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President Raisi calls for disarmament of all anti-Iran groups in Iraq, including Kurdistan

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Raisi and Nechirvan Barzani

President Raisi was speaking in a meeting with the visiting head of Iraq’s Kurdistan region Nechirvan Barzani on Monday.

He said Iran is confident that Iraqi and Kurdish brothers are well-intentioned but it just urges caution in the face of Iran’s enemies.

Raisi noted that the disarmament of the anti-Iran groups is a must.

The Iranian president also said Iran wants Iraq to be strong and that Tehran’s support of the Kurdish people during Saddam’s era when the deadly chemical attack by the former Iraqi dictator killed thousands and during Daesh’s attack, proves that Tehran can be regarded as a big asset in tough days for Iraq and the Kurds.

Raisi further maintained that Iran sees no obstacle to expanding economic cooperation and trade relations with Iraq’s Kurdistan region, but security is a vital pillar for any kind of cooperation given the two sides’ long common border.

Nechirvan Barzani, in turn, expressed pleasure with the meeting, saying that religious, historical and cultural commonalities between Iran and the Kurdistan region have created deep bonds.

He added that Iran is a friend in need and has always stood by Iraq and the Kurdistan region during tough times.

The head of the Kurdistan region appreciated the role of General Qassem Soleimani in the security and survival of Kurdistan.

He underscored that the foundation of the new Iraq and today’s relations between the two sides are the result of their good cooperation.

Barzani said, “Iran is not just a neighbor for us. Were it not for the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic, nobody knows what would have happened to the Kurdish movement”.

He noted that respecting these interactions is a red line that the Kurdistan region will never cross.

Barzani then rejected the notion that the Kurdistan region would prefer the Zionist regime to Iran, saying no wise man would choose a regime which is at its worst to a strong neighbor.

He further underscored that the Kurdistan region will abide by the Iran-Iraq security pact.

Russia claims US ramped up search for alternative to Zelensky

By
IFP Media Wire
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Zelensky

The agency reports that contacts have been made with Petro Poroshenko, Vitali Klitschko, Andriy Yermak, Valery Zaluzhny, and former speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Dmytro Razumkov.

It is believed that these figures could become key players in the event of a sudden deterioration on the front that would necessitate an urgent change in the Kiev regime’s leadership.

In the current situation, Washington’s main goal is to prevent a further escalation in Ukrainians’ disappointment with the failures of pro-Western policies, added the SVR statement.

“Zelensky is clearly beginning to lose the fight for the ‘minds and hearts’ of the people of Ukraine, especially since his legitimacy as president will be completely lost after the expiry of his five-year term on May 20,” the SVR emphasized.

It was added that the American and European warmongers would “prefer to keep Zelensky in office for now”, since the “schemes for financing the war” have been built around him, and are “bringing in enormous profits for both representatives of the Kiev regime, and Western arms manufacturers”.

Furthermore, Western sponsors of the proxy conflict against Russia were extremely concerned about signs of growing apathy among the Ukrainian population, their distrust of the country’s state institutions, according to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. The surge in desertion cases among the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was also another distressing fact for the Kiev regime’s patrons.

After the failure of last year’s much-heralded Ukrainian counteroffensive and mounting lack of ammunition and manpower, more and more Ukrainian troops are refusing to carry out combat missions. Others are even risking being shot in the back by units stationed behind them in an effort to prevent them from retreating, as per numerous reports.

Late last year, Sergey Naryshkin, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia, said the SVR had received information that the West was actively engaged in discussions to find an appropriate replacement for Zelensky. The search was fueled by Ukraine’s high-profile failures both on the battlefield and on the home front.

Around 2,500 arrested at pro-Palestinian rallies at US universities

By
IFP Media Wire
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US universities protests Gaza

In a report released Sunday by CNN, the number of arrests made since April 18 has surpassed 2,200, while the numbers released in a similar report by Fox News show the total of arrests to be more than 2,400.

Demonstrations are expected to continue over the coming weeks as graduation ceremonies take place, and campus officials are adding extra police security, or in some cases, cancelling commencement ceremonies altogether.

In the state of California, police in Los Angeles cleared out a protest encampment at the University of Southern California (USC) on Sunday, but no arrests were made. In addition, USC has called off its main graduation ceremony due to security concerns.

Pro-Palestinian supporters clashed with counter-protesters on Sunday at Chicago’s DePaul University in the state of Illinois. Police did not make any arrests, but there were reports of several people getting injured as the situation transpired.

In the state of Virginia, 25 protesters were arrested at a pro-Palestinian rally at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday. Police cleared out a tent encampment set up by students after declaring an unlawful assembly near the center of campus.

Also on Saturday, in the state of Michigan, police removed a group of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan’s main commencement in Ann Arbor which briefly interrupted the ceremony, but no arrests were made.

April 30 saw the largest number of arrests in a single day, with more than 400 made at college campuses. The majority of those arrests (282) happened at Columbia University in the state of New York, which is considered to be the highest profile university which started the pro-Palestinian rallies on campus.

The second biggest arrest total happened on May 2, with more than 250 protesters getting arrested nationwide. Most of those arrests (210) were made at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where protests turned violent and multiple people were injured, forcing the university to cancel classes for the week. UCLA said it will resume classes on Monday and has created a new office for campus safety to prevent future violent situations from happening.

Putin orders tactical nuclear weapons exercise

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia nuclear weapon

Rocket forces of the Southern Military District will be directly involved in the exercise, with the Air Force and Navy contributing, the ministry said.

The goal of the exercise is to iron out “the practical aspects of the preparation and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons”, it noted.

The military cited “provocative statements and threats against Russia by certain Western officials” as the reason for the drill. The troops will confirm that they can “ensure unconditional territorial integrity and sovereignty” of the nation, it added.

Moscow has a wide range of nuclear-capable weapons, from long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles to smaller-range tactical nukes. Amid the Ukraine conflict, senior Russian officials, including Putin, have stated that the country’s nuclear doctrine allows the use of these weapons when the existence of the nation is at stake.

The US and its allies have accused Moscow of nuclear saber-rattling. Putin said in March that at no point in the conflict has the situation required such a radical move as a nuclear strike.

 

Iranian daily: Taliban on ethnic cleansing rampage of Shias, Iran silent

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Taliban

Jomhouri-e Eslami, in its Monday edition, had harsh words for the Iranian media and officials for burying the news that seven worshippers were killed in a Shia mosque in Afghanistan’s Herat Province last week.

It wrote, “Unfortunately, this method has become common that the innocent people in Afghanistan are martyred in the new period of the Takfiri terrorist Taliban ruling, and based on an unwritten contract, it seems Iranian officials are supposed to remain silent in the face of the killing of the Muslims in Afghanistan.”

Tracing the pattern of the deadly blasts and bombing incidents in Afghanistan, Johmouri-e Eslami wrote that members of the Hazara community in the Shia-populated areas, mostly in Herat Province, fall victim to the incidents on an almost weekly basis.

The daily argued, “It is completely obvious that the Taliban are trying to ethnically cleanse, religiously cleanse and uproot their opponents and they are implementing the decision with a firm determination.”

It also refuted Taliban claims that Daesh is behind the terrorist attacks, saying the Taliban pin the blame on Daesh in order not to further tarnish its international image.

Iran Leader: Israel would not dare to commit savage crimes without US support

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Ayatollah Khamenei

Addressing a meeting with officials in charge of Haj pilgrimage affairs on Monday, the Leader said the ongoing genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip exposed the blood thirsty nature of the occupying regime that has its roots in the Western civilization.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the incessant Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year that has so far left around 35,000 people dead, and the Palestinian resistance are key criteria that will go down in history and show human beings the way forward to the future.

He said, “These are not issues of interest for today and these days, but rather, they will remain in history.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said someone who is complicit in or supports a murder, cannot be treated kindly.

Israel calls on Gazans to evacuate eastern suburbs of Rafah

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

“The Israeli army is expanding the humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi and urging Palestinians to temporarily evacuate from the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah to the expanded humanitarian zone,” army spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X.

“The expansion of the humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi includes field hospitals, tents, large quantities of food, water, medicine, and other supplies,” he added.

“The army also allows collaboration with certain international organizations and other countries to expand the scope of humanitarian aid being delivered to the Gaza Strip,” he said, adding that “this process will proceed gradually based on ongoing assessments of the situation.”

“In this context, leaflets will be distributed, text messages and phone calls will be sent, and information is being broadcast through Arab media outlets,” Adraee continued.

“Army will continue working to achieve the objectives of the war, including dismantling Hamas and returning all Israeli hostages,” he added.

The military also posted maps on its social media accounts illustrating evacuation routes.

According to Army Radio, the decision to evacuate residents from eastern Rafah was taken late Sunday in cabinet session. It said that around 100,000 civilians believed to be present in the area set to be evacuated.

The international community has warned Israel that a military operation in Rafah would be “catastrophic”.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is said to have briefed his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on the decision to begin evacuation of residents from the southern city, home to 1.5 million displaced Palestinians who have taken refuge from the war that started after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas incursion that claimed around 1,200 lives and took 250 as hostages.

Since then, the Israeli onslaught has killed more than 34,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, besides causing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there.

US pauses ammunition shipment to Israel: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
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White House

Israeli officials were left scrambling as to why the shipment was withheld, Axios reported, while CNN reported that the decision was unrelated to U.S. opposition to an invasion of Rafah.

The Biden administration has committed to strongly backing Israel in its war against Hamas, signing $26 billion in military and humanitarian aid for the war last week, but officials have repeatedly warned against moving into Rafah, where over a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering from the war.

The National Security Council announced in a statement to The Hill that the Biden administration’s backing of Israel has not changed.

“The United States has surged billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel since the October 7 attacks, passed the largest ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance to Israel, led an unprecedented coalition to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, and will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Israel can defend itself from the threats it faces,” a NSC spokesperson said.

The move also raises pressure on ongoing cease-fire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, as rifts between the two sides widen following progress in talks earlier this week. CIA Director William Burns attended negotiations Saturday in Cairo, and will remain in the Middle East to work towards a diplomatic solution in the coming days.

A Rafah invasion hangs over the conflict, with Israeli leaders saying a ground attack against the city is inevitable, while the U.N. warns such an attack could have catastrophic civilian casualties. The Biden administration has repeatedly urged Israel not to attack Rafah without a clear plan to avoid civilian losses.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled that a Rafah invasion is likely, with or without a diplomatic agreement with Hamas or U.S. backing.

“In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,” he stated.

Biden is also facing criticism from Democrats who have pushed him to garner assurances that U.S.-manufactured munitions are being used in accordance with international law.

Federal law requires that military aid be used lawfully, though an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers have pushed Biden to draw a stronger line on the issue, especially after the State Department determined last week that certain units of the Israeli military were involved in gross violations of human rights.

OIC urges member states to sanction Israel, halt arms export

By
IFP Media Wire
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OIC

The OIC made the call in a resolution adopted at the end of the 15th summit of the organization in the Gambian capital Banjul.

The resolution called on all member states to impose “sanctions on Israel [as] the occupying power, and [start by] halting the export of weapons and ammunition used by its army to perpetrate the crime of genocide in Gaza.”

The resolution urged members “to exercise diplomatic, political and legal pressure and to take any deterrent measures to stop the crimes of the Israeli colonial occupation, and the genocidal war it is waging against the Palestinian people, including by imposing sanctions”.

The organization also called for “an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire” in the war-wracked Palestinian territory.

Addressing the summit on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian urged Muslim countries to cut all relations with Israel to mount pressure on the regime to end its ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.

“Undoubtedly, severance of diplomatic and economic ties and [imposition of] practical arms and trade embargos [on Israel] serves as an important means of cessation of its genocide in Gaza and atrocities in the West Bank and the Noble al-Quds,” he continued.

Stressing that Israel is not a legitimate government, Iran’s top diplomat described the regime as “an occupying apartheid power”, adding that “passage of time is not going to lend legitimacy to an occupying power.”

The Israeli genocide in Gaza has killed 34,683 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 78,018 others since it started early last October.

Despite the unabated campaign of bloodshed and destruction, the regime has so far fallen short of realizing its goals, including defeating Gaza’s resistance, forced displacement of the territory’s entire population to neighboring Egypt, and releasing those who have been taken captive during Operation al-Aqsa Storm.

Hopes for ceasefire in Gaza appear slim amid negotiations in Egypt

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

The two sides blamed each other for the impasse and the Hamas delegation announced it would leave Cairo truce talks on Sunday night to consult with its leadership. However, the Hamas officials planned to return to the Egyptian capital on Tuesday, two Egyptian security sources said.

In their second day of talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Hamas negotiators maintained their stance that any truce agreement must end the war, Palestinian officials added.

Israeli officials have not travelled to Cairo to take part in indirect diplomacy, but on Sunday Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s aim since the start of the war nearly seven months ago: to disarm and dismantle the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas for good or else endanger Israel’s future security.

The prime minister said Israel was willing to pause fighting in Gaza in order to secure the release of hostages still being held by Hamas, believed to number more than 130.

“But while Israel has shown willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power,” Netanyahu stated, adding, “Israel cannot accept that.”

Indicating that this round of talks may soon unwind, a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort told Reuters on Sunday: “If Netanyahu doesn’t change his mind, there will be no reason to stay. They can always reconvene if that changes.”

“The latest round of mediation in Cairo is near to collapse,” one official briefed on the talks told Reuters.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also stressed that Hamas seemed not to be serious about reaching a truce.

“We are observing worrying signs that Hamas does not intend to reach an agreement with us,” Gallant said, adding, “This means strong military action in Rafah will begin in the very near future, and in the rest of the Strip.”

In a statement released shortly after Netanyahu’s, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said the group was still keen on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire that ends the Israeli “aggression”, guarantees Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, and achieves “a serious” deal to free Israelis being held hostage in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Haniyeh blamed Netanyahu for “the continuation of the aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, and sabotaging the efforts made through the mediators and various parties”.

In a separate statement, Hamas insisted it maintained a “positive and responsible approach” towards the negotiations and stressed it was determined to reach an agreement.

The statement mentioned that Hamas’s key demands include “a complete end” to the fighting, Israeli withdrawal “from the entire Gaza Strip, the facilitation of the return of displaced people, the intensification of relief efforts, the start of reconstruction and the conclusion of a prisoner exchange deal”.

Qatar, where Hamas has a political office, and Egypt are trying to mediate a follow-up to a brief November ceasefire, amid international dismay over the soaring death toll in Gaza and the plight of its 2.3 million inhabitants.

CIA Director William Burns – who had been in Cairo – is travelling to Doha to hold an emergency meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, an official briefed on the talks said late on Sunday.

“Burns is on his way to Doha for an emergency meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister aimed at exerting maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas to continue negotiating,” the source added.

Washington – which, like other western powers and Israel, brands Hamas a terrorist group – has urged it to enter a deal.

Israel has given a preliminary nod to terms that one source said included the return of between 20 and 33 hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a truce of several weeks.

That would leave around 100 hostages in Gaza, some of whom Israel says have died in captivity.

The source, who asked not to be identified by name or nationality, told Reuters their return may require an additional deal.

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