English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For February 26/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2023/english.february26.23.htm
News Bulletin Achieves
Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Click On The Below Link To Join
Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group so you get the LCCC Daily A/E Bulletins every
day
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط على الرابط في أعلى للإنضمام
لكروب Eliasbejjaninews
whatsapp group وذلك لإستلام
نشراتي العربية والإنكليزية اليومية بانتظام
Bible Quotations For today
Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place/Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
Mark 01/35-45/Very early in the morning, while it was
still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where
he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found
him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go
somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I
have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and
driving out demons. A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees,
“If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus was indignant. He reached out
his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately
the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Jesus sent him away at once with a
strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself
to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing,
as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading
the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed
outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on February 25-26/2023
The leper’s faith teaches us that God always listens and responds to our
requests when we approach Him with pure hearts/Elias Bejjani/February 26/2023
US says 'key Hezbollah financier' arrested in Bucharest
Lebanese cleric and Hezbollah critic mourned after body found
Report: Shiite Duo agrees to Franjieh-for-Salam deal
Mikati says letter addressed to Interior Minister aimed at halting dangerous
course in using judiciary, law to settle political scores
Othman meets with a delegation of US senators' aids, in presence of US
ambassador
Mawlawi: We wish brotherly Kuwait continued safety & security
Salloum says "Pharmacists Syndicate body a victim of prevailing smuggled drugs
phenomenon"
OEILiban criticizes claims that European judicial procedures might stop because
of Lebanon
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 25-26/2023
Turkey's last Armenian village fears for its future after quake
Iran calls 84% uranium enrichment allegation a 'conspiracy'
Israeli Cabinet Approves $2.8 Billion Budget for Potential Strike against Iran
Iran Hints at Supplying Syria with Khordad Missile System
Iran Says it has Developed Long-range Cruise Missile
White House: Russia May Send Fighter Jets to Iran
Schools Reopen as Syrians Live with Quake’s Devastation
Biden indicates reelection bid coming -- but not right away
Ukraine’s longest day: Zelensky marks anniversary of Russian invasion
Zelenskyy shows the simple bedroom at his office that he has called home since
Russia invaded Ukraine
Poland Says Russia Stops Oil Flows Via Key Druzhba Pipeline
Russia's most dangerous course of action in the next phase of war
EU adopts fresh sanctions amid vow to ramp up pressure on Moscow
China urges Russia-Ukraine talks, UN supports no nukes clause
Titles For
The Latest
English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on February 25-26/2023
Thanks to Obama’s ‘Nuclear Deal,’ Iran Now a Major Arms Exporter/Dr.
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute./February 25, 2023
The Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria Is a Crisis Within a Crisis/David Miliband/Asharq
Al Awsat/February 25/2023
Christians being sent to labour camps and executed in North Korea/Nicola
Smith/The Telegraph/February 25, 2023
All style, no substance for Iran in China/Yun Sun/The Arab Weekly/February
25/2023
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on February 25-26/2023
The leper’s faith teaches us that God always listens and responds to our
requests when we approach Him with pure hearts
Elias Bejjani/February 26/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/52983/elias-bejjani-the-lepers-solid-faith-cured-him/
Christ, the Son of God, is always ready and willing to help the sinners who seek
forgiveness and repentance. When we are remorseful and ask Him for exoneration,
He never gives up on us no matter what we did or said. As a loving Father, He
always comes to our rescue when we get ourselves into trouble. He grants us all
kinds of graces to safeguard us from falling into the treacherous traps of
Satan’s sinful temptations.
Jesus the only Son Of God willingly endured all kinds of humiliation, pain,
torture and accepted death on the cross for our sake and salvation. Through His
crucifixion He absolved us from the original sin that our first parents Adam and
Eve committed. He showed us the righteous ways through which we can return with
Him on the Day Of Judgment to His Father’s Heavenly kingdom.
Jesus made his call to the needy, persecuted, sick and sinners loud and clear:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28) The outcast leper believed in Jesus’ call and came to Him asking
for cleansing. Jesus took his hand, touched him with love, and responded to his
request.
The leper knew deep in his heart that Jesus could cure him from his devastating
and shameful leprosy if He is willing to do so. Against all odds he took the
hard and right decision to seek out at once Jesus’ mercy.
With solid faith, courage and perseverance the leper approached Jesus and
begging him, kneeling down to him, and says to him, “If you want to, you can
make me clean.” When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him
and he was made clean. Jesus extended His hand and touched him with great
passion and strictly warned him, “See you say nothing to anybody, but go show
yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses
commanded, for a testimony to them.” But the leper went out, began to proclaim
it much, and spread about the matter so that Jesus could no more openly enter
into a city, but was outside in desert places: and they came to him from
everywhere. (Mark 1/40-45)
We sinners, all of us, ought to learn from the leper’s great example of faith.
Like him we need to endeavour for sincere repentance with heartfelt prayer,
begging Almighty God for absolution from all our sins. Honest pursuit of
salvation and repentance requires a great deal of humility, honesty, love,
transparency and perseverance. Like the leper we must trust in God’s mercy and
unwaveringly go after it.
The faithful leper sensed deep inside his conscience that Jesus could cleanse
him, but was not sure if he is worth Jesus’ attention and mercy.
His faith and great trust in God made him break all the laws that prohibited a
leper from getting close to or touching anybody. He tossed himself at Jesus’
feet scared and trembling. With great love, confidence, meekness and passion he
spoke to Jesus saying “If you will, you can make me clean.” He did not mean if
you are in a good mood at present. He meant, rather, if it is not out of line
with the purpose of God, and if it is not violating some cosmic program God is
working out then you can make me clean.
Lepers in the old days were outcasts forced to live in isolation far away from
the public. They were not allowed to continue living in their own communities or
families. They were looked upon as dead people and forbidden from even entering
the synagogues to worship. They were harshly persecuted, deprived of all their
basic rights and dealt with as sinners. But in God’s eyes these sick lepers were
His children whom He dearly loves and cares for. “Blessed are you when people
reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for
my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you”.
Matthew(5/11-12)
The leper trusted in God’s parenthood and did not have any doubts about Jesus’
divinity and power to cleanse and cure him. Without any hesitation, and with a
pure heart, he put himself with full submission into Jesus’ hands and will
knowing that God our Father cannot but have mercy on His children. “Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. (Matthew5/8)
We need to take the leper as a role model in our lives. His strong and steadfast
faith cured him and put him back into society. We are to know God can do
whatever He wants and to trust Him. If He is willing, He will. We just have to
trust in the goodness and mercy of God and keep on praying and asking, and He
surely will respond in His own way even though many times our limited minds can
not grasp His help.
Praying on regular basis as Jesus instructed us to is an extremely comforting
ritual: “Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe
that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand
praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who
is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not
forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions” (Mark
11/24-26)
The leper’s faith teaches us that God always listens and always responds to our
requests when we approach Him with pure hearts, trust, confidence and
humbleness. Almighty God is a loving father who loves us all , we His children
and all what we have to do to get His attention is to make our requests through
praying. “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it
will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To
him who knocks it will be opened”. (Matthew 7/8 -9)
US says 'key Hezbollah financier' arrested in
Bucharest
Associated Press/February 25/2023
A Lebanese and Belgian citizen considered a key financier of Hezbollah has been
arrested in Bucharest, Romania's capital, U.S. federal authorities said.
Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 58, who was labeled a "global terrorist" by the United
States in 2018 when $10 million was offered for information about his
whereabouts, has funneled millions of dollars to Hezbollah over the years,
authorities said. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in
Brooklyn said the extradition of Bazzi and Lebanese citizen Talal Chahine, 78,
was sought on charges contained in an indictment returned last month in Brooklyn
federal court. "Mohammad Bazzi thought that he could secretly move hundreds of
thousands of dollars from the United States to Lebanon without detection by law
enforcement," Peace said in a release. "Today's arrest proves that Bazzi was
wrong."Charges lodged against Bazzi and Chahine included conspiracy to cause
U.S. individuals to conduct unlawful transactions with a global terrorist and
money laundering conspiracy. It was unclear who will represent the men when they
arrive in the United States. Daniel J. Kafafian, acting head of the Drug
Enforcement Administration in New Jersey, said the defendants "attempted to
provide continued financial assistance to Hezbollah."
Romanian law enforcement authorities took Bazzi into custody after he arrived in
Bucharest on Friday, according to the release announcing his arrest. Authorities
said Bazzi and Chahine conspired to force or induce an individual in the U.S. to
liquidate their interests in some real estate assets in Michigan and covertly
transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds out of the U.S. to Bazzi
and Chahine in Lebanon. The men were caught on
recorded conversations proposing numerous ways to conceal from U.S. law
enforcement officials that Bazzi was the source and destination of the proceeds
of the sale and that the men were involved, authorities said.
Lebanese cleric and Hezbollah critic mourned
after body found
Najia Houssari/Arab News/February 25, 2023
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said earlier: “We are currently following
up with the competent judicial and security references; New data has emerged and
we are following up on it for full disclosure in this case”
BEIRUT: The body of Lebanese cleric Sheikh Ahmed Al-Rifai, a vocal critic of
Hezbollah and Iran, was found on Saturday, a week after he went missing in
Tripoli. At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, a website in the town of Qarqaf in northern
Lebanon mourned Al-Rifai’s death.
The religious leader, who was affiliated with Dar Al-Fatwa, hailed from
Al-Qarqaf, Akkar, where he was the imam of the mosque.
Lebanese army forces entered the area on Saturday to maintain security and
prevent any retaliatory action. Information
circulating in the town said that a suspect arrested in the case provided
information on the location of the cleric’s body.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said earlier: “We are currently following
up with the competent judicial and security references; New data has emerged and
we are following up on it for full disclosure in this case.” Al-Rifai
disappeared on Monday after his car was blocked by two vehicles, according to
eye-witnesses. Masked men then forced him to go behind the Beirut Arab
University building in Tripoli. Four days after the
incident, security forces found Al-Rifai’s four-wheel drive near Haykel Hospital
at the entrance to Koura, south of Tripoli. Kidnappers are believed to have
driven the vehicle there and parked it. The cleric’s
phone lost signal minutes after he arrived at Tripoli’s southern entrance.
Earlier he had performed evening prayers in a mosque in Beddaoui on the city’s
northern side. Security forces searched the area and
confiscated security cameras for analysis. A security source speculated that
Al-Rifai “was lured to the kidnapping site.”A close friend of the family told
Arab News that the cleric opposed Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, and had been
active on Twitter, where he spoke out against the “axis of resistance.”Security
agencies, from General Security to State Security and Security Forces, all
denied having arrested the cleric. First Investigative Judge for Northern
Lebanon Judge Samaranda Nassar took over the case and began her investigations
by inspecting his car in Koura. A close friend of the
family said earlier: “Security agencies raided Qarqaf on Friday night and
arrested Yahya Al-Rifai’s sons and cousins, and speculated their involvement in
the kidnapping of the cleric, as a result of the political dispute in the
family.”Sheikh Zaid Zakaria, mufti of Akkar, called on Qarqaf’s townspeople to
“be impervious to the spreading rumors.”A source from Dar Al-Fatwa denied the
presence of “conclusive evidence about Hezbollah’s direct involvement in the
cleric’s disappearance.”Sheikh Khaldoun Oreimat, who was tasked by Dar Al-Fatwa
to follow up on the case, told Arab News that Dar Al-Fatwa had not communicated
with Hezbollah to find out whether the party had any involvement, “as it is not
its (Dar Al-Fatwa’s) job.”“That was done by the official security forces that
often contact relevant entities that have information, and the security agencies
are taking the file in a serious manner.” Sheikh Zaid Zakaria commended “the
role of Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, his wisdom and
directives to be prudent and wise, not to be impervious to rumors or make
accusations arbitrarily, to prevent a strife.” He
urged that the security investigation be allowed to take its course and said
that it is within the context of a normal investigation to summon or arrest a
person. “We must not give an opportunity to those who wish to create division
and conflict,” he said.
Report: Shiite Duo agrees to Franjieh-for-Salam deal
Naharnet/February 25/2023
Intensive contacts will be held over the next two weeks in a bid to reach a
presidential settlement within weeks or a few months at the latest, a media
report said. The deal may be reached in late spring or in June at the latest,
sources close to the Shiite Duo (Hezbollah and Amal) told al-Liwaa newspaper in
remarks published Saturday. “A settlement is looming in the horizon, under which
(Marada Movement chief Suleiman) Franjieh will be elected (as president) in
return for the appointment as premier of (ex-)ambassador (to the U.N.) and
(former) International Court of Justice judge Nawaf Salam,” the daily added.
Quoting “credible sources,” al-Liwaa said that in the wake of the latest Paris
meeting, the French sent a “clear message” to Hezbollah about the aforementioned
Franjieh-for-Salam deal. “It seems that the Shiite Duo has agreed in principle
to endorse the proposed settlement,” the sources added, noting that “the
Lebanese Forces bloc will secure the necessary quorum for Franjieh’s election.”
Mikati says letter addressed to Interior
Minister aimed at halting dangerous course in using judiciary, law to settle
political scores
NNA/February 25/2023
Prime Minister Najib Mikati renewed Saturday his call on the concerned judicial
authorities to expedite steps to address the abuse occurring in the judicial
process, so as to ensure that the proper course of justice takes place. He
revealed that his letter to Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi
particularly aimed at putting an end to the alarming course of events in using
the judiciary and the law to settle political scores. "This clear position I
conveyed to the delegation of the Association of Banks when they visited me last
week to present the reasons for the strike carried out by the banking sector,
and I repeated the same position yesterday during a meeting with the
delegation," Mikati said before his visitors today. He added: “Our goal is to
protect the banking sector because it is a basic pillar of the economy, and not
to protect any banker or any bank that violates the laws...Also, through what we
are working on, we are prioritizing returning depositors’ money and putting an
end to defrauding them with procedures that violate the relevant laws and
regulations."In response to a question, Mikati denied being on the banks' side
at the expense of the depositors, stressing that "what we are adopting in terms
of measures and steps in cooperation with the Parliament Council and the
International Monetary Fund, mainly aim to restore people's rights within a
clear and programmed plan. Hence, we renew the call to cease all political
confusion and let everyone believe that there is no solution except through
cooperation between the various political components for the advancement of the
country." "We are protecting an integrated cycle whose pillar is the economy,
the banking sector, and depositors," he maintained, emphasizing that no bank is
immune to any prosecution or accountability in the event that it is proven to
have committed any legal violation or abuse, while taking into account the
principles of prosecution and trial that are protected by the constitution and
the law.
Othman meets with a delegation of US senators' aids, in
presence of US ambassador
NNA/February 25/2023
Director General of Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Othman,
received on Friday at his General Security Headquarters office, a delegation of
assistants of US Senators, including Alex Carnes, Paul Grove, Paul Rademacher,
accompanied by American Ambassador Dorothy Shea. The visit aimed at boosting
cooperation and coordination, whereby talks centered on the status of the
institution, the challenges it faces, and ways of providing it with the
necessary support. The members of the delegation praised the efforts made by the
security forces in Lebanon to preserve the safety of their country, despite the
stifling economic crisis and the distress experienced by the Lebanese people.
Mawlawi: We wish brotherly Kuwait continued safety &
security
NNA/February 25/2023
Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, tweeted
today: “On the occasion of the Kuwaiti National Day, I extend heartfelt
congratulations to the Emir of the State of Kuwait, the Crown Prince, their
Excellencies the two friends, Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad
Al-Sabah and Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and
to all Kuwaitis, wishing brotherly Kuwait continued safety and security."
Salloum says "Pharmacists Syndicate body a victim of
prevailing smuggled drugs phenomenon"
NNA/February 25/2023
President of the Lebanese Pharmacists Syndicate, Dr. Joe Salloum, indicated in
an issued statement on Saturday, that “the expansion of the smuggled drug trade
in Lebanon has led to a decline in the import of legal medicine to almost a
quarter, resulting in a decrease in the Pharmacists Syndicate’s revenues."The
statement added that in light of this situation, there is no income left for
pharmacists except for the small fee deducted from medicine import, and hence
the inability of pharmacies to do justice to its cadre, including pharmacists
and employees, as well as retired pharmacists who receive a monthly pension
which is not sufficient for a decent retirement life after long years of
service. Consequently, Salloum appealed once again to those concerned to deal
seriously with the phenomenon of drug smuggling and to stop the policy of
turning a blind eye to this critical matter."The smuggled drug, in addition to
its danger to the life of the citizen and the quality of treatment, actually
leads to the deprivation of the State treasury and the Pharmacists Syndicate of
its basic resource," he said.
OEILiban criticizes claims that European judicial
procedures might stop because of Lebanon
NNA/February 25/2023
The European Observatory for Integrity in Lebanon considered in a tweet today,
that "Whoever claims that the European judicial procedures might stop because of
the Lebanese one is either on the payroll or lacks the legal knowledge to
comment."
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on February 25-26/2023
Turkey's last Armenian village
fears for its future after quake
Ece Toksabay/VAKIFLI, Turkey (Reuters)/Sat, February 25, 2023
In Turkey's only remaining ethnic Armenian village, Vakifli, the elderly
population thank God that not one of them died during the devastating
earthquakes that struck the region. But they fear for the future of their
cherished home. Thirty of the village's 40 stone houses, which are single or
double storey and surrounded by orange and lemon orchards, are heavily damaged,
and since a third huge earthquake hit, the 130 villagers are without power. They
gather at the tea house for shelter and warmth. "Vakifli is all we have, the
only Armenian village in Turkey. It is our home. Seeing it like this is breaking
my heart," said Masis, a 67-year-old retired jeweller, who moved back to his
hometown after spending 17 years in Istanbul. "This
village is tiny and our children mostly prefer to live in Istanbul... This is
the only home we've ever known. After this disaster, I don't know how long it
will take for the village to be rebuilt. I get really scared that most people
will leave and the village will be abandoned," he added.Masis, who gave only his
first name, vowed to stay as long as it takes to reconstruct.
Vakifli sits on Moses mountain in the province of Hatay, overlooking
Samandag, a city on the western edge of Turkey's long border with Syria.
Villagers speak to each other in a local Armenian dialect, known as Moses
Mountain Armenian, which is diluted with Arabic and Turkish words. Turkey is
overwhelmingly Muslim but hosts some ancient Christian communities - dwindling
remnants of sizeable populations that lived in the Muslim-led but multi-ethnic,
multi-faith Ottoman Empire, predecessor to modern Turkey. Today, Turkey and
Armenia are at odds primarily over the 1.5 million people Armenia says were
killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire. Armenia says this constitutes genocide.
Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in
clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and
denies it was systematic. Last week Turkish Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said humanitarian aid sent by Armenia for quake
victims could boost efforts to normalise their relations.
TERRIFYING DARKNESS
Berc Kartun, the village head of Vakifli, said his two-storey house had been
split open sideways and he was waiting for building inspectors. He had nowhere
to store his valuables from the house, he added, sipping Turkish coffee in a
paper cup outside the teahouse. Armen Hergel, 64, said she has got used to
living in the teahouse, which has a small generator and which she dubbed 'the
Hilton', but the power outage in the village was a real problem. "We need
heating. We are trying to stay warm by drinking tea but the nights are cold and
really scary in pitch darkness, with constant aftershocks."She was visiting her
daughter in Istanbul when the first two quakes struck. She returned to Vakifli
to tidy up. "We thought the earthquakes had stopped...
Then the third one hit on Monday evening and the damage was so much worse. Now
our house is uninhabitable and we live half the time in the tea house and half
the time in the tent." Women and men work together in the small kitchen, making
soup and rice. Close to the edge of the village stands the Holy Mother of God
Armenian church. Pastor Avedis Tabasyan said the third quake had caused the most
damage. The church's stone walls had fallen down and the baptismal font was
broken. An altar cloth with embroidered pictures of Mary and Jesus was strewn
with pieces of paint from the ceiling. Since the Feb. 6 quake, no Mass has been
said. "We were planning to renovate... God has shown us a different way to fix
and renew our beloved place," he said. Can, a 26-year-old man, makes wine in the
village, which is mostly sold to tourists. "I studied winemaking in northern
Turkey to spend my life here. Now that everything has to be demolished and
rebuilt, I have no idea when we will get back on our feet," he said.
Iran calls 84% uranium enrichment allegation a
'conspiracy'
Associated Press/Saturday, 25 February, 2023
Iranian state television has offered an extended defense against an accusation
attributed to international inspectors that it enriched uranium to 84% purity,
with an official calling it part of a "conspiracy" against Tehran amid tensions
over its nuclear program.
The comments by Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran's civilian nuclear
program, sought to portray any detection of uranium particles enriched to that
level as a momentary side effect of trying to reach a finished product of 60%
purity — which Tehran already has announced it is producing.
However, uranium at 84% is nearly at weapons-grade levels of 90% — meaning any
stockpile of that material could be quickly used to produce an atomic bomb if
Iran chooses. Tehran has long insisted its program is for peaceful purposes,
though the International Atomic Energy Agency, Western intelligence agencies and
nonproliferation experts say Iran pursued a secret nuclear weapons program up
until 2003. The allegation that IAEA inspectors found 84% enriched uranium
threatens to further escalate tensions between Iran and the West. Already,
Israel's recently reinstalled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened
military actions against Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran faced continued unrest Friday
amid months of protests. Bloomberg first reported
Sunday that inspectors had detected uranium particles enriched up to 84%. The
IAEA, a United Nations nuclear agency based in Vienna, has not denied the
report, saying only "that the IAEA is discussing with Iran the results of recent
agency verification activities."In an interview with Iranian state television's
English-language arm, Press TV, highlighted on Friday, Kamalvandi dismissed what
inspectors may have found as "a particle of an atom that cannot be seen even
under a microscope." He described Iran's uranium centrifuge cascades as
producing particles at varying purity that later form a final product of 60%
enriched uranium. "It doesn't matter because the end
product is what matters," Kamalvandi said. "If we really want to enrich 20%
more, we will announce it very easily. So it is clear that there is a conspiracy
here."Iran's 2015 nuclear deal limited Tehran's uranium enrichment to 3.67% —
enough to fuel a nuclear power plant. The United States unilaterally withdrew
from the accord in 2018. Since then, a shadow war between Israel and Iran has
erupted across the wider Middle East.
Iran now produces uranium enriched to 60% purity — a level for which
nonproliferation experts already say Tehran has no civilian use. Any accusation
of enrichment higher than that further ratchets up tension over the program,
something Iran has appeared to acknowledge through a series of comments this
week about the allegation attributed to the international inspectors.
However, many questions remain over the allegations attributed to IAEA
inspectors and Iran's explanation.
"There are variances in enrichment levels but usually not the the degree Iran is
claiming," said Daryl G. Kimball, the executive director of the Washington-based
Arms Control Association. "Until the IAEA provides more information, including
on the sampling and the methods of their analysis, we cannot be sure."
"It may also be possible that Iran is testing the political response to
enrichment of very small amounts of uranium at higher levels, and closer to bomb
grade, or, less likely, they got caught experimenting with new centrifuge
cascade configurations and how quickly they could enrich uranium to higher
levels."
While the IAEA's director-general has warned Iran now has enough uranium to
produce "several" nuclear bombs if it chooses, it likely would take months more
to build a weapon and potentially miniaturize it to put on a missile. As
recently as last March, the U.S. intelligence community assessed Iran "is not
currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that we
judge would be necessary to produce a nuclear device."
Meanwhile late Thursday night, online videos showed explosions and anti-aircraft
fire in Karaj, a city about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the Iranian
capital, Tehran. Tracer rounds lit up the night sky, with the thud of blasts
heard in the videos. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency
later attributed the activity to an unannounced drill at a base for the
paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. In 2021, a suspected Israeli strike drone
damaged a centrifuge assembly facility in Karaj. Also Friday, online videos
showed weekly protests resuming around the city of Zahedan in Iran's restive
southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Internet monitoring group
NetBlocks reported "significant" disruptions to the internet around Zahedan as a
prominent Sunni cleric issued a statement saying a live stream of his Friday
sermon was disrupted. In his sermon, the cleric
Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi told those in Iran's government "if you cannot solve the
people's problems, leave and let someone come who can," activists said.
Israeli Cabinet Approves $2.8 Billion Budget
for Potential Strike against Iran
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 February, 2023
The Israeli government approved a multiyear draft general budget, to include an
increase by around USD2.8 billion for a potential strike against Iran, following
36 hours of deliberations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of
approving the budget, saying that an agreement was reached on a multi-year plan
for the security services and the army. He pointed to the importance of the
agreement, which he said was made unanimously with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, “with a little help on my part.”
Netanyahu explained that the budget would bring about a change in the course of
military service, and in rewarding soldiers for service. He said that it would
provide the appropriate financial reward for soldiers and officers, while
shortening the period of service in order to reduce the period of engagement in
the labor market, which he said constituted a tremendous change for Israel’s
security and for the Israeli economy. The budget
approval comes two days after Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense,
Space & Security, announced in Tel Aviv that Israel had requested the purchase
of 50 F-15EX aircraft, and the modernization of all F-15 fighters.
Israel is planning to ask the US to sell its new 5,000 pound GBU-72 bomb
to the Israeli army. The bomb weighs 5,000 pounds and can be used to strike
underground Iranian nuclear sites. The Israeli army had obtained USD1.5 billion
in the 2021 budget to purchase weapons for the possible war with Iran. This
year, it requested an additional USD3 billion, of which it obtained USD2.8
billion.
Iran Hints at Supplying Syria with Khordad Missile System
Damascus - Dubai - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 February, 2023 -
Iranian state television announced on Friday that Iran is likely to sell
surface-to-air missiles to Syria, to help it boost air defenses in the face of
repeated Israeli airstrikes. “Syria needs to rebuild its air defense network and
requires precision bombs for its fighter planes,” Reuters quoted the Iranian
state broadcaster as saying. “It is very likely that we will witness the supply
by Iran of radars and defense missiles, such as the 15 Khordad system, to
reinforce Syria’s air defenses,” the Iranian TV added, noting that only parts of
a recent defense agreement with Syria were being publicized.
The Iranian announcement comes days after a report stated that Sunday’s
rocket attack on Damascus, which Syria blamed on Israel, hit a facility where
Iranian officials were meeting to advance programs to develop the capabilities
of Tehran’s allies in Syria. A source close to the
Syrian government told Reuters that the strike hit a gathering of Syrian and
Iranian technical experts in drone manufacturing, but added that no top-level
Iranian was killed. “The strike hit the center where
they were meeting as well as an apartment in a residential building. One Syrian
engineer and one Iranian official - not high-ranking - were killed,” the source
told Reuters. Syrian state media said at the time that
Israel carried out airstrikes shortly after midnight on Sunday, targeting
several areas in the Syrian capital, killing five and wounding 15, including
civilians. An Israeli military official declined to confirm or deny that Israel
was behind the attack, but said some of the casualties were caused by errant
Syrian anti-aircraft fire. Reuters reported that a second source, who spoke to
Syrian security personnel briefed on the matter, said Iranians were attending
the meeting of technical experts in an Iranian military installation in the
basement of a residential building inside a security compound. He said one of
those killed was a Syrian army civil engineer who worked at Syria’s Scientific
Studies and Research Center, which Western countries say is a military
institution that has produced missiles and chemical weapons. Damascus denies
this claim.
Iran Says it has Developed Long-range Cruise Missile
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 February, 2023
Iran has developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km, a top
Revolutionary Guards commander said on Friday. Separately, Amirali Hajizadeh,
the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force, also spoke of Iran's often
repeated threat to avenge the US killing of a top Iranian commander, saying "We
are looking to kill (former US President Donald) Trump." "Our cruise missile
with a range of 1,650 km has been added to the missile arsenal of the Islamic
Republic of Iran," Hajizadeh told state TV. The television broadcast what it
said was the first footage showing the new Paveh cruise missile.
Hajizadeh said Iran did not intend to kill "poor soldiers" when it launched a
ballistic missile attack on US-led forces in Iraq days after Iranian military
commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in 2020 in Baghdad.
"God willing, we are looking to kill Trump. (Former Secretary of State Mike)
Pompeo ... and military commanders who issued the order (to kill Soleimani)
should be killed," Hajizadeh said in the television interview, according to
Reuters. Iranian leaders have often vowed to avenge
Soleimani in strong terms. Iran has expanded its
missile program, particularly its ballistic missiles, in defiance of opposition
from the United States and expressions of concern by European countries.
White House: Russia May Send Fighter Jets to Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 February, 2023
The White House on Friday said it believed Moscow might provide Iran with
fighter jets and other military equipment in exchange for Iran's expanded
support for Russia's war in Ukraine, White House national security spokesperson
John Kirby said. Kirby told reporters the United States had information that
Iran had shipped artillery and tank rounds to Russia in November, and Russia was
offering "unprecedented defense cooperation" in return, including on missiles,
electronics and fighter jets. He said Iran was also seeking to purchase attack
helicopters, radars and combat trainer aircraft, he said.
Schools Reopen as Syrians Live with Quake’s Devastation
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 February, 2023
Schools resumed classes in Syria’s opposition-held northwest Saturday after
closing for nearly three weeks following an earthquake that devastated the
region, local officials said, even as many schoolchildren suffer from shock.
Many schools were turned into temporary shelters following the 7.8 magnitude
earthquake that struck Türkiye and neighboring parts of Syria on Feb. 6 and
killed tens of thousands of people. The quake left homeless hundreds of
thousands of people in the area, many of whom had already been displaced by
Syria's 12-year-long war. Because of that conflict, the opposition-held area has
also struggled to receive urgently needed humanitarian aid.
Many students were absent from their classes Saturday as their homes were
damaged by the quake and their families now reside far away from the schools,
said Abdulkafi Al-Hamdou a citizen journalist in the region. “Some students were
worried about being inside the building and were on edge whenever they heard a
sound such as a desk being moved,” Al-Hamdou said by telephone while visiting a
school. “Many students are suffering from severe fear and anxiety. They are
still in shock.” An official with the education department in the region, Ziad
al-Omar, said 39 teachers and 421 students were killed by the earthquake. He
added that some 250 schools suffered damage including 203 that were partially
destroyed and 46 that had cracks in the walls though the structures were still
standing. Over the past days, displaced people were
asked to leave schools and many of them moved into shelters to live in tents.
But prices of tents have been shooting up amid shortages and sell for about $200
or four times above the pre-earthquake price. A solid tent with metal stands can
cost up to $400, in a region where more than 90% of the population live in
poverty and rely on aid for food and medicine.
Education officials in opposition-held Idlib said the last two hours on Saturday
and Sunday will be used to train students on how to evacuate buildings during
earthquakes. One of those who lost a home in the quake is Ayesha, a resident of
the town of Atareb in rural Aleppo who had to evacuate her home to live in a
tent. She told The Associated Press that the temporary shelter offered to her
extended family of 13 people had to be evacuated because organizers said schools
are about to resume and the courtyard where tents had been set up had to be
vacated. “They gave us a tent in a school. Then they said the students have to
return and they started evacuating us,” she said, giving only her first name
like most women in the conservative area. Having a big
family, Ayesha rented a small house on the edge of Atareb but four days after
they moved there, a new 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday. “The house,
thankfully didn’t collapse, but the walls have cracks," she said. “The ceiling
remained in place.” Since then, the family has set up
a tent in the street out of fear of more aftershocks. According to the
opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, the earthquake
killed 2,274 people and injured more about 12,400 in the opposition-held region.
The quake also destroyed 550 buildings and heavily damaged at least 1,570
others, according to the White Helmets. The total death toll of the earthquake
is estimated to surpass 47,000 people in Türkiye and Syria — with the vast
majority of deaths in Türkiye.
Biden indicates reelection bid coming -- but not right away
Associated Press/February 25, 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden indicated that he will indeed be announcing a 2024 bid
for a second term -- only not right away. Speculation has been mounting over
Biden's plans. At 80, he is the oldest person ever in the US presidency and
while he has repeatedly said he intends to run again, he has yet to commit. In
an interview with ABC News' David Muir, he said "my intention is..., has been
from the beginning, to run."Asked about an earlier interview Friday in which his
wife First Lady Jill Biden told the Associated Press that the time and place of
a campaign announcement was all that remained to decide, Biden quipped: "As my
mother would say, 'God love her.'"However, he indicated that he is in no hurry.
"There's too many other things we have to finish in the near term before
I start a campaign," he said. "I've got other things to finish before I get into
a full-blown campaign."Asked by ABC whether his age is part of his calculation
on whether or not to run, Biden said: "No. But it's legitimate for people to
raise issues about my age. It's totally legitimate to do that.""The only thing I
can say is 'watch me,'" he added, referring to his record in office. Biden would
be 86 at the end of a second term. Earlier this month, an extensive medical test
found him to be "healthy, vigorous" and "fit to successfully execute the duties
of the president."
Ukraine’s longest day: Zelensky marks anniversary of Russian invasion
Reuters/February 25, 2023
JEDDAH: Ukraine’s president led the world on Friday in marking the anniversary
of the Russian invasion of his country and the start of Europe’s deadliest war
since 1945. Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainians had
proved themselves to be invincible during “a year of pain, sorrow, faith and
unity.” Feb. 24, 2022, he said, was “the longest day of our lives. The hardest
day of our modern history. We woke up early and haven’t fallen asleep since.”At
a ceremony in St. Sophia Square in Kyiv, Zelensky gave medals to soldiers and
the mother of one killed, and fought back tears as the national anthem played.
“We have become one family ... Ukrainians have sheltered Ukrainians,
opened their homes and hearts to those who were forced to flee the war,” he
said. “We withstand all threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles,
kamikaze drones, blackouts and cold ... And we will do everything to gain
victory this year.”Zelensky repeated calls for more Western weaponry and took
part in an online summit with US President Joe Biden and other leaders of the G7
group of wealthy states, who pledged more support for Ukraine.
“I’ll repeat today what I said one year ago as Russia invaded Ukraine,”
Biden said. “A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase the
people’s love of liberty. Brutality will never grind down the will of the free.
And Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never.”
Washington announced a new $2 billion package of military aid for Ukraine, and a
raft of additional sanctions and tariffs hitting Russia’s mining and metals
industries, as well as companies from third countries accused of supplying
Moscow with restricted goods. Other G7 countries unveiled similar measures. For
Ukrainians who have spent much of the year in bomb shelters, the anniversary
meant reflection. “I buried my son who died in military service. I also buried
my husband. I’m on my own now and it’s very, very hard,” said Valentyna Krysan,
75, a shop employee in Kyiv. Allies showed their support for Kyiv. Ukraine’s
blue and yellow colors lit up the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, the Empire
State building and the Sydney Opera House, and were painted on the street
outside the Russian embassy in London. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians
and soldiers on both sides are believed to have died since Russian President
Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion, saying it was necessary to protect Russia’s
security. In recent weeks, Russian forces, replenished with hundreds of
thousands of conscripts, have launched a winter offensive of intense trench
warfare, making only small gains despite fighting that both sides call the
bloodiest so far.
Zelenskyy shows the simple bedroom at his office that he has called home since
Russia invaded Ukraine
Alia Shoaib/ Business Insider/February 25, 2023
Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed the spartan room he has lived in since Russia invaded
a year ago.
The small room off his office contains a single bed, a sink, and other modest
furnishings.
Ukraine's president gave a tour of his office to a journalist for a documentary
marking a year of the war.
"This is my home, I live here," Zelenskyy said while giving journalist Dmytro
Komarov a tour of his office as part of a new documentary.
The small room contains a single bed, a sink, and other modest
furnishings. Zelenskyy recounted waking up at home with his family on the day of
the invasion and how he came to his office, where he has since spent most of his
time as a wartime president. "I love my family, but
for me, as president, being here was a priority," he said. In April of last
year, two months into the war, Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska said that she
had not seen her husband in person since the war began.
In the documentary, Zelenskyy also showed off his closet, filled with his now
signature casual and mostly khaki-colored clothing, as well as some suits that
he said he is looking forward to wearing after the war.
He also showed the journalist the back room from which he made
international phone calls and spoke to dozens of world leaders on the morning of
the invasion. One leader he said he did not speak to was his Russian
counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy said that while he had made efforts to
speak to Putin directly before the invasion, he had been repeatedly rebuffed.
When asked if he would now speak to Putin, Zelenskyy said: "No. Now I am not
ready to talk to him." The Ukrainian president also
explained why he chose to stay in the country despite being warned that he was a
target and that he should pack up and leave. "I didn't think about what would
happen, about myself," Zelenskyy said. "Again, this isn't about bravery. I
thought about the consequences of my leaving and what would happen."
Poland Says Russia Stops Oil Flows Via Key Druzhba Pipeline
Maciej Martewicz/Bloomberg/February 25, 2023
Poland’s largest oil company PKN Orlen SA has unexpectedly stopped receiving oil
via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Obajtek
said in a tweet on Saturday. The halt comes a day
after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reached the one-year mark. Poland has been
among the staunchest backers of Kyiv, sending humanitarian aid, weapons and
accepting some 1.5 million refugees. It also was the first European country to
have its gas deliveries cut off by Russia in 2022, days after the start of the
war. The company didn’t give the reason for the
situation. Russia’s oil-pipeline operator didn’t immediately respond to request
for a comment. Russian oil accounts for about 10% of Polish supplies after the
country rushed to slash imports following the Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Warsaw-listed Orlen said consumers won’t be impacted by the halt, for which it
said it had prepared. Poland has repeatedly said it plans to end Russian oil
imports entirely, but needed European sanctions to be able to cancel the only
remaining contract with a Russian supplier. The northern leg of Druzhba
pipeline, which runs to Germany and earlier supplied some refineries in the
European Union’s largest economy, was until now being primarily used by Orlen.
The pipeline’s southern branch was operating normally on Saturday.
US President Joe Biden visited Warsaw and Kyiv his week, pledging
continued support for Ukraine. In a speech marking the one-year point of the
invasion, Biden hit back at President Vladimir Putin, saying he would never win
the war. --With assistance from Olga Tanas.
Russia's most dangerous course of action in the next phase
of war
Dominic Nicholls/The Telegraph/February 25, 2023
Military planning is a tricky pastime.
The British Army teaches that when grappling with the thorny issue of what a
resourceful, capable and adaptable enemy is going to do, two extremes of action
should be planned for: the Most Likely Course Of Action and the Most Dangerous
(MLCOA and MDCOA).
The wave that eventually breaks upon you is likely to be somewhere in the middle
of these two scenarios. To be right is not the point. Instead, the process of
examining one’s vulnerabilities and an enemy’s desires from every angle –
including the enemy’s – should allow a commander and military staff to foresee
problems before they occur – and have a plan up their sleeves for each potential
scenario just in case. So, how might such an exercise
look one year into the Ukraine war, from Kyiv’s and Moscow’s perspectives?
The Russian assessment
Ukraine is currently focused on getting thousands of troops trained on the new
Western tanks, artillery, air defence systems and other equipment pledged to
them. This training is mostly taking place outside the country, however, and it
will be many weeks before Ukraine can put a ‘combined arms’ army in the field –
one where all the component parts work together, rather than just coexist.
Ukraine’s Most Likely Course Of Action
Hold the existing front line for as long as it takes to get its new fully
trained force into the country and in a position to punch through the Russian
lines. In the meantime, exploit opportunistic counter attacks where possible
without becoming over-extended or decisively engaged.
Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Course Of Action
Push through Russian defences, heading south-east towards the coast around the
city of Berdyansk. This would split the Russian force
in two: one in the Donbas and one in and just north of Crimea.
It would sever Vladimir Putin’s land corridor to Crimea, placing
unsustainable strain on the Kerch bridge (only opened to road traffic this week
after a blast last October - the rail line is still not in use) as the only
means of resupplying troops in Crimea.
The Ukrainian assessment
Putin also badly needs to re-equip his forces with hardware - but he has had
less international assistance. Some of the tanks and artillery pieces he has
increasingly relied on in recent months are 50 years old and extremely
vulnerable to modern weapons.
He also needs more manpower - his largely untrained army of mobilised men is
assessed to be losing around 1,000 casualties (dead, wounded, missing and
captured) a day while around 500,000 military-age men have left the country to
avoid the war.
Russia’s Most Likely Course Of Action
Continue (quietly) to mobilise at home and press on with ‘human wave’ tactics
that are inching out gains, albeit at tremendous cost, hoping that sheer
strength of numbers will overwhelm the Ukrainian defenders, forcing Kyiv to
negotiate from a position of weakness.
Russia’s Most Dangerous Course Of Action
Establish reliable and plentiful resupplies of ammunition and equipment from
China, Iran and North Korea in order to produce an army that can drive forward
with modern equipment.
EU adopts fresh sanctions amid vow to ramp up pressure on
Moscow
BRUSSELS (Reuters)/Sat, February 25, 2023
The European Union vowed to increase pressure on Moscow "until Ukraine is
liberated" as it adopted a tenth package of sanctions on Russia on Saturday, a
day after the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. "We now have the
most far-reaching sanctions ever - depleting Russia's war arsenal and biting
deep into its economy," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on
Twitter, adding the bloc was turning up the pressure on those trying to
circumvent EU sanctions. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned the bloc
would continue to pile more sanctions on Moscow.
"We will continue to increase pressure on Russia - and we will do it for as long
as needed, until Ukraine is liberated from the brutal Russian aggression," he
said in a statement. Borrell said the latest sanctions
tackled the banking sector, Moscow's access to technology that can be used for
civilian and military purposes and advanced technologies.
The package adds electronic components used in Russian weapons systems
retrieved on the battlefield, including drones, missiles, helicopters, as well
as specific rare earth materials, electronic integrated circuits, and thermal
cameras to the list of banned exports.
It also imposes tighter export restrictions on another 96 entities for
supporting Russia's military and industrial complex, including for the first
time seven Iranian entities manufacturing military drones used by Moscow.
Additional restrictions are imposed on imports of goods which generate
significant revenues for Russia, such as asphalt and synthetic rubber.
Separately, the EU imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and seven entities linked
to the Wagner group, whose mercenaries are fighting in Ukraine but are also
involved in conflicts in African countries such as Mali. Borrell said Wagner's
activities endangered international peace and security as it does not operate
within any legal framework. Among those blacklisted
are two of the group's commanders actively involved in the capture of the
Ukraine town of Soledar last month and the head of Wagner in Mali, according to
an EU statement.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urged
the EU on Saturday to keep increasing the costs for Russia of its invasion. "The
pressure on Russian aggressor must increase. We expect decisive steps against
(Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company) Rosatom & Russian nuclear
industry, more pressure on military & banking," Zelenskiy tweeted. "We expect
further intensification of pressure and restrictions, especially in the area of
the nuclear industry and the activities of Rosatom," Shmyhal said in tweet.
China urges Russia-Ukraine talks, UN supports no nukes
clause
Agence France Presse/February 25, 2023
China has called for urgent peace talks as it released its plan to end the war
in Ukraine, but several Western powers rebuffed the proposals while warning
against Beijing's closening ties to Moscow. The United
Nations expressed cautious optimism over the Chinese proposals, particularly
over the document's call to avoid using nuclear weapons. Russia reacted
positively to Beijing's efforts and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
offered a muted response, saying Kyiv needed to "work with China" on approaches
to put an end to the year-old war. Zelensky told reporters he was planning to
meet with Xi Jinping after the Chinese leader's government called for the peace
talks, saying it would "be important for world security."China's 12-point paper
calling for a "political settlement" of the crisis follows accusations from the
West that China is considering arming Russia, a claim Beijing has dismissed as
false.
Timed to coincide with the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
the paper urges all parties to "support Russia and Ukraine in working in the
same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible". It also
makes clear its opposition to not only the use of nuclear weapons, but the
threat of deploying them, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to
use Moscow's atomic arsenal in the conflict. Russia said Friday it appreciated
Beijing's efforts to settle the conflict but insisted any solution should
recognise Kremlin control over four Ukrainian regions.
"We highly value the sincere desire of our Chinese friends to contribute to the
settlement of the conflict in Ukraine through peaceful means," the foreign
ministry said, but added any settlement must recognise "the new territorial
realities".China's document was immediately met by scepticism from Ukraine's
allies, with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg saying Beijing "doesn't have much
credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of
Ukraine". "Putin is applauding it, so how could it be any good?" US President
Joe Biden told ABC in an interview broadcast Friday. And German President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that while "every constructive suggestion that
brings us closer on the path to a just peace is highly welcome... whether global
power China wants to play such a constructive role is still doubtful". At a
press conference in Beijing, Ukrainian and EU diplomats urged China to do more
to press Russia to end the conflict.
Jorge Toledo, the EU ambassador to China, said Beijing has a "special
responsibility" as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to uphold
peace. At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman
said "I think the call on the need to avoid the use of nuclear weapons is
particularly important."
Strategic allies
China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the conflict while
maintaining close ties with strategic ally Russia. Top
Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday met with Putin and Russia's foreign
minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow. A meeting readout published by Chinese state
news agency Xinhua quoted Wang as saying China was willing to "deepen political
trust" and "strengthen strategic coordination" with Russia.Since Russian tanks
rolled into Ukraine, China has offered Putin diplomatic and financial support,
but refrained from overt military involvement or sending lethal arms.
"I don't anticipate a major initiative on the part of China providing weaponry
to Russia," Biden told ABC. "We'd impose severe sanctions on anyone who has done
that."Leaders at a virtual Group of Seven summit Friday also warned countries
they will face "severe costs" if they continue helping Russia evade
international sanctions imposed over its invasion.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on February 25-26/2023
د . ماجد رفي زاده/معهد جيتستون: بفضل “صفقة أوباما النووية”، أصبحت
إيران الآن مُصدِّراً رئيسيًا للأسلحة
Thanks to Obama’s ‘Nuclear Deal,’ Iran Now a Major Arms Exporter
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute./February 25, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/116146/dr-majid-rafizadeh-gatestone-institute-thanks-to-obamas-nuclear-deal-iran-now-a-major-arms-exporter-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87/
In the next phase of Iran’s dangerous development, export and proliferation of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it is attempting to set up drone assembly lines
abroad, likely to expedite the process of weapons delivery to its allies.
“Moscow and Tehran are moving ahead with plans to build a new factory in Russia
that could make at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones for the war in Ukraine,
the latest sign of deepening cooperation between the two nations….” — Wall
Street Journal, February 5, 2023.
Iran’s regime has also been focusing on the proliferation and export of long-
and short-range precision-guided ballistic missiles.
While ballistic missiles can be used for either offensive or defensive purposes,
the sophisticated ones are mainly developed as delivery vehicles for nuclear
weapons.
Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.
In the next phase of Iran’s dangerous development, export and proliferation of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it is attempting to set up drone assembly lines
abroad, likely to expedite the process of weapons delivery to its allies,
including a drone assembly line in Russia.
The Biden administration is still attempting to revive the disastrous nuclear
deal with Iran, which paved the way to lift the arms embargo on the country and
helped the Iranian regime to currently become a major global arms exporter.
Among the many gifts that the Obama Administration offered to the Iranian regime
was one setting October 18, 2020 as the date when the arms embargo on Iran would
be removed, allowing the regime to export, import, buy and sell weapons legally,
as it might wish. The arms embargo for Iran had been previously placed on it by
the five members of the United Nations Security Council in 2007, during the Bush
administration. The embargo encompassed a wide range of weapons, including
large-caliber artillery, drones, combat aircraft, battle tanks, armored combat
vehicles, attack helicopters, some missiles and missile launchers, and warships.
Thanks, however, to the Obama-Biden administration, after the arms embargo was
lifted, the Iranian regime, which the US Department of State has called the
world’s “top state sponsor of terrorism” unsurprisingly ratcheted up its import
and export of weapons.
In addition to non-state actors such as the Houthis, the Iranian regime is
increasingly supplying kamikaze killer drones to Russia, an act that led to the
Ukrainian foreign ministry stripping Iran’s ambassador in Kyiv of his
accreditation and reducing the embassy’s diplomatic staff, according to the
Ukrainian foreign ministry’s press service.
The EU also acknowledged that Iran is indeed “provid[ing] military support for
Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine,” by means
of the “development and delivery of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Russia”.
“By enabling these strikes,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly noted in a
statement, “these individuals and a manufacturer have caused the people of
Ukraine untold suffering.”
In the next phase of Iran’s dangerous development, export and proliferation of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it is attempting to set up drone assembly lines
abroad, likely to expedite the process of weapons delivery to its allies,
including a drone assembly line in Russia. According to the Wall Street Journal:
“Moscow and Tehran are moving ahead with plans to build a new factory in Russia
that could make at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones for the war in Ukraine,
the latest sign of deepening cooperation between the two nations, said officials
from a country aligned with the U.S.
“As part of their emerging military alliance, the officials said, a high-level
Iranian delegation flew to Russia in early January to visit the planned site for
the factory and hammer out details to get the project up-and-running.”
Iran’s ruling mullahs are also currently bragging that China is another customer
for their domestically made drones. “Our power has grown to levels where China
is waiting in line to buy 15,000 of our drones,” a senior official from Iran’s
Intelligence Ministry recently said at the Imam Khomeini International
University in Qazvin. “Since the day we turned to the East,” he added, “the West
could not bear it and an example was the war in Ukraine.”
“Today we have reached a point that 22 world countries are demanding to purchase
unmanned aircraft from Iran,” Iranian Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi boasted
at Imam Hussein Military University in Tehran.
Iran’s regime has also been focusing on the proliferation and export of long-
and short-range precision-guided ballistic missiles. According to a report by
Forbes:
“Russia also wants Iran’s Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar short-range ballistic missiles
(SRBMs) with ranges between 186 and 435 miles, respectively. A large order of
such missiles could give Russia some substitution for its arsenal of ballistic
and cruise missiles, which has reportedly dwindled, enabling it to sustain its
bombardment of Ukrainian cities.”Iran currently possesses the largest and most
diverse ballistic missile program in the Middle East. It is worth noting that no
country other than Iran has acquired long-range ballistic missiles before
obtaining nuclear weapons. While ballistic missiles can be used for either
offensive or defensive purposes, the sophisticated ones are mainly developed as
delivery vehicles for nuclear weapons.
Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated
scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and
president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has
authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at
Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19436/iran-arms-exporter
The Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria Is a
Crisis Within a Crisis
David Miliband/Asharq Al Awsat/February 25/2023
The consequences of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Eastern Türkiye and
Northern Syria on Monday, February 6 are devastating. The International Rescue
Committee’s staff on the ground are reporting of the immense human suffering and
astounding levels of destruction.
Not only has the earthquake caused more than 46,000 deaths and injured over
100,000 people, it has worsened an already dire situation for Syrian families
living through crisis for nearly 12 years. Since 2012,
the IRC’s 1,000 local staff members inside Syria have been responding to
community needs in the country’s northwest and northeast—providing health care,
protection services, early childhood development programs, and promoting
economic recovery. Syria faces a multitude of
challenges that make it one of the world’s most complex humanitarian
emergencies. In Northwest Syria, where 4.4 million people live, the security
situation remains volatile, which has made humanitarian access challenging even
prior to the earthquake. Civilians in these areas are living in perpetual
conflict zones and have witnessed atrocities. Many live with life-changing
physical and emotional wounds. Under these conditions, the earthquake has
created a crisis within a crisis. A crisis that has faded from the headlines and
that urgently demands our renewed attention and long-term commitment. There are
three compounding factors which must be addressed as this response continues:
Displacement
Since 2011, around 7 million Syrians have been internally displaced due to
conflict. Now, tens of thousands are estimated to be newly displaced by the
earthquake and desperately require shelter and safety. Many of these families
have already been displaced multiple times over the last decade. Only one day
before the earthquake occurred, over two-thirds of Syria's 22 million
population, required humanitarian aid—more than at any time since the conflict
began. In the aftermath, needs are soaring.
Life-threatening conditions
Temperatures have plummeted to below zero in recent weeks. Most people don't
have somewhere safe or warm to sleep at night. Few are in tents and many are
sleeping outside using fires to keep themselves warm. 800,000 people in
northwest Syria were already living in makeshift buildings without adequate
sewage, electricity, or water supply before the earthquake. As the number of
casualties continues to rise, the IRC is warning of a potential second disaster
for survivors, if they don’t receive the means to live. The health care system
has collapsed and is now unable to cope. Following years of conflict, hospitals
in northern Syria are severely overstretched. Damage to roads, and the current
weather conditions, also make access to health services increasingly precarious.
The IRC is calling on the international community to urgently increase funding
to ensure that families can access lifesaving medical assistance, clean water,
food, and shelter.
Humanitarian access
Help from the outside world is needed now more than ever. However, the vast
majority of aid can only reach people through delivery across the Syria-Türkiye
border. We know roads and infrastructure, like bridges, were damaged by the
earthquake, which makes it even more challenging for supplies to reach people.
Even before the earthquake, the humanitarian situation was dire in northwest
Syria, with insufficient access to meet the rising needs. Now, the devastation
has made increasing access to these communities by any means possible of
paramount importance. The IRC has consistently argued that cross-border
assistance is a vital lifeline with no viable alternatives. We have also argued
that this assistance be expanded beyond one crossing point to ensure the
appropriate flow of people, equipment and supplies into northwest Syria to meet
increasing humanitarian needs. We welcome the
announcement that two additional crossing points, which are currently open for
commercial shipments, are now opened for UN cross-border assistance for the next
three months. We hope that this will ensure faster facilitation and scaling up
of much needed aid to northwest Syria. However, the impact of this earthquake
will be felt for far longer than three months, and we will continue to call for
all viable pathways for aid delivery to be expanded and extended.
Urgent global call to action
The IRC remains committed and is scaling up an integrated response in both
countries—thanks to the courage of our colleagues and the support of our
partners in the region. To prevent a secondary
humanitarian disaster—including for those who were already suffering before the
earthquake—the IRC is calling on the international community to increase funding
to help people survive, recover and rebuild their lives. It is critical that aid
gets to the most impacted areas and reaches people in need wherever they are,
especially in Northwest Syria, where communities are at risk of being left
behind.
Gulf nations have mobilized to provide relief supplies, organize campaigns
raising over $385 million, and airlift emergency services to both countries.
These remarkable efforts must continue in the post shock phase as recovery and
rehabilitation work begins in all areas affected. The scale of this tragedy
requires not only long-term funding and unfettered humanitarian access—but also
sustained global solidarity—having once been forgotten.
Christians being sent to labour camps and executed in North
Korea
Nicola Smith/The Telegraph/February 25, 2023
North Korea has intensified its hounding of Christians, hunting for underground
churches, executing believers and incarcerating their families in labour camps,
aid groups have reported. As Kim Jong-un seeks to
tighten his grip on power through ideological indoctrination, Open Doors, a
global mission organisation that supports persecuted Christians, said it had
documented a “rise in reported incidents of violence” last year.
“In one horrifying incident that Open Doors heard about from reliable
sources, several dozen North Korean believers from different underground
churches were discovered and executed.
More than 100 members of their families were said to have been rounded up and
sent to labour camps,” it said in its latest “World Watch List,” which tracks
crackdowns on religious freedom. Thomas Müller, the
group’s Asia researcher, told the Telegraph there were nine known incidents
where Christians had been sent to labour camps or executed between October 1
2021 and September 30 2022. The information came from
trusted North Korean sources, but exact numbers were difficult to ascertain as
entire families were often carted away in the middle of the night, he said. The
reports are impossible to independently verify due to North Korea’s information
blackout. There are estimated to be between 200,000
and 400,000 clandestine Christians in the country, mainly in the west where many
are believed to have settled after an “explosion” of the religion in 1907.
The parents of Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, are said to have been devout
Christians, though their son developed his own cult of personality. Mr Müller
said Christians were now being caught in a wider push to flood the country with
Kim family ideology, which has been reinforced by an “anti-reactionary thought
law”, introduced in 2020 to punish behaviour such as possessing Bibles.
In recent weeks, Kim has promoted his own dynastic legacy by elevating his
daughter Ju-ae’s status at high-profile state events, while ensuring other
parents teach their children devotion to his rule. On
Friday, Radio Free Asia reported that parents have been threatened with prison
for first-time offences of their children watching foreign media, dancing
suggestively or talking like a South Korean. “There
are sessions where you need to learn the ideology and they are really fiercely
active against everything that even smells like South Korean or Western culture.
Christianity is a dangerous part of this,” said Mr Müller. The regime feared
Christians after studying the influence of the church in the collapse of the
Iron Curtain in Europe in the 1980s, he said. The North Korean regime has tried
to stamp out Christianity for decades, with defectors revealing horrific details
of Christians being brutally tortured, killed and incarcerated in gulags.
Timothy Cho – now a Christian convert –fled North Korea in his teens and
has experienced the regime’s cruelty first-hand.
Abandoned by his parents, who defected when he was just nine, he realised he was
destined for a harsh future because of his father’s “betrayal” of the state and
escaped to China. He was deported back to a North Korean jail that was so
crowded inmates had to sleep sitting up. One morning, he discovered a man had
died while leaning on his back. “I saw the blood was streaming through his
shirt,” he said. At that time, Mr Cho was disillusioned with the state but still
believed anti-Christian propaganda that taught children the Bible was cursed. “I
was brainwashed. They have so many anti-religious materials, texts, books,
games,” he said. He found faith in a dark moment in a Chinese jail when he
feared he would be deported again and executed. A South Korean gangster asked
why he was so upset. “He was quite scary, with tattoos and big muscles, and he
was showing me the Bible again. He said maybe you can read this book and it will
give you comfort,” Mr Cho said. “My first prayer was very simple – I don’t want
to be killed, Amen. It was a real hope of survival.”He was sent to the
Philippines instead of North Korea and eventually found refuge in the UK.
‘I speak for those who cannot’
He now lives in Manchester, where he hopes to run in local elections for the
Conservative Party in May. He also works for Open Doors and campaigns for more
international action, including tougher sanctions, to ease the plight of North
Korea’s religious minorities. “Christianity is always the number one group to be
eliminated … I speak for those who cannot speak, those persecuted in North
Korea,” he said. “People who escape from those circumstances must tell their
story.”
He is not the only one.
In a tiny art studio in an alleyway in central Seoul, Tim Peters, an activist
with Helping Hands Korea, has found quiet, creative ways to support the
Christian community across the border. Every Tuesday, he and some volunteers
prepare small packs of basic medicines and seeds including radishes, spinach and
cabbage, to be smuggled into the country. Like Open Doors, Mr Peters has
reliable cross-border networks built up over decades. Increased surveillance
hampered church growth as Christian parents hid their faith to protect their
children from prying teachers, he said. The scrutiny signalled a “paranoia-like
fear that the Christians will multiply and have influence.”
All style, no substance for Iran in China
Yun Sun/The Arab Weekly/February 25/2023
For pragmatic and economic reasons, China needs to maintain its relationships
with the GCC and with Iran.
When Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Beijing for a three-day state visit
last week, most headlines focused on prospects for reviving the Iran nuclear
deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or how
much oil China might buy from the Islamic Republic.
But a careful review of what transpired reveals a more sobering and narrower,
picture of China-Iran relations.
In 2021, China agreed to invest $400 billion over 25 years to support Iran’s
development. The agreement was reportedly “activated” last year during a visit
to China by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, leading many to
assume Raisi’s visit would yield specifics on implementation.
Needless to say, they were disappointed. While there was a long list of matters
agreed to, such as on sovereignty, governance, the JCPOA and regional affairs,
economic agreements were virtually non-existent. There was not even reference to
the energy sector or on increasing Chinese imports of Iranian oil and gas, the
impetus for China’s $400 billion pledge. About the only substantial announcement
was related to cooperation on agricultural technologies.
Since Raisi became president in August 2021, Iran has attracted $5.95
billion in direct foreign investment and nearly half of that has come from
Russia, with $2.7 billion. China’s presence is limited to small- and
medium-sized projects worth just $185 million. The rosy picture China painted
for Iran in 2021 has yet to materialise. What is China waiting for?
For starters, China has been under tremendous international pressure over its
economic ties to Russia since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine.
Investing heavily in Iran now would only invite further scrutiny and leave it
open to a new round of sanctions from Washington. China has made a similar
calculation by not investing heavily in Afghanistan.
Second, Chinese observers who are critical of Iran’s revolutionary past and
expansionist foreign policy believe that by withholding investment, China is
looking to restore balance in the Middle East. This line of thinking suggests
that Beijing, opposed to Iran’s support of regional militant groups, wants to
punish Tehran for destabilising the neighbourhood.
Third, the JCPOA is a double-edged sword for China. Without the resumption of
the nuclear deal, China’s economic engagement with Iran faces the threat of
financial penalties. But if the JCPOA is indeed revived, Iran could prioritise
more “friendly” investors from Europe, bypassing China altogether. While China
has publicly called for the resumption of the deal, the shadow of uncertainty it
casts on China’s economic engagement cannot be overlooked.
Clearly, China will not abandon Iran, just as it has not abandoned Russia. As
long as the countries share an agenda, to counter and undermine American
dominance, Beijing will see Tehran as a useful partner in a critical region and
a source of potential for future collaboration. Raisi’s visit is reflective of
this political conviction, as is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s promise to repay
the favour.
Yet rather than double down on Iran, China is looking to improve ties with the
United States. In the Middle East, developing closer relations with GCC states
also seems to sit atop Beijing’s list of priorities.
For pragmatic and economic reasons, China needs to maintain its relationships
with the GCC and with Iran. This is why Xi’s 2016 visit to the region included
stops in both Saudi Arabia and Iran and why then-foreign minister Wang Yi’s 2021
visit had stops in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain
and Oman. And, given that Xi was in Saudi Arabia in December, it stands to
reason that Beijing wanted to balance that trip with an invitation to Raisi.
But symbolism does not pay the bills. Based on Chinese investment in the region,
it is clear that Beijing is not favouring Iran over the GCC.
In 2021, China’s total trade with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Iraq amounted
to $230 billion and trade with Saudi Arabia alone was $82.4 billion. By
comparison, China’s trade with Iran in 2021 was $14.7 billion, which increased
to $15.8 billion in 2022. Iran is not even among China’s top ten crude oil
suppliers. The deals China has signed with GCC states
are comprehensive, covering a range of industries from green energy, digital
technologies, transportation and infrastructure. They also have implementation
schedules, which is fundamentally different from China’s 25-year agreement with
Iran, a pledge that looks great on paper but has nothing to back it up.
While that does not mean China will never act, it does mean that China’s
lack of action now is not helping Iran during its most difficult days.
On the second day of his state visit to China, Raisi visited the elite Beijing
University, where he was awarded an “honorary professor” title. The ceremony was
formal and conveyed plenty of warm feelings, but did nothing to advance Raisi’s
objective, to secure investments that might help restore confidence in Iran’s
flagging economy. Just like the rest of his trip, it was all style, no
substance.
*Yun Sun is director of the China programme and
co-director of the East Asia programme at the Stimson Centre in Washington. Her
expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, US-China relations and China’s relations
with neighbouring countries and authoritarian regimes.
Copyright: Syndication Bureau
www.syndicationbureau.com