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Armenian calls for Tehran-Yerevan cooperation in oil and gas

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The Armenian foreign minister congratulated Amirabdollahian on his appointment as Iran’s top diplomat. He also described Iran-Armenia talks as “good and expanding”. 

Mirzoyan underlined the need for holding an Iran-Armenia joint commission as soon as possible. He also called for the two countries to start their cooperation in the oil and energy sector. 

Amirabdollahian also underscored the transit capacity between Iran and Armenia and described cooperation in the energy sector as an important component in economic relations. The Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic is ready to host Armenia’s energy minister for a review of the related possibilities of the two countries.

Iran ready to cooperate with Singapore in security, counter-terrorism, narcotics

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The top Iranian diplomat touched on the growing political and parliamentary relations between the two countries, and mentioned the challenges in the economic relations between the two sides and called for these challenges to be addressed.

He also referred to the agreement to support joint ventures between the two countries, stating that it is necessary to form a trade and commerce working group between Iran and Singapore.

The agreement to avoid double taxation, which is currently ready to be signed by the two sides, was another issue mentioned by the Iranian foreign minister in this meeting.

Amirabdollahian also stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes Singapore’s investment in the oil and petrochemical industry, as well as the development of ports and tourism, and announced Iran’s readiness to cooperate in the fields of security, counter-terrorism, narcotics, organized crime and cyber security.

He said Iran is ready to cooperate with ASEAN and welcomes a joint commission between Iran and Singapore.

During the meeting, the Singaporean foreign minister described as stable, respectful and excellent the ties between the two sides.

Balakrishnan referred to the Singaporean president’s visit to Tehran, stressing that his country is ready to develop cooperation with Iran and said there is vast potential for expanding bilateral relations.

It should be noted that the two sides also discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan and Yemen.

Erdogan: Turkey-US ties not ‘healthy’

By
IFP Media Wire
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“I cannot say that a healthy process is running in Turkish-American ties … We bought F-35s, we paid $1.4 billion and these F-35s were not given to us. The United States needs to first sort this out,” Erdogan told reported on Thursday after attending the UN General Assembly in New York.

The two countries should work together as friends but “the current direction does not bode well”, Erdogan said, adding he and Biden had not “started off right”.

“I’ve worked well with [George] Bush junior, I’ve worked well with Mr [Barack] Obama, I’ve worked well with Mr [Donald] Trump, but I can’t say we started well with Mr Biden,” Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said that “Biden has started to supply terror groups [PKK/YPG] with weapons, vehicles, and equipment”, adding, “US hasn’t acted honestly and isn’t acting honestly.”

Erdogan stressed that Ankara would meet its defence needs from elsewhere if Washington did not help.

Turkey has no intention to reverse its decision on the purchase and use of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, Erdogan stated.

He noted that “for us, the work with S-400s has been completed and we will not backtrack. The United States should understand this”.

Ankara’s decision to purchase the Russian-made system infuriated the United States and NATO. So far, Washington has not abandoned its efforts to make Turkey give up the Russian air defense system. Turkey has not caved to US pressure and said that it would keep the S-400 system. Washington has responded by excluding Ankara from the US program of developing the fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bomber.

Sources: TRT, Haberturk, Sabah

US House approves $1bn for Israel’s Iron Dome

By
IFP Media Wire
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The House passed legislation on Thursday to provide $1 billion to support Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system after Democrats stripped the funding from a stopgap bill to prevent a government shutdown due to progressive objections earlier this week.

The standalone bill to ensure the Iron Dome funding passed handily on a bipartisan basis, 420-9, with two Democrats voting “present”. Eight liberal Democrats and one Republican voted in opposition.

House Democrats passed a bill on Tuesday that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 3, but Republicans universally opposed it because it included a provision to suspend the debt limit into next year.

Because of the widespread GOP opposition on Tuesday, House Democrats couldn’t afford more than three defections and still pass the bill on their own. Democratic leaders therefore opted to remove the Iron Dome funding from the government spending bill to accommodate progressives’ concerns and instead consider it on a standalone basis.

The debate over the Iron Dome funding once again laid bare the internal Democratic divisions over Israel, which have repeatedly flared since they took over the House majority two years ago.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) spoke with the Israeli foreign minister on Tuesday and assured him that lawmakers would address the Iron Dome funding, despite its removal from the bill to prevent a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Funding for the Iron Dome, which is designed to help Israel defend itself from rocket attacks launched by Hamas in Gaza, has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee sought to stress that the funding is purely for defensive purposes and cannot be used by Israel for procurement of offensive weapons.

“As we continue to stand up for a two-state solution that achieves peace, security and hope and opportunity for both Israelis and Palestinians, we vigorously, strongly, unshakably stand for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism,” Hoyer said.

But moments before Hoyer took to the podium on the House floor, tensions flashed as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the lone Palestinian American member of Congress, spoke out against the Iron Dome funding.

“We cannot be talking only about Israelis’ need for safety at a time when Palestinians are living under a violent apartheid system,” Tlaib stated, calling the Israeli government “an apartheid regime.”
“We should also be talking about Palestinian need for security from Israeli attacks,” she added.
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), who is Jewish, subsequently abandoned his prepared remarks and angrily blasted Tlaib for having “besmirched our ally”.
“I cannot, I cannot allow one of my colleagues to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and label the Jewish democratic state of Israel an apartheid state. I reject it,” Deutch noted.

Deutch argued that describing the Israeli government in such terms is “consistent with those who advocate for the dismantling of the one Jewish state in the world. And when there is no place on the map for one Jewish state, that’s anti-Semitism”.

The Senate is expected to consider the standalone Iron Dome funding bill at a later time.

But the bill that the House passed on Tuesday to keep the federal government funded through Dec. 3 and suspend the debt limit before an October deadline is set to fail amid widespread GOP opposition in the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is insisting that Republicans won’t help Democrats prevent a disastrous default on the nation’s debt obligations, as the GOP protests Democrats’ plans to enact a $3.5 trillion spending plan to expand social safety net programs.

Democrats argue that they acted to suspend the debt limit multiple times during the Trump presidency and that the accumulated debt is also a result of spending from those years.

“From the start, they’ve planned to use a party-line fast-track process to ram this through the Senate on their own,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday, referring to the budget reconciliation process Democrats are using for their spending plan to circumvent a GOP filibuster.

“That’s why Republicans will not help this unified Democratic government with its basic duty to raise the debt ceiling,” he added.

Source: The Hill

Power firm warns Lebanon headed for complete blackout

By
IFP Media Wire
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Electricite du Liban (EDL) can generate less than 500 megawatts from fuel it secured through a deal with Iraq, the company said in a statement.

Iraq signed an agreement in July allowing the cash-strapped Lebanese government to pay for 1 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil a year in goods and services. The heavy fuel oil is not suitable for use in Lebanon, but it is exchanged in tenders for a suitable grade.

EDL added its reserves of both Grade A and Grade B fuel oil had reached a critical point and had run out already for some plants that have now stopped production.

“The network already experienced total blackouts across the country seven times and if this continues there is a high risk of reaching total and complete blackout by end September,” the statement reads.

Worsening shortages of fuel have meant little if any state-supplied power for the past few months. Power cuts across the country can currently last up to 23 hours a day, with most Lebanese relying on costly private generators amid a devastating economic crisis.

The country raised fuel prices on Wednesday for the second time in less than a week, amid severe rationing spurred by the collapse of a subsidy system.

To fill a medium-sized vehicle’s tank, most Lebanese would now have to pay close to the monthly minimum wage of 675,000 Lebanese pounds ($43 on the black market), at a time when nearly 80 percent of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line.

Lebanon has gradually increased fuel prices in recent months because the cash-strapped central bank can no longer afford to fund fuel imports – while the Lebanese currency’s loss of 90 percent of its value in less than two years has pushed entire swathes of the population into poverty.

Since the end of June, the price of petrol has more than tripled amid severe rationing that has turned entire streets into chaotic queues for cars lining up to fill up at the pumps.

Importers and gas station owners say they are out of stock but authorities have accused them of hoarding supplies to sell at higher prices once subsidies are officially lifted.

The country, which has fallen into a financial crisis since late 2019 believed to be among the worst in the world since the 1850s, also endured 13 months of political paralysis in the wake of the Beirut port explosion.

A government led by billionaire Najib Mikati finally received a vote of confidence on Monday – but Lebanon’s ruling political class has been widely blamed for the 4 August 2020 blast, as well as for leading the country into dire economic straits due to decades of corruption and cronyism.

The economic and political collapse has affected all vital sectors of the country, including healthcare, basic transportation and access to food.

Source: Middle East Eye

Russia FM, EU foreign policy chief discuss JCPOA, Afghanistan

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The talks focused on a wide range of pressing regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Mail, along with the JCPoA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal) and the Middle East settlement. They also touched upon the state of and prospects for Russia-EU relations,” the statement reads.

Lavrov arrived at the UN Headquarters on Wednesday to attend the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly. The Russian foreign minister has already held a number of meetings with foreign counterparts. He is expected to deliver a speech on September 25.

Meanwhile, Borrell told reporters that the European Union was working on the opening of its office in the Afghan capital of Kabul, but added, citing security concerns, that he could not speak about the timeframe.

After the United States ended its military operation in Afghanistan and withdrawn its troops from the country, the Taliban mounted an offensive and swept into Kabul, meeting no resistance on August 15. On September 6, they claimed full control of Afghanistan’s territory and on September 7, declared a new interim government.

Source: TASS

Blinken discusses JCPOA, Afghanistan with Persian Gulf FMs

By
IFP Media Wire
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President Joe Biden’s administration is keen to get Iran to return to talks on its nuclear programme after a three-month hiatus caused by its change in government, but Blinken is warning that the window for negotiations may soon close.

“Every passing day as Iran continues to take actions that are not in compliance with the agreement… we will get to a point at which simply returning to the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) will not recapture the benefits of the agreement,” Blinken told reporters after the meeting, using the abbreviation for nuclear deal’s official name.

The meeting, which took place on the margins of the 76th UN General Assembly, is the first time representatives of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) have met together with Blinken, who took office in February.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE’s Minister of State Yousef Al Otaiba attended.

A source familiar with deliberations said the agenda included Iran, Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the meeting’s ambience was described as positive and professional.

Syria and Lebanon were not discussed because the meeting ran out of time, the source explained.

Three sources confirmed to The National that Iran was the main topic during the meeting.

A US return to the Iran nuclear deal was also discussed along with Tehran’s regional behaviour and contingency plans should Iran fail to rein in any renegade actions.

The sources added GCC members agreed on the benefits of capping Iran’s nuclear programme through a US return to the JCPOA, but there was no consensus on the concessions Tehran should receive if such a return occurs.

One source said that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan asked Blinken about contingency plans if efforts to return both parties to the JCPOA falter and if Iran’s regional behaviour deteriorates.

“What is the plan?” Prince Faisal asked.

Blinken assured the foreign ministers that the US is committed to the security of the Gulf, but gave no clear answer, the source added.

Despite meetings between Iran’s new Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his European counterparts in New York, hopes are diminishing for a swift return to the deal.

Iran’s hard-line government has not committed to returning to talks nor to rolling back Tehran’s breaches of the deal.

On Afghanistan, one source said Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani favoured using aid as a leverage with the Taliban without sanctioning the group.

Others stressed the need for the Taliban to uphold Afghanistan’s international commitments before any recognition could occur.

Blinken thanked the GCC ministers before the meeting for helping during evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. He called it “a vivid demonstration of how our Gulf partners provide critical support in times of need, and we greatly, greatly appreciate it”, according to a source.

While discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Blinken emphasised upholding the two-state solution and he thanked Qatar for its aid to the Palestinians.

One of the representatives at the meeting noted that Palestine used to be “the mother of all conflicts in the region, but is now the grandmother”, one person who was present at the meeting said.

He added the meeting is “a reflection of the importance that we all attach to the work that we’re doing, between the United States and the GCC”.

Source: The National

Chinese scientists claim Covid first spread in US, not Wuhan

By
IFP Media Wire
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Using mathematical models, a quartet of Chinese scientists has argued that the first case of Covid-19 appeared between April and November 2019 in the northeastern US, long before the outbreak in Wuhan.

“The calculation results show that the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States has a high probability of beginning to spread around September 2019,” says the 14-page paper published on Wednesday at ChinaXiv, a repository operated by the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The paper was authored by Zhouwang Yang, Yunhe Hu, and Zhiwei Ding from the University of Science and Technology of China, and corresponding author Tiande Guo of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The quarter set out to “infer the origin time of pandemic” based on “a data and model hybrid driven method”. They modeled the positive test rate to fit the actual trends and used “the least squares estimation to obtain the optimal model parameters,” before applying the “kernel density estimation…to infer the origin time of pandemic given the specific confidence probability”, according to the paper.

Officially, the first case of Covid-19 was registered in the US on January 20, 2020 – about a month after the outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The Chinese researchers, however, argue that there is a 50% probability of first cases in 11 US states and the District of Columbia prior to that – as early as April 2019 in Rhode Island and as late as November that year in Delaware.

Their sample consisted of mainly northeastern US states – Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia – with Michigan and Louisiana thrown into the mix.

Much of the paper focuses on Maryland, the location of Fort Detrick – a US Army base used to research bioweapons during the Cold War, and now hosts the US biological defense program. Although the paper does not specifically mention Fort Detrick, multiple Chinese officials have repeatedly suggested that the virus may have come from there, as counter to US speculation that it originated from gain-of-function research on bat viruses, conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

The so-called ‘lab leak’ hypothesis focuses on the funding the US National Institutes of Health provided to a nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance, which partnered with the WIV to conduct bat coronavirus research.

Earlier this week, the web-based investigative collective DRASTIC published documents allegedly leaked by a whistleblower, showing that EcoHealth Alliance was asking the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for funding in 2018 to release modified viruses into bat caves in southern China, but the proposal was rejected as too risky.

The four researchers also claim that a “series of previous studies showed that the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil and other countries had been attacked by the coronavirus before its outbreak in China”.

Source: RT

Catalan separatist leader detained in Italy

By
IFP Media Wire
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The European Parliament member (MEP) was expected to appear in court on Friday at a hearing that could see him extradited to Spain to face sedition charges.

The Catalan leader – who has been based in Belgium since the 2017 referendum – was detained in Alghero, Sardinia, his chief of staff, Josep Lluis Alay, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

“At his arrival at Alghero airport, he was arrested by Italian police. Tomorrow [Friday], he’ll appear before the judges of the court of appeal of Sassari, who will decide whether to let him go or extradite him,” Alay said.
Puigdemont’s lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, wrote on social media that the exiled separatist leader was arrested on his arrival in Italy, where he was travelling in his capacity as an MEP.

He added the arrest was made on the basis of a warrant issued in October 2019 that had since been suspended.

Puigdemont, 58, is wanted in Spain on allegations of sedition over his attempts to have the Catalan region break away from Madrid through the 2017 referendum.

His arrest comes a week after the left-leaning Spanish government and regional Catalan authorities resumed negotiations to find a solution to Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.

In March, the European Parliament rescinded immunity for Puigdemont and two other pro-independent MEPs, a decision that was upheld in July by the European Union’s General Court.

However, the European Parliament’s decision is under appeal and a final ruling by the EU court has yet to be made.

Following Thursday’s arrest, Madrid expressed “its respect for the decisions of the Italian authorities and courts”.

“The arrest of Mr Puigdemont corresponds to an ongoing judicial procedure that applies to any EU citizen who has to answer to the courts,” the Spanish government said in a statement.

The statement added Puigdemont should “submit to the action of justice like any other citizen”.

New Catalan president Pere Aragones – a separatist but more moderate than his predecessor – condemned what he called the “persecution” of Puigdemont.

“In the face of persecution and judicial repression, the strongest condemnation. It has to stop,” he wrote on Twitter.

He added that “self-determination” was the “only solution”.

Besides Puigdemont, former Catalan regional ministers Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati are also wanted in Spain on allegations of sedition.

The October 2017 referendum was held by Catalonia’s separatist regional leadership despite a ban by Madrid, and the process was marred by police violence.

A few weeks later, the leadership made a short-lived declaration of independence, prompting Puigdemont to flee abroad.

Others who stayed in Spain were arrested and tried.

However, Puigdemont did not benefit from the pardon granted in June to nine pro-independence activists who had been imprisoned in Spain.

Source: AFP

US lawmakers seek to end support for Saudi war on Yemen

By
IFP Media Wire
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Lawmakers voted 219-207 to advance the measure, which was introduced by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. The heads of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), also co-sponsored the measure.

The amendment would be included in next year’s National Defense Authorization Act if it passes the Senate.

“The passage of our amendment as part of this year’s NDAA sends a clear signal to the government of Saudi Arabia that they must end their war of attrition, support a political settlement, and make amends,” Khanna said in a statement on Thursday.

“Next, our amendment will head to NDAA conference negotiations, and I will continue to push for its inclusion in the final conference report so that President Biden can sign it into law,” Khanna added.

“It’s time to do what is morally right, hold Saudi Arabia accountable, and fully end U.S. complicity in the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing of Yemeni civilians,” Khanna continued.

The advancement marks another incremental win for the California lawmaker and members of his party who have long sought to end US military support for Riyadh’s war effort in Yemen, a campaign that has largely failed to roll back the Houthis’ victories while worsening that country’s humanitarian crises.

“Our collective goal has been, and must remain, to bring about an end to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world as swiftly as possible,” Smith announced in a statement.

Ending the US role in the conflict has long had bipartisan support in Washington.

US President Joe Biden announced an end to US support for offensive operations by the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen shortly after taking office, fulfilling an earlier campaign promise.

But the Pentagon has continued to provide maintenance support to the Royal Saudi Air Force, as well as what officials say is defensive intelligence to Riyadh for early warnings ahead of Houthi missile attacks on the Gulf kingdom.

The head of US forces in the Middle East, Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, told Al-Monitor in April that the military does not provide intelligence support for offensive Saudi operations inside Yemen.

Former President Donald Trump twice used his veto power to block Congressional efforts to halt support for the Gulf coalition’s war effort.

The Houthi rebels, aided by Iran, now control a majority of Yemen’s population centers despite the Saudi-led, US-backed campaign.

The Houthis have blown off US and UN mediation and Riyadh’s proposals for a ceasefire, continuing to lob missiles and drones into Saudi Arabia while demanding the kingdom end the coalition’s blockade of Yemen.

The Biden administration’s point man on ending the crisis, Timothy Lenderking, met with senior Saudi and Yemeni officials in Riyadh.

Adam Lucente has the latest on progressive Democrats’ moves to hold to account Biden’s professed focus on human rights in foreign policy.

Source: Al-Monitor

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