Description:
A recent report published on Al Mayadeen’s website highlights the significance of Iran’s accession to full membership status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a powerful international body that just grew even bigger.
The report suggests that Iran’s admission into the SCO is part of a broader global shift to a new world order in which the Asian region plays a central role.
Source: Al Mayadeen (Website)
(Please help MEO keep producing independent translations for you by contributing a sustainable monthly amount https://www.patreon.com/MiddleEastObserver?fan_landing=true)
Transcript:
Iran is a Full Member of the “Shanghai Organization” … Timing and Economic Importance
The acceptance of Iran as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at this time indicates(positive) signs (for the Islamic Republic), as it coincides with changes inside and outside the country. (These) changes appear to be in (Iran’s) favor, especially after it broke the US economic embargo by signing a strategic partnership agreement with China.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit began today in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on the 20th anniversary of the foundation of this organization. The (SCO) defines itself as an international political, economic and security organization with a regional character represented by the Eurasia region. It was founded by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the year 2001.
In 2005, Iran, India and Pakistan joined the organization as observer members, and in 2017, India and Pakistan became permanent members. Afghanistan, Mongolia and Belarus are currently observer member states of the organization, while the countries of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Nepal, Cambodia, Turkey and Sri Lanka applied to join the organization in 2015.
However, the role of this organization and its political influence extend beyond the Eurasia region to other regions of the Asian continent, and even beyond (Asia’s) borders, given the economic and military weight enjoyed by its members. It is also gradually expanding outside its narrow scope by including other countries from the Central Asian region, the most important of which are India and Pakistan.
Iran as a Full Member of the Shanghai Organization
In another expansionary step with great significance at various levels, the Organization announced at its meeting today – through the words of Chinese President Xi Jinping – its acceptance to grant Iran full membership after (Tehran) had been an observer member for years. The Chinese president said: “Iran will be considered a full member of the Shanghai Organization at today’s meeting.”
The Significance of the Timing of the Membership
Granting Iran full membership within the Shanghai Organization at this time seems remarkable as it comes after:
1) The China-Iran strategic agreement, which was signed in Tehran on March 27 (2021), after a regional tour by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that included the Gulf states and Turkey. The Strategic Partnership Agreement, as it was called, is a 25-year agreement between the two countries covering the political, economic, military and industrial fields.
This agreement serves both countries, as it guarantees the global economic giant (China) further expansion in its role and establishment of its presence on the international scene, especially in the countries that the United States has placed on the list of “forbidden regions” upon which harsh economic sanctions are imposed. It also gives Iran an opportunity to liberate itself from these sanctions and sell its oil products which the US not only refuses to buy, but also prevents other countries from buying by threatening them with sanctions, in an attempt to put economic pressure on Iran to change its political positions.
(According to this agreement), in return for its exported oil, Iran can import what it needs in terms of industrial equipment, machinery and expertise, and prepare (develop) its ports and infrastructure with Chinese assistance. (This step) allows China to use these facilities to export its products via land and sea towards the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, and on to the European continent in the north, and Africa in the south.
2) The complete and rushed US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country that has been occupied by the United States and its NATO allies for 20 years.
Afghanistan is located within the borders of the Eurasian region, between the two major countries in the world, China and Russia. The United States sought to prevent the rapprochement (between these two countries) and impede their economic growth, especially China’s, by cutting off the routes for its land and sea exports to the West, and threatening its security by igniting wars and security disturbances.
It is worth noting that it is no coincidence that the organization was formed only 4 months before the date of the American invasion of Afghanistan, and to the sound of the drums of war that the US and Britain started after the September 11 attacks that toppled the World Trade Center in New York and targeted the US Department of Defense (Pentagon).
The US role in obstructing the work of the Shanghai Organization and the growth of China’s economic standing was demonstrated by the rush of the “Taliban” movement leaders – which quickly and gradually seized all the Afghan regions in conjunction with the departure of the occupying (US) forces – to visit China, meet officials in its Foreign Ministry, emphasize China’s pivotal role in the reconstruction of the country exhausted by occupation and conflicts, and reassure (Beijing) that they will not use Afghan territory to target the security of other countries.
3) The election of a new president of Iran last June.
The (former) head of the judiciary and a strongman, Ibrahim Raisi won by a large margin of votes over his remaining rivals, this after the withdrawal of the most famous candidates in his favor, one of which was the former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.
Since the beginning of his term, Raisi has sought to enhance his country’s presence and position in the world by strengthening its relations at the regional level, and benefiting from all its capabilities, foremost of which is its geographical location. During his speech at the (Shanghai) summit, the Iranian president stated that “Iran can be a bridge for Eurasia linking the north to the south.”
Before heading to Tajikistan, Raisi said that his country’s participation in the summit “will focus on our economic and cultural relations with Asian countries,” stressing that “cooperation with neighboring countries and the region is a top priority of Iran’s foreign policy.” Last August, Raisi declared that strengthening Iran’s relations with Russia and China, the two main members of the organization, was one of the priorities of his foreign policy.
Creating Economic Opportunities for Iran and Liberating it from the US Embargo
Of the three previous points, the strategic agreement between Iran and China – Beijing forming the most prominent pillar of the organization – is the most important thing that contributed to Iran’s full membership. What occurred appears to be nothing other than the expansion of the official international recognition of Iran’s regional role and presence; a greater facilitation (for Iran) to help it get through the (all-out) US embargo; and the creation of opportunities for Iran in different fields by China and Russia.
President Vladimir Putin stated during his speech at the summit that his country “supports the decision submitted for approval by the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization regarding the start of procedures for Iran’s admission to the organization,” stressing the mutual importance of its admission by saying that this would “increase the international influence of the organization.”
The first Iranian comment came from the spokesman for the head of the Iranian Parliament, Nizamuddin Mousavi, who said in an interview with ISNA that what we are witnessing is “the establishment of a new world order, where the Eastern Power Quartet (Russia, China, India, Iran) brings together some of the most important international players in this new world order.” He added that “Iran’s admission into this organization, despite Washington’s opposition, proves that the era of unilateral policies is over, and that we are witnessing the establishment of a new world order.”
In economic terms, Mousavi said that his country’s admission “means reaching a market of 3 billion people, and this is a great opportunity that requires a roadmap so that we can benefit from it in the best way.”
This accession was preceded by the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 states, several rounds of which were conducted in the Austrian capital Vienna in the last months of the term of former President Hassan Rouhani. There was talk of future rounds of negotiations after the formation of the first Iranian government under President Ibrahim Raisi. The accession (of Iran to SCO membership) also came after the positive visit of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, to Tehran, and his meeting with the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami.
All the foregoing factors contribute to the reassurance that Iran feels at the beginning of Ibrahim Raisi presidency, and brings the country closer to an international position that (Tehran) seeks despite the obstacles posed by its enemies. However, to hold on to these gains and take advantage of the new opportunities available, Iran will face major challenges (in the road ahead).
And there’s absolutely nothing Uncle Shmuel can do about it… except start WWIII.
@Tommy
Or, he/she/they can disrupt the integration of Eurasia through India, which is hell bent on bringing down the rising China.
IMO, it’s wrong in the first place to assume that India are part of the Zone B after they’ve become part of the Asian NATO. Modi has openly requested the SCO to support the American plan for Afghanistan.
Zionism’s ultimate game plan is to do everything humanly possible to force the USA to attack Iran. That will kick off a series of events that will ultimately bring Russia into the conflict, which will go nuclear within hours.
Describing Israel’s Samson Option the Israeli poet Itamar Yaoz-Kest wrote, “And yet, there is a right reserved only to us Jews (if indeed any human on Earth has this right): to be destroyed and to take the weary and sated world with us into non-existence, along with its wondrous libraries and heart-stirring tunes – just so, after we descend to the grave, while the ground emits radioactive rays to all four winds…”
The Samson Option is no idle threat. Israel attacked the USA on 9/11 and got away with it. That was the pretext for the so-called War on Terror, which was really a war on Islam. A redo of 9/11, this time blamed on Iran, would be the pretext for WWIII. US Christian Zionists pray for this to happen soon.
I dunno. This is all great, but the question is, how serious are the Chinese et al. about getting around SWIFT and US willingness to rob (ah, sorry, “fine”) any company or financial institution doing business with people they’re sanctioning?
They can make all the declarations they want, but unless Iran is able to do business without everything costing multiples of what it should, they’ll still be behind the eight ball. Similar things apply to, for instance, Venezuela and Cuba, both being economically strangled by US sanctions, blockade and theft. There are others, and I’m sure there are still other countries who have been dissuaded from taking an independent path by their fear of similar US sanctions. It’s been clear for quite a few years now that control of the channels of international finance is one of the two big remaining methods of US dominance (military being the other, with propaganda getting dishonourable mention). But responses to it have been half-hearted.
I keep waiting for the Chinese and Russians to unveil their own SWIFT-like system on an international scale, ideally accompanied by some major government-owned trading/finance company guaranteed to be insulated from contact with US institutions and so immune to American retaliation for trading with forbidden trading partners. Real fundamental change likely won’t happen until they do.
Russia and China unveiling their own version of SWIFT, would be tantamount to a slap in the face of Global Zionism.
Personally, I am not convinced that China and Russia even have any desire to go up against that lot, yet.
Global Zionism is not toilet brush USA, that can be slapped in the face without any consequences. These people actually rule the world, as opposed to the American patsies and pretenders, who don’t even rule their own country. And these people absolutely have the power to cause real problems for Russia and China — unlike the USA, who can’t even threaten Syria anymore — and the Chinese/Russian needless friendship and pandering to the Zionist regime clearly attests to this.
As far as Iran is concerned, what all this means is that Zionist power must be further eroded, and just as nobody is afraid of the US anymore, the Zionists need to be continually humiliated, until no one is afraid of them anymore either, and only then can China and Russia finally act with freedom, vis a vis the SWIFT alternative which everyone has been waiting for, for years now.
Every day that passes, without the unveiling of a SWIFT alternative, is testament to the power and sway of Global Zionism over the world.
Meanwhile, the Zionist regime continues to demonstrate on a near daily basis, that it is a dangerous terrorist regime, which sabotages nuclear facilities, and sets fires to nature reserves, which is simply reaffirming its identity. And what stands out even more, is the international community’s ongoing silence over the Israeli regime’s terrorist activity, which is understandable: would you speak out against people who nine eleven their ‘friends’ and sabotage the nuclear facilities of their enemies?
So, while Iran may hold the Israeli pseudo-state hostage, the Global Zionists hold the entire world hostage.
But, the day is nearing when Israel will experience its own Ain Al Asad missile strike moment, when its image and power will be broken beyond repair, and perhaps that day the Saker will write an analysis about the day when Global Zionism died.
Russia has their own version of a global clearing and settlement payments system and so has China.
Russia has SPFS System for Transfer of Financial Messages and China has The Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS)
Yes, and Iran has ‘Shetab’ and it only works with Iranian rials, like the CIPS, which is a yuan clearing system.
And what is more, the CIPS is actually connected to SWIFT, so it is hardly an alternative to SWIFT, it is just an extension of that system.
An alternative to SWIFT, in simple terms, would be China refusing to use SWIFT anymore, and demanding that anyone who wants to do business with them, use the Chinese alternative which could then clear all currencies.
I am no economist, amarynth, but even I can see that China does not have the clout to pull off something like that.
And as far as the SPFS is concerned, and this whole discussion, we are not talking about the necessary software systems which could in theory be used as an alternative to SWIFT. We are talking about a practical alternative, and for this to happen, realistically, the entire SCO would have to get behind it, and use a unified platform, to slowly move away from SWIFT and other Western systems.
I have been hearing various ideas in this regard lately. Some have even suggested a single SCO currency, to get around some of the hurdles.
But the hurdles are many, and while China still has a long way to go on the economic and financial front, before it is able to part ways with the global systems which are currently in place, and which are dominated by Zionists and the West, the existence of a nuclear armed terrorist regime on the world scene, which is also dominated by the Zionists and the West, and whose purpose is to extort from the world with the sword, that which cannot be obtained with words, must also be addressed at some point.
Granted, the Israeli regime is a mere shadow of what it used to be, and the same goes for the West. But, the CIPS and the SPFS, like Shetab, are not causing any sleepless nights for anyone in the West, Zionist or otherwise.
A peaceful transfer of the world’s economic and political center of gravity from the Atlantic to Eurasia, is very unlikely, and while China and Russia are clearly content to keep working within the current framework (at least for now), Iran — naturally — is not, because while China and Russia are allowed to conduct financial dealings with other international parties within the context of the current global system, Iran is not, and Iran has to barter goods with Venezuela, as if this were the year 6000 BC. (So, in practice it seems the CIPS and the SPFS are not working as SWIFT alternatives.)
We will see what we will see, in the days and months to come. But if I may digress a bit,
All of this is the reason for the Iranian pressure on the global system: either let us in and allow us to conduct fair trade, or watch as we form a new Islamic Resistance pole which will eventually annihilate Israel. But “death to Israel” is not all that the Resistance seeks, as everyone well knows. Death to the Great Satan, USA, is also on the agenda.
So, if the total destruction of the USA and the Western imperial system is what it is going to take for Iranian farmers and rural women to be able to sell pistachio and saffron and handmade rugs and other handicrafts, then it appears that is how it is going to be.
When 40-something years ago Iranians started their Great Satan death to USA shenanigans, everyone in the world laughed and mocked them: “yeah, right, dream on buddy — the USA isn’t going anywhere.”
Who is laughing now?
The Saker, who is unquestionably a brilliant analyst, has on multiple occasions stated that the Anglo-Zionist Empire collapsed on January 8, 2020, at the hands of none other than Iran and the IRGC.
But the bottom line is, if Iran and Venezuela are bartering condensate for heavy crude, despite both nations’ very close relations with Russia and China, it means in practice there is no viable alternative to SWIFT as of today. You need to accept this fact, amarynth.
Anyway, enough boring acronyms. Here’s the situation at the Iranian border:
https://youtu.be/k-owd0Gg5pk
The contrast between this and the Three Brothers with their dancers and their clapping soldiers says to me that the Turks and the Azeris and the Pakistanis do not know war. Using Israeli drones to kill women and children in Artsakh does not mean you know war. Funding headchoppers and terrorists does not mean you know war.
The IRGC knows war. The IRGC lives and breathes war, and has not known a moment of peace in over forty years.
I guess the message to the Three Brothers is clear: gather up your dancing clowns and beat it, you are barking up the wrong tree.
https://youtu.be/kNoR3ruX0gk — here are the Three Brothers and their gay wedding ceremony with their dancing clown circus, in case anyone missed it.
https://youtu.be/2-CCP45KELA — And here is the ‘highlight’ of their exercises on Day 1:
Seriously, what I am wondering is what made them think it was ok to release this footage as “military exercises”? Are they trying to trick Iran into thinking they are this weak and pathetic?
https://youtu.be/FyZJHJFoKa4 — this is a military exercise.
And speaking of Saffron,
https://youtu.be/PjriVNVMkM8 — Here is a very short documentary about Iran’s Saffron cultivators
Iran produces over 90 percent of the world’s Saffron, which is the most expensive spice. And the people in the clip are the ones who are facing undue hardship because of the world’s sanctions against Iran.
As if producing Saffron wasn’t hard enough..
The number 1 and only reason this acceptance been declared so public ( Iran has been a member for years) is that China and the rest of SCO are not afraid or care what USA or NATO or the western nations think or will do. They aren’t afraid of Western sanctions or it’s military might. Nobody is scared of USA, NATO or the western nations anymore. Like in the Wizard of Oz the curtain has come off and revealed a weak, desperate, penniless bully.
Iran hasn’t been a member of the SCO for years, but if nobody is afraid of Western sanctions anymore, it is mainly due to Iran breaking Western sieges and sanctions all over the planet, and if nobody is scared of Western military might, it is wholly because Iran has been dancing circles around the US and its allies, and making a very public spectacle of it.
Right now, we are waiting to see if the US will vacate the Harir base in Iraq voluntarily, or if they need to be humiliated again.
And here is where the Syrians are at:
https://www.newsweek.com/syria-says-it-will-drive-us-country-if-troops-do-not-leave-voluntarily-1633109 — “Syria’s foreign minister on Monday vowed to drive U.S. troops out of his country if they do not leave voluntarily.”
Even the Syrians are openly threatening the US now.
Meanwhile, there’s the Yemenis chanting death to USA every time they strike a takfiri position, and Iranian fuel tankers are docking in Syria, one after another, and sending fuel to Lebanon, via Syria, in open violation of US sanctions and siege against both Lebanon and Syria, and Iran.
And on the other side of the planet, there’s Venezuela making deals with Iran openly — despite both countries being under sanctions — and the US can’t do anything about it.
But the reason the US can’t do anything about anything, is because of the noose that Iran has around Israel’s neck. Israel is now Iran’s hostage, and its continued existence is in Iran’s hand. And Iran’s red lines are clear: something as simple as violating a fuel tanker at sea — which Israel has done many times in the past — will now result in the annihilation of Israel.
I think the Israelis are also ok with this situation, ie. being Iran’s hostage, because the alternative is Israel being wiped off the map — which will happen eventually, no question about it. But for now, if Israel wants to continue to exist, it has to watch as Iranian tankers sail past it and arrive in Syria and Lebanon one after the other, and do nothing — which is exactly what it is doing.
Israel, which was once a display of Western strength, is now the West’s weak point, and it will unravel the whole West, unless they cut it loose and throw it to the wolves, which they will never do.
It reminds me of the monkey with its hand stuck in the jar, refusing to let go of the food.
https://www.mashreghnews.ir/amp/1277158/ — and on a lighter note, here is the Lebanese social media reaction to the fuel shortage in the UK
Here’s Reuters with more details on the Iran-Venezuela deal.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iranian-condensate-cargo-begins-discharging-venezuela-sources-2021-09-27/
“The condensate cargo arrived in Venezuelan waters late last week on Iran-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) Dino I, owned and operated by a unit of NIOC, according to the sources and vessel monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.
A second 2.1-million-barrel condensate cargo, contracted under the same swap agreement, is expected to arrive in Venezuelan waters in the coming weeks, the sources said.
The swap contract officially started last week when a 1.9-million barrel cargo of Venezuelan heavy crude set sail from Venezuelan waters on Iranian tanker Felicity, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.
U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela and Iran have since last year strengthened their cooperation. Both their state-run oil companies are barred by the U.S. Treasury Department and can also be subject to secondary sanctions limiting business with non-U.S. companies.
Iran has provided food, medicine and gasoline to Venezuela and equipment to repair PDVSA’s depleted refineries, while Venezuela has paid Iranian companies with jet fuel, heavy crude and other commodities it produces.”
Back to bartering, it seems. US sanctions making money obsolete.
Also worth noting, is that between the two of them, Iran and Venezuela control by far the world’s largest oil reserves, absolutely dwarfing Saudi Arabia by comparison.
Whoever in the West had the great idea of pushing Venezuela into Iran’s arms, was a genius. They should get a medal or something.
Exactly that
The Iranian permanent representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, has made some very strongly worded remarks, in response to statements made by the US and the European troika, following the IAEA’s recent biased report, where Iran has been accused of not cooperating with the agency.
Kazerm Gharib Abadi, Iran’s permanent representative to International Organizations in Vienna, on Monday night responded to statements made by the US representative and three European representatives to the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, by stating that the agency cannot maintain silence on the terrorist activity at Iranian facilities by the Zionist regime, and then expect cooperation at facilities which have been damaged by the Zionist regime’s sabotage.
He clarified: the agency, the US, and three European countries should know that you cannot remain silent on terrorist acts by the Zionist regime, and do nothing to stop them, and realistically expect monitoring and the presence of agency cameras in facilities undergoing terrorist sabotage, to continue.
He added: when the agency’s monitoring equipment are destroyed by the Zionist regime’s terrorist activity, you cannot expect Iran to replace and reinstall them, with no cost to the Zionist regime, and no action by the agency or complainant countries.
He also made it clear that based on their recent understanding, Iran has fully done its part, and within the agreed upon timeframe, and now the Islamic Republic will observe the reaction to its act of good faith, and at every step will take the necessary and appropriate action.
And Iran’s permanent representative to the UN posted a tweet in response to the Zionist regime’s prime minister’s speech at the UN General Assembly, which he called “full of lies”. The tweet says that the Zionist regime, with its hundreds of undeclared nuclear warheads, is in no position to question Iran’s peaceful civilian nuclear power project.
Meanwhile,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-27/azeri-president-criticizes-iranian-military-drills-near-border
“Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said he’s “very surprised” by Iran’s decision to hold military drills close to their border, amid tensions between the two neighbors over a key transport route.
“Why now and why near our borders?” Aliyev said in an interview published Monday with Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news service. Iran hadn’t held military drills near the border since Azerbaijan became independent from the former Soviet Union almost 30 years ago, he said.
Tensions between Baku and Tehran have flared in recent weeks after Azerbaijani police and customs officials began imposing a “road tax” on Iranian trucks shipping fuel and other goods to neighboring Armenia. A section of the main route to Armenia passes through Azerbaijan on land Armenian forces occupied for decades until last year’s 44-day war between them over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Tensions are certainly flaring, as a few videos have surfaced of Azeris from Baku threatening to kill Ayatollah Seyed Hasan Ameli, the Ardebil Friday prayer leader.
https://youtu.be/ZKNq8XyhMRU — more equipment being sent to the Azerbaijani border, a lot more.
Looks like they are gearing up for a war, but looks can be deceiving.
Yesterday, Ali Fadavi the deputy head of the IRGC was asked to comment on the “nonsense” by Ilham Aliyev, parts of which were quoted by Bloomberg above. His response was: you yourself are calling it nonsense, nonsense does not merit a comment.
He also added: when a child uses foul language with an adult, should the adult take it seriously, or just give the child a little pat on the head? Of course, just a pat on the head.
The tanks, artillery, and missile launchers are heading out to give Baku a little pat on the head, it seems.
Ilham Aliyev giving Scott Morrison a run for his money. Where do they find these idiots?
Hello from Tehran. Iran’s SCO membership was a very good event indded. However, the SCO must speed up a functional joint banking sector of money transfer for its members, Then, there is a need for a new organization to replace the disfuntional OPEC, in which no oil and gas could be exported without the use of the aformentioned SCO finacial system and without the use of the US dollar where all the oil-producing countries could willingly and happily participate in. It won’t take too long after these two initial moves by the SCO that we will see plane loads of AUKUS’ Western top officials heading to each and every SCO countries’ capitals; simply asking for forgiveness.
forgiveness? you’d forgive them? btwn a big heart and long memory, which one do you think is the unmistakable trait of the eastern ppl???
He never said he would forgive them just that the empire minions would be on their knees begging for forgiveness which is a correct assessment.
i know what he wrote but thanks for the english lesson.
I ask him if he would forgive if they beg? read again.
To forgive or not to forgive, that of course depends on collective decisions of SCO members once they are facing top AUKUS officials on their knees begging for forgiveness. But like everything else in life there’s a toll to pay for their (AUKUS members ) past sins. On the personal level, yes I should be able to forgive them knowing that it could have been my own ignorance and inaction which allowed the AUKUS to take advantage of the situation.
Has hundreds of illegal nuclear weapons?
🇮🇱: Yes
🇮🇷: No
Has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?
🇮🇱: No
🇮🇷: Yes
Has threatened to use nuclear weapons against other countries?
🇮🇱: Yes
🇮🇷: No
Spare us your lies, war criminal. https://t.co/xWvLiYQXQ5
— Sarah Abdallah (@sahouraxo) September 28, 2021
Are you really “Sarah Abdallah”?
Just a few days ago somebody was telling me that there was actually a second Syrian Girl out there, and showed me the following link, arguing that it was an example of Hezbollah propaganda.
https://brian-whit.medium.com/syria-propaganda-and-the-mysterious-sarah-abdallah-a-hizbullah-connection-bd6308975f6e
I thought, does Hezbollah really employ people to play attractive young women online, and post profile pictures showing cleavage, and tweet pro-Syria commentary? And what’s more, 250,000 people are following this supposedly fake show? Or is it possible that this is a real person, and they are a genuine independent Lebanese geopolitical commentator, as they say they are?
And now you are here.
But yes, the Israelis have publicized the Samson Option for years, which is tantamount to threatening to use nuclear weapons on other countries. But Netanyahu had also threatened to wipe out Israel’s enemies with nukes, if I am not mistaken. And Israeli trolls are here threatening to nuke Iran all the time. Just last month, one of them was saying that Iran would be nuked in September. Shout out to dave, happy October buddy!
And now the Israelis are trying to stir up trouble with Azerbaijan and Armenia, both of which appear to have fully Zionist dominated governments, which is not surprising. Here are two small and relatively poor countries, where a political class who have recently been elevated from the peasantry, and are starving for material wealth which they have never had, are running the country, faced with an aggressive Global Zionist Entity, which can either sanction them as individuals and ruin their lives, or it can support them and make them rich and powerful. This is what is meant by Global Zionism, a massive global network of money and power, which can make or break anyone. Aliyev is just as much in their pocket as Biden, Macron, Erdogan, or Pashiniyan.
But anyway,
https://youtu.be/Gbzp60-WGqs — the IRGC has released this “teaser” for the upcoming show on the Azerbaijani border
The exercise is named after the Battle of Khaybar, which was fought by the early Muslims led by Mohamad himself, against Jews who had migrated to Arabia, and were clearly unwelcome.
The exercise kicked off today.
And meanwhile, the Fatemiyoun, who according to some sources number at 50,000 strong, and very battle-hardened, have stated that if the Taliban continues its oppression of the Afghan Shia people, they will return to Afghanistan and deal with them, amid reports that the Taliban have been kicking Hazara farmers off their lands, to make room for Pashtun farmers.
Iranian media conducted some interviews with a few Fatemiyoun Hazaras, who expressed a desire to go to Afghanistan and protect their people.
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1400/07/09/1400070912291466823726604.jpg — The Syrian Army has thrashed terrorist positions in Idlib and Northwest of Hama, with intense rocket barrages.
Terrorist positions in Mareian, Al-Fatira, the outskirts of Al-Bara, Kansafra, in the South of Idlib, and around the cities of Ariha, and Jisr al-Shughur, in the West of Idlib, and also around the the village of Qalb Loze, were heavily struck.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Army has attacked Syrian Army positions in the East and Southeast of Idlib.
The Turkish Army has ordered its forces in Idlib and Western Aleppo to be on full high alert.
The Turks have positioned armored units in Idlib and Western Aleppo along the conflict lines with the Syrian Army, for the first time since entering the region.
And Russian fighter jets have conducted airstrikes against terrorist positions in the Al-Ghab Plain, Northwest of Hama.
On Thursday, Hezbollah reported that its forces shot down an Israeli drone.
https://tinyurl.com/ypxpzkze — Hezbollah released these photos of the downed drone, on Friday
https://youtu.be/YpHKUFF7xdU — and the Yemenis also shot down yet another US ScanEagle drone.
By contrast, Iranian drones continue to wreak havoc all over the place, and very infrequently do we hear of them getting shot down, and when they are shot down:
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/the-us-shot-down-iranian-drone-in-syria-report-677448
“A US warplane shot down a drone in Syria on Saturday. It is a rare occurrence when fighter jets are used to shoot down drones, although Israel has shot down drones with warplanes, and a US F-15E Strike Eagle shot down a drone in June 2017 in Syria, one of two US downings of Syrian regime drones.”
..fighter jets must scramble to shoot them down.
Again, compare this with all the countless instances where the Resistance has brought down US-Israeli drones relatively intact, not to mention the RQ-170 which was hacked and commandeered, and is now the Shahed-171 and the Saeqeh-2.
Meanwhile in Israel,
https://m.jpost.com/opinion/its-time-israel-got-serious-to-tackle-the-iran-threat-opinion-680767 — “It’s time Israel got serious to tackle the Iran threat”
It’s time to get serious now. Up until now, everything was a joke, and Israel wasn’t even trying ‘seriously’. But all that is about to change. Bennett — who isn’t even equal to Netanyahu’s big toe — is going to take things to a new level; a serious level.
And last but not least,
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-fuel-crisis-is-back-under-control-minister-says-2021-09-30/ — “Chaos in the UK: pumps dry, medicines disrupted and pig cull fears”
Is this karma for what they did to Lebanon? I don’t know, but I don’t think the English would last half as long as the Lebanese did, under similar conditions.
I have nothing against the English, personally, but there is a certain mischievous sense of satisfaction to seeing them waiting in line for hours to get fuel, and facing food and medicine shortages. It feels very serendipitous.
I think I speak on behalf of all Iranian people when I say: if the UK needs fuel, food, and medicine, the Iranian nation is happy to provide what it can.
“In a chaotic week where fights broke out at gas stations and people filled up old water bottles with petrol, British ministers have repeatedly said the crisis was easing, though they ordered soldiers on Wednesday to start driving fuel tankers.”
It may be too early to break out the champagne yet, but I think what we are witnessing is glimpses of England falling back to their pre Colonial Imperialist state, where everyone was starving all the time, and people were fighting on the streets over bread, and English armies were massacring each other to put this or that pretender on the throne.
Here’s to pre-Colonial-Imperialist England! And to Queen Elizabeth — what a splendid job you’ve done!
And while we’re on the subject of spy drones, here’s a demonstration of the camera on a Mohajer-6 drone:
https://youtu.be/w0h2zypxc3Y
And while we’re talking Iranian equipment, here is a demonstration of Iranian laser-guided artillery, being used against takfiris in Syria:
https://youtu.be/A4B72ma6pxo
Iran has announced that the Republic of Baku has been excluded from Iran’s Persian Gulf to Black Sea transit route.
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1400/07/12/1400071213290583223744804.jpg — here is the route, which I assume will also link up with Russia. It will now bypass the Republic of Baku completely
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1400/07/12/1400071213400627123744824.jpg — here is a map of the region. This map plainly says everything that one would need to know.
Turkey and Azerbaijan want to take the little area where Iran meets Armenia, on behalf of their Israeli masters.
Iran has made it clear that any attempt to fiddle with that border will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile,
https://en.irna.ir/news/84493887/Iran-participates-in-completion-of-Tato-transit-road-in-Armenia — (I will just go ahead and copy-paste the whole article as it is quite short)
“Tehran, IRNA – Iran is scheduled to participate in the completion of the Tato road in Armenia which is supposed to be an alternative for the Goris-Kapan road to connect Iran to Russia and Europe.
Kheirollah Khademi, the managing director of an Iranian road construction company has gone to Yerevan on Monday to inspect the project.
Khademi, who is also Deputy Minister of Road and Urban Development, went to the Armenian capital at the head of a technical and engineering committee to consider the way Iran can participate in the completion project of the road.
Baku claims that less than 20 kilometers of the 400km-long Goris-Kapan road from Iran’s Norduz border crossing to Yerevan is part of Azerbaijan’s soil.
The country has imposed strict regulations on Iranian trucks on their way to the Armenian capital over the past one month and a half, forcing them to pay $130 tolls.
With the completion of Tato road, only less than 15 km of which is incomplete, Iran will connect Armenia without having to enter the Republic of Azerbaijan and from there will be connected to Russia and Europe.”
So,
1. As far as Iran is concerned, Azerbaijan will be bypassed in the North-South corridor linking Russia and Iran
2. Iran-Armenia ties are growing
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1400/07/12/1400071214162538523744954.jpg — the Iranian foreign minister has met with his Armenian counterpart 3 times in the last twenty days
3. Any attempt by the Turks to annex more land along the Armenia-Iran border, will be met by decisive action
And now, the Turks (Erdogan and Aliyev) have announced that they will be holding military exercises on the Iranian border, as if that will entice Iran to let Azerbaijan back into the transport corridor.
Also, Turkish media has really been going to extreme lengths to fan the flames of conflict between Baku and Iran.
In Iran, Turks have always been the butt of all jokes about being dumb, like blondes are in the West. I think they are now demonstrating to the whole world why that is.
No amount of tantrums by the Turkish media, and no amount of ridiculous military exercises on Iran’s border will change anything.
The negative PR from this whole show, as far as it concerns how Iranians view Turkey and Baku, has been astounding. Most Iranians will not even spit in the face of Baku anymore.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
And also, the military exercises which Iran ended up holding on the Azerbaijani border, were held by the Artesh, and not the Sepah (IRGC).
Iran has two separate and distinct armed forces. The Artesh, which is the regular army, held defensive exercises on the border last week. The IRGC is an elite force, and clearly this whole scuffle with Baku was not deemed to be worth their time.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Amir_Brigadier_General_Kiomars_Heydari.jpg — General Amir Heydari, head of the Artesh ground forces, has stated that Iran will not allow Azerbaijan to move around international borders and open up space for Zionists, due to Armenia’s weakness
https://youtu.be/gZKYc0iho8U — an Artesh artillery unit playing with their toys on the Azerbaijani border as part of last week’s drills
But now, the IRGC is transporting equipment to the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, where they seem to be gearing up to strike Northern Iraq extensively.
https://youtu.be/BNsbH4EQeyc — equipment on the way to the Western border
Northern Iraq is the place to watch closely, in the coming days.
And last but not least,
https://amp.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/03/queen-crown-estate-bought-property-family-azerbaijan-ruler — “The Queen’s crown estate has launched an internal review over a £67m London property it appears to have bought from Azerbaijan’s multimillionaire ruling family – which has repeatedly been accused of corruption.”
Congratulations to Aliyev, for his ties to Global Zionism and the City of London, which are now fully out in the open.
This is how the Global Zionist Entity gets cooperation from corrupt idiot politicians, by making them rich in Western countries. This is what they were doing with Rouhani and Zarif and the rest of those scumbags in Iran, ie. while the average person in Iran or Azerbaijan can only dream of ever visiting a Western country, even as a tourist, the Jews offer to, for example, gift the most beautiful beach house and immediate citizenship of the country that goes with it, to the sons and daughters of some Middle Eastern politician whose parents were peasants and who never saw anything nicer in their whole lives than the hills where their goats used to graze.
The majority of politicians in the world usually accept such offers, because they want to see their children living it up in some beach town in Australia or California, rather than wasting their time in their own ‘horrid’ countries where the consensus usually seems to be that “there is no future here”, because the Western media says so.
Any politician who does not accept the offers to be made very rich and powerful, and for their children to live in the nicest places on Earth, will then be sanctioned and destroyed, or in the case of the Great Qasem Soleimani, assassinated.
But once your children are in their hands, you must do everything they demand, otherwise your son or daughter may just be found dead with a needle in their arm, or worse, much worse. And this is why any Iranian presidential candidate who had children living abroad was disqualified from competing in the last elections.
In Iran, sanctions are worn like a badge of honor. And anyone who is sanctioned, will receive special benefits from the Iranian state.
Seems like every day now the US government is asking/demanding that Iran return to the negotiations.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/7/us-calls-for-imminent-return-to-nuclear-talks-with-iran — “The Biden administration has called for an “imminent” return to talks in Vienna to revive the Iran nuclear deal, but said a resumption of the negotiations is “hinging on the Iranians”.”
This may be an oversimplification on my part, buy what is there to talk about? If the US lifts all sanctions, Iran will stop playing with Uranium.
If the US really intended to lift sanctions, they would not be calling on Iran to return to Vienna for talks. They would lift the sanctions, and watch Iran’s reaction. If the Iranians continue to enrich Uranium, then sanctions can easily be reimposed. But if Iran stops putting rocks in centrifuges, or whatever, the US will have no reason to reimpose sanctions.
So, what is there to talk about?
The truth of the matter is, the sanctions which Iran has been under, are a historically unprecedented phenomenon. In what age or era has every country in the world been banded together against one country? It is worthy of note here that before 2016, even Russia and China were formally and officially taking part in the sanctions against Iran. So it is not an exaggeration at all to say that all countries were banded together against one.
If all sanctions against Iran are lifted, which is the Iranian prerequisite for any return to the deal, Iranians will become filthy rich. Not only does Iran have more oil and gas than the Gulf monarchies, but Iran holds a staggering 7% of the Earth’s mineral reserves, and Iran produces an astronomic amount of fruits and nuts of absolutely every kind. In addition to all that, Iran also has a vibrant industrial sector, where a near endless profusion of things are produced. Add to this Iran’s geographical location, which is one of the most important geopolitical crossroads on the planet — if not the most important of all — and it becomes clear that if all sanctions are lifted, eventually Iran will make Saudi Arabia look like a wretched homeless shelter.
And if Iran is currently supporting so many Resistance-affiliated groups, which are immensely influential in the region, and are winning their respective contests with the US-Israeli side, what will happen if sanctions are lifted and Iran becomes possibly the richest country in the world, which is not far fetched at all if one looks at the Gulf states, and the immense amount of wealth which is concentrated there. For example, Kuwait has the world’s most powerful currency.
This means that sanctions will never be fully lifted. They can’t be. Because while currently Iran is only winning the military war, if sanctions were to be lifted, Iran would automatically have won th economic war through the very act of the lifting of the sanctions.
So, why are they wasting Iran’s time? What is the point of talks?
https://youtu.be/HP7BumbEAHk — here is a cargo airplane assembly line in Iran
https://youtu.be/q9JcgOr5A1w — and here is an Iranian fighter jet flying
What would happen, for example, to the Iranian aerospace and aviation industry, if sanctions were lifted and Iran could procure technologies that every other country is free to procure? The simplest things one could possibly imagine, are sanctioned and Iran is not permitted to buy them.
But while we are here, I should note that the Taliban have been very generous with Iran, concerning the US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan. Iran’s drone technologies are a result of reverse engineering American technology, and then building on that foundation. And Iran’s drone technologies are now perhaps the very best in the world.
Meanwhile,
https://youtu.be/aL8YQZ4rbLQ — the Yemenis have shot down yet another US drone yesterday, this time an RQ-20
So, the world should expect similar leaps from Iran in other military technologies soon, because there is nothing that the US left behind in Afghanistan, that the IRGC does not have access to. IRGC specialists are already in the process of reverse engineering tanks, helicopters, Humvees, etc, etc, all brought in from Afghanistan.
Even with sanctions, Iran is quickly catching up to the rest of the world. True, the Kowsar fighter jet is not an F-22 Raptor, but, how many countries produce fighters jets, let alone 100% domestically made ones? Nevermind the sanctions!
The Kowsar will eventually become equal to the F-22 or F-16, and then it will surpass them, just as Iranian drone technology has surpassed the US. The evidence of this is all the instances where US air defenses have been unable to bring down or even detect Iranian drones, while American drones are shot down by the Resistance pretty much every day now, and what is more, the Resistance brings down the US drones relatively intact.
That is what I call dancing circles around the US. And what does this say about Iranian air defense systems?
If the playing field were leveled, Iran would absolutely devastate the US. Who can argue with this?
The IRGC unveiled a new weapon recently. It is a kind of bunker buster.
https://youtu.be/0XE-dIKDkho — It is precision guided, and can be safely launched from an indoor space
Iran only unveils weapons as a matter of strategy. But there is no real ambiguity here. Iranian weapons, as a rule, are in reality much better than what Iran makes publicly known. It is not dumb luck that the Resistance is winning, it is better technology. The term “ballistic missile” now incites true fear in the Saudi coalition, and this is no joke, the Yemeni ballistic missiles have been grievous and traumatizing for them.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia even have arms and military cooperation deals with Russia. Are they winning in Yemen? If they are winning in Yemen, then why are they begging Tehran to sit down and talk to them?
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-saudi-talks-have-gone-good-distance-irans-foreign-minister-2021-10-07/
DUBAI, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have gone a “good distance”, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told a news conference in Beirut on Thursday, referring to efforts to improve ties.
These are surrender negotiations, instigated by the Saudi side.
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1400/07/16/1400071617133611423770474.jpg — Ebrahim Raisi visited the Bushehr nuclear power plant yesterday, where he tasked the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization with generating 10,000 Megawatts of electricity within the next few years.
He stressed that nuclear power is Iran’s right, and Iran will absolutely not forgo that right under any condition.
He also tasked the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization with launching nuclear powered water desalination plants, ASAP, which in my opinion is something that Iran desperately needs, especially faced with the current seemingly endless drought.
I think this was a clear and timely response to the US calls for Iran to ‘imminently’ return to the negotiating table.
My interpretation of Raisi’s position is that Iran now demands the lifting of sanctions, and the right to nuclear power, and that the utmost Iran is willing to concede is for its nuclear research to be monitored by the IAEA, and that is all.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has stated that Iran will return to the negotiations “soon”.
Meanwhile, two days ago, the IRGC intercepted US Navy vessels in the Persian Gulf, and of course, made a public spectacle of it.
https://newsmediab.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Video/1400/07/15/1400071515382761023763513.mp4 — the IRGC harassing US Navy boats
And on another note,
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211006-taliban-iran-conclude-bilateral-economic-deals — “Afghanistan and Iran yesterday concluded “important” bilateral economic and trade agreements, a spokesman for the Taliban said.”
https://www.jurist.org/news/2021/10/afghanistan-dispatches-iran-has-entered-into-direct-negotiations-with-the-taliban-and-has-now-signed-an-agreement-with-them/
“While countries have still not recognized the Taliban government and many are watching them to see how they observe human rights and the values achieved during the last 20 years, Iran has entered into direct negotiations with the Taliban and has now signed an agreement with them. Iran officials met the Taliban leaders for a number of times in Herat and Kabul.
One agreement has 16 articles and regulates matters related to border/port regulation, trade and transit matters, establishment of gas pipeline, iron mines of Afghanistan and etc. According to the agreement, Duqarun and Islam Qala borders with Iran should remain active 24/7. Furthermore, the agreement mentions that a gas pipeline will be established from Duqarun to Islam Qala border. The Taliban says work on construction of this pipeline will be commenced soon.”
General Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the Yemeni armed forces, announced the liberation of new territories in Marib yesterday, in an operation dubbed “Fajr al-Intisar” or the Dawn of Victory.
Yahya Saree emphasized that, as always, Saudi coalition troops were allowed to retreat and escape the field.
According to the report, 600 kilometers of territory has been reclaimed.
11 spy drones were shot down.
518 operations were conducted by Yemeni air defense forces.
68 operations were conducted by Yemeni missile units, of which 49 were carried out within Yemeni territory, and 19 outside of Yemen.
245 operations by the drone units; 170 inside Yemen, and 75 outside of Yemen.
300 armored vehicles and 4 arms depots were destroyed.
1300 enemy combatants dead, 4320 wounded, and 30 hostage.
https://newsmedia.tasnimnews.com/Tasnim/Uploaded/Image/1400/07/15/1400071518150125723765724.jpg — General Abbas Nilfurushan of the IRGC in an interview with Tasnim yesterday categorically stated that the Yemeni armed forces are now in a position where for the Saudi coalition, defeating them is an absolute impossibility.
He also added that the Yemeni armed forces are in possession of cutting edge military technology, which they have learned how to produce themselves, and that the only option for the Saudi side is negotiations.
He reiterated that there is literally zero chance of victory for the Saudi coalition now.
He also explained that the reason the operation to liberate Marib is moving forward slowly is because the Yemeni armed forces are paying very careful attention to the humanitarian aspect of the conflict, and they are making sure that no needless destruction or loss of life is inflicted in their push forward.
He stressed that the liberation of Marib is inevitable now, and is simply a matter of time.
Meanwhile in Iran, the annual Defenders of the Skies military exercises kicked off yesterday, amid unconfirmed reports that two Israeli F-35s have been stationed in the Republic of Baku.
The following footage had been released from the first day of the exercises:
https://youtu.be/Y3hN5Rz2Nn0 — the Khordad-15 system
https://youtu.be/FKb8aQ8DtEY — the Mersad-16 system
https://youtu.be/eaywUw-46Bw — a new system being tested for the first time, unnamed as of yet
https://youtu.be/VUkAa8hEB8I — a new vertical launch system, unveiled for the first time
https://youtu.be/nxk4ZGxuZ_o — a longer clip of the highlights of the first day of the exercises, including fighter jets, drones, missile defenses, etc.
https://youtu.be/VC9RNGPnG3k — a new short-range system dubbed “Majid”, unveiled the day before the exercises began
General Nilfurushan, when asked by Tasnim about whether Israel is capable of attacking Iran in a hard war, responded that the mere idea is so far-fetched and ridiculous, that it does not even merit a response.
He clarified that the Zionist regime is surrounded by Iranian forces today, and that the Israeli army could not even defeat the smallest members of the Resistance, which are the Palestinians in Gaza, and who are the most limited of all the Resistance groups, in terms of their abilities to conduct operations.
He further explained that the Zionist regime knows that it cannot fight a hard war with a country like Iran, which is many times its size, and this is why they are resorting to conspiracies like what we are witnessing with the Republic of Baku, which he assured would be solved peacefully. He emphasized that Iran will not fall into traps such as this, and peaceful relations will continue with the Republic of Baku.
He also stressed that the Zionist pseudo-state will collapse without a hard war. He stated that the foundations of the Zionist regime are crumbling, and the Zionist elite are fully aware of this, and all that they are hoping for now is to delay the fall of Israel for as long as they can.
He added that all the Jews in Israel are guests which have come from all over the world, because the Zionist regime promised them a peaceful life. Then he asked: has the Zionist regime been able to provide them a peaceful life?
My interpretation of his overall tone and words was that Iran could have completely annihilated Israel and massacred its citizens by the millions, long ago, if that had been the objective. But hospitality towards guests is one of the most important aspects of Iranian culture, which is why there has been no holocaust in Israel. The objective here is to bring down the Zionist regime and send the uninvited guests back to their homes as peacefully as is possible. And the General hinted that this is not far now, as the power of the Resistance is increasing day by day, while Israel and the US wane and fade right before our very eyes.
He hinted that as the Zionist regime is a terrorist regime, they may commit some acts of terrorism and an assassination here or there, but that is essentially the total extent of their power today, which is not really power, but rather weakness.
When asked about the Taliban, the General stated that indeed the Taliban of today are not the Taliban of twenty years ago, and that they have learned many things, for example, they now understand that Afghanistan is composed of many different peoples and that women are also a part of Afghan society, etc. He added that Iran’s current policy and strategy regarding the Taliban is simply patience.
He emphasized that the Taliban have demonstrated a genuine will and good work towards fighting ISIS in Afghanistan, and that the IRGC approves of their actions on that front.
The General stressed that what happened in Afghanistan can be repeated, and that if the US Army does not remove itself from Syria and Iraq, it will be repeated there as well, which the General basically promised.
He also touched on matters ranging from the new Geoeconomic reality which is becoming apparent in the region, to new Iranian domestically produced submarines, and Iranian asymmetric capabilities which the Israelis have been trying to imitate unsuccessfully.
The overall gist of his long and detailed analysis was clear:
1. The US is finished in the region
2. Israel is a wretched little entity, and it can hardly even defend itself from the Gazans anymore
3. The US and Israel’s final hope in the region rests in a deluded little man whose mind is stuck in the past, and who carries ambitions of re-establishing an old Empire, ambitions which will never come to fruition.
4. The Taliban are fighting ISIS very seriously, and they have done much good work in that regard
5. The Saudis cannot win the war in Yemen
6. Israel will collapse without a hard war
7. The future of the region, and the new Geoeconomic reality, is in the hands of the Resistance, and very soon a time will come when everyone in the region must align themselves with the Resistance Axis, if they wish to prosper.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/10/12/iran-and-india-opt-for-armenia/ — a very good article, all of which deserves to be quoted here, but a few paragraphs must suffice:
“On Monday, a BBC journalist quoted the chairman of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, Alireza Peymanpak, as saying: “Two alternative Iran-Eurasia transit routes will replace Azerbaijan’s route. First opens in a month via Armenia after [the] end of repair work, and the second via sea by purchasing and renting vessels.””
“Due to Baku’s overconfidence after last year’s victory, it has not hidden away from demanding more territory. Territorial demands are not just over the bulk of Armenia, but also Iran’s northwest Azeri-majority region. Although Tehran and Baku traditionally have cordial relations, the calling of greater territorial conquests and the blatant display of Israeli military equipment in Azerbaijani possession has broken trust, with war between the two countries seemingly not far away.”
“Due to the increasing hostilities by the Turkey-Azerbaijan-Pakistan nexus, India and Iran announced that the INTSC from next month will begin running through Armenia instead of Azerbaijan to reach Russia. Baku believed that it could balance an aggressive foreign policy whilst being an indispensable state in connectivity projects. Instead, it finds itself increasingly isolated with no friends besides Turkey and Pakistan, and only cordial ties with Georgia and Russia.”
“With the Turkish lira once again breaking its record against the U.S. dollar on Monday, Turkey has extremely limited capacity to once again deal with another military front in the Caucasus, especially as it is seemingly preparing for a new operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria. This effectively means that if Azerbaijan was to provoke another war in the region, it is unlikely that Turkey can offer the same support it did against the Armenians, especially if fighting against Iran.”
“None-the-less, due to the increasing instability instigated by Azerbaijan in the region, it is becoming an unreliable partner for countries to put trust in it to be a transportation-trade hub. In this way, Iran and India are now hinging on Armenia for regional connectivity as they aim to isolate Azerbaijan from such corridors. If the pan-Turkic corridor fails to materialize, Azerbaijan through its own actions turned its potential of being an indispensable transportation-trade hub to being isolated from ambitious regional projects aimed at improving connectivity – and this is to Armenia’s advantage as the two massive regional powers of Iran and India will more closely build relations with it.”
This article provides an excellent analysis of the current situation, in my opinion. Kudos to whoever wrote it.
Iran, with the simple move of excluding Baku from the INSTC, has put Baku in its place, without a single shot fired. And as a result;
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/13/azerbaijan-iran-agree-to-mend-ties-through-dialogue
“Azerbaijan says it has agreed to resolve a diplomatic crisis with Iran through dialogue, weeks after ties soured over Tehran’s allegations that Israel’s military was active in the country.
The breakthrough came during talks between Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian by phone, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.”
It is not hard to imagine the terms of the agreement which was reached yesterday: Baku will be a good boy, and in return Iran will not exclude them from the INSTC. But, if Israeli F-35s take off from Baku territory in order to attack Iranian nuclear installations, Baku will only have itself to blame for the consequences, which brings us to the next point;
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/13/us-and-israel-exploring-plan-b-for-if-iran-does-not-resume-nuclear-talks
“The United States and Israel have warned that they are exploring a “plan B” for dealing with Iran if Tehran does not return in good faith to negotiations to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal.”
The nerve, eh? I hate to state the obvious, but the US needs to return to the deal, not Iran. Iran is still upholding its part of the agreement, according to the UN and the IAEA.
But once again, the US and Israel are threatening Iran with military action. I have lost count of how many times they have threatened to attack Iran in the last few years. Why have these threats never materialized in the past? What is different now? I guess we will see.
Meanwhile, there is much happening that Israel is very unhappy about.
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/tehran-riyadh-detente-could-mark-the-end-for-israel-s-anti-iran-coalition-1.10289097 — “Tehran-Riyadh Detente Could Mark the End for Israel’s anti-Iran Coalition”
“If the talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia would end in reconciliation, the rest of the Arab world could swiftly follow suit. The Middle East would look like a very different place – and so would Israel’s place within it”
“Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian returned from his visit to Syria, Egypt and Russia with good news: Talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran had gone “a good distance,” he said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was more generous with details, saying the talks had proceeded “without interruption” and had focused on ties between Iran and countries in the region, mainly the Persian Gulf States. The war in Yemen was also discussed.
Riyadh and Tehran have already signed a number of agreements, Khatibzadeh said. According to diplomatic sources who spoke with Arab journalists, consulates are expected to open in the two countries soon. A full normalization agreement is expected within weeks, with embassy openings to follow.
If the negotiations between the House of Saud and the Islamic Republic of Iran do result in an agreement and normalization, this will be the final chapter of the anti-Iranian coalition. Israel relied heavily on this coalition, of which it considered itself an unofficial member, to the point where the common denominator between Israel and Saudi Arabia led to hope of a renewal of Saudi ties with Israel.
Saudi-Iran ties might remove the obstacles to a direct channel between all Arab states and Iran. Evidence of this can already be seen in statements by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart last week said: “Good relations with Iran are an important interest of Jordan’s.””
The Saudis, of course, have no choice but to negotiate and come to an agreement with Iran, unless they want the humiliating defeat in Yemen to drag on for even longer. And as if this wasn’t a big enough nightmare for Tel Aviv, there’s also:
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/when-iran-the-taliban-and-hamas-met-681886
“Iran is mastermind behind the Taliban takeover. The plain fact is Iran has spent a decade preparing for the Taliban’s eventual takeover and the once-mortal enemies have collaborated closely. Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani, who is an old Afghan hand himself, showed a willingness to involve himself in the militants’ affairs in the months leading up to their conquest. And Iran’s then-Foreign Minister Javad Zarif hosted the Taliban in Tehran for a meeting with envoys of the US-backed Kabul government weeks before their takeover.”
“Pretty soon, Taliban jihadists will neither play the role of the conduit of ISI’s interests, it will also eventually move against Saudi Arabia and other nations in the Gulf region, especially Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates due to Iran’s influence. While Saudi Arabia currently is witnessing extreme notoriety from Iranian proxy Houthis in Yemen, soon there will be similar hostility both from Afghanistan as well as Iran’s newest darling Palestinian Hamas. This poisonous Iran-Taliban and Iran-Hamas-Hezbollah-Houthi nexus will become a massive headache to the Saudi rulers in the near future.”
But, that’s not all.
https://www.jpost.com/jpost-tech/newly-found-iranian-cyber-espionage-may-pose-real-threat-to-israel-681196
“Iranian threat actors are running a highly targeted cyber-espionage operation against global aerospace and telecommunications companies, stealing sensitive information from targets around Israel and the Middle East, as well as in the United States, Russia and Europe, according to a report published Wednesday by Israeli cybersecurity company Cybereason.
Cybereason identified the previously unknown state actor, dubbed MalKamak, running a sophisticated new form of malware that was previously unknown, during an incident response call for one of its clients, said Assaf Dahan, head of the cyber-threat research group at Cybereason.
The campaign has been running since at least 2018, and has likely succeeded in gathering large amounts of data from carefully chosen targets, Dahan said.”
And last but not least,
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/465990/Iran-Pakistan-agree-to-expand-security-ties-help-establish — “Iran, Pakistan agree to expand security ties, help establish peace in Afghanistan”
“TEHRAN — Islamabad had a busy day on Tuesday, when two Iranian delegations arrived in Pakistan. A delegation representing the Iranian parliament, and a high-rank military delegation headed by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Baqeri.”
“The current visit of Iran’s military delegation to neighboring Pakistan marks a new stage in strengthening defense and security relations between the two important countries.”
“Baqeri’s visit to Pakistan is considered very important due to the growing trend of defense, security, and military relations between the two neighbors.”
What Iran has achieved diplomatically in the region, and continues to achieve, is nothing short of a miracle.
As General Nilfurushan stressed a couple of days ago, all regional countries must align themselves with Iran and the Resistance, if they wish to have any chance at all. Clearly, the Saudis are beginning to understand this. Baku was taught a hard lesson in this regard, with a little “pat on the head”. And even Pakistan now understands that without Iranian cooperation, nothing of worth can happen in the region.
@Anonymous
Thanks for these brilliant, comprehensive reports about Iran’s development.
Saudi International reports today that, “Iran Says China Enforcing US Sanctions On Shipping and Ports”.
https://www.iranintl.com/en/20211017840932
While Saudi International is 100% anti-Iranian propaganda, unfortunately they are not wrong here.
The main gist of the article is summed up in the following paragraph.
“China has generally respected sanctions against Iran, except reports of limited clandestine and indirect oil purchases which go unreported by its customs office.”
The tragedy for Iran is that in practice it is all alone in the world, and even those countries which are supposed to be anti-US, are aligned with the US when it comes to Iran.
Of course, one can name many reasons for this. First and foremost, it is not in China (or Russia’s) interest for Iran, or any other country in the world to become more powerful. This is an undeniable truth of geopolitics; everyone wants to keep everyone else down. But, this is not the main reason why China and Russia repeatedly choose to side with the US against Iran, in my opinion.
When people today discuss geopolitics, the influence of Global Zionism is almost never mentioned. It is never mentioned that there is a global network of billionaires, with tremendous influence in nearly every country in the world, and with absolute power over international trade, manipulating almost everything that happens in the world.
And that is the crux of the matter: absolute power over international trade. The sanctions which are being perpetrated against Iran, are unquestionable proof that whoever is instigating these sanctions, can essentially sway every single country in the world to cooperate with them.
The world media (not the Western media) makes it seem like it is the US which is instigating these sanctions against Iran. That is nonsense. The US itself is being forced to impose these sanctions, which are clearly opposed to US interests.
Trade with Iran would benefit the US tremendously. Who can deny this? But Iran trading with the US would not be in Israel’s interest, and I don’t think anyone on this website is in denial about Israel’s total control over the US and EU’s foreign policies.
What people on this website are in denial about, is that Israel also dictates foreign policy to Russia and China.
Larry Romanoff writes articles forcing Americans to confront difficult truths. But nobody on this website seems keen to confront this difficult truth: why does China go along with “US” sanctions against Iran?
Why did China and Russia vote to sanction Iran for an alleged nuclear weapons program, but Israel’s nuclear arsenal is never addressed?
Why do Russia and China go along with the narrative that the Islamic Republic is a rogue terrorist regime, but Israel which is the real rogue terrorist regime, is never confronted?
I want to make the reality very clear here: Israel smuggled bombs into Iranian nuclear installations, hidden inside IAEA monitoring equipment. When the bombs went off and destroyed the monitoring equipment, the IAEA demanded that Iran immediately replace the equipment. We are talking about the Karaj site here. Iran’s response to the UN-affiliated IAEA was that if the agency will openly announce Israel’s role and condemn it, Iran will replace the monitoring equipment. The result? The IAEA has made no further demands for the monitoring equipment to be replaced at the Karaj site.
Did anybody in the UN say a word about this monumental scandal? Did any media outlet in the world report on it, except Iranian media?
How can Russia and China remain silent on an issue as incredibly important to international law and order as this?
This goes far beyond simple geopolitical interests in keeping other countries from becoming too powerful. This is all a clear demonstration that China and Russia are in the same boat as the US, when it comes to the Global Zionist Entity.
Of course, this is completely understandable. Iran has been made an example of. The same ‘real’ sanctions that have been imposed on Iran, can be imposed on Russia and China, and anyone else. Some may argue that China and Russia are more resilient than Iran and US sanctions can’t hurt then, and that is fine, but if that is the case, why do China and Russia choose to align themselves with “US” sanctions rather than be on the receiving end of those sanctions?
The “US” position is clear: either follow our sanctions regime against Iran, or join Iran. As of now, literally zero countries have chosen to join Iran, except Iran’s gang of allies, who were already sanctioned anyway.
The latest from Venezuela:
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iranian-supertanker-departing-venezuela-transport-heavy-oil-2021-10-16/ — HOUSTON/CARACAS, Oct 16 (Reuters) – An Iran-flagged supertanker on Saturday was about to set sail from Venezuelan waters carrying 2 million barrels of heavy crude provided by state-run oil firm PDVSA (PDVSA.UL), according to documents seen by Reuters and vessel tracking services.
“The bilateral oil trade could be a breach of U.S. sanctions on both countries, the U.S. Treasury Department told Reuters last month, citing government orders that establish the punitive measures.
A Treasury spokesperson on Saturday declined to comment further on the latest development.”
What can you do when two countries who are both under sanctions decide to trade with eachother?
The answer is nothing. The US can do nothing.
So, why does China still uphold US sanctions against Iran? Because clearly, the US can do something in retaliation, and not to Iran, but to China, and obviously it will hurt China badly, and Beijing prefers not to go down that path. But then the question arises, aren’t China and the US supposedly already engaged in a cold war? So, why does the US not hurt China badly now? The answer is that the US does not have the power to hurt China, Global Zionism has that power. And China is on exceptionally friendly terms with that lot, and will not do anything to jeopardize that relationship.
The people on this website continue to see the world in terms of a war between East and West, the US vs China and Russia, and while they accept the Zionist influence as driving the collective West, they continue to turn a blind eye to that influence in China and Russia.
As I have said before, and I am willing to stake my reputation on this: there will be no war between the US and China/Russia, because the objective of the Zionists is to divide and conquer at the moment, and they do not wish to set the world ablaze, as there is nothing to be gained for them from doing that. But even if one side manages to beat the other, if China and Russia defeat the West, Global Zionism will not be defeated.
The fact of the matter is, the current global financial system belongs to the Jews, and the West is full of Russian and Chinese scientists and thinkers of all kinds, so it is definitely not Russian and Chinese ingenuity which is driving Russia and China’s success. If the Jews did not want to weaken the West and strengthen the East, they could easily have prevented Russia and China’s rise. All they had to do was impose the same kind of sanctions that they imposed on Iran, and neither Russia nor China possess anywhere near the natural resources which Iran possesses; they would have been devastated.
Anyone who is serious about analyzing geopolitics, must take into account the Zionist element, which is never discussed in mainstream geopolitical discussions. And once the Zionist element is taken into consideration, the US vs Russia/China “war” becomes apparent as what it is: a sham, a false narrative which will never materialize.
Meanwhile, the real war rages on in West Asia, where Iran, under international sanctions by everybody including China and Russia, battles the combined strength of the US and its allies, and inflicts real defeats on the US on a daily basis, while the supposed intelligent people of the world congratulate Russia and China for beating the US, and yet nobody can pinpoint exactly what China and Russia are doing that is beating the US, because it is the US and the West which are causing their own downfall through mismanagement, and not through any action of China or Russia.
World War I brought down the Ottoman Empire and handed Palestine over to the British.
World War II brought down all the enemies of the Jews around the world, and led the Jews to mass-migrate to Palestine.
World War III is currently being fought in order that Israel may expand. Meanwhile, the people of the world, even the supposedly intelligent and knowledgeable who follow geopolitics, seem fixated on China and Russia, and have completely missed the crushing defeat that Iran has dealt to the combined strength of the US and its allies, and continues to deal on a daily basis.
And everyone missed the fact that Russia did not veto the UN arms embargo on Yemen. And everyone missed that Russia sells weapons to the Saudi coalition.
Will the people on this site confront these difficult truths?