Description:
In an interview with Lebanese media in last month, Hezbollah’s Deputy-Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem explained why the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president Ibrahim Raisi was ground-breaking in terms of international protocols.
Qassem said that the new Iranian president provided ‘head of state’ treatment to the leaders of the Resistance Axis attending the swearing-in ceremony, and that this treatment was meant as a message to the world about the special position that the Axis enjoys in the eyes of Iran and particularly under Raisi’s government.
The ‘Resistance Axis’ broadly refers to a strategic anti-Israel/anti-US imperialist alliance composed of, but not limited to, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi, Yemen’s Ansarullah, and various Palestinian armed factions.
Source: Al-Nour Radio via Kalam Siyasi (YouTube)
(Please help MEO keep producing independent translations for you by contributing a sustainable monthly amount https://www.patreon.com/MiddleEastObserver?fan_landing=true)
Transcript:
Host:
Your eminence, what about your visit to Iran and the swearing-in ceremony?
Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General:
The Iran visit was a very successful one. The ceremony in which Sayyed Raisi took oath to become the President was very special this year in terms of the seating arrangements. I mean in relation to the first-row seats during the ceremony.
It is the first time to occur in Iran, that sitting in the first row (of the attendees), along with the presidents (of world states) – and there were two presidents seated, the president of Iraq and the president of Afghanistan – the former and current presidents of the (Islamic) Republic of Iran; the head of the Guardian Council; the Chief Justice of Iran; the main Islamic Revolutionary Guards commanders and the main commanders of the security forces. In that same row sat the leaderships of the Resistance (Axis) i.e. that of Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) etc.
In contrast, all other delegations were sitting in the second and third rows, among which was the European Union’s representative, in addition to parliament speakers, foreign ministers, and vice presidents. The Iranians wanted to tell the world: ‘we treat the Resistance (Axis) as we (treat world) states, ‘that the Resistance (Axis) has (a special) position (in our) eyes, and it has our support’.
Host:
Those are new rules in international relations and geography. Iran wants to cement new rules?!
Sheikh Qassem:
They wanted this, and the images (from the swearing-in ceremony that you saw) support this. And after the ceremony, upon a request by his eminence President (Ibrahim) Raisi, he requested to sit separately with every (single) leader from the Resistance (Axis) for 30-minute private meetings to discuss (matters of priority). And this happened indeed. My meeting (with President Raisi) was not something I asked for, it was following a request that followed a protocol that is usually enacted with heads of states.
Host: What did you hear from President Raisi?
Sheikh Qassem:
Sayyed Raisi said: ‘rest assured that we support the Resistance (i.e. Hezbollah) with all our capabilities. We consider you an exceptional model in Lebanon and the region and this is an inspiring model for the world in confronting hegemony and occupation and achieving independence. Rest assured that Iran will always be by your side with all its capabilities”.
He has also sent greetings to his eminence Sayyed (Hassan Nasrallah) and the Resistance men (i.e Hezbollah fighters). He also considered the Hezbollah experience a rich one from which all movements in the world must benefit.
Host: (Yet) this is the traditional Iranian stance …
Sheikh Qassem: And he affirmed it…
Host: Just like all other Iranian presidents? Or is there something different on the part of Sayyed Raisi?
Sheikh Qassem:
No all of them (had this stance)…but what is different about Iran today is that the makeup of the Iranian state has a high level of oneness/harmony. Starting from the parliament – whose majority is from the ‘principlists’ as they refer to them – to the Parliament Speaker, the Chief Justice, and now President Raisi, who is very close to his eminence the leader Imam (Sayyed Ali) Khamenei, may Allah protect and bless him.The makeup of the Iranian state today, with its various apparatuses, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), reveals a great level of oneness.
Host: Hawks, it is a government of hawks today.
Sheikh Qassem:
I do not call it a government of hawks, but a government of Islamic authenticity (and genuineness). (This government & the overall makeup of the state) is before a (particular) challenge and an experiment. It wishes to prove its capability (potential) before such challenges, and it is likely that it will depend more on its internal capabilities rather than on (potential) results (that may arise) from a nuclear deal.
A lot has been happening with Iran and Resistance, from the IRGC operations in Northern Iraq (and the Mossad base which was obliterated) to the arrival of the fuel tankers in Lebanon, to Iran joining the SCO.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/09/17/2573070/iran-granted-full-membership-of-shanghai-alliance-sco
“TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has officially welcomed Iran as a new member of the Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, at its 21st summit in Dushanbe.”
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/09/17/2573013/iran-russia-china-pakistan-reach-good-agreement-on-afghanistan-spokesman
“TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that a meeting between representatives from Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iran yielded positive results.”
I think it goes without saying that Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iran working together, will almost certainly guarantee peace and stability in Afghanistan.
https://youtu.be/kc8DJiqmjKg — IRGC operations in Northern Iraq last week; the large mushroom cloud at the end was the Mossad base at Erbil airport, which is now non-existent.
Also, a lot of major things are happening in Yemen. A massive operation has been concluded against the Saudi coalition. The Yemenis have released the following footage today:
https://youtu.be/RnOOlUlgjp8
And also, last month Iran completed an oil pipeline that bypasses the Persian Gulf. A very major development which went under the radar for the most part.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/07/20/2541092/new-pipeline-transfers-oil-to-iran-s-se-coast-hormuz-strait-circumvented
Obviously, this move will allow Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz on the weakling Persian Gulf states, putting a stop to their oil exports, while still retaining the ability to export Iranian oil.
There is a lot happening, and things are changing in the region very quickly, so quickly that it is becoming hard to keep up.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/09/14/israel-iran-nuclear-deal-defense-minister-gantz/
“TEL AVIV, Israel—Israel would be willing to accept a return to a U.S.-negotiated nuclear deal with Iran, Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Foreign Policy—but Israeli officials are also pressing Washington to prepare a serious “demonstration of power” in case negotiations with Tehran fail.
The remarks, made during an exclusive interview last week, appear to reflect a shift in policy for Israel, which under the leadership of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu loudly opposed the 2015 nuclear agreement and worked to undermine it.”
It appears the Israelis are now begging the US to bring Iran back to the JCPOA.
And on another note, Iranian fuel and petrochemical exports are on the rise, in spite of sanctions, or because of sanctions.
https://iranintl.com/en/world/irans-petrochemical-fuel-sales-increase-sanctions-hit-crude-exports — “iranintl”, which we call saudiintl, is a Saudi anti-Iran media outlet.
And last but not least,
Apparently, the price of electricity in Iran is 3% of the price in Europe.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-16/iran-electricity-at-3-of-european-price-shows-sanctions-buffer
But the truth is:
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/453026/Awarding-low-electricity-consumers-with-free-power-to-begin-soon
For a lot of people, electricity is free in Iran.
And Iran boasts the 6th cheapest broadband in the world. (Or 3rd cheapest, depending on the source.)
https://www.atlasandboots.com/remote-work/countries-with-the-cheapest-internet-world/
Gas, water, electricity, and data, all put together, are now so cheap for the average Iranian, that it might as well be free. Why? Because the Iranian government will not allow corporations to rip people off.
And while Iran works to bring down the cost of living, Western countries are becoming increasingly expensive by the day, and most people are barely making ends meet.
This is Iran, in spite of sanctions. Or because of sanctions?
I used to enjoy reading your reporting of issues on ground in Iran, it is always a joy to see Iran progressing leaps and bounds in spite of imposition of the most draconian sanctions in history from the collective West led by the US.
Anonymous, what is your projection about the Raeisi govt and prospect of Iran economic development in general, especially the drive towards self sufficiency and knowledge based economy which is tagged internally as economy of resistance? Hoping to get a reply from you.
Dear Yk,
As I am sure you are aware, the past 8 years were not the best years for Iran, as far as the domestic situation is concerned. And Team Rouhani certainly was not the best government Iran has seen since the founding of the Islamic Republic — they were the worst.
What made them the worst, in my opinion, was their insistence on negotiations and compromise with the West, supposedly rooted in the belief that good relations with the West, and the lifting or sanctions, are the only way for Iran to move forward. This is antithetical to the spirit of the Resistance, at least as I understand it, and aside from that, it is also incorrect.
As you have said, self-sufficiency and a knowledge based economy, that is the way forward.
If I may be blunt, Rouhani and Zarif, and that whole lot, were a bunch of traitors, cut from the same cloth as Anwar Sadat and Yasser Arafat before them.
I believe Rouhani and his crew did everything they possibly could to weaken Iran, and make it seem like Iran’s future depended on the lifting of sanctions by the US.
I believe that left to their own devices, Rouhani and Zarif would have even liked for Iran to normalize ties with Israel eventually.
But Iran is far from a monolithic entity, and there are other powers here, which were aware of Rouhani and Zarif’s ‘reformist’ agenda, and did not allow any of their designs to come to fruition. For example, a little while after the JCPOA was signed, the IRGC conducted a ballistic missile test, and a standard anti-Israel slogan was written on the missile in Hebrew.
https://www.newsweek.com/iran-fires-ballistic-missiles-marked-israel-must-be-wiped-out-434989
It was provocative acts like this one by the IRGC, which made Trump pull out of the deal. The IRGC’s message was clear: even if you lift all sanctions, and even if the Iranian government makes peace with you, we will still annihilate Israel.
In fact, the “opening up” of Iran to foreign investment, was deemed to be a threat to Iranian sovereignty, particularly as this opening up was happening under a very corrupt fifth column government. If Trump hadn’t pulled out of the deal, Rouhani’s friends would have been so rich and powerful by now, that controlling their influence in Iran would have become an all-consuming task for the IRGC, Khamenei, etc.
Even without the influx of foreign investment, the Rouhani administration made some people in Iran extremely rich and powerful, and these people are of the compromise camp, not the resistance camp. And they continue to undermine the Iranian economy. A new rentier class, monopolizing on things like the import of chicken feed, courtesy of Rouhani and the US selective sanctions.
Allow me to explain. Let us say that I am a businessman associated with the Rouhani clique, and that I have a friendly disposition towards Israel and the US, and I am a proponent of and partial to compromise as opposed to resistance. And let’s say I am one of many businessmen in Iran who import chicken feed. The US and Israel, through the use of sanctions, will put all of my competitors out of business, and suddenly, I find myself the only large-scale importer of chicken feed to Iran.
So, what do I do? I hike up the price of chicken feed. And if anyone else in Iran attempts to import chicken feed, they will be identified and sanctioned. After a little while of this, I become filthy rich, and very powerful, and I have caused the price of chicken to go up something like 200% over a couple of years, making life difficult for the Iranian people, as per the strategy of sanctions which my American and Israeli masters follow, which is to say, starving the Iranian people into rebellion against the current order.
And while I made a fortune, the Rouhani government protected me, and gave me dollars at the 4200 toman official rate, as opposed to the 28000 toman real market rate, to facilitate my business. And instead of investing my earnings in something productive, I bought up dollars, and the more I (and my cohorts) bought up dollars with our ill gotten rent wealth, the more the dollar price went up, and the more return I got on my investment, the more powerful I became.
Yet somehow, even with such insane price increases of daily necessities, life is still economically viable in Iran, and people are thriving. And the people who produce things, they are especially thriving. I think the fact that Iran can afford to basically give fuel to Lebanon for free, speaks to the strength of the Iranian economy.
I believe the Iranian economy has already crossed a certain threshold, where it is now too big to fail — at least as a result of petty financial tricks, and by incompetent, greedy and corrupt Iranians at that.
The IRGC is still the most powerful player in Iran, by far. In the whole region, really.
Regarding your question though, I would say that Iran is now on the right track. There is no more talk of compromise with an enemy that wants to destroy us, and the entire topic of sanctions and their lifting only elicits a “meh” from the average Iranian. This is what the IRGC wanted. And this is very bad news for the US, and especially Israel.
Regarding economic development, there is a lot happening, and I think the overall outlook is pretty good. And as the article above makes clear, Raeisi is fully committed to the Resistance, in sharp contrast to Rouhani and his deranged need to bend the knee.
I can only hope that the next eight years will be as different to the last, as Raeisi is to Rouhani.
Thank you Anonymous for your assessment of the state of economy in Iran. As always, an excellent review.
Perhaps we should not make categorical statements.
Rouhani and Zarif and their team certainly appeared to be sabotaging Iran through futile negotiations and wasting years.
Another reading is Iran has multiple power centres, and its Deep State used a faction (these western-trained useful idiots) to seduce the West and prevent the prompt fulfillment of “7 states in 5 years.”
Just as the Chinese accepted predator capitalists into China, to confuse and to keep them busy making profit, while China grew in strength and self-sufficiency in technology, military, and built alliances such as with BRI, SCO, with Russia bilaterally, BRICS, etc..
Just as the Russian Eurasian Sovereignists (as Saker calls them) permit the Atlantic Integrationists to run much of Russian economy and fiscal policy, etc.
It is an age old technique to draw close your worst enemy, to disarm him in various ways, or at least to buy time, while you strengthen and lock-and-load.
And these cooperations with the West preceded Rouhani administration – Iran helped the Empire attack & invade Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan, for example.
So realpolitik has been present in Iran for a long time, as in other ancient sophisticated lands.
Another reading of current Raesi government is that strategic ambiguity has been dropped and they are now a confirmed target!
Not good news at all.
Even in its dying throes the Empire can deal a whole lot of hurt.
Like that fool of a groundskeeper in Caddyshack trying to whack moles, the Empire keeps cycling its provocations between Iran then Russia then China; if the current attempts against China fail, it will be back to Iran again. And its forces in lands surrounding Iran have been conveniently evacuated!
So I submit there was SOME benefit to Rouhani team, even if it did not show domestically in Iran, by preserving the general peace, primarily for Iran itself and for all men worldwide.
Regards
PS – If you are Mr. Stanford, (1) Please don’t take this as a personal attack, I am offering another considered perspective. If you have read my other posts, you should realize by now I am firmly on side of Iran and Zone B. To argue constructively is not a declaration of war! And I do apologize for getting angry in return to you last time. (2) Can you use any handle other than “Anonymous” as we appreciate your insights and details on Iran and wish to separate you from chaff, thanks. You can even use “Mr. Stanford” to mock, which I would appreciate! 8-D
You slander Iran in the most vicious manner by baselessly accusing Iranians of being complicit in genocide, when you say that “Iran helped the Empire attack & invade Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan, for example.” — and then claim to be on the side of Iran?
Again, the Bosnian canard. Iran did not “help the Empire attack and invade Yugoslavia.”
First of all, the Iranian government had nothing to do with it.
It was the IRGC, and they provided assistance and arms to Bosnian Muslims when the rest of the world was ignoring them and abandoning them to be slaughtered. Indeed, Soleimani himself had been in Bosnia in 1993 and 1994. Keep in mind that the IRGC only sent advisors and arms, not entire units. Whenever Iran and the IRGC have been asked for help, they go out of their way to do so. Iran also accepted large numbers of Bosnian refugees, regardless of religion. Iran’s support for the Bosniaks was always defensive, to protect innocent civilians from massacre.
Also, the Zionist-Wahhabi apparatus had been making illegal attempts to involve themselves in the Yugoslav War and send genocidal jihadists there. No one in Bosnia requested help from Wahhabis, nor did anyone in Bosnia want a bunch of bloodthirsty jihadists fighting on their side. Without Iran’s intervention, these jihadists would have been allowed to spread carnage and bloodshed everywhere, including against Bosniaks themselves.
The situation during the Yugoslav Wars was far from black-and-white and to attempt using Iran’s support for Bosniaks as some kind of pro-Empire anti-Yugoslav action is absurd. Iran always supported the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia and was firmly opposed to the breakup and up until Serbia was fully hijacked by Zionist politicians aligned with EU/NATO in recent years, maintained excellent relations with the Serbian government. One of Iran’s most important cultural centers abroad happens to be in Belgrade.
And your claim about Iran aiding the Empire in attacking Iraq and Afghanistan is even more dubious and unsubstantiated than your parroting of the Bosnian canard. I would ask you to substantiate your claims, but then you would just say “who proof reads their comments?”
And regarding your considered perspective, it is plausible, but if you lived in Iran, you would know that the reformists are fiercely inimical to the IRGC, and they did not begin with Rouhani. The reformist camp in Iran are “liberals”, and they have been continually in conflict with the IRGC and want to see it dismantled. The “liberals” were very happy when Trump declared the IRGC to be an international terrorist organization and many of them were even quietly happy that Gen. Soleimani was murdered.
And for Yk, the following link is to a good overview of the current Iranian economic situation, which I think you will appreciate.
https://www.intellinews.com/iran-s-economy-less-troubled-than-washington-would-like-and-turning-east-220230/ — “Iran’s economy – less troubled than Washington would like, and turning to the East”
Dear Anonymous,
I am delighted that waiting for the AngloZionists will be millions of Iranian men with your inner fire, memory banks, and testicular fortitude.
And thanks for admitting I could, perhaps, be right. You are thawing!
However, the Iranian government (or the IRGC) are not all innocent boy-scouts.
Irans role in supporting Afghan and Iraq invasions was widely known, from day one.
By “help” I do not mean sending soldiers; one can facilitate in 1,000 other ways.
Key reason: Iran was enemy of both Saddam and the Taliban (of that era).
(For the following video, Ignore the Takfiri YT channel hosting this video, they copied from an old US documentary)
Here, in their own words, are Iran’s leaders of the Bush 2 era, admitting the criticality of their help to US in Afghan:
https://youtu.be/KdF5aWC0yNc
Most governments practice realpolitik.
All countries have skeletons in their closets.
Acknowledging it about Iran yesterday will not diminish Iran today in the least.
And every one of Afghan’s neighbors betrayed it in 2001 in supporting the US invasion.
I never said anything about supporting genocide either, just that the Iranian government made use of US muscle and opportunity to depose of Afghani and Iraqi governments hostile to them. This was self-evident.
Please remember my earlier words, “To argue constructively is not a declaration of war!”
Regards
http://en.people.cn/200201/09/eng20020109_88286.shtml — this article demonstrates the mood of Iran-Iraq relations, right before the US invasion, ie. they were just about to establish friendly relations
https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/saddam-hussein-mobilizes-special-army-to-liberate-jerusalem-from-israel/ — and this is where Saddam’s head was at, before the US invasion
So, to sum up, Iran and Iraq were establishing friendly relations, while Saddam was talking about liberating Palestine. Does this sufficiently explain the US motive for attacking Iraq?
You say that Iran’s assistance to the US was widely known, and yet you have to refer to a takfiri channel to back up your claims? So, what was this assistance exactly, do tell please?
And what about Afghanistan? What exactly did Iran do? What evidence do you have? Aside from more takfiri propaganda.
I did not say you could be right. I said that the picture you were painting was plausible. But it is wrong.
Do you know what the “liberals” aka reformists in Iran are demanding right now, and have been for the past weeks? They have been making a very loud fuss, demanding that the Principlist or conservative camp, and the IRGC, immediately send military aid to the Panjshir Resistance. They have got people in Iran in an uproar about “why do you help the Palestinians, and Hashd al-Shaabi, and the Syrians, and the Yemenis, and Hezbollah, but you don’t help the Panjshiris?” and “you help Arabs, but you will not help Persians in Panjshir?” And at these people are arguing that the IRGC and the conservatives support the Taliban and the Taliban’s worldview, and that is why they do not offer help to Ahmad Masoud. They then sum it all up by equating the IRGC with the Taliban, and calling as loudly as they can for it to be dismantled, because Talibanism has no place in a progressive-minded country like Iran.
And according to your considered perspective, they are doing all this to trick the US in regards to some kind of ambiguity?
These “liberals” are the enemies of Iran, and you do not even know a fraction of the internal damage that Rouhani did to Iran, and your reasoning about keeping the peace is nonsense.
The US has had 43 years to attack Iran, and they invaded Iran’s neighbors to the East and West, 20 years ago, long before Rouhani, in order to establish staging areas for invading Iran from two sides simultaneously — and yet they never invaded Iran. This has nothing to do with any ambiguity caused by Rouhani. This is because the IRGC would decimate the ranks of the US military, if they attempted to invade Iran. And this is why the reformists wish to see the IRGC put out of business; because without the IRGC, they’d get to sell out the country to the highest foreign bidder, and there are many who are bidding for this prize, make no mistake.
Iran has the same terrain as Afghanistan, but the IRGC make the Taliban look like the muppets. The US does not even dare to violate Iranian airspace, for fear of more drones being either commandeered and reverse engineered, or shot down. This is a country that openly conducts airstrikes in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, etc, mind you.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/21/iran-russia-us-scaneagle-spy-drone-production-capture
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Iranian_shoot-down_of_American_drone
All of this, and more, is what the IRGC does. Without the IRGC, Iran is a defenseless wretch, like it was in August 1941 when the Russians and the British air bombed and invaded and occupied, and Iran could do absolutely nothing about it. And the “liberals” try to hinder and subvert it at every turn.
If it was up to me, I’d round up all the reformists, and exile them to their beloved West. But Ayatollah Khamenei has a much more tolerant and patient spirit, and allows the opposition to do what they have to do, in order to foster a healthy political climate.
And, Iran does not have a “deep state” — Iran has a King, Ayatollah Khamenei — and he has no need to hide in the shadows. He is a very proud and honorable King. He protects many oppressed and vulnerable people through the might of Iranian arms.
The deep state is a Western thing, where a cabal of Jews run everything from behind the scenes, but are too cowardly to show themselves.
Either way, another thing that the reformists have been relentlessly pushing for, is for Iran to become a member of the FATF.
The FATF is a globalist plot, closely aligned with the World Bank, and other gobalist financial schemes. It’s mission is to collect all the financial data of every single bank account in the world, so that they can supposedly combat money laundering.
Basically, for Iran to sign up to the FATF, means that the Iranian government will allow real-time access to every Iranian citizen’s bank account details and transactions, so that this task force can presumably sniff out money laundering.
The reformists have been doing everything they can to get Iran to become a member. But others in Iran see this as a clear violation of Iranian sovereignty, which it absolutely and undeniably is. Even as a private citizen, I feel that it would be a violation of my privacy and rights for the Iranian government to access my financial records without a warrant, let alone for the globalist elite to be constantly monitoring my whole country in real-time.
China and Russia are members of this, btw.
In any case, the latest attempt in the series by the reformists, has been their claim that if Iran does not join the FATF, then the Iranian government will not be able to procure covid vaccines from abroad. And so, the Rouhani clique — who were running things at the time — were purposefully stalling on the import of covid vaccines, to pressure Iran and Khamenei into signing up to the FATF.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/12/23/2416561/iranian-official-covid-19-vaccine-purchase-unrelated-to-fatf-blacklisting — Iranian Official: COVID-19 Vaccine Purchase Unrelated to FATF Blacklisting
If Iran had joined this inane conspiracy, the Iranian nation would have never again been able to come out from under sanctions, because the globalist cabal would have known exactly where all the money in Iran comes and goes.
To even suggest that Iran become part of such a thing is absurd. Let alone to work diligently for 8 years to undermine the Iranian economy, and at every turn blame all the problems on the FATF blacklist, as the “liberals” have done. It is as absurd as wanting the IRGC dismantled, so that Iran can make peace with the US and Israel.
The FATF debate was a very long and drawn out one in Iran, for the past 8 years, and at times it seemed like Iran was about to cave and sign up, but eventually wisdom prevailed, and the FATF was exposed for the conspiracy that it is, and nobody in the Iranian establishment is giving any serious thought to it anymore.
Being on the FATF blacklist, like Iran is, implies a very heavy sanctions regime, which Iran must endure, if it wants to continue supporting Hezbollah and other affiliated groups financially.
One of the main reasons the reformists want Iran to become a member, is precisely the fact that it will render Iran unable to fund the Resistance abroad. Iranian support for the Resistance is another item, at the top of the reformist agenda of things to dismantle, together with the IRGC.
The reformist movement started with the Rafsanjani administration, became a major force to be reckoned with during the Khatami administration, and aimed to subjugate Iran to the West under the Rouhani administration, whose nuclear deal always gave the US a massive advantage over Iran, totally unnecessarily.
When the IRGC launched that ballistic missile with the anti-Israel slogan in Hebrew, the reformists were beside themselves, they were literally frothing and foaming at the mouth, openly accusing the IRGC of trying to undermine progress and dialogue and peace.
Wonderful News
thanks Saker for making this great fact known – Iran is the greatest.
Iran’s resolve, wits, and courage are impressive to say the least. If the fascist West thought it had inflicted a mortal blow by the cowardly murder of Soleimani, then that was a ’slightly premature’ conclusion. Iran having finally become a member of the SCO should make this point clear.
The Anglo Americans and Eurotrash have another reason to soil their pants in rage.
Iran is officially joining the SCO.
This Is Huge.
http://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2021/09/this-is-huge.html?m=0
https://youtu.be/5C7yHgwNHSY
https://youtu.be/kmDXDE0V8yE
More footage of the Yemenis’ latest operation against the Saudi coalition
A lot of explosions, and a lot of dead bodies.
https://m.yenisafak.com/en/world/iran-will-be-wiped-off-the-map-azerbaijan-mp-2589192 — “Iran will be wiped off the map: Azerbaijan MP”
The Israelis are now speaking through the tongues of Azerbaijani politicians.
First of all, Azerbaijan or more accurately the Republic of Baku is a fake country. It is named after Media Atropatene (=Azerbaijan) — which is a very ancient Iranian territory. I don’t know whose brilliant idea it was in Iran to allow these people to retain this name, even after they separated from Iran, which was clearly done with a mind towards attempting to take the Iranian Azerbaijan and annex it to this pseudo-state at some point. (Last year, this point was finally reached, when Erdogan recited a poem about annexing Iranian Azerbaijan, in the presence of what passes for leadership in Baku.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropatene
And now, Turkey, Pakistan and the fake nation of Baku, have just conducted a joint military exercise on the other side of the Aras river. (I call them a fake nation, because their land is named after an ancient Iranian province, and the absolute majority of that province is still within Iran’s geographical sphere.)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/three-brothers-2021-turkey-azerbaijan-pakistan-start-joint-military-exercises/2362892 — “‘Three Brothers – 2021’: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan start joint military exercises”
Also, Iranian truck drivers are increasingly reporting problems while trying to transit through the Republic of Baku into Armenia. They have been stopped and mistreated more than once recently. According to some reports, which I hope are not true, the Iranian drivers have even been pulled out of their trucks and humiliated.
Seyed Hasan Ameli, the Friday prayer leader of the city of Ardabil in Iran has made a very strongly worded speech on the matter to the people of Ardabil, in their native Turkic.
The movements on Iran’s Northwest borders are starting to take on a more menacing and dangerous color, and the Ardebil Friday prayer leader has requested that the IRGC step in.
Considering the fact that Erdogan had stated that anyone who wants to drink a glass of water in the region, must get permission from him (lol) — the situation is becoming a bit upsetting and dangerous, to say the least.
Erdogan and what’s-his-name in Baku, clearly have dreams and ambitions about establishing a Neo-Ottoman Turkic Empire, even though the original Ottoman Empire was crushed and utterly humiliated in the first world war.
Erdogan commands an army of Salafist headchoppers, which he hopes to ride all the way to the fruition of his plans.
The Ardabil Friday prayer leader, in his speech, touched on a few issues.
1. If you want to know the Iranian identity, look to the Holy Defense (Iran-Iraq 8 year war)
2. If you want to know the Iranian identity, look to the Resistance
3. A joint military exercise has kicked off right on Iran’s border
4. Baku, Turkey, and Pakistan are conducting military exercises on the Iranian border
5. Every country is permitted to hold military drills within their borders, and they can invite any other country to take part in their drills
6. But something has happened in the midst of all this, which we cannot ignore
7. The Turkish yenisafak newspaper has published a statement (which I have mentioned at the top of this post)
8. What yenisafak has published, is a reflection of what goes on in Mr. Erdogan’s head, and this media outlet is normally a mouthpiece for the Erdogan government
9. This newspaper has interviewed a Baku government official, and has chosen the above-mentioned title for their article, which is “Iran will be wiped off the map” (lol)
10. Now that Turkey and Baku are not being very neighborly, the National Security Council should give the IRGC the green light to conduct their own military exercises on this side of the border, to demonstrate “a drop in the sea of Iranian power” to Baku and Erdogan and Pakistan
When Baku and Turkey attacked Artsakh, many in Iran were of the opinion that the Azerbaijanis, because they are Muslim, and because they are Shia, should have our support, and the Armenians, because they are Christian, should not. And in the end, Iran did not help the Armenians — not that the fifth column government of Pashiniyan requested help anyway, as he was in on the conspiracy to hand over the territory to Baku.
But Baku is now a Zionist vassal, and this is as clear as day. And the Israelis have had it in for the Armenians for some time now, it seems.
In any case, no action was taken against the aggression by Baku and Ankara, which was a horrendous mistake in my opinion, and now Iran is reaping the results of that inaction, whereby the tiny fake nation of Baku, is threatening to wipe Iran off the map.
Overall, Iran has not acted with its usual power and authority when it comes to this northwestern region, and I do not know what those at the top know, that makes them decide to act in this way — perhaps they do not want to fight a Shia nation on the behest of Israel, or they do not wish to fight other Muslims at all, or perhaps they do not see Baku, which is a mere mosquito next to the Iranian elephant, as any kind of threat — but the IRGC is prepared to surgically remove all the teeth out of Baku’s mouth in the context of a single, very short operation.
The message to these nations is clear, and goes without saying:
1. Turkey, as a state sponsor of terrorism, should not confuse Iranian patience and forebearance, and Iran’s neighborly ethics with weakness. The IRGC holds grudges eternally, and one day Turkey’s support for headchoppers will come back to haunt them — this is guaranteed.
2. Pakistan, as a state sponsor of terrorism, should tread very carefully, lest they become Israel’s new lapdog in the region. Pakistan’s horrendous economic situation and out of control poverty, make them an easy target for those who print US dollars.
3. The pseudo-republic of Baku, is so small and weak and insignificant, that Iran looks on them with pity, and when their citizens come over to the Iranian side to see doctors or to buy bread, they are treated with the utmost brotherly kindness and sympathy, just like Iran’s Afghan neighbors. Baku would be wise not to make any more moves to destroy that sympathy among the Iranian people.
Perhaps next time Baku goes on an adventure, nobody in Iran will be saying “but they are Shia, we should be on their side” — they will only remember “Iran will be wiped off the map.”
And finally, as the Ardabil Friday prayer leader stated, the Resistance is our identity as Iranians, and this is especially true of the IRGC. Personally, when I hear that there is conflict brewing on Iran’s borders, I get excited. I get excited because it is a chance to wage war. And waging war is what we are good at.
Iran, as a matter of policy, does not wage wars of aggression, but if Iran’s power and influence in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Palestine are anything to go by, then one can conclude that the Israelis have still not learned from their mistakes, and now they are offering the Republic of Baku to Iran on a silver platter.
Three cheers for what’s-his-name in Baku!
https://youtu.be/4jgcOG7BPDc — IRGC sending equipment to the city of Jolfa, on the border with the Baku Republic.
https://youtu.be/4qFpL0A9VRs
https://www.intellinews.com/azerbaijani-turkish-and-pakistani-war-games-appear-to-prompt-iran-to-move-infantry-to-border-221245 — An independent report on the situation
https://youtu.be/5Tt-3xpR3TE — artillery, rocket launchers, and other equipment getting transported to the Azerbaijani border by the IRGC
https://youtu.be/kNoR3ruX0gk — Three Brothers 2021 military exercise — is this a joke?
The above clip has not been edited or doctored by Iranians. Believe it or not, Turkey, Pakistan, and Baku, actually released this footage.
I don’t even know what to say — with the soldiers clapping along to the song, and the dancers in costume jumping around like a circus show — I am just in shock and disbelief.
Are they trying to trick Iran into thinking they are this lame and idiotic? Or could these three brothers really be as stupid as this video seems to show?
Shock and disbelief. Those little boys in that video will soil their pants at the mere sight of real warriors.
Of course Erdogan needs an army of headchoppers, look at what he’s got to work with!
https://youtu.be/F_FYUyMGh28 — here is the same clip, from a non-Iranian YouTube channel. At first, I thought this was some kind of parody video that Iranians had made to mock the Three Brothers, but then I found it was all over YouTube.
https://youtu.be/34OmVDmQTq4 — A considerable buildup of forces and equipment happening at the Jolfa border region
https://en.abna24.com/news/three-us-combat-units-to-leave-iraq-by-sep-end_1182032.html
“Tahseen al-Khafaji, the spokesman of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, stressed on Tuesday that his country no longer needed foreign combat troops on its soil.
Al-Khafaji told Sputnik that the “strategic talks” with the United States led to an agreement on the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
He announced that according to the agreement, three US combat units will leave the “Ain al-Assad” and “Harir” bases by the end of this month.”
https://tinyurl.com/jhmch292 — Tasnim reports the same here, ie. 3 US Army Combat Units leaving Ain Al Assad and Harir base in Iraq within 9 days.
https://tinyurl.com/578kd55v — Here, Tasnim reports on a statement made by Major General Mohamad Bagheri, Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran 4 days ago, spelling out very clearly, that the US must leave the Harir base in Iraq, which has become a center of anti-Iranian activity.
The article by the IRGC’s Tasnim news agency, makes a direct threat: if the US does not remove itself from the Harir base, the base will be attacked, as Ain Al Assad was attacked.
Within 3 days of the threat being issued, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command spokesperson announced that the Americans will be leaving the base within 9 days.
Will the Americans leave? And if they don’t leave, will the IRGC rain missiles on the base, as they are openly threatening to do?
Also, following the operations which were conducted in Northern Iraq two weeks ago, another operation was carried out a few days ago, wherein 4 terrorist bases were utterly destroyed, in Northern Iraq.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/178879/Four-bases-belonging-to-terrorists-in-north-Iraq-destroyed
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1399/11/24/1399112412053097622229944.jpg — the moment one of the targets was struck in the operation.
Now we wait to see if the Americans will leave the Harir base with, or without concussions.
The Sacred Defense Week kicked off in Iran yesterday, with an IRGC Naval exercise with over 650 vessels in the Persian Gulf, and other military parades all over the country.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/09/22/2577213/bikers-hold-military-parades-to-mark-sacred-defense-week-in-iran/photo/26
The Sacred Defense Week is a week of commemorative ceremonies which mark the anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Iran and the subsequent 8 year war.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/09/23/2577426/lebanon-receives-fifth-iranian-fuel-shipment — Meanwhile, the fifth Iranian fuel shipment has arrived in Lebanon
And it seems Bahrain is going through the beginning stages of a crisis. The February 15 Coalition in Bahrain have issued a statement, calling the Al-Khalifa dynastic regime illegitimate. They are backing the call for a referendum to be held as per the request of the Bahraini Shiite leader, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassem.
The Ayatollah is calling for the topic of the normalization of ties with the Zionist regime to be put on referendum, in order to determine whether the Al-Khalifa regime’s will is in line with the will of the people.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/09/15/2572312/bahraini-opposition-leader-says-he-prefers-prison-over-humiliating-freedom — And the Bahraini opposition leader is still in prison after a decade
The Bahraini regime has put anyone who disagrees with them in prison, on trumped up charges, and is doling out extremely long prison sentences for the most minor ‘crimes’.
Bahrain has been witnessing a popular revolution against the Al-Khalifa regime since February 14, 2011. The people have been demanding freedom, justice, democracy, etc.
Yesterday, the Ayatollah Qassem stated that any matters in dispute, such as the normalization of ties with Israel, should be put to a referendum. He believes that such a referendum will undoubtedly expose the illegitimate nature of the regime, and their near total lack of support among the Bahraini people.
There is much to say on this issue, but as far as it relates to Iran and the Resistance, all I can say is that, in my opinion, Bahrain, as the weakest member of the Saudi coalition, will fall into the Resistance sphere eventually, and from there, the Saudi Shiites can then be liberated as well.
As it stands, the Bahrainis and the Saudis have absolutely no recourse, with their backs firmly against the wall. And the US and Israel can’t do anything for them.
Bahrain’s fall will presage the fall of the rest of the Persian Gulf monarchies.
The way I see it, the Al-Khalifa thugs who are currently in power in Bahrain must make a choice soon; either peacefully hand over power in Bahrain to the people, ie. establish a democracy and hold on to some meagre portion of power, or risk Iranian arms falling into the hands of the Bahraini Shias, while the Yemenis pound the Al-Khalifa centers of power from outside, with their long range ballistic missiles, and who knows what else.
Alright, first thing’s first. The Yemeni armed forces have announced that they have fully liberated the province of Al Baiyda. Here is the report:
2700 square kilometers of territory has been reclaimed in this operation.
The Saudi coalition conducted over 30 airstrikes to hinder the advance of the Yemenis, and to support the Takfiris.
70 Takfiris dead, 120 wounded, and 40 captured.
10 armored vehicles destroyed.
7 Takfiri bases were taken, and are now under Yemeni control.
Also, a number of Yemeni captives have been released.
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1398/03/02/139803021453548717489974.jpg — The UN’s World Food Programme reports that 16 million Yemenis face imminent starvation.
An Iraqi candidate running for Parliament, Abbas Al Ardawi, has stated yesterday that the Resistance has many options in regards to kicking the US out of Iraq. The US 9 days quickly running out to vacate the Harir base.
The Syrian Army has entered Tell Shahab and Zaizoun yesterday, with Russian intervention. The militants in the province of Daraa, are in the process of disarming.
When the Syrian Army first entered Daraa a couple of weeks ago, the Israeli media was very glum, and they reported on it in a very gloomy tone.
In any case, the Daraa militants are now handing over their weapons to the Syrian Army, and life is starting to go back to normal there.
And the Palestinians are on a general strike in Bethlehem, over the death of Hossein Mosalema in Israeli captivity.
Mosalema had blood cancer, and he died of a lack of medical attention, coupled with torture, after 18 years in captivity.
Hamas is calling for the international community to investigate his death, and to deliver justice. They are also calling for the international community to look into the conditions under which thousands of Palestinians are held captive by the Jews.
Everyone from school teachers, to shopkeepers, are on strike, in Bethlehem.
Meanwhile, in the US,
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10021351/amp/Rashida-Tlaib-says-shell-vote-no-Dem-bill-fund-Iron-Dome-accuses-Israel-war-crimes.html — “AOC bursts into tears as Iron Dome’s $1bn funding is OVERWHELMINGLY approved in House 420-9: Rashida Tlaib is accused of anti-Semitism by fellow Dem after she called Israel a ‘violent apartheid system'”
https://mobile.twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1441092102784372744
@RepTedDeutch
after Rep. Tlaib:
“I cannot allow one of my colleagues to stand on floor of House and label Jewish democratic state of Israel an apartheid state…my colleague who just besmirched our ally…when there’s no place on map for one Jewish state, that’s anti-Semitism.”
And,
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-implores-iran-return-nuke-talks-delay-80191938 — “US implores Iran to return to nuke talks without delay”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-department-iran-stonewalling-nuclear-talks.amp — “State Department frustrated by Iran stonewalling on nuclear talks”
And last but not least, a little clip of IRGC war games from a few months ago. Skip to the end if you like fireworks.
https://youtu.be/VIpmJY4gh2Q — If I could respond to the US media calling on Iran to return to the nuke talks, it would be with a clip like this one, and a message to go with it: “Why don’t you come here and make us return to your nuke talks.”
And the second Iranian tanker carrying fuel for Lebanon has reached the port of Baniyas, Syria, safe and sound.
The Iranian ground forces finished an exercise on the border there, which was a defensive maneuver, aimed at repelling a possible future attack by the Turks and Pakistan.
But some background is necessary here. The pseudo-republic of Baku controls a territory called Nakhchivan, which has no land border with the rest of Baku’s territory. Between Nakhchivan and the rest of Baku territory, is a narrow sliver of land which belongs to Armenia.
When the Turks attacked Gharebagh, aka Artsakh, based on historical claims of ownership over the land, Ayatollah Khamenei’s position was that the international border between Nakhchivan, Armenia, Iran and the pseudo-republic must not be touched, and declared that border to be Iran’s red line.
With all due respect to the Ayatollah, if we are arguing based on historical ownership, then the entire region belongs to Iran, so that is a moot point. And if we are arguing that Baku is Shia, as many in Iran were, then what are we to make of the severe restrictions imposed on Shias in the pseudo-republic?
The pseudo-republic is composed of an overwhelming majority Shia population, and yet they have banned public displays of the Shia faith. That makes them a pseudo-republic.
https://eurasianet.org/azerbaijan-officials-are-wrong-securitize-shias
“The Muslim population is approximately 85% Shi’a and 15% Sunni; differences traditionally have not been defined sharply. Azerbaijan has the second highest Shia population percentage in the world after Iran.”
So, did these Shias vote to have their own freedom of religion restricted then?
To put this in perspective, the Taliban allowed the Ashura ceremonies to be publicly held this year. Now, contrast this with the regime of Ilham Aliyev, which beats Imam Hosein’s mourners regularly.
Anyway, regardless of all this, one look at a map of the area will reveal that the entire Artsakh escapade was merely about securing a corridor between Nakhchivan and Baku, which is more accurately a corridor between Turkey and Baku.
The Islamic Republic may have made a mistake by not getting involved in the Artsakh conflict. But it seems now they have realized their mistake, and are starting to try and make up for it. The noteworthy point here is that Iran has a rather large population of ethnic Iranians who speak Turkish and believe themselves to be Turks, and that these people think that Erdogan and Ilham Aliyev love them.
Iran has a few Arab tribes in Khuzestan bordering Iraq, and more than a few ethnic Iranians who have become Arabic speakers and identify as Arabs there. These fellows thought that because Saddam spoke Arabic, that they were kin, and that caused them to help Saddam.
When Saddam’s forces invaded Khuzestan and occupied Khorramshahr, the first women who were raped were the Arab women, who thought the Iraqi forces had come as liberators.
I myself am a half-Turk, which is why I despise the Iranian Turks who think Erdogan and Aliyev are their friends. If Erdogan and Aliyev and the Pakistanis and their headchoppers enter Iranian Azerbaijan, they will do the same thing that Saddam’s forces did to the Arabs in Khuzestan, this is beyond question.
The lack of Iranian involvement in the Gharebagh conflict, stoked the flames of Erdogan’s Neo-Ottoman Imperial ambitions in the heart of Aliyev, which follows the doctrine of “One Nation, Many States”, which is the plan that Erdogan is following with this attempt to establish a land corridor between Turkey and the pseudo-republic of Baku.
The attempt to grab the area of Armenia which is in between Nakhchivan and the Baku territories, will come eventually, and sooner rather than later, this much seems clear. And Armenia is seemingly run by a fifth-column element that will be told to stand down and do nothing when that time comes, just like they stood down and did nothing in Gharebagh. But what is more, they have even been talking of taking Iranian Azerbaijan.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, Iran itself was under the fifth column liberalist administration of the West-lover Rafsanjani, who did not stop the Baku Republic from calling their country Azerbaijan. If he had told them to pick another name, perhaps today Iran would not be facing territorial claims by these people, who say that “we are North Azerbaijan, and Iran is holding our people in South Azerbaijan hostage, and based on the UN’s self-determination
right, we want to become one unified nation” — which the Western-puppet UN will fully back and support.
https://tass.com/world/1330905 — Armenian community says Azerbaijani troops continue to block road to Iran
The road in question, the Goris-Kapan highway, is where the Turks have been stopping Iranian trucks, and now they have detained two Iranian truck drivers. This road is what the Turks are aiming to take and control. I will not mention Russia’s role in enabling all this, because it is redundant now, and perhaps it has even caused something good to happen.
The absolute majority of Iranian truck drivers on the Goris-Kapan road, are Iranian Azeris. And they are being stopped, unfairly taxed, humiliated, and now arrested and detained, which is giving the Iranian Turks a first-hand view of how Ilham Aliyev’s regime. These drivers, and their friends and family at least, will not be under any illusions about the “uncle who is kinder than Mother”, as the saying goes here.
The other good thing is that these taxes and detainments now give Iran some cause to get involved.
Apparently, the military exercises conducted by the Three Brothers, were illegal. It seems according to Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, signed in August 2018, no foreign military is permitted to conduct exercises in the Caspian states. Pakistan and Turkey, as two lawless state sponsors of terrorism, came to the region and conducted war games, illegally. This is more grounds for Iran to get involved.
Ilham Aliyev has admitted that he used Israeli drones against Artsakh. And the IRGC is aware that Baku also allowed Israeli spy drones to take off from Baku territory and fly into Iran.
The Baku regime arrests Shias arbitrarily.
The Baku regime supports separatist movements in Iran.
With Saudi backing, an Azeri International satellite tv channel is about to start broadcasting, in the style of the Saudi Iran International, which will air Turkic language programming aimed at Iranian Azeris, to brainwash them and tell them Iran is the most despicable, evil country in the world, like Iran International constantly tells the rest of Iran’s population, and to tell the Azeris that “you are Turks, you are not Iranians, you deserve your own country” — when the truth is that neither Turkey nor the pseudo-republic are populated by ethnic Turks, just Turkic speakers.
So, all of this leaves Iran with little option, except military action. But any military action by Iran will benefit Israel, first and foremost. And all these actions are orchestrated by the Israelis, to draw Iran into a military confrontation with its neighbors.
Israel has a tense situation on its northern borders with its neighbors. It wants the same for Iran. And any Iranian military action against Baku will make Israel very happy.
Now, the Iranian decision makers must decide. Baku has proven that it has no shame, and it will do anything that Israel and Erdogan wish. If left unconfronted, who knows what they will do down the road.
Some people in Iran are suggesting that Iranian forces, with permission from Armenia, must enter Armenia and take control of the Goris-Kapan road.
Others are suggesting that the Taleshis in the pseudo-republic, who are an Iranian people, with relatives on this side of the border, and who actually yearn for a return to Iran and Iranian rule, should be supported in their plight to return to their homeland. The Baku Turks are very racist, and they treat these Taleshis very poorly. The entire southern 1/3rd of Baku territory is populated by a majority of ethnic Taleshis. If that 1/3rd of Baku’s territory returns to Iran, the entire Turkic “one nation, many states” doctrine and the land corridor from Turkey to Baku becomes moot.
Just a few days ago, some influential people in Baku sent death threats to the Ardebil Friday prayer leader, Mr. Ameli, calling him a traitor, because he will not get on board with the pan-turk one nation many states Neo-Ottoman empire nonsense, after he made his anti-Baku speech the other week.
There are some analysts in Iran who are predicting at least a limited military strike, to put Baku in its place, in the days to come.
Only time will tell.
But some good news. Far away from my despicable Turkic brethren, Reuters reports that Iran and Venezuela have signed a deal to swap Iranian condensate for Venezuelan heavy crude.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/exclusive-under-us-sanctions-iran-venezuela-strike-oil-export-deal-sources-2021-09-25/
Congratulations to Venezuela and Iran for this.
And congratulations to any country that does not have Turks as neighbors, and does not have Pakistanis as neighbors. These guys make the Arabs feel like a breath of fresh air.