Tag Archives: Iran

Repercussions In Middle East If Iran Gets Nuclear Weapons

The U.S. will have a hard time stopping Middle Eastern nations from pursuing nuclear capabilities should Iran obtain a nuclear weapon, and it must work to repair relations with allies in the region to downplay concerns, experts told Fox News Digital.

“It’s obvious that if Iran becomes nuclear, they will threaten the very existence of all the Sunni states and neighbors in the Gulf,” Brigadier General (reserve) Amir Avivi, founder of the Israel Defense & Security Forum, said. “Nobody will have the right, not the U.S., not Europe, not anybody will have the moral right to tell anybody in the Middle East not to be able to defend itself.”

Read More:  Fox News

Iran Plotting to Kill Officials from Trump Administration

It has been revealed that two Iranians from the covert action wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, Quad Force, have been plotting to assassinate top officials who served in President Trump’s government.

John Bolton is one of those who the Iranians have plotted to kill. Similar threats have also been made against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

However, Biden has resisted publicly indicating the men, for fear it will derail the nuclear deal talks currently underway in Austria.

Read More: The Washington Examiner

Twitter Take No Action Over Khamenei’s “Eliminate Israel” Post

Twitter has come under fire for not taking any action over Iran’s Khamenei’s post calling for the elimination of Israel. However, Twitter has seen his Twitter account restricted over tweets about law and order in response to the violent protests sweeping America. Twitter has said Trump’s posts “incite violence”. The social media giant has been accused of double standards.

Twitter’s response has been to argue that Iran’s posts concerning the mass genocide of Israel is “foreign policy sabre-rattling”.

“We have an approach toward leaders that says that direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy sabre-rattling on military-economic issues are generally not in violation of our rules,” Ylwa Pettersson, Twitter’s head policy for the Nordic countries and Israel, told the Knesset’s Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, via video-conference.

If a world leader violates our rules but there is a clear interest in keeping that up on the service we may place it behind a notice that provides some more context about the violation and allows people to click through if they wish to see that type of content,” Pettersson replied.

“That’s what happened for the Trump tweet: that tweet was violating our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line of that tweet and the risk that it could possibly inspire harm and similar actions.”

Read More: CUFI

 

Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Dies of Coronavirus

Coronavirus has hit Iran hard. With members of the Iranian government contracting the illness. It has now been confirmed that Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71,  who was an Expediency Council member and adviser to Khamenei has died. COVID-19 has already infected Iran’s Vice President and Deputy Health Minister.

Iran has rejected help from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The US are concerned that Iran is covering up details about the spread of the virus.

Iran’s mortality rate of the virus has been 5.5%, compared with 2% in China. The virus has killed at least 66 people in Iran, the highest death toll outside of China. The majority of 1,150 cases throughout the Middle East are linked back to the country.

Iran has closed schools, but has allowed religious sites to remain open. Footage from Iran last week showed Iranians licking shrines in defiance to the virus.

Read More: Fox News

U.S. Drone Strike Kills Top Iranian General

An audacious drone strike by the U.S. has killed top Iranian General Qassim Soleimani. The President has said the assassination was to prevent a plot against America. President Trump described Soleimani as “the number one terrorist anywhere in the world.”

Mr Trump said: “We took action last night to stop a war, we did not take action to start a war.

“Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion, contributing to terror plots as far away as New Delhi and London. His reign of terror is over.

“He was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and and personnel but we caught him in the act and terminated him.”

The attack happened whilst Soleimani, the head of the elite Quads Force, was in Baghdad. U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Soleimani was moving around the Middle East planning imminent attacks on U.S. diplomats and military personnel.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has issued a statement vowing to retaliate:

“America should know that its criminal attack on General Soleimani has been the country’s biggest mistake in west Asia, and America will not avoid the consequences of this wrong calculation easily,” it said.

“These criminals will face severe vengeance… in the right place and time,”

Read More: The Telegraph

Iran, China and Russia Hold Joint Naval Drills in Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman

Iran, China and Russia have held joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. The operations come at a time of increased  tension between the US and Iran. In  May last year the US withdrew from the nuclear deal signed by Obama.

“The message of this exercise is peace, friendship and lasting security through cooperation and unity… and its effect will be to show that Iran cannot be isolated,” Rear Admiral Gholamreza Tahani said on state television.

Iranian State television said the co-operation between the nations signals  “the new triangle of power in the sea”.

Iran said the drills aims were to increase security, combat piracy, and  strengthen intelligence sharing operations.

Japan also said on Friday it would send its own battle ships to the region to aid security, but would not join a US-led collision. The Japanese Chief of Cabinet said  “Japan’s own measure aimed at peace and stability in the Middle East as well as ensuring safety of Japan-related vessels,”

90% of Japan’s crude oil comes from the region.

Read More: France 24

US Blames Iran for Recent Attacks on Oil Tankers in Gulf of Oman

Thursday saw two oil tankers- one Norwegian, the other Japanese- attacked in the Gulf of Oman. Crew members rescued from the Japanese vessel said, “that the ship was attacked by a flying object”. These fresh attacks come after four vessels were targeted a month ago.

The US have blamed Iran for the attacks, claims the Iranians deny. It is thought the Iranians are seeking to disrupt international shipping in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. US-Iranain relations have deteriorated recently. The US have sent an aircraft carrier in response to the heightened threat from Iran in the region.

Read More BBC