After striking a security deal that opened the door to political normalization between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Shamkhani eyes security upgrades with UAE

After striking a security deal that opened the door to political normalization between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Shamkhani eyes security upgrades with UAE

    Thursday, March 16, 2023   No comments

The UAE National Security Adviser, also self-described as the architect of UAE national security, Tahnoon Bin Zayed, confirmed during the reception of the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, in the UAE, on Thursday, that cooperation with "strong Iran" is very important for the UAE. 

Tahnoun bin Zayed said, as quoted by the official Iranian news agency IRNA, that "cooperation and friendship with the great and powerful country of Iran is very important and one of the priorities."

The Emirati adviser added that "the development of fraternal relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran is one of the priorities of the United Arab Emirates", stressing that "the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is a building block in the expansion of peace, stability and sustainable security in the region".

He continued: "I hope that Admiral Shamkhani's visit will be a turning point in the relations between the two countries and the development of cooperation between them", adding that cooperation and friendship with Iran is one of the priorities of the Emirates.

For my part, the Secretary of the Supreme Council of National Security of Iran considered this trip to the Emirates "a useful start for the two countries to enter a new stage" in political, economic and security relations.

Shamkhani said that "cooperation and rapprochement should be replaced by enmity and distance" in order to overcome the challenges that cannot be sustained in the interest of the countries of the region.

Earlier today, Shamkhani asserted, before leaving Tehran for Abu Dhabi, that "Tehran's goal in neighboring diplomacy is to create a strong region".

And at the end of 2021, the Minister of National Security of the UAE visited the Iranian capital, Tehran, and met with Shamkhani, in response to the latter's invitation.

A few days ago, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced their agreement to resume diplomatic relations and open embassies between the two countries within two months.

Shamkhani also met the president of UAE, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

   

Saudi Arabia will stop oil supplies to countries that set a price ceiling on its oil

Saudi Arabia will stop oil supplies to countries that set a price ceiling on its oil

    Thursday, March 16, 2023   No comments

In another guesture in support of Russia and dismiss of EU actions, Saudi Arabia announced that it will stop oil supplies to countries that set a price ceiling on its oil

This was stated by the Minister of Energy of the Kingdom, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.

In his view, price ceilings set for a country or a group of countries, for oil or any other commodity, will lead to individual or collective responses with serious consequences.

"So if there is a price cap on Saudi oil exports, we will not sell oil to any country that imposes a price cap on our supplies, and we will cut oil production, and I would not be surprised if others do the same," he said. the minister said.

The Saudi Energy Minister, Abdulaziz bin Salman, and the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, confirmed during their meeting in Riyadh, today, Thursday, their countries’ commitment to the decision taken by “OPEC +” to reduce oil production by two million barrels per day until the end of 2023.

The Saudi Press Agency, "SPA", stated that bin Salman and Novak discussed the conditions of the global oil market, and the efforts of the "OPEC +" group aimed at "enhancing market stability and balance."

The two sides affirmed their countries' commitment to the decision taken by the "OPEC +" group, last October, to reduce production by two million barrels per day until the end of 2023, and the continuation of cooperation between the two countries, within the framework of the group, to enhance the stability and balance of the global market.

A few days ago, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Energy Affairs, Jose Fernandez, called on oil-producing countries, including the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), to "increase the quantities of crude supplied in the markets."

And in early October 2022, “OPEC +” decided to reduce its production by two million barrels per day, at a level that it has not changed since then.

It is noteworthy that the American "The Intercept" website had previously stated, quoting informed Saudi sources, that Riyadh had pressured to cut oil production twice more than what Russian President Vladimir Putin had requested.

On October 14, a spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, John Kirby, said that "more than one member" of "OPEC +", without specifying them, disagreed about the size of the cut, but Saudi Arabia forced them to agree to it.

 

US Senator Roger Marshall: "The greatest long-term threat the United States faces is our national debt"

US Senator Roger Marshall: "The greatest long-term threat the United States faces is our national debt"

    Thursday, March 16, 2023   No comments

A statement that was true for almost all previous empires, is now discovered to apply to the US: "The greatest long-term threat the United States faces is our national debt". That is the conclusion of a US Senator Roger Marshall.

"I’m often asked what's the greatest threat our nation faces and I'm here to tell you [that] it's not Russia. It's not China. It's not North Korea. It's not Iran. And no, I love the environment, it's not climate change.  The greatest long-term threat the United States faces is our national debt of $31 trillion and growing," Marshall told the US Senate Budget Committee.

Reportedly, according to Marshall, President Joe Biden has spent more than any other president in US history during his first 20 months in office.

He adds that energy prices have risen by more than 37%, home heating fuel by more than 52%, electricity prices by more than 23%, gasoline by more than 45%, and groceries by more than 19% during the Biden administration.

 

Lessons from history support this point of view: almost all major empires collapsed under the weight of crushing debt, not due to outside military threats.

   

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: will not meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: will not meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria

    Thursday, March 16, 2023   No comments

Hours after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced that he will not meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria, Turkish officials called off a low level meeting among representives of the four states, Iran, Russia, Turkiye, and Syria. 

The Syrian president announced that he will not meet with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria.

Assad said that "(any assembly) is related to reaching the stage of Turkey's formation, in which it is clearly and without any ambiguity ready for the complete withdrawal from Syrian territory".

The Syrian president added that Turkey has "stopped supporting terrorism", referring to the militant groups that control the northern regions of Syria, some of which receive training and support from Turkey.

Assad added: "This is the only situation in which there can be a meeting between Erdoğan and Erdoğan."

He added questioningly: "Other than that, what is the value of the meeting if it does not achieve final results for the war in Syria?"

A source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the meeting of deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Syria, which was scheduled for this week, has been postponed to a date yet to be determined.

And the source said that the meeting was postponed "for technical reasons", I don't know the details.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had mentioned last week that the deputy foreign ministers of the four countries will meet this week in Moscow before scheduled talks between the foreign ministers at a later date in order to resolve the crisis in Syria.

Cavishoglu said, after meeting Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian last week, that Iran expressed its desire to join the talks between Turkey, Syria and Russia, and that Turkey agreed to it.

In this context, the Turkish Anatolia Agency pointed out that the meeting of deputy ministers would be held on March 15 and 16.

Turkey has troops in Syria and continues to supports and/or supplies armed groups controlled the northwest of Syria and a strip in the north, the rest of the territories outside the government control remain under the US and Kurdish forces; as the map below shows.

New opinion polls show that the opposition candidate for the Turkish presidency, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by more than 10 percentage points ahead of the May 14 elections

New opinion polls show that the opposition candidate for the Turkish presidency, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by more than 10 percentage points ahead of the May 14 elections

    Tuesday, March 14, 2023   No comments

Opinion polls show that the opposition bloc, which is called the Nation Alliance, leads the parliamentary race, by at least six points, from the Justice and Development Party, led by current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his allies.

New opinion polls show that opposition candidate for the Turkish presidency, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is leading President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by more than 10 percentage points ahead of the May 14 elections.

Opinion polls published by Reuters show that the opposition bloc, called the Nation Alliance, leads the presidential race, by at least six points, over Erdogan's Justice and Development Party and its allies.

An opinion poll published by Aksoy Research, conducted on March 8, showed that Kilicdaroglu is leading against Erdogan by 55.6% and 44.4%, respectively.

It showed that the main opposition bloc received 44.1% of the vote, and the Peoples' Democratic Party 10.3%. As for the Justice and Development Party and its nationalist allies from the National Movement Party, they got 38.2%.

A poll conducted by Alf Research from March 6 to 7 showed that Kilicdaroglu's rate was 55.1%, and Erdogan's 44.9%. The Republican People's Party, led by Davutoğlu, was the most popular with 31.8%, while the Justice and Development Party came next with 31%.

The poll showed that the main opposition bloc got 43.5% of the vote, while the Peoples' Democratic Party got 11.3%. Likewise, the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party together received 37.5% support.

Piar Research showed Kilicdaroglu winning with 57.1%, while Erdogan was behind with 42.9%.

ORC research showed Kilicdaroglu ahead with 56.8% and Erdogan with 43.2%, according to a poll conducted March 4-6, before the official announcement of Davutoglu as the opposition candidate.

There is no doubt that the earthquakes had an impact on the popularity of the Justice and Development Party, as it appeared in a survey conducted by the "Metropoll" company, that 34.4% of people blamed the government for the losses during the earthquake, while 26.9% blamed the contractors, and the municipalities third, 15.4%.

"Arab passengers being removed from the buses even if they had blue ID cards" is not a new, isolated event

"Arab passengers being removed from the buses even if they had blue ID cards" is not a new, isolated event

    Tuesday, March 14, 2023   No comments

 Arab passengers being removed from the buses even if they had blue ID cards is not a new, isolated event taking place now under the most extremist regime. Bus segregation is just a sample of what apartheid systems do.

The government of Israel has been discriminating against Palestinians since it was founded. Segregation in busses and public transportation has been done for more than a decade at least, as these sample references show. What is new is who is carrying out these politicies now.

The head of an Israeli settlement in the West Bank said that he directed that Arab passengers be disembarked from buses even if they hold a blue identity card (a permanent residency identity given to Palestinians from East Jerusalem).

This came in statements made by “Meir Rubinstein,” head of the “Beitar Illit” settlement, 10 km south of Jerusalem, to the ultra-Orthodox “Scobim” website, which was reported by the Hebrew “Wala” website.

"I ordered Arab passengers to be removed from the buses even if they had blue ID cards," Rubinstein said.

He added that he insisted on his decision despite the request of the Israeli police and the Ministry of Defense to retract the decision.

And "Rubinstein" went on: "We stopped the buses at the entrance to the city (the settlement) and dropped off dozens of Palestinians with blue ID cards."

On Thursday, residents of Beitar Illit were instructed to stay in their homes for fear of a Palestinian infiltration into the city, after an explosive device was found in a bag left inside a bus in the settlement.

Last year, Rubinstein was arrested on suspicion of being involved in a murder in Jerusalem in 1990, but he was later released due to lack of evidence, according to the same source.

Recently, the racist approach of the Israeli right towards the Palestinians in the West Bank has escalated dramatically, which was evident, including in at least two attacks launched by settlers last February on the town of Hawara in the northern West Bank, which resulted in the death of a Palestinian and the injury of dozens, as well as the burning of homes, cars and property. , amid Arab and international condemnation.

  

How the US aggressive, political, and inhumane use of sanctions could turn sanctions into a liability

How the US aggressive, political, and inhumane use of sanctions could turn sanctions into a liability

    Monday, March 13, 2023   No comments

The basic principle behind the use of sanctions is this: short of changing the behavior of rogue governments by force (war), and to protect the people from their belligerent unrepresentative governments, responsible governments should use economic tools to bring such governments into compliance. Sounds reasonable enough.

In practice, however, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union, sanctions have been used to isolate and punish governments that do not further the political and economic interests of the Western bloc, regardless of whether they are representative, elected governments or not. By the same logic, governments that are unelected, abusive to the rights of their citizens, but who join the Western bloc are not only immune to Western sanctions, but they are also shielded by Western governments from any criticism even by NGOs.

Such a disconnect between the principled sanctions and the politically driven sanctions is bound to grow beyond ambiguity, unmasked the inhumane, ineffective, self-interested use of sanctions turning it into an effective tool, or even a tool against those who have exploited.

First, when sanctions are deployed with ease against any government, the large number of sanctioned governments around the world could unite to counter the effects of sanctions allowing them to function as a default bloc against the sanctioning side.

The near unanimous Western support of Ukraine against Russia during the ongoing armed conflict, which in reality started in 2014, placed pressure on many countries to take side. Those who took the side or Russia or remained neutral were subjected to sanctions, including Russia and China—the two major global powers in the world. The sheer large number of states impacted by sanctions made it possible for these countries to unite to counteract the effects of sanctions. This is the context in which Belarus finds it way to Iran, culminating the historic visit of the Belarusian president to Tehran this week to sign many strategic agreements between the two countries.

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi affirmed that the agreements signed by Iran and Belarus, during the visit of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Tehran today, are fruitful, expressing Tehran's readiness to put its expertise in recent years at the service of Minsk.

Raisi said, during a joint press conference with Lukashenko following the signing of a joint cooperation map between the two countries, that "the agreements that were signed are fruitful and we hope to take good steps in developing relations between the two countries."

 

He added, "Iran intends to expand bilateral relations with Belarus in international organizations."

 

He continued, "We are ready to put our expertise during the past period in the service of Belarus, and the two countries are determined to strengthen their relations in all fields."

 

In turn, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko affirmed that the sanctions imposed on Belarus and Iran represent an opportunity to develop relations between them, stressing the depth of trust between the two countries.

 

"I hope that the road map signed today will help expand relations between the two countries in the long run," Lukashenko said.

 

And the Belarusian state agency Belta reported that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi signed a comprehensive cooperation roadmap between the two countries for the period 2023-2026 after their talks in Tehran.

 

"The roadmap provides for comprehensive cooperation between Belarus and Iran in the political, economic, consular, scientific and technical fields, as well as in the fields of education, culture, arts, media and tourism," the statement said.

 

An agreement was reached on the development and preparation of the document during the meeting between Lukashenko and my president in September 2021 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

 

Earlier, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei discussed, with his Iranian counterpart, Hussein Amir Abdollahian, ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in conditions of sanctions, and mutual support in international organizations.

 

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that the two sides affirmed "the common interest in building trade and economic cooperation to face the pressures of sanctions," and focusing on the positive dynamics in developing bilateral relations.

 

Jordan: “elite” calls for a “quick review” and sending an “ambassador to Iran.”

Jordan: “elite” calls for a “quick review” and sending an “ambassador to Iran.”

    Sunday, March 12, 2023   No comments

A prominent journalist writer in Jordan called for stopping the case of courtesy of parties in favor of other parties and giving priority to the language of interests, which has become the basis for alliances, friendships and relations between countries among them today, indicating that the resumption of normal relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia shuffled all the cards in the region and may be mixed in the world.

Writer Muhammad Hassan al-Tal spoke in a bold article about the need to stop the policy of Jordanian diplomacy within the framework of courtesies at the expense of private and national interests.

In the article he published on his website and the Ammon newspaper, he said that Oman had earlier withdrawn its ambassador from Tehran to appease Riyadh after a well-known incident. Muhammad al-Tal considered this in his article a form of courtesy in favor of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He said that political positioning today assumes that Jordanian diplomacy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will review the policies of appeasement and courtesy in international relations, hinting that Jordanian diplomacy in the past had great weight in bringing points of view closer together.

It seemed clear that the sudden announcement of the resumption of relations in the bosom of a major country in the world such as China between Tehran and Riyadh was a shock to many Jordanian political and media elites, especially in light of the conviction that Jordan continued to compliment Saudi Arabia at the expense of its own interest when it came to withdrawing its ambassador seven years ago in protest against The burning of the Saudi consulate in southern Iran.

In any case, Al-Tal's article was not the only one. It talked about a necessary review that has now become the performance of Jordanian diplomacy, the former Minister of Culture and Youth, who is also a prominent writer and researcher, Dr. Muhammad Abu Rumman.

By most estimates, calls are issued in the Jordanian Parliament soon after the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to reconsider the diplomatic formula that Jordan or the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually follows in formulating relations and alliances.

It is most likely that the Iranian-Saudi agreement, which the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not know anything specific about, rather the Jordanian government was surprised by it. The formula and equation on which relations between Jordan and the rest of the countries are established.

  A lot of sharp critical considerations have recently appeared in the Jordanian media for the performance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Minister Ayman Safadi, especially after the so-called security summit in Aqaba.

Which failed on the one hand, and senior writers very close to the authorities appeared within the framework of this call for review and criticism. A prominent article by the well-known writer and political historian Ahmed Salama had talked exclusively about what he called Ayman Safadi's adventure at the Aqaba summit.

In any case, the acceleration of events today in the region constitutes a violent pressure on Jordanian diplomacy, especially since the boycott with Iran was practically neither justified nor understood. For more than seven years, Minister Safadi was insisting behind the scenes not to name a new ambassador after the previous minister was Dr. Abdullah Abu Rumman. The last appointed ambassador of Jordan to the Iranian Republic, but he was later appointed to an Asian country and did not leave to take up his duties in Tehran.

Surprising Saudi Arabia, its pace has become very fast. Rather, it surprises Jordanian institutions from time to time. What shows the lack of coordination or exchange of information is that the political relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia are practically in an incomprehensible cold state for more than two years, as there are no high connections, no investment support, and no coordination in files. raised and basic.

As the general feeling seemed to consider the absence of relations with Iran and the negative relations with Saudi Arabia as among the main elements that reveal Jordan's back and confirm the error of its diplomatic calculations.

Rather, it weakens it, as stated in the decisions and recommendations of a closed symposium held recently in the Dead Sea in front of the Israeli right-wing government and the dangers of adapting to it, although relations between Jordan and the region seem balanced, but they are confused with Iraq, hesitant with the Syrian regime, and bad with Saudi Arabia.

And it raises controversy by virtue of its alliance with a country like the Emirates, which has many problems with Qatar, and the challenges here in front of Jordanian diplomacy have become great, and the spotlight is exclusively on Minister Ayman Safadi, and the search situation has intensified for a new approach in Jordanian diplomacy after the Iranian-Saudi relations.

Emir of Kuwait: The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is an important step towards achieving regional and international security and stability, and it will be in the interest of the peoples of the region

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, confirmed today, Sunday, that the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is an important step to achieve regional and international security and stability.

This came in two congratulatory telegrams sent by the Emir of Kuwait to both Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, in which he expressed his sincere congratulations on the tripartite joint statement issued by Saudi Arabia, Iran and China regarding Riyadh and Tehran reaching an agreement that includes agreeing to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries. and reopen their embassies.

Al-Sabah praised the keenness of the two countries and their joint endeavor, which was embodied through this constructive and important agreement, which is an important step towards achieving regional and international security, stability and prosperity, and advancing cooperation between the two countries in the interest of all the peoples and countries of the region.

Global Media Review for March 1-10, 2023

Global Media Review for March 1-10, 2023

    Saturday, March 11, 2023   No comments

 We cull through more than 340 media outlets to identify stories about the most consequential events, so you don't have to.

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Media Review: The New York Times: The Tehran-Riyadh Agreement In Beijing Is A Great Loss For Washington's Interests

     Friday, March 10, 2023   No comments

 A report in the American New York Times spoke about the issue of the Iranian-Saudi rapprochement, which came after Chinese mediation, on the basis of which the first...

Brokered By Chinese Diplomacy, National Security Apparatuses In Iran And Saudi Arabia Greenlight The Resumption Of Diplomatic Relations Between The Two Countries

     Friday, March 10, 2023   No comments

China’s quiet diplomacy in the Middle East turned a low-level conflict with Iran into a consequential development that could change the trajectory of region.For months...

Russia’s Former President Reviews News About The Attack On Nord Stream As A Bad Movie: Made People Feel As If They Ate Pork Knuckle With Beer

     Thursday, March 09, 2023   No comments

Days after China made fun of Western intelligence revelation about the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, Russia’s former president reviews news about the attack on...

Is The West Losing The Propaganda War To China? "Is The [Pro-Ukraine Group] Named Biden Administration?"

     Wednesday, March 08, 2023   No comments

Researchers who monitor the global media will not miss the fact that Chinese media has been more focused these days on

Media Review: The New York Times: The Tehran-Riyadh agreement in Beijing is a great loss for Washington's interests

Media Review: The New York Times: The Tehran-Riyadh agreement in Beijing is a great loss for Washington's interests

    Friday, March 10, 2023   No comments

 A report in the American New York Times spoke about the issue of the Iranian-Saudi rapprochement, which came after Chinese mediation, on the basis of which the first meeting between the two parties was held in Beijing today, Friday.

And the American report considered that "the restoration of Iranian-Saudi relations, as a result of Chinese mediation, is a great loss and doubles the interests of the United States."

The New York Times report added, "The announcement by Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic relations between them could lead to a major restoration of order in the Middle East."

It also considered that this rapprochement "represents a geopolitical challenge to the United States and a victory for China, which mediated the talks between the two historical rivals."

The newspaper stated, "It was not immediately clear how the breach announced today, Friday, would affect Saudi Arabia's participation in Israeli and American efforts to confront Iran," but it pointed out that "the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two regional powers represents at least a partial melting of the ice of the Cold War." that shaped the Middle East for a long time.

News of the deal, particularly Beijing's role in mediating it, worried foreign policy hawks in Washington, the report confirms, as Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said, "The renewal of Iranian-Saudi relations as a result of Chinese mediation is a loss, loss, and loss for American interests."

He said it showed that Saudi Arabia "lacks confidence in Washington" and that Iran could isolate US allies "to ease its isolation." It also indicated that China "has become the main sponsor of power politics in the Middle East."

The report concludes that this rapprochement in relations is supposed to affect Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon mainly, and these are the files that witnessed a major conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia regarding the political approach towards them.

Several Arab parties, most notably Egypt, the UAE and Qatar, welcomed the Iranian-Saudi rapprochement, stressing that it would contribute to creating a positive climate in the region and contribute to its stability and security.