English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 19/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today

Saint Joseph’s Annual Day/Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 01/18-25: “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 18-19/2021

Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English/http://eliasbejjaninews.com/
St. Joseph’s Annual Day/Elias Bejjani/March 19/2021
MoPH: 3757 new coronavirus cases, 73 deaths
Towards freedom started this petition to United Nations and 6 others
Security Council Urges Lebanese Parties to Immediately Facilitate Govt. Formation
Lebanese Firm to Import Million Doses of Sputnik V Vaccine
Report: EU, US Likely Readying Sanctions on Lebanese Leaders
France's Macron says will need new approach on Lebanon
France ups pressure as Lebanon’s leaders meet to resolve crisis
President Aoun discusses governmental file with PM-designate
Hariri announces from Baabda a new meeting on Monday: Let us seize the opportunity
Aoun, Hariri to Meet Anew Monday for 'Answers' on Govt. Line-Up
Hezbollah has thousands of missiles, rockets located in civilian areas to target Israeli citizens: IDF
Landmine Kills Man on Lebanese-Syrian Border
Jumblat, French Ambassador Discuss Political Developments in Lebanon
Former Speaker Husseini receives Saudi Ambassador
Italian Embassy: Climbing tower donation ceremony
Rising public fury in Lebanon with country on the abyss
Lebanon’s crises will feed the hunger revolution/Hanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/March 18/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 18-19/2021

UN Security Council condemns Iran-backed Houthi offensive in Yemen
Iran-backed attacks on US forces to accelerate nuclear deal will not work: US envoy
Iran making ‘significant developments’ in building its weapon arsenal: Israeli
France’s Macron blasts Iran for continuous violations of nuclear deal
White House says President Biden does not regret calling Putin a killer
Biden calls on all entities involved in Nord Stream 2 to ‘immediately abandon work’
EU Regulator Says AstraZeneca Vaccine 'Safe and Effective'
UK Regulator Says 'No Evidence' Clots Caused by Covid Vaccines
Takes One to Know One': Putin Mocks Biden over 'Killer' Comment
6.0-magnitude Earthquake Strikes off Algerian Coast
Turkey moves to ban pro-Kurdish party as domestic challenges mount
Egypt, US in Red Sea naval exercises to support regional security
 

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 18-19/2021

Iran Is Trying to Convert Syria to Shiism/Anchal Vohra/Foreign Policy/March 18/2021
Begum’s case is an exceptional warning for future radicals/Dunia El-Zobaidi/The Arab Weekly/March 18/2021
Iran’s next battle ground: Afghanistan/Rami Rayess/Al Arabiya/March 18/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 18-19/2021

Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English/http://eliasbejjaninews.com/
 

St. Joseph’s Annual Dayعيد ما يوسف البتول
Elias Bejjani/March 19/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73094/elias-bejjani-saint-annual-josephs-day/
The feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated annually on March 19/Our Bejjani family has proudly carried this name generation after generation for centuries and still we do. May God and His angles safeguard our caring and loving son Youssef, and our grandson Joseph, who both carry this blessed name.It is worth mentioning that St. Joseph’s Day is a Maronite – Roman Catholic feast day that commemorates the life of St. Joseph, the step-father of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
People with very strong religious convictions among which are the Lebanese Maronites celebrate St. Joseph’s Day on March 19 and believe that this day is St. Joseph’s birthday too.Back home, in Lebanon St. Joseph is considered the Family Saint and looked upon as a family and hardworking father role model because of the great role that Almighty God had assigned him to carry. His duty was to raise Jesus Christ and take care of Virgin Mary. God has chose him to look after His begotten son and Virgin Marry. He fulfilled his Godly assignment with love, passion and devotion.
May Al Mighty God bless all those that carry this name.

MoPH: 3757 new coronavirus cases, 73 deaths
NNA/March 18/2021
3757 new coronavirus cases and 73 deaths have been recorded in Lebanon during the past 24 hours, as announced by the Ministry of Public Health on Thursday.

Towards freedom started this petition to United Nations and 6 others
Given that the Lebanese people are:

https://www.change.org/p/united-nations-مؤتمر-دولي-لمساعدة-لبنان-d5842808-8a8c-4c32-94e7-33e890cff1a3?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_27874356_en-GB%3A4&recruited_by_id=956c33a0-87ec-11eb-980d-bd52b4b7e9a8&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial
1 – Hostages to an external power, particularly Iran, through its Proxy, Hezbollah, who colludes with an authority that has proved its failure and rampant corruption
2- Victims of intimidation by the Hezbollah militia, bolstered by its illegal arms, and accused of many assassinations, past & present
3- Victims of the looting of their money and resources by a corrupt authority which controls all decisions in Lebanon
4- Unable to hold accountable those responsible for crimes against humanity and terrorism crimes, especially the Beirut Port blast due to the subduing of the judicial authority by the Hezbollah- corrupt authority alliance
5- Suffering poverty, humiliation, insecurity, loss of freedom, and yearning to live in dignity, peace and freedom, as stipulated in the United Nation’s Human Rights Bill and its charters
6- Apprehensive about the persistent tying up of their country to regional and international conflicts which he can no more bear, with the ensuing threat to their unity, and to national and international peace, particularly with the presence of more than one million and a half refugees on their territory
Subsequently,
We call on the United Nations and the countries of the world to help us restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, freedom, and stability, and to achieve justice, security and dignity for its people, by holding a UN-led International Conference for Lebanon which:
1- Establishes & acknowledges Lebanon’s neutrality towards the region’s conflicts, in accordance with the Baabda Declaration conclusions issued on June 11th, 2012
2- Imposes the full & comprehensive implementation of all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, namely Resolutions 1559, 1680 & 1701
3- Implements the Constitution and the national accord document to carry out the necessary reforms to get Lebanon out of its crisis
4- Conducts a thorough international investigation into the Beirut Port blast crime to reveal the truth and achieve full justice.

Security Council Urges Lebanese Parties to Immediately Facilitate Govt. Formation
Naharnet/March 18/2021
Najat Rochdi, Officer in Charge of the Office of U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations, on Thursday briefed the U.N. Security Council virtually on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and the situation in Lebanon, as reflected in the latest report of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
A U.N. statement that Rochdi voiced deep concern over the socio-economic and financial crisis in Lebanon that has continued to deteriorate since the last meeting of the Security Council in November, and which has had implications on the country’s security and stability.
Noting the “rise in public protests and the disillusionment and hardships felt by a majority of the Lebanese people,” Rochdi said Lebanese authorities should act urgently to halt the deepening crisis and ensure good governance.
“Security Council members agreed that Lebanon’s political forces should immediately facilitate the formation of a fully-empowered Government to undertake the reforms necessary to put Lebanon on the path of recovery and restore the trust of the people and the international community,” the statement said.
The Security Council members also welcomed the role played by the Lebanese Armed Forces and security forces in “safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability during this very sensitive period of Lebanese history, even though they were also impacted by the socio-economic crisis.”
They also welcomed the role played by UNIFIL in supporting the LAF to safeguard security and stability in south Lebanon.
“They highlighted the importance of both Lebanon and Israel respecting the Blue Line and implementing Resolution 1701 in its entirety,” the statement said.
On the importance of promoting the rule of law, Rochdi reiterated the need for “full accountability and justice to be served, through credible, transparent and swift investigations into the Beirut port explosion and last month’s killing of Mr. Lokman Slim.”
Council Members also acknowledged Lebanon’s continuing efforts to host and support refugees despite multiple challenges.
Rochdi for her part highlighted the importance of “continued international unity in support of Lebanon’s sovereignty, stability and security.”
Security Council members meanwhile reiterated their “support for Lebanon, its people, its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
 

Lebanese Firm to Import Million Doses of Sputnik V Vaccine
Naharnet/March 18/2021
Lebanese private company Pharmaline will import one million doses of the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, the owner of the company said. In an interview with the Qatari-owned, Beirut-based news portal al-Modon, Pharmaline owner Jacques Sarraf said the vaccine will be offered at a “very cheap” price of $38 for the two doses and that the money will be paid by companies seeking to vaccinate their employees. Sarraf is also the head of the Lebanese Russian Business Council and the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Lebanon. He described the move as an initiative aimed at speeding up the vaccination campaign in Lebanon. “The Sputnik vaccine will be launched in Lebanon as of Monday, March 29 and the first batch is expected to arrive in Lebanon next Thursday,” Sarraf told al-Modon, adding that the company will receive the shipment on Friday from Beirut airport. “As the head of the Lebanese Russian Business Council and as the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Lebanon, I pressed through all the contacts that I have and I told them to let me help my country at the current time since I’m serving Russia’s interests in Lebanon,” Sarraf added. He explained that any company, association or public administration seeking to vaccinate its workers, employees and their families can provide a list of their names in order to carry out the necessary transactions. “The vaccine will be free of charge for individuals and the institutions have to pay for the vaccine. The institution can choose any vaccination center out of the 17 centers that are accredited by the Health Ministry,” Sarraf added.
 

Report: EU, US Likely Readying Sanctions on Lebanese Leaders
Naharnet/March 18/2021  
European and American authorities “must” raise pressure, and even impose “sanctions” on Lebanon’s political class in order to ease the hurdles delaying a much-needed government in the crisis-hit country, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. The daily quoted a French diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying that “Europeans and the Americans should increase pressure on the Lebanese political class to form a new government, and this may also be done through sanctions,” he said. “The pressure on political leaders should be greatly increased," the diplomat told reporters, adding that the efforts in that direction are going to be the focus of their work in the next two week. “We will not move alone, but with our European partners and with the Americans," he added. He stated that the pressure on Lebanese leaders is going to be “easier” under the administration of US President Joe Biden, while the administration of ex-President Donald Trump considered Lebanon as a mere "agent for changing" the power equation with Iran. The process of forming a government has been delayed by endless haggling between the main ruling parties. Lebanon's deeply divided political class has failed to agree on a new cabinet since a massive explosion in Beirut port last August that killed more than 200 people and led to the government's resignation. “Imposition of sanctions will be brought up on the table,” and will be imposed on Lebanese officials who obstruct any political progress, added the source. "The issue of sanctions was not the priority in August and September, but after six or seven months it became legitimate,” he emphasized.

France's Macron says will need new approach on Lebanon
NNA/March 18/2021
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he would push for a new approach in the coming weeks on Lebanon as the country's main actors had made no progress over the last seven months to resolve the economic and political crisis. Paris has spearheaded international efforts to rescue the former French protectorate from its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, but has failed so far to persuade squabbling politicians to adopt a reform roadmap and form a new government to unlock international aid. Protests have grown since the currency hit new lows, deepening public anger over Lebanon's financial collapse. "The time of the test of responsibility is coming to an end and there will be a need in the coming weeks, in a very clear manner, change approach and the methods because we can't leave the Lebanese people since last August in the situation in which they are," Macron said.
He gave no other details. A French diplomat said on Wednesday that international partners would seek to increase pressure on Lebanon's politicians in the coming months, although sanctions against individuals in the immediate term were not being envisaged. ----Reuters

France ups pressure as Lebanon’s leaders meet to resolve crisis
The Arab Weekly/March 18/2021
On Thursday, Hariri’s tone was more positive after saying a new meeting was scheduled for Monday and that he saw “an opportunity to be seized.”
PARIS--French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he would push for a new approach in the coming weeks on Lebanon as the country’s main actors had made no progress over the last seven months to resolve the economic and political crisis. Paris has spearheaded international efforts to rescue the former French protectorate from its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, but has failed so far to persuade squabbling politicians to adopt a reform roadmap and form a new government to unlock international aid. “The time of the test of responsibility is coming to an end and there will be a need in the coming weeks, in a very clear manner, to change approach and the methods because we can’t leave the Lebanese people since last August in the situation in which they are,” Macron said. He gave no other details. A French diplomat said on Wednesday that international partners would seek to increase pressure on Lebanon’s politicians in the coming months, although sanctions against individuals in the immediate term were not being envisaged.
Hariri’s meeting with Aoun
In a sign of his awareness about the serious nature of the situation, Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri said on Thursday after a meeting with President Michel Aoun that forming a government that could re-engage with the IMF was the only way to halt the country’s financial collapse. The meeting took place after a heated exchange on Wednesday night between the two top politicians, who have been at loggerheads for months over cabinet formation. Aoun asked Hariri to form a new government immediately or make way for someone else in a televised speech, and Hariri hit back by telling him that if he could not approve his cabinet line-up then he should call an election. On Thursday, Hariri’s tone was more positive after saying a new meeting was scheduled for Monday and that he saw “an opportunity to be seized.”“The main priority of any government is to prevent the collapse that we are facing today… that we proceed to start halting the collapse with the IMF and regain the trust of the international community,” he told reporters. Lebanon’s talks with the IMF stalled last year over a row among Lebanese government officials, bankers and political parties over vast financial losses. The Lebanese pound has sunk by 90% in the country’s worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. It has plunged many into poverty and endangered imports as dollars grow scarce. Politicians have since late 2019 failed to agree a rescue plan to unlock foreign cash which Lebanon desperately needs. “We are really looking at the abyss, seeing it very clearly, and I think it’s either now or never,” Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center said, alluding to the urgency of forming a new government able to make reforms. He added that major political parties, including Aoun’s ally, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, were re-evaluating their positions as delays worsen the economy’s free-fall and unrest grows. A French diplomat said on Wednesday that France, which has led aid efforts to its former colony, and its partners will seek to ramp up pressure on Lebanese politicians in the coming months.
Simmering anger
The currency has crashed so fast in recent weeks, losing a third of its value, that grocery shops closed on Wednesday and bakeries cautioned they may have to follow suit. Many pharmacies shut their doors on Thursday and flashed neon strike signs, the latest sector of the economy to voice frustration. Ali Obaid, a Beirut pharmacist, said he could no longer keep up with expenses. “Pharmacies will close permanently if this continues,” he said. Comments that subsidies – including on fuel, wheat and medicine – may soon end have also triggered panic buying. Cars lined up outside gas stations earlier this week, and scenes of brawls over subsidised goods at supermarkets have heightened fears among Lebanese over their most basic needs. The sharp descent of the pound sent protesters into the streets this month, blocking roads in anger at an entrenched political elite that has dominated since the civil war.

President Aoun discusses governmental file with PM-designate
NNA/March 18/2021  
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met PM-Designate, Saad Hariri, this afternoon at Baabda Palace, and deliberated with him the government file in light of recent contacts and consultations. PM Hariri’s Statement: After the meeting, which lasted for nearly an hour, PM Hariri spoke to reporters: “I was honored to meet His Excellency, the President. We discussed aspirations to form a government of 18 specialists, which everyone knows. The goal of this government is to save the country from the current economic crisis, and stop the collapse which we face today.
I listened to the remarks of the President, and we agreed to meet again next Monday, to come up with a clear result for the Lebanese concerning the government. God willing the next meeting will carry basic answers about how we can reach government formation, as soon as possible. I would like to add that the goal of any government is to work with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the process of stopping the collapse, in order to restore confidence in the international community. The Lebanese Pound is deteriorating daily. Economically speaking there is no justification for the size of this devaluation, but what is justified is the lack of prospect of the people, of a father who wants to take his children to school and provide medicine for his family. Therefore, the primary goal of the government, which should be formed as soon as possible, is to halt all these matters and give people the prospect to stop the ongoing collapse of the Lebanese Pound. The Lebanese may have witnessed yesterday the collision between the Presidency of the Republic and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and I am here today to try to ease this matter and calm the situation. We will hold a second meeting next Monday, and I was frank with you and will remain so and inform you of everything which happens. Today we are facing an opportunity. We must take advantage of it and think to come up with something, next Monday”.-- Presidency Press office
 

Hariri announces from Baabda a new meeting on Monday: Let us seize the opportunity
NNA/March 18/2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri visited Baabda Palace this afternoon and met with the President of the Republic General Michel Aoun. Hariri said after the meeting: “I had the honor to meet with the President of the Republic, after a long time, and I spoke with him about my aspirations regarding a government that consists of 18 specialists, so that we save the country from the economic crisis in which it is drowning. At the end of the day, the main purpose of any government is to stop the collapse that we are facing today. I listened to the remarks of His Excellency the President, and we agreed to meet again next Monday so that we come up with something clear for the Lebanese. In this meeting, there will be some important answers about the way to reach a government formation as quickly as possible.”He added: “The main goal of any government today is to first stop the collapse, through the International Monetary Fund program and restore the confidence of the international community in the country. Today you see how the Lebanese Pound is devaluating daily, and if we look at the economic situation, we find that it does not justify this collapse of the LBP. What justifies it is the absence of horizon for the people, for the father who wakes up in the morning and does not know how he will take his children to school, or take care of their health. Hence, the main goal of this government, which must be formed as soon as possible, is to stop all this and give people hope and a horizon in order to stop the devaluation of the Lebanese Pound.”He continued: “The Lebanese people witnessed yesterday a clash between the Presidency of the Republic and the Premiership, so I came today to try to mitigate this clash and work to calm things down. Next Monday, we will hold another meeting, hopefully, and as I have always been frank with you, I will remain so and I will tell you at every moment what is happening. Now there is an opportunity, so let us seize it and think so that we can come up with something next Monday.”-- Hariri Press office
 

Aoun, Hariri to Meet Anew Monday for 'Answers' on Govt. Line-Up
Agence France Presse/March 18/2021
PM-designate Saad Hariri met Thursday afternoon in Baabda with President Michel Aoun, only hours after the two leaders exchanged bitter tirades that reached the extent of asking each other to step down. "I told President Aoun that I'm seeking an 18-seat government of specialists," Hariri said after the talks. "We agreed to meet again on Monday and there will be some essential answers on how to reach a cabinet line-up as soon as possible," he added. “The Lebanese maybe witnessed a clash between the presidency and the premiership yesterday, and I came here today so that we try to alleviate this clash and work on pacifying things,” Hariri said. “There is a chance now. Let us make use of it and think in order to be able to come up with something on Monday,” he went on to say. Hariri also stressed the urgent need to form a government to relaunch talks with the International Monetary Fund and tackle the deepening economic crisis. "The main goal of any government today is to first stop the collapse, through the International Monetary Fund program, and restore the confidence of the international community" in Lebanon, he said. Al-Jadeed TV had earlier described Hariri's visit as "an attempt to find common ground to quickly form the government and re-float the line-up that he had submitted.”“Hariri has stressed his flexibility and openness to changing candidates that President Aoun wants to replace,” the TV network said.

Hezbollah has thousands of missiles, rockets located in civilian areas to target Israeli citizens: IDF
Arab News/March 18, 2021
LONDON: Hezbollah possesses thousands of missiles and rockets located in the heart of the civilian population that are deliberately intended to target Israeli civilians, the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday. “The IDF will take all necessary steps to prevent that from happening,” Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi said during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Kochavi is accompanying Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on a visit to France.
 

Landmine Kills Man on Lebanese-Syrian Border
Naharnet/March 18/2021
A landmine explosion killed a man identified as A.A. Thursday in an area on Lebanon’s northern border with Syria, the National News Agency said.
The blast took place in the al-Buqaiaa area near the stream of the Grand River. The agency added that a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance transferred the body to the Our Lady of Peace Hospital in Qoubayyat as a Lebanese Army patrol arrived on the blast scene.
 

Jumblat, French Ambassador Discuss Political Developments in Lebanon
Naharnet/March 18/2021
Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat held talks with the French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo late on Wednesday and discussed the latest developments. Media reports said the two discussed the latest political developments in Lebanon, amid the delayed government formation badly needed to steer the country out of its crisis. Jumblat received Grillo at his residence in Clemenceau in the presence of his son head of the Democratic Gathering bloc MP Taymour Jumblat and ex-MP Ghazi Aridi. Spearheaded by France, the international community is piling pressure on authorities in Lebanon to form a new government quickly. Lebanon's worst economic downturn in decades has pushed a battered population to the brink with no solution in sight as the country's barons wrangle over forming a new government.

Former Speaker Husseini receives Saudi Ambassador
NNA/March 18/2021
Former House Speaker Hussein Husseini received Thursday at his Ain-el-Tineh residence, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, with whom he discussed the current situation and latest developments on the local and regional scenes. According to a statement by the Saudi Embassy in Beirut, Bukhari and his host stressed that Lebanon should be a “sovereign, free, independent, and final homeland for all its citizens." Also, the pair extolled the Taif Agreement "which confirms that Lebanon is Arab in its identity and in its affiliation."Moreover, Bukhari reiterated Saudi Arabi's equidistance from all the Lebanese sides, adding that the Kingdom will always be open to all sects and communities.

Italian Embassy: Climbing tower donation ceremony
NNA/March 18/2021 
The Italian Embassy issued Thursday the following press release:
Today, the Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon (MIBIL), donated to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) a Climbing Tower installed at the Marine Commandos Regiment Barracks in Amchit in order to meet in a more structured approach the training requirements. The donation ceremony was attended by Ambassador Nicoletta Bombardiere, the Italian Defense Attaché, Col. Marco Zona, the MIBIL Commander, Col. Marcello Orsi. On behalf of the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Ziad Nasr took part in the ceremony together with the Marine Commandos Regiment Commander, Col. Bassem Al Ayoubi. Ambassador Bombardiere expressed her gratitude to attend this significant ceremony in order to underline the strong cooperation based on friendship and respect between Lebanon and Italy in general, and between the two Armed Forces in particular. She added that, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the MIBIL and the Marine Commandos Regiment, have been successfully able to conclude two courses, the “Amphibious Medium Long Recce and Target Acquisition Course” and “Amphibious Train the Trainer Course”, thanks to their joint efforts and commitment. The 15-week courses started in November 2020 and ended earlier in March this year. The MIBIL, operating in Lebanon since 2015, foresees many other training programs and activities in favor of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Presidential Guard Brigade for the year 2021.

Rising public fury in Lebanon with country on the abyss
The Arab Weekly/March 18/2021
“We have not yet reached the level of a failed state,” Nasser Yassin of the American University of Beirut said. “But the state’s ability to survive is diminishing by the day.”
BEIRUT--Lebanon’s worst economic downturn in decades has pushed a battered population to the brink with no solution in sight as the country’s barons wrangle over forming a new government.
In the absence of a fully functioning executive that can spearhead reforms and provide the most basic of services, is a rescue on the horizon?
Conditions in Lebanon have deteriorated since the protesters first took to the streets in 2019 demanding the removal of a political leadership deemed to be both inept and corrupt.
The coronavirus pandemic and the powerful August explosion in Beirut port, which disfigured the heart of the capital and prompted prime minister Hassan Diab to resign, have aggravated the country’s economic woes.
The Lebanese pound, officially pegged at 1,507 to the greenback since 1997, has lost almost 90 percent of its value on the black market. Scattered protests broke out on Tuesday in different parts of the country after the Lebanese pound hit a new record low, trading at 15,000 to the dollar on the black market
The depreciation has sparked soaring inflation and chipped away at the purchasing power of a population denied full access to their savings by stringent banking controls.
This has prompted a new wave of protests across Lebanon this month after the coronavirus restrictions temporarily snuffed out demonstrations last year.
Activists have taken aim at the government, which has tried and failed to soften hardship by subsidising basic goods and prosecuting money exchangers accused of manipulating the market.
But this has done little to stem the currency crisis while central bank reserves diminish by the day.
In March 2020 Lebanon defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time.
Last year unemployment was running at close to 40 percent. But even those with jobs are suffering. Before the economic crisis broke out in 2019, the median salary was worth around $630 dollars. Its value on the black market today is just $63.
According to the United Nations, some 55 percent of Lebanese live below the poverty line of $3.84 a day and up to 23 percent live in extreme poverty, compared with just eight percent in 2019.
Inflation saw consumer prices rise by 146 percent last year while the World Food Programme recorded that the overall of food shot up by more than 400 percent.
The price of a basket of key survival items such as rice, pasta and cooking oil has almost tripled since October 2019, the WFP says.
The price of subsidised bread has also risen by 91.5 percent since May 2020, as the cash-strapped government has gradually increased the cost of a large packet of flatbread while also diminishing its weight.
Lebanon’s more than six million inhabitants include around 1.5 million Syrians who have fled war in their homeland, of whom almost one million have been registered as refugees with the United Nations.
Nine out of 10 Syrian refugee families in Lebanon live in extreme poverty, says the UN.
Nearly 180,000 Palestinians also live in Lebanon, according to an official census, large numbers of whom have lost their jobs.
When is the government?
Spearheaded by France, the international community is piling pressure on politicians to form a new government quickly.
But more than seven months after Diab resigned, political leaders have yet to agree on a new line-up.
Prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and President Michel Aoun have accused each other of obstruction.
According to Lebanese media reports, Aoun and the political party he founded are pushing for a big share of cabinet seats, a demand Hariri has rejected. Aoun has denied this accusation.
An Arab diplomatic source in Beirut said “the behaviour of political parties and their calculations, which don’t seem to have changed, suggest there is obstruction from all sides that could last months”.
“We have presented many solutions, but they were turned down,” the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Nasser Yassin of the American University of Beirut accused authorities of being tone deaf.
“As we move towards the abyss, there is a great political crisis, with each side trying to see how to secure gains before total collapse,” he told AFP.
Public institutions, meanwhile, are not capable of carrying out “the most basic of tasks”.
A ‘failed state’?
Over the past week, members of Lebanon’s outgoing government have sounded the alarm.
Interior minister Mohammad Fahmi said security has “crumbled” as crime rates soar.
Energy minister Raymond Ghajar warned of “total darkness” by the end of the month if funds are not made available to import power station fuel.
Education minister Tarek Majzoub announced a week-long suspension of teaching in public schools in protest at the lack of state support for pupils and teachers hit by the economic crisis.
The army chief has complained of budget cuts and several professional associations have threatened strikes.
“We have not yet reached the level of a failed state,” Yasin said. “But the state’s ability to survive is diminishing by the day.”
Any solutions in sight?
There are no quick fixes but economists argue a turnaround is still possible.
“The problem is that we have yet to start with a rescue plan,” said Yasin.
International donors have made their aid conditional on the implementation of a reform programme that could save the economy.
Diab’s government last year announced a rescue roadmap that included spending cuts, electricity sector reform, restructuring of the banking system and abandoning the US dollar peg.
But it has yet to be implemented.
“A future government that doesn’t meet the standards of the international community … will not likely enact the reforms needed to receive financial support,” the Arab diplomatic source warned.
Lebanon began talks with the International Monetary Fund last year but they quickly hit a wall over lack of political consensus over what reforms are needed.
Henri Chaoul, who was part of the government’s IMF negotiating team before he resigned in protest, said officials were to blame for the currency crisis.
“All of this was preventable,” he said on Twitter last week when the pound hit 12,000 to the greenback.
“They are responsible for this,” he added, referring to politicians and central bankers as well as the commercial banks.

Lebanon’s crises will feed the hunger revolution
Hanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/March 18/2021
أزمات لبنان تغذي ثورة الجوع/حنين غدار/العربية /18 آذار/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/97097/hanin-ghaddar-lebanons-crises-will-feed-the-hunger-revolution-%d8%ad%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%ba%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a3%d8%b2%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%aa%d8%ba/
With the US dollar exceeding the 15,000 Lebanese Lira threshold, people took to the street as inflation skyrocketed. Supermarkets shut their doors, and fights over food produce escalated into armed clashes in some areas.
Lebanon’s hunger revolution has begun. As it spills onto the streets of Lebanon, the moment rests on a knife-edge that can lead either to real change, or slip into street warfare. The worse is about to happen. The people can sense the chaos approaching.
Everyone knows the dire economic situation, and it is not farfetched to see a shortage of subsidized goods, continuing spiraling inflation and little hard currency available in Lebanon.
On the security level the latest statistics published by the Lebanese internal security, crime increased significantly, with murders jumping 45 percent in the past year, and reported thefts 144 percent. Can this be contained? Probably not.
What needs to happen is making sure people do not turn against each other as they fight over essential items. Instead, channeling their anger and frustration into an organized movement geared to tackle the political class, before the parliamentary elections in May 2022, is essential.
Lebanon has entered a new phase. People know that there are no international governments that can save them. It’s up to themselves to save the country as one organized movement.
The peaceful and hopeful October 2019 protests flopped. Today’s streets look demoralized and hopeless. The collapsing society can follow different paths. The street conflicts and increasing crime is expected, but will always be erratic.
Going hungry is something entirely different. People have little choice but to react and force change, so not all hope is lost. One way to channel the inevitable collapse is to keep the protest movement focused. It is no longer enough to go on the street, burn tires, and criticize the political class. A strategy is needed, led by the main opposition groups in Lebanon, with a simple goal: to determine the parliamentary elections’ outcome.
This requires three initiatives.
First, for the civil society groups must put their differences aside, work with other opposing leaderships, such as Patriarch Bechara Rai. Support his initiative, and accept the backing of some political groups who are outside the system, such as the Kataeb and its leader Samy Gemayel, who supported the October 2019 protests, and has refused to be part of the government.
Second, all these groups should form a single political front, and counter Hezbollah’s attempts to flood the streets with rhetoric. Since 2019, this group has managed to infiltrate the streets with groups and slogans that are less focused on them and their allies, and instead directed against their opponents, with the banking system, the Central Bank, and their political opponents its focus.
Hezbollah divided opinion, and today are attempting to control it. Regaining the voice of districts across the country must happen; it’s the only route left for the people. The groups that fought the terrorist’s rhetoric and succeeded in conveying the truth in 2019 should come back as one unified and strong voice, with clear demands and a solid strategy.
Third, the international community has made it clear that no help is forthcoming unless the Lebanese people start helping themselves. Rightly so. It is up to the public to show the international community that the people support proper change, but need extra support to make sure that elections take place on time, transparently, and under international supervision.
Current attempts by Hezbollah face challenges created by people’s distrust of the political elite, the protests’ ability to pressure for any change, and attracting international attention.
But, the crux of the changing mood in Lebanon is the diminishing amount of food on the dinner table.
When the spark of the hunger revolution ignites, an organized public movement will bring real change. The chance to create a united front is upon the people of Lebanon.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 18-19/2021

UN Security Council condemns Iran-backed Houthi offensive in Yemen
Reuters/March 18/2021
The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned an escalation in fighting in Yemen’s Marib, calling for the Houthis to end an offensive on the government’s last northern stronghold, and pushing for the government to allow fuel into Hodeidah port. In a statement, the 15-member council also condemned cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia and said the escalation in Marib “threatens efforts to secure a political settlement when the international community is increasingly united to end the conflict.”An Arab-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Iran-backed Houthi group ousted the country’s government from the capital Sanaa. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system. Since taking office in January, US President Joe Biden has made Yemen a priority and appointed special envoy. Tim Lenderking to help revive stalled UN efforts to end the conflict. Lenderking said on Friday that a ceasefire plan was before the Houthis and urged them to respond. The UN Security Council, which was briefed on Yemen on Tuesday, “stressed the need for de-escalation by all, including an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib.”UN Yemen mediator Martin Griffiths warned on Tuesday that the war in Yemen was “back in full force.” Both Griffiths and UN aid chief Mark Lowcock also said that commercial fuel imports into Hodeidah port had been blocked since January and urged the government to allow deliveries. The Security Council on Thursday “expressed concern over the dire economic and humanitarian situation, and emphasized the importance of facilitating humanitarian assistance as well as the movement of fuel ships into Hodeidah port.”

Iran-backed attacks on US forces to accelerate nuclear deal will not work: US envoy
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/March 18/2021
Attacks by Iran-backed militias against US forces abroad will not force Washington to move faster to reach a new deal with Tehran, Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley has said. Iraqi militias have repeatedly targeted military bases hosting US troops across Iraq, and the number of attacks has escalated since President Joe Biden took office. Biden and his administration have said they want to sit down with Iran for talks on the nuclear deal, which former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. The original agreement, also known as the JCPOA, was brokered by then-President Barack Obama.
Democrats argue that the deal prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief and allowing Tehran access to the global economy, dominated by the US dollar. But Iran has given Biden the cold shoulder and refused to accept an invitation to sit down for talks. In the meantime, the attacks against US and Coalition forces in Iraq continue. This will not pressure the US to move quickly, Malley told Voice of America. Insinuating that Iran was directing the attacks in an effort to pressure the US to act quickly, Malley said, “it’s hard to see how that is going to work.” Iran has insisted that the US lift all sanctions imposed by the Trump administration before it comes back into compliance with the JCPOA. Biden and the US have said Iran must first come back into compliance. As for the attacks, Malley said the US would respond “as it has responded and it will continue to respond.”
Last month, Biden ordered an airstrike on Iranian proxies inside Syria to respond to an attack that wounded Americans stationed in Iraq’s Erbil. Days later, another rocket attack killed an American civilian contractor at Iraq’s Al-Asad airbase. The US has not retaliated for this attack yet.
“It’s not really helping the climate in the US to have Iranian allies take shots at Americans in Iraq or elsewhere,” Malley said. Republicans and Democrats are divided, for the most part, over Biden’s Iran policy. Republicans are lobbying to maintain sanctions on Iran to force a behavior change in the Iranian regime, while Democrats favor lifting sanctions with the belief that Iran will then rein in its proxies and ballistic missile program. In separate comments made to the BBC Persian, Malley said he understood why Iran was frustrated with the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. He then proposed for a third party to mediate between the US and Iran if the latter did not want direct talks with Washington. This is another attempt by the US to appease Iran after sending multiple signals to Tehran that it was taking a softer stance than the previous administration. Days after taking office, Biden revoked the terror designation against Yemen’s Houthis and removed three of its leaders from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list. The administration then signaled that it was willing to release frozen Iranian funds in foreign banks; the State Department has since said the reports were untrue. The Biden administration has also frozen arms sales to Saud Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s archrivals in the Middle East.

Iran making ‘significant developments’ in building its weapon arsenal: Israeli
Jennifer Bell, Al Arabiya English/March 18/2021
Iran has recently made significant advances in the development of its weapon arsenal, including precision-guided rockets and missiles, cruise missiles and drones, Israeli media reported Wednesday. According to Amos Harel, one of Israel’s leading experts on military and defense issues, Israeli intelligence has observed a rise in Iranian capabilities, which are now being extensively distributed across Iran’s radical axis of proxy forces in the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, the Shia militias in Iraq, and the Houthi militia in Yemen. Writing in Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, Harel citied intelligence officials as stating that, for the first time, the Iranian arms industry has become “an industry encompassing the entire radical axis.” “One unit from the Revolutionary Guards, Unit 340 of the Quds Force, is responsible for the research and development that serves all the terrorist and guerilla organizations operating with Tehran’s patronage and financing,” said Harel. “The knowhow gained by the Iranians is quickly and effectively relayed to their proxies throughout the region.”Harel explained that Tehran’s aim is to enable these organizations to achieve independent production capability in their respective countries, without being dependent upon Iranian smuggling operations. This will help these proxy forces should Israel successfully strike any part of Iran’s various smuggling channels. Last week, Iran blamed Israel for a blast on an Iranian cargo ship in the Mediterranean, with an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson noting that Iran would consider “all options” in response, according to reports in local media. The container ship Shahr e Kord was hit by an explosive object which caused a small fire, but no one on board was hurt. “Israel is especially concerned by Hezbollah’s acceleration of its “precision project,” in which it plans to do a massive upgrade of its arsenal of rockets and missiles so they can strike within just a few meters of their targets,” Harel said. “In recent years, in the wake of the Israeli strikes on its smuggling operations, Hezbollah has made several attempts to build facilities in Lebanon to manufacture weaponry and convert arms to precision-guided weapons.”He said, officially, Israel talks about Hezbollah having dozens of precision rockets, but some assessments say that number has surged in the past couple of years and is now reputedly in the hundreds. “Hezbollah is working on developing several types of improvements for its missiles – greater precision, greater lethal impact and ability to circumvent the active Israeli defense systems,” said Harel. “In his speeches, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah often talks about the level of precision of his organization’s weaponry and boasts that in the event of a war, Israel will be surprised by Hezbollah’s capabilities.”He said another nearby arena where similar progress has been made is the Gaza Strip. “Hamas, with Iranian aid, has significantly boosted its production capacity for rockets and drones and conducts very frequent test firings that are directed westward into the Mediterranean.” In the last few years, Hamas members have traveled to Iran and elsewhere for training in weapons development, claimed Harel. He pointed out that in late February, an Israeli naval operation reportedly destroyed Hamas weapons off the Gaza coast. This, said Harel, turned out to be a Hamas boat.
The Houthi militia in Yemen, which operates in close consultation with the Revolutionary Guards, have also been “dramatically upgraded,” Harel said. He points that in recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have stepped up their attacks against airfields and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, firing dozens of drones and missiles at the Kingdom in recent weeks. “At present, the Houthis are not showing much interest in friction with Israel,” said Harel. “They are too preoccupied with the war on the Saudis. But intelligence officials say that in the future, Iran may try to deploy drones and missiles in Yemen that could reach southern Israel."

France’s Macron blasts Iran for continuous violations of nuclear deal
Reuters/March 18/2021
French President Emmanuel Macron accused Iran on Thursday of continuing to violate a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and said Tehran should act responsibly. France, along with Britain, Germany and the European Union, is trying to bring the United States and Iran to the table for informal talks that would be a first step to reviving the 2015 deal, which lifted international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs to its nuclear program. Both sides so far appear unwilling to compromise. The Iranian New Year this week and campaigning for the country’s presidential election in June are also likely to complicate matters. “Iran must stop aggravating a serious nuclear situation with an accumulation of violations of the Vienna accord,” Macron said alongside President Reuven Rivlin of Israel, an arch foe of Iran in the Middle East region. “Iran must make the expected gestures and behave in a responsible way,” Macron added. Macron said Paris would continue to work to revive a credible process to end this crisis. “That means a return to control and supervision of the nuclear program, but also to integrating - as we have called for since 2017 - the control of Iran’s ballistic missile activity,” he added. Iran has ruled out broadening nuclear talks to other subjects. Since the United States quit the 2015 deal when Donald Trump was president, Iran has progressively reduced its compliance with the pact.

White House says President Biden does not regret calling Putin a killer
Reuters/March 18/2021
US President Joe Biden does not regret calling Russian leader Vladimir Putin a killer during a national television interview this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. Putin on Thursday responded that it takes one to know one, adding that he wished Biden good health. Psaki said Biden had no regrets in response to questions whether the president was concerned that his comments escalated an already strained relationship. Biden also described Putin as having no soul in the ABC News interview, and said he would pay a price for alleged Russian meddling in the November 2020 US presidential election, something the Kremlin denies. When asked whether he believed Putin was a killer, Biden replied “I do.” The interview prompted Russia to recall its Washington ambassador for consultations on Wednesday. Konstantin Kosachev, a deputy speaker of the upper house of Russian parliament, said Biden’s “boorish statement” marks a watershed. “Such assessments are inadmissible for a statesman of his rank,” Kosachev said. “Such statements are unacceptable under any circumstances. They inevitably lead to a sharp exacerbation of our bilateral ties.”Commenting on the Russian move Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki emphasized that “we will be direct, we will speak out on areas where we have concerns, and it will certainly be, as the president said last night — certainly, the Russians will be held accountable for the actions that they have taken.”
 

Biden calls on all entities involved in Nord Stream 2 to ‘immediately abandon work’
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/March 18/2021
The Biden administration Thursday stepped up its rhetoric against a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, calling on all those involved in the project to “immediately abandon” their work. “The Department reiterates its warning that any entity involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline risks US sanctions and should immediately abandon work on the pipeline,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Congress passed a law in 2019 that called for sanctioning entities and companies working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. It was then expanded in 2020 in a rare case of bipartisan support for US foreign policy. The project is estimated to cost around $11 billion and would run under the Baltic Sea.  President Joe Biden, as did his predecessor Donald Trump, has condemned the project. “As the President has said, Nord Stream 2 is a bad deal — for Germany, for Ukraine, and for our Central and Eastern European allies and partners,” Blinken said Thursday. “The Department is tracking efforts to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and is evaluating information regarding entities that appear to be involved.”Blinken dubbed the project as “a Russian geopolitical project intended to divide Europe and weaken European energy security.” The top US diplomat added that the Biden Administration was fully committed to complying with legislation that would force sanctions on those involved in the Nord Stream 2.
 

EU Regulator Says AstraZeneca Vaccine 'Safe and Effective'
Agence France Presse/March 18/2021
The EU's drugs regulator said on Thursday that it had found the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine was "safe and effective" and was not linked to an increased risk of blood clots. Around a dozen countries had suspended the use of the vaccine and were awaiting the outcome of an investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) safety committee. "The committee has come to a clear scientific conclusion: this is a safe and effective vaccine," Emer Cooke, the head of the Amsterdam-based EMA, told a press conference. "Its benefits in protecting people from Covid-19 with the associated risks of death and hospitalization outweigh the possible risks," she said. "The committee also concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events or blood clots." Cooke added: "If it was me I would be vaccinated tomorrow." The EMA said however that it "could not rule out definitively" a connection to a particularly rare type of clotting disorder and would update the vaccine's product information. "During the investigation and review we began to see a small number of cases of rare and unusual but very serious clotting disorder and this then triggered a more focused review," she said. "Based on the evidence available, and after days of in depth analysis of lab results, clinical reports, autopsy reports and further information from the clinical trials, we still cannot rule out definitively a link between these cases and the vaccine."The new warning in the vaccine information would draw attention to the "possible rare conditions" to help patients and healthcare professionals "stop and mitigate any possible side effects." The EMA was launching a further probe into the rare cases, she added.

UK Regulator Says 'No Evidence' Clots Caused by Covid Vaccines
Agence France Presse/March 18/2021
Britain's health regulator said Thursday said it had not found any direct links between AstraZeneca's vaccine and blood clots after a slew of countries halted the shot over health fears. The agency also said there were no ties linking clots and the Pfizer vaccine, and incidents were no higher in vaccinated groups than among the unvaccinated. "There is no evidence that blood clots in veins is occurring more than would be expected in the absence of vaccination, for either vaccine," said June Raine, chief executive of the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The announcement came as Europe's medical regulator was set to give its verdict on the safety of the AstraZeneca jab against coronavirus, after several nations suspended its use. Britain has ordered some 100 million doses of the jab, which was developed with scientists from Oxford University, and it forms the mainstay of the mass vaccination campaign. The MHRA was the first regulator to approve the use of Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines in the general population. Since early December last year, more than half the country's adult population -- some 25 million people -- have received a first dose. Eleven million have received the AstraZeneca jab. The MHRA said it reached its conclusion after a rigorous examination of the available data, including reported cases of blood clots in veins, hospital admissions and doctors' records. The government's independent advisory group, the Commission on Human Medicines, had come to the same assessment. Britain's government and medical establishment have robustly defended the safety of the vaccines, amid fears European hesitancy could have an impact on its take-up. Raine said MHRA advice remained that "the benefits of the vaccines against Covid-19 continue to outweigh the risks of potential side effects." The public should get a jab when they are called, she added in a statement. "We have received a very small number of reports of an extremely rare form of blood clot in the cerebral veins (sinus vein thrombosis, or CSVT) occurring together with lowered platelets soon after vaccination," she said. "This type of blood clot can occur naturally in people who have not been vaccinated, as well as in those suffering from COVID-19."

Takes One to Know One': Putin Mocks Biden over 'Killer' Comment
Agence France Presse/March 18/2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday mocked Joe Biden for calling him a "killer" -- saying "it takes one to know one" -- as ties between Moscow and Washington sank to new lows. U.S. President Biden's comments sparked the biggest crisis between Russia and the United States in years, with Moscow recalling its ambassador for consultations and warning that ties were on the brink of outright "collapse." But speaking during an event marking seven years since Russia's annexation of Crimea, Putin ruled out severing ties with the United States altogether and lobbed a jab at the 78-year-old U.S. leader. "We always see in another person our own qualities and think that he is the same as us," Putin said, referring to Biden's "killer" comment. "It takes one to know one," Putin added, citing a saying from his Soviet-era childhood in Saint Petersburg. "That's not just a children's saying and a joke. There's a deep psychological meaning in this." Putin added that he wished Biden health. "I'm saying this without irony, not as a joke." In the interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Biden said Putin would "pay a price" for trying to undermine his candidacy in the U.S. election in 2020. Asked if he thought Putin was "a killer", Biden replied: "I do."
'Deal with it'
His comments stood in stark contrast with his predecessor, Donald Trump, who was often accused of going soft on Putin. In recent years Russia's relationship with Washington has gone from bad to worse, and there were calls in Moscow Wednesday for Russia to pause diplomatic relations. Putin said Thursday however that Moscow would continue working with the United States on terms "beneficial" to Russia."We can defend our interests," Putin said. "And they will have to deal with it," he said. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking earlier, described Biden's remarks as "very bad." "It is clear that he does not want to get the relationship with our country back on track," Peskov said. German foreign minister Heiko Maas on Thursday, however, welcomed Washington's "clear language" on Russia. "Since the Biden administration took office, the conversations that we have had with different representatives have made clear that there will be clear language in Washington on Russia," Maas said. Moscow's embassy in Washington said ambassador Anatoly Antonov was set to depart for Russia on Saturday to discuss "ways to rectify Russia-US ties, which are in crisis".
The embassy warned that Washington had pushed bilateral ties to the brink.
'Threat of collapse' -
"Certain ill-considered statements of high-ranking U.S. officials have put the already excessively confrontational relations under the threat of collapse." Moscow and Washington share a mutual distrust that flared after the Kremlin's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Ties deteriorated over Russia's alleged meddling in the U.S. elections in 2016 and more recently when the West concluded that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was poisoned last summer with a Soviet-designed nerve agent. But the two countries have continued cooperation on issues of shared interest, including the Iran nuclear deal and the Afghanistan peace process. The U.S. Commerce Department announced this week it was toughening export restrictions imposed on Russia as punishment for Navalny's poisoning in August. Over the past few decades Russia has rarely recalled its ambassadors. Moscow last summoned its envoy in the U.S. in 1998 over a Western bombing campaign in Iraq. In 2014, during the fallout after the annexation of Crimea, Putin refused to recall a Washington envoy even after then U.S. President Barack Obama said that the Russian leader would pay for his Ukraine policies. Putin at the time said recalling an envoy would be a "measure of last resort." Political analyst Fyodor Lukyanov said that recalling the envoy in Washington would not be enough.
"Putting ties on ice completely, apart from the minimally necessary technical aspects, would be logical," he wrote in the Kommersant broadsheet.

6.0-magnitude Earthquake Strikes off Algerian Coast
Agence France Presse/March 18/2021
A shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the Algerian coast on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake hit 20 kilometres north-east of the city of Bejaia at 1:04 am local time (0004 GMT), at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US monitoring service. Bejaia, which has a population of roughly 164,000, endured moderate shaking, USGS said. The capital city Algiers also felt some light shaking. In the aftermath of the 6.0-magnitude quake USGS reported two further quakes in the same area, of 5.2 and 4.7 magnitude respectively. In Bejaia the General Directorate of Algerian Civil Protection reported some instances of panic as residents fled their homes. They also said there was some damage, including cracks in the walls of residences as well as the partial collapse of an old unoccupied building. There have been no reports yet of serious injuries or casualties. Photographs shared on social media also appeared to show some damage, with interior walls fractured and images of crumbled walls.

Turkey moves to ban pro-Kurdish party as domestic challenges mount
The Arab Weekly/March 18/2021
The HDP won 11.7% of the vote in a 2018 parliamentary election and 55 seats in the 600-member parliament.
ANKARA--A move by Turkey towards banning the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is seen by analysts as fueling tensions between Ankara and both Europe and the US, just one week before a summit at which EU leaders are due to discuss strained relations with Ankara.
A Turkish prosecutor filed a case with the constitutional court on Wednesday demanding a ban on the HDP over alleged ties to Kurdish militants. This is the culmination of a slow crackdown over several years against the third largest party in parliament.
The HDP condemned the indictment as a “heavy blow to democracy” and urged its supporters to resist. “We call on all the democratic forces, the social and political opposition and on our people to join a common fight against this political coup,” it said in a statement.
The move marks the revival of a long history of Turkey banning political parties, including pro-Kurdish ones.
The US State Department said dissolving the HDP “would unduly subvert the will of Turkish voters, further undermine democracy in Turkey and deny millions of Turkish citizens their chosen representation”.
The prosecutor’s unveiling of the case came on the same day that Turkey’s parliament stripped prominent HDP deputy Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu of his parliamentary status. The party’s parliamentary group co-chair Meral Danis Bestas said Gergerlioglu had become the 14th party lawmakers to have been deprived of his parliamentary immunity since 2016.
“You cannot do as you please with MPs elected by the people,” Bestas’s fellow co-chair Saruhan Oluc told reporters.
Gergerlioglu has long irritated Erdogan’s government by shining a light on a variety of human rights violations which often go ignored by the mainstream Turkish media. His advocacy for female detainees subjected to strip searches particularly angered the government last year.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted that Gergerlioglu’s offending posts did not promote violence and that he was stripped of his seat before the Constitutional Court had had a chance to review his appeal.
HRW’s Turkey director Emma Sinclair-Webb called it “a shocking attack on democratic norms and the rule of law, a violation of Turkey’s constitution, laws and obligations under international law.”
“Unapologetically (moving) towards the end of pluralism. What reaction does Turkey expect now from the European Union? A positive agenda?”, said Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, which is a candidate for EU membership though accession talks have been stalled for over 30 years.
AKP’s misfortunes
The HDP had recently come under intensified pressure, with nationalist allies of President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party calling for it to be banned over alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group. That coincided with falling poll support for the AKP and its nationalist partners as they battle the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. However, elections are not scheduled until 2023.
Supporters of Selahattin Demirtas, a jailed former co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), wave party flags as they gather for a press statement outside the Istanbul Justice Palace, the Caglayan Presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun, in the first government reaction to the outcry said that it was “an indisputable fact that HDP has organic ties to PKK”, noting Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider it a terrorist organisation.
“HDP’s senior leaders and spokespeople, through their words and deeds, have repeatedly and consistently proved that they are the PKK’s political wing,” he said.
Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), also hailed the move: “The HDP is a criminal organisation disguised in a political cloak. It is a historic and moral duty for it to be shut and never to be reopened under another name.”
The HDP has said it would regroup in a new party if banned, though the Haberturk news website cited the indictment as saying the prosecutor demanded a political ban for more than 600 HDP officials – a severe obstacle to any such strategy.
The HDP, which won 11.7% of the vote in a 2018 parliamentary election and has 55 seats in the 600-member parliament, accused the AKP of shaping politics through the courts. It denies any links to the militants.
The PKK has fought an insurgency against the state in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The Constitutional Court could theoretically throw out the prosecutor’s petition and not put the HDP on trial.
But Western governments question the Turkish justice system’s independence and accuse Erdogan of using the courts as a political bludgeon to suppress dissent.

Egypt, US in Red Sea naval exercises to support regional security
Arab News/March 18, 2021
The exercises involving Egypt’s Red Sea-based southern fleet are part of ongoing international efforts to maintain stability and react to a range of scenarios
The Egyptian frigate Sharm El-Sheikh, and the American amphibious warfare ship USS Somerset (LPD 25), took part in the training
CAIRO: Egyptian and American naval forces have been carrying out military training in the Red Sea as part of an initiative to combat maritime security threats in the region. The exercises involving Egypt’s Red Sea-based southern fleet are part of ongoing international efforts to maintain stability and react to a range of scenarios. “The joint training is taking place within the framework of the continuation of joint exercises conducted by the Egyptian naval forces with friendly countries,” said military spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces, Tamer Al-Rifai. He pointed out that the exercises were aimed at enhancing the combat capabilities of marine units to face the challenges and threats to maritime security and stability in the region. The Egyptian frigate Sharm El-Sheikh, and the American amphibious warfare ship USS Somerset (LPD 25), took part in the training. The naval exercises – part of a strategic partnership arrangement between the Egyptian and American armed forces – included a set of maritime combat activities such as countering typical threats, situation analysis, transportation logistics, and relevant Red Sea security procedures.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 18-19/2021

Iran Is Trying to Convert Syria to Shiism
Anchal Vohra/Foreign Policy/March 18/2021
Ten years after entering Syria’s civil war, Tehran is using religion to make its influence there permanent.
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/97093/anchal-vohra-foreign-policy-iran-is-trying-to-convert-syria-to-shiism-%d9%85%d8%ac%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a3%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%83%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%aa%d8%ad%d9%88%d9%84/

Former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad’s Baath Party regime was the first to recognize, and offer legitimacy to, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s Islamic revolution in Iran. But Assad was careful to never let Iran expand its influence in Syria as it later did in Lebanon through Hezbollah.
The desperation of his son and successor Bashar al-Assad has given Iran’s expansionists their chance. Iranian forces entered Syria soon after its civil war started a decade ago to help defend the younger Assad’s regime against rebels. Tehran supported the Syrian regime in the war, along with its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, and even enrolled Shiite fighters from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan to aid the cause. Over time, Iran recruited local Syrian fighters in militias ostensibly to guard Shiite shrines, and it intensified relations with the higher echelons of the Syrian military apparatus, particularly the 4th Division headed by one of Hafez al-Assad’s other sons, Maher al-Assad.
A decade into the conflict, Iran-backed militias control the outskirts of Damascus and patrol the strategic towns on the Syria-Lebanon border. They are present in large numbers in southern Syria near Israel, have multiple bases in Aleppo, and since the Islamic State’s defeat in 2018 have also set up camp in towns and villages on the Syria-Iraq border.
But it’s not only through arms that Iran has secured its arc of influence from Tehran through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon. Over the last few years, as the military conflict has subsided, Iran has expanded its cultural influence in the war-torn nation to encourage Sunnis to convert to Shiism or at the very least soften their attitudes toward their sectarian rivals. Foreign Policy spoke to recent converts and their friends inside regime-held Syria who said that the economic collapse in Syria made it hard to ignore the perks Iran offered.
Iran is handing out cash to needy Syrians, a heavy dose of indoctrination in religious seminaries, scholarships to children to study in Iranian universities, free health care, food baskets, and trips to tourist spots to encourage conversion. Such small measures are not cost-intensive but could go a long way in influencing the view of Iran among impoverished Syrians.
It has restored old shrines and built new ones of revered Shiite figures, almost as if trying to rewrite the religious history of Syria, which is majority-Sunni and had a very small Shiite population before the war. Around a dozen locals, activists, and Syrian analysts told Foreign Policy that Iran is trying to present itself as a benign power to cultivate long-term support among Sunni Syrians, with the final objective of retaining its sphere of influence and exercising control through proxies, as in Lebanon and Iraq.
Iranian militias have been actively aided by the Syrian regime under its notorious Decree 10 to purchase homes of Syrians who migrated elsewhere during the war. Some militia members have reportedly also confiscated property and brought their families from Iraq and Lebanon to settle inside Syria.
Syrian experts say this demographic and cultural penetration is directed at increasing the numbers of Shiites in Syria to enable Iran to claim political power on their behalf. If there are a significant number of Shiites in the country, then Iran can claim to represent their interests when a final political solution for the Syrian crisis is discussed, and it can ask that they be given positions in the government, the armed forces, and other institutions. Many fear Iran wants to exert influence through supporters within the system and not just through a beholden president whose support could waver depending on deals he makes with Russia and the United Arab Emirates, which has been trying to bring him back into the Arab fold.
Unlike Lebanon and Iraq, however, Syria is dominantly Sunni, and that makes it an uphill task for the Iranian regime. Despite the challenges, Iran seems undeterred.
Ahmad, 24, who speak with FP on condition of anonymity, is one of the newest members of the Shiite community in Syria. He lived in Mayadeen, a town on the border with Iraq in Deir Ezzor governorate in eastern Syria, but fled to Bab near Turkey with his family during the conflict. He returned in 2018 when his friend told him that all his worries could end if he joined an Iranian militia. A Sunni, he joined the Sayyidah Zaynab battalions, named after the granddaughter of Prophet Mohammed and daughter of Imam Ali, the patriarch of Shiites.
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“My friend in al-Mayadeen said I could come back and join the Iranians and nobody would hurt me or my family,” Ahmad told Foreign Policy from Set Zaynab, a town that is home to the shrine of Sayyidah Zaynab 6 miles south of Damascus and completely under the grip of Iran-backed militias.
Ahmad works as a guard at the shrine and gets paid 100,000 Syrian pounds (around $200) a month, but he needed more cash to pay for his father’s kidney dialysis twice a month. In February, the leader of his militia offered to double his pay if he converted to Shiism himself. Ahmad agreed at once. “Recently we had a meeting with our militia leader who said we would be promoted and get money if we converted to Shiism and just listened to some lectures at Sayyidah Zaynab,” he told Foreign Policy. “I said yes along with 20 other men because all of us need money. If I am Shiite I will be paid 200,000 Syrian pounds. I really need the money because of my father’s treatment. I don’t care about religion.”
Taim al-Ahmad from Daraa, a city in southwestern Syria near Jordan, recounted a similar story of a friend who first joined an Iran-backed militia and later converted to Shiism. “They promoted him and gave him an apartment,” he said. “He gets free medical services and a monthly gas cylinder despite the economic crisis in Syria.” Taim al-Ahmad said his friend suddenly had benefits denied to other Syrians, including a security permit from Syrian intelligence to travel anywhere in the country “without being subjected to harassment.”
Deir Ezzor province is perhaps the key zone of these operations. Abu Kamal, a city at the province’s main crossing point with Iraq, has witnessed a lot of seemingly innocuous but manipulative Iranian activity in the recent past.
For instance, it has restored the Qarameesh park in Abu Kamal, which had been destroyed by the Islamic State, and renamed it “Friends Park.” (The Syrian regime advertises Iran as a “friend of the country.”) On a weekly basis, Iranian militias organize fun activities in the park to inform people, mainly children, about Shiite imams and advertise Iran as a righteous force challenging Israel and imperialism.
“All the fun and games are a ruse to indoctrinate the minds of the children and their parents to lure them to convert to Shiism,” said Sayah Abu Walid, an activist from Abu Kamal. The sports club in the city has turned into a kitchen and a restaurant for Iranian militias. The whole soccer stadium is now effectively a base for an Iranian takeover, Abu Walid said.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitor, Iran recently invited the people of Mayadeen to the Nour Iranian Cultural Center to attend a course on the principles and doctrines of Shiite religion. At the end of the course, all who pass would be given money, about 100,000 Syrian pounds, and a food basket.
Iran has opened a number of religious schools, shrines, and charities in Syria. While it faced less resistance in Damascus and Aleppo, to expand into Deir Ezzor Iran had to entice local tribal leaders, who are often more interested in their own survival and would back whoever is the rising star. Some members of one such tribe, al-Bakara, have responded positively to Iranians mainly because of a tribal leader who sees advantage in currying favor with Iran.
On the other side of the border, Iran’s interests are well guarded by militias like Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an armed group that Tehran supports but that operates under the banner of the Popular Mobilization Forces as part of Iraqi security services. Moreover, Russia’s lack of interest in Deir Ezzor means Iran does not have to compete to set up camp there.
Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat currently in exile in the United States, said that the Iranian presence and activities have sowed the seeds of a future insurgency in his country. “There are bound to be clashes to oppose Persian invasion,” Barabandi said. “First the Iranians and Hezbollah went to Alawite-dominated Latakia. But the Alawites are an open society when it comes to religion and social norms. For instance, they like their drink. Alawites told the Iranians goodbye and good luck. Iranians found it easier to manipulate Syrians worst affected by the war and hence the expansion in areas formerly held by the Islamic State.”
Navvar Saban, a conflict expert at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies who specializes in Syria-Iran relations, said Iran had slowly but steadily cultivated ties with Syrians of all backgrounds. “Iran bought real estate in Deir Ezzor and in Kurdish-held areas through locals,” he said. “They weaved a spider’s web in Syria and have their people everywhere, in the army, in the government, even among Sunni and Christian businessmen.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump imposed debilitating sanctions on the Iranian regime under his “maximum pressure” campaign, yet Iran’s undeclared credit line to the Assad regime has continued to fund its activities in Syria. In August 2017 on a reporting trip to Syria, I attended the country’s first trade fair in Damascus in six years. Most of the kiosks, 31 of them, belonged to Iranian companies selling everything from power plants to biscuits to soap. Two years later, the Syrian-Iranian Joint Chamber of Commerce was set up, and just last month an Iranian delegation traveled to Damascus to ramp up efforts to increase its economic footprint in Syria.
Observers worry that Iran, which never reined in its intervention in Syria despite Trump’s sanctions, will flood money to its armed militias and to its charities encouraging conversion in Syria once new U.S. President Joe Biden rejoins the nuclear deal. Two years after the Iran nuclear deal was inked, Tehran reportedly quadrupled its funding to Hezbollah.
There is no data on how many Syrians Iran has managed to convert to Shiism or how many it has softened toward its ideas. But its military, cultural, and economic expansion is creating new fault lines in a country already fragile on all fronts. It’s easy to see how Iran’s expansion could exacerbate sectarian tensions in the region.
*Anchal Vohra is a Beirut-based columnist for Foreign Policy and a freelance TV correspondent and commentator on the Middle East. Twitter: @anchalvohra

Begum’s case is an exceptional warning for future radicals
Dunia El-Zobaidi/The Arab Weekly/March 18/2021
Begum’s case is exceptional in that she is unable to reach her lawyers. This should serve as a warning to future radicals — that in their pursuit, they risk losing one of their most basic British human rights, the right to a free and fair trial.
The case of Shamima Begum, a British-born woman who joined ISIS as a teenager and now wants to return to the UK, has been widely dissected and debated over the last two years, drawing sympathy from some and reminders about human rights from others.
The media, the government, legal experts and the general public have considered Begum’s situation from nearly every angle during this time, bringing up extenuating factors such as her age, gender and background. But despite significant efforts to give Begum the benefit of the doubt, she has been left with the same result – legal limbo. Begum, 21, travelled to Syria to join ISIS when she was just 15, resulting in her citizenship being revoked and her being banned from the UK. The case sparked extensive media debate and her appeal to return to the UK was eventually rejected by the Supreme Court. Her lawyers argue that she cannot freely participate in the case to have her citizenship returned due to her exceptionally dangerous situation. Other people banned from the UK have participated in their cases from overseas, but the camp she is being held in in Syria will not allow her lawyers to visit. Her case is now paused until she is able to participate, which is unlikely to happen.
Begum claims to want forgiveness from the UK, for which she has garnered significant public sympathy. But would she be asking for forgiveness if ISIS was still as powerful as it was when she joined?
Begum could indeed be an innocent victim of radicalisation, especially considering that she was only fifteen when she travelled to Syria. However, fifteen-year-olds can be punished for crimes they commit within the UK, so her age is not the only factor to consider. We may never know the answers to our concerns about this case. What we do know is that there are factors that led to the making of Begum’s demise. It could be related to her gender — perhaps she was a young girl susceptible to the manipulation of a man, much like other girls have been vulnerable to non-Islamic related predators. Her social class could also have been a factor. But with cases related to Islamic extremism, factors such as fundamentalism and identity crises should not continue to be shied away from. It should be considered acceptable to criticise Muslims, like those of any other race or religion. Such criticism should have no bearing on attitudes regarding Islam as a faith. Begum has lost her rights as a Westerner and all the luxuries that go with it. She has lost all of the privileges most people in her parents’ native Bangladesh would dream of. She did not appreciate it. If she had committed a crime that does not pose a threat to national security, she would have been tried as fairly as any British national. The problem is that a lot of Muslim immigrants have failed to integrate into British society, snubbing the benefits of living in a multi-cultural country and failing to see the advantages that different cultures can offer. They cannot see how lucky they are to be able to choose the best of both worlds. Begum’s case is exceptional in that she is unable to reach her lawyers. This should serve as a warning to future radicals — that in their pursuit, they risk losing one of their most basic British human rights, the right to a free and fair trial. However, in another way Begum’s case is not exceptional — many youth have been radicalised before her and many will be radicalised after her.

Iran’s next battle ground: Afghanistan
Rami Rayess/Al Arabiya/March 18/2021
Iran is at a crossroads. It has hard political decisions to make, with each leaving marks on the regime itself, and the future of the region. If Iran has partially succeeded in extending its arms through its proxies to several Arab countries, there is a different front on the horizon to worry about: Afghanistan.
With the US military withdrawal approaching and the Taliban being the most prominent power to fill the vacuum, Tehran badly needs to draft a peace treaty. If it does not, its power in the Middle East will gradually wither away.
Besides the working difficulties that Iran will face in its attempt to control its 920 kilometer border with Afghanistan, it will have been the first to worry about the US-Taliban agreement reached in Doha back in February 2020. The treaty aimed to push the Taliban to cut its ties with Al-Qaida, reach a political settlement with the incumbent Afghan government and reduce violence in the country in return for the American military withdrawal scheduled for May 2021.
Tehran’s relations with the Taliban have continued for years but they went public only recently. Despite its attempts to cover up those contacts in the framework of reaching out to all the stakeholders in Afghanistan; it was clear that Iran was aiming at neutralizing Taliban in its multi-faceted regional problems. The equation is straightforward and clear: if it fails to do that, it will not keep its influence and continue to support its militant arms.
If the Biden administration succeeds in regaining Iranian commitment to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) without amendment, it can set aside the nuclear threat for years ahead.
Some might look at the lifting of sanctions as leeway for Tehran to regain more resources to exploit and further empower and arm its regional proxies. But, the danger imposed by an open Iranian-Afghan border will need enormous funds to protect from a Taliban building its strength.
Is it in the best interest of Iran and the US to withdraw from Afghanistan? The Iranians supported the US invasion of Kabul back in 2001. It had almost waged war against the Taliban in 1998 in retaliation to the killing of nine diplomats in the Iranian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif when Taliban militants raided it.
Tehran also expelled Gulbuddin Hekmatyar because of his hostility to the United States. When Iranian political pragmatism prevails, the great Satan (a term regularly used in Iranian rhetoric against Washington) is not quite Satan after all. This back-and-forth relationship between Iran and the Taliban has come at a crucial moment. Despite the Biden administration reviewing the Doha accord of 2020, is still possesses the strongest playing cards in Afghanistan, with troops deployed, a pro-American government, and sanctions not lifted, yet. Iran does not have the same leverage.
A vision for the Afghanistan War prevails in Washington, based on the notion that a US troop presence in that country isn’t endless. Employing it to support a peaceful settlement that regains stability in the war-torn country is the priority.
However, this does not mean that the withdrawal should drag the country into endless civil strife, or that it cannot be used as a negotiating card, capable of reshuffling the regional situation.
Putting the political and ideological rift between Iran and the Taliban to one side, now is the time for settlement between the two: this is Tehran’s crucial agenda.
Preserving Iranian spheres of influence in the Middle East is the cornerstone for all of its policies. This is the project they have prioritized since the Islamic Revolution erupted in 1979.
“Exportation of the Revolution” is the benchmark of Tehran’s revival of past Persian imperial dreams. This has been in the making for decades, and its erosion now is harmful for the regime.
Tehran is now playing hard ball by: intensifying Houthi bombardment of Saudi Arabia; paralyzing efforts in Lebanon to form a new cabinet; fueling added support to its militants in Iraq, and of course, freezing any potential conflict with the Taliban. Will Iran attempt to push this hardline extremist group against the US? When the Taliban delegation visited Tehran last January, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamakhani said: “The US strategy supports the continuation of war and bloodshed among various Afghan groups in the political spectrum”. This is the core of the story, the more the US and Taliban fight, the better off Tehran is.So, if a Biden strategy aimed to cease rapprochement between the two parties, while simultaneously dropping the nuclear threat by securing an immediate return of Tehran to the JCPOA, unexpected repercussions might unfold in the future. We may start to see Iran losing ground in its many regional spheres of influence.