English LCCC Newsbulletin For Le

English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 20/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 09/33-37/:”Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 19-20/2022
Israeli PM vows to begin production in contested gas field
Aoun: Border demarcation negotiations in final stages
New govt. may be formed as soon as September 24
Lebanese currency hits record low amid bank closures
French-Saudi talks in Paris as army chief emerges as top presidential candidate
Lebanon Says to Take Novatek’s 20% Share in Oil and Gas Consortium
Protesters try to storm Justice Palace over continued arrest of activists
Beirut Protesters Demand Release of Bank Heist Detainees

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 19-20/2022
Will Congress Hold a Vote on Iran Deal Before Sanctions Relief?
Pro-Iran Factions in Iraq ‘Set up Trap’ for Baath Activists
Iranians Protest in Capital over Woman’s Death in Custody
US Demands Accountability in Death of Iranian Woman after Hijab Arrest
Iranian President’s Holocaust Remarks Spark Outcry in Israel
No Better Offer on the Table for Iran, Says France
Iranian Police Call Woman's Death in Custody an 'Unfortunate Incident'
Raisi: No Benefit from Negotiating with Biden in New York
Iran to Open UN Fight to Free Billions Frozen in US
Scholz to visit Saudi as Germany seeks energy supplies
What really happened in the Ukrainian city of Izium under Russian occupation?
Syria, Türkiye Discuss Roadmap for Safe Return of Syrian Refugees
Blinken to Meet Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman in New York

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 19-20/2022
The Jihad on Armenia Erupts Again/Raymond Ibrahim/September 19/2022
US Must Treat Iran Like Russia/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/September 19/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 19-20/2022
Israeli PM vows to begin production in contested gas field
JERUSALEM (AP)/September 20/2022
Israel's prime minister on Monday vowed to begin production at a contested Mediterranean natural gas field “as soon as it is possible,” threatening to raise tensions with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. Yair Lapid's announcement in a statement from his office came at a sensitive time in long-running efforts by a U.S. mediator to resolve a dispute over the countries' maritime border. U.S. officials have said they are making progress, but need more time to reach a solution. Lapid said it is “both possible and necessary” to reach an agreement with Lebanon, which he said would benefit both countries and “strengthen regional stability.”But he said that production from the Karish gas field is not connected to the negotiations and “will commence without delay, as soon as it is possible.”Israel set up a gas rig at Karish in June, saying the field is part of its U.N.-recognized exclusive economic zone. Lebanon insists Karish is in disputed waters. In July, the Israeli military shot down three unarmed Hezbollah drones flying over the Karish field. Hezbollah’s leader issued a warning to Israel over the maritime dispute, saying that “any arm” that reaches to steal Lebanon’s wealth “will be cut off.” The heavily armed Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006, has repeatedly said in the past that it would use its weapons to protect Lebanon’s economic rights. Still, Hezbollah officials have said they would endorse a deal reached between Lebanon’s government and Israel. Israel considers Hezbollah to be one of its greatest threats. The two countries, which have been officially at war since Israel’s creation in 1948, both claim some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon hopes to unleash offshore oil and gas production as it grapples with the worst economic crisis in its modern history.

Aoun: Border demarcation negotiations in final stages
Naharnet/Monday, 19 September, 2022
President Michel Aoun announced Monday that “the negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime border have become in their final stages, in a manner that guarantees Lebanon’s rights to gas and oil exploration in the specified fields in its Exclusive Economic Zone.”
Aoun voiced his remarks in a meeting in Baabda with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka. “Communication with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein is ongoing over some technical details related to the demarcation process,” the president added.
He also hoped that “exploration in Lebanese waters will contribute to reviving the Lebanese economy, which witnessed a major decline over the past years, in addition to strengthening security and stability in the South.”

New govt. may be formed as soon as September 24
Naharnet/Monday, 19 September, 2022
A new government enjoying full constitutional powers will be formed soon and only four incumbent ministers will be changed, a senior political source said. “The reshuffle will involve four ministers from the Christian, Sunni, Shiite and Druze sects,” the source told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Monday. Al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile reported that “political leaders have unanimously agreed that there has been a tangible change in PM-designate Najib Mikati’s approach towards the governmental file, amid expectations that, should some obstacles be resolved, the new government will be formed in around a week.”“There is serious progress this time … and Mikati might return to Beirut from London… before traveling to New York to take part in the works of the U.N. General Assembly, in order to declare the formation of his government on September 24 or 25,” informed sources told al-Akhbar. The daily added that Hezbollah “led a mediation between President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Najib Mikati in order to reconcile viewpoints and convince them to ease their conditions.” Media reports meanwhile said that the reshuffle will target Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, Minister of the Displaced Issam Sharafeddine and Economy Minister Amin Salam. Other reports said the change will also involve Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Energy Minister Walid Fayyad.

Lebanese currency hits record low amid bank closures
Agence France Presse/Monday, 19 September, 2022
The Lebanese pound has hit a new low against the US dollar on the black market, a drop that coincides with bank closures this week due to heists by angry depositors. The pound sold at close to 38,500 to the greenback on Monday, according to websites monitoring the exchange rate. It had briefly plunged to 38,600 against the dollar on Friday before rising slightly. The drop in recent days marks a record low for the beleaguered national currency. For decades, the Lebanese pound was pegged at 1,500 to the dollar, meaning that it has lost around 95 percent of its value since 2019. A financial crash widely blamed on government corruption and mismanagement has caused the worst economic crisis in Lebanon's history. The World Bank has branded the financial crisis one of the world's worst since the 19th century. Making matters worse, Lebanese depositors have been locked out of their foreign currency savings by banking controls that have gradually tightened since 2019. Unable to transfer or withdraw their dollar deposits, many have resorted to desperate bank heists to free their money. Lebanon saw at least seven such heists last week, with five taking place on the same day. As a result, Lebanese banks sealed their doors on Monday as part of a three-day closure due to mounting security concerns. With four out of five Lebanese now considered poor according to the United Nations, the country has been desperately seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. But the required reforms have not been forthcoming. An IMF delegation is expected to arrive in Lebanon on Monday to follow up on the implementation of reforms following a staff-level agreement in April on a $3 billion loan program. "There's been slow progress in implementing some of the critical actions that we think are required to move forward with a program," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said last week.

French-Saudi talks in Paris as army chief emerges as top presidential candidate
Naharnet/Monday, 19 September, 2022
As the deadline for Lebanon’s presidential vote nears, the domestic haggling is being accompanied by European and Arab meetings, media reports said on Monday. “A meeting has been held in Paris between French presidential advisor Patrick Durrell, French General Directorate for External Security head Bernard Émié, French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo, Saudi Royal Court advisor Nizar al-Aloula, a senior Saudi security official and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari,” al-Liwaa newspaper reported. Media reports meanwhile said that Army Commander General Joseph Aoun has emerged as the leading candidate in the presidential race. There are efforts to “elect a figure who is capable of respecting the constitution and the Taef Accord, working on pulling Lebanon away from axes, and returning Lebanon to its Arab environment,” al-Liwaa added.

Lebanon Says to Take Novatek’s 20% Share in Oil and Gas Consortium
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Lebanon said on Monday it will take over Novatek's 20% share in a consortium licensed to explore two offshore oil and gas blocs after the Russian gas giant decided to quit. The energy ministry said in a statement it had taken the decision to enter the consortium instead of Novatek and had asked it to waive its share in favor of the Lebanese state. Novatek did not respond to a request for comment. In August, the ministry said it had been told of a decision by Novatek to withdraw from the consortium, which is led by France's TotalEnergies and includes Italy's Eni. The consortium in 2020 completed exploratory drilling in Lebanon's offshore Bloc 4 off the coast of Beirut and said it had not found a commercially viable amount of hydrocarbons. It decided to postpone drilling in southern Bloc 9 in 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. Lebanon's second licensing round, initially approved in April 2019 in just two blocs, has been extended several times and increased to cover all eight remaining offshore blocs. Laury Haytayan, a Lebanese oil and gas expert, said the country's three-year financial crisis raised questions about whether the cash-strapped state had the capacity to participate. "It's important to understood if there are any financial commitments on the Lebanese state and how they are going to fulfil these commitments considering the financial situation in the country," Haytayan said

Protesters try to storm Justice Palace over continued arrest of activists
Naharnet/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Demonstrators on Monday tried to storm the Justice Palace in Beirut in protest at the continued detention of two activists who had taken part in the “heist” that targeted BLOM Bank on Wednesday.
The protesters reportedly managed to remove the metallic gate of the Palace as they also blocked roads in the area and set fire to trash bins. Other protesters meanwhile blocked the Corniche al-Mazraa and Qasqas roads. It was not immediately clear whether this action was related to the activists’ detention. Al-Jadeed TV meanwhile reported that the file of the two detainees, Abdul Rahman Zakaria and Mohammed Rustom, has been referred to Attorney General Judge Ziad Abu Haidar, who “will take a decision on it this afternoon.”

Beirut Protesters Demand Release of Bank Heist Detainees
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Protesters scuffled with Lebanese security forces Monday outside the Justice Ministry in Beirut, demanding the release of two people arrested last week during a bank heist. The clash came as a delegation from the International Monetary Fund held meetings in Beirut with officials over the country’s economic meltdown and the limited steps taken by the government to pull Lebanon out of the worst economic crisis in its modern history. The crisis is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement. The Lebanese government has implemented few of the IMF's demands from a staff level agreement reached with the IMF in April. It lists five “key pillars” that should be implemented, including restructuring the financial sector, implementing fiscal reforms, the proposed restructuring of external public debt, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering efforts. The agreement also demanded that the country’s 14 largest banks be held up as a standard for work on restructuring the sector since they control about 80% of the market. The smaller banks that have problems should be taken over by bigger lenders.Anger with local lenders who have been imposing informal capital controls including limits on ATM withdrawals for nearly three years has increased in recent weeks, with some depositors storming bank branches and taking their trapped savings by force. Monday’s protest outside the Justice Ministry demanded the release of Abdul-Rahman Zakariya and Mohammed Rustom, who have been held since Wednesday after they broke into a bank branch and helped a depositor take her trapped savings to pay for her sister's cancer treatment. They joined Sali Hafez, who used a toy pistol to demand $13,000 from her trapped savings account. Hafez, who has been in hiding, has said she repeatedly visited the bank to ask for her money and was told she could only receive $200 a month in Lebanese pounds. On Friday depositors, including one armed with a hunting rifle, broke into at least five banks to demand their trapped savings, the largest number of such incidents in one day. The banks, citing security concerns, closed all branches for three days starting Monday. At one point on Monday, dozens of protesters tried to storm the Justice Ministry before stopping after they removed a metal gate. There are concerns that if the two men are not released, protests could intensify. In other parts of Beirut, protesters briefly closed several major roads in protest against deteriorating living conditions including almost nonexistent state electricity, a crash in the Lebanese pounds and rising poverty that has reached three quarters of the population since the economic crisis began in October 2019. The Lebanese pound hit new lows, reaching 38,600 pounds to the US dollar on Monday.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 19-20/2022
Will Congress Hold a Vote on Iran Deal Before Sanctions Relief?
FDD- Flash Brief/September 19/2022 |
The Biden administration is signaling it will continue to pursue a nuclear agreement with Iran. This endeavor faces bipartisan opposition while questions swirl over whether and how the president will comply with a federal law mandating the submission of any deal to Congress. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA), which lawmakers passed near-unanimously in 2015, requires the president to seek congressional review of any agreement related to Tehran’s nuclear program before suspending sanctions on Iran.
Expert Analysis
“The Biden administration fears a vote under INARA because they see the depth of bipartisan opposition to this fatally-flawed Iran deal, which gives the regime in Tehran patient pathways to nuclear weapons and ICBMs as well as one trillion dollars in sanctions relief to fund greater aggression and repression.”
– Mark Dubowitz, FDD Chief Executive
“The Biden administration is already moving toward a deal that would illegitimately suspend terrorism-related sanctions on Iran prior to congressional review and without any halt to Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism. If Congress does not hold a recorded vote on a joint resolution of disapproval, the likelihood of a future Congress or president ripping up the deal will dramatically rise.”
– Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor
The INARA Review Process
Under INARA, once the president submits a deal to Congress, lawmakers have 30 days to hold hearings and potentially vote on a resolution of disapproval. Passage of that resolution requires a simple majority in the House and is subject to the 60-vote cloture threshold in the Senate. During that process, “the President may not waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of statutory sanctions with respect to Iran under any provision of law or refrain from applying any such sanctions pursuant to” the nuclear agreement. If a joint resolution is sent to the president, restrictions remain in place for an additional 12 days. If the president vetoes it, restrictions remain in place for an additional 10 days to allow for an attempt to override the veto.
Congress Could Evade an INARA Vote
INARA does not require House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer to schedule votes on a joint resolution of disapproval. Thus, the speaker and majority leader could block a vote from taking place, allowing the White House to claim that it obeyed the provisions of INARA simply by submitting the agreement to Congress. The Biden administration could defend this approach by asserting that, from a legal perspective, the agreement is not new and therefore another vote is unnecessary. Pelosi may instruct the House parliamentarian to reach the same conclusion as a justification for not holding a vote. However, the deal under negotiation in Vienna is in fact substantially different — both shorter and weaker — from the JCPOA.
Biden May Lift Terrorism Sanctions Before INARA Vote
Alternatively, the Biden administration could evade INARA by offering terrorism sanctions relief to Iran prior to submitting the deal to Congress by claiming the relief is not tied to a nuclear agreement. In this scenario, the administration might issue a statutory waiver to allow for the release of $7 billion from terror-sanctioned Iranian bank accounts ostensibly in exchange for the release of American hostages. Even though the administration may negotiate this arrangement as part of the Vienna nuclear deal process, it could claim otherwise.
Growing Bipartisan Opposition to the New Deal
On September 1, a bipartisan group of 50 House members — 34 Democrats and 16 Republicans — sent a letter to President Biden expressing concern about the emerging agreement, particularly its $1 trillion in sanctions relief. In April 2022, 18 House Democrats held a press conference to express concern about the deal. These concerns suggest that a new deal would receive less Democratic support than the JCPOA did in 2015. To date, Speaker Pelosi has not committed to holding a vote on a resolution of disapproval on any new agreement..

Pro-Iran Factions in Iraq ‘Set up Trap’ for Baath Activists
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Pro-Iran factions in Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have prepared a list of names of activists throughout the country’s central and southern cities to arrest them on charges of “belonging to the dissolved Baath party,” revealed a security source. The source said the majority of the arrest orders were based on “fabricated evidence” about meetings of Baath members. The PMF is resorting to such claims to crack down on activists, accusing them of “stirring strife” and “sabotaging the Arabeen rituals”. It also alleges that Baathists inside Iraq and abroad are plotting to target religious figures. An Iraqi activist told Asharq Al-Awsat that the factions have “set up a trap to lure their targets.” He explained that they send out people offering funds to support the protests before later claiming that they are part of cells working with the Baath to topple the ruling regime. Separately, caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is set to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. President Barham Salih, meanwhile, received an invitation to attend the Arab League summit that is scheduled for Algeria in November. Elsewhere, images emerged of commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Esmail Qaani in Iraq’s Samarra. The official was in Iraq as part of a delegation of Iranian figures who were taking part in the Arabeen rituals in Karbala. The fact that he was in Samarra and chose not to visit Baghdad or al-Najaf, where political power lies, has raised questions.

Iranians Protest in Capital over Woman’s Death in Custody
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Iranians took to the streets of the capital on Monday to protest the death of a young woman who was detained for violating the country’s conservative dress code. The semiofficial Fars news agency said students in many Tehran universities gathered in protest, demanding an investigation into the death of Mahsa Amini and the dismantling of the morality police, who were holding her when she died. Witnesses said demonstrators poured into Keshavarz Boulevard, a central thoroughfare, chanting “Death to the Dictator." They also chanted against the police and damaged a police vehicle. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns. Videos circulating on social media showed a third day of demonstrations in Kurdish cities in western Iran as well as the northern city of Rasht and a university in the central city of Isfahan. The Associated Press could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage. The Iranian human rights group Hengaw said two men were killed in the protests, but there was no immediate official confirmation of the report. "In Monday's protests in the town of Divandarreh, at least two citizens - Fouad Qadimi and Mohsen Mohammadi - died after being taken to Kosar Hospital in Sanandaj and 15 others were injured," Hengaw said on its Twitter account. The morality police detained the 22-year-old Amini last Tuesday for not covering her hair with the headscarf, known as hijab, which is mandatory for Iranian women. Police say she died of a heart attack and deny that she was mistreated. They released closed-circuit video footage last week purportedly showing the moment she collapsed. Her family says she had no history of heart trouble. Amini, who was Kurdish, was buried Saturday in her home city of Saqez in western Iran. Protests erupted there after her funeral and police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators on Saturday and Sunday. Several protesters were arrested. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation and vowed to pursue the case in a phone call with Amini’s family. The judiciary has launched a probe, and a parliamentary committee is also looking into the incident. The hijab has been compulsory for women in Iran since the 1979 revolution and the morality police are charged with enforcing that and other restrictions. The force has been criticized in recent years over its treatment of people, especially young women. Dozens of women removed their headscarves in protest in 2017. Iranians have also taken to the streets in recent years in response to an economic crisis exacerbated by Western sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear program.

US Demands Accountability in Death of Iranian Woman after Hijab Arrest
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
The United States wants accountability for the death of an Iranian woman after she was arrested in Tehran last week for wearing an "improper" hijab, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said on Monday. "Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained while in police custody for wearing an 'improper' hijab is an appalling and egregious affront to human rights," the official said. "Our thoughts are with Mahsa’s family and loved ones.""Women in Iran should have the right to wear what they want, free from violence or harassment. Iran must end its use of violence against women for exercising their fundamental freedoms," the official said. "There must be accountability for Mahsa’s death."Her death has sparked days of protests in Iran. On Monday, demonstrators poured into Tehran’s Keshavarz Boulevard, a central thoroughfare, chanting “Death to the Dictator.” They also chanted against the police and damaged a police vehicle. Videos circulating on social media showed a third day of demonstrations in Kurdish cities in western Iran as well as the northern city of Rasht and a university in the central city of Isfahan. The morality police detained the 22-year-old Amini last Tuesday for not covering her hair with the headscarf, known as hijab, which is mandatory for Iranian women. Police say she died of a heart attack and deny that she was mistreated. They released closed-circuit video footage last week purportedly showing the moment she collapsed. Her family says she had no history of heart trouble.b

Iranian President’s Holocaust Remarks Spark Outcry in Israel
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
The Iranian president's comment that “there are some signs” that the Holocaust happened but that the issue required more research sparked an outcry on Monday from Israeli officials, who denounced the remarks as antisemitic Holocaust denial. Hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi made the comment during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” on the eve of his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. When asked whether he believed the Holocaust happened, Raisi said there “are some signs that it happened.”He added: “If so, they should allow it to be investigated and researched.” Soon after the interview aired, outrage spread in Israel, a country home to tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors. The chairman of Israel’s official Holocaust memorial center, Yad Vashem, rebuked Raisi as a “despicable anti-Semite.”“Even casting doubts on the occurrence of the Holocaust is one of the most abhorrent forms of anti-Semitism,” said Dani Dayan. Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid, whose late father survived the Holocaust, posted a series of graphic photographs from the genocide on Twitter with the caption: “Some signs.”Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan also decried Raisi's comments as “shocking,” calling on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to deny him “a world stage to spread antisemitism and hatred.” Raisi will be speaking at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly later this week, his first appearance at the annual gathering of world leaders. Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric known for his hostility to the West, became president last year. Israel considers Iran its greatest enemy and threat. Iran has long backed armed groups committed to Israel’s destruction. Its leaders have called for Israel to be wiped off the map and previously made statements that distort the history of the genocide that killed 6 million Jews or deny its existence.

No Better Offer on the Table for Iran, Says France
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
France's foreign minister said on Monday that there would not be a better offer for Iran to revive a nuclear deal with world powers and it was up to Tehran to decide now because the window to find a solution was closing. Months of indirect talks between Iran and the United States have foundered over several issues, including Tehran's insistence the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) close an investigation into uranium traces found at three undeclared sites before the pact is revived, and a US guarantee that Washington would not walk out of any nuclear agreement again. "There will not be a better offer on the table and it's up to Iran to take the right decisions," Catherine Colonna told reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations' General Assembly in New York, adding that no initiatives were underway to unblock the situation. Western diplomats have said there are no active negotiations at the moment and it was unlikely that a breakthrough could happen before the US midterm elections in November. They have accused Iran of going backwards in the talks, something Tehran denies. "There are indications that the IAEA intends to close the case of the three sites…," Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said in remarks carried by Iranian state media on Monday. "We hope that they will be honest and do not waste more time in order to pressure Iran."European officials have been adamant that Iran must give credible answers to the IAEA's questions, fearing that if the issue was swept under the carpet, it could weaken the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, the framework to halt the spread of nuclear weapons-making capability. Colonna said the United States and its European partners shared an identical position on the question of resolving an investigation.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who addresses world leaders at the UN on Wednesday, said on Sunday that Iran would be serious about reviving the nuclear deal if there were guarantees the United States would not again withdraw from it as it had done under President Donald Trump. The US has offered certain guarantees for 2.5 years, diplomats said, but is unable to go beyond that. A source close to Iran’s nuclear team said Tehran had lost interest in reviving a deal that can only last two years. "Our nuclear program is advancing every day and this time is on our side. Let them be worried about it," the source said.

Iranian Police Call Woman's Death in Custody an 'Unfortunate Incident'
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Iranian police said on Monday the death of a young woman in custody was an "unfortunate incident" which they do not want to see repeated, a semi-official news agency reported. Mahsa Amini, 22, fell into a coma and died following her arrest in Tehran last week by the morality police, sparking demonstrations against the authorities across the country by Iranians enraged by the treatment of women by security forces. Police said at the weekend Amini fell ill as she waited with other detained women. But Amini's father told pro-reform Emtedad news website on Sunday that his daughter was fit and had no health problems. "This incident was unfortunate for us and we wish to never witness such incidents," Greater Tehran Police Commander Hossein Rahimi said in a statement reported by the Fars news agency. He said Amini suffered no mistreatment, denying claims aired on social media against the morality police, who enforce strict rules requiring women to cover their hair and wear loose fitting clothes. "Cowardly accusations have been levelled against the Iranian police. We will wait until the day of judgment but we cannot stop doing security work," Rahimi said, adding that the morality police was "doing positive work". He said he could not comment on the cause of death because this was a medical rather than a security issue. Amini was from the country's Kurdistan region, one of the areas where protests took place over the weekend, including at the funeral in her hometown Saqez.
Between 8 to 10 million Kurds live in Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have put down unrest in the country’s Kurdish areas for decades, and the hardline judiciary has sentenced many activists to long jail terms or death.

Iran president demands US 'guarantees' on nuclear deal
Agence France Presse/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi demanded U.S. "guarantees" it will not withdraw again from a nuclear deal if it is revived ahead of his debut visit to the United Nations. With Western hopes fading for restoration of the landmark 2015 agreement with world powers, the hardline cleric said in a U.S. television interview that he would still back a "good deal and a fair deal."But he said: "It needs to be lasting. There needs to be guarantees." "We cannot trust the Americans because of the behavior that we have already seen from them. That is why if there is no guarantee, there is no trust," he told CBS News' "60 Minutes" program. Former president Barack Obama negotiated the agreement under which Iran drastically scaled back nuclear work in return for promises of sanctions relief. Three years later, Donald Trump pulled out and reimposed sweeping sanctions. President Joe Biden supports a return but Iran's call for guarantees has become a sticking point, with the Democratic administration saying it is impossible in the U.S. system to say what a future president would do. But Raisi said Trump's pullout showed that US promises are "meaningless."The parties to the 2015 deal -- which also included Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- saw it as the best way to stop the Islamic republic from building a nuclear bomb -– a goal Tehran has always denied. Raisi last year succeeded Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who spoke to Obama by telephone while visiting New York for the United Nations.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told AFP last week that negotiations to bring Iran back into the deal are stalemated, after proposals from the parties "were converging."In early August a senior European Union official had said progress was being made on obstacles, including guarantees the US would not again scupper a deal. Three days later Borrell presented a "final" text of an agreement. A report from the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog earlier this month that it was unable to certify Iran's nuclear program as "exclusively peaceful" has complicated diplomatic efforts to revive the deal. Iran is sticking to a demand that, to revive the 2015 deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency must conclude a probe launched when the agency found traces of nuclear material at three undeclared sites.

Raisi: No Benefit from Negotiating with Biden in New York
London - Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday ruled out a meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden, before heading to New York to participate at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) this week. “I don't think that such a meeting would happen. I don't believe having a meeting or a talk with him will be beneficial,” Raisi said in an interview with CBS when asked whether he was open to a meeting with Biden. Addressing the difference between the Trump and Biden dministrations, the Iranian president said although the new administration claims it is different from the Trump administration, it hasn't witnessed any changes in reality. Raisi is attending the 77th session of the UN General Assembly for the first time in person. Last year, he addressed the event via video conference. Last week, Raisi was in the Silk Road oasis of Samarkand, Uzbekistan to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). From there, the Iranian president said that thwarting "draconian" US sanctions required new solutions, asserting that an expanding central Asian security organization could help defy Washington's unilateralism. The official IRNA news agency had also said Raisi held an important meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who expressed his satisfaction with the set of measures taken and wished success to the president on the eve of his trip to New York.
Raisi’s trip also comes after a group of Iranian dissidents and former detainees said on Thursday that they were activating a federal civil case in the Southern District of New York against the Iranian president for his previous role at the Iranian judicial apparatus. US Congressmen and officials from the Trump administration called on the Biden administration to prevent Iran's president from entering the United States to attend UN proceedings. Meanwhile, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told The Washington Post on Saturday that the nuclear talks with Iran seem to have reached a stalemate again. But she said Biden will continue to look for ways to move forward as long as the US administration believes that it makes sense to do so. “We are planning for any eventuality. Whether the deal happens or the deal doesn't happen, the president still believes it is in our interest to pursue the deal, and we’ll continue to do so as long as that is the case,” she stressed. Sherman then said that there is an ongoing effort, with great determination and an enormous focus to bring US prisoners home. In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani in an exclusive interview with ISNA News Agency declared that independently of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran was ready to exchange prisoners with the US. He said a series of negotiations had been held with Washington through different channels, and that the two sides reached the required agreements. “It is now up to the US administration to decide whether it wants to implement this agreement or not. We are prepared to enforce it,” Kanaani said. The spokesperson rejected claims that Russia was playing an obstructive role in talks on restoration of the Iran deal, accusing the US of being the main party that is required to shoulder its responsibilities and help the negotiations bear fruit.

Iran to Open UN Fight to Free Billions Frozen in US
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Iran opens its legal battle before the UN's top court Monday to unfreeze billions of dollars in US assets, which Washington says must go to victims of terrorist attacks blamed on Tehran. The case before the International Court of Justice comes as hopes fade of reviving a landmark deal -- which former US president Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018 -- that sought to tame Iran's nuclear ambitions, AFP reported. Tehran took Washington to the Hague-based ICJ in 2016 after the US Supreme Court ordered some $2 billion in Iranian assets to be frozen, ordering the cash to go to survivors and relatives of attacks blamed on Tehran. Iran, however, said the freezing of the funds breached the 1955 Treaty of Amity with the United States, an agreement signed before Iran's 1979 revolution severed relations between the countries. Tehran argued the United States had illegally seized Iranian financial assets and those of Iranian companies -- and with Iran's clerical regime facing economic difficulties after sanctions and runaway consumer prices, resolving the case is crucial. In turn Washington had unsuccessfully tried to disqualify the lawsuit by arguing that Iran's "unclean hands" -- a reference to Tehran's suspected backing of terrorist groups -- should disqualify its lawsuit to recover the $2 billion of assets. The US announced in October 2018 that it was pulling out of the Treaty of Amity after the ICJ in a separate case ordered Washington to lift nuclear-related sanctions on humanitarian goods for Iran. The ICJ is the top court of the United Nations and was set up after World War II to resolve disputes between member states. Its rulings are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no means of enforcing them. Monday's hearing, to which US representatives are set to reply on Wednesday, comes as hopes fade to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and the West which gives Iran sanctions relief in return for restricting its nuclear program. Former US President Donald Trump pulled out of what he called the "terrible" international nuclear agreement in 2018 and began reimposing sanctions, prompting Tehran to roll back its commitments made under the pact, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Talks have been ongoing in Vienna since April last year, aimed at restoring the agreement by lifting sanctions on Tehran once again and pushing Iran to fully honor its obligations. But European powers nine days ago raised "serious doubts" over Iran's sincerity in seeking a nuclear agreement, adding that Tehran continued "to escalate its nuclear program way beyond any plausible civilian justification."

Scholz to visit Saudi as Germany seeks energy supplies
Agence France Presse/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Saudi Arabia and meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of a Gulf trip, his spokesman said Monday, as Germany rushes to secure energy supplies. Scholz, whose two-day trip next weekend will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, becomes the latest Western leader to meet with the crown prince. Bin Salman was until recently regarded as a pariah in the West due to his suspected role in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. But he is being courted again as Europe and its allies urgently seek fresh sources of fossil fuels after Russia cut gas supplies amid soaring tensions over its invasion of Ukraine. Scholz, accompanied by a business delegation, will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday, where he will meet with the crown prince and -- if his health permits it -- King Salman, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. He did not go into detail about the reasons for Scholz's Gulf visit but said he would be "very surprised" if the topic of energy was not discussed. The spokesman also offered assurances that "the murder of Mr Khashoggi will certainly figure in discussions." It is the latest sign of bin Salman's international rehabilitation -- in July, French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with him in Paris, and US President Joe Biden visited the kingdom. On Sunday, Scholz will head first to the UAE and meet with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Scholz would sign contracts there related to liquefied natural gas -- seen as a key alternative to Russian energy supplies. In the afternoon, the chancellor will hold talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Habeck already visited Qatar and the UAE in March in an effort to find alternatives to Russian gas, which Germany has traditionally depended on heavily. Russia's decision to cut off supplies has triggered an energy crisis in Europe, with consumers and businesses facing soaring bills as winter approaches.

What really happened in the Ukrainian city of Izium under Russian occupation?
Michael Fitzpatrick/AFP - JUAN BARRETO/September 19, 2022
Last week, 450 graves were discovered in forests outside Izium after the Ukrainian city was recaptured from the Russians. Ukrainian officials claim that 99 percent of the exhumed bodies show signs of violent death. The Kremlin has denied the allegations as "lies", while the EU presidency has called for the creation of an international war crimes tribunal. In an interview with RFI and France 24 on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hopes the International Criminal Court will be able to investigate the alleged massacre in the eastern Ukrainian city. The authorities in Kyiv have said they will use this week's annual general assembly of the United Nations, due to open in New York tomorrow, to call for the establishment of an international court to investigate alleged war crimes by Russian forces in Ukraine. The EU presidency at the weekend called for the establishment of an international tribunal for war crimes. "In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent," said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the European Union's rotating presidency. "We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals," he added in a message on Twitter. "I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression." Ukraine's national police chief has said more than 10 "torture chambers" had been found in the formerly Russian-controlled parts of the northeastern Kharkiv region. President Volodymyr Zelensky last week announced the discovery of what he called a "mass grave" in Izium after it was recaptured from the Russians. At one burial site, more than 440 graves dating between March and September 2022 had been discovered.
Confusion over nature of graves
Investigators have exhumed the bodies of at least 17 Ukrainian soldiers from one. A cross over the grave bore the inscription: "Ukrainian army, 17 people. Izium morgue."The authorities say there are more than 440 tombs. Some of the graves are marked by crosses made from varnished wood carrying names and dates. Investigators say about 100 bodies have been exhumed. Ukrainian officials suspect that some of the dead were tortured by Russian forces during their occupation of the northeast Kharkiv region. At least two of the bodies recovered were found with their hands tied. One of the two had his hands tied, a broken jaw and two stab wounds in the back, a member of the Kharkiv prosecutor's office said. The remains have been identified as those of a pro-Ukrainian volunteer fighter, the official added.
Civilian and military victims
Civilians who died during fighting in March for control of the city have also been exhumed.Kharkiv prosecutor Yevgen Sokolov, who is leading the investigation, said he did not have an exact number for those thought to have suffered violent deaths. Of the bodies so far recovered, he said "most have wounds from shelling and explosions". Others had suffered "injuries from sharp objects and showed signs of violent death", he said. Sokolov confirmed that one combatant had had "his hands tied behind his back" and another was found with "rope around the neck and broken limbs". He also said a body had been found "with multiple stab wounds". "At this point we don't have bodies with bullets in their skulls but there is still a lot of work to be done," he said. If the weather remained mild, he estimated it would take another week to finish exhuming the bodies.

Syria, Türkiye Discuss Roadmap for Safe Return of Syrian Refugees
Ankara - Saeed Abdulrazek/Monday, 19 September, 2022
Head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Hakan Fidan and Syrian intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk have recently met in Damascus. Daily Sabah newspaper that is close to the Turkish government revealed details of the meeting, which it said was an attempt to form a roadmap for the safe return of Syrians who sought refuge in Türkiye. It pointed out that both sides discussed issues they consider a top priority, as well as the main articles in the road map that must be followed, stressing that tangible outcomes of the talks will take some time. It quoted sources as indicating that discussions tackled the safe return of all asylum seekers, returning the properties to their owners, creating working and employment conditions, and ensuring that no verdicts are issued against Syrians wishing to return home. The Turkish side underscored the importance of canceling Law No. 10, which the Syrian government passed on April 2, 2018 and allows for creating redevelopment zones across Syria that will be designated for reconstruction. The law stipulates that people who own property in the zone are to be notified and have 30 days to provide proof of ownership. If they fail to do so, they will not be compensated, and ownership reverts to the province, town, or city where the property is located. However, human rights activists considered it a mass punishment for Syrian citizens who sought refuge abroad. The newspaper further pointed out that the regime requested the withdrawal of Turkish forces from all Syrian territories.
The Turkish delegation affirmed that Ankara is committed to Syria’s territorial integrity, but stated that these demands can be evaluated later, provided that the constitutional process is completed, free elections are held, and the Adana Anti-Terror Agreement signed between the two countries in 1998 is renewed.
Reuters quoted four sources as noting that Fidan and Mamlouk held multiple meetings over the last few weeks, a sign of Russian efforts to encourage a thaw between states on opposite sides of Syria’s war. The contacts reflect a Russian policy shift as Moscow steels itself for a protracted conflict in Ukraine and seeks to secure its position in Syria, where its forces have supported President Bashar al-Assad since 2015, according to two Turkish officials and the regional source. During the meetings, Fidan - one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's closest confidants - and Mamlouk evaluated how the two countries’ foreign ministers could eventually meet, according to a senior Turkish official and a Turkish security source. “Russia wants Syria and Türkiye to overcome their problems and achieve certain agreements...which are in the interest of everyone, both Türkiye and Syria,” said the Turkish official.
However, one big challenge is Türkiye’s desire to include Syrian rebels in any talks with Damascus, the official added. The Turkish security official said Russia has gradually withdrawn some military resources from Syria in order to focus on Ukraine, and had asked Türkiye to normalize relations with Assad to “accelerate a political solution” in Syria. The Damascus-allied source said Russia had nudged Syria to enter talks as Moscow seeks to nail down its position and that of Assad in case it must redeploy forces to Ukraine.

Blinken to Meet Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman in New York
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 19 September, 2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet the Yemeni Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi in New York on Monday, the State Department said on Sunday as world dignitaries arrive for the UN General Assembly. Blinken and Alimi had last met in July during US President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia. At the time, they discussed the importance of extending the UN-led truce “to ease the suffering of Yemenis and of pursuing meaningful action” by the Iran-backed Houthi militias to improve access to the besieged city of Taiz. The Houthis have yet to reopen routes to Taiz, a key demand in the truce. Blinken had also welcomed the Yemeni government’s “bold leadership on the truce, which has had a tangible impact on the lives of Yemenis across the country,” said a State Department statement. Blinken highlighted the opportunity for the truce to result in a nationwide, permanent ceasefire and the launch of an inclusive, comprehensive political process under UN auspices. He noted that “only a political agreement between the Yemeni parties, which also meets Yemenis’ calls for justice and accountability, can bring true peace and durable prosperity to the country. “
He reiterated “full support for the Presidential Leadership Council and its initiatives to improve services and daily life for Yemenis.”

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 19-20/2022
ريموند إبراهيم: عودة الجهاد مجدداً ضد الجهورية الأرمنية والأرمن
The Jihad on Armenia Erupts Again
Raymond Ibrahim/September 19/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/112083/raymond-ibrahimthe-jihad-on-armenia-erupts-again-%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86%d8%af-%d8%a5%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%af-%d9%85/
Armenians in the Republic of Artsakh woke up on September 13, 2022 to an uncertain future after Azerbaijan attacked them in the dead of night. As Trey Blanton reported on location, Azerbaijani forces launched drones, artillery, and mortars on several Armenian villages. More than 100 Armenian soldiers were killed—several later mutilated beyond recognition—in Azerbaijan’s two-day bombardment.
Modern hostilities between Armenia, an ancient nation, and Azerbaijan, which was created in 1918, began in late 2020. War erupted at that time over disputed territory now known as “Nagorno-Karabakh.” It had been Armenian for thousands of years, with the name Artsakh, and it remains predominantly Armenian. After the dissolution of the USSR, however, it was allotted to Azerbaijan, causing problems since and culminating in the recent wars. (See “15 Artsakh War Myths Perpetuated By Mainstream Media.”)
The Hate That Never Dies
On the surface, and as widely reported by media, this is yet another territorial dispute, this time between (Christian) Armenia and (Muslim) Azerbaijan. Beneath the surface, however, lurks that old Muslim-Christian divide, typified by jihadist hate for “infidels.”
Many factors validate this view. For starters, Christian Armenia’s ancient Muslim nemesis, Turkey, funded Sharia-enforcing “jihadist groups” that had operated earlier in Syria and Libya — including one that had kept naked, sex-slave women in prison — for the purpose of terrorizing and slaughtering Armenians at the start of the late 2020 war.
One of these captured mercenaries later confessed that he was “promised a monthly $2,000 payment for fighting against ‘kafirs’ in Artsakh, and an extra 100 dollar[s] for each beheaded kafir.” (Kafir, often translated as “infidel,” is Arabic for any non-Muslim who fails to submit to Islam, which makes them enemies by default.)
Erdogan’s ISIS
Among other ISIS-like crimes, committed by the Islamic coalition of mercenaries, Turks, and Azerbaijanis waging war on Armenia in late 2020, they “tortured beyond recognition” an intellectually disabled Armenian woman by sadistically hacking off her ears, hands, and feet, before finally executing her. Similarly, video footage showed camouflaged soldiers overpowering and forcing down an elderly Armenian man, who cries and implores them for mercy, as they casually try to carve at his throat with a knife.
Just last week, Azerbaijani forces created mounds of decapitated and mutilated Armenian soldiers. One of them, a female, was raped, had both arms and legs cut off, one eye gouged out, and her own fingers mockingly stuffed inside her mouth and private parts.
None of this is surprising. As usual, once the jihad on Armenia became official, the Christian foe was hated with unbridled ferocity. Even Nurlan Ibrahimov, the head, not of politics, but of the press service of Qarabag football club of Azerbaijan, felt he had to chime in: “We [Azerbaijanis] must kill all Armenians — children, women, the elderly. [We] need to kill [them] without [making a] distinction. No regrets, no compassion.”
Confirming such murderous sentiments, Arman Tatoyan, an Armenian human rights activist, reported:
The President of Azerbaijan and the country’s authorities have been implementing a policy of hatred, enmity, ethnic cleansing and genocide against Armenia, citizens of Armenia and the Armenian people for years. The Turkish authorities have done the same or have openly encouraged the same policy.
By way of example, he said that Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev once publicly boasted that “the younger generation has grown up with hatred toward the enemy,” meaning Armenians.
NATO’s Jihadists
Another factor evincing the Islamic pedigree of the conflict is that Turkey, though uninvolved with the dispute, quickly joined its Azerbaijani co-religionists and arguably even spearheaded the initial stages of the war against Armenia. As Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia’s prime minister rhetorically asked at the start of the war: “Why has Turkey returned to the South Caucasus 100 years [after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire]?” His answer: “To continue the Armenian Genocide.”
Needless to say, jihadist hate, which is always a precursor to genocide, continues to be evident everywhere in modern-day Turkey. One need only listen to the religiously-laden rant of one Turkish man about how all Armenians are “dogs” and that any found in Turkey should be slaughtered to get an idea:
Why do we let them live? … We will slaughter them when the time comes. … This is Turkish soil. How are we Ottoman grandchildren? …. The people of Turkey who have honor, dignity, and Allah must cut the heads of the Armenians in Turkey. It is dishonorable for anyone to meet and not kill an Armenian. … If we are human, let us do this — let us do it for Allah… . Everyone listening, if you love Allah, please spread this video of me to everyone.
Similarly, in response to a question being asked to random passersby on the streets of Turkey — “If you could get away with one thing, what would you do?” — a woman said on video: “What would I do? Behead 20 Armenians.” She then looked directly at the camera, and smiled while nodding her head.
A Hunt for All Things Christian
That the conflict is underscored by Islam’s traditional hate for all things Christian is perhaps best seen in the hallmark sign that “Islam was here” — the systematic desecration of Christian churches — that has befallen Armenian churches under Azerbaijani control, despite promises from the authorities to protect them.
In one instance, and as has happened countless times throughout the ages, an Azerbaijani stood atop an Armenian church, after its cross had been broken off, triumphantly crying “Allahu Akbar!”
Azerbaijani forces also shelled and destroyed Holy Savior, an iconic Armenian cathedral which was “consecrated in 1888 but was damaged during the March 1920 massacre of Armenians of the city by Azerbaijanis and experienced a decades-long decline.” See here, here, and here for similar examples — including the torching of an Armenian church in San Francisco during a spike of anti-Armenian hate crimes.
Turning Churches into Mosques
According to a March 27, 2021 report, over the course of just two weeks, at least three Armenian churches in Artsakh (“Nagorno-Karabakh”) were vandalized or destroyed — even though a ceasefire was declared in November, 2020. Video footage showed Azerbaijani troops entering into one of the churches, laughing, mocking, kicking, and defacing Christian items inside it, including a fresco of the Last Supper. Turkey’s flag appears on the Azeri servicemen’s uniform, further implicating that nation. As they approach, one of the soldiers says, “Let’s now enter their church, where I will perform namaz.” Namaz is a reference to Muslim prayers; when Muslims pray inside non-Muslim temples, those temples immediately become mosques.
Transforming “conquered” churches into victory mosques is, of course, the ultimate display of jihadist supremacy — one participated in by even the president of Azerbaijan. On May 12, 2021, the same day Azerbaijani troops entered Armenian territory, President Aliyev laid the foundation for a new “victory” mosque on ancient Christian territory, in Shushi, where another cathedral was desecrated.
Such are the unspoken religious and ideological underpinnings of what is being presented as a mere “territorial dispute.”
*Picture Enclosed/Funeral for one of more than 100 Armenian soldiers recently killed.

US Must Treat Iran Like Russia
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/September 19/2022
[I]t is vital that the US and its allies confront the reality of Iran's expanding military operations around the world.
While Tehran had denied the reports [that Iran had provided Russia with military-grade drones], Ukraine's defence ministry posted images of what appeared to be parts of a destroyed drone with "Geran-2" written on the side in Russian. The wingtip appeared to match that of a Shahed-136.
This is, by any standard, amounts to a truly momentous escalation in Iran's military activities: it is the first time Iranian military equipment has been deployed on European soil.
The fact that evidence has emerged demonstrating that Iran is actively supporting Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine makes a mockery of this argument.
If Iran is prepared to deploy sophisticated military equipment such as drones on European soil, then it is clear the ayatollahs would have no hesitation about firing their long-range ballistic missiles, potentially armed with nuclear weapons, at European targets.
Iran's willingness to become directly involved in the deadliest conflict Europe has witnessed since the end of the Second World War represents a significant escalation in the threat Tehran poses to the outside world, one that Western powers ignore at their peril.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, addressing The Jerusalem Post Conference in New York last week, revealed a map showing more than ten facilities that Iran has constructed in Syria in recent years to produce mid- and long-range precision missiles that can be used to target Israel.
This is not the action of a country that, as the Iranians repeatedly insist, is interested in peace, and should serve as a wake-up call to Western leaders to confront Iranian aggression in the same way they have confronted Russia over its decision to invade Ukraine.
The West must now provide the same level of support to all those countries -- which now include Ukraine -- that find themselves the targets of unprovoked acts of aggression by Tehran.
One of the most important lessons learned from the 1930s was that what starts in one place, such as Austria or Sudetenland, can almost be guaranteed not to stay in that place.
One of the most important lessons learned from the 1930s was that what starts in one place, such as Austria or Sudetenland, can almost be guaranteed not to stay in that place. In what amounts to a momentous escalation in Iran's military activities, Ukrainian forces claim to have shot down an Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone used by Russia's armed forces. It is the first time Iranian military equipment has been deployed on European soil. Pictured: The Iranian drone that was shot down near Kupiansk, Ukraine. (Image source: Ukrainian Armed Forces)
Now that even the Biden administration has been forced to admit defeat in its ill-considered attempts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, it is vital that the West does not let its guard slip on Iran's malign activities across the globe.
Throughout the year-long negotiating process in Vienna over Iran's nuclear ambitions, which the Biden administration now concedes have ended in stalemate, Tehran has sought to give the impression that it is interested in negotiating a deal, while at the same time ramping up its aggressive military activities in the Middle East and beyond.
Despite recent claims by European leaders that a new nuclear deal was still possible, Iranian intransigence has effectively ended the negotiations, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conceding that the latest demands made by Iran have taken the process "backwards".
While the failure of the talks represents a major setback for the Biden administration ahead of the upcoming mid-term elections, however, it is vital that the US and its allies confront the reality of Iran's expanding military operations around the world.
In what amounts to a significant increase in Iranian activity, Ukrainian forces involved in the highly successful offensive to recapture large swathes of territory in northeastern Ukraine claim to have shot down an Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone used by Russia's armed forces in the region of Kharkiv.
The first reports that Iran had offered to provide Russia with military-grade drones to support its military efforts in Ukraine emerged in July after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran, where he met with the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US officials later reported that the first consignment of Iranian drones had been delivered by Russian cargo planes.
While Tehran had denied the reports, Ukraine's defence ministry posted images of what appeared to be parts of a destroyed drone with "Geran-2" written on the side in Russian. The wingtip appeared to match that of a Shahed-136.
This is, by any standard, amounts to a truly momentous escalation in Iran's military activities: it is the first time Iranian military equipment has been deployed on European soil.
One of the arguments most frequently advanced by apologists for the Iranian regime is that Iran poses no threat to Europe, and that its military activities are confined to pursuing its goals in the Middle East, including its long-term ambition of destroying Israel.
The fact that evidence has emerged demonstrating that Iran is actively supporting Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine makes a mockery of this argument.
If Iran is prepared to deploy sophisticated military equipment such as drones on European soil, then it is clear the ayatollahs would have no hesitation about firing their long-range ballistic missiles, potentially armed with nuclear weapons, at European targets.
On one level it is not surprising that two rogue states such as Russia and Iran should seek to increase their military cooperation in their efforts to confront the West. Both regimes are suffering the effects of Western sanctions and find themselves isolated on the international stage.
Nevertheless, Iran's willingness to become directly involved in the deadliest conflict Europe has witnessed since the end of the Second World War represents a significant escalation in the threat Tehran poses to the outside world, one that Western powers ignore at their peril.
Iran's increasing involvement in the Ukraine conflict, moreover, needs to be seen within the context of recent increased activity in other military spheres.
Despite Iran's insistence that it is keen to negotiate a new nuclear deal that limits its ability to acquire weapons-grade nuclear material, Iranian officials last month boasted that they now have the technical capability to produce an atom bomb.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, addressing The Jerusalem Post Conference in New York last week, revealed a map showing more than ten facilities that Iran has constructed in Syria in recent years to produce mid- and long-range precision missiles that can be used to target Israel.
This is not the action of a country that, as the Iranians repeatedly insist, is interested in peace, and should serve as a wake-up call to Western leaders to confront Iranian aggression in the same way they have confronted Russia over its decision to invade Ukraine.
The support the US and its allies have provided to Ukraine has been pivotal to Kyiv's successful resistance to Russia's attempts to occupy its territory.
The West must now provide the same level of support to all those countries -- which now includes Ukraine -- that find themselves the targets of unprovoked acts of aggression by Tehran.
One of the most important lessons learned from the 1930s was that what starts in one place, such as Austria or Sudetenland, can almost be guaranteed not to stay in that place.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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