English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 13/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/35-40/:’‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’”.

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 12-13/2022
Hezbollah Is a mere Iranian occupation army that occupies Lebanon
Israel threatens war... We will bomb Lebanon in an unprecedented way
UN in Lebanon demands security guarantees after troops ‘threatened’
Israel's gas field not located in disputed zone with Lebanon, investigation shows
Al-Rahi blames 'all officials' for collapse, urges 'corrected popular uprising'
Aoun, Miqati hold 'technical' talks, discuss sea border 'maps'
Lebanese MPs, citizens protest Israel vessel at disputed gas field
2 Lebanese industry executives among 7 dead in Italy helicopter crash
Tenenti: UNIFIL has full freedom of movement and the right to patrol within its area of operations
AUB President during commencement ceremony of 2,587 graduating students: You are the good news to the world & our hope for better...
"Reconstruction of Beirut Port an irreversible act of reform," underlines Hamieh
Dialogue a necessity & ongoing duty between officials,” asserts Boushkian
Abiad bound for Washington to partake in World Bank Health Financing Forum
Sit-in in Naqoura to stress Lebanon's right to its marine resources
Boushkian: Lebanon, in its entirety, offers deepest condolences over the loss of Tayah, Kreidi, two adventurers in quest of...

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 12-13/2022
Pope Apologizes for Having to Cancel Africa Trip
Iran Currency Drops to Lowest Value Ever amid US Sanctions
Iranian State Media Say Argentine Authorities Impound Mahan Air Aircraft
Israel says foiled Iran’s attack against Israelis in Turkey as Tehran seeks ‘revenge’
Syria says major damage, runways unusable after Israel hits airport
Russia Destroys Bridge over Ukrainian River, Cutting Escape Route
Ukraine’s Leader Says His Troops Keep Defying Predictions
War in Ukraine: Latest developments
Jordan Foils Drug Smuggling Attempt on Syria Border
NATO Chief: Turkey Has ‘Legitimate Concerns’ over Terrorism
France holds parliamentary election in vital test for Macron
Head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Meets Arab League Representatives in Cairo

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 12-13/2022
Pakistani High Court Upholds Death Sentence of Christian Brothers Charged with Blasphemy/Nasir Saeeid/Gatestone Institute/June 12, 2022
The Black Lives that Don't Matter: 50 Christians Murdered in Their Church/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/June 12, 2022
World Peace and Political Survival/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/June 12/2022
America Tiptoes Between the Mines of Iran Russia Thrusts into the Mines of Ukraine/Raghida Dergham/The National/June 12/2022
Now We're Talking/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2022
Boris Johnson's Thatcherite Housing Ideas Won't Go Very Far/Martin Ivens/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2022
Time for world to give Iran a nuclear deal ultimatum/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 12/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 12-13/2022
Hezbollah Is a mere Iranian occupation army that occupies Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/June 12/2022
Satan's party is the enemy of Lebanon, and an Iranian-sectarian - criminal - oppressive armed and stone age tool of occupation. Its leaders including Nasrallah, are in reality mere slaves and mercenary puppets, that are recruited and trained to serve the mullahs expansionism-sectarianism schemes. This terrorist Iranian armed militia it not Lebanese by any means, and does not represent the Lebanese in any thing..

Israel threatens war... We will bomb Lebanon in an unprecedented way
Sawt Beirut International/June 12/2022
The Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Aviv Kohavi, warned of the possibility of a war with Lebanon, pointing out that “the upcoming tension with Lebanon will witness unprecedented bombing, and this is something we expect will be very large.” Kochavi continued his warning: “My message to the Lebanese is that we will allow them to leave immediately, and we will give them a warning before leaving.” He added: "The biggest message to them is that we advise them to leave before we fire the first shot at the moment of the coming tension in the places from which we will ask them to leave, because the bombing will be in an unprecedented way." Kohavi stated that the army is dealing with what he described as "six battlefronts in six dimensions and in the face of a large number of diverse threats." He also hinted that the “most dangerous” of these threats “is represented by a potential nuclear threat in the third circle, and the threat of missiles and missiles from all fronts and dimensions that the enemy has developed.” He continued, "Every target associated with missiles and rockets will be targeted in the next war. A house in which there is a shell, or near a shell, or an activist who deals with a rocket, or a command headquarters that deals with a shell, or electricity connected to a group of rockets… All of this network will be hit on the day of the war.” Regarding the “next war” in Lebanon, as he put it, Khafafi commented: “We have crystallized thousands of targets that will be destroyed in the enemy’s missile and missile system.” He stressed that "all the targets are included in an attack plan to target the command headquarters, rocket-propelled grenades, launchers, and more of these targets. All of this will be hit in the state of Lebanon.” It is noteworthy that the northern borders of Israel have witnessed a state of calm in general since the war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in 2006. Last April witnessed an escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli borders, represented by heavy Israeli artillery shelling of sites in southern Lebanon.

UN in Lebanon demands security guarantees after troops ‘threatened’
AFP/12 June ,2022
The UN's mission in Lebanon called Sunday for the country's military to guarantee the security of its peacekeepers, alleging personnel were “threatened” by armed men the day before. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has long been deployed in the country's south -- a stronghold of the powerful Shia movement Hezbollah -- to maintain a barrier with Israel, as the two countries technically remain at war. A routine UNIFIL patrol was confronted on Saturday by “a group of men in civilian clothes” near the Arab al-Louaize district in southern Lebanon, force spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in a statement.The men “threatened the soldiers and tried to take their weapons”, he said. “Attacks, threats and acts of intimidation against UNIFIL peacekeepers... are a matter of serious concern, and we call on the Lebanese armed forces to guarantee the safety, security and freedom of movement” of the UN force, he said in a statement. Lebanese authorities have not commented on Saturday's incident. UNIFIL was beefed up after a devastating month-long war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah was the only faction allowed to keep its arms after the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and tensions between its supporters and UN peacekeepers are far from rare, although usually quickly contained. UNIFIL is largely made up of contingents from European countries and has around 10,000 peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Israel's gas field not located in disputed zone with Lebanon, investigation shows
i24NEWS/June 12, 2022
A dispute between Lebanon and Israel over Israel’s Karish gas field, stationed west of Haifa, made the head of Lebanon’s terror organization Hezbollah warn Israel against any “aggressive action” on Thursday. However, Israel’s gas-drilling rig is not located in the disputed maritime zone as Lebanon claims, according to an investigation by Haaretz. By looking at satellite images and documents submitted to the UN by Lebanon, the Israeli daily concluded that the platform and the drilling vessel belonging to the British-Greek gas company Energean are located 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the southern border of what Lebanon asserts to be its exclusive maritime economic zone. During the long-lasting dispute between the two countries, Lebanon accused Israel of violating its sovereignty and invading “its marine resources,” while Israel said that the field was within its exclusive economic zone and not in disputed waters.  Last week, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused Israel of entering the disputed maritime area, intending to drill for gas. "The Israeli enemy's attempts to create a new crisis, by encroaching on Lebanon's maritime wealth, and imposing a fait accompli in a disputed area in which Lebanon adheres to its rights, is extremely dangerous," Mikati said according to Haaretz.Additionally, Hezbollah stated that it was "not afraid of war," emphasizing that the organization "has the capacity to prevent the enemy from beginning to extract from Karish, and all the enemy's actions will not be able to protect this ship," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah chief, said in a televised speech, according to Reuters. The United States began mediating indirect talks between the sides in 2000 to settle a long-running dispute that has obstructed energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.
Lebanon has not yet responded to an undisclosed proposal from a US envoy earlier this year to revive the talks.

Al-Rahi blames 'all officials' for collapse, urges 'corrected popular uprising'
Naharnet/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi blamed Sunday "all officials, be them in power or in the opposition," for the "horrific collapse.""The opposition forces could not manage to reach an agreement, while the rulers put Lebanon and the Lebanese at the mercy of foreign projects," al-Rahi said. He urged a "corrected popular uprising," as he accused the opposition of getting dragged into daily disputes at the expense of national issues. “All the Lebanese are living the consequences of the collapse at all levels, and a solution must be found," the Patriarch said, adding that "there must be a corrected popular uprising, a national change and a recovery plan for the benefit of the country."He also called for turning to the United Nations "to ensure that Lebanon remains free, neutral and strong." Al-Rahi slammed some judges for unjust practices and blamed "the Minister of Finance for unjustly refusing to sign a decree that resumes the investigation into the Beirut port blast.""We have had enough," al-Rahi decried, as he promised to "fight with all our might to preserve Lebanon.""We want to live here freely, with heads held high in civilization and prosperity," he added.

Aoun, Miqati hold 'technical' talks, discuss sea border 'maps'
Naharnet/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Saturday met in Baabda and discussed “the Lebanese stance over the issue of the demarcation of the southern border,” state-run National News Agency said. The meeting comes on the eve of the arrival in Lebanon of U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein. According to al-Jadeed TV, the Aoun-Miqati meeting was “technical par excellence.”“There is no divergence in the stances of the Lebanese parties and until the moment no stance, ceiling or official paper will be issued regarding the negotiations pending what Hochstein will carry” to his Lebanese interlocutors, al-Jadeed added. “The meeting between President Aoun and caretaker PM Miqati was dedicated to discussing the Lebanese stance over demarcation and coordinating a unified stance,” the TV network said. “The meeting lasted for more than an hour and it involved discussing maps and files that were carried by Miqati in a black file to Baabda,” al-Jadeed added.

Lebanese MPs, citizens protest Israel vessel at disputed gas field
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Hundreds of people and several lawmakers from the so-called "change" bloc protested Saturday in southern Lebanon against Israel moving a gas production vessel into an offshore field partly claimed by Beirut. The demonstration comes just days before the U.S. envoy mediating maritime border talks between the two neighbors is expected in Lebanon, and after the ship operated by London-listed Energean Plc arrived in the Karish gas field last week.Several hundred people waved Lebanese and Palestinian flags at Lebanon's border town of Naqoura to protest Israel's claim on the area where the Karish field is located, an AFP correspondent said. "We absolutely refuse to neglect Lebanon's maritime resources, which belong to all Lebanese," said lawmaker Firas Hamdan, reading a joint statement from 13 independent parliamentarians, most of whom were newly elected last month. Lebanon and Israel have no diplomatic relations and are separated by a U.N.-patrolled border. Lebanon's president and prime minister have condemned Israel for moving the vessel into the Karish field, and have invited U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut for mediation. Hochstein is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Monday for a two-day visit, according to the U.S. State Department. Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed Hizbullah this week warned Energean against proceeding with its activities. Lebanon and Israel resumed indirect negotiations over their maritime frontier in 2020, but the process was stalled by Beirut's claim that the map used by the United Nations in the talks needed modifying. Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometers of territory in the disputed maritime area but then asked for an additional 1,430 square kilometers, including part of Karish.
The independent lawmakers said in Saturday's statement that they supported Lebanon's claim to part of Karish.

2 Lebanese industry executives among 7 dead in Italy helicopter crash
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Seven bodies, including those of two Lebanese citizens, have been found in the wreckage of a helicopter that disappeared in the mountains of northern Italy two days ago, with no survivors, emergency services said. Four Turkish citizens were on board the helicopter which went missing on Thursday, the Turkish foreign ministry said, while Lebanese President Michel Aoun said he mourned the death of two nationals on board. The pilot was Italian, originally from Venice, according to the ANSA news agency, which reported that the others had been on a business trip. "After the discovery on Mount Cusna of the remains of the aircraft that disappeared on June 9, the unfortunately lifeless bodies of the seven people on board were found in the wreckage," Italy's fire service announced. The alpine rescue service said: "No survivors have been found."The Italian air force, fire and police services were all involved in the search for the aircraft which disappeared after leaving the city of Lucca on Thursday. The helicopter went missing in a sparsely populated mountainous area, and bad weather hampered the first attempts to find it. In a video posted on Twitter, an unnamed spokesman for the Italian air force said that after the wreckage was spotted from the air, rescue teams had to go in on foot. "We went to the place and found everything burned," he said. A spokesman for the alpine rescue service had warned on Friday that the search would not be easy. "If a helicopter falls amongst trees, in this season the branches close over it and it is complicated to see it from the sky," he told AFP. The two Lebanese victims Chadi Kreidy and Tarek Tayah were both business executives working for a well-known Lebanese industrial company. Kreidy, 47, was a father of four and an active member of the president's political party, the Free Patriotic Movement. "They were working to strengthen Lebanese industry and provide it with all that is new and advanced," Aoun said on Saturday. "I offer my heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones."Tayah, 60, was a father of three. The family had already been hit by tragedy in 2020 when his jewellery designer wife was killed in the massive explosion which devastated Beirut port and adjacent areas of the capital. Their daughter gifted French President Emmanuel Macron a Lebanon-shaped pin made by her late mother when he visited Beirut in the aftermath of the explosion.

Tenenti: UNIFIL has full freedom of movement and the right to patrol within its area of operations
NNA/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti announced that on Saturday, a group of men in civilian clothes arrested UNIFIL peacekeepers while they were on a routine patrol in the vicinity of Arab Louwaize village in southern Lebanon, adding that "civilians threatened peacekeepers and tried to disarm them.”
"Under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL has full freedom of movement and the right to patrol within its area of operations," Tenenti explained. He continued: "The Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council strongly condemned the recent series of deprivation of freedom of movement, noting that the full freedom of movement of UNIFIL and the security and safety of its personnel is an integral part of the effective implementation of its tasks under Resolution 1701." 'Our primary concern is maintaining stability in southern Lebanon in coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces and with the support of the residents of southern Lebanon," Tenenti stressed.. "We, in UNIFIL appreciate our long and fruitful relations with the local community," he said, noting that "every day, peacekeepers carry out hundreds of patrols and operations aimed at maintaining stability in southern Lebanon and providing assistance to local communities."Tenenti concluded by saying: "Attacks, threats and acts of intimidation against UNIFIL peacekeepers who serve the cause of peace are a matter of grave concern, and we call on the Lebanese Armed Forces to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of UNIFIL forces."

AUB President during commencement ceremony of 2,587 graduating students: You are the good news to the world & our hope for better...
NNA/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
The American University of Beirut (AUB) organized, over three consecutive days, the 53rd graduation ceremony for 2,587 male and female students from the University's seven faculties, and awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities to distinguished leaders through various humane endeavors.
On the ninth of June, after awarding doctorate, master's and medical degrees to graduate students, five international prominent figures were honored with the University's highest degree, an honorary doctorate in the field of humanities. On the tenth of June, the celebrations continued with the distribution of bachelor's degrees to graduates from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Rafic Hariri Faculty of Nursing, the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, and the Faculty of Health Sciences. The Penrose Award, which is presented to distinguished alumni of the American University of Beirut, was also awarded to highest ranking students in recognition of their best qualities of scholarly research, character, leadership, and contribution to university life. In his speech to the graduating classes, their families, the faculty and staff and alumni, AUB President Dr. Fadlo Khoury said, “In the years since we at AUB have taken on the challenges of becoming more accomplished in mind, we have doubled the number of students receiving full scholarships. Most importantly is that you, our students, continue to excel academically and professionally.”He added: “You have revived student life on campus since you returned on October 1...You grab opportunities, seizing them for a better tomorrow. You run in student elections, organize concerts, and win the most competitive prizes in international sports competitions and Global Model United Nations competitions...”"You are the good news to the world, and our hope for better days," Khoury underlined.

"Reconstruction of Beirut Port an irreversible act of reform," underlines Hamieh
NNA/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamieh, affirmed in an issued statement on Sunday that, "the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut is an irreversible reform work, and its resonance will go beyond the borders of Lebanon as a whole." He stressed that several major countries and companies have expressed their willingness to participate. “The entitlement to rebuild it is at the door, and its unique and distinguished role is a final decision,” he said, welcoming any side wishing to invest from the East and West, “but under the rooftop of sovereignty and the exclusive national interest.”

Dialogue a necessity & ongoing duty between officials,” asserts Boushkian
NNA/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Caretaker Minister of Industry, George Boushkian, met Sunday with head of the “Orient Club for Dialogue of Civilizations", Elie Sarghani, accompanied by Club members, during which talks centered on the importance of dialogue as a starting point for building, openness, exchange and intellectual and cultural discussion among the Lebanese. Boushkian stressed that "dialogue is an essential necessity and a permanent duty between officials at a round table whose headline is acceptance and non-rejection of the other."He added: "The Lebanese are equal under the law, and their role is a commitment to building the Lebanon of tomorrow, a Lebanon with a promising future for all its children."

Abiad bound for Washington to partake in World Bank Health Financing Forum
NNA/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Firass Abiad, headed to Washington today, to participate in the sixth annual “Health Financing Forum” held by the World Bank between June 14 & 16 under the headline of "Financing Primary Health Care.”Abiad is accompanied by a delegation including Lebanon’s Chargé d'Affairs in Washington, Wael Hashem, and Head of the Primary Health Care Department at the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Randa Hamadeh. “This conference is taking place while the major countries and international institutions are preoccupied with the events in Ukraine and other global crises and their repercussions on energy and food security in the world,” Abiad said, noting that “the required reforms in Lebanon are proceeding at a slow pace, which hinders calls for more investments and support...but despite that, no effort should be spared to support our health sector.”
Partaking in said health forum will be an occasion to search for new partnership opportunities, with the aim of supporting the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health to enhance and expand primary health care offerings in Lebanon. Caretaker Minister Abiad’s visit to Washington will also witness an important junction through his participation in a meeting at the invitation of the Chamber of Commerce in Congress, where he will brief representatives of international pharmaceutical companies on latest developments pertaining to importing medicines into Lebanon, corporate debt, and ways to ensure the continuity of supplying Lebanon with medicines, especially those intended for cancer and incurable diseases. The Caretaker Public Health Minister will also hold side meetings with representatives of the US Agency for International Development, and other international organizations that helped Lebanon in the past years, especially after the explosion of the port, such as Anera, ATFL, MRF.HOME, Empower Lebanon and others. He will meet as well with prominent figures in the health sector of Lebanese origin and members of the Lebanese community who play an active role in supporting Lebanon in various ways, especially in covering as much as possible urgent necessities in terms of medicines, medical supplies and equipment for hospitals.

Sit-in in Naqoura to stress Lebanon's right to its marine resources
NNA/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
A joint delegation from the "Lebanese People's Congress" and the "Sons of Al-Arqoub Association" participated in the sit-in held today in Naqoura on the southern maritime border of Lebanon, to emphasize adherence to Lebanon's right to its water, wealth and every grain of its soil. The participants stressed the Lebanese people’s strong attachment to their right to their waters and marine resources, as they have struggled for more than forty years to establish their right to Shebaa farms and Kfar-Shouba hills and have paid huge sacrifices, and still are, to liberate every inch of their land that is still occupied by the Zionist enemy. They urged all Lebanese officials to take the courageous stand that unites the Lebanese, represented by “amending Decree #6433 to include Line 29 and affirming Lebanon's right to its water and wealth, and presenting it to the United Nations, and resuming the indirect negotiations to establish this right.”

Boushkian: Lebanon, in its entirety, offers deepest condolences over the loss of Tayah, Kreidi, two adventurers in quest of...
NNA/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Caretaker Minister of Industry, George Boushkian, commented Sunday on the tragic death of Lebanese businessmen Tarek Tayah and Shadi Kreidi in a helicopter crash in Italy, saying: “A new, painful and tragic disaster for the Lebanese, adding to their loss in lives of young and creative energies searching all over the world for ambition and success in order to register it in the name of Lebanon...This is Lebanon, and these are the Lebanese, the creative people, who are bold, brave and adventurous.”He added: "Lebanon, with all its sons and sects, offers its condolences for the loss of the two young adventurers in quest of industrial development. We extend to their families, relatives, friends, acquaintances and colleagues, our prayers for God to grant them comfort and solace...Our heartfelt condolences go out to their foster family in “INDEVCO Group for Industrial Development”, led by MP Neemat Efrem, who is a pioneer with his family in industrial and production works.”

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 12-13/2022
Pope Apologizes for Having to Cancel Africa Trip
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Pope Francis apologized to the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan on Sunday for having to cancel his visit because of walking problems, and said he was hopeful his condition would improve. The Vatican announced on Thursday that the July 2-7 trip had been postponed indefinitely because of the 85-year-old pontiff's knee ailment, which has forced him to use a wheelchair for more than a month, reported Reuters. "I feel great regret that I had to postpone this trip, which I am still very keen to make," he said at his Sunday address before thousands of people in St. Peter's Square. "I ask you to pardon me for this. Let us pray together that with the help of God and with medical treatment, I can come to you as soon as possible. We are hopeful," he said, directly addressing the people and authorities of both countries. The Vatican said on Thursday that the trip was postponed "in order not to jeopardize the results of the therapy that he is undergoing for his knee". On Sunday, he referred to his ailment, which is believed to be a torn ligament, as "problems with my leg". Francis also suffers from sciatica, which caused him to limp even before the flare-up of the knee problem. Vatican sources have said the pope has been receiving several injections a week for the ailment, as well as physical therapy, and that he had hoped to be able to regain at least a partial ability to walk before the trip was due to start. They have said the pope is against surgery because of problems with general anesthesia following an operation to remove part of his intestine a year ago. The pope is still scheduled to visit Canada from July 24-30. He also urged his listeners not to become accustomed to the war in Ukraine. "Let us not allow the passing of time to dull our pain and our concern for those martyred people," he said.

Iran Currency Drops to Lowest Value Ever amid US Sanctions
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Iran’s currency Sunday dropped to its lowest value ever as talks to revive the country's tattered nuclear deal with world powers remained deadlocked. Traders in Tehran exchanged the rial at 332,000 to the US dollar, up from 327,500 on Saturday. That marked more than a 4.4% change compared to June 1 when it traded at 318,000 to the dollar. Iran’s currency was trading at 32,000 rials to the dollar at the time of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The rial's new low came as US sanctions against the country are still in force. Iran’s economy is struggling mightily mostly because of the US pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that restored sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking sectors. Talks in Vienna to renew the agreement have been deadlocked for months. In central Tehran, dozens of shop owners took to the streets in protest over the worsening economic situation, after many shut their businesses following a recent rise in business taxes. Police were present in force, but did not intervene. Meanwhile, police arrested 31 currency and gold traders accused of creating "false demand" in the market, state TV reported without elaborating.

Iranian State Media Say Argentine Authorities Impound Mahan Air Aircraft
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Iranian state media said on Sunday that Argentinian authorities have impounded a Boeing 747 plane whose original owner, Iran's Mahan Air, was sold to a Venezuelan airline a year ago. There was no official confirmation of the reports. "The ownership of the aircraft was transferred a year ago and it was sold to a Venezuelan company," Mahan's spokesperson Amir Hossein Zolanvari told the official news agency IRNA. Zolanvari did not name the Venezuelan company. It was not immediately clear if the plane was on a list of Iranian aircraft under US sanctions. Mahan Air has been under US sanctions since 2011 for its support for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Iran and Venezuela, which are both under US sanctions, have close ties. The two countries on Saturday signed a 20-year cooperation plan.

Israel says foiled Iran’s attack against Israelis in Turkey as Tehran seeks ‘revenge’
Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English/12 June ,2022
Israeli security officials foiled an Iranian attack targeting Israelis in Turkey last month, Israeli public broadcaster Kan radio reported on Sunday.The Israeli officials coordinated with their Turkish counterparts to thwart the attack planned by an “Iranian network” in Turkey. Israel had issued last month a warning to its citizens against travel to Turkey amid fears that Israelis would be targeted in a “revenge attack” for the assassination of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Colonel Sayad Khodai. Khodai was shot dead in his car by two assailants on a motorcycle in Tehran on May 22. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed to avenge Khodai’s death and Iranian officials pointed to Israel being the culprit for the attack. Iranian media reported at the time that members of an Israeli intelligence service network had been discovered and arrested by the IRGC. The New York Times cited an Israeli intelligence official briefed on the communications as saying that Israel has informed US officials that it was behind the killing.

Syria says major damage, runways unusable after Israel hits airport
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Syria has confirmed major damage including to runways at Damascus International Airport, which was closed for a second day Saturday for repairs after Israeli air strikes. The transport ministry said in a statement that runways were out of service. Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against its neighbor, targeting government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and fighters from Lebanon's Hizbullah. But rarely have such attacks caused major flight disruptions. The ministry said air traffic would remain suspended until repair work is finished and airport security can be assured. "Civil aviation and national companies are working... to repair the sizeable damage at the airport," the ministry said, adding a terminal building was also hit. Syria's official SANA news agency said the Israeli bombardment wounded a civilian. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the missile strike before dawn on Friday hit the only runway still in service at the airport, as well as several adjacent buildings. Israeli bombing last year had disabled another runway, it said. "The runway, the control tower, three hangars, warehouses as well as reception rooms were badly damaged by the Israeli strikes," the Observatory said. Some of the reception rooms were used to receive Iranian officials and Hezbollah members while the warehouses stored weapons from Iran, it said. The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources within Syria, said the strikes wounded an undetermined number of people. Satellite images posted on Twitter by the Israeli firm ISI showed three separate areas of what it said was "extensive damage to both military and civilian runways" caused by the strikes.
Russian condemnation -
The airport is in a region south of Damascus where Iran-backed groups, including Lebanon's Hizbullah, regularly operate. The area has been repeatedly targeted by Israel, which has launched 15 aerial attacks on Syria this year alone and regularly accuses Iran of using the airport to send weapons shipments to its allies. Syrian state media had reported that a volley of missiles was fired from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at around 4:20 am (0120 GMT) on Friday. Syria's ally Russia strongly condemned "the provocative Israeli attack against essential civilian infrastructure." A spokesperson for Russia's foreign ministry called such attacks "an absolutely unacceptable violation of international norms." Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke by phone and also condemned the attack, SANA reported. Syria "will defend itself by all legitimate means" against Israeli attacks, Mekdad said. On May 20, Israeli surface-to-surface missiles from the Golan Heights killed three people near Damascus, state media said at the time, quoting a military source. Those strikes targeted Iranian positions and weapon depots near Damascus, starting a fire near one of the positions close to the airport, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. While Israel rarely comments on individual strikes, it has acknowledged carrying out hundreds in Syria, which the Jewish state's military says is necessary to prevent its arch foe Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep. The conflict in Syria started with the brutal repression of peaceful protests and escalated to pull in foreign powers and global jihadists. The war has killed nearly half a million people and forced around half of the country's pre-war population from their homes. Russia's military intervention in 2015 helped turn the war in favor of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow maintains military bases in the country.

Russia Destroys Bridge over Ukrainian River, Cutting Escape Route
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Russian forces have blown up a bridge linking the embattled Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk to another city across the river, cutting off a possible evacuation route for civilians, local officials said on Sunday. Sievierodonetsk has become the epicenter of the battle for control over Ukraine's eastern region of Donbas. Parts of the city have been pulverized in some of the bloodiest fighting since the Kremlin unleashed its invasion on Feb. 24. Ukrainian and Russian forces were still fighting street-by-street there on Sunday, the governor of Luhansk province, Serhiy Gaidai, said. Russian forces have taken most of the city but Ukrainian troops remain in control of an industrial area and chemical plant where hundreds of civilians are sheltering. But the Russians had destroyed a bridge over the Siverskyi Donets River linking Sievierodonetsk with its twin city of Lysychansk, Gaidai said. That leaves just one of three bridges still standing, and reduces the number of routes that could be used to evacuate civilians or for Ukrainian troops to withdraw to positions on the western side of the river. In Lysychansk itself, Russian shelling killed one woman and destroyed four houses and a shopping center, Gaidai said. The head of the Sievierodonetsk administration said a little more than a third of the city remained under the control of Ukrainian forces and about two-thirds were in Russian hands. "Our (forces) are holding the defensive line strongly," Oleksandr Stryuk told national TV.
Across the river
After being forced to scale back its initial campaign goals following its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has turned its attention to expanding control in the Donbas, where pro-Russian separatists have held a swathe of territory since 2014. Sievierodonetsk is the last city in Donbas's Luhansk province still held by Ukraine and its loss would be significant strategic blow. Victory for the Russians would move them a big step closer to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's stated goals in what he calls a "special military operation". Elsewhere, Russian cruise missiles destroyed a large depot containing US and European weapons in western Ukraine's Ternopil region, Russia's Interfax agency reported. Ternopil's governor said rockets fired from the Black Sea at the city of Chortkiv had partly destroyed a military facility and injured 22 people. A local official said there were no weapons stored there. Reuters could not independently confirm the differing accounts. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the United States and other nations for supplying Ukraine with weapons. Putin said earlier this month that Russia would strike new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems. Ukrainian leaders have renewed pleas to Western countries in recent days to speed up deliveries of heavy weapons as Russian artillery pounds the east of the country. To the south and southwest of Sievierodonetsk, Russian forces were firing mortars and artillery around a number of settlements, according to Ukraine's general staff. But it said Ukrainian forces had repulsed Russian attempts to advance towards some communities.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
Ukrainian forces have proven more resilient than expected, but the US-based Institute for the Study of War said that as they use the last of their stocks of Soviet-era weapons and munitions, they will require consistent Western support. Putin says Russia's actions aim to disarm and "denazify" Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of aggression to capture territory. Also on Sunday, the leader of the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region in the Donbas said there was no reason to pardon two British nationals who were sentenced to death last week after being captured while fighting for Ukraine. A court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic on Thursday found Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner - and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun - guilty of "mercenary activities" seeking to overthrow the republic. Britain says Aslin and Pinner were regular soldiers and should be exempt under the Geneva Conventions from prosecution for participation in hostilities. The separatists say they committed grave crimes and have a month to appeal."I don't see any grounds, prerequisites, for me to come out with such a decision on a pardon," Denis Pushilin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
Aslin's family said he and Pinner "are not, and never were, mercenaries".

Ukraine’s Leader Says His Troops Keep Defying Predictions
Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said no one knows how long the war in his country will last but that Ukrainian forces are defying expectations by preventing Russian troops from overrunning eastern Ukraine, where the fighting has been fiercest for weeks. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said he was proud of the Ukrainian defenders managing to hold back the Russian advance in the Donbas region, which borders Russia and where Moscow-backed separatists have controlled much of the territory for eight years. "Remember how in Russia, in the beginning of May, they hoped to seize all of the Donbas?" the president said late Saturday. "It’s already the 108th day of the war, already June. Donbas is holding on."After failing to capture Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, early in the war, Moscow focused on seizing the parts of the largely Russian-speaking Donbas still in Ukrainian hands, as well as the country's southern coast. But instead of securing a swift, decisive takeover, Russian forces were drawn into a long, laborious battle, thanks in part to the Ukrainian military's use of Western-supplied weapons. Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities said Sievierodonetsk, an eastern city with a prewar population of 100,000, remained contested. The city and neighboring Lysychansk are the last major areas of the Donbas' Luhansk province not under the control of the pro-Russia rebels.
Leonid Pasechnik, the head of the separatist-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, said Ukrainian fighters remained in an industrial area of the city, including a chemical plant where civilians had taken shelter from days of Russian shelling.
"Sievierodonetsk is not completely 100% liberated," Pasechnik said Saturday, alleging that the Ukrainians were shelling the city from the Azot plant. "So it’s impossible to call the situation calm in Sievierodonetsk, that it is completely ours."
Luhansk Gov. Serhii Haidai reported Saturday that a big fire broke out at the plant during hours of Russian shelling. Elsewhere in Ukraine, a counteroffensive pushed Russians out of parts of the southern Kherson region they took early in the war, according to Zelenskyy. Moscow has installed local authorities in Kherson and other occupied coastal areas, offering residents Russian passports, airing Russian news broadcasts and taking steps to introduce a Russian school curriculum.
Zelenskyy said that while an end to the war was not in sight, Ukraine should do everything it can so the Russians "regret everything that they have done and that they answer for every killing and every strike on our beautiful state."
The Ukrainian leader asserted that Russia has suffered about three times as many military casualties as the number estimated for the Ukrainian side, adding: "For what? What did it get you, Russia?" There are no reliable independent estimates of the war’s death toll so far. Speaking at a defense conference in Singapore on Sunday, Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe said Beijing continues to support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and hopes the US and its NATO allies have discussions with Russia "to create the conditions for an early ceasefire."
"China will continue to play a constructive role and contribute our share to easing tensions and realizing a political resolution of the crisis," Wei said.
He suggested that nations supplying weapons to Ukraine were hindering peace by "adding fuel to the fire" and stressed that China had not provided any material support to Russia during the war. "The growth of China-Russia relations is a partnership, not an alliance," Wei said. The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, said in its latest assessment that Ukrainian intelligence suggested the Russian military was planning "to fight a longer war."The institute cited the deputy head of Ukraine's national security agency as saying that Moscow had extended its war timeline until October, with adjustments to be made depending on any successes in the Donbas. The intelligence "likely indicates the Kremlin has, at a minimum, acknowledged it cannot achieve its objectives in Ukraine quickly and is further adjusting its military objectives in an attempt to correct the initial deficiencies in the invasion of Ukraine," the think tank said. The Luhansk People’s Republic's ambassador to Russia, Rodion Miroshnik, said Saturday that 300 to 400 Ukrainian troops remained blockaded inside the Sievierodonetsk chemical plant along with several hundred civilians.
The Russians established contact with the Ukrainian troops to arrange the evacuation of the civilians, but the the troops will be allowed to leave only if they lay down their arms and surrender, Miroshnik said. Similar conditions existed for weeks at a steel mill in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol before a civilian evacuation was arranged and the defending troops were ordered by Ukrainian military commanders to stand down. The fighters who came out of the Mariupol plant were taken prisoner by the Russians.
Pasechnik, the separatist leader of the unrecognized Luhansk republic, said the Ukrainians making a stand in Sievierodonetsk should save themselves the trouble.
"If if I were them, I would already make a decision (to surrender)," he said. "We will achieve our goal in any case. We will liberate the industrial area in any case. We will liberate Sievierodonetsk in any case. Lysychansk will be ours in any case."

War in Ukraine: Latest developments
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
Ministers at crucial WTO meet -
More than 100 ministers are meeting at the World Trade Organization in Geneva to tackle pressing issues including global food security threatened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Top of the agenda as the four-day meeting kicks off is the toll Russia's war in Ukraine -- traditionally a breadbasket that feeds hundreds of millions of people -- is having on food security.
Russia renames McDonald's -
Former McDonald's restaurants in Russia have been renamed "Vkusno i tochka" ("Delicious. Full Stop"), the new owner says.
Replete with a new logo to replace the Golden Arches, the restaurant on Moscow's Pushkin Square -- where the very first McDonald's opened its doors to long queues and great fanfare in January 1990 -- is due to open its doors again on Sunday.
The U.S. McDonald's fast-food giant announced on May 16 that it would exit Russia in the wake of Moscow's Ukraine offensive.
Ukraine to get word on EU hopes -
Ukraine's bid to become a candidate to join the EU will get a clear signal next week, the bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen announces in a surprise visit to Kyiv.
Von der Leyen says talks she held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "will enable us to finalize our assessment by the end of next week."
It is the first time the EU has publicly given timing on when the commission will deliver its opinion. The bloc's 27 member countries need to decide whether to allow Ukraine to start accession negotiations.
Zelensky warns of food crisis -
Volodymyr Zelensky has urged international pressure to end a Russian naval blockade of Black Sea ports that has choked off his country's grain exports, threatening a global food crisis.
"The world will face an acute and severe food crisis and famine, in many countries of Asia and Africa," Zelensky says in a video addressed to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.
Ukrainians get Russian passports -
Authorities in the Moscow-occupied city of Kherson in southern Ukraine have handed out Russian passports to local residents for the first time, news agencies reported.
Russia's TASS agency says 23 Kherson residents received a Russian passport at a ceremony through a "simplified procedure" facilitated by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May.
'Very difficult battles' -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country's forces are involved in "very difficult battles", including in the eastern Donbas region where Russia has focused its firepower.
"Ukrainian troops are doing everything to stop the offensive of the occupiers," Zelensky says.
He adds in his address that Ukraine must "not allow the world to divert its attention away from what is happening on the battlefield."
'Out of ammo' -
In the Mykolaiv region near the frontline in the south, the regional governor calls for urgent international military assistance. "Russia's army is more powerful, they have a lot of artillery and ammo. For now, this is a war of artillery... and we are out of ammo," Vitaliy Kim says. "The help of Europe and America is very, very important."
'Imperial appetites' -
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issues scathing criticism of Moscow and its goals in Ukraine. "Let's be clear: Russia's invasion of Ukraine is what happens when oppressors trample the rules that protect us all," he tells the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore. "It's what happens when big powers decide that their imperial appetites matter more than the rights of their peaceful neighbors."
"And it's a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil that none of us would want to live in."

Jordan Foils Drug Smuggling Attempt on Syria Border
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
The Jordanian Border Guard foiled early on Sunday an infiltration and smuggling attempt along the kingdom's border with Syria, reported the state news agency Petra. An official military source in the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army said the army applied the rules of engagement with the group of infiltrators and after conducting a thorough search seized 154 blocks of Hashish and 900,000 Captagon pills. mThe sources underscored that the army will respond with firmly confront any infiltration or smuggling attempt to protect the kingdom's borders and prevent any violation of national security.

NATO Chief: Turkey Has ‘Legitimate Concerns’ over Terrorism
Asharq Al-Awsat/NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that Turkey has "legitimate concerns" over terrorism and other issues that need to be taken seriously.Turkey has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants and says it will not back the two Nordic nations joining NATO until they change their policies. Speaking at a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Stoltenberg stressed that "no other NATO ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey" and pointed to its strategic geographic location with neighbors like Iraq and Syria.
"These are legitimate concerns. This is about terrorism, it’s about weapons exports," Stoltenberg said. "We have to address the security concerns of all allies, including Turkish concerns about the terrorist group PKK." He spoke at Finland's presidential summer residence Kultaranta in western Finland. After decades of military non-alignment, Russia’s war in Ukraine pushed Finland and Sweden to apply to join NATO in May. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, accuses the Nordic nations of supporting Kurdish militants deemed by Turkey to be terrorists and has vetoed their entry into the 30-member alliance. "When a vital key ally as Turkey raises concerns on terrorism then of course we have to sit down and take them seriously. And that’s exactly what we do," Stoltenberg said. The demands from Ankara to Helsinki and Stockholm also include lifting restrictions on arms exports to Turkey and extraditing members of certain Kurdish organizations that are opposed to Erdogan’s government.In the past weeks, NATO’s chief has been trying to resolve the dispute but he did not disclose Sunday whether any progress has been made. He was to attend an annual discussion panel in Kultaranta later Sunday together with Finnish and Nordic politicians, foreign and security policy experts and military representatives. Stoltenberg will visit Sweden on Monday for talks with the Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

France holds parliamentary election in vital test for Macron
Associated Press/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
French voters are choosing lawmakers in a parliamentary election Sunday as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to secure his majority while under growing threat from a leftist coalition. More than 6,000 candidates, ranging in age from 18 to 92, are running for 577 seats in the National Assembly in the first round of the election. Those who receive the most votes will advance to the decisive second round on June 19. Following Macron's reelection in May, his centrist coalition is seeking an absolute majority that would enable it to implement his campaign promises, which include tax cuts and raising the retirement age from 62 to 65. But the latest opinion polls suggest Macron and his allies may have trouble winning over half of the parliamentary seats. A government with a large, but not absolute majority would still be able to rule, but only by bargaining with legislators. The main opposition force appears to be a newly-created coalition made up of leftists, greens and communists led by hard-left figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Mélenchon urged voters to give his coalition a majority and thereby force Macron to name him as prime minister, which would prompt a situation called "cohabitation."The leftists' platform includes a significant minimum wage increase, lowering the retirement age to 60 and locking in energy prices. Though Mélenchon's coalition could win more than 200 seats, current projections give the left little chance of winning a majority. Macron and his allies are expected to win between 260 and 320 seats, according to the latest polls.
The two-round voting system is complex and not proportionate to the nationwide support for a party. Lawmakers are elected by district. The parliamentary election is traditionally a difficult race for the French far-right's candidates, as rivals tend to step aside in the second round to improve the chances of another contender. Led by Marine Le Pen, who lost to Macron in the presidential election, the National Rally hopes to do better than five years ago, when it won eight seats. With at least 15 seats, the far-right would be allowed to form a parliamentary group and gain greater powers at the assembly. Le Pen herself is candidate for reelection in her stronghold of Henin-Beaumont, in northern France. Results may also be impacted by an expected record-low voter turnout. Pollsters say less than half of France's 48.7 million electorate is expected to cast ballots. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT; 2 a.m. EDT) and will close at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT; 12 p.m.) in most of France, except for some closing two hours later in big cities. The National Assembly has final say over the Senate when it comes to voting in laws.

Head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Meets Arab League Representatives in Cairo
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 12 June, 2022
Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi praised the Arab League for its support to Yemen's efforts in restoring its state and ending the coup by the Iran-backed Houthi militias. Al-Alimi made his remarks before a plenary session of the Arab League Council at the level of representatives, which was held at the organization's Cairo headquarters. The meeting was chaired by Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and attended by permanent representatives of Arab League member states, including Saudi Arabia's Abdulrahman bin Saeed Al-Jumaa.
Al-Alimi hoped the Arab League's initiative to arrange an Arab and international meeting for the reconstruction of Yemen would move forward in coordination with partners in the Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He hoped that efforts would be exerted to reopen routes leading to the besieged city of Taiz and that the FSO Safer oil tanker crisis would be addressed to avert an environmental disaster in the Red Sea. Al-Alimi is on a tour of the region that he kicked off last week and that has taken him to Kuwait and Bahrain.
He met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 12-13/2022
ناصر سعيد/معهد جيتستون: المحكمة العليا الباكستانية تؤيد حكم الإعدام بحق الإخوين المسيحيين المتهمين زوراً بالتجديف
Pakistani High Court Upholds Death Sentence of Christian Brothers Charged with Blasphemy
Nasir Saeeid/Gatestone Institute/June 12, 2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/109332/raymond-ibrahim-the-black-lives-that-dont-matter-50-christians-murdered-in-their-church-nasir-saeeid-pakistani-high-court-upholds-death-sentence-of-christian-brothers-charged-with-blasphemy%d8%ad/
They were accused of posting blasphemous contents on the internet... Judge Javed Iqbal Bosal sentenced them to death, with a 100,000 rupee (USD $719) fine.
The brothers have maintained their innocence, and say the allegations came after a fight had broken out between Qaiser Ayub's Muslim friends over one of the friend's sisters.
"This will be the 3rd case of blasphemy which will be heard by the supreme court. We still believe that the brothers are innocent and it has not been proved that they had published any blasphemous contents." — Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK.
Lynching and vigilante justice have become everyday phenomena in Pakistan. Because of the government's inaction and support from hardline religious groups, criminals are encouraged and continue killing innocent people with impunity.
Those who take the law into their own hands are considered heroes, as we have seen in the case of Punjab Province Governor Salman Taseer, who was murdered by his own bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Qadri. Every time Qadri attended a court hearing, people would shower rose petals on him...
The Pakistani government is aware of its misuse but has unfortunately failed to bring any changes to the law or stop its misuse.
Pictured: The Lahore High Court Building in Lahore, Pakistan. (Image source: MariyamAftab/Wikimedia Commons)
On June 8, the Lahore High Court in Pakistan upheld the death sentence of two Christian brothers, Qaiser Ayub and Amoon Ayub, in a blasphemy case.
They were accused of posting blasphemous contents on the internet; in June 2011, the complainant, Muhammad Saeed, submitted an application at the police station in Talagang to register a case against the Ayub brothers.
Saeed told the police that while he was browsing the internet, he saw blasphemous content posted by Qaiser Ayub on June 9, 2011, and a case was registered against the Ayub brothers under sections 295A, 295B, and 295C.
In December 2018, a trial court found them guilty of posting blasphemous content on their blog. Judge Javed Iqbal Bosal sentenced them to death, with a 100,000 rupee (USD $719) fine.
The brothers have maintained their innocence, and say the allegations came after a fight had broken out between Qaiser Ayub's Muslim friends over one of the friend's sisters.
Amoon Ayub believes his brother's Muslim friends, Zaryab Sheikh and Sheraz Qureshi, created the website using his information, to settle the score.
The Centre for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement (CLAAS) submitted an appeal to the High Court against the death sentence. On February 28, 2022, the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench, comprising Justice Raja Shahid Mehmood Abbasi and Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz, heard the appeal and reserved the judgment, which was announced on June 8, upholding the Ayub's death sentences.
CLAAS's team in Pakistan has visited the brothers in prison and Qaiser has signed a power of attorney, and now CLAAS is taking this case before the Supreme Court, with the hope that it will do justice for them and God willing, they will be freed.
Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK, has said that the CLAAS team in Pakistan met the brothers in prison and when they were told about the decision of the high court, Amoon burst into tears while Qaiser also became very sad. Their reaction was natural. Saeed added:
"We all were hoping that because the court had reserved the verdict, and because they were taking so long to announce it, blasphemy charges against them would be dropped and both would be freed.
"But to the contrary, the High court upheld their death sentence. Both brothers were looking weak as they are already suffering from health issues.
"The brothers have signed the power of attorney, we are taking this case to the Pakistan Supreme court and are very hopeful that justice will be done and they will be freed. Unfortunately, we cannot tell how long it will take but we are hopeful that the country's highest court will do justice.
"This will be the 3rd case of blasphemy which will be heard by the supreme court. We still believe that the brothers are innocent and it has not been proved that they had published any blasphemous contents.
"Instead Muhammed Saeed, who already had some rivalry with them, claimed Qaiser had posted blasphemous contents on the internet. He informed the police, and the brothers were charged under the blasphemy law."
The blasphemy law has a mandatory death penalty and has become a very sensitive and inflammatory issue in Pakistan. Mere blasphemy allegations often provoke mob violence and lynching of suspects, while those who make false accusations of blasphemy are never asked questions.
Religious intolerance has grown in Pakistan, and people take the law into their own hands without hesitation.
Lynching and vigilante justice have become everyday phenomena in Pakistan. Because of the government's inaction and support from hardline religious groups, criminals are encouraged and continue killing innocent people with impunity.
Those who take the law into their own hands are considered heroes, as we have seen in the case of Punjab Province Governor Salman Taseer, who was murdered by his own bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Qadri. Every time Qadri attended a court hearing, people would shower rose petals on him. Two senior retired judges, Khawaja Mohammad Sharif, former chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) and former LHC judge Mian Nazeer Akhtar, represented the murderer in court.
CLAAS is among the organisations that have been campaigning to end the ongoing misuse of the blasphemy law for years. The Pakistani government is aware of its misuse but has unfortunately failed to bring any changes to the law or stop its misuse.
The article was originally released by the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement and is reprinted here by the kind permission of author.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

ريمون إبراهيم /معهد جيتستون: حياة السود التي لا تهم: مقتل 50 مسيحيًا في كنيستهم النيجرية
ريمون إبراهيم /معهد جيتستون / 12حزيران 2022
The Black Lives that Don't Matter: 50 Christians Murdered in Their Church
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/June 12, 2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/109332/raymond-ibrahim-the-black-lives-that-dont-matter-50-christians-murdered-in-their-church-nasir-saeeid-pakistani-high-court-upholds-death-sentence-of-christian-brothers-charged-with-blasphemy%d8%ad/
Where is the outcry? When an Australian, Brenton Tarrant, attacked two mosques and killed 51 Muslims in 2019 in New Zealand, the world stood in condemnation; the hand-wringing has not stopped since. The United Nations responded to that lone and aberrant attack by inaugurating a "combat Islamophobia" initiative. Where, after years and decades of being attacked, are the UN initiatives to "combat anti-Semitism" and to "combat Christian genocide"?
Ignoring the murder of Christians is, of course, only one piece of the puzzle; covering up the religious identity of their murderers is the other. In describing last Sunday's massacre of more than 50 Christians, the words "Muslim," "Islam," or even "Islamist" never appeared in the AP report. Rather, we are told that "It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack on the church."
To maintain this ambiguity, the AP failed to point out that Islamic terrorists have routinely stormed churches and slaughtered many Christians over the years in Nigeria -- a fact that might just offer a hint as to "who was behind the attack."
All the UN seems interested in doing is sitting by and watching its members violate its regulations... The UN ignores unspeakable crimes against humanity such as slavery or China's lies about the human-to-human transmissibility of COVID-19, while instead wrongfully persecuting Israel, a democracy that actually upholds human rights for all its citizens — whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian.
So, what will the UN and other large governmental bodies do now in response to the shooting up of yet another church and murder of more than 50 Christians? Probably nothing — apart from trying to silence whoever tries to expose the ideology that many of the murderers say drives them. We know this because the UN and many members of the clergy have done absolutely nothing in response to the countless other Muslim attacks on churches that have claimed thousands of Christian lives over the years — except for trying to cover up the motivation of the murderers, as in "high on cannabis" or the "mental illness defense."
Worse, the Biden administration's response to the jihadist onslaught against Christians in Nigeria — where 13 Christians are slaughtered every day — has been to remove Nigeria from the State Department's list of Countries of Particular Concern: nations which engage in, or tolerate violations of, religious freedom.
Where is the outrage? Where are the "hashtags" in support of Christian Nigerians? Why don't these black lives matter?
Last Sunday, Islamic terrorists murdered more than 50 Christians who were peacefully worshipping in St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo State, Nigeria. Over the years, Muslims have assaulted, shot up or torched countless churches in Nigeria. Where is the outrage? Where are the "hashtags" in support of Christian Nigerians? Why don't these black lives matter? Pictured: The bloodstained floor of St. Francis Catholic Church, on June 5, 2022.
Last Sunday, June 5, 2022, Islamic terrorists stormed St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo State, Nigeria, and massacred more than 50 Christians who were peacefully worshipping their God. Videos, according to one report, "showed church worshippers lying in pools of blood while people around them wailed."
As terrible as this massacre might seem, it is just the proverbial "tip of the iceberg": over the years, Muslims have assaulted, shot up or torched countless churches in Nigeria. Below are just three examples:
Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014: Islamic terrorists torched a packed church; 150 Christians were killed and countless wounded.
Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012: explosives planted by Muslims detonated near two packed churches; more than 50 Christians were killed and unknown numbers wounded.
Christmas Day, December 25, 2011: Muslim terrorists shot up and bombed three churches; 37 Christians were killed, 57 wounded.
The Christians of Nigeria are, in fact, being purged in a genocide, according to several NGOs (here and here, for instance). One Christian is killed every two hours in Nigeria. According to an August 2021 report, since the Islamic insurgency began in earnest in July 2009 — first at the hands of the Islamic terrorist organization Boko Haram, and later by Muslim Fulani herdsmen, also motivated by jihadist ideology, which impels them to seize Christian ("infidel") land — more than 60,000 Christians have either been murdered during raids or abducted, never to be seen again. During that time, approximately 20,000 churches and Christian schools were torched and destroyed by Muslims shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is greater").
Less than a month ago, the Islamic State in Nigeria released a video of its members slaughtering 20 Christians. Although it is very reminiscent of the 2015 video of another pack of Muslim terrorists slaughtering 21 Coptic Christians in Libya, it received significantly less media coverage. The 2015 video of the Copts itself had received six times less media coverage than the killing of a gorilla that occurred at the same time. Last month's video of the Nigerian Christians barely made a peep in the Western media — as if to suggest that the ritual slaughter of Christians has become so hackneyed as to be unworthy of reporting on.
Where is the outcry? When an Australian, Brenton Tarrant, attacked two mosques and killed 51 Muslims in 2019 in New Zealand, the world stood in condemnation; the hand-wringing has not stopped since. The United Nations responded to that lone and aberrant attack by inaugurating a "combat Islamophobia" initiative. Where, after years and decades of being attacked, are the UN initiatives to "combat anti-Semitism" and to "combat Christian genocide"?
All the UN seems interested in doing is sitting by and watching its members violate its regulations. Iran's genocidal threats, which violate the UN Charter, are grounds for expulsion. The UN ignores unspeakable crimes against humanity such as slavery (here and here), or China's lies about the human-to-human transmissibility of COVID-19, while instead wrongfully persecuting Israel, a democracy that actually upholds human rights for all its citizens — whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian.
So, what will the UN and other large governmental bodies do now in response to the shooting up of yet another church and murder of more than 50 Christians? Probably nothing — apart from trying to silence whoever tries to expose the ideology that many of the murderers say drives them (such as here and here). We know this because the UN and many members of the clergy have done absolutely nothing in response to the countless other Muslim attacks on churches that have claimed thousands of Christian lives over the years — except for trying to cover up the motivation of the murderers, as in "high on cannabis" or the "mental illness defense."
Indeed, just two weeks ago, when Members of the European Parliament, one of the European Union's legislative bodies, submitted a proposal to have a discussion on the rising tide of Christian persecution around the world — ironically, in the context of the then latest atrocity in Nigeria: the stoning and burning to death of a Christian student, Deborah Samuel — the majority of the European Parliament, most of whom are affiliated with Leftist parties, refused even to have the discussion.
Ignoring the murder of Christians is, of course, only one piece of the puzzle; covering up the religious identity of their murderers is the other. In describing last Sunday's massacre of more than 50 Christians, the words "Muslim," "Islam," or even "Islamist" never appeared in the AP report. Rather, we are told that "It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack on the church." To maintain this ambiguity, the AP omits pointing out that Islamic terrorists have routinely stormed churches and slaughtered many Christians over the years in Nigeria — a fact that might just offer a hint as to "who was behind the attack." But dissembling over what is happening to Nigeria's Christians is an old "mainstream media" tactic.
One only needs to consider the words of Johnnie Carson, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President Barack Obama. Speaking after Muslim terrorists in Nigeria slaughtered more than 50 Christian church worshippers on Easter Sunday, 2012, Carson said: "I want to take this opportunity to stress one key point and that is that religion is not driving extremist violence [in Nigeria]." Instead, "inequality" and "poverty" — to quote former President Bill Clinton — are "what's fueling all this stuff" ("this stuff" being the massacre of Christians at the hands of Muslims). A decade — and countless Christian corpses later — the U.S. has not changed its position.
Worse, the Biden administration's response to the jihadist onslaught against Christians in Nigeria — where 13 Christians are slaughtered every day — has been to remove Nigeria from the State Department's list of Countries of Particular Concern: nations which engage in, or tolerate violations of, religious freedom.
Where is the outrage? Where are the "hashtags" in support of Christian Nigerians? Why don't these black lives matter?
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of the new book, Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

World Peace and Political Survival
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/June 12/2022
Perhaps the White House could ask US generals for a plan to eliminate Iran's nukes and the threat of a global nuclear war before one takes place? It would at least ensure that the world peace we have enjoyed for so long will not be ruined by a terror state's nuclear war.
Failed White House policies -- on Afghanistan, open borders, and now the issues of energy independence and pork-barrel budgets -- have caused surging rates of inflation.
With mid-term elections months away and dismal poll numbers, the White House and many Democrats have resorted to unpopular distraction campaigns, including an assault on the Second Amendment.
Meanwhile, 18 Democrat Members of Congress have addressed a serious, realistic strategy for world peace and political survival. Their concerns regarding Iran's nuclear buildup include:
"If Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terror, has proven anything," Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) stated in a joint press release, "it's that they can't be trusted... Iran's paramilitary arm, has... killed hundreds of Americans, and attacked our bases and allies in the region. Strengthened with billions of dollars in sanctions relief, Iran would be an enormous danger to Americans at home and abroad, and to our allies. Additionally, it's been reported that... Russia will be de facto judge of compliance, and in a position to return enriched uranium to Iran – without any oversight. Are we seriously going to let war criminal, Vladimir Putin, be the guarantor of the deal? We must address the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. "
"Iran must never be allowed to become a nuclear threat to the world," added Rep. Elaine Luria (VA-2) "Not today. Not ten years from now. Not ever."
"As a 27-year law enforcement officer and chief of police, I know a habitual offender when I see one," noted Rep. Val Demings (FL-10). "Iran's corrupt leaders are habitual offenders. I continue to support all efforts to destroy the Iranian government's terror networks, break up their ballistic missile program, disrupt their meddling in Latin America, and gut their nuclear program."
Why should the White House allow Iran to continue? World peace is on the table. Do we need to wait for an Iranian nuclear 9/11? Do we need more nuclear bombs, a Middle East arms race, more terrorist attacks?
So far, White House policies have resulted in chaos on many levels – especially in the skyrocketing prices of necessities such as energy, rent, food and gasoline, with no end in sight. Word on the street (for instance here, here and here ) is that it might be good policy for these concerned Democrats to speak to US generals about removing Iran's nuclear weapons program to avoid a nuclear war. Perhaps the White House could ask the generals for a plan to eliminate Iran's nukes and the threat of a global nuclear war before one takes place? It would seem that almost everyone might agree to that. It would at least ensure that the world peace we have enjoyed for so long will not be ruined by a terror state's nuclear war.
*Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

America Tiptoes Between the Mines of Iran Russia Thrusts into the Mines of Ukraine
Raghida Dergham/The National/June 12/2022
The Biden administration is walking a tightrope between Iran and Russia, grappling with the question of ‘what next?’
It’s clear that the Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to win militarily in Ukraine. He will be the elephant in the room when the NATO summit convenes next, where he is anticipating that he shall be designated an official enemy of NATO states.
Meanwhile, the battle between the IAEA and Iran over surveillance cameras at nuclear sites has prompted the Biden administration to issue a warning against ‘provocations’, a ‘dangerous nuclear crisis’, and ‘further economic and political isolation’ for Iran – although the US Envoy for Iran Robert Malley was keen to say this: “We are ready for a mutual return to full compliance immediately…Iran just needs to decide to drop its extraneous demands”, and added: “Iran has a way out of the nuclear crisis it has created: cooperate with the IAEA to resolve outstanding safeguards issues”.
The Iranian-Israeli tug of war has taken on different forms beyond the nuclear issue, including remarkable security developments in the Gulf where Israel is discussing the deployment of radar systems, amid efforts on Congress to integrate the air defence systems of Arab states and Israel, and growing resentment among US lawmakers over Biden’s ‘softness’ on Iran.
Deals are still possible between the Biden administration and the regime in Iran, including interim arrangements to rescue the Vienna talks. If successful, these arrangements would revive the JCPOA in return for lifting sanctions on Iran. But the issue of monitoring mechanisms for Iran’s nuclear program is not a trifling one, and Iran’s escalation this week by removing 27 surveillance cameras from nuclear facilities poses serious risks to the bid to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.
However, Iran is still seeking a breakthrough at the Vienna talks. It wants to contain the backlash from the US, Germany, Britain, and France, but its priority remains America. According to informed sources, there are indications that Tehran would like to make direct, secret agreements with the Biden administration through unofficial channels without mediators. Tehran wants to sell itself as a force for stability in the oil markets which Washington needs, therefore opening the door to deals with the Biden administration on temporary arrangements, putting any outstanding issues in a basket to be tackled later, and putting issues where is agreement in an immediate basket that would see sanctions on Iran lifted (see last week’s column).
Israel is hypervigilant about Washington’s moves on the nuclear issue, fearing the Biden administration could agree to a secret or public deal with Tehran. Israel is thus working with lawmakers in Congress and Arab states on security issues related to Iran.
The visit by Israeli PM Naftali Bennett to the UAE to meet with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed on Thursday tackled security cooperation, the Iranian challenge and its implications, and the IAEA report, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.
In the US, Republicans and Democrats have submitted a draft bill to Congress that would require the Pentagon to work with Israel and a number of Arab states to integrate their air defences. According to Republican Senator Joni Ernest, the bill would direct the Pentagon to work with allies and partners in the Middle East to establish a defense architecture that would employ a combination of air and missile defense capabilities to protect the region from attacks, including ballistic and cruise missile strikes by Iran and Iran-backed groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The partners and allies include the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and other states to be determined by the Secretary of Defense, according to Ernest.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has said more than once that his ‘resistance’ is ready not only to stand up to Israel, but also to prevent it from the extraction of oil and gas from the disputed Karish field. This week he said that “any folly that the enemy may perpetrate will not only have strategic but also existential consequences”.
Reading between the lines of Nasrallah’s speech makes it clear that Tehran has not yet decided whether to unleash Hezbollah on Israel, or whether it would rein in Hezbollah while escalating verbally to communicate to Washington its willingness to make a deal while threatening retaliation in the event the Vienna talks fail. Nasrallah’s language left room for the President of Lebanon to negotiate, especially through the US Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein but reserved the right to engage in ‘resistance’ to secure his share of Lebanon’s oil and gas resources and the right to veto any agreement he doesn’t find favorable. However, Nasrallah’s remarks about ‘existential’ consequences follow Iranian and not Lebanese calculations.
Hezbollah’s move to introduce the ‘resistance’ into the fate of Lebanon’s oil and gas resources undermines the authority of the state and makes the country’s oil and gas hostage to Iran’s strategic and existential calculations and decisions. This no doubt is a source of concern for the Biden administration, as it walks a tightrope between Lebanon and Israel’s negotiations over maritime borders to determine each side’s oil and gas exploration rights.
Biden administration officials are aware of the role Iran has in this issue but have decided that the nuclear talks should be separated from Iran’s regional behavior, from Lebanon to Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Yet today they are having to reconsider because of Israel, despite their increased enthusiasm for a deal with Iran to get Iranian oil to compensate for the European ban on Russian oil. Hence the tightrope, especially as the war in Ukraine and stopping Russia take priority in the US grand strategy.
Back to the crisis with Russia, the NATO summit between 28 and 30 June in Madrid is of particular significance to Russia. Until that date, Moscow expects the battles in Ukraine to intensify. Putin is determined to achieve a victory in Donbas in the next two weeks, to later make a move on Odessa and perhaps annex Transnistria later in the autumn. His clear goal is to expand Russia’s borders and territories. Isolating Ukraine from the Black Sea is a key goal for Putin, but Russia’s bigger classical goal is to seize more land to confront the ‘enemy’.
Putin expects Russia to be designated as an ‘enemy’ at the next NATO summit, after once having been close to becoming a NATO ‘partner’. But one of the ways Putin intends to deal with the summit – in addition to expanding his land grab – is to leverage Turkey’s near-rogue status in NATO, in the eyes of some members at least.
Indeed, there are efforts to convene a summit in Sochi between Putin and Turkish President Erdogan next week, deliberately to fall shortly before the NATO summit. President Putin intends to take advantage of President Biden’s fury with Erdogan’s opposition to Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO. Resolving this problem has become less likely, after Sweden rejected Turkey’s conditions regarding its ties to Kurdish factions, further antagonizing Erdogan and making him more mutinous inside the alliance.
The NATO summit in this case has to either find a way to sidestep the necessary ‘unanimity’ needed to adopt resolutions, or put further pressure on Erdogan, along the lines of reported US steps to threaten Erdogan with economic sanctions that could hurt him in the elections. This is all music to Putin’s ears, as he counts on Turkey to create problems at the transatlantic summit.
From the Kremlin’s point of view, Turkey’s ‘black sheep’ status in NATO and its ability to block unanimity in the alliance benefits Russia, despite Turkish support to Ukraine in the war with Russia. Putin is willing to pay an economic price to Turkey, and in Syria to some extent by agreeing with Ankara on maintaining the status quo there. So far, Turkey has failed to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, or between Russia and the United States, but it remains valuable to Putin because of this NATO connection.
What is important for the Russian president is to expand Russia’s borders as part of the project to revive the Russian empire, including in the Baltic States, Poland, and Ukraine. This is the same vision invoked by Putin on in July 2021, when he declared his intention to subjugate Ukraine by military force if necessary. The headline is: Russia will win or lose only by fierce military force.
Putin’s problem lies in the fact that the Western powers have united against him. Russia’s further implication in Ukraine increases the chances for a direct military confrontation with NATO powers starting in Ukrainian territory, and no one knows what could happen after that.
According to Russian experts, Russia is militarily capable of destroying Ukraine. It has enough missiles to repeat what they term ‘the Baghdad scenario’, a euphemism for total devastation. However, in such a scenario, “Russia may win territory, but it will be locked for decades in a conflict with an angry, vengeful US-backed Ukraine”, according to one expert. He added: “Then we would be in a cold war of a different kind, with another Afghanistan bleeding us on our border”.
In short, it is a war that cannot be on by any side, neither Russia, nor the United States, and certainly not Ukraine no matter how much US and European military hardware is supplied to assist it. The dilemma, however, is that things are past the point of no return.
The Russian public opinion is used rely on the directives of Putin’s autocracy, which is keen on excluding the Russian people from decision making. Yet the odd thing about this autocracy is that it is installed with people’s consent, who have yet to feel the real impact of the sanctions on their country.
By contrast, the American and European public have started to grumble about a war with Russia that has no well defined goals, and whose biggest beneficiaries are the military-industrial complex and oil companies. The American and European public don’t understand the logic behind defeating Russia at a high economic cost to them. For this reason, the Biden administration and European governments are under scrutiny, despite the appearance of popular support for their policies.
What could happen next? If Russia wins the war in Ukraine while pursuing the Putinist vision, Russia would then control its borders with NATO. If it loses, Russia will be removed from the global geopolitical equation, leaving the world under the dominance of only two poles: The United States and China.
Putin sees no option but to win the war then win the presidential election again in 2023. The West appears set to prevent a Russian victory, staring Putin down in the hope he would back down. But he will not back down.
Clearly, the war in Ukraine will continue and there is no room at all for a political settlement now. There is no leaving this predicament. So the question facing the Biden administration and the NATO summit is this: What if Putin escalates to further military brutality to guarantee the conquest of Ukrainian territory? Is Biden willing to enter into a direct war with Russia?
Truly, he is walking a tightrope.

Now We're Talking
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2022
As much as we have justly criticized the United States, we are now faced with a new step, which if taken, would allow us to say that it has returned to thinking according to its strength and from a strategic position, away from the delusions of the left.
The step we are talking about is the significant move by Democrat and Republican lawmakers to introduce legislation, the "Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defense Act" (DEFEND Act), to integrate regional countries' air defense systems to thwart Iran's threats.
The Act would authorize the US Defense Department to cooperate with Iraq, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other regional allies and the entire Gulf Cooperation Council, and requires the Pentagon to submit a strategy for integrated air and missile defense system within six months.
The bill stated that they must "identify an architecture and develop an acquisition approach for certain countries in the Middle East to implement an integrated air and missile defense capability to protect the people, infrastructure, and territory of such countries from cruise and ballistic missiles, manned and unmanned aerial systems, and rocket attacks from Iran."
The bill requires the Pentagon to submit a detailed report to Congress within 180 days of its approval, containing a strategy centered on the following three points: First, an assessment of the threat of ballistic and cruise missiles, manned and unmanned aerial systems, and rocket attacks by Iran and its affiliated groups to the countries mentioned above.
Second, a description of the efforts to coordinate indicators and warnings from such attacks with the specified countries, with a description of the current systems to defend against attacks.
Third, an explanation of the impact of integrated air and missile defense architecture would improve the collective security in the region.
Such a bill means that the US has started to think strategically. Most importantly, the bill comes from Congress, through both Democrats and Republicans, not the American administration, meaning the bill, if ratified, will become strategically binding and not a tactical move by the administration. Furthermore, the upcoming Midterm elections will not impact this strategic decision.
It is significant because the allies in the region would have received a commitment long yearned for by Iran in the nuclear deal: For any agreement with Washington to be approved and recognized by Congress. Iran has not and will not get its wish.
The allies themselves find themselves faced with a strategic step with the US. Its primary significance is that there is now movement to deter Iran through a bipartisan bill. The Republicans are expected to control Congress after the next elections, another significant point.
We say "deter" because Iran has been excessively and undeservedly spoiled by the current American administration in spite of several bipartisan voices stressing the need for a firmer and clearer position with Iran that has not ceased, for even a moment, its hostile behavior in the region.
If the bill is approved, then we can recall British Prime Minister Winston Churchill when he said: "You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else.”
Of course, among the Americans' flaws is that they do not approve a fully complete political bill, do not think of the next day, as we have seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are very naive in dealing with our region.
The DEFEND Act, however, allows us to say: "Now we're talking. We are now moving forward according to strategy, not delusions."

Boris Johnson's Thatcherite Housing Ideas Won't Go Very Far
Martin Ivens/Asharq Al Awsat/June 12/2022
In the words of Noel Coward’s chirpy song of doom, “there are bad times just around the corner” for Boris Johnson.
The prime minister ends the week as walking wounded, having narrowly survived a no-confidence vote on his Conservative party leadership on Monday. If such a test was long in the cards, the ferocity of the uprising has taken even a leader known for his boosterism by surprise.
The opinion polls and 41% of his MPs may be against him, but Johnson is usually at his most resourceful when his back is against the wall. Can he stop the rot?
First, the prime minister must find a clearer strategy for survival. On the evidence so far, he has no plan other than personal defiance, a play for time and scattershot policy proposals.
The background for this political mortal combat is grim. An OECD report published this week predicts that the UK will experience the lowest growth of the G7 countries next year (at 0%), driven by double-digit inflation. Household incomes, which have hitherto propped up the stuttering economy, will fall sharply in real terms.
That’s hardly favorable ground on which to fight a general election two years hence, and Johnson will be grateful to survive that long. His former Brexit minister David Frost, now the darling of the party’s nervy right wing, warns that the prime minister will be out by October unless he delivers “a 10-year Conservative plan” for changing Britain.
In the short term, two by-elections in Tory-held seats at the end of June are predicted to result in victory for Labour in the north and perhaps for the newly resurgent Liberal Democrats in the southwest. The House of Commons Privileges Committee will also decide whether Johnson misled Parliament over the Partygate scandal — a resigning matter, even if Johnson isn’t the resigning type.
In a wide-ranging speech in Blackpool on Thursday, the prime minister set out to prove that his government still has a purpose. Yet it begged many of the same old questions.
Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings once compared him to “a shopping trolley smashing from one side of the aisle to the other.” Despite his large House of Commons majority, rebellious factions in his party were already vetoing contentious legislation. After an unconvincing victory on Monday, dare the prime minister follow any bold course that might tip more MPs against him?
A natural big spender, Johnson is being urged by his party’s powerful right wing to fund tax cuts from state expenditure cuts. They demand “red meat” and the juicer the better — recent tax rises must be reversed and VAT on fuel bills slashed. At Blackpool, Johnson paid ritual obeisance to this wing by accepting that the tax burden was too high. But he stood by his fiscally orthodox chancellor who wants to postpone income tax cuts until next year. Watch for the next wobble.
The centerpiece of his speech, however, was a proposal to revive “The Right to Buy,” an iconic policy associated with Margaret Thatcher that allowed millions of tenants in social housing to buy their homes at a discount. In the 1980s, that drove a wedge between aspirational working-class voters and the Labour party, their former political home. The electoral logic of home-ownership remains the same: 57% of those who own their homes outright and 43% of those with mortgages voted for the Tories in 2019, while large percentages of social renters and private tenants plumped for Labour.
But much has changed since the great homeownership push by Maggie. From a high point in 1991, owner-occupation has fallen, especially among the young. Among those aged 35 to 44, the figure stood at 78% some 30 years ago. Today, it’s at 56%. For those under 34, it is much less than half. The cost of a deposit also keeps rising — during the pandemic it typically rose to 110% of the average annual wage.
In his Blackpool speech, Johnson proposed that millions of households will be given the right to buy the property they rent from housing associations, as they currently can with council houses. The housing benefit those with lower incomes receive from the state might also go toward the purchase of their property.
However, this idea was trialed before by an earlier Conservative administration and abandoned as too cumbersome and expensive. How will the current government compensate largely private housing associations for property sold to tenants? Money is already tight and Johnson has also pledged to replace properties sold with new housing stock.
In theory, the economic logic is compelling. A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies think tank estimates that only 2.3 pence is spent by the state in incentivizing home-ownership for every pound that subsidizes renting. Long-term savings to the Treasury are set at £140,000 ($172,480) for every house sold. Yet over the medium-term it would cost £3 billion to fund the program, and the government is offering £500 million at best.
The key policy is also risky. Having first-time buyers put down a smaller deposit has also been tried before. Last time around, it helped stoke house price inflation and lost insurers billions when the bubble burst. The Treasury is wary of taking on the responsibility of insuring against defaulters.
The simpler solution is to build more houses and continue to relax planning rules, as Johnson promised in a key plank of his party manifesto. Yet here too, he is torn.
After furious opposition from many of his MPs and the by-election loss of a southern seat to the Liberal Democrats last year, Johnson abandoned his plans for a bonfire of the planning regulations that restrict building in desirable (Tory) neighborhoods. In his Blackpool speech, he even backed away from the government’s existing target to build 300,000 homes a year.
Meanwhile, the prime minister boasts that he is going all-out for growth, while he’s pledged to revise the Northern Ireland protocol he himself negotiated with the European Union. Does he appease his Brexit Right by tearing up his deal and risking a trade war with Brussels that will hit the economy? Or will he count on his pro-European MPs and the House of Lords to vote down the legislation and save him from himself?
The achievements he has under his belt all derive from his executive authority — forcing Brexit through, appointing Kate Bingham to deliver the fastest pandemic vaccine program in Europe, and throwing his weight behind arming Ukraine from the outset. Unless he can revitalize his appeal as commander-in-chief of his party, Johnson will be facing a political firing squad.

د .ماجد رفي زاده : حان الوقت للعالم لتوجيه إنذار أخير لإيران بشأن الاتفاق النووي
Time for world to give Iran a nuclear deal ultimatum
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 12/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/109338/dr-majid-rafizadeh-time-for-world-to-give-iran-a-nuclear-deal-ultimatum-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88%d9%82/
The P5+1 world powers ought to give the Iranian regime an ultimatum to either agree to a nuclear deal or face a Plan B.
The regime continues to expand its nuclear program and it last week decided to switch off two UN surveillance cameras. According to an Iranian state TV report, the Iranian government deactivated “cameras of the measuring Online Enrichment Monitor… and flowmeter.” By turning off the surveillance cameras, the Iranian regime is effectively preventing the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, from monitoring its nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment and the use of centrifuges.
Iran’s authorities continue to argue that their nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes, not for manufacturing an atomic bomb. If this is the case — and if the regime does not have anything to hide when it comes to its nuclear program and activities — why has it switched off the UN surveillance cameras?
Tehran has enriched a substantial amount of uranium up to 60 percent purity, a short technical step away from 90 percent purity, the level that is required to build a nuclear weapon. Even France, Germany and the UK warned last week that the Iranian government’s latest action was “fueling distrust as to Iran’s intentions.”
It is unrealistic to expect that Russia and China would put pressure on the Iranian government to cooperate with the IAEA or halt its nuclear activities until a nuclear deal is reached. In addition, the Iranian leaders have shown during the last few years, including during the recent rounds of negotiations in Vienna, that it has no desire to scale back its nuclear activities and advancements.
As a result, the US, UK, France and Germany ought to make it clear to the Iranian regime that it has to either agree on an effective nuclear deal or face the consequences.
To reach a deal, the Iranian government has to relinquish its irrational and unnecessary demands, which are major barriers to striking an agreement with the world powers. One of the Iranian regime’s demands is removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from America’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This demand goes beyond the obligations of the original 2015 nuclear deal, which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The IRGC’s designation was not linked to Iran’s nuclear program or the JCPOA, it was issued due to the group’s terrorist activities, including its involvement in sponsoring, funding and training terror and militia groups across the Middle East.
Furthermore, the nuclear deal ought to halt Iran’s nuclear program permanently, hence eliminating the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the region and removing the strategic threat that a nuclear-armed Iran might pose via its hegemonic ambitions, thereby shifting the balance of power.
The nuclear deal also should not have any sunset clauses. These clauses pave the way for the Iranian regime to resume enriching uranium to any level it chooses after the period of time specified in the agreement.
And Iran’s ballistic missile program, which is interconnected with the nuclear program, must be restricted. The international community witnessed how the Iranian regime launched far more ballistic missiles after the 2015 nuclear deal, despite UN Security Council Resolution 1929, which states: “Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology, and that states shall take all necessary measures to prevent the transfer of technology or technical assistance to Iran related to such activities.”
The US, UK, France and Germany ought to make it clear to the regime that it has to either agree on an effective nuclear deal or face the consequences.
If the Iranian regime does not agree to a nuclear deal that includes these points within the next couple of weeks, the US, UK, France and Germany must immediately implement a Plan B. It must be made clear to the regime that military options against its nuclear sites will be on the table as part of this Plan B. The international community should not allow the clerical regime to become armed with nuclear weapons. Targeting the regime’s nuclear sites would slow its nuclear advancement, even if it would not completely halt it. Plan B should also include reimposing the four rounds of UN sanctions that were lifted in 2015 due to the JCPOA.
The international community has little choice but to give the Iranian regime an ultimatum that Plan B will be carried out if it refuses to reach a practical nuclear deal.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh