Iran’s FM says Trump trying to “fabricate” pretext to attack Iran

Author: Published: December 31, 2020

Separately, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned Trump “not to turn the New Year into mourning for Americans.”

By REUTERS

DECEMBER 31, 2020 21:24
FILE PHOTO: Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif looks on during a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow, Russia December 30, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA)
FILE PHOTO: Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif looks on during a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow, Russia December 30, 2019.
(photo credit: REUTERS/EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of attempting to fabricate a pretext to attack Iran, and vowed Tehran would defend itself forcefully.
Separately, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned Trump “not to turn the New Year into mourning for Americans.”
Zarif said in a tweet: “Instead of fighting Covid in US, @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to OUR region. Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to FABRICATE pretext for war.”
The US military has flown nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Middle East in a show of force to Iran and deployed a nuclear submarine to the Gulf, according to media reports.
The buildup comes as Iran prepares to hold events marking the first anniversary of the killing of military commander General Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. attack in Iraq.
“Iran doesn’t seek war but will OPENLY & DIRECTLY defend its people, security & vital interests,” Zarif wrote.
Hossein Dehghan, a military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Twitter: “I saw on the news that the Americans are on alert for fear of the revenge (over Soleimani’s killing) and have flown two B-52 bombers over the Persian Gulf.”

“All their military bases in the region are covered by our missiles. I advise the White House evictee (Trump) not to turn the New Year into mourning for Americans,” said Dehghan, a former defense minister.

https://www.jpost.com/international/irans-fm-says-trump-trying-to-fabricate-pretext-to-attack-iran-653929

Israel opposes any and all versions of Iran Deal, says PMO – exclusive

Author: Published: December 31, 2020

The US under President Donald Trump left the Iran deal in 2018, in favor of a “maximum pressure” sanctions regime against the ayatollahs’ regime.

By LAHAV HARKOV

DECEMBER 30, 2020 20:44
Netanyahu warns against nuclear Iran at 2012 UN General Assembly (photo credit: REUTERS)
Netanyahu warns against nuclear Iran at 2012 UN General Assembly
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Israel opposes any return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, contrary to the impression recent statements may have given, a senior Prime Minister’s Office official told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

“Israel is unequivocal that under no circumstances should there be a return to that bad deal,” the official said.

The remarks came less than a week after AFP published an interview with Israeli Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff with the headline: “Israel open to German efforts to expand Iran nuclear deal with more restrictions.”

In the AFP article, Issacharoff said that German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’s call to reassess the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the Iran deal is known, is a “step in the right direction.”

The senior Prime Minister’s Office official said Issacharoff’s remarks were misinterpreted and sought to make amply clear that Israel’s position is that the JCPOA is unacceptable, even with changes.

“In contrast to the impression given in the interview with the Israeli ambassador in Germany,” the official said, “Israel firmly believes that there should be no return to the Iran nuclear agreement of 2015 – a deal which is flawed to its foundations.”

The official argued that the “deal gave Iran a highway paved with gold to build the critical infrastructure for an entire arsenal of nuclear bombs. That deal gave Iran the resources to significantly escalate its aggression and terror across the Middle East.”

The US, under President Donald Trump, left the Iran deal in 2018, in favor of a “maximum pressure” sanctions regime against the ayatollahs’ regime.

US President-elect Joe Biden has said that he seeks to return to the JCPOA, along with Iran resuming strict compliance to its terms. Then, he would work with US allies “to strengthen and extend it, while more effectively pushing back against Iran’s other destabilizing activities.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has repeatedly and publicly warned against a return to the deal.

In November, Netanyahu said: “Do not return to the previous [Iran] nuclear deal. We must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.”

Maas told Der Spiegel this month that the JCPOA needed to be turned into a “nuclear agreement plus” that would also restrict Iran’s ballistic missile program and proxy warfare throughout the Middle East.agreement.”

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/pmo-israel-opposes-any-and-all-versions-of-iran-deal-exclusive-653701?fbclid=IwAR0a2ja-BX0_4K6nY6dV4Nk_xbY3qRqofTEeTh6wEKz3aguTBtDvkqoLfj8

Israel’s population nears 10 million mark as country enters 2021

Author: Published: December 31, 2020

With 151,000 new additions in 2020, Israel’s general population stands at nearly 9.3 million.

By TOBIAS SIEGAL

DECEMBER 31, 2020 12:55
Israelis are seen walking along Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in the lead-up to Hanukkah, wearing masks in accordance with coronavirus restrictions, on December 6, 2020. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Israelis are seen walking along Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in the lead-up to Hanukkah, wearing masks in accordance with coronavirus restrictions, on December 6, 2020.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
As Israel gets ready to enter 2021, data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday indicates that the small country’s population continues to grow and is expected to reach the 10 million mark in just a few years.

With a total of 151,000 new additions in 2020, Israel’s general population stands at nearly 9.3 million, including 6,870,000 Jews (73.9%), 1,956,000 Arabs (21.1%) and 465,000 people (5%) belonging to other ethnic groups.
In other words, Israel’s population grew by 1.7% in 2020. Some 84% of that was due to natural population growth, subjected to the number of overall births and deaths, while 16% was due to international migration into the country.

Data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics before have previously indicated that the country’s population will reach 10 million by the end of 2024, 15 million by 2048 and 20 million by 2065.

Births and deaths 
In 2020, some 176,000 babies were born in Israel. Some 73.8% of the newborns were born to Jewish families, 23.4% to Arab families and 2.8% to other ethnic groups. While Jewish births corresponded to the population, Arabs had over 2% more births relative to their population, taken from other ethnic groups that had more than 2% less.
Some 50,000 people died in Israel during 2020. In July, as Israel struggled to contain the spread of coronavirus, the percentage of deaths caused by the virus spiked. However, it has been steadily declining since the end of October.
Immigration 
Immigration into Israel significantly decreased during 2020, mostly due to the coronavirus pandemic. Attempting to limit the spread of the virus, Israel closed its borders several times, banning visitors from foreign countries on different occasions. Besides obviously affecting the country’s tourism industry, the step had a dramatic effect on the people seeking or able to make aliyah (immigrate).
Between January and October of 2020, only 15,800 people made aliyah, 42.6% less compared to 2019. Overall, some 20,000 people made aliyah in 2020, compared to 34,000 in 2019. The major countries from where people made aliyah were Russia (38.1%), Ukraine (15.1%), France (11%) and the US (10.7%).

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