

Some analysts have pointed out that ECOWAS’s credibility is at stake because it had warned that it would not tolerate any further coups in West Africa. 

"The decision is that the coup in Niger is one coup too many for the region, and we are putting a stop to it at this time, we are drawing the line in the sand," Musah said.

Any armed intervention would spell further turmoil for West Africa's impoverished Sahel region, which is already battling a decade-old militancy and a deepening hunger crisis.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continue. 

An Islamic delegation from Nigeria met with Niger’s military last week, in a move that was warmly welcomed by peace advocates. 

The United Nations special envoy for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, held talks with the military’s new civilian prime minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine on Friday. 

Simao said in comments broadcast on Niger's state television that he wanted to listen to the coup leader’s point of view "to study together a way for the country to return as quickly as possible to constitutional normality and legality too. We are convinced that it is always possible with dialogue."

The prospects of another conflict erupting in West Africa, this time between African states, could make the volatile region very vulnerable. 

Regional nations are already battling extremist militants with links to Daesh and al-Qaeda terrorist groups in the Sahel. 

Experts say the regional states themselves should take the leading role in defeating these terrorists, who have not only wreaked havoc and insecurity but also brought about a humanitarian crisis. 

Mali and Burkina Faso have already kicked out the armed forces of former French colonial power, saying the presence of the foreign forces only increased instability on their land. 

Analysts have pointed to the evidence so far that the presence of Western powers such as the United States and France has done little to bring security to the region. 

They also argue that France and the US are seeking to drive a wedge between Niger and its neighbors, especially the African powerhouse Nigeria.  

A point of view is also shared by the local population who have taken to the streets in large numbers in support of the military officers in Niger. 

There are also widespread fears that any military intervention would spell a wider humanitarian and refugee crisis, with many experts arguing that the last thing West Africa needs right now is another fresh armed conflict.

 

US proxy war in Ukraine: Keeping Moscow preoccupied to orchestrate moves against China

The United States always wanted to lock Moscow into a costly military quagmire with the goal of weakening Russia, and to this day it openly boasts about all this war is doing to advance US interests.

United States has kept this war going, using Ukrainian bodies as a giant sponge to soak up as many expensive military explosives as possible to drain Russian coffers while advancing US energy interests in Europe. The sole purpose is to keep Moscow preoccupied while the United States orchestrates its next move against China.

Last month The Washington Post’s David Ignatius wrote an article explaining why westerners shouldn’t feel gloomy about how things are going in Ukraine, writing the following about how much this war is doing to benefit US interests overseas.

“Meanwhile, for the United States and its NATO allies, these 18 months of war have been a strategic windfall, at relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians). The West’s most reckless antagonist has been rocked. NATO has grown much stronger with the additions of Sweden and Finland. Germany has weaned itself from dependence on Russian energy and, in many ways, rediscovered its sense of values. NATO squabbles make headlines, but overall, this has been a triumphal summer for the alliance.”

Everyone who has been supporting this horrifying proxy war should have that paragraph tattooed on their forehead