English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 27/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.june27.21.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10/16-25/:”‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 26-27/2021
Director Yussuf ElKhoury on behalf of the "Nouveau Cenacle Libanais (NCL): Boycott Lebanon's parliamentary elections so as not to “legitimize”/Hezbollah. Do not send Your Fresh Dollars In an attempt to keep Lebanon Safe/Elias Bejjani/June 25/2021
Health Ministry: 126 new Corona cases, two deaths
Saudi Arabia seizes over 14 mln Captagon amphetamine pills coming from Lebanon
Paris to 'Act Together' with U.S. to Press Lebanese Officials
Lebanon’s Hezbollah uses fuel crisis to impose Iranian imports
France, US agree to jointly ramp up pressure on Lebanon’s officials
Shea Slams Those Seeking 'Blocking Third', Says Iranian Ships 'Not a Solution'
Iran Embassy Hits Back at Shea over Oil Ships
Free Patriotic Movement: We call on the PM-designate to respond to the efforts made to form a government
Khaldeh Meeting: To form a government the soonest possible, lift cover off anyone disturbing Mountain’s security, stability
Erdogan, Hariri tackle situation in Lebanon and the region
Protests Continue, Shops Close as Lira Hits Record Lows
We will not wait for the elections, your departure has become a condition for our survival, tweets Sami Gemayel
Derian, Yazigi discuss Pope Francis inviation meeting in Vatican
Abou Faour: Stop the lies and prosthetic solutions, form a government immediately
Adwan: Prepare for accountability & trial
Judge Aoun: Special Investigation Authority over money transfers is the first to be held accountable
MEA: Spain allows Lebanese citizens holding a type C visa to enter its territory

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 26-27/2021
Iran says nuclear deal salvageable but will not negotiate forever
U.S., France Warn Iran that Time Running Out to Revive Deal
US warns future of Iran deal in question if talks drag on
U.S. ex-Cop Sentenced to Over 22 Years for George Floyd Murder
Three explosives-laden drones hit near Iraq’s Erbil
Iraq paramilitaries show off weaponry in big, anniversary parade
Iraqis’ hopes for reform dashed as militias dig in against weak state
Kadhimi blames corruption during Maliki era for Iraq’s woes
Citing sanctions, US cautions Arab states against normalizing ties with Syria’s Assad
Burial of Abbas critic triggers calls for government change
Controversy precedes Egyptian intelligence chief’s Washington visit
Women rights struggle gains urgency in Egypt after shelved bill
Ukraine Says Soldier Killed in Separatist Shelling

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 26-27/2021
Six takeaways from Iran nuke negotiations - analysis/Yonah Jerremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/June 26/2021
Iran’s New President: A Mass Murderer Mullah/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/June 26/2021
Iran cannot impose its conditions on the world/Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 26-27/2021
Director Yussuf ElKhoury on behalf of the "Nouveau Cenacle Libanais (NCL): Boycott Lebanon's parliamentary elections so as not to “legitimize”
Hezbollah. Do not send Your Fresh Dollars In an attempt to keep Lebanon Safe
Elias Bejjani/June 25/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100043/elias-bejjani-director-yussuf-el-khoury-on-behalf-of-the-nouveau-cenacle-libanais-ncl-boycott-lebanons-parliamentary-elections-so-as-not-to-legitimize-hezbollah-do-not-send-y/
Speaking on behalf of the "Nouveau Cenacle Libanais (NCL) at the “Shields for a Unified Lebanon” conference on June 24/2021, director Youssef El Khoury outlined a decisive position on vital fateful issues facing Lebanon, foremost of which is the upcoming parliamentary elections and Hezbollah’s control of the reins of power in the country. Al-Khoury presented the features of a clear road map to get Lebanon out of its current dire crisis.
On the parliamentary elections issue, Al-Khoury stressed the fact that, participation by candidacy and voting simply means a recognition of Hezbollah's occupation that is boldly exhibited by its total hegemony over the country. Meanwhile this participation in case it happens will give Hezbollah a legal-constitutional instrument that this terrorist group can raise in the face of the decision-making states that denounce such elections and the re-electing of the same political class figures. While the boycotting is a public condemnation of Hezbollah's occupation and a guarantee that the revolution against its hegemony will continue.
Al-Khoury warned that Hezbollah and its crony puppets victory in these elections is predetermined in light of a constitution that has been inoperative for more than thirty years, a tailored electoral law that serves the agendas of those who are in power, an experienced hostile electoral personnel who master all electoral twisting games, and the availability of financing sources for the candidates of the ruling system. While personal financing means (Cash Money) for the revolutionary candidates are confined in the banking system .
He also indicated that the revolutionary figures (candidates) are not ready to keep pace with the solid organization and commitment of the ruling parties .
As for the bet on the 52% of the Lebanese citizens who did not participate in the last 2018 elections, Al-Khoury considered such a bet to be flimsy, since the reasons that led these people not to participate are not clear, and at the same time it is not certain that they actually support the revolution.
On the other hand, Al-Khoury pointed to the successes of boycotting the parliamentary elections between 1992 and 2005:
The Issuing of UN Resolution 1559
The Forced withdrawal of the occupying Syrian army from Lebanon
The return of General Michel Aoun from exile
The release of Lebanese Forces President Samir Geagea from prison...
Meanwhile participation in the elections of 2005 and 2009, the renewal parliamentary processes in 2013 and 2018, and the 2018 elections led to Lebanon's bankruptcy and the explosion of its capital! (Beirut Post Explosion)
In the context of correcting the image of the revolutionaries, Al-Khoury considered that “the citizens who burn a tire and block a road” are the actual revolutionary, and without them, the way would not have been paved for the thugs who are currently calling for early elections.
Al-Khoury openly, loudly and harshly denounced the performance and stances of some of the intellectuals and resigned members of the parliament who claim to be in the core of the revolution, while in reality and actuality they are running in the next elections.
Al-Khoury also expressed his full support to the slogan "All of them, means all of them" in a bid to safeguard and preserve the revolution's permanence and credibility, and he strongly condemned all attempts aiming to differentiate the pillars of the ruling system based on political affiliations.
Al-Khoury called on the American- Lebanese in particular to stop sending Fresh Dollars to Lebanon because this would extend the life of the crisis, while investment is required to rebuild the nation's economy. He Pointed out that Lebanon is not currently on the US Foreign countries list of priorities, and called on the US administration to stop awarding Lebanon as a consolation prize to regional parties . In conclusion, Al-Khoury suggested a list of definite priorities for helping Lebanon to get out of its ongoing dire crisis:
* Weakening of Hezbollah, putting an end for the Iranian occupation of Lebanon and forcing both of Hezbollah and Iran to pay compensations to Lebanon for the losses they have inflicted on it.
* Preventing the pillars of the ruling system from participating in any prospective solution while making room for the elites of thinkers and philosophers to be in a leading role.
* Forcing the Lebanese banks to pay interest to depositors in return for their deposited funds, pending the appropriate time to recover these funds. In this regard, banks must liquidate their assets whose value exceeds people's deposits by $100 billion, and return the deposits to their owners.
*Presenting statesmen, not just politicians, to take over the reins of power after the liberation and rise of Lebanon.
*Encouraging the Lebanese expatriates to actively contribute in the advancement of Lebanon, through investment, not donations.

Health Ministry: 126 new Corona cases, two deaths
NNA/June 26/2021
In its daily report, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Saturday the registration of 126 new Coronavirus infections, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 544,291.It added that two deaths were also recorded during the past 24 hours.

Saudi Arabia seizes over 14 mln Captagon amphetamine pills coming from Lebanon
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/June 26/2021
Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate for Narcotics Control has thwarted an attempt to smuggle 14 million Captagon amphetamine tablets hidden inside a shipment of iron plates coming from Lebanon, according to Saudi Press Agency SPA.
The shipment was seized in coordination with the Zakat and Tax Authority and the customs at the Islamic port of Jeddah. Al-Nujaidi added that a citizen was arrested in Riyadh region for his participation in the attempt to smuggle the shipment.
Saudi Arabia has previously banned the import of Lebanese fruits and vegetables in April after a reported increase in drug smuggling from Beirut. The move came after Saudi Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle over 5 million pills of Captagon stuffed inside fruit imported from Lebanon. Captagon is used by fighters at war because of the effects it can have to fight tiredness. It is an amphetamine that has widely been made and exported illegally from Lebanon. Lebanese officials quickly pledged to do more to combat drug smuggling out of the country after Saudi Arabia ordered a ban on all produce imports from Beirut. “The issue is very serious, especially if it negatively affects the rest of the Gulf states that could take similar or stringent measures,” caretaker Agriculture Minister Abbas Mortada told Reuters. Ties between Beirut and Riyadh have soured in recent years following the steady rise of Hezbollah and its increased influence over the state and its institutions. Hezbollah continues to support Yemen’s Houthi militia, which attacks Saudi Arabia and civilians inside the Kingdom almost daily.

Paris to 'Act Together' with U.S. to Press Lebanese Officials
Agence France Presse/June 26/2021
France and the United States have agreed to act together to put pressure on Lebanese officials responsible for the political and economic crisis gripping the country, the French foreign minister said Friday. "We have decided to act together to put pressure on those responsible. We know who they are," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a news conference with U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken in Paris. "We need to see real leadership in Beirut," Blinken added.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah uses fuel crisis to impose Iranian imports
The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
BEIRUT – Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday repeated pledges to import Iranian fuel should shortages across the country persist, saying that all logistical steps for that possibility were complete. Nasrallah, who heads the Iranian-backed armed Lebanese group, said earlier in June Iran could supply fuel to Lebanon in local pounds, avoiding a foreign currency crunch. For weeks worsening fuel shortages on the back of Lebanon’s deepening financial crisis have forced motorists to queue for hours for very little gasoline. “I want to stress that I promised and I’m still promising … if we have to go to Iran to get gasoline and fuel oil we will, even if it causes a problem,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Earlier on Friday caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab approved a decision to import fuel at a weaker Lebanese pound to dollar exchange rate, in effect decreasing the subsidy on gasoline. “Everything is ready….all we need is permission to move,” Nasrallah said, adding that this would not be done through the central bank in order to avoid violating US sanctions aimed at choking off Iranian oil exports. Asked about how the United States would react were Iranian shipments to arrive at Beirut ports, US ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea had earlier told local broadcaster al Jadeed that was not a viable solution to the problem. “What Iran is looking for is some kind of satellite state that they can exploit to pursue their agenda,” she said. Lebanon’s long fuel lines have caused squabbles amongst motorists where gunshots were fired in several incidents. On Friday, Nasrallah warned of civil violence. “In all honesty, if you shoot at each other at gas stations, that doesn’t solve the crisis,” he said. “There is a large number of crises in Lebanon but we have the blessing of security and civil peace.”

France, US agree to jointly ramp up pressure on Lebanon’s officials
The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
PARIS – Pressure is building up on Lebanon’s political class to end their ongoing dispute over the formation of a new government that is critical to transforming the country and launching long-stalled reforms. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday his country and the United States have agreed to act together to put pressure on Lebanese officials responsible for the political and economic calamity gripping the country. “We have decided to act together to put pressure on those responsible. We know who they are,” Le Drian told a news conference with US counterpart Antony Blinken in Paris. “We need to see real leadership in Beirut,” Blinken added. A fight among Lebanese leaders to secure power is at the heart of the government turmoil, with the feud threatening to drag the country into a total financial crash. Lebanon’s economic meltdown, triggered by decades of corruption and mismanagement, began in late 2019 and has intensified in recent months. The World Bank said earlier this month the crisis is likely to rank as one of the worst the world has seen in more than 150 years, adding that the economy contracted 20.3% in 2020 and is expected to shrink a further 9.5% this year. Lebanon defaulted on paying back its debt for the first time in March, while talks with the International Monetary Fund on a bailout package stopped last year. The crisis has been the biggest threat to Lebanon’s stability since the 1975-90 civil war ended. A power struggle has emerged between premier-designate Saad Hariri on one side and the president Michel Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil, who heads the largest bloc in parliament, on the other. It has worsened the crisis despite warnings from world leaders and economic experts of the dire economic conditions tiny Lebanon is facing.
Hariri was named to form a new government in October and has not succeeded so far. The government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned days after a massive blast in Beirut on August 4, that killed 211 people and injured more than 6,000. Paris, which has led aid efforts to Lebanon, has sought to ramp up pressure on squabbling politicians, after failed attempts to rally them to agree a new government and launch reforms to unlock foreign cash. France said it was taking measures to restrict entry for some Lebanese leaders for blocking efforts to tackle the unprecedented crisis, which is rooted in decades of state corruption and debt.Tweeting ahead of his arrival in Beirut last May, Jean-Yves Le Drian said French travel restrictions on Lebanese officials suspected of corruption or hindering the formation of the Cabinet were “just the start.”Earlier this month, the European Union’s foreign policy chief berated Lebanese politicians for delays in forming a new cabinet, warning the union could impose sanctions on those behind the political stalemate in the crisis-hit country. Josep Borrell made his comments at the presidential palace near the capital Beirut after meeting Aoun. It was the first meeting in a two-day visit to Lebanon. Borrell’s comments came amid reports in Lebanese media that France and the EU are putting together proposals for possible travel bans and freezes on assets of some politicians. Borrell said Lebanese politicians should quickly form a new government, implement reforms and reach a deal with the International Monetary Fund to start getting the tiny country out of its paralysing economic and financial crisis. Sanctions have been threatened in an effort by some EU states, led by France, to push politicians to end the deadlock. An EU diplomatic note showed criteria for imposing possible sanctions were likely to be corruption, obstructing efforts to form a government, financial mishandling and human rights abuses. The bloc has yet to decide on its approach. Paris says it has restricted entry to some Lebanese officials who it sees as blocking efforts to tackle the crisis, without naming them.

Shea Slams Those Seeking 'Blocking Third', Says Iranian Ships 'Not a Solution'
Naharnet/June 26/2021
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Friday criticized Lebanese parties seeking a so-called blocking one-third in the new government, as she said that importing fuel ships from Iran is “really not a solution.”“Now is the time to build a government, not to block a government,” Shea said in an interview on al-Jadeed TV. Noting that top U.S. officials “care deeply about Lebanon” and want to avoid a “true collapse” in the country, the ambassador lamented that to some Lebanese officials it is still “business as usual.”“I don’t know if there is one party that is deserving the blame but I can tell you (that) there is a desperate need for a fully empowered government that is committed to and able to implement reforms, to stop the bleed, to begin to stabilize the economy,” Shea said. Asked about those seeking a so-called “blocking third” share in the cabinet, the ambassador said “a blocking third would be inimical to that vision that (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron articulated” regarding the formation of a mission-driven government. As for the possibility of Iranian ships unloading fuel at Beirut’s port, as Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has recently suggested, Shea said “that’s really not a solution.” “The United States has stood by the people of Lebanon and we will continue to stand by the people of Lebanon, but what Iran is looking for is some kind of satellite state that they can exploit to pursue their agenda,” she added.
“There are other alternatives to provide fuel and electricity to the Lebanese people,” the ambassador went on to say, noting that eradicating corruption is one of the solutions.
“If we could root out corruption from your energy and electricity sectors, half of the problem will be dealt with right there,” Shea said. “There are much better solutions than turning to Iran,” she added.

Iran Embassy Hits Back at Shea over Oil Ships
Naharnet/June 26/2021
The Iranian embassy in Lebanon on Saturday lashed out at U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea over remarks related to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's call for buying fuel from Iran. "The arrival of Iranian oil tankers in Beirut is not hinging on the trifles of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea," the embassy tweeted. "The ambassador should not interfere in the brotherly relations between the two countries and between the Iranian and Lebanese peoples," the embassy added. The tweet included a file photo of an Iranian oil tanker. Sources meanwhile told al-Jadeed TV that the tweet was a "political response" to Shea's remarks and does not signal the actual arrival of any Iranian ships in Lebanon. Shea had on Friday said that the import of fuel from Iran is "really not a solution" for crisis-hit Lebanon. "What Iran is looking for is some kind of satellite state that they can exploit to pursue their agenda,” Shea said.
“There are other alternatives to provide fuel and electricity to the Lebanese people,” the ambassador went on to say, noting that eradicating corruption is one of the solutions. “There are much better solutions than turning to Iran,” she added.

Free Patriotic Movement: We call on the PM-designate to respond to the efforts made to form a government
NNA/June 26/2021
The Free Patriotic Movement’s political body issued a statement today following its periodic electronic meeting headed by MP Gebran Bassil, in which it called on Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to "respond to the efforts made and take the initiative, upon his return to Lebanon, to form a government capable of putting an end to the dangerously deteriorating situation, both financially and economically." The political body considered that the positions of both the FPM Chief and Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, “are enough to confirm their willingness to take every positive move that facilitates the birth of the government," appreciating Nasrallah's response to the call made by Bassil who has shown all readiness to support the long-awaited government and its reform work despite the fact that FPM will not partake in the upcoming cabinet. The political body also hailed the efforts undertaken by the President of the Republic to secure possible solutions to the electricity, medicine and fuel crises, calling on the Parliament Council to "keep pace with the work of the President of the Republic and the head of the caretaker government by expediting the adoption of laws that provide citizens with the financing card in exchange for rationalizing support, and securing the legislative cover for exceptional and inevitable spending in order to ensure the livelihood necessities for the Lebanese.”

Khaldeh Meeting: To form a government the soonest possible, lift cover off anyone disturbing Mountain’s security, stability
NNA/June 26/2021
A meeting was held this afternoon at the Khaldeh residence of Lebanese Democratic Party Head, MP Talal Arslan, with Progressive Socialist Party Chief, former MP Walid Jumblatt, and Arab Unity Party Head, former Minister Wiam Wahhab, in the presence of former Minister Ghazi al-Aridi and Arslan's Advisor Farhan Abu Hassan. Following the meeting, Wahhab read out a statement on behalf of the conferees indicating that talks touched on general national issues and the affairs of the Druze Unitarian Sect. “The daily living concerns that the entire Lebanese are enduring, particularly the people of the Mountain, require the highest levels of readiness and immediate action to take measures to control the situation and avoid disasters and tragedies,” the statement added, stressing that “the prelude to this is to assume national responsibility by forming a new government.”“We can only salute the spirit of solidarity and cooperation among the people of the Mountain, and we thank our expatriate brothers who rushed to extend a helping hand to their families, and we count on their role in the next stage,” the statement went on. The conferees confirmed the end of the lingering consequences of the painful events that occurred in the Mountain, based on the laws and customs in force in the Druze Unitarian Sect, while lifting the cover off anyone who disrupts the security and stability of the Mountain. Responding to a question, Wahhab reiterated that "discussions underlined the need to form a government as soon as possible, and that all parties should move to form it." He also assured that "there is a keenness on the relationship with others, similar to the relationship inside the Mountain, and we affirmed the freedom of political action for everyone in the Mountain, whether opponents or allies, and the relationship with all other parties with whom we have contact.” Wahab concluded, in response to another question, that "the issue of the return of relations between Jumblatt and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was not addressed during Arslan's visit to Damascus," stressing that "the Druze position has always been, and will remain within the Arab standing."

Erdogan, Hariri tackle situation in Lebanon and the region
NNA/June 26/2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received today Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri at Wahiduddin Palace in the Turkish capital. Discussions during the encounter centered on the prevailing situation in Lebanon and the region, and bilateral relations between the two countries.

Protests Continue, Shops Close as Lira Hits Record Lows
Naharnet/June 26/2021
Road-blocking protests continued Saturday in Lebanon and several shops closed in the northern city of Tripoli as the Lebanese lira plummeted to unprecedented lows. Around noon Saturday, the dollar was selling for LBP 17,600 on the black market, a rate not seen in Lebanon's modern history nor since the eruption of the country's financial crisis in 2019. In Tripoli, several shop owners closed their businesses in protest the economic situations and the surge in the dollar exchange rate, citing the daily losses they incurring as a result of the sharp decline in the value of the national currency.
Many shops also closed in the southern city of Sidon, with owners decrying the "crazy" rise in the dollar exchange rate. Several roads were meanwhile blocked in the country's north and south in protest at the dire situations.

We will not wait for the elections, your departure has become a condition for our survival, tweets Sami Gemayel
NNA/June 26/2021
Lebanese Kataeb Party Chief, Sami Gemayel, tweeted today in wake of the rising US dollar exchange rate, saying: “As you are awaiting the leader of the system to reconcile between you, the dollar has reached 17,500, milk and medicine are missing, the gas stations are closed and the hospitals are on the way…We will not wait for the elections, for your departure has become a condition for our survival.
To the head and members of the parliament council: Resign.
To the prime-minister designate: Apologize.
To the President of the Republic: Resign.
To the sovereign people of change: Our strength lies in our unity.”

Derian, Yazigi discuss Pope Francis inviation meeting in Vatican
NNA/June 26/2021 
The Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, received today at Dar Al-Fatwa, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, John X Yazigi, at the head of a delegation, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Islamic-Christian Dialogue Committee in Lebanon, Dr. Mohammad Al-Sammak. After the meeting, Yazigi said that the visit to the Mufti came within the framework of the invitation of His Holiness Pope Francis, to designate the first of July as a day of prayer and meditation for Lebanon.Discussions also focused on the coexistence, devotion and citizenship that unite the Lebanese

Abou Faour: Stop the lies and prosthetic solutions, form a government immediately
NNA/June 26/2021 
Member of the Democratic Gathering, MP Wael Abou Faour, indicated in a statement on Saturday that "the true translation of yesterday's agreement is as follows: the Central Bank obtained an explicit political and ambiguous legal coverage from the President of the Republic and the Caretaker Prime Minister to squander the remaining deposits for the account of major traders, monopolists and smugglers, while the financing card remains a lie that will not see the light, and the rationalization of support remains a myth, and the dollar crosses the threshold of 17,000, and the humiliation of the Lebanese continues and deepens.”He continued, "The matter is no longer political, but has become moral and related to consciences, if they exist. Stop the lies, selfishness and prosthetic solutions, and form a reform government today before tomorrow!"

Adwan: Prepare for accountability & trial
NNA/June 26/2021 
MP George Adwan criticized today the country’s "irresponsible officials”, saying via Twitter: “After impoverishing and humiliating the people and failing to take the right decisions at the right time…they support smuggling, monopoly, trade merchants and cartels, and plunder depositors by robbing their deposits from the mandatory reserve…”“You are violating the constitution and the law and infringing on the right to private property: prepare for accountability and trial!” exclaimed Adwan.

Judge Aoun: Special Investigation Authority over money transfers is the first to be held accountable
NNA/June 26/2021 
Public Prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, Judge Ghada Aoun, tweeted today over the issue of transferring funds abroad, stating that “the Special Investigation Authority has all the information regarding bank transfers, not cash payments, that must pass through the Central Bank of Lebanon…information by names and the amount of transfers,” criticizing its belittling of people’s minds and stressing that “this Authority is the first that ought to be held accountable."

MEA: Spain allows Lebanese citizens holding a type C visa to enter its territory
NNA/June 26/2021 
Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced in a statement, this morning, Saturday, that "in addition to France, Cyprus, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands, Spain has allowed Lebanese citizens with a Type C tourist visa to enter its territory, so all travel restrictions have been lifted from Lebanon to Spain. No vaccination, PCR or antigen testing is required and the requirement for mandatory entry into Spain (including children), is to fill out "Spain Travel Health Form" with QR code via this link to be shown upon arrival,” it added.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 26-27/2021
Iran says nuclear deal salvageable but will not negotiate forever
Reuters/26 June ,2021
Iran said on Saturday it believes a reinstatement of its 2015 nuclear deal with major world powers is possible but warned that Tehran “will not negotiate forever”.“Out of a steadfast commitment to salvage a deal that the US tried to torpedo, Iran has been the most active party in Vienna, proposing most drafts,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Twitter, referring to talks aimed at reviving the nuclear deal. Iran and the US have been holding indirect talks on reviving the 2015 agreement between Tehran and six powers that imposed restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions. Then US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the agreement in 2018, but President Joe Biden has been seeking to revive it. Officials on all sides have said there are major issues to resolve before the deal can be reinstated. “Still believe a deal is possible, if the US decides to abandon Trump’s failed legacy. Iran will not negotiate forever,” Khatibzadeh tweeted. The UN nuclear watchdog on Friday demanded an immediate reply from Iran on whether it would extend a monitoring agreement that expired overnight. An Iranian envoy responded that Tehran was under no obligation to provide an answer. The Vienna talks, which began in April, are now in a pause that had been expected to last until early July, but failure to extend the monitoring accord could throw those negotiations into disarray.

U.S., France Warn Iran that Time Running Out to Revive Deal
Agence France Presse/June 26/2021
The United States and France have warned Iran that time is running out to return to a nuclear deal, voicing fear that Tehran's sensitive atomic activities could advance if talks drag on. On the first high-level visit to Paris by President Joe Biden's administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his French hosts saluted a new spirit of cooperation after four years of turbulence under Donald Trump. But the two sides said that one key Biden promise -- to return to the 2015 Iran accord that was trashed by Trump -- is at risk if the clerical regime does not make concessions during talks that have been going on for more than two months in Vienna. Blinken warned that the United States still has "serious differences" with Iran, which has kept negotiating since last week's presidential election won by hardliner Ebrahim Raisi. "There will come a point, yes, where it will be very hard to return back to the standards set by the JCPOA," Blinken told reporters, using the acronym for the accord's formal name. "We haven't reached that point -- I can't put a date on it -- but it's something that we're conscious of." Blinken warned that if Iran "continues to spin ever more sophisticated centrifuges" and steps up uranium enrichment, it will bring nearer the "breakout" time at which it will be dangerously close to the ability to develop a nuclear bomb. But Blinken said that Biden still supports a return to the accord, under which Iran had drastically scaled back its nuclear work until Trump withdrew in 2018 and imposed crippling sanctions. "We have a national interest in trying to put the nuclear problem back in the box that it was in the JCPOA," Blinken said.
Stalling as strategy?
France -- which like Britain, Germany, Russia and China had stayed in the 2015 accord despite pressure from Trump -- also ramped up pressure on Iran to move ahead. "We expect the Iranian authorities to take the final decisions -- no doubt difficult ones -- which will allow the negotiations to be concluded," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at the joint news conference with Blinken. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement in response: "The opposing sides are the ones who must take the decisions." The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Friday it had received no reply from Tehran over the possible extension of a temporary agreement covering inspections at Iranian nuclear facilities which expired on Thursday. Under that deal, which had allowed for some IAEA inspections to continue after Iran limited access to sites in February, Tehran pledged to keep recordings "of some activities and monitoring equipment" and hand them over to the IAEA as and when U.S. sanctions are lifted. But Iran's envoy to the IAEA said on Twitter that the data recording was "a political decision" to facilitate the political talks and "shouldn't be considered as obligation". Talks have stalled in part over Iran's insistence on the lifting of all sanctions, pointing to the promises of economic relief under the accord. The Biden administration says it is ready to lift economic measures related to nuclear work as laid out by the JCPOA -- but that it will keep other sanctions, including over human rights and Iran's support to militant movements in the Arab world. Some experts believe that Iran had been waiting for the election of Raisi, whose hardline approach is backed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the ultimate arbiter of the Islamic republic's foreign policy. Analysts have said Iran could strike a deal before Raisi takes office in August -- letting him take the credit for the expected economic boost but blame outgoing president Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who championed a better relationship with the West, if the situation deteriorates.
'Welcome home'
Blinken, who was raised in Paris, hailed the alliance with France and sprinkled his remarks with fluent French, in a sharp change of tone after the sometimes abrasive "America First" approach of the Trump administration. "I would even be tempted to say, welcome home!" Le Drian said as he welcomed Blinken in an ornate room of the Quai d'Orsay, the French foreign ministry. Blinken later met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. The State Department said they looked for common ground on the challenges of Russia and China, crises in Lebanon and Ethiopia and the fight against Islamic State extremists in the Sahel. Blinken is on a European tour that also took him to Germany and will continue in Italy, just after Biden visited the continent. The Biden administration has looked to show unity with Europe as it looks to the rise of an increasingly assertive China as its primary global challenge.

US warns future of Iran deal in question if talks drag on
WASHINGTON – Iran and six world powers seeking to restore the deal to prevent Tehran’s development of nuclear weapons remain divided on key issues after the conclusion of a sixth round of talks, a senior US State Department official said Thursday. But the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, stressed that the United States thought a deal remained possible even with Iran under a newly-elected hardline president, cleric Ebrahim Raisi. “We still have serious differences that have not been bridged,” the official said. The official said the sides remained apart on central issues including what steps Tehran needed to take to get back into compliance with the original 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that lost effect after then-president Donald Trump withdrew three years ago. Also still under discussion was what sanctions relief Washington would offer Iran and the precise sequence of actions to be taken if an agreement is reached. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” the official said. “But we wouldn’t be going back for a seventh round if we didn’t think a deal was possible.”US President Joe Biden pledged to return to the deal after succeeding Trump in January and Washington believes that Iran wants that as well. Negotiations resumed in April in Vienna with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, all also part of the original JCPOA. EU negotiator Enrique Mora said on Sunday that those involved in the talks were “closer” to saving the Iran nuclear deal but that sticking points remained. But the election of Raisi last week has raised questions over whether Tehran’s stance will change. Although he only takes office in August, he gave his support to the talks on Monday. “Any negotiations that guarantee national interests will certainly be supported, but … we will not allow negotiations to be for negotiations’ sake,” he said. Raisi’s election “does not affect our determination to try to reach a deal,” the US official said. “The Iranians have been serious in the talks so far.” But the official stressed that though there was no deadline, the talks could not go on and on, especially as Iran continues to advance on its nuclear programme.“Certainly time is not a positive factor. This process won’t be open indefinitely,” the official said.
Doubts, sticking points
The lingering differences have sparked doubts among US decision-makers. A senior US official told Reuters that Washington may need to rethink its approach to Iran if the serious differences between the two countries on resuming compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal cannot be resolved “in the foreseeable future. “We still have serious differences… over the host of issues, whether it’s the nuclear steps that Iran needs to take to come back into compliance, the sanctions relief that the US would be offering or the sequence of steps that both sides would be taking,” the official told reporters on a conference call. “This process is not going to be open forever,” the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We do have differences and if we can’t bridge them in the foreseeable future, I think we are going to have to regroup and figure out how we … move ahead.” The official said the US delegation expected to return to Vienna for a seventh round in the not-too-distant future but he did not know when, suggesting the key factor would be internal Iranian consultations following Raisi’s election. The senior US official declined to detail the sticking points in the talks, which are indirect because Iran refuses to sit down with the US side. European diplomats are the main intermediaries. An official involved in the talks said Iran’s enrichment with large numbers of advanced centrifuges is an unresolved issue, as is Iran’s demand that it “verify” US compliance before curbing its nuclear programme. This official said verification meant the easing of US sanctions, Iran’s export of some of oil and its payment through an international bank before Tehran would take steps to make its programme less capable of being used to make nuclear weapons. A Western diplomat agreed there was a major stumbling block on the sequencing of steps, with the Iranians demanding immediate access to US dollars and to the international banking sector. The Western diplomat also said advanced centrifuges, which can produce highly enriched uranium more efficiently, was a sticking point and suggested there was some possibility that Iran might be allowed to keep some of these.

U.S. ex-Cop Sentenced to Over 22 Years for George Floyd Murder
Agence France Presse/June 26/2021
Former policeman Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison on Friday for the murder of African American George Floyd, the killing that sparked America's biggest demonstrations for racial justice in decades. The white, 45-year-old Chauvin gave his "condolences" to the Floyd family in a Minneapolis court, without apologizing, before Judge Peter Cahill handed down a lesser sentence than the 30 years the prosecution had sought. "This (jail term) is based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd," Cahill told Chauvin, who listened impassively. The decision was read out at the end of a tense hearing in which the court watched a recorded message by Floyd's seven-year-old daughter and heard from Chauvin's mother. The Floyd family's lawyer called the sentencing a "historic" step towards racial reconciliation in the United States. "(It) brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability," Ben Crump tweeted. President Joe Biden said: "I don't know all the circumstances that were considered but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate." After the sentence was announced, chanting marchers with megaphones and motorcycle escorts took over some of the city’s busiest blocks during rush hour. No serious incidents were reported as they wound their way through stopped traffic. The sentencing was long awaited in Minnesota, with hundreds of people gathering near the courthouse into the evening. Many said Chauvin should have gotten 30 or 40 years.
Chauvin, who has been behind bars since being convicted on three counts of murder and manslaughter two months ago, wore a light gray suit as he learnt his fate following a trial that captivated the world. He spoke briefly, after declining to testify during his six-week trial. "I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family," Chauvin said after removing his face mask. "At this time due to some additional legal matters at hand, I'm not able to give a full formal statement at this time." "There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind," he added. Earlier, the court watched a moving video from the late Floyd's daughter, Gianna Floyd. "I miss you and I love you," the girl said when asked in the recorded message what she said would say to her father today. Chauvin and three colleagues arrested Floyd, 46, in May 2020 on suspicion of having passed a fake $20 bill in a store in Minneapolis, a northern city of around 420,000. They handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground in the street.
Chauvin then knelt on the back of Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes, indifferent to the dying man's groans and to the pleas of distraught passers-by. The scene, filmed and uploaded by a young woman, quickly went viral. After weeks of home confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto streets across the country and overseas, to demand an end to racism and police brutality. It took weeks for the mass demonstrations to taper off, but the debate around the pressing social issues remains vivid in the United States, where Biden has been slow to come up with the police reforms he promised during his campaign. Minnesota law provides for a minimum sentence of 12.5 years but Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, his voice choking, told the court Cahill should hand Chauvin the stiffest term possible.
'Particular cruelty'
"Why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother's neck?" demanded Floyd, urging Chauvin to explain the reason for the murder. Cahill said his sentence was "not based on emotion or sympathy," but the law, and in a 22-page sentencing memorandum identified aggravating circumstances that brought a heavier punishment. They included that Chauvin's offense occurred in front of minors and that he "committed the crime as a group with the active participation of at least three other" officers. Chauvin's trial was closely followed across the country.
His lawyer said Chauvin had followed police procedures in force at the time and that Floyd's death was due to health problems exacerbated by drug use. The jurors took less than 10 hours to convict. Their decision was greeted with a huge sigh of relief across the country. Many had feared an acquittal would lead to worse unrest, while others worried that once again a white police officer would get away with what they saw as murder. With good behavior, Chauvin could serve just two-thirds of any prison sentence, with the remaining third on supervised release. The defense will appeal the verdict, Nelson has said, citing doubts over the impartiality of some jurors. On the eve of sentencing, the judge denied the defense's request for a new trial. Neither will the case end with Chauvin: his three former colleagues will face trial in March 2022 on charges of complicity in homicide. In parallel, the four men also face federal charges of violating Floyd's constitutional rights. No date has yet been set for that trial.

Three explosives-laden drones hit near Iraq’s Erbil
AFP/26 June ,2021
Three explosives-laden drones hit near the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, where the United States has a consulate, Iraqi Kurdish officials said Saturday. The attack came as the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias (Hashed al-Shaabi) opposed to the US presence in Iraq, held a military parade near Baghdad attended by senior officials. A handout picture shows members of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias (Hashed al-Shaabi) taking part in a military parade at Camp Ashraf in Khalis, in the Diyala province, June 26, 2021. (Hashed al-Shaabi Media/AFP)
A handout picture shows members of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias (Hashed al-Shaabi) taking part in a military parade at Camp Ashraf in Khalis, in the Diyala province, June 26, 2021. (Hashed al-Shaabi Media/AFP)
The drone attack occurred overnight, the anti-terrorist unit in Kurdistan said, with two striking a house and causing damage while the payload on the third did not explode. The US consulate condemned the assault in a tweet, saying “this attack represents a clear violation of Iraqi sovereignty.”US interests in Iraq have come under repeated attack in recent months but the use of drones is a relatively new tactic. The United States consistently blames Iran-linked Iraqi factions for rocket and other attacks against Iraqi installations housing its personnel. Since the start of the year there have been 43 attacks against US interests in Iraq, where 2,500 American troops are deployed as part of an international coalition to fight ISIS terrorist organization. The vast majority have been bombs against logistics convoys, while 14 were rocket attacks, some of them claimed by pro-Iran factions that aim to pressure Washington into withdrawing all their troops. In April, a drone packed with explosives hit the coalition’s Iraq headquarters in the military part of the airport in Erbil, the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital. The tactic poses a headache for the coalition, as drones can evade air defenses. In May a drone packed with explosives hit the Ain Al-Asad air base housing US troops. On June 9 three explosives-laden drones targeted Baghdad airport, where US soldiers are also deployed. One was intercepted by the Iraqi army. Earlier that day five rockets were fired at Balad air base, where American contractors are based, causing no casualties or damage. The attacks on the airport and Balad came as Iraqi authorities released a PMU commander Qasim Muslih. Muslih had been arrested on May 26 by police intelligence on suspicion of ordering the killing of Ehab al-Wazni, a pro-democracy activist shot dead earlier that month by unidentified gunmen on motorbikes. On Saturday, the PMU, which analysts say has become the predominant force in Iraqi politics, held a military parade in Diyala province bordering Baghdad. It was marking the seventh anniversary of the group which in 2014 to battle the ISIS terrorist group that had seized almost one third of Iraq in a lightning offensive. At the parade, the PMU displayed various weapons including rocket launchers mounted on vehicles, according to footage broadcast on Iraqi state television, to an audience comprising Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi.

Iraq paramilitaries show off weaponry in big, anniversary parade
Reuters/26 June ,2021
Thousands of Iraqi paramilitary fighters, including powerful Iran-backed factions, marched at a military base in eastern Iraq on Saturday showcasing tanks and rocket launchers in their biggest formal parade to date. The event, attended by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, marked seven years since the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) were formed to fight the Sunni ISIS. “I esteem your sacrifices, and the sacrifices of the Iraqi armed forces” in fighting ISIS, Kadhimi said, warning against any “sedition” within the PMU, but without elaborating. The PMU’s establishment created a state-sanctioned umbrella organization of mostly Shiite militias backed by Iran. The Iran-aligned factions, which are the most powerful in the PMU, have since ISIS’s defeat in 2017 expanded their military, political and economic power and attacked bases housing the 2,500 remaining US forces in Iraq. They have allies in parliament and government and a grip over some state bodies, including security institutions. Those factions are also accused of killing protesters who took to the streets in late 2019 demanding the removal of Iraq’s ruling elite. The groups deny involvement in activist killings. Kadhimi, a US-friendly interim premier, has tried to crack down on the most powerful Iran-backed factions but without success because of their military strength and political influence. The membership of Iran-aligned groups in the PMU has made it difficult for Kadhimi and state security forces to check the power of the militias, since they are effectively part of the state itself. On Saturday Kadhimi watched, flanked by militia commanders while hundreds of armored vehicles drove past a banner of the late PMU military chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iran-backed commander who was killed in a US drone strike last year. The parade, a demonstration of military might, took place at a base once occupied by US troops near the border with Iran. The PMU was formed in 2014 after Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged all able-bodied Iraqis to take up arms against ISIS, which had taken over a third of Iraq.

Iraqis’ hopes for reform dashed as militias dig in against weak state
The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
BAGHDAD – Iraq’s government appears increasingly weak in the face of militias and parties that are expected to entrench their power in an upcoming election, dashing the hopes of protesters who were promised reform, say activists, officials and diplomats.
The Baghdad government has painted an early vote in October as the answer to Iraq’s woes and the West has thrown its support behind Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih in calling for the election, which the United Nations has agreed to monitor. But a series of recent events has demonstrated the impunity of paramilitary groups mainly aligned to Iran. Iraq’s biggest parties, all linked to armed groups, are already positioning themselves to divide up election spoils while pro-reform activists are gunned down in the streets. “The Iraqi state is not in control of the situation,” said Hanaa Edwar, a prominent Iraqi rights activist. “Activists and candidates are being assassinated and threatened. It will be very difficult to hold (free) elections in these circumstances.”A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said militias are “stronger than the state itself … the old guard are in control. An internationally-monitored election will just lend them legitimacy.”A spokesperson for the government was not immediately available for comment.
A climate of impunity
After the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling its Sunni Muslim leader Saddam Hussein, Shia parties aligned with Iran dominated state institutions and successive governments. In late 2019, huge crowds of Iraqis took part in mass protests calling for the removal of that elite. Hundreds of protesters were killed when the security forces and militia fired on the demonstrators. The government of the day was forced to resign. Since then, interim premier Kadhimi has promised to hold to account people responsible for the killing of protesters and to enact electoral reform for a vote that would weaken the grip of armed groups. But almost two years later, no one has been successfully prosecuted for killing protesters. The old elite appears on track to strengthen its power and activists complain that political freedoms have been eroded even further. The United Nations says at least 32 anti-establishment activists have died in targeted killings by unidentified armed groups since October 2019. Iraqi officials privately blame groups allied to Iran, although those groups deny any role. For Hisham al-Mozany, an activist who had co-founded a new political party, it was a series of deployments by supporters of rival militias in Baghdad this year that scared his party off from running in elections. “There’s no law and order in Baghdad, no (strong) security apparatus … the state is dying,” he said. In February, armed supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr paraded through Baghdad over what Sadr said was over a threat to Shia holy sites. In March, supporters of Iran-aligned militias took to the streets over government delays in passing an annual budget. On both occasions state security forces did not intervene. Last month, militiamen deployed inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings. The militiamen were demanding the release of Qasim Muslih, a senior paramilitary commander arrested for what government and security officials said was involvement in killing activists and firing rockets at a US base. Two weeks later, Muslih was freed.
New law, old parties
Activists including Mozany continue to be threatened. “I left my home after (militias) raided my home and torched my car,” he said. The ongoing intimidation and impunity is creating an environment in which big parties and groups linked with militias will do well in the October vote, officials and diplomats say.
Iraq passed a new election law in 2019 that in theory favours independent candidates, a move meant to encourage young, pro-democracy candidates to run. But so far, few are standing. “Security is one of the main reasons I haven’t yet announced my candidacy,” said one activist, on condition of anonymity. “I don’t feel safe if I do so.”A spokesperson for Iraq’s election commission said many registered candidates had recently withdrawn. Meanwhile, the old parties say they are feeling confident ahead of the election. “We meet regularly at someone’s home and discuss alliances. We know each other from many years back, we’re on speaking terms no matter the general political tension,” said the leader of one party. Activists have lost all hope. Mohammed Aldhamat, whose brother Amjad was gunned down in a targeted killing in 2019, said he would boycott the election entirely.
“There’s no point taking part,” he said.

Kadhimi blames corruption during Maliki era for Iraq’s woes
The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Thursday blamed the corruption that prevailed during the rule of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s governments for the disasters that befell Iraq, pledging to move forward in the fight against corruption even if it cost him the fall of his government. He said, “The fall of Mosul (into the hands of ISIS in the summer of 2014) was caused by corruption, nepotism and mismanagement. In many issues, even those of electricity and other sectors, we find that the reason is corruption”.He stressed in an interview with the state-owned Al-Iraqiya TV channel that “fighting corruption is a major challenge in Iraq”. Last August, Kadhimi formed a special committee to investigate major corruption cases and assigned the tasks of executing arrest orders to a special force in the prime minister’s office. The assets and properties of nine officials, including Maliki’s son-in-law, were frozen over non-payment of debts owed to the state. Some analysts thought this was the start of a full-fledged battle against corruption. But the influence of pro-Iran militias slowed down the pace of the anti-graft campaign. Maliki responded by slamming Kadhimi’s Anti-Corruption Committee as “contrary to the constitution.”He said Kadhimi should “support institutions (already) concerned with fighting corruption” rather than announcing the creation of new outfits. The fight against graft was at the top of the demands of year-long mass protests in Iraq from October 2019. The government of premier Adel Abdul-Mahdi, in partnership with Iran-linked militias was suspected of involvement in the killing of hundreds of demonstrators and the wounding of thousands of others in order to protect the country’s corrupt religious party system. For years, Iraq has been listed among the most corrupt countries in the world as illustrated by the Transparency International Index. On May 23, Iraqi President Barham Salih said in a televised speech that $150 billion had been smuggled abroad in fraudulent deals since 2003.Kadhimi vowed to continue the fight against corruption saying, “Even if there is a threat to topple the government, we will not stop anti-corruption measures,and we are ready to sacrifice everything.”
Since its formation, Kadhimi’s government has made extensive administrative reshuffles in state institutions, including the security services and the army, in an effort to remove incompetent officials or those suspected of involvement in graft. During the formation of his government, Kadhimi pledged to fight widespread payoffs in state bodies, which exposed him to a fierce campaign by influential parties and coalitions backed by Iran. Corruption was a major reason for the failure of successive Iraqi governments to improve basic public services such as education, electricity, drinking water, the health sector, and others. The Parliamentary Integrity Committee confirmed last January that the volume of smuggled funds outside Iraq is estimated at 350 trillion dinars ($239.7 billion), a figure that exceeds the country’s budget for more than two years. It stressed the existence of political pressures to obstruct the fight against corruption.
Committee member Taha al-Difai said commissions were paid to officials for the purpose of facilitating illicit operations. Earlier last year, the former member of the Parliament’s Finance Committee, Rahim Al-Daraji, estimated the value of the looted funds in Iraq at about $450 billion.
Kadhimi’s plans do not stop at fighting corruption, even if that in itself is an uphill task for a government without a clear political support base. Kadhimi is betting on the elections scheduled for next October to win a supportive bloc of deputies not linked to sectarian agendas. “We do not want to compliment any party and we decided to contain everyone and extinguish the fires, in order to provide a security environment for the upcoming elections, because elections are requested by the people, the religious marjaia, popular forces and political parties,” the Iraqi prime minister said in his interview on Thursday.
He added, “We must fulfil the demands of the demonstrators and hold elections because the October 2019 demonstrations produced 600 martyrs and thousands of wounded, the condition of of many of whom is serious. We chose to fulfil the demands of the demonstrators, the marjaia and the political forces, and focus on the parliamentary elections”.He renewed his commitment not to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections, explaining, “It is a decision taken from the first moment I took office and I do not have any party and I support all parties equally and do not differentiate between one party or another.”

Citing sanctions, US cautions Arab states against normalizing ties with Syria’s Assad
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/26 June ,2021
A senior US official Friday warned Arab countries against normalizing ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Assad was re-elected for a fourth term last month in what the West dubbed as “illegitimate elections,” and he has ruled Syria since 2000. And for the last ten years, his deadly crackdown and brutal oppression of what began as a peaceful pro-democracy protest in 2011 have marred his tenure. Despite being kicked out of the Arab League, countries in the Middle East have softened their stance on Assad and his government in recent years. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain reopened their embassies in Damascus in 2019, and last year, Oman became the first Gulf state to send its ambassador back to Syria. Syria has also been pushing for more countries in the region to normalize ties; however, the wrath of US economic sanctions continues to pose a threat. On Friday, Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood reiterated that the US would not alter its stance on the Assad regime “absent a major change in behavior on his part.”Asked about traditional US allies in the Middle East potentially re-establishing ties with Damascus, he said the US was asking them to consider “very carefully the atrocities committed by the regime on the Syrian people over the last decade.”Hood also cited the regime’s continuing efforts to block access to humanitarian aid to many parts of Syria. “I would also, of course, add that we have Caesar [Act] sanctions; this is a law that has wide, bipartisan support in the Congress and the [Biden] administration is going to follow the law on that,” Hood said in response to a question from Al Arabiya English. “So, governments and businesses need to be careful that their proposed or envisioned transactions don’t expose them to potential sanctions from the United States, under that act,” Hood warned. With a little less than 400,000 people left dead from the ongoing war in Syria and over six million Syrian refugees, the regime has been unable to draw investment to begin reconstruction efforts. Russia and Iran, Assad’s main backers, do not have the economic or political power to attract or provide the necessary funding. The Caesar Act was law implemented by the Trump administration last June in an effort to thwart any potential business dealings with the Assad regime. In March, the top UAE diplomat said the US sanctions were the biggest challenge to working with Syria.

Burial of Abbas critic triggers calls for government change
The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
HEBRON, West Bank – Palestinian mourners called on Friday for a change of government as they marched through Hebron for the funeral of one of President Mahmoud Abbas’s most prominent critics, who died after being arrested by security forces. Thousands of people accompanied Nizar Banat’s coffin through the streets of the occupied West Bank city, many of them chanting “The people want the fall of the regime” and “Leave, leave Abbas.”Some waved Palestinian flags and others the flag of Hamas, Abbas’s Islamist rivals in Gaza. Protesters also gathered in Ramallah and outside East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. Banat’s family said Palestinian Authority (PA) forces broke into his house in the city in the early hours of Thursday and hit him repeatedly with a metal rod before arresting him. He suffered blows to the head, the PA’s Independent Commission for Human Rights said after conducting an autopsy.
Abbas’ Palestinian Authority said it would hold an inquiry, but has not commented on the accusations. Its governor for Hebron, Jibrin Al-Bakri, said Banat died when his health “deteriorated” during his arrest. Abbas’ popularity has plummeted since the 85-year-old was elected president in 2005, with many Palestinians facing economic hardship and complaining of widespread corruption. He has ruled the PA by decree for over a decade. Making its first statement since Banat’s death, the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which Abbas chairs, said the PA inquiry would be impartial and that it would announce its findings at the earliest opportunity. But the PLO called on Palestinians “and especially the family of the martyr, Nizar, to assume national responsibility … and not allow anyone to politicise this issue and divert it from its national, humanitarian and legal track.”Banat, 43, was a social activist who had accused Abbas’s PA of corruption, including over a short-lived COVID-19 vaccine exchange with Israel this month and Abbas’s postponement of a long-delayed election in May. Banat had registered as a parliamentary candidate for that contest. Human rights groups say Abbas regularly arrests critics. A Human Rights Watch official said Banat’s arrest was “no anomaly”. Abbas denies the accusations. The United States, the United Nations and the European Union called on the PA to conduct a “transparent” inquiry into Banat’s death. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, urged Palestinians to rise up and “put a final end to the widespread violation by the (PA) against the freedoms and rights of our people”. Abbas and the PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, reject accusations they are corrupt and that they arrest people for their political views. They also deny torture.

Controversy precedes Egyptian intelligence chief’s Washington visit
The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
CAIRO – The upcoming visit to the United States by the head of Egyptian Intelligence Service, Major General Abbas Kamel, has revived an old debate over whether Washington should care first about Egypt’s role as a strong regional security ally or be concerned instead about the most populous Arab country’s human rights’ record. Cairo is not deterred by the reservations of some in the United States who still insist that human rights in Egypt should be the determining factor in the relationship between the two countries, not strategic interests. The Washington Post editorial said Tuesday that the timing of Kamel’s visit “ought to shame an administration that says human rights advocacy is central to its foreign policy” as his arrival comes in the wake of a Cairo court’s sentencing to death of 12 Muslim Brotherhood figures. “Kamel,” argued the liberal daily, “ought to be asked by senior US officials and members of Congress” about whether Egypt intends to carry out the sentences.
The Egyptian intelligence chief “should also be questioned about reports that his agency supported Saudi operations to abduct or kill exiled dissidents, including journalist and Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi.”Amr Abdel-Aty, an Egyptian political analyst specialising in American affairs, said that some in the US media are trying to shift the focus from Egypt’s success in reaching a ceasefire in Gaza to Cairo’s humans rights. Talking to The Arab Weekly, Abdel-Aty added that Abbas Kamel’s visit to Washington at this time buttresses the growing role that Cairo is playing in the region as well as the Biden administration’s appreciation for Egypt’s strategic weight considering the vacuum created by Washington’s gradual withdrawal from the Middle East. Egyptian sources told The Arab Weekly that Kamel’s trip aims to transform the personal rapport established between the two presidents into a good institutional relationship between the two nations and to build on existing close ties between the two countries’ military establishments. This is especially the case since a number of current intelligence leaders in the United States previously dealt with the Egyptian regime during the Obama administration. President Abdelfattah al-Sisi’s government has shown, after the success of its mediation between Israel and Hamas last month, that it can play an important role in preventing regional security crises. Abbas Kamel’s Washington visit is believed to aim for a sort of US-Egypt policy reset after Gaza. Cairo is said to have begun to reformulate its policies in a way that does not conflict with US positions in the region based on the assumption that human rights in Egypt will not be an obstacle to developing the bilateral relationship.
A human rights group called on members of Congress to question the Egyptian intelligence chief on a recent report by “Yahoo News” alleging that a Saudi plane carrying a team of killers had stopped off in Cairo in October 2018 to pick up the lethal drugs used to kill Khashoggi.
Major General Kamel is going Washington to meet US intelligence officials and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The visit is important to Cairo as it reflects the intensification of contacts between the two countries after Biden talked twice by phone with Sisi during the Gaza war.
The conversations were the first of their kind after a period of uncertainty between the two sides, as Biden had criticised his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, during the election campaign, for the way he dealt with Sisi, describing the Egyptian leader as Trump’s “favourite dictator” and saying that Biden “will not give anyone a blank check.”
However, the Gaza war confirmed the importance of Egypt’s role for the United States in helping ensure security and stability in the region, analysts say. As the two capitals nudged closer, strengthening strategic relations took the upper hand over US human rights concerns. Sources in Washington said the US administration has subsequently expressed greater understanding of Egyptian demands in the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis. They spoke of attempts to formulate an agreement that satisfies the three countries, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan but the rejection of a military solution to the row.
The former head of the Egyptian army’s reconnaissance service, Major General Nasr Salem, said that the visit of the head of the intelligence service should help clarify Egyptian viewpoints towards regional problems, such as the removal of mercenaries from Libya, the Renaissance Dam crisis and the Palestinian issue. Greater coordination between the two countries on these concerns is expected in the future. Talking to The Arab Weekly, Salem added that the current relationship between Cairo and Washington can be described as “stable and could potentially develop further”, as Egypt seeks to build stronger ties with the Biden administration. Considering the lingering ambiguities in the US relationship with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and the stalled negotiations with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme, Cairo sees an opportunity it should not miss to appear as a strong ally deserving of Washington’s support.

Women rights struggle gains urgency in Egypt after shelved bill
The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
CAIRO – In a push to cement meagre rights, Egyptian women have been battling a “shocking” draft bill influenced by Islamic law which would have deepened a system of guardianship further restricting their daily lives. Nutritionist Mai Nasser remembered how difficult things were already for her mother after her parents divorced when she was a baby. “Every time I needed papers to change schools or to travel or to access any government service, I had to wait for a signature from my father overseas,” Nasser, who is now in her 30s, wrote on social media. She was using a widely-shared hashtag “#guardianship_is_my_right”, a campaign spearheaded by feminist groups and women seeking to take back power over their lives launched in response to the proposals brought before the Egyptian parliament earlier this year. The draft bill would have “imposed the guardianship of a man, whether he is a father, a husband, or a brother, on a woman,” said Hoda Elsadda, a Cairo University literature professor and chair of the Women and Memory Forum rights group. “It even granted the father or brother the right to forcibly annul a marriage between a daughter or sister to a man on the grounds of him hailing from a different social background.”The bill has been shelved for the time being amid the outcry. But proposed changes to the personal status law had included women being unable to travel abroad without a male guardian’s consent and barring mothers from registering a child’s birth certificate or passport. It would have robbed “women of their legal capacity, and set Egypt back some 200 years,” said Nehad Abo El-Komsan, feminist activist and president of the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, who called the bill “shocking”. Women’s political rights have improved in recent years, there are currently eight women ministers or almost a quarter of the cabinet. And women hold some 168 seats in parliament out of 569. Under constitutional reforms adopted in 2019, women must make up a minimum of 25 percent of MPs in the lower chamber. But in their daily lives women have no authority over their children or their own personal lives,rights which are delegated to the men in their families.
“Cosmetic change”
Elsadda noted that since Egypt’s founding as a modern state in the 19th century, women have been marginalised and their rights relegated. “In 1956, Egyptian women gained political rights such as voting, running for public office and reaching the highest echelons in the state, but the personal status law remains the same since it was passed in 1920,” she said. “Women do not have the legal capacity that allows them the right to have guardianship over themselves and their children and puts them under the control of males in the family,” she added. Earlier this month, the country’s Supreme Judicial Council decided in a meeting headed by President Abdelfattah al-Sisi to allow women for the first time to work in the public prosecutor’s office and State Council. But Omnia Taher, a law professor at Al-Azhar University, said the decision was a “cosmetic change”. There is “a great fear this decision will appoint a group of female judges as a one-off only. Gender discrimination won’t be eliminated,” she said. Taher launched an initiative called “She has a right to the bar” after she was refused an appointment in 2013 as a judge to the State Council. Elsadda also remains sceptical of the recent changes, highlighting how women are constantly confronted by bureaucratic barriers. “The minister who represents the state in international summits does not have legal guardianship over her children,” she said, and for example cannot collect vital papers such as leaving certificates from schools “without the presence of the father”. Women also cannot control their children’s bank accounts, as the fathers are the children’s legal guardians. “The bank manager who deals with funds … worth millions can’t deposit money for her children in their savings accounts … from her own money,” Elsadda added.
Al Azhar weighs in —
In May the grand imam of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar, the top theological institution representing Sunni Muslims worldwide, weighed in on the debate.
Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb said on Twitter that there is no religious edict preventing women from holding high-ranking positions, travelling alone or having an appropriate share of inheritance rights. And he added that “their guardians could not ban them from marrying without a valid reason”. But he stopped short of saying women should have equal rights to men. And some believe the only way to protect women’s rights is to enshrine them in civil law. The personal status law “must be civil, otherwise we will remain in a crisis of religious interpretation all the time,” said journalist Raneem Al-Afifi, who has launched a campaign to boost gender coverage in the media. She fears the draft law has only been shelved as “a temporary measure to assuage women’s anger”. “The contradiction remains between the rights they (women) have in the public sphere and the absence of rights in the private sphere,” agreed Elsadda.

Ukraine Says Soldier Killed in Separatist Shelling
Agence France Presse/June 26/2021
A Ukrainian soldier was killed in the conflict-ridden east of the country in a mortar and grenade attack launched from territory held by pro-Russian separatists, the military said Saturday. The Ukrainian army has been locked in simmering trench conflict with breakaway fighters in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions since 2014 when Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula. The military said in a Facebook post that separatists had fired on its troops with mortars and anti-tank weapons from near their administrative center of Donetsk. "As a result of the shelling, one Ukrainian serviceman received a fatal shrapnel wound," the Ukrainian military's statement said. It added that Ukrainian troops had returned fire and also accused separatists of near daily violations of a ceasefire brokered last year that has been left in tatters. After an uptick in violence in the beginning of the year, Russia in April amassed 100,000 troops on Ukraine's borders, raising fears of a major escalation in the long-running conflict. Moscow soon announced a pullback, but both Washington and Kiev say that the withdrawal has been limited. The war has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of sending troops and arms to support the separatists, which Moscow has denied.

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 26-27/2021
Six takeaways from Iran nuke negotiations - analysis
Yonah Jerremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/June 26/2021
These takeaways include the use of ballistic missiles, the Islamic Republic's destabilization of the Middle East and potentially extending nuclear limits beyond 2030.
Some major events have happened in the last week of the nuclear standoff between Iran, the US and the world powers, which give some additional insights into what to expect next.
Following a background briefing to the media by a senior US State Department official, here are six takeaways:
1. Follow-on negotiations: A major reason there has been no deal so far is that the Biden administration has held tough to there being a follow on round of negotiations to address issues which the JCPOA nuclear deal did not address.
These include: ballistic missiles, the Islamic Republic's destabilization of the Middle East and potentially extending nuclear limits beyond 2030. Israel opposes a return to the JCPOA, partially because it believes a US attempt to get new concessions after lifting sanctions is foolhardy. Jerusalem might be slightly heartened to hear that Washington may be taking this issue seriously even if it will not fully meet Israeli concerns. The US also seems to be taking Tehran's advanced centrifuge and higher enrichment levels seriously.
2. Iran saving face during the follow-on negotiations: It has now been formally suggested that one way the US might bridge differences with Iran on new concessions is that aspects of the follow-on deal after the JCPOA deal (if any of this happens) might be informal and not signed in an agreement. This will greatly concern Jerusalem, whose experience is that Iran ignores anything it has not signed on to formally and with teeth - and even those commitments are often not honored completely.
If the US goes this route, Israeli intelligence monitoring to see if the Islamic Republic is, say, continuing ballistic missiles development at ranges threatening Israel but not the US, will be as crucial as ever.
3. Sanctions to Raisi will likely come off: The senior US official explicitly did not say whether Washington will remove sanctions from Ebrahim Raisi for human rights violations, now that he is Iran's president-elect. But in this case a non-commitment is likely a commitment to lift sanctions. It would make negotiations with Tehran extraordinarily difficult if the Biden administration did not raise sanctions on Raisi.
This is probably what Israel is pushing for to block a return to the JCPOA. But Biden is committed to the return, which means he will likely lift sanctions on Raisi as part of a package deal. If the Us was going to do otherwise, they would be sending a clear signal of no sanctions lifting from the get-go.
4. No date for 7th round of negotiations: After past rounds there seemed to be a rush to start the next round of negotiations to maintain momentum. A US official said there is no return date scheduled. Though critics of the JCPOA might be excited by this, it is more likely that this is a sign that negotiations next time will be more serious and near the end.
Probably, negotiations were dragged out until now so a deal could be struck during the Raisi era so he and the hardliner camp could take credit for positive economic trends in the Islamic Republic. A longer pause probably reflects confidence for a deal and that the hard final decisions on this are finally being debated so that the process will conclude.
5. No IAEA extension yet, but no crisis: The third deadline for lifting sanctions on Iran or an end to IAEA-Iranian cooperation passed on Thursday with a whimper. There was some concern expressed that Tehran would follow-through and end inspections, but it seems everyone is now used to Iranian deadlines being meaningless on this issue.
The bigger question is how long Tehran will extend cooperation this time before the next deadline and whether some small changes will be made in how that cooperation works.
6. No discussion of blown up Karaj nuclear facility: No one even asked, and the US official did not address, the sabotage of Iran's major centrifuge production facility at Karaj, reportedly by Israel. This was big news in Israel, but much less reported in America. Clearly, the Biden administration and the Iranians - who still are lying about the damage being small - want to move on from this and not allow it to undermine their joint push for a deal.
The attack certainly benefited all countries worried about Iran's advancement toward a nuclear weapon, but it will not slow down the JCPOA.

Iran’s New President: A Mass Murderer Mullah
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/June 26/2021
ماجد رفي زاده/معهد جيتستون: رئيس إيران الجديد إبراهيم رئيسي هو رجل دين مجرم وقاتل جماعي ومسؤول عن اعدام 30 ألف مواطن إيراني بينهم أطفال
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100066/majid-rafizadeh-gatestone-institute-irans-new-president-a-mass-murderer-mullah-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%aa/
Many people boycotted the elections and protesters called on US President Joe Biden to stop trying to return to the nuclear deal.
قاطع الكثير من االإيرانيين الانتخابات الرئاسية في إيران ودعا المتظاهرون الرئيس الأمريكي جو بايدن إلى التوقف عن محاولة العودة إلى الاتفاق النووي.
“The government is telling people to vote… We are not going to vote in order to show the world that we Iranians are frustrated with this clerical establishment. We do not support a government that shoots down a passenger plane… that lies repeatedly, and that kills and tortures its own citizens.” — Soraya, a student at Tehran University, to Gatestone Institute, three days before the election.
At the age of 24, Raisi was appointed as deputy of the Revolutionary Court Prosecutor’s Office. There, as a member of the “Death Commission”, he would be known for, and implicated in, one of the world’s largest mass executions, in which more than 30,000 people were executed, including children….
The Biden administration — instead of enriching and empowering these tyrants — need to stand with the Iranian people, who for decades have been suffering under Iran’s brutal and predatory regime.
Following the Iranian regime’s sham election, the next President of the Islamic Republic is Ebrahim Raisi . Raisi was appointed deputy prosecutor of the Revolutionary Court. There, as a member of the “Death Commission”, he became known for, and implicated in, one of the world’s largest mass executions, in which more than 30,000 people were executed, including children and pregnant women.
The Iranian regime ran a sham election to make its favorite mullah candidate, Ebrahim Raisi, linked with mass executions, become the next President of the Islamic Republic. Will the European Union and the Biden administration at least condemn the Iranian regime and stop the West’s appeasement policies with the ruling mullahs?
In Iran, the regime urged people to vote, most likely to show that it enjoys legitimacy; however, what it faced was widespread voter apathy and a record low voter turnout. Many people boycotted the elections and protesters called on US President Joe Biden to stop trying to return to the nuclear deal. Anahita, an Iranian teacher from Tehran, told Gatestone, “I did not go to vote. Like many people, I did not have a candidate. So, why should I vote? The mullahs had a candidate: Raisi”.
Three days before the election, Soraya, a student at Tehran University, also told Gatestone:
“The government is telling people to vote. But I see voting as an insult. We are not going to vote in order to show the world that we Iranians are frustrated with this clerical establishment. We do not support a government that shoots down a passenger plane [Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, downed by the IRGC in January 2020], that lies repeatedly, and that kills and tortures its own citizens. We do not support a government that steals the nation’s resources and spends it on its militias. The old game of moderate or hard-liner is over. They are all the same.”
It is important for the world to know exactly who is this new President of Iran.
After the Islamic revolution of Iran in 1979, Raisi was appointed as a judge at the age of 19 in the Karaj Prosecutor’s Office, even though he had no formal university education. A year later, he was appointed to be the prosecutor for Karaj city, the fourth-largest in Iran. During the first few years after the revolution, Raisi proved his loyalty to the Islamic Republic by silencing many dissidents and opposition groups.
At the age of 24, Raisi was appointed as deputy prosecutor of the Revolutionary Court. There, as a member of the “Death Commission”, he would be known for, and implicated in, one of the world’s largest mass executions, in which more than 30,000 people were executed, including children and pregnant women. A US House of Representatives resolution detailed:
“… over a 4-month period in 1988, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out the barbaric mass executions of thousands of political prisoners and many unrelated political groups… according to a report by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, the massacre was carried out pursuant to a fatwa, or religious decree, issued by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini…”
The late Hussein-Ali Montazeri — one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic, as well as a human rights activist, an Islamic theologian and the designated successor to the Islamic revolution’s Supreme Leader Khomeini until the very last moments of Khomeini’s life — said regarding the massacre:
“I believe this is the greatest crime committed in the Islamic Republic since the [1979] revolution and history will condemn us for it…. History will write you down as criminals.”
Montazeri pleaded with Raisi and his colleagues to stop the executions:
“It was first of [the Islamic holy month of] Muharram; I asked Mr. Nayyeri, Mr. Eshraqi, Mr. Raisi and Mr. Pourmohammadi, Now is Muharram; at least stop the executions during Muharram. Mr. Nayyeri said: We have so far executed 750 in Tehran and separated 200 as those persevering on their position. Let us finish them and then whatever you say, we shall do it.”
After overseeing the mass executions and brutally cracking down on opposition and dissidents, Raisi was promoted by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and later appointed to more high positions. These included the Prosecutor of Tehran, Chairman of the National Television Supervisory Council, head of the General Inspection Office, and as the Attorney General of the Islamic Republic.
Finally, Khamenei appointed Raisi as the head of the regime’s notorious judicial system. After his appointment, Raisi pointed out in a speech at the 23rd National Assembly of Revolutionary Guards Commanders and Officials in 2019: “We will not cut the fingers of those who are corrupt; we will cut off their entire hand.”
The U.S. Department of Treasury, on November 5, 2019, placed Raisi on its sanctions list.
The Biden administration — instead of enriching and empowering these tyrants — needs to stand with the Iranian people, who for decades have been suffering under Iran’s brutal and predatory regime.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2021 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.

Iran cannot impose its conditions on the world
Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/June 26/2021
The current regime has no future for the very simple reason that it is unable to open up either internally or externally.
There is a constant need to return to the primary question: Is the “Islamic Republic” in Iran a normal state or not? The answer is a big “No”. This is reflected the need of the regime, which rose in 1979 after the fall of the Shah, to constantly venture outside its borders. It is not yet known what Iran is doing in Lebanon, apart from destroying the country, one institution after another. It is not entirely known what Iran wants from Syria except to impose a minority regime rejected by its own people. Also, it is not known what Iran wants from Yemen other than to encircle the Arab Gulf states from a base in a country that is an integral part of the Arabian Peninsula.
Most important of all, what does Iran want from Iraq, which it fought for eight years (1980-1988)?
That war played a role in draining the resources of all the countries of the region, including Iran itself. Regardless of Saddam Hussein’s responsibility for the outbreak of the war, it remains a fact that the insistence of the “Islamic Republic” on the continuation of the conflict for so many years reflected a desire to achieve unrealistic goals.
At the forefront of these goals is the recognition by the world and the countries of the region that the “Islamic Republic” is a regional power that deserves to enjoy hegemony over its neighbourhood and beyond and to be able to export its revolution.
Well, America presented Iraq to Iran on a silver platter in 2003. The administration of George W. Bush invaded Iraq and overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein, the rural Ba’athist who knew nothing of urban values.
Saddam was never familiar with the balance of power in the world nor the region and how he was able to achieve a semi-victory over Iran in 1988 when Ayatollah Khomeini was forced to say that he had to drink the cup of poison and stop the war.
What has Iran done in Iraq for years other than exploit Iraq’s wealth and establish sectarian militias to replace Iraqi state institutions? No one in Iran asks themselves why Iraqis, including in Najaf, Karbala, Basra, Baghdad and Nasiriyah, reject Iran’s presence in their country? This rejection includes Arab Shias who, in the past few years, have not stopped emphasising that Iraq is Iraq and Iran is Iran.
Iran has reached an agreement with the United States to return to the 2015 agreement which the Trump administration tore it up in 2018 … or not. The issue goes beyond the Iranian nuclear file. It is a question of Iran’s behaviour beyond its borders. It is also the issue of Iranian missiles and drones, which are launched on a daily basis from Yemen towards Saudi territory. The campaign launched by the US administration, through the Department of Justice, which seized news websites affiliated with Iran and its proxies, including the Houthi “Al Masirah” channel, is an example of what awaits Iran in the future.
What awaits Tehran is radically different from what is expected by its new president, Ebrahim Raisi, who wants America to return to the nuclear agreement and lift all sanctions imposed on Iran without any conditions.
Any Iranian official should realise that the year 2021 is not the year 2015 and that the world has come to recognise that Iran cannot be allowed to continue running away from its internal problems to create problems abroad. Iran’s behaviour outside its borders and its missile programme are far more important than its nuclear programme. This is a problem that the Biden administration can no longer ignore.
It explains the closed loop in which the Vienna negotiations are trapped as talks continue between Iran and the countries that had signed the Iran deal six years ago.
Does Iran want to escape this closed loop and present itself to the world in a different light or does it want to persist in ignoring that the world knows full well, that it is in a deep crisis? This crisis is so deep that the “Guide” Ali Khamenei could not find anyone to appoint to the office of president, through comical elections, other than Ebrahim Raisi.
Khamenei had to disqualify any other candidate with any merit whatsoever to guarantee Raisi’s victory in the presidential vote. The arrival of Raisi, with his notorious record, does not bode well. Iran will take the region to more crises based on the many cards it holds in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. What is the value of these cards except that they mean the destruction of each and every one of the four countries ?
After all that Iran has done in Lebanon via Hezbollah, it will be difficult to see Lebanon rise to its feet again. The same applies to Syria, where the minority regime is ready to say that it has defeated the world just because Bashar al-Assad is still in Damascus.
All that can be said is that America cannot accept the conditions that Ebrahim Raisi seeks to impose. Iranian missiles cannot be kept outside any agreement between the “Islamic Republic” and the Biden administration, regardless of what Tehran is saying these days.
Iran can impose presidential elections in Syria and achieve a victory for Bashar in that farcical vote. What it cannot admit is that it has no model to offer to its neighbours and to the world. This is due, first of all, to the fact that the regime in Iran has failed to achieve any success of any kind on the economic front. After the fall of the Shah, Iranian officials, including Khomeini, the founder of the “Islamic Republic” and the Wali al-Faqih regime, began calling for Iran to dispense with income from oil and gas and build a productive economy of a new type. This is theoretically possible. Iran possesses many resources. But what has become clear over the years is that it is nowadays more dependent on oil and gas than ever before. Some courage seems more than necessary to face the reality that more than half of the Iranian people live below the poverty line… and that the current regime has no future. It has no future for the very simple that it is not able to open up internally or externally. This inability explains all the intransigence shown by the regime, a hardening that will unfortunately bring disasters to Iran itself and to the region.