Iran Says US Move Against It Would Face ‘Crushing’ Response

Author: Published: November 17, 2020

by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff 

NOVEMBER 17, 2020 6:54 AM

An Iranian flag is pictured near a missile, during an Iranian military drill, Oct 19, 2020. Photo: WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters.

Any US attack on Iran would face a “crushing” response, an Iranian government spokesman said on Tuesday, following reports US President Donald Trump asked for options for a strike on Iran‘s main nuclear site last week but decided against doing so.

“Any action against the Iranian nation would certainly face a crushing response,” spokesman Ali Rabiei said, in remarks streamed on an official government website.

One of the advisers named in the report, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is on Wednesday due to visit Israel, which has long hinted at possible military action against its arch-enemy Iran.

i24 News – Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency recently published an article that claimed that Jews were responsible for a…

“If I were the Iranians, I would not feel at ease” after the report, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said, adding that he was not aware of the Oval Office deliberations last Thursday.

“It is very important that the Iranians know that if, indeed, they suddenly dash toward high levels of enrichment, in the direction of nuclear weaponry, they are liable to encounter the military might of the United States — and also, perhaps, of other countries,” Steinitz told Israel’s Army Radio.

Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful needs. Rabiei accused Israel of “psychological warfare” against Iran.

“I personally don’t foresee that it’s probable that they (the United States) would want to cause insecurity in the world and the region,” Rabiei said.

Iran Says US Move Against It Would Face ‘Crushing’ Response

Putin, extending Russian footprint, approves new naval facility in Sudan

Author: Published: November 17, 2020

The new facility, earmarked to be built in the vicinity of Port Sudan, will be capable of accommodating up to 300 military and civilian personnel.

By REUTERS

NOVEMBER 17, 2020 00:01
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an interview with Al Arabiya, Sky News Arabia and RT Arabic ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, in Sochi, Russia, in this undated picture released on October 13, 2019 (photo credit: SPUTNIK/MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/KREMLIN VIA REUTERS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an interview with Al Arabiya, Sky News Arabia and RT Arabic ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, in Sochi, Russia, in this undated picture released on October 13, 2019
(photo credit: SPUTNIK/MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/KREMLIN VIA REUTERS)
President Vladimir Putin on Monday approved the creation of a Russian naval facility in Sudan capable of mooring nuclear-powered surface vessels, clearing the way for Moscow’s first substantial military foothold in Africa since the Soviet fall.
The new facility, earmarked to be built in the vicinity of Port Sudan, will be capable of accommodating up to 300 military and civilian personnel and improve Russia’s ability to operate in the Indian Ocean, expanding its influence in Africa.
Putin presided over a flagship Russia-Africa summit last year, an event designed to increase Russian sway on the continent, and two nuclear-capable Russian bombers landed in South Africa at the same time in a show of intent.
Putin, in a decree published on Monday, said he had approved a Russian government proposal to set up a naval logistics hub in Sudan and ordered the defense ministry to sign an agreement to make it happen.
A draft document related to the issue made public earlier this month by the government spoke of a facility that could moor no more than four ships at the same time. The hub would be used for repair and resupply operations and as a place where Russian naval personnel could take rest, it said.
The land for the base will be supplied for free by Sudan and Moscow would get the right to bring in any weapons, ammunition and other equipment it needs through Sudan’s airports and ports to support the new facility.
Russia has a similar facility at the port of Tartus in Syria, a country where it also operates an air base.
Moscow is keen to increase its influence in Africa, a continent with 54 United Nations member states, sprawling mineral wealth, and potentially lucrative markets for Russian-manufactured weapons.
It is jockeying for influence and a military foothold in Africa with other nations, including China.
Djibouti is home to Chinese, US and French naval bases, while other navies often use its port.
The state-controlled TASS news agency has predicted that the new facility will make it easier for the Russian Navy to operate in the Indian Ocean by being able to fly in replacement crews for its long-range ships.
It has also forecast that Russia will fortify its new African outpost with advanced surface-to-air missile systems, allowing it to create a no-fly zone for miles around.
“Our base in Sudan will be another argument for others to hear us and take heed,” said an opinion piece in TASS about the new facility.

Qatar FM: Normalization With Israel Undermines Palestinian Statehood Efforts

Author: Published: November 17, 2020
NOVEMBER 16, 2020 11:54 AM

by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani is seen during talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents, in Doha, Qatar, Sept. 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ibraheem al Omari.

Qatar’s foreign minister said on Monday Arab states that establish ties with Israel undermine efforts for Palestinian statehood, but it was in their own sovereign right to do so.

Three Arab countries — the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan — set aside hostilities with Israel in recent months to agree to formal relations in deals brokered by US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Palestinian leaders have accused them of betrayal, while US and Israeli officials have said more Arab states could soon follow.

“I think it’s better to have a united (Arab) front to put the interests of the Palestinians (first) to end the (Israeli) occupation,” Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told the online Global Security Forum.

NOVEMBER 16, 2020 1:15 PM

i24 News – Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency recently published an article that claimed that Jews were responsible for a…

He said division was not in the interest of concerted Arab efforts to get the Israelis to negotiate with the Palestinians and resolve the decades-long conflict between the sides.

However, for the states who established ties, “it is up to them at the end of the day to decide what is best for their countries,” he said.

The UAE, Bahrain and Sudan broke with decades of Arab policy that had demanded Israel first cede land to the Palestinians to form their own state before establishing relations.

UAE officials have said the Gulf state remains committed to Palestinian statehood, and that its deal with Israel had stopped further annexation of lands Palestinians seek for a state.

Until this year, Israel had only current formal relations with just two Arab states — its neighbors Egypt and Jordan — established under peace deals reached decades ago.

Qatar has been tipped by Israeli officials as among Arab and other Muslim-majority countries that could establish formal ties with Israel.

Sheikh Mohammed said Doha maintains some relations with Israel, though only on matters concerning the Palestinians such as humanitarian needs or development projects.

Qatar, which also has relations with two of Israel‘s bitter enemies, Iran and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, supports a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, a stance the foreign minister reiterated.

Newer Posts Older Posts