https://twitter.com/monarelief/status/1130242678615101440
... USA und Saudis schuldig wegen Kriegsverbrechen im Jemen – US-Unterstützung hat Jemen-Krieg angeheizt – Angriff der Huthis auf die saudische Ölanlage – Luftangriff der Saudis auf Sanaa – Wachsende Spannungen im Nahen Osten: Angriff auf Tanker in VAE-Gewässern, Vorbereitung der USA auf den Krieg gegen den Iran, kriegstreiberische Rhetorik – und mehr
May 20, 2019: Houthis‘ child soldiers – Yemen seen by six photographers – US: Who’s Profiting from the War on Yemen – Lobby firms helping destroy Yemen – US, Saudi guilty of war crimes in Yemen – US support has fueled the Yemen War – Houthi attack against Saudi oil installation – Saudi air raid at Sanaa – Growing tensions in the Middle East: Attack against tankers in UAE waters, US preparing for war against Iran, warmongering rhetorics – and more
Dieses Jemenkrieg-Mosaik ist in zwei Teile geteilt / This Yemen War Mosaic is divided in two parts.
Teil 1 / Part 1: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-538-yemen-war-mosaic-538/
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Teil 1 / In Italics: Part 1
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German
cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English
cp1c Huthi-Angriff auf Saudi Aramco / Houthi attack at Saudi Aramco
cp1d Saudischer Luftangriff auf Sanaa / Saudi air raid at Sanaa
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13d Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
cp19a USA bereitet Krieg gegen Iran vor / The US is preparing war against Iran
cp19b Weitere Spannungen im Mittleren Osten / More tensions in the Middle East
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(* B P)
In this thread, I will present my take why there is a persistent backlash to efforts of the international mediation of the Yemeni peace efforts
First: Criticism is healthy&if it is towards those in sensitive positions it is also democratic. So, people of opinions or even “painful”criticism should not be labeled of being “a peace hater”or“cynical”.Framing critics into labels is dangerous and a negative counter-argument.
In Yemen, there is a big communication vacuum around peace process,resulting into fear,and misunderstanding. Many important details in #stockholmagreement are vague and people and activists have every right to show cautions about their own country.
https://twitter.com/Kawkab/status/1130309981427970051
(* B P)
The Explosive Road To Peace In Yemen
Sadly, good news on peace in Yemen tends to die fast. Just four days following the reported Houthi withdrawal from the contested ports in Hodeida, the military escalation intensified.
Yemen’s warring sides, when they agree to talks, often proceed to flex their muscles on the battlefield. They believe that, to have the strongest position during negotiations, their soldiers must continue to fight the enemy nonstop. This destructive attitude has ended many previous peace bids. The recent fragile progress in Hodeida may meet the same fate.
In the wake of the Houthi pullout, the UN facilitated this week talks between Yemen’s warring sides in Jordan. The theme of the talks is to work out a way to run Hodeida’s ports. So far, the two sides are deadlocked on how to administer the sites and distribute the revenues. This stalemate can lead to the use of force by both sides as they try to maintain their presence in the port city.
The warring parties in Yemen have shown no signs of capitulating.
The effort to bring the Yemen war to a close gets harder the longer the war continues.
The war in Yemen is not going to stop overnight, and the road to peace is explosive. But the recent peace efforts can pave the way for greater advances that lead to the overall cessation of hostilities – by Khalid Al-Karimi
https://lobelog.com/the-explosive-road-to-peace-in-yemen/
(A H P)
Head of National Delegation Accuses UN of Obstructing Efforts to Treat Injured Victims
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6974
(* A P)
"He is no longer fair or neutral." Yemeni government lifts red card in Griffith face
The Yemeni government has attacked the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith, and said he is no longer impartial or honest.
In remarks released by government spokesman Rajeh Badi on Friday morning, which looked more like a red-card by the government in the face of Griffith
Badi accused Griffith of deviating from his mission in Yemen, adding in a statement to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper that he "no longer works on the implementation of Security Council resolutions and international legality, and clearly deviated from the course of his mission to Yemen."
This is the government's most intense criticism of the UN envoy and comes after a briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday on the progress of the peace process in Yemen.
Criticism began as a prelude to the government's refusal to deal with Griffith and to demand its change, which means a huge failure of the envoy, who, over the past period, has been misleading the international community
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167712
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-29888
My comment: This is part of a recent propaganda campaign (look at cp15) to blame the UN envoy – simply because he does not commit to the Hadi government’s attempts to gain full control of Hodeidah by using the UN as a useful tool. No, they start a smear campaign against the envoy, crying by different voices:
(A P)
Described him by the "International Liar " Member of the government team of the Redeployment Commission attacking Griffith
A member of the government team at the Hodeidah redeployment Committee attacked the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith, and described him as "the international liar."
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Musleh Hamid Ayaidha, deputy head of the National Security Service (NSS), who is a member of the government team at the Al-Hodeidah redeployment committee, said he was surprised by the contents of Martin Griffith's briefing to the Security Council last Wednesday and the "narrative of the lies about the withdrawal of militias from the three ports of Hodeidah, "according to a post distributed to the media.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167724
and
(A P)
Advisor to the Prime Minister: the Games of the UN envoy have been revealed and a practical step must be taken against him
The advisor to Prime Minister Mohamed Yahya al-Sabbri said that the media escalation against UN envoy Martin Griffith is not enough to stop the farce he is running to tamper with the Yemeni dossier,
In a speech to Al-Masdar online, al-Sabbri said that the media escalation against Griffith is not enough and the government should move to the practical side and refuse to deal with the UN envoy or receive him, and send a memo to the United Nations to demand its change "the fact that his position has gone out of neutrality and professionalism and became part of a dangerous game in which to move the Yemeni case to a more dangerous spiral than its predecessors.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167749
and
(A P)
A statement for Yemen Parliament urges Government to take position on UN envoy Griffith
According to parliamentary sources, the House of Representatives is considering a draft statement condemning the complicity of UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith, and the Chairman of the Monitoring committee Michael Lolisgaard, and their bias with the Houthis, "and the frank involvement in trying to legitimize the coup through a skit."
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167785
My remark: Hadi government’s parliament.
(* A P)
Griffith concludes meetings with Yemeni parties on economic file without making any progress
The meetings of the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith, in the Yemeni parties in Amman, Jordan, ended from May 14 to 16 to discuss the implementation of the economic provisions of the Hodeidah agreement, without any significant results.
In a brief statement on his website, the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special envoy for Yemen said, "There have been frank and constructive discussions between the parties and the participants on the proposals for activating the economic provisions of the Hodeidah agreement.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167706
and
(* A P)
Yemeni official: Griffiths seeks to legitimize the Houthis’ existence
A representative of the Yemeni government to the Redeployment Committee in Hodeida Sagheer bin Aziz has strongly criticized the briefing presented by the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to the UN Security Council’s session on Wednesday.
Bin Aziz said that Griffiths sought through his briefing to legitimize the existence of the Houthis, pointing out that he ignored the UN resolutions on Yemen.
He further said that Griffiths ignored the sufferings of the Yemenis caused by the Houthi coup, ponting out that only care for staying in his position through appeasing the Houthis.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-29861
and
(A P)
Yemeni Official Condemns Houthi Pullout From UN-Watched Ports As 'Fake Move'
Hamzah Alkamaly, the Yemeni deputy minister for youth and sports, said that he regarded the withdrawal of Houthi forces from the three strategic Yemeni ports under a close watch of the United Nations as a "fake" move, while UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths only attempted to present it as progress.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201905181075119352-yemen-houthi-withdrawal/
My comment: The Hadi government wants to eat the Hodeida cake alone, as the claims at the latest talks at Amman obviously had shown (look at cp7). Now, the plan seems to be to denounce the Houthis’ military retreat from Hodeidah to – in the worst case – restart a military assault. In any case, the Hadi government by this evidently opposes the UN.
And, a third one:
(A P)
Houthi withdrawal big game in full view of UN, Yemen’s Ambassador to UK says
and also https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167742
and
(* A P)
Concluding Amman Consultations on Economic Situation without Progress
Consultations in the Jordanian capital of Amman, which lasted from May 14 to 16, ended on Thursday. It discussed the economic aspect of the Hodeidah agreement without any progress due to the intransigence of the pro-aggression team.
Representative of the Economic Committee in the National Delegation negotiator, Ahmed Al-Shami, said that the team of the other party, pro-aggression, rejected the proposal of the delegation to open a special account to sum revenues and place it under international supervision. This account should be used for salaries and pay to all Yemenis without any discrimination.
Al-Shami told Reuters that the United Nations, which is facing a dilemma over various interpretations on port revenue sharing, has proposed a compromise plan, which will be
http://www.newnewss.net/concluding-amman-consultations-on-economic-situation-without-progress/
and
(* A P)
Government team accuses Griffith and Houthis of thwarting Amman talks on the mechanism of arranging the economic aspect of the Stockholm accord
The indirect economic talks between the Government (recognized) and the Houthi group ended in Amman, Jordan, without any progress with regard to the revenues of the port of Hodeidah and the disbursement of salaries of employees in all governorates of the Republic.
The government team said that the economic talks reached a deadlock
According to the government team, the al-Houthi militia delegation, who misrepresented the course of the talks, "on the agenda of the special group, and set various obstacles, to disrupt the talks and evade any major role of the central bank in Aden.
During the talks, which the UN envoy called for over the past three days, the government delegation insisted on abolishing all al-Houthi's actions and decisions
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167710
and
(* A P)
Yemen's Legitimacy Accuses Houthis, UN Envoy Office of Thwarting Jordan Meetings
Yemeni government representatives have accused the Houthi militias of paralyzing a new round of talks that ended in Amman this week without an agreement on the revenues of the ports in Hodeidah.
In parallel, the head of the government representatives in the Redeployment Coordination Committee, Major General Saghir bin Aziz, lashed out at UN Envoy Martin Griffiths over his report to the Security Council, in which he praised the militias and their leader Abdel-Malak al-Houthi.
My comment: Simply spoken: The Hadi government wants to eat the cake alone. Look at this:
and
(A P)
Chairman of the Technical Bureau of consultations: Amman economic meetings failed due to the intransigence of the Houthis
In a statement to Al-Masdar online, al-Amrani said the Houthis refused to link the central bank branch in Hodeidah to the main headquarters of the central bank in Aden, and they refused that al-Hodeidah's revenues goes in favour of paying the salaries of government employees in Hodeidah, which they said that the legitimate government should pay it.
Overall, according to Al-Amrani, the Houthis rejected all the proposals made by representatives of the legitimate Government at the Amman meetings
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167659
My comment: “said the Houthis refused to link the central bank branch in Hodeidah to the main headquarters of the central bank in Aden”: That’s it: The Haid government wants to control the revenues just alone. – And already in the beginning this was evident:
(A P)
The Government economic team provides its vision for the implementation of the economic aspect of the Stockholm agreement and awaits the response of the Houthis
The Government economic team stressed the link of the Central Bank branch in Hodeidah to the main center in Aden and the cancellation of all decisions and appointments issued by the Houthis in various sectors and institutions of the State, especially revenue institutions , so that the government can pay salaries to the state employees in Hodeidah and governorates The other.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167652
(A P)
Riyadh submits letter to UN Security Council denouncing Iran and Houthis
Saudi Arabia submitted on Wednesday a letter to the United Nations Security Council, in which it held Iran and the Yemeni Houthi group responsible for targeting their oil facilities on Tuesday.
My comment:Iran has nothing to do with this, and the Saudi air raid against Sanaa was much more horrible than the Houthi missile attack.
(* A E P)
Yemen combatants wide apart on sharing vital port revenues
Yemen’s warring parties on Thursday failed to agree on how to manage revenues from Hodeidah port that could help relieve the urgent humanitarian needs of millions, delegates and U.N. sources at U.N.-facilitated discussions in Jordan said.
Both sides differed in separate talks with U.N. teams on how the central bank, which is split into rival head offices, should handle revenues from Hodeidah, a vital import hub, and Yemen’s other main Red Sea ports of Saleef and Ras Isa, delegates said.
(* A P)
On Yemen Amid UN Bragging NRC Cites Air Strikes in Hajjah As Guterres MOU With MBS Continues
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on 27 March 2018 lavished praise on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman now accused with respect to Jamal Khashoggi, accepting a $930 million check from the Saudis and UAE, with not a word of the Saudi led bombing campaign that has killed civilians and caused cholera in Yemen.
http://www.innercitypress.com/yemen102hodeida051519.html
(* A P)
Saudi Arabia Demands UN to Disarm Houthi Militias
Saudi Arabia urged the United Nations Security Council to take urgent measures to disarm the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen and prevent an escalation in regional tensions.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates submitted complaints to the UN over the dangerous targeting of four commercial tankers of the UAE’s Fujairah coast and its threat to the security and safety of international marine navigation, as well as the attack against oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1724031/saudi-arabia-demands-un-disarm-houthi-militias
My comment: This is odd propaganda, as a) the Houthis have nothing to do with the targeting of the tankers, b) There are a lot of pro-Saudi coalition and Saudi-paid militia in Yemen which also must be disarmed in case the Houthis are, c) a great part of those fighting on behalf of the Sanaa government are no „Houthis“ but the regular Yemeni army, d) Saudi Arabia and the UAE are those warring parties which are champions in buying arms – for ending the war, they must be disarmed as well.
(A P)
Parties to Yemen Conflict Must Set Differences aside, Move towards Lasting Political Settlement, Special Envoy, Other Officials Tell Security Council
Permanent Representative Decries ‘Unilateral Actions’ of Rival Fighters, as UNICEF Chief Warns ‘Time Is Running Out’ for Children
With Yemen “at the crossroads between war and peace”, both sides of the conflict in that country must set aside their differences and move towards a lasting political settlement, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today.
https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13809.doc.htm
(* A P)
UNO: Jemen am „Scheideweg zwischen Krieg und Frieden“
Trotz des Abzugs der Huthi-Rebellen von wichtigen Häfen im Jemen steht das Land nach Angaben des UNO-Vermittlers Martin Griffiths am „Scheideweg zwischen Krieg und Frieden“. Die Übergabe der Häfen von Hudaida, Salif und Ras Issa an die Küstenwache seien erst der Anfang, um das von den Konfliktparteien ausgehandelte Abkommen zu erfüllen, sagte Griffiths gestern vor dem UNO-Sicherheitsrat.
Auch wenn der Waffenstillstand in der Schlüsselstadt Hudaida weitgehend stabil sei, so sei die Zunahme der Kämpfe in anderen Landesteilen alarmierend.
https://orf.at/stories/3122434/
(* A P)
UN officials urge parties to Yemen conflict to move towards lasting political settlement
United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths briefs the Security Council on the situation in Yemen, at the UN headquarters in New York, May 15, 2019. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), on Wednesday urged all parties to the conflict in Yemen to open doors to immediate, long-term humanitarian access, and to allow days of tranquility to vaccinate and help children
With Yemen "at the crossroads between war and peace", both sides of the conflict in that country must set aside their differences and move towards a lasting political settlement, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council on Wednesday.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/16/c_138061613.htm
Film: https://www.facebook.com/PRESSTV/videos/366716357308881/
(* A H K P)
Yemen war ‘a test of our humanity’, and we’re ‘badly failing’ warns UN Children’s Fund chief
[survey to all briefings]
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/05/1038531
(* A K P)
Briefing of Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, to the Security Council, 15 May 2019
Between 11 and 14 May, Ansar Allah have undertaken an initial redeployment of forces from the ports of Al-Hudaydah, Saleef and Ras Issa under United Nations monitoring. My colleague, General Michael Lollesgaard and his team from the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement were there at each of the three ports to monitor and verify these redeployments, and his mission confirmed that Ansar Allah was fully compliant throughout the withdrawal and that they were very cooperative. The military forces of Ansar Allah have now left those three ports.
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/briefing-martin-griffiths-un-special-envoy-yemen-security-council-1
and emphasized by southern separatists:
(A P)
We must hear the Southerners and listen to their aspirations: UN envoy
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4265
(* A H P)
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore Addresses the UN Security Council on Yemen in New York, 15 May 2019
“Since the fighting in Yemen began four years ago, 7,300 children have been killed or seriously injured. These are verified numbers. The actual numbers are no doubt higher. The fighting still rages across 30 active conflict zones
(* A H P)
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen - New York, 15 May 2019
(A P)
Remarks at a UN Security Council Meeting on Yemen
Ambassador Jonathan Cohen, U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/9069
My comment: Bla bla by the greatest arms dealer. -And more of this,by the secnd-largest arms supplier:
(A P)
Statement by Ambassador Karen Pierce, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council briefing on Yemen
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-uplifting-and-frightening-developments-in-yemen
My comment: „Condemning“ the Houthi attack on saudi oil pumping stations, and never having „condemned“ any of the Saudi air raids having destroyed half a country.
(A P)
Chinese envoy urges Yemeni parties to push ahead political dialogue
A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called on Yemeni parties to put the interest of the country and the people first, and to keep up effective political dialogue and negotiation.
http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/0516/c90000-9578742.html
(A P)
Representative of Yemen: the United Nations should have sought to implement the agreements and not accept this explicit form of fallacies
The Government of Yemen has renewed its clear position of committing to UN Security Council's resolutions 2216, 2451 and 2452 and Stockholm agreement, rejecting any measure not subjected to control standards made by the resolutions.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167667
My remark: Hadi government.
(A P)
Norwegian Refugee Council: NRC statement on today's UN Security Council meeting and Yemen talks
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/nrc-statement-todays-un-security-council-meeting-and-yemen-talks
(* B P)
Film: Elisabeth Kendall on France 24 (11 May 2019)
What hope for peace in Yemen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt0-pm0C_fw
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
Siehe / Look at cp1c, cp19a, b
(* A B P)
It’s Time for the Leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran to Talk
Two foreign policy experts, from each side of the Islamic Middle East’s most prominent rivalry, say common ground can be found.
We write as citizens and foreign policy veterans of two countries that most Americans presume are locked in mortal combat: Iran and Saudi Arabia. In fact, after decades of proxy conflict and frozen ties between our countries, we believe now is the time to explore a new foundation for a lasting peace in our region.
The time for dialogue is now, because the situations in the historic conflict zones are ripe for diplomacy – By Hossein Mousavian and Abdulaziz Sager
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/opinion/saudi-arabia-iran.html
(A K P)
Iran Strongly Condemns Latest Saudi Crime in Yemen
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi has strongly denounced the Saudi-led coalition’s bombardment of residential areas in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, which left dozens of civilians including women and children dead or wounded.
https://ifpnews.com/exclusive/iran-strongly-condemns-latest-saudi-crime-in-yemen/
and also https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/05/17/596169/Iran-Yemen-Saudi-strike-condemnation
(A K P)
Iran: Baseless Claims Not to Hide Riyadh’s Weakness in Yemen
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said the recent anti-Iran claims made by Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir cannot conceal the kingdom’s weakness in Yemen.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980227000338
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Siehe / Look at cp19b
(A P)
These kids are banned from leaving the country to be with their father. The Saudi monarchy hates kids & punishes them for their father’s dissent
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1130443781222879233
referring at https://twitter.com/alihashimS/status/1130128190247243776
(A P)
Film: Yesterday (19/05/2019) at 5.00 PM #Saudi security forces in #Makkah assaulted and beat a #Rohingya to unconscious and threw him in a dirty place beside a street.
https://twitter.com/Ro_Ibn_Saif/status/1130379846926757888
(A P)
Saudi Authorities Plan to Raze Hundreds of Houses in Qatif
Saudi authorities are escalating arbitrary steps towards the people of Qatif province and its towns with arbitrary arrests, executions and intrusions in the villages and cities of the Eastern Region, contradicting all humanitarian and legal standards.
The security forces are about to raze hundreds of houses in the center of Qatif, especially those located in AlThawra Street to displace thousands of people, similar to the demolition of Awamiya neighborhood what happened in 2017, according to private source from Saudi Arabia told Al-Ahd news site.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7012
(A P)
News of two foreign journalists missing in Saudi Arabia
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has obtained confirmation that the Saudi authorities are holding Marwan Al Muraisi, a Yemeni journalist missing in Saudi Arabia since June 2018, and Abdel Rahman Farhaneh, a Jordanian journalist who disappeared in the east of the country in February of this year.
https://rsf.org/en/news/news-two-foreign-journalists-missing-saudi-arabia
(A K P)
Film: U.A.E. Must Not Be Baited Into Iran Crisis, Minister Says
Anwar Gargash, U.A.E.'s minister of state for foreign affairs, shares his views as he speaks to Bloomberg Television's Manus Cranny.
My comment: Then stay wise, then stay out.
(A P)
Rights activist in exile #Canada receives a call from a #Saudi diplomat saying he carry’s orders from Saudi strongman #MBS to bring her home
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1130191083143491584 referring to https://twitter.com/rajaaralidree/status/1129991713395814401
(A P)
Let's help Ali, a refugee from Saudi Arabia
Ali Al Al Sulimani is a Saudi online activist who escaped the Saudi repressive government and now is seeking refugee in a safe country. I am hoping we can raise enough funds to pay for his shelter and food and to enable him to find a country in Europe or Canada to protect his life. His future is in your hand.
https://www.gofundme.com/let039s-help-ali-a-refugee-from-saudi-arabia
(A E P)
Saudi Arabia, UAE see sufficient oil supplies despite Iran, Venezuela output drops
Saudi Arabia sees no need to boost production now, with oil at about $70 a barrel, as it fears build-up in inventories and price crash
(A E P)
Saudi energy minister recommends driving down oil inventories, says supply plentiful
(B P)
Did you know #SaudiArabia could co-host #2022WorldCup under @FIFAcom “feasibility study”? Decision in Paris on June 5.
https://twitter.com/MinkysHighjinks/status/1128763953025290241
(A P)
Saudi Arabia’s ‘year of shame’: Crackdown on critics and rights’ activists continues
Today marks the first anniversary of the arrests of several prominent women human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, after a shameful year for human rights in the Kingdom in which activists, journalists, academics, and writers were targeted, Amnesty International said today.
In the past year, Saudi Arabian activists, including several women human rights defenders, have suffered the terrible ordeal of arbitrary detention
(* A P)
As Saudi society liberalizes, it reckons with hardline past
The Islamist takeover of Mecca’s Grand Mosque in 1979 has been turned into a television drama, spotlighting a controversial narrative Saudi Arabia is using to support social changes once deemed un-Islamic.
(A E P)
Goldman Sachs bought Commerzbank's claim in Saudi's biggest debt saga
(* B E P)
Saudi prince's scorecard on new 'Vision' looks good — with caveats
Three years ago Saudi Arabia announced Vision 2030, an ambitious plan to transform the economy of the kingdom. How’s it going? It rather depends on whom you ask.
(* B P)
Media Stenography Turns Beheaded Saudi Protesters Into ‘Terrorism’
Saudi Arabia executed 37 men on April 23, as it announced in a press release in its official gazette. The first line of the release read, “Saudi Arabia said it executed 37 citizens last Tuesday after they were convicted of terrorism.”
A cursory Google search would have shown that this assertion was completely false. But many in the US press dutifully stenographed this claim into a headline
of those killed, being Shiites, would be viewed by ISIS as heretics. To bring up these attacks seems like a distraction from the topic of the stories, which is the #Saudi government beheading people who have for the most part been accused mainly of being dissidents'.
https://fair.org/home/media-stenography-turns-beheaded-saudi-protesters-into-terrorism/
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(A P)
'I miss Jamal': Khashoggi's fiancee shares her grief with Congress
Hatice Cengiz laments that 'nothing was done' about murder over past six months
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/i-miss-jamal-khashoggis-fiance-shares-her-grief-congress
(A P)
'The world still has not done anything,' says slain Saudi journalist's fiancee
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist murdered at a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey last year, said on Thursday she could not believe that no one has yet faced serious consequences for the crime.
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp19
(* B K P)
US has the military might, but Iran will lean on proxies and militias if they get dragged into conflict
The uptick in heated rhetoric and military posturing on the part of the United States could be a play to bring Iran back to the nuclear negotiating table and address Tehran’s other malign activities in the region, including its ballistic missile arsenal and its support for militias.
Iran, however, considers these elements to be crucial components of its “resistance” minded foreign policy to thwart foreign influence in Iranian affairs.
The actual threat of armed conflict between the United States and Iran or an Iraq-style invasion may be slightly overblown, but a miscalculation may very well lead to a skirmish or something worse.
“The current situation is defined by US actions, which have effectively scuttled the JCPOA approach in order to dominate the approach of Iran to force even more concessions on them beyond the nuclear program,” Tack said.
“If this is not something that is not eventually within reach, the US may see itself forced to draw on military means to achieve its objectives,” Tack warned.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-military-might-iran-proxies-militias-conflict
My comment: By Fox News. Many details, but quite biased by drawing Iran as a daner and threat to the US, and with the typical US bias. Why, for instance, Iran’s “ballistic missile arsenal and its support for militias” should belong to “malign activities in the region“, when Saudi Arabia and the US have even more missiles (and fighter jets!) and more proxies, from Yemen to Libya.
(A P)
US Embassy Yemen: The Houthis must cease UAV attacks agnst their fellow citizens & their neighbors. Attacks this wk agnst infrastructure are just the latest example of hw destabilizing that is. Houthis did not develop long-range ballistic missiles & UAVs on their own.Thy did not develop them
https://twitter.com/USEmbassyYemen/status/1129448906171961344
Comment: Saudi/UAE criminals h/been bombing #Yemen for 5years with full support of United States. w/out respect war rules.They bombed children in school buses, hospitals, food factories & 100s of civilian targets, Stop supporting your allies then ask Yemen to stop it’s self-defense right!
https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/1130232208676085760
My comment: When A starts bombing B and bombs it into pieces: It’s OK, we support this. If B bombs back and causes a small damage: We cry about it. This is US / Western hypocrisy and double standard.
(B P)
When It Comes to U.S. Militarism, Elizabeth Warren Is No Progressive
There’s one important issue on which Warren has not veered far from the Democratic establishment.
Once Warren’s foreign policy record is scrutinized, her status as a progressive champion starts to wither. While Warren is not on the far right of Democratic politics on war and peace, she also is not a progressive.
Yemen is perhaps the one foreign policy issue where Warren’s voting record has been positive.
(* B K P)
A Yemen-based US foreign policy and return to international moral leadership
Yemen could be the basis of a new U.S. foreign policy: How you take the lead in ending a disastrous war in Yemen while recalibrating relations with Saudi Arabia, pushing the reset button on Iran policy to put it back on a constructive path, all while not neglecting the persistent national security need to counter terrorist threats currently posed by al-Qa’eda and ISIS. A strategy that meets these goals would set the standard for balancing a value-based foreign policy with national security.
If the Yemen war is still raging in 2020 (and current indications are not encouraging that it won’t be), a new administration must commit to ending it post-haste. The first step would begin with a White House declaration that this is the top priority for U.S. foreign policy. A special envoy with a team of experts from the various foreign policy and security agencies must then implement this priority. This team would be empowered to deal with the national, regional and international aspects of the Yemen conflict, since the problem has long ceased to be a mere internal struggle for power. This team should not supplant, but rather complement, what the UN envoy is doing.
If a future administration in the U.S. can make all that happen, with aggressive diplomacy and well-targeted use of its resources, it will have truly merited a return to international moral leadership – by Nabeel Khouy
My comment: Of course, such a foreign policy would be a good thing. But, be honest: This would be no „return“ to moral leadership. Since 1945 at least, the US never had. The US started and led lots of wars and lots of regime changes all over the world, just to secure US dominance, US companies‘ profits, exploitation of resources and labor in favor of US advantage and profits.
(* B K P)
Is War Coming With Iran? We’re Already in One
And Yemenis are paying the price.
Yemen is a complicated place with many bad actors, but here’s the bottom line: Because of our enmity toward Iran and our bond with Saudi Arabia, we are helping to starve and bomb Yemeni children.
With tensions in the region high, Saudi Arabia is now encouraging the United States to escalate the hostilities and order a military strike on Iran. “They must be hit hard,” Arab News, a newspaper with ties to the Saudi government, declared on Thursday.
Beware. That was the Saudi line as well in 2015 when Saudi Arabia’s Mad Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, intervened in Yemen.
Instead, the Saudi intervention resulted in Iran gaining influence in Yemen, while the Saudis have helped cause what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. With talk of American conflict with Iran again in the air, Yemen should be a reminder that wars are easy to get into, harder to exit.
So of course let’s work to reduce the risk of a war directly with Iran. But let’s also not forget this old, shameful war outside Iran’s borders: It’s time to end American support for the bombing and starvation of children in Yemen – by Nicholas Kristof
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/opinion/sunday/war-yemen-iran-united-states.html
(* B P)
Yemen, Iran, and the War Powers Act
The US role in the ongoing war in Yemen violates the War Powers Act. Reasserting Congressional power here is vital to the more general purpose of ensuring legislative control over the initiation of war.
But Trump's veto of the resolution is not enough to make the US role in this conflict legal. It is still in violation of the 1973 War Powers Resolution (also known as the War Powers Act). That legislation forbids the "introduction" of US forces into "into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances," for a period of more than 90 days without congressional authorization.
Congress has never voted to authorize that involvement. Thus, it is illegal – by Ilya Somin
https://reason.com/2019/05/17/yemen-iran-and-the-war-powers-act/
Trump's veto of the recent Yemen Resolution does not change that.
(A P)
Tueller to Asharq Al-Awsat: Outcome of National Dialogue Is Best Scenario For Yemen
The ambassador left messages before leaving his post, calling on the Yemenis to maintain unity and to face terrorist organizations. He assured the Houthis that his country was not seeking enmity with them.
My comment: Ambassador Tueller is one of the most extreme backers of the Saudi coalition. He has a very great influence – much more than an ambassador to a failed 3. World government would have – and seems to be an important and horrible puppet master in the background: https://theintercept.com/2017/12/13/yemen-war-peace-talks-matthew-tueller/
(* B K P)
S.E. Cupp: Trump’s escalation of Obama’s shadow war
This administration has not only surpassed the previous one’s drone strike volume overseas, it has made the drone wars even more secretive, if that’s possible.
https://triblive.com/opinion/s-e-cupp-trumps-escalation-of-obamas-shadow-war/
(* B K P)
It’s Time To Stop Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia
The Senate’s failure to override President Trump’s veto of its effort to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen is not the end of the story. A way can and must be found to stop U.S. assistance in refueling, targeting, and other activities that bolster the Saudi/United Arab Emirats (UAE) war effort, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians and left millions of Yemenis at risk of famine and fatal, war-induced diseases.
The Trump administration, the U.S. arms industry, and the Saudi and UAE lobbies have made numerous arguments in favor of keeping U.S. weapons flowing to its Gulf allies, but none of them holds up to scrutiny.
https://lobelog.com/its-time-to-stop-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia/ = https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/05/16/its-time-stop-arms-sales-saudi-arabia
(* B K P)
THE CASE FOR SUSPENDING AMERICAN ARMS SALES TO SAUDI ARABIA
Arms embargos are often dismissed as symbolic, and therefore ineffective. But just because something is symbolic, doesn’t mean that it won’t have an effect. A U.S. arms embargo against Saudi Arabia would be a clear signal of American disproval of Saudi actions in Yemen, and would be an equally important signal to Washington’s allies, who are left wondering if the United States is ambivalent or uninterested in the growing Yemeni humanitarian catastrophe.
(* B P)
There Is Still Time for Diplomacy With Iran
The risk of war has risen. But a diplomatic solution remains likely.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(B K P)
UK sold £11.5m of arms to Saudi Arabia in months after Khashoggi murder
In the 12 weeks after Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, the UK sold military equipment worth millions to Saudi Arabia.
(B K P)
Ministers granted exports of phone hacking kit to Saudi Arabia after Jamal Khashoggi murder
The Government allowed exports of telephone hacking kit to Saudi Arabia in the months following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, PoliticsHome can reveal.
But despite vocal condemnation of the killing from the British government, ministers continued to allow exporters to provide the Kingdom with phone hacking equipment in the months following the murder.
Figures from Liam Fox's department also showed £11m-worth of military equipment was sent to the Kingdom in the last quarter of 2018, including multiple licenses for military communications equipment and information security software.
(B K P)
The twisted logic of an arms company boss shows exactly why we need to end this vile trade
On 9 May, one of the world’s biggest arms companies, BAE Systems, held its AGM. As is regular at these events, activists with £1 shares asked the board difficult questions about the company’s role in arming countries like Saudi Arabia.
But it was an answer to one of these questions that shows exactly how far from reality the company is. Moreover, it shows how necessary it is for all of us to take action to stop the arms trade once and for all.
Bombing for peace?
(A P)
Parliamentary question yday: What is the UK doing for peace in #Yemen? Government answer: "monitoring developments .. diplomatic efforts .. hosted a meeting" That is a non-answer. If we sell arms to #Saudi to exert leverage (as we claim), what results are we achieving from this? (text in image)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1128660666490003456
(A K P)
Call to ban Saudi military pilots from using Isle of Man airport
The Isle of Man should ban Saudi military pilots from using the island's airport, a campaign group has said.
The Celtic League's Bernard Moffatt said it was "absurd" Ronaldsway was used by pilots training at RAF Valley because of the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-48273373
and
(A P)
RAF confirms Saudi pilots train at Ronaldsway Airport
Celtic League calls Manx government stance on issue 'appalling'.
The Celtic League has published a statement by the Ministry of Defence, which confirms it's one of many 'local airfields' used by personnel at the RAF Valley airbase on Anglesey in Wales.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A K P)
Sevim Dagdelen (Linke): Rüstungsexporte für Krieg im Jemen stoppen (Plenarrede, Film und Text)
Der von der Bundesregierung verfügte Waffenexportstopp an Saudi-Arabien steht nur auf dem Papier. Über Frankreich, Großbritannien und Italien werden weiter Rüstungsexporte genehmigt. Das verstößt gegen europäisches Recht und den Gemeinsamen Standpunkt der EU und ist ein eklatanter Verstoß gegen das Friedensgebot des Grundgesetzes und ein Verbrechen, das sofort gestoppt werden muss.
https://www.sevimdagdelen.de/ruestungsexporte-fuer-krieg-im-jemen-stoppen/
(A K P)
Film: Sevim Dagdelen, DIE LINKE: Schluss mit dem Säbelrasseln der USA gegen den Iran
Was die USA gegen den Iran vorbereiten, ist nicht nur eine Bedrohung für die Menschen in der Region, sondern auch für die Sicherheit Europas. Die Bundesregierung muss angesichts der völkerrechtswidrigen Androhungen von Gewalt und der Kriegsvorbereitungen gegen den Iran klar und deutlich sagen: Nein zum Krieg gegen Iran!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV8sZ4uLG3Q
(A K P)
"Made in Germany" - das steckt hinter den Plakatmotiven gegen deutsche Rüstungsexporte
Unsere künstlerische Motivserie »Made in Germany« macht deutlich, wie deutsche Rüstungsexporte in Krisenregionen Unterdrückung, Krieg und Gewalt ermöglichen. Sie ist auf Postkarten sowie im Juni auch auf Plakatwänden in Berlin zu sehen. Hier erfahren Sie mehr über die Hintergründe.
https://www.aufschrei-waffenhandel.de/termine-aktionen/motivserie-made-in-germany/
(A K P)
Aktionspostkarte an Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel: Jemen | Made in Germany
Machen auch Sie mit und fordern Sie mit unserer Aktionspostkarte von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel,
ein lückenloses Rüstungsexportverbot für alle Staaten, die im Jemen Krieg führen, zu verhängen und
sich auch auf europäischer Ebene für solch ein umfassendes Verbot einzusetzen.
https://www.aufschrei-waffenhandel.de/termine-aktionen/motivserie-made-in-germany/
Mein Kommentar: Merkel will freilich das genaue Gegenteil, die Rüstungsindustrie ist ihr wichtiger als Menschenleben:
(A K P)
Merkel fürchtet um europäische Rüstungszusammenarbeit
Unterdessen macht sich Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel Sorgen, dass die BRD von dem saudiarabischen Interventionskrieg im Jemen nicht genügend profitieren könnte. Die europäische »Verteidigungspolitik« könne an »restriktiven« deutschen Rüstungsauflagen scheitern, behauptete sie am Mittwoch abend in einer außenpolitischen Rede in Ravensburg, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters meldete: »Hier werden wir als Deutschland kompromissfähiger sein müssen, um als Partner überhaupt in Frage zu kommen.« Mit Blick auf Saudi-Arabien fügte Merkel hinzu, Waffenexporte in das Land seien zwar immer noch verboten, es gebe aber abgeschlossene Gemeinschaftsprojekte mit Frankreich und Großbritannien. Laut Medienberichten liefert auch der deutsche Rheinmetall-Konzern über seine Filialen in Italien und Südafrika weiterhin Waffen nach Saudi-Arabien.
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/354883.bomben-auf-den-jemen.html
(A H P)
„Die Menschen essen Gras und Müll“
Gaststudent aus dem Jemen hält Freitag in Schönewalde einen Vortrag zu seinem Heimatland.
Ahmed ist im Herbst 2017 nicht als Flüchtling nach Deutschland gekommen, sondern mit einem Visum eingereist. Beantragen konnte er es aber nicht im Jemen, weil es dort keine deutsche Botschaft gibt
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(* B K P)
The UAE’s military interventions have led to disaster - not stability
From Libya to Yemen, Emirati military adventures have come at a huge cost to civilians Libya is another arena of war and another stalemate for the Emirates. More innocent civilians are being wounded and killed as MBZ pursues his goal to position the UAE as a major force in the Middle East. Where, one wonders, will he go next?
The likeliest place is Sudan.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/little-sparta-uaes-big-ambitions-stuck-stalemate
(A K P)
Nave delle armi, la vittoria dei portuali: la Yanbu non carica i materiali militari
Accordo in prefettura. I generatori saranno trasferiti via terra. E si torna a parlare di Spezia come prossima tappa della Bahri Yanbu, anche per i cannoni bloccati a Le Havre
Il blocco all'imbarco delle altre merci è stato tolto. Le operazioni di carico del materiale a uso civile riprenderà in giornata.
E' probabile che i generatori saranno spostati via terra a Spezia dove, secondo indiscrezioni potrebbero arrivare nelle prossime ore, via treno, anche gli 8 cannoni Caesar che sono stati all'origine del blocco al porto di Le Havre organizzato dall'associazione francese Acat e dai docker francesi. Non è escluso che la Yanbu, che dovrebbe lasciare Genova giovedì, possa dirigersi a Spezia per caricare i cannoni.
(A K P)
Italy unions refuse to load Saudi ship in protest over Yemen war
Italian unions refused on Monday to load electricity generators onto a Saudi Arabian ship with weapons on board in a protest against the war in Yemen.
Unions in Genoa had tried to have the boat banned from Italy, but the ship docked just after dawn, met by a handful of protesters who gathered on the quay.
(A K P)
Genova, «no alla nave delle armi»
Portuali pronti al boicottaggio del cargo saudita Bahri Yanbu. La Filt Cgil chiede di vietare l’attracco. La vicenda ricostruita dalle Ong: il carico a bordo "rischia di essere utilizzato nella guerra in Yemen”
https://www.rassegna.it/articoli/genova-no-alla-nave-delle-armi
(* A K P)
Dutch parliament votes to ban weapon exports to Saudi Arabia
The Dutch parliament passed a bill on Tuesday calling for the government of the Netherlands to halt weapon exports to Saudi Arabia, citing ongoing violations of humanitarian law in Yemen.
(* A P)
Film from Sudan: To the military council: how can you protect a nation if you can’t protect the protestors. It’s time that you hand over power to a civilian government - clearly you don’t have what it takes
https://twitter.com/Rawa79774406/status/1128061147821666304
Comment: #Saudi & #UAE alliance does it again & massacre dozens of protesters in #Sudan seeking civilian government. This evil alliance has been killing #Yemen, #Bahrain, #Qatif , #Egypt #Libya & now #Sudan
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1128282267535720448
(* A K P)
Wie Macron Orban in die Hände spielt
Journalisten enthüllen, dass französische Waffen im Jemen-Krieg eingesetzt werden. Nun geht Paris gegen die Aufdecker des Skandals vor. Das erinnert stark an den ungarischen Autokraten Orban.
Die Staatsanwaltschaft Paris ermittelt auf Initiative des französischen Verteidigungsministeriums wegen „Verrats von Verteidigungsgeheimnissen“ gegen die Journalisten. Geoffrey Livolsi und Mathias Destal von Disclose.ngo wurden in der Vorladung gewarnt, dass auf die ihnen vorgeworfenen Straftaten Gefängnis droht, laut französischem Gesetz Freiheitsstrafe von bis zu fünf Jahren und Geldstrafe von bis zu 75.000 Euro.
Die laufenden Ermittlungen der Staatsanwaltschaft, eine mögliche Anklage, ein Prozess und Urteile gegen die drei Journalisten bedrohen nicht nur die Pressefreiheit in Frankreich, sondern in ganz Europa.
(* A K P)
FRANCE TAKES UNPRECEDENTED ACTION AGAINST REPORTERS WHO PUBLISHED SECRET GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT
JOURNALISTS IN FRANCE are facing potential jail sentences in an unprecedented case over their handling of secret documents detailing the country’s involvement in the Yemen conflict.
Earlier this week, a reporter from Radio France and the co-founders of Paris-based investigative news organization Disclose were called in for questioning at the offices of the General Directorate for Internal Security, known as the DGSI. The agency is tasked with fighting terrorism, espionage, and other domestic threats, similar in function to the FBI in the United States.
The two news organizations published stories in April — together with The Intercept, Mediapart, ARTE Info, and Konbini News — that revealed the vast amount of French, British, and American military equipment sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and subsequently used by those nations to wage war in Yemen.
and also https://www.rt.com/news/459644-french-journalists-leaks-yemen/
(* A K P)
Human Rights Watch: France Should Stop Fueling Saudi War Crimes in Yemen
The French government has only double down in insisting that it will continue to sell arms to Saudi Arabia. None of the rationalizations offered by the French government justifies this prioritization of arms profits over human rights principles.
So where does France stand? In a recent interview, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian offered several justifications for continuing the arms sales. Other officials have advanced additional rationales. None holds water.
The only decent thing for the French government to do is to end all arms sales to Saudi Arabia now—until the killing of Yemeni civilians stops and the coalition credibly investigates the serious violations committed.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/17/france-should-stop-fueling-saudi-war-crimes-yemen
(* A P)
France: guarantee press freedom
HRW and 16 other NGOs denounce threats to prosecute journalists investigating French arms sales
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/15/france-guarantee-press-freedom
(A P)
Yemen Inquiry Poses Direct Threat to Press Freedoms
Press freedom is under attack in France as three journalists face an inquiry over the leaking of a classified report on the use of French arms in Yemen, rights groups are warning.
https://www.voanews.com/a/4918664.html
(* A P)
French journalists summoned over Yemen arms revelations
Three journalists who published leaked military documents on the use of French-made weapons in Yemen were to face a hearing over compromising national defence in the France’s domestic intelligence agency on Tuesday and Wednesday.
http://en.rfi.fr/france/20190514-french-journalists-summoned-over-yemen-arms-revelations
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp11, cp12
(B K P)
Export armi: l’Italia ne vende la metà in Africa e Medio Oriente
La relazione sull'export italiano di armamenti 2018 conferma il trend: gran parte della produzione di armi italiane finisce in regioni calde del mondo, come Africa e Medio Oriente. Il valore delle autorizzazioni è dimezzato, ma è un calo fisiologico. Mentre la vendita di armi continua verso l'Egitto di Al Sisi e l'Arabia Saudita impegnata nella guerra in Yemen
https://www.osservatoriodiritti.it/2019/05/15/export-armi-italia-vendita-nel-mondo-paesi/
(A K P)
Boeing receives $10M in support of Harpoon missile production for Saudi Arabia
U.S. aerospace manufacturer Boeing is awarded a $10,8 million modification to a previously awarded contract in support of Harpoon missile production for Saudi Arabia, said the U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday.
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia pounding Yemen with ammunition sold by EU states
According to the EU’s reporting on arms exports, EU member states issued at least 607 licences worth over 15.8 billion euros to Saudi Arabia in 2016. The main European exporters of conventional arms to Saudi Arabia include the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. Between 2013 and 2018, Saudi Arabia accounted for nearly half of the UK’s and a third of Belgium’s arms exports.
(* B E K P)
The Rise of the Emirati Defense Industry
The UAE’s focus on developing a local defense industry highlights its goals of becoming a global arms supplier for niche markets.
In past couple of years, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have ramped up efforts to increase indigenous military capabilities. Two regional factors drive this new impetus. First, the 2014 fall of oil prices revived government efforts to reform national economies and diversify their sources of income.
Second, sustaining a domestic defense industrial base enables small states to build their own strategic autonomy, as it decreases their reliance on foreign arms.
https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/79121
(A K P)
Porti aperti alle navi che trasportano bombe?
Una nave carica di armi, battente bandiera saudita, sta cercando di attraccare nei porti europei.
È quanto denunciano varie associazioni della società civile – tra cui Amnesty International, Oxfam, Grenpeace, Fundipau – preoccupate per i risvolti di un’operazione militare che vede coinvolti numerosi paesi.
https://www.amnesty.it/porti-aperti-navi-bombe/
(A K P)
Amnesty International: Arms shipment to Saudi Arabia flouts multiple EU states’ Arms Trade Treaty obligations
Reacting to the onward voyage of the Saudi Arabian state shipping company’s vessel, the Bahri Yanbu, from the Spanish port of Santander this afternoon, Ara Marcen Naval, Deputy Director for Arms Control and Human Rights at Amnesty International, said:
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
(* A K P)
Sudan dispatched 600 militiamen, mostly minors, to Yemen in April: Report
Sudan has dispatched scores of militiamen, most of them under the age of 18, to fight alongside Saudi-led military forces against Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah fighters, a report says.
The Arabic-language Sout al-Hamish daily newspaper, citing an unnamed informed source, reported on Saturday that 600 Sudanese fighters had been flown late last month from Nyala Airport in southwestern Sudan to Yemen.
The source added that the Sudanese fighters had received training for only four months at the Dumaya camp in Nyala, the paratrooper training camp in the capital Khartoum as well as the al-Jili camp north of Khartoum before being sent to battle fronts in Yemen.
Even though Sudan's long-time President Omar al-Bashir was toppled in April after months of public protests, the military council that runs the country follows suit and continues to dispatch soldiers to fight at the front line of war in Yemen.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/05/18/596259/Sudan-fighters-Yemen-April
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
(* B E P)
In Sanaa, Yemenis struggle to find politically palatable food to break the fast
Markets in the Houthi rebel-held capital are flooded with Saudi and Emirati products, leaving a bad taste for some
Abdullah Noaman, under-secretary of internal trade for the Houthi-run ministry of trade and industry, told MEE that he believes the coalition has aimed to make Yemen a captive economy.
Saudi Arabia has stopped a long list of Yemeni products from being exported through its blockade imposed at the start of the war.
Some products are banned altogether, such as Yemeni pomegranates, which used to be exported to Saudi Arabia from the Houthi stronghold of Saada and have now been blacklisted by Riyadh.
Mohammed al-Hadhri, another shopkeeper in the Old City who sells cooking oil, juices and other sundries, said he feels pressured to buy products sold by countries participating in the coalition because they are the most affordable and readily available. And when he buys products from elsewhere, Hadhri said, they often arrive late.
"Our entry points are completely controlled by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, especially land entry points. They don't allow entry of products that are not Saudi or Emirati," he said.
"This is so obvious because, before the 'aggression,' products from different countries were available. Now, there is no way."
Many Yemenis like Mukhtafi want to buy pasta, soup and samosas during Ramadan, but find it challenging to find or buy alternatives to Saudi or Emirati products.
Buying local is the key, said Moneer Hassan Saif, a former development consultant with the United Nations Development Programme.
"Local products are what we should encourage because they support the national economy in during the crisis and conflict," Saif, who is also a financial expert, said.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sanaa-yemenis-struggle-find-politically-palatable-food-break-fast
(A E P)
Federation of Yemen Chambers of Commerce and Industry: Non-Payment of Salaries Most Important Reason for Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6930
My remark: From Houthi-held Sanaa.
(* B E P)
Audio: Beyond the Headlines: The 'floating bomb' off Yemen's Red Sea Coast
UN officials warn that without urgent maintenance, the FSO Safer tanker could unleash an environmental catastrophe.
Moored off Yemen’s Red Sea Coast is a rusting oil tanker, with a million barrels of crude oil aboard.
It has been described as a floating bomb.
After going without maintenance for the duration of Yemen’s four-year civil war, the UN says it is now at risk of exploding, potentially unleashing an environmental catastrophe on an historic scale.
But, with 80 million dollars’ worth of oil involved, Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government have disagreed on what is to be done.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
Latest video propaganda in #AQAP's battle against #IslamicState in #Yemen: No.7 in series "Allah Testifies that they are Liars" from #alQaeda's Hidaya Media. The series features vignettes of ISY aggression in Qayfa. This one tells the story of a baby girl & woman targeted by ISY
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1128754700306866176
(* B T)
Leaked Diplomatic Cable Suggests Saudi Foreknowledge of Sri Lanka Easter Bombings
New evidence suggests that the government of Saudi Arabia not only had foreknowledge of the brutal bombings (and did nothing to stop them) but may have played a more active and direct role in the bloodshed
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Houthi Spokesman’s High-end Living Decried by Yemeni Activists
Yemeni activists, especially running social media platforms, blasted the life of luxury paraded around by Houthi militia commanders. Taking to Twitter, activists posted a picture showing Houthi spokesman Muhammad Abdulsalam Felita sporting a high-end wrist watch.
What seems to be a lush life enjoyed by Houthi commanders is greatly frowned upon as the Yemeni population sinks further into economic despair, famine and poverty.
Tracing the hand-watch featured, activists found that the internationally branded timepiece costs about $ 21,000, which is a figure enough to pay the salaries of some 100 Yemeni teachers.
My comment: What a joke by a Saudi news site. Think of Crown Prince Salman’s 500 million yacht, 350 million palace in France, 500 million da Vinci painting… Houthi leaders‘ luxury is disgusting, but, if compared, it’s peanuts.
(A P)
Houthis accused of destroying Yemen’s history, landmarks
Since their coup in Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi militias have waged a barbaric war against all forms of life in the country. Its cultural and historic heritage has not been spared with monuments being destroyed and artifacts being looted and sold for the militias’ war effort.
An official at an authority to preserve historic cities in Sanaa said that the Houthi rebels have targeted more than 150 historic locations since 2014.
He accused Iran of being behind the “crimes committed against the Yemeni and Arab collective memory.”
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/18/houthis-accused-of-destroying-yemens-history-landmarks/
My comment: Taking into account Saudi coalition air raids, any such objections against the Houthis (and, even more, against Iran) are rather ridiculous.
(* A P)
How Pro-Iran Hackers Spoofed FP and the News Media
Fake news articles and tweets sought to cast Saudi Arabia and other rivals of Tehran in a bad light.
After being published, many of these fraudulent articles were amplified by a republishing network, a large part of which was shut down in August 2018 when Facebook, Google, and Twitter said they had shut down a collection of sites working in concert to spread Iranian propaganda.
While that shutdown appears to have undermined the ability of the operation to spread its fake news pages, parts of the republishing network remains active, the Citizen Lab report found.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/14/how-pro-iran-hackers-spoofed-fp-and-the-news-media/
(A P)
Trump’s Counter-Iran Moves Are Provocative, But They’re Not War
War with Iran? America, stop right there. President Donald Trump is not leading you into a new head-to-head war with a regional power. This administration is not going to war with Iran. Not this week, anyway.
No matter how much the events of the past few weeks have dismayed many (and excited a few), what senior administration and military leaders have said repeatedly is that they do not want war — but they are more willing and ready to strike back at Iran or Iranian-backed proxy fighters in the region, following a credible threat against U.S. troops and allies.
My comment: Nice propaganda. – The underlying narrative ist hat the US just would „counter“, „strike back“, react to a „threat“: Oh no, it’s the US acting, bullying, sanctioning, encircling.
(A P)
Iran Seeks Breathing Room Through Yemen Missile Attacks
What is the objective behind the recent surge of ballistic missile attacks staged by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militias against Saudi Arabia?
With the Saudi-led coalition retaking 85% of the country from the Houthis, Tehran understands fully its Yemen campaign is coming to a dismal end. All the while, the Iranian regime faces increasing mayday scenarios domestically and abroad.
Iran is a regime established on crises: Unable to resolve one or a number of dilemmas, or anticipating others in the making, Tehran resorts to launching new turmoil.
My comment: This is by Forbes: More propaganda to prepare the war.
(A P)
Yemen: Information Minister Says Government Rejects Unilateral Steps
Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Iryani stressed that the legitimate government rejected any unilateral steps taken by Houthi militias, which he said were misleading the international community.
Iryani highlighted the Houthis’ continued violations of human rights and repeated breach of the Stockholm Agreement in the city of Hodeidah and its ports.
My comment: Thus, he contradicts the UN.
(A P)
Houthis have indoctrinated 50,000 child soldiers, says Yemeni minister
Houthi rebels have recruited and indoctrinated about 50,000 child soldiers, Yemen’s Information Minister said.
Muammar Al Eryani said that young children were trained for military action and ideologically brainwashed.
Mr Al Eryani accused the Houthis of exploiting the vulnerability of young people in orphanages by recruiting them to their rebel cause.
“Those children will be time bombs. Fifty thousand children,” he said at London’s Royal United Services Institute on Thursday.
(A P)
Houthis are fighting a proxy war for Iran, say analysts
The military operations of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen since the beginning have been based on the right to self-defense and were meant to avert any threats to Saudi Arabia, according to political analysts.
The hostile and terrorist acts carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia within Yemen or against Saudi Arabia and other countries of the region confirm that they have been waging a proxy war on behalf of the Tehran regime, they said.
The Houthis have once again proved to be a mere tool in the hands of the Iranian regime whose aim is to destabilize the region and the world at large, they pointed out.
The terrorist operations of the Houthis are aimed not just at the Kingdom but also at the stability of the global economy.
My comment: These fabulous „analysts“ are not even called by their names. This is Saudi government propaganda.
(A P)
All past peace talks with Houthi militia proved negative, Info. Minister says
(A P)
History will not forget sacrifices of young people in repelling Houthi coup, Prime Minister says
(A P)
Iran's Attacks Cost You at the Supermarket and Gas Pump
Even without Saudi supply disruptions, the news sent U.S. oil prices up 1.4%.
And the latest series of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis seem to be driven by Iran and its reaction to President Trump’s tightening of the sanctions.
Iran clearly has designs on ruling most of the Near East, through proxy forces and ideological conformity. Its allies are driven into its camp more by fear than support.
The U.S. needs to build a counter-alliance, built not on power or fear, but hope. Hope for a better life, a more prosperous economy, a freer, more equal society.
https://www.newsmax.com/ahmedcharai/iran-gasoline-oil-yemen/2019/05/15/id/916144/
My comment: Up to now, there were no „Iran’s attacks“. – Higher prices in the US, as reason for war? – An alliance with the US built on „hope“? „Hope“ as in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen? „Hope“ for „a freer, more equal society“ as at US’s best ally Saudi Arabia?? – There is so much propaganda bullshit coming up now.
(A P)
Yemeni Information Minister Confirms that all Previous Experiences with the Militia Coup were Negative
praised the role of the Arab Coalition to Support legitimacy in Yemen
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1924576
(A P)
Yemeni Minister calls on the world community to protect civilians against Houthi crimes in Al-Dhalea Province in Yemen
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1924557
(A P)
Houthis’ retreat from Hodeidah hints at Iran’s mindset
True, Iran could play a key role in Middle Eastern stability and prosperity if it abandoned its 40-year-old rhetoric that it is bent on interfering in neighboring countries’ internal affairs.
The timing of the Houthis’ withdrawal from Hodeidah is, according to many, linked to a twin-track policy Iran seems to have decided to adopt, and which it always uses when its regime is facing an existential threat.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1497441
(A P)
Saudi ambassador to UN: Kingdom remains committed to political efforts in Yemen
(A P)
Houthis Condemned, Labeled 'Threat to Global Security' by Yemeni Govt
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors” propaganda
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4296
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4288
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4289
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/18/ksrelief-distributes-2950-cartons-of-dates-in-al-dhale/
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/18/ksrelief-distributes-400-food-baskets-in-aden/
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/16/saudi-arabia-uae-provides-usd-70-million-to-yemeni-teachers/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/4267
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4255
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4251
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Siehe / Look at cp1d
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
May 19: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1558358346./1312351778915184/
May 18: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1558284943./1311615162322179/
May 17: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1558284943./1311608352322860/
May 16: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1558284943./1311606818989680/
May 15: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1311605755656453/
May 14: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1557984952./1308124082671287/
May 13: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1557861381./1307208376096191/
(* A K pH)
15 Killed, Injured in New Horrific Crime of US-Saudi Aggression in Hajja
Four people were killed and 11 injured Monday morning by a US-Saudi air raid that targeted a shopper car in Hajja province.
The correspondent of Almasirah Net adder that the car was also carrying cattle on board.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7014
Films: https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1130528391613034497 = https://twitter.com/bon2_o1sav4tjkp/status/1130591846953099264
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCq3uQFFtM = https://twitter.com/OpDeSanitize/status/1131013745172467712 = https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1130966344457949184
(A K pS)
Coalition jets strikes Houthi militia in Al-Dhale
Arab coalition warplanes launched on Sunday air strikes on positions and gatherings of Houthi rebels in Al-Dhale province.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/19/coalition-jets-strikes-houthi-militia-in-al-dhale/
(A K pS)
Coalition fighters bombard Houthi positions after violent confrontations
The Arabian coalition carried out aerial raids targeting sites and gatherings of al-Houthi militants in the southern Yemeni province of al-Dale.
According to local sources, air raids carried out by coalition warplanes late Saturday evening targeted al-Houthi militia sites in "Al-Fakher" area and the "Shakhab" west of Qa’tabah City, north of al-Dale province.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167770
(A K pS)
Coalition raids in Abbs
Arab coalition fighters on Saturday carried out four sporadic airstrikes targeting the groups, reinforcements and mechanisms of the Houthi militias.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167768
(B K pH)
Over 1000 mosques destroyed in Saudi-led war on Yemen
During the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen over the past few years, as many as 1,024 mosques have been fully or partly destroyed in the Arabian Peninsula country, a Houthi Ansarullah movement official said.
http://en.abna24.com/news//over-1000-mosques-destroyed-in-saudi-led-war-on-yemen_942595.html
(A K pS)
Arab coalition strikes kill Houthi militia, destroys combat vehicles
Fighter jets of the Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen carried out airstrikes on a Houthi camp, killing insurgents and destroying combat vehicles, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
in the Abs district west of the city of Hajjah, leaving several Houthi terrorists dead and wounded and wiping out six tanks
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1497586/saudi-arabia
(A K pH)
Yemeni forces shoot down Saudi-led combat drone in Sana’a
shot down the US-built MQ-1 Predator combat drone with a surface-to-air missile
Video: Yemeni forces shoot down US-built combat drone in Sana'a
and
(A K pH)
#Sanaa: US-Saudi aggression's warplanes launches a raid on the wreckage of a drone that was shot down in Diane area of Bani Matar district in Sanaa.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.963391330380564/2272923146094036/
(A K pH)
Civilian injured in continued coalition-led violations over last hours
The citizen was injured when a Saudi-led airstrike hit a house in Bany Mouaath area, Saada province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536090.htm
(* A K PH)
Death toll of Saudi-led warplanes’ massacre committed in Saada's Majz raises to six martyrs
The death toll of the massacre committed Monday by the warplanes of US-saudi aggression coalition committed in Majz district, Saada province, rose to six killed and a wounded
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536139.htm
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
May 18: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6993 Saada p., Amran p., Ibb p., Hajjah p.
May 17: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6975 and http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536625.htm Sanaa p., Saada p., Hajjah p., Taiz p.
May 14: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536149.htm Hajjah p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(* A K P)
Saudi-Arabien wirft Jemens Huthis Angriff auf Mekka vor
Saudi-Arabien wirft Jemens Huthi-Rebellen einen Raketenangriff auf die für Muslime heilige Stadt Mekka vor. Die saudi-arabische Luftabwehr habe am Montag über der Stadt Taif zwei Huthi-Raketen abgefangen, meldete der von Saudi-Arabien finanzierte Nachrichtenkanal Al-Arabija. Eine der Raketen sei auf Mekka abgefeuert worden, die andere auf die Hafenstadt Dschidda.
https://www.tt.com/ticker/15664199/saudi-arabien-wirft-jemens-huthis-angriff-auf-mekka-vor
Mein Kommentar: Die Huthis greifen sicher nicht Mekka an. Eine solche Deutung eines solchen Angriffs ist Propaganda.
Und
(* A K)
Saudi fängt 2 ballistische Raketen aus dem Jemen ab
Die saudische Luftverteidigung hat laut lokalen Medien am Montag zwei von Jemen-Rebellen abgefeuerte ballistische Raketen abgefangen.
Das von Saudi-Arabien finanzierte Fernsehen berichtete, eine Rakete sei über Taif abgeschossen worden, während die andere über Dschidda abgefangen worden sei.
https://www.tekk.tv/news/saudi-fangt-2-ballistische-raketen-aus-dem-jemen-ab/
(* A K)
Brigadier Sare’e: Saudi Regime Exploits Religious Status of Mecca to Cover up Its Crimes on Yemen
Spokesman of the Armed Forces Brigadier Yahya Sare'e on Monday denied the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees targeting of Mecca, stressing that it is not the first time that the Saudi regime claims that.
The spokesman, in his page on "Facebook", explained that the Saudi regime is trying by these allegations to rally support for his brutal aggression on Yemen, confirming that Saudi regime is again trying to exploit the religious status of Mecca to cover up its crimes against the Yemeni people.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7016
and
(* A K)
Yemen's Houthis deny targeting Mecca with ballistic missiles
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement denied Saudi media reports on Monday that it had fired a ballistic missile toward Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Gulf Arab states allied to Washington.
“The Saudi regime is trying, through these allegations, to rally support for its brutal aggression against our great Yemeni people,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Facebook.
My comment: The Saudi claims that the Houthis would have trageted Mecca are mere propaganda, to show the Houthis as scum who targets the most holy city, and to stimulate the US to war against Iran.
And
(* A K pS)
Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missiles heading toward Mecca, Jeddah
Saudi Arabia’s air forces on Monday intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles over Taif, one heading for Mecca and the other for Jeddah, according to eyewitnesses.
The Kingdom's air defense forces were able to destroy the ballistic missiles.
Saudi authorities are expected to issue a formal statement later.
In light of the attack, the Yemeni government said that it strongly condemns the Houthi attempt to target Mecca, adding that the attack on the holy site is “a full-fledged terrorist act”.
According to an Al Arabiya correspondent, the fragments of the missile landed in Wadi Jalil, which extends to Mecca, noting that this is the second time the Houthi militias attempt to target the holy city.
My comment: „Heading towards Mecca“ etc. is propaganda bullshit.
(* A K)
Saudi intercepts 2 ballistic missiles from Yemen
Saudi media say the two missiles were intercepted over the cities of Taif and Jeddah
Saudi air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's rebels, according to local media on Monday.
The Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya television said one missile was shot down over the city of Taif, while the other was intercepted over the city of Jeddah.
Saudi authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the interception.
There was no comment from the rebel Houthi group on the claim.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/saudi-intercepts-2-ballistic-missiles-from-yemen-3481505
(* A K P)
The Latest: Saudi TV says Yemeni rebels fired 2 missiles
12:10 p.m.
A Saudi-owned satellite news channel says Yemen's Houthi rebels have fired two missiles into the kingdom that later were intercepted.
Al-Arabiya reported on Monday that the two missiles were intercepted over the city of Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jiddah.
https://www.thestate.com/news/nation-world/world/article230601544.html
(A K pH)
Yemeni Army captures military outposts in southern Saudi Arabia
The Yemeni Army and Popular Committees have achieved a significant victory, capturing several military bases and outposts in the southern Saudi province of Asir.
http://iranpress.com/middle_east-i134988
My remark: Here: Pro-Houthi part of Yemeni army.
(A K pS)
Hajjah... Government forces make progress in Mastaba
the government forces on Saturday took control of two villages belonging to Mastaba Directorate of the northern province of Hajjah
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167768
(A K pS)
Saudi project MASAM extracts 1329 mines in 3rd week of March
Saudi Demining Project in Yemen “MASAM” announced on Sunday that its field teams managed to remove 1329 Houthi-laid mines during the third week of May.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/20/saudi-project-masam-extracts-1329-mines-in-3rd-week-of-march/
(A K pH)
Army and Popular Committees Control 70% of Mercenaries Sites, in Qaatabah City
The Yemeni Army and the Popular Committees carried out a large offensive operation in cooperation with the citizens on the sites of the US-Saudi mercenaries in the city of Qaatabah, gaining control of more than 70% of the city. A source in the military media told Saba, Yemeni News Agency, that the offensive ended with the cleansing of more than 70% of the city from the grip of mercenaries.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7011
My remark: Pro-Houthi part of the army.
and
(A K)
Houthis launches major offensive to capture strategic city in southern Yemen
The Houthi forces launched a major offensive this afternoon in an attempt to recapture the strategic city of Qa’tbah in the Dhale Governorate.
Backed by heavy artillery, the Houthi forces reportedly stormed the defenses of the UAE-backed troops in Qa’tbah, seizing several areas in a short while.
(A K pS)
Film: Intensification in the battles between Yemeni forces and Houthis north of Al Dal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1kTwPJj8tk
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Mercenaries Targeting Civilians, Killing 2 Women, Injuring a child in Al-Dhale’e
Two women were killed and a child was injured following bombing of the US-Saudi mercenaries in Qa'tabah district in Al-Dhale'e governorate, on Sunday.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7007
(A K pS)
Four children killed and injured by Houthi militia’s landmine in Al-Dhale
A 9-year-old child have been martyred and three others, under 13, injured when a landmine planted by Houthi militia blew up in the southern province of Al-Dhale.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/18/five-children-killed-and-injured-by-houthi-militias-landmine-in-al-dhale/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/4293
(* A K pS)
Hadi government-aligned forces claimed to secure Qatabah town and surrounding areas in northern Dhaleh governorate in central Yemen on May 17. Emirati-backed al Hizam Security forces separately clashed with al Houthi forces near Maris in northeastern Qatabah district in northern Dhaleh governorate on May 17.[3]
and
(A K pS)
At least 560 Houthi rebels killed during the past ten days in Al-Dhale province
More than 560 Houthi rebels have been killed and hundreds more injured during the last ten days of clashes with the national army in the southern province of Al-Dhale.
The army forces have also captured 60 militia elements, including 12 field leaders
(A K pS)
Yemen army retakes southern city from Houthi rebels
Army claims to have ‘liberated’ Qatabah city in Yemen’s southern Dhale province
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-army-retakes-southern-city-from-houthi-rebels/1480852
My remark: „Yemen army" = anti-Houthi militia, as seen here:
(A K pS)
Yemen: 80 Houthis killed as army liberates key areas
Army also recaptures city in Dhale province
“The army has succeeded in liberating the city of Qatabah from Houthi militants,” Yemen’s UAE-trained Security Belt forces said in a statement.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/yemen-80-houthis-killed-as-army-liberates-key-areas/1481193
My remark: “Yemen’s UAE-trained Security Belt forces” = Southern separatists’ militia.
And here:
(A K pS)
Southern forces liberate Qataba city, north of al-Dhale
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4280
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qIX03tyTNY
(* A K pS)
Battles Continue in Qataba as Thousands Leave their Homes
2300 families left their homes to safer areas in al-Dhale governorate due to the fierce battles, said the Relief Organization of Renaissance Makers.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4279
(* A K)
Yemen: Clashes between gov't, Houthis kill 27 civilians
On-and-off clashes ongoing for over past 40 days in southern Al-Dali province
Yemeni government on Thursday confirmed that 27 civilians were killed and 73 others injured during the on-and-off clashes between government forces and the Houthi rebel group in the past 40 days.
According to Yemeni Human Rights Ministry, the clashes have been ongoing in various areas of southern Al-Dali province.
Around 9,000 people had to leave their houses, while 541 houses were partially or fully damaged. Nine schools and five health institutions were destroyed and 16 government institutions were taken by the Houthis, the ministry said.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-clashes-between-govt-houthis-kill-27-civilians/1480165
(*A K pS)
Yemeni minister accuses the Houthis of committing war crimes against civilians
Forty-seven Houthi fighters were killed and dozens injured during fierce confrontations with the Southern Joint Forces in Qatabah city, Al Dhalea province in southern Yemen on Wednesday.
“A raging battle flared up earlier on Wednesday when the Houthi rebels launched a wide-scale attack attempting to take control over sites controlled by our forces in the centre of Qatabah city," a commander with the forces told The National.
“We launched a counter-attack from three directions, which enabled us to tighten the noose around the Houthi fighters who broke into some buildings, forcing dozens of them to surrender, while dozens of them were killed in the confrontations.
(* A K pS)
Six members of one family killed by Houthi militia shelling in Al-Dhale
Six members of a family including two children were killed on Tuesday as the Iranian-backed Houthi militia heavily shelled civilian houses in the southern province of Al-Dhale.
Local residents told September Net that “the rebel militia carried out random shelling against civilians and houses in the villages of Hesn Agra and al-Sarafi, in the area of al-Wabh, north of the province.
photo: https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1128807998539915264
(A K)
Ground defences drop a drone among 3 others flying over the palace and Al-Ghaidhah Airport
A local source told "Al-Masdar online " That ground defenses shot down one of the three planes, believed to be the Houthis, flew Friday noon, in the same time over the presidential palace, and al-Ghaidha International Airport in the southeastern province of Mahara.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167720
and
(A K)
Saudi-led coalition forces shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near the al Mahrah airport in al Mahrah governorate in eastern Yemen on May 17. The Saudi-led coalition has a headquarters at the airport.[2]
(A K pS)
Two children wounded in mine explosion in Hajjah
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/16/two-children-wounded-in-mine-explosion-in-hajjah/
(A K pS)
Saudi land mines project clears 1,024 Houthi devices
during the second week of May
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1498186/saudi-arabia
(A K pH)
In Saada, a citizen was injured by Saudi border guards fire in Munabih boder district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6929
(A K pH)
Air defenses down coalition-led reconnaissance aircraft south of capital Sanaa
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536258.htm
(A K pH)
Army kills, injures tens of Saudi-led mercenaries, destroys military vehicle in Jizan
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536261.htm
Army attacks sites of Saudi-led mercenaries, kills tens
in Najran province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536260.htm
My remark: On Saudi territory.
(A K pH)
Arab Media: Yemen Carries Out 10 Undeclared Military Operations in S. Arabia
Over 10 undeclared military operations have been conducted against Saudi Arabia by the Yemenis, Arab media reports claimed one day after the Yemeni army's drone attacks on vital Saudi oil installations.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980225000327
(A K pS)
Yemeni army kills 97 militiamen, captures 120 following attack on Houthi sites
(A K pS)
Houthis kill two civilians, hurt three more in Al-Jawf
Two civilians were killed, three more critically injured on Tuesday by a rocket fired by Houthi militiamen against a civilian citizen's car
http://en.adenpress.news/news/4260
and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/17555
photo: https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1128807998539915264
(A K pS)
Saudi-backed Yemen forces attack Houthi sites: Al Arabiya
Forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, killed 97 Houthi forces and captured 120 in the governorate of Al-Dhalea, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said on Wednesday, citing military sources.
(A K pS)
Film: The Arab Coalition continues to bomb Houthis in Sa'dah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RivO723m_TI
(A K pS)
Houthi militia shells mosque and populated areas in Al-BaydhaHouthi militia shells mosque and populated areas in Al-Baydha
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/13/houthi-militia-shells-mosques-and-populated-areas-in-al-bayda/
(A K pS)
Old woman shot dead by Houthi sniper in Al-Dhale
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/05/13/old-woman-shot-dead-by-houthi-sniper-in-al-dhale/
(A K pH)
[Fighting, May 13/14]
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536142.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news536090.htm
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(* B D)
Yemeni poetry thrives despite trauma of civil war
The millennia-old tradition is still thriving. In the 2011 Arab spring protests, ancient and new compositions were chanted in the streets of Sana’a. Even now, four years into Yemen’s civil war, established poets and emerging young writers are exploring how the art form can unite people on different sides of the war’s many fault lines.
Creating art in times of war is not without its obstacles. In Yemen, the Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the Saudi-backed coalition have both imprisoned and tortured activists, journalists and intellectuals. Many people are afraid to express themselves truthfully - and political poetry, by its very nature, can inflame existing tensions.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/19/yemeni-poetry-thrives-despite-trauma-of-civil-war
(* A)
Desert Locust situation update 14 May 2019
In Yemen, locals reported several immature and mature swarms moving in the highlands between Dhamer and north of Sana'a during the past week.
https://reliefweb.int/report/saudi-arabia/desert-locust-situation-update-14-may-2019-0
cp19a USA bereitet Krieg gegen Iran vor / The US is preparing war against Iran
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A K P)
The Latest: Britain warns Iran not to underestimate US
The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere in the Mideast amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran (all times local):
4 p.m.
Britain’s foreign secretary is warning Iran not to “underestimate the resolve of the U.S.” amid heightened tensions across the Persian Gulf.
Jeremy Hunt told journalists in Geneva on Monday that U.S. leaders “are not seeking a conflict, they don’t want a war with Iran, but if American interests are attacked, they will retaliate. And that is something that the Iranians need to think about very, very carefully.”
2:40 p.m.
Iran’s foreign minister has criticized President Donald Trump for his overnight tweet threatening to the Islamic Republic with its “official end.”
Mohammad Javad Zarif posted his own message Monday on Twitter, saying Trump had been “goaded” into “genocidal taunts.”
12:40 p.m.
Two influential Shiite figures in Iraq are warning from pulling their country into a war between the United States and Iran, saying it would turn Iraq into a battlefield and inflict much harm.
https://apnews.com/7783335cf2694e6e8ce4ef719d51e002
and also, with film: https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/05/20/596438/Britain-Jeremy-Hunt-heightened-tensions-US-interests-Middle-East
(* B K P)
Trump’s Failed and Costly Iran Policy
It’s not clear what purpose would be served by treating Iran as an enemy or leaving the nuclear deal unless one wanted to implement a hard-line confrontational policy against Iran. Since Iran hawks typically hated the nuclear deal because it deprived them of a pretext for conflict, it isn’t an accident that abandoning the agreement has led to a series of increasingly aggressive moves that have made war more likely. The only other states in the world that wanted the U.S. to leave the nuclear deal are also the ones that want the U.S. to court conflict with Iran.
A president who wanted to extricate the U.S. from the Middle East wouldn’t be obsessed with regarding Iran as the source of all regional problems, but then this obsession has defined how Trump has conducted foreign policy in the region even before he withdrew from the JCPOA.
Part of the anti-Iranian positioning was to distinguish himself from Obama – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/trumps-failed-and-costly-iran-policy/
(B K P)
Don’t Fight Iran
How a war in the Middle East would wreck Trump’s grand strategy.
Which brings us back to the question of whether the larger context in which tensions are rising, the broad “maximum pressure” approach by the U.S., makes clear strategic sense.
I think that it does not. The United States can treat Iran as an enemy without going all in for brinksmanship; it can leave the nuclear deal without taking steps that make a conventional war more immediately likely
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/opinion/sunday/trump-iran-war.html
Comment: Ross Douthat doesn’t think much of Trump’s Iran policy, but mostly just faults it for going too far.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/trumps-failed-and-costly-iran-policy/
Ross Douthat doesn’t think much of Trump’s Iran policy, but mostly just faults it for going too far
(* LOL)
Zu guter Letzt: USA schlagen Alarm: “Iran bewegt sein Land immer näher an unsere Truppen heran!”
Washington, Teheran (dpo) – Die Spannungen zwischen Washington und Teheran nehmen immer weiter zu. Nun werfen die Vereinigten Staaten dem Iran vor, seine Landesgrenzen immer näher an US-Truppen heranzubewegen. Zum Teil seien amerikanische Soldaten dadurch beinahe schon in Schussweite.
“Der Iran bedrängt mit seinem Staatsgebiet unsere friedlich um ihn herum stationierten Truppen”, erklärte der Nationale Sicherheitsberater der USA, John Bolton. “Teilweise kommen die Landesgrenzen unseren Soldaten gefährlich nahe. Fast schon in Schussweite. Der Iran muss das sofort unterlassen!”
https://www.der-postillon.com/2019/05/usa-iran.html
(* B K P)
Wie eine Kernschmelze
Iran: Greifen die USA das Land an, würde das alles Bisherige an Gewalt in der Region in den Schatten stellen. Was macht Europa?
Kommt es zu einem US-geführten Krieg gegen den Iran? Noch ist die Entscheidung nicht gefallen, noch mag Präsident Trump an einen Deal mit Teheran glauben: „Ruft mich an.“ Doch die Hardliner im Weißen Haus, die Architekten der Konfrontation mit der Islamischen Republik, Sicherheitsberater John Bolton und Außenminister Mike Pompeo, wollen nichts weniger als einen Regimewechsel – ganz egal, wie Teheran sich verhält. Drastisch haben die USA den Druck auf die iranische Führung erhöht.
Die Strategie der US-Falken ist offenbar, Teheran in die Kapitulation zu zwingen – nötigenfalls, zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt, mit begrenzten, aber massiven Bombardements und Raketenangriffen, jedoch ohne Bodentruppen.
Teheran wird aber nicht kapitulieren. Darin genau besteht der amerikanische Denkfehler, sofern nicht blanker Zynismus Regie führt.
Sollte es zum Krieg gegen den Iran kommen, wäre es die sechste Militärintervention der USA in einem islamischen Land in weniger als 20 Jahren. Wer ernsthafte Antworten sucht auf die Frage, wo eigentlich der islamistische Terror herrührt, wie Organisationen vom Schlage des Islamischen Staates gedeihen konnten und können – hier, in diesen Interventionen, der systematischen Zerstörung ganzer Staaten und damit der Zukunft von Millionen Menschen, liegt eine wesentliche, wenn nicht die entscheidende Ursache.
Auf diesen Zusammenhang hinzuweisen, gilt in transatlantischen Kreisen, die Politik und Medien hierzulande prägen, gern als anti-amerikanisch. Es ist aber wenig mehr als die Benennung des Offenkundigen
Ein Angriff auf den Iran wäre vergleichbar mit der Kernschmelze in einem Atomreaktor. Ist sie erst einmal eingetreten, kann sie nichts mehr aufhalten. Saudi-Arabien, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate und Israel wären die ersten Staaten, die in diesen Krieg hineingezogen würden – von Michael Lüders
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/der-freitag/wie-eine-kernschmelzehttps://www.freitag.de/autoren/der-freitag/wie-eine-kernschmelze
(* B K P)
Audio: Movassat zur Irankrise: "Am Ende könnten wir auf beiden Seiten mit Hardlinern zu tun haben"
Sputnik sprach mit Niema Movassat über das Thema. Movassat ist Mitglied des Deutschen Bundestages für die Partei Die Linke, seine Eltern stammen aus dem Iran.
(? B K P)
phoenix runde "USA contra Iran - Eskaliert der Konflikt?" vom 16.05.2019
Anke Plättner diskutiert mit: - Azadeh Zamirirad (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik) - Erik Kirschbaum (amerikanischer Journalist) - Tim Guldimann (ehem. Schweizer Diplomat im Iran) - Georg Mascolo (Rechercheverbund NDR, WDR, SZ)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeZz7FyxnGU
(* B K P)
Kriegsgefahr am Golf durch Kontrollverlust
Die USA haben ihre Truppenpräsenz am Golf verstärkt. Ein Flugzeugträger und andere Marine-Einheiten sind in die Region verlegt worden, außerdem Flugabwehr-Systeme sowie Langstreckenbomber. Die USA haben einen Großteil ihrer Diplomaten aus dem Irak abgezogen. Nach Angaben der US-Regierung hat sich die Bedrohungslage verschärft. Hintergrund sind offenbar US-Geheimdienst-Erkenntnisse, dass schiitische Milizen im Irak Anschläge auf US-Einrichtungen planen. Diese Einschätzung ist allerdings umstritten. Für die irakische Regierung hat sich die Sicherheitslage keineswegs verändert. Und auch der britische General Ghika, stellvertrender Befehlshaber der Anti-IS-Militäroperation "Inherent Resolve“, schätzt die Lage nicht bedrohlicher ein als bisher. Es stellt sich daher die Frage, ob die Bedrohung nicht künstlich von der US-Regierung aufgebauscht wird. Auch die Verlegung des Flugzeugträgers in die Region war ohnehin geplant.
Die US-Regierung, aber auch die iranische Führung betonen, sie wollten keinen Krieg. Gleichzeitig zeigen sich beide Seiten wenig kompromissbereit. Sie machen sich gegenseitig für die sich zuspitzende Situation verantwortlich. In der angespannten Lage kann ein Zwischenfall schnell eine Kettenreaktion auslösen und eskalieren.
(B P)
Attacke auf saudische Pipeline: «Politisch stehen die Zeichen auf Sturm»
Markus Kaim von der SWP sieht darin ein Zeichen der Auflehnung gegen die Saudis – und gegen die USA.
Markus Kaim: Es steht ein asymmetrischer Konflikt bevor. Je mehr die USA auf eine konventionelle, militärische Konfrontation setzen, desto mehr wird sich der Iran darauf verlegen, asymmetrisch zu reagieren. Die USA senden derzeit eine militärische Drohgebärde nach der anderen aus. Die Entsendung eines Flugzeugträgers sowie Langstreckenbombern und die Gedankenspiele mit der Verlegung von 120'000 Mann in die Region zeigen eine militärische Überlegenheit, mit der der Iran auf konventionelle Art nicht mithalten kann.
Politisch stehen die Zeichen auf Sturm, weil wir es mit einem Konflikt zu tun haben, der mit dem Machtkampf zwischen Iran und Saudi-Arabien eine regionale Dimension hat. Dieser ist aber überlagert vom globalen Konflikt zwischen den USA und dem Iran.
(A P)
Iran: "Die USA haben Angst vor einem Krieg"
Chef der Revolutionsgarden spricht USA den Mut für einen Konflikt ab. Zugleich behauptet er, Teheran wolle keinen Krieg.
In der Golfregion gehen die militärischen Vorbereitungen weiter. Sowohl die US-Streitkräfte als auch das iranische Militär versuchen, Kampfbereitschaft zu signalisieren. Zugleich kommen aber auch Beteuerungen, keinen bewaffneten Konflikt zu wollen.
Der Iran strebe keinen Krieg an, sagte am Sonntag der Chef der iranischen Revolutionsgarden, General Hossein Salami, nach einer Meldung der Nachrichtenagentur Fars. Der General sprach zugleich aber auch den USA den Mut für eine Auseinandersetzung ab
https://diepresse.com/home/ausland/aussenpolitik/5630953/Iran_Die-USA-haben-Angst-vor-einem-Krieg
(B P)
Iran-Krise: Es geht um das Verhindern eines Krieges
Die Spannungen im Iran sind besorgniserregend. Warum die USA den Druck auf den Iran verstärken? Und wie Europa auf die Krise reagieren muss? Der Politikwissenschaftler Cornelius Adebahr im Interview.
„ Das gibt schon Anlass zur Besorgnis. Ich denke, dass es auch gleichzeitig eine Art Gegenbewegung gibt. Es gibt jetzt viele, die zur Besonnenheit aufrufen. Das heißt, es ist nicht ausgemacht, dass es einen Krieg geben wird. Aber man muss eben sehr wachsam sein, einfach, weil es gerade ein großes Konfliktpotenzial in der Region gibt.“
Doch es ist ungeklärt, ob der Iran hinter der neusten Eskalation steckt, wie es ihm die USA vorwerfen: den Angriffen auf vier Handelsschiffe vor der Küste der Arabischen Emirate und Attacken mit Drohnen auf saudische Ölpipelines.
Klare Beweise sind der Öffentlichkeit bisher nicht bekannt, auch wenn Hardliner in der US-Administration wie Außenminister Mike Pompeo und Trumps Nationaler Sicherheitsberater John Bolton eine iranische Täterschaft oder Anstiftung für sicher halten. Politikwissenschaftler Adebahr wiederum hält den Iran zwar durchaus für „eine Bedrohung“. Aber er sagt auch:
https://blog.ard-hauptstadtstudio.de/iran-krise-es-geht-um-das-verhindern-eines-krieges/
Mein Kommentar: „hält den Iran zwar durchaus für „eine Bedrohung““: Wobei man sich dann aber mal fragen sollte, als Bedrohung für was oder für wen. Und dann würde herauskommen, dass es keine Bedrohung für den Westen und die USA wäre.
(* A P)
Trump, Saudi Arabia warn Iran against Middle East conflict
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new threat to Tehran on Sunday, tweeting that a conflict would be the “official end” of Iran, as Saudi Arabia warned it stood ready to respond with “all strength” and said it was up to Iran to avoid war.
The heightened rhetoric follows last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets and the firing of a rocket on Sunday into Baghdad’s heavily fortified “Green Zone” that exploded near the U.S. embassy.
“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” Trump said in a tweet without elaborating.
A U.S. State Department official said the rocket attack in Baghdad did not hit a U.S.-inhabited facility and produced no casualties nor any significant damage.
“We have made clear over the past two weeks and again underscore that attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities will not be tolerated and will be responded to in a decisive manner,” the official said in an emailed statement. “We will hold Iran responsible if any such attacks are conducted by its proxy militia forces or elements of such forces, and will respond to Iran accordingly.”
and also https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-war-iran-never-threaten-united-states
My comment: The US is preparing war, according to a classical script. Read the State Dep. statement carefully: Any action by any force the US propaganda labels as Iranian proxy could be taken as a pretense to start a war against Iran. For instance this: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-houthi/yemens-houthi-group-says-will-target-uae-saudi-vital-military-facilities-idUSKCN1SP0PZ
and
(A P)
Rocket attack near U.S. embassy in Baghdad
A rocket was fired into the Iraqi capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Sunday night, landing less than a mile from the sprawling U.S. Embassy, an Iraqi military spokesman said.
The apparent attack, which Iraq’s state-run news agency said did not cause any casualties, came amid heightened tensions across the Persian Gulf,
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/19/rocket-attack-iraq-baghdad-1333063
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeD3aMEaX5A
(* A K P)
Gulf Countries Accept Redeployment of US Forces to Deter Iran
Saudi Arabia and a number of GCC states have approved Washington’s request to redeploy US forces in the waters and territories of the Arabian Gulf to thwart possible Iranian attacks in the region and not trigger a war with Tehran, informed Gulf sources said.
“Saudi Arabia and the rest of GCC states do not wish to start a war with Iran, but they want to send a strong message to Tehran that it cannot cross the red line by continuing to provoke forces operating in the Arabian Gulf,” the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday.
They added that Riyadh and the other GCC capitals do not wish to engage in a military confrontation with Tehran because no party would benefit from such actions.
The sources said the redeployment of US forces in the Gulf states was part of joint US-Gulf efforts to deter Iran and aimed to have better cooperation between American and Gulf military forces.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/167740
(* B P)
Marco Rubio: Salesman for Neocon Total War on Iran
Once again, Marco Rubio is trying to tell us Trump’s neocons are not interested in a war with Iran, despite the fact they have loudly and persistently called for one for two decades.
Rubio’s intelligence on a devious Iranian plan to kill Americans (in Iraq illegally and against the will of the Iraqi people) is nothing but horse feathers.
It doesn’t get a passing grade in the effective use of propaganda. It is relatively easy to debunk everything they tell us.
Now we’re told Iran moved missiles into Iraq this week in response to threats by Bolton and Pompeo. In fact, it was almost a year ago Iran “transferred short-range ballistic missiles to allies in Iraq,” Reuters reported on August 31, 2018.
Marco Rubio has yet to tell us how going to war against Iran benefits the United States and the American people. All he can do—all any neocon can do—is talk in clichéd generalities about democracy and freedom for the Iranian people. It’s all cover for the real benefactor—Israel.
Rubio is a creation of Sheldon Adelson, Normal Braman, Paul Singer, and Larry Ellison—all mega-donors to the cause of Israel in the United States.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/marco-rubio-salesman-neocon-total-war-iran/5677587
and https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1128631766078709760
(B K P)
Iran's elite naval forces said to pass skills to proxy fighters
An unmanned Iranian boat skips over the waves at full speed and rams into a U.S. aircraft carrier, sending up an orange fireball and plumes of smoke.
That attack against a mock-up U.S. warship was part of elaborate naval war games carried out by the elite Revolutionary Guards in 2015. Dozens of speedboats, ships firing missiles, and helicopters were involved. Video of the exercise ran on state TV for hours.
U.S. officials are now concerned that Iran has passed this naval combat expertise on to proxy forces in the region
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-commandos-idUSKCN1SN1YK
My comment: And, well? All military maneuvers look this like. Think of NATO maneuvers simulating war against Russia.
(* B P)
America Needs a Permanent Anti-war Movement
Public apathy toward relatively small-scale military actions makes war with Iran more likely.
In Congress and the press, the prospect of war with Iran is being treated as more worrisome than recent U.S. actions in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and beyond, a posture that makes sense, given the likely costs of fighting that country.
Yet the relative apathy that surrounded those smaller conflicts—in Congress, the media, and the public—is a factor that makes a conflict with Iran more likely.
Picture this alternative reality:
Imagine that President Barack Obama had been greeted with massive street protests when he waged war against Libya; that favoring that intervention had prevented Hillary Clinton from advancing past the Democratic primary; that the critics now threatening Trump with impeachment had cited his missile strikes on Syria as prominently as the claim that he obstructed justice; that the Democratic presidential candidates were excoriating Trump more for complicity in Saudi Arabia’s dirty war in Yemen; and that street protesters were pressuring the White House with calls for the return home of all U.S. troops.
In this counterfactual universe of furious opposition to waging any war unlawfully, or launching any new wars of choice without demonstrating their necessity, Trump would be less likely to let hawks risk, let alone provoke, a major war.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/permanent-anti-war-movement/589573/
(* B P)
Take It From an Iraq War Supporter—War With Iran Would Be a Disaster
It would mean repeating a mistake, only on a much bigger scale: without allies, without justification, and without any plan at all.
The Iraq War of 2003 was undone by blithe assumptions, cultural ignorance, and careless planning. But compared with the accelerating drive to confront Iran, the Iraq War looks like a masterpiece of meticulous preparation.
The project of a war with Iran is so crazy, it remains incredible that Donald Trump’s administration could truly be premeditating it. But on the off, off chance that it is, here’s a word of caution from a veteran of the George W. Bush administration: Don’t do it.
Trump has no legal authority of any kind to wage war against Iran—not from Congress, not from the UN. He has no allies, and has in fact imposed trade punishments on the European Union, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and many others, above and beyond the escalating trade conflict with China. America’s most militarily capable ally, the United Kingdom, is paralyzed by the Brexit process, which Trump did everything in his power to urge forward.
The supposed provocations by Iran cited by administration sources as the reason for a U.S. response look petty, even assuming they are genuinely Iran’s doing.
If you will not do it, you should not talk about it. If you are thinking about doing it, stop. And if you are talking without thinking? The U.S. and the world have had more than enough of that from Washington, and not only since January 2017 – by David Frum
(LOL)
Bleeding John Bolton Stumbles Into Capitol Building Claiming That Iran Shot Him
Bursting through the Congressional chamber doors while moaning and clutching his shoulder, John Bolton reportedly stumbled into the Capitol building Friday claiming that he’d been shot by Iran. “Help, help, I’ve just been attacked by a large Middle Eastern country around 636,000 square miles in size,”
https://politics.theonion.com/bleeding-john-bolton-stumbles-into-capitol-building-cla-1834847900
(* B P)
America first vs America only: How John Bolton is fuelling Iran 'hysteria'
As Trump calls for dialogue with Iran, his national security adviser is beating drums of war
Despite the drums of war resonating ever louder this week, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he isn't seeking a military conflict with Iran, instead urging the leaders in Tehran to engage in direct negotiations with Washington.
Still, Trump's seemingly conciliatory posture has not stopped a stream of threats from members of his administration.
Nor has it stemmed the flow of US media reports about the United States's alleged military plans, or purported Iranian schemes to attack American troops in the Middle East.
According to former US officials and analysts, the culprit behind the current crisis is most likely Trump's top aide: National Security Adviser John Bolton.
"He's been an advocate of regime change in Iran for decades, and that's one of his main goals," Peter Bergen, director of the national security studies programme at the New America Foundation, told Middle East Eye.
The ongoing round of escalation can be traced back to 5 May, when Bolton said Washington was sending a naval strike group to the Gulf with the aim of sending a "clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime".
Bolton, who has served in every Republican administration since Ronald Reagan's presidency, is known for his neo-conservative, hawkish foreign policy views.
(*A B P)
Trump Tells Pentagon Chief He Does Not Want War With Iran
President Trump has sought to put the brakes on a brewing confrontation with Iran in recent days, telling the acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, that he does not want to go to war with Iran, administration officials said, while his senior diplomats began searching for ways to defuse the tensions.
Mr. Trump’s statement, during a Wednesday morning meeting in the Situation Room, sent a message to his hawkish aides that he does not want the intensifying American pressure campaign against the Iranians to explode into open conflict.
For now, an administration that had appeared to be girding for conflict seems more determined to find a diplomatic off-ramp.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/world/middleeast/iran-war-donald-trump.html
(* B P)
Who actually supports military strikes against Iran?
The prospect of U.S. military action against Iran has notably little international support. U.S. allies have publicly balked at the idea, and major powers such as Russia and the European Union have called for restraint. There is little support for conflict with Iran among U.S. lawmakers, some of whom have expressed exasperation about a lack of information.
But there are an alliance of countries who may be more sympathetic to the idea. Among them, the trio of Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. It’s no coincidence that these countries have courted the White House since Trump entered office in January 2017 — they saw the incoming administration as an ally against Iran.
Riyadh in particular has begun to take a more provocative tone on the tensions with Iran.
While nations like Saudi Arabia may support action on Iran, they have reason to worry about a conflict, too.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/05/17/who-actually-supports-military-strikes-against-iran/
(* B P)
‘He cooked the books’: Ex-White House official recounts how John Bolton lied us into war before
National Security Advisor John Bolton was slammed for his history of manipulating intelligence as the hawk attempts to lead America into war with Iran.
“This to me is the most striking part of this entire thing. John Bolton wanted this for a long time, it is on the record. But it is also the number one priority of the Saudi regime that appears to let Donald Trump and the American state around by the nose and does whatever they want and the Americans appear to be just willing to help,” MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes noted.
For analysis, Hayes interviewed former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes.
Rhodes: „rom the beginning of the Trump Administration, we’ve seen since Trump essentially outsourced foreign policy to [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammad bin Salman and [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu,” Rhodes explained.
“Mohammad bin Salman is pushing for confrontation with Iran and so is Bibi Netanyahu. Donald Trump has gone along with this“.
(A P)
Iran on brink of ‘full-scale confrontation with the enemy’, military commander warns US
Iran is on the “cusp of a full-scale confrontation with the enemy”, an Iranian military commander has claimed, as sabre-rattling between Washington and Tehran intensified.
As US politicians from both major parties urged Donald Trump to de-escalate tensions between the countries, a commander of Iran’s highly-trained Revolutionary Guards warned that Tehran was prepared for any conflict that may arise.
The Fars news agency quoted him as saying: “This moment in history, because the enemy has stepped into the field of confrontation with us with all the possible capacity, is the most decisive moment of the Islamic revolution.”
(A P)
Iran tells Middle East militias: prepare for proxy war
Iran’s most prominent military leader has recently met Iraqi militias in Baghdad and told them to “prepare for proxy war”, the Guardian has learned.
Two senior intelligence sources said that Qassem Suleimani, leader of Iran’s powerful Quds force, summoned the militias under Tehran’s influence three weeks ago, amid a heightened state of tension in the region. The move to mobilise Iran’s regional allies is understood to have triggered fears in the US that Washington’s interests in the Middle East are facing a pressing threat.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/16/iran-tells-middle-east-militias-prepare-for-proxy-war
My comment: Telling the story as if Iran would pose the main threat in this conflict.
(* B P)
Neocons will not stop until they get their war with Iran
It’s not just déjà vu on a mass scale --- the neocons are back, and they’re ratcheting up the threat of another catastrophic conflict in the Middle East.
Several recent indicators strongly suggest President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be angling for a war with Iran. On Monday, The New York Times reported that the White House has been reviewing military plans against Iran.
To no one’s surprise, it was Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton who ordered the updated plan. Bolton has made it his mission to spark a war against Iran, and he was part of the apparatus of building the false case for the disastrous 2003 U.S. war against Iraq.
As the Times pointed out, Bolton’s new review of military plans to attack Iran is reminiscent of preparations made ahead of the 2003 Iraq war.
https://www.alternet.org/2019/05/neocons-will-not-stop-until-they-get-their-war-with-iran/ = https://www.truthdig.com/articles/neocons-wont-stop-until-they-get-their-war-with-iran/
(* B P)
How Donald Trump May Push America into a War with Iran
The Trump administration’s frenzied provocations could lead America to the brink of a conflict with Iran—one that almost no one actually wants.
Is the Trump administration readying war plans against Iran? Somebody certainly wants us to think so. The question is who, and for what purpose?
The ongoing internal drama over Iran policy demonstrates how ill-equipped Trump is for the job of president.
He has filled his national security team with war hawks and, with Iran tensions rising, the policy results reflect this quite well.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/how-donald-trump-may-push-america-war-iran-57712
(A P)
Iran um Deeskalation im Konflikt mit den USA bemüht
Angesichts wachsender Sorge vor einem Krieg im Nahen Osten bemüht sich der Iran, den Konflikt mit den USA nicht weiter eskalieren zu lassen. Sein Land übe maximale Zurückhaltung, obwohl die USA vor einem Jahr aus dem Atomabkommen ausgestiegen seien, sagte Aussenminister Mohammad Dschawad Sarif am Donnerstag in Tokio.
(A P)
Iran says exercising restraint despite 'unacceptable' US sanctions
Iran is showing "maximum restraint" despite the US withdrawal from an international nuclear deal, the country's foreign minister said on Thursday.
"The escalation by the United States is unacceptable," Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Tokyo
and
(*A P)
Iran says US sanctions 'unacceptable' amid Gulf tensions
Iran's foreign minister on Thursday said sanctions imposed by the Trump administration are “unacceptable” but that his country is committed to an international nuclear deal that has steadily unraveled amid rising tensions.
On a visit to Tokyo, Mohammad Zarif defended Iran's right to respond to the U.S. pullout from the nuclear deal last year and the imposition of sanctions.
(* A P)
US evacuates diplomatic staff from Iraq
Washington withdraws employees from Iraq and Germany suspends military training as US-Iran tensions rise
The US has ordered the departure of all non-essential staff from its diplomatic missions in Iraq, while Germany and the Netherlands suspended military training programmes in the country as tensions soar between the US and Iran.
https://www.ft.com/content/e6678754-76f1-11e9-bbad-7c18c0ea0201
My comment: Step by step, the US is preparing war.
(A P)
Konfrontative Nahostpolitik des US-Präsidenten
Trump: "Ich bin mir sicher, dass der Iran bald reden will"
Trump glaubt noch immer an ein Einlenken des Iran. Ein Experte ruft dazu auf, die Krise weltweit zur Chefsache zu machen.
Mein Kommentar: Trump und Co. haben die Krise längst in eine Phase gebracht, in der nicht mehr miteinander geredet wird. – „Einlenken“: Worin? Es geht ohnehin nur um Unterwerfung unter die Vorgaben und Interessen der USA.
(* B P)
Israel, Saudi Arabia and Trump aides want confrontation with Iran. Will Trump listen?
Analysis: With North Korea, Trump first threatened and then sought a deal. But he has a more hardline White House team now, with fewer moderating voices.
President Donald Trump campaigned on promises to extract the United States from wars in the Middle East. But his national security adviser, Republicans in Congress and trusted allies in Israel and Saudi Arabia are pushing for a confrontation with Iran.
(A P)
US does not seek war with Iran, says Mike Pompeo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the United States does not seek a war with Iran, amid rapidly growing tensions between the two countries.
Speaking in Russia, Mr Pompeo said the US was looking for Iran to behave like a "normal country" but would respond if its interests were attacked.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48272208
My comment: What is „US“ here? Pompeo himself seems to seek war. – „behave like a "normal country"“: The US never did since 1945.
(* A P)
Khamenei: "Weder wollen wir einen Krieg noch die USA"
Ein neuer Vorfall hat die Spannungen am Persischen Golf nach Sabotageakten gegen Öltanker weiter verschärft. Die Ereignisse fallen in eine Phase großer Spannungen zwischen den USA und Iran.
Irans Oberster Führer Ali Khamenei sagte im Staatsfernsehen: "Weder wollen wir einen Krieg noch die USA, die wissen, dass dies nicht in ihrem Interesse wäre." Deshalb werde es auch keinen Krieg geben.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/drohnenangriff-oelpipeline-saudi-arabien-usa-iran-1.4445684
(* A P)
This is wild. CENTCOM just put out a press release calling out the UK's top general in the anti-ISIS Coalition after he stated that there was "no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria." (document in image)
https://twitter.com/samueloakford/status/1128404716860452864
My comment: Well, this general just told that a great part of US propaganda stories and pretenses for war are nonsense.
(* A P)
The Trump Administration’s Hare-brained ‘Plans’ for War with Iran
Newsweek has more details on the administration’s plans for possible military action against Iran
If this quote is any indication of how the administration is thinking about an attack on Iran, things are even worse than I imagined. Launching an attack on Iran would not only be wrong and illegal, but it is all but guaranteed to lead to further escalation. Carrying out an unprovoked attack on Iran would be received as a repeat of Iraqi aggression against Iran in 1980, and the Iranian government would retaliate accordingly.
(* A P)
referring to
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PREPARES MULTIPLE MILITARY OPTIONS FOR IRAN, INCLUDING AIRSTRIKES AND SETTING UP GROUND INVASION
A Pentagon source told Newsweek if anything is likely to happen involving the preliminary Iran options, it would involve a heavy guided missile strike campaign in an attempt to lead Tehran to the negotiation table with Washington.
“It depends on the escalation of force. But no matter the bravado from Iran’s side, when you get hit it with 500 missiles every day, it degrades you, which and is the objective [sic]. When your opponent is weak, you get more out of any negotiation,” said one official with knowledge of the Iran plans.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-iran-military-airstrikes-invasion-1425365
(* B P)
Analysis: A conflict with Iran would not be like the Iraq War - it would be worse
Judging from appearances, the United States and Iran are worryingly close to conflict.
The dispute between a US administration led by a tough-talking Republican president and an embattled but antagonistic Middle Eastern power has reminded many observers of the run-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 - a move that, in the years since, has been widely condemned as disastrous for all involved.
But despite the similarities, a conflict with Iran would not simply be a redux of the 2003 war with Iraq. It would be quite different in many ways - and it would almost certainly be substantially worse.
Present-day Iran is a significantly different country compared with Iraq in 2003. The way it would fight a war is very different, too.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/05/14/conflict-with-iran-would-not-be-like-iraq-war-itd-be-worse/ = https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12231000
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Iran Threat Debate Is Set Off by Images of Missiles at Sea
The intelligence that caused the White House to escalate its warnings about a threat from Iran came from photographs of missiles on small boats in the Persian Gulf that were put on board by Iranian paramilitary forces, three American officials said.
Overhead imagery showed fully assembled missiles, stoking fears that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps would fire them at United States naval ships. Additional pieces of intelligence picked up threats against commercial shipping and potential attacks by Arab militias with Iran ties on American troops in Iraq.
But just how alarmed the Trump administration should be over the new intelligence is a subject of fierce debate among the White House, the Pentagon, the C.I.A. and America’s allies.
The photographs presented a different kind of threat than previously seen from Iran, said the three officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about it publicly. Taken with the other intelligence, the photographs could indicate that Iran is preparing to attack United States forces. That is the view of John R. Bolton, President Trump’s hard-line national security adviser, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
But other officials — including Europeans, Iraqis, members of both parties in Congress and some senior officials within the Trump administration — said Iran’s moves might mostly be defensive against what Tehran believes are provocative acts by Washington.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/15/world/middleeast/iran-war-usa.html
(* A P)
Trump Denies U.S. Preparing Plans To Send 120,000 Troops To Counter Iran Threat
U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed as “fake news” a report in The New York Times that said the White House is reviewing plans to possibly deploy up to 120,000 troops to the Middle East should Iran attack U.S. forces or accelerate work on nuclear weapons.
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/report-white-house-reviewing-military-plans-against-iran/29940761.html
(* A P)
Saudi oil facilities attacked, U.S. sees threat in Iraq from Iran-backed forces
Tuesday’s attacks on the pumping stations more than 200 miles (320 km) west of Riyadh and Sunday’s on four tankers off Fujairah emirate have raised concerns that the United States and Iran might inching toward military conflict.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump denied a New York Times report that U.S. officials were discussing a military plan to send up to 120,000 troops to the Middle East to counter any attack or nuclear weapons acceleration by Iran.
(*A P)
U.S. pulls staff from Iraq, says Iran gave 'blessing' for tanker attacks
Helicopters ferried U.S. staff from the American embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday out of apparent concern about perceived threats from Iran, which U.S. sources believe encouraged Sunday’s attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf.
The sabotage of the tankers, for which no one has claimed responsibility, and Saudi Arabia’s announcement on Tuesday that armed drones hit two of its oil pumping stations have raised concerns Washington and Tehran may be inching toward conflict.
A U.S. government source said American security experts believe Iran gave its “blessing” to tanker attacks
The source said the United States believes Iran’s role was one of actively encouraging militants but indicated the United States does not now have evidence that Iranian personnel played any direct operational role.
My comment: These US claims are part of a classical war preparation playbook.
(B P)
How Iran Exerts Influence Beyond Its Borders
https://www.newsy.com/stories/how-iran-exerts-influence-beyond-its-borders/
My comment: How US propaganda prepares the playground for war.
(* A P)
U.S.-Iran tensions continue to rise after apparent attacks, military deployments
This past week, the already difficult relationship between the U.S. and Iran has become even more tense. Administration officials have warned that they would respond with — quote — "unrelenting force" to any Iranian attack.
Tehran has threatened to exceed caps on its nuclear program. And, today, Saudi Arabia says that rebels in Yemen who are believed to be backed by Iran staged a major attack.
(* A P)
USA ziehen Botschaftsangehörige aus dem Irak ab, Bundeswehr setzt Einsatz aus
Britischer Offizier streitet erhöhte Gefährdung ab, CentCom spricht weiter von glaubwürdigen Bedrohungen, Truppen in erhöhter Bereitschaft
Bahnt sich ein Krieg der USA mit dem Iran an? Man könnte es vermuten, denn klar ist nicht nur, dass man im Weißen Haus, auch zugunsten von Saudi-Arabien und Israel und im Machtspiel mit den engen Alliierten, einen Regime Change durch wirtschaftliche Strangulation anstrebt. Dann kündigten US-Sicherheitsberater John Bolton und Verteidigungsminister Patrck Shanahan an, dass das Flugzeuträgergeschwader Abraham Lincoln und Bomber in die Region verlegt werden. Es gebe eine von den Geheimdiensten ermittelte "glaubwürdige Bedrohung" durch den Iran. Das Pentagon kündigte zudem die Verlegung von Patriot-Raketenabwehrsystemen in die Region an, sie waren erst vor kurzem abgezogen worden.
Schließlich wurde verbreitet, dass das Pentagon u.a. im Auftrag von Bolton den Plan ausgearbeitet habe, 120.000 US-Soldaten in die Region zu schicken und mit einem Cyberangriff die iranische Infrastruktur auszuhebeln, wenn der Iran, wie angekündigt, sein Atomprogramm wieder hochfahren sollte, falls die anderen Unterzeichnerstaaten des Iran-Abkommens nicht die Verluste durch die amerikanischen Sanktionen kompensieren. Die New York Times war wie so oft führendes Medium, um mit Berufung auf anonyme Quellen aus dem Sicherheitsapparat die Gerüchteküche anzufahren.
(* A P)
Wie gefährlich ist Iran wirklich?
Unbestritten spielt Teheran ein destabilisierende Rolle in der Region. Möglich ist aber auch, dass die US-Regierung die Bedrohung durch das Land gezielt aufbauscht.
Der britische Generalmajor Ghika antwortete: "Nein, es gibt keine gesteigerte Bedrohung durch von Iran unterstützte Kräfte im Irak und in Syrien."
Aber es gebe keine gestiegene Bedrohung, und da sei er mit den Amerikanern ganz und gar auf derselben Seite. Was die offenbar deutlich anders sehen.
Denn der Sprecher des Central Command, des für die Region zuständigen Regionalkommandos der US-Streitkräfte, veröffentlichte eine ebenso knappe wie scharfe Erklärung. Die Einlassungen Ghikas "widersprechen identifizierten glaubwürdigen Bedrohungen, die den US-Geheimdiensten und Verbündeten bezüglich iranischer Kräfte in der Region vorliegen".
Das wirft die Frage auf, ob die Iran-Falken in Washington eine Bedrohung aufbauschen, um eine harte Linie bis zu möglichen Militärschlägen durchzusetzen, etwa Trumps Sicherheitsberater John Bolton oder Außenminister Mike Pompeo.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/iran-usa-irak-nahost-krieg-1.4447877
(* A P)
The Latest: Khamenei says Iran won't negotiate with US
10:30 p.m.: An adviser to Iran President Hassan Rouhani says President Donald Trump is moving toward war with Iran instead of trying to reach a deal.
9:25 p.m.: Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says his country won't negotiate with the United States and there will be no war between the two countries.
Iran's state TV quoted Khamenei on Tuesday as calling negotiations with the U.S. "poison" and saying: "This is not a military confrontation, because no war is going to happen."
7:50 p.m.: President Donald Trump is dismissing a report that the U.S. is planning for a military conflict with Iran.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/the-latest-rouhani-adviser-says-trump-moving-toward-war
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/the-latest-khamenei-says-iran-wont-negotiate-with-us
(* B P)
Iran's Risky Nuclear Gambit Fueled by Trump's Enrichment Curbs
The economic pain inflicted by President Donald Trump’s sanctions on Iranian oil exports was widely blamed for prompting Tehran’s threat last week to gradually roll back its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.
But it was a U.S. decision in early May to revoke two waivers critical to the Islamic Republic’s enrichment activities that left it with a stark choice: either submit to Washington’s will and stop all uranium enrichment, or abandon some of its obligations under the landmark accord -- and risk a rupture with European signatories.
(* B P)
A widening gulf: US provides scant evidence to back up Iran threat claims
Experts have expressed scepticism at how valid some of Washington's most recent allegations really are
As tensions between the US and Iran have ratcheted up in recent weeks, Trump administration officials have levied a growing list of accusations at Tehran.
That includes the allegation that Iran is preparing to attack US troops stationed in the region; that Iran has connections to al-Qaeda, and that Iran committed acts of sabotage on oil tankers in the Gulf.
The evidence to back up these allegations is scant, however, and some experts have expressed scepticism at how valid some of Washington's claims really are.
Others have raised concerns about whether the Trump administration is trying to go to war with Iran based on unproven allegations, a scenario that harkens back to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Here, MEE examines recent US accusations against Iran - who said what, and based on what evidence - and whether they hold any water.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/US-scant-evidence-Iran-threat-claims-analysis
cp19b Weitere Spannungen im Mittleren Osten / More tensions in the Middle East
(B K P)
Es brodelt schon genug
Im Streit mit dem Iran wächst die Angst vor einem Krieg. Die Folgen wären fatal, in der weiteren Region ist der Iran ohnehin an vielen Konflikten beteiligt. Ein Überblick
Eine militärische Konfrontation zwischen den USA und dem Iran hätte Auswirkungen auf den gesamten Nahen und Mittleren Osten. So provokant und problematisch der Iran auch agiert, die persische Nation selbst gehört dort immer noch zu den stabileren Staaten. Käme es zu einem Krieg, wäre der Iran nicht nur ein weiterer Konfliktschauplatz. Von Syrien bis Jemen sind die Beispiele für Gewalt, Staatszerfall und Elend der Bevölkerung zahlreich – und vielerorts ist die Islamische Republik beteiligt:
https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-05/iran-jemen-irak-syrien-libanon-gaza-libyen
Mein Kommentar: Der Iran wird hier als der wichtigste Unruhestifter und Strippenzieher im Nahen Osten dargestellt. Das ist reichlich schräg, die USA, Saudi-Arabien und die VAE werden in dieser Rolle arg vernachlässigt.
(A K P)
With Iran’s support, Houthis planning terrorist attacks in the Red Sea , says military spokesman
The spokesman of the National Army Forces Brig. Gen. Abdu Mujali has said the Houthi militia, with support from Iran, is planning to move its battles into the sea to carry out terrorist attacks targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Mujali was qouted by the ‘Okaz Newspaper’ as saying that “Iranian experts are present in Al-Luhaya and Al-Salef directorates and they are training Houthi militia on using self-propelled booby-trapped boats and marine mines to execute terrorist operations in the coming days.
He said the Houthi militia is preparing to equip more than 400 explosive-laden boats at the hands of Iranian experts
My comment: This is Hadi government propaganda (propaganda factor: 99 %) – aiming at inflating the tensions in the Middle East, as support to provoke an US war against Iran.
(A K P)
GCC countries begin enhanced maritime security patrols: U.S. Fifth Fleet
Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) began “enhanced security patrols” in the international waters of the Arabian Gulf area on Saturday, the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said on Sunday.
The GCC countries were “specifically increasing communication and coordination with each other in support of regional naval cooperation and maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf,” the Facebook statement said.
(* A K P)
Iran threat: UK special forces join US strike group in Persian Gulf as tensions mount
BRITISH SPECIAL FORCES have been flown into the Middle East as part of a secret contingency operation to counter potential Iranian attacks on UK merchant shipping transiting the narrow waters of the Persian Gulf.
Now two SBS teams have joined UK registered oil tankers transiting in the Persian Gulf south through the Strait of Hormuz, where they will be tasked with monitoring Iranian activity around the island of Qesham - home to Iranian naval gunboats. Both teams will collate information as the ships move south through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf of Oman, where it is understood they will be airlifted off by Royal Navy Merlin helicopters operating out of Oman.
Britain and the US seemed to display a rare difference in policies over the middle east last week when the Pentagon publicly corrected a statement from Maj-Gen Chris Ghika, the UK’s military commander in the US-led mission against Islamic State, that “there’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria”.
But sources later explained that Maj-Gen Ghika had not been briefed about the amount of new intelligence he could reveal.
(* A K P)
Iran threat sees British Special Forces ‘joining US strike force’ in the Gulf
The reported move comes as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier fleet arrives for patrols in the Arabian Sea
Special Forces have flown to the Middle East as part of a top secret mission to combat any Iranian attacks on merchant ships, it's been reported.
Members of the elite Special Boat Service (SBS) are said to have joined UK registered oil tankers sailing to the Persian Gulf.
Once there, they will be tasked with monitoring Iranian military activity around the island of Qesham which is home to the country's naval gunboats, claims the Sunday Express.
After the two SBS crews have passed through the Strait of Hormuz it is reported they will be airlifted off by Royal Navy Merlin helicopters operating out of Oman.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9107991/british-special-forces-iran-gulf-secret/
and by Press TV Iran: https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/05/19/596366/UK-special-forces-Iran-Persian-Gulf
My comment: The UK as the poodle of the US, again. It’s remarkable that both media justify this by a supposed “Iran threat”.
(* A P)
Saudi, UAE pressuring Egypt to take hostile stance against Iran: Report
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have reportedly stepped up pressure on Egypt to make the North African country take an overtly hostile position against Iran.
Citing some sources close to the Egyptian presidency, the New Arab or al-Araby al-Jadeed, a London-based pan-Arab media outlet, reported on Saturday that the pressure has mounted following recent “sabotage attacks” on four oil tankers off the coast of Fujairah.
The report said while Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are pressuring Arab states to take a more aggressive stance on Iran, Cairo has refused to fall in line.
A diplomatic source said Egypt values its diplomatic ties with Iran, though at the lowest level, but the Persian Gulf Arab countries are seeking to drag Cairo into a battle with Tehran.
An Egyptian diplomatic source said Saudi Arabia and the UAE are offering Egypt economic and oil incentives as well as direct investment to lure the country into sending forces to the two Middle Eastern states as a warning to Iran.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/05/18/596247/Saudi-Arabia-UAE-Iran-Egypt
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia says it seeks to avert war, ball in Iran's court
Saudi Arabia wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength and determination” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, a senior official said on Sunday, adding that the ball was now in Iran’s court.
“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.
“It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.”
My comment: This ist he typical rhetoric of a party which is going to start a war, while putting all the blame n the othre side. Iran obviously will not start any war, as Patrick J. Buchanan seriously had argued: https://buchanan.org/blog/who-wants-this-war-with-iran-137040 = https://original.antiwar.com/buchanan/2019/05/16/who-wants-this-war-with-iran/
Comment: Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have reiterated they don't want war with Iran. Well, question is: why don't they stop the war with Iran in #Yemen?!! Neither the GCC states nor the West will fight Iran. But they will not hesitate for a second to destroy any Arab country.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1129918507506950144
(A P)
Saudischer König ruft zu Krisengesprächen Ende Mai auf
Wegen der jüngsten Scharmützel in der Golfregion hat Saudi-Arabien Staaten aus der Region zu zwei Krisentreffen Ende Mai eingeladen. Die Nachrichtenagentur SPA berichtete, König Salman habe die Führer des Golf-Kooperationsrats und der Arabischen Liga zu Gesprächen am 30. Mai aufgefordert.
Dann solle in Mekka über «diese Aggressionen und ihre Auswirkungen auf die Region» gesprochen werden
(A P)
Saudi Arabia to convene Arab leaders over recent attacks
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits to discuss the implications of this week’s attacks against the kingdom and neighboring United Arab Emirates, the foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The meetings are set for May 30 in Mecca
(A P)
Saudi crown prince discusses regional developments with Pompeo
(A K P)
Reports have said GCC regimes have asked USA to redeploy its forces in Gulf to protect them from a possible Iranian attack. But these regimes are destroying Yemen and other Arab states pretending they're heroes. In Yemen, Govt can't run a tiny city, thanks to UAE-backed militias.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1129567649841729538
(A K P)
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue to blah "Iran is destabilising and posing a serious threat to the region's stability and security". Can anyone in this world deny the serious threats these two rich countries are posing to stability and security of the region?!
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1129515141396127745
(* A K P)
Exclusive: Insurer says Iran's Guards likely to have organized tanker attacks
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are “highly likely” to have facilitated attacks last Sunday on four tankers including two Saudi ships off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, according to a Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters.
A confidential assessment issued this week by the Norwegian Shipowners’ Mutual War Risks Insurance Association (DNK) concluded that the attack was likely to have been carried out by a surface vessel operating close by that despatched underwater drones carrying 30-50 kg (65-110 lb) of high-grade explosives to detonate on impact.
The DNK based its assessment that the IRGC was likely to have orchestrated the attacks on a number of factors, including:
(A K P)
Iraq ‘will not allow US to use its territory to attack Iran’
Iraq’s ambassador to Moscow says Iraq will not allow the United States to use Iraqi soil to launch attacks against Iran, as Washington ratchets up tensions with Tehran.
Iraq “does not want a new devastating war in the region.”
“Iraq is a sovereign nation. We will not let [the US] to use our territory,” he said, echoing earlier remarks by Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/05/16/596073/Iraq-US-Iran-tensions-Iraqi-ambassador-Russia
(*A K P)
Saudis blame Iran for drone attack amid calls for US strikes
Saudi Arabia accused Tehran of being behind a drone strike that shut down a key oil pipeline in the kingdom, and a newspaper close to the palace called for Washington to launch "surgical" strikes on Iran. Ali Shihabi, who runs the Saudi-leaning Arabia Foundation in Washington, said there's a sense that if the Iranians can get away with targeting Saudi oil infrastructure, then "the whole security infrastructure in the Gulf will be called into question and security premiums on oil will rise."
He said it would seem that Riyadh would like to coordinate with Washington how it responds to Iran, but "eventually what may happen is that just Saudi Arabia and the UAE may have to do something."
My remark, comment: Look at cp1c for this attack and these Saudi claims. – „Arabia Foundation“ is a Saudi-funded Saudi lobby mouthpiece in the US.
And Saudi Propaganda is crying for war:
(* A K P)
Editorial: Iran must not go unpunished
The attacks on Tuesday by armed drones on Saudi oil-pumping stations, and two days beforehand on oil tankers off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE, represent a serious escalation on the part of Iran and its proxies, should the initial conclusions of an international investigation prove to be accurate.
Riyadh has constantly warned world leaders of the dangers that Iran poses, not only to Saudi Arabia and the region, but also to the entire world.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman referred to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the “new Hitler of the Middle East.
The next logical step — in this newspaper’s view — should be surgical strikes. The US has set a precedent, and it had a telling effect: The Trump strikes on Syria when the Assad regime used Sarin gas against its people.
We argue this because it is clear that sanctions are not sending the right message.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1497651/editorial
and
(* A P)
Saudi Newspaper, Owned by MBS' Brother, Urges U.S. 'Surgical Strikes' on Iran
Newspaper's publisher is the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, a company that had long been chaired by various sons of King Salman until 2014 and is regarded as reflecting official position
(B P)
A Saudi Pipeline Attack Amps Up Suspicions on the Arabian Peninsula
Although Iran has always denied a connection, it is well known that Yemen's Houthi rebels receive materiel and financial and political support from the Islamic republic.
My comment:This artice generally is fitting well into the US propaganda scheme (Iran Iran…) and is giving much more wild guess than explanation.
(* A P)
The Latest: Pakistan urges US, Iran to exercise restraint
The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere in the Mideast amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran (all times local):
10:45 p.m.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has urged the United States and Iran to exercise restraint and resolve their all issues through talks to avoid conflict.
4:35 p.m.
A state-aligned Saudi newspaper is calling for "surgical" U.S. strikes in retaliation against alleged threats from Iran.
The Arab News published an editorial in English on Thursday, arguing that after incidents this week against Saudi energy targets, the next logical step "should be surgical strikes.
https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/national-international/article230462994.html
(* A B P)
Film: Could tension in Gulf escalate into an open conflict? | Inside Story
What's really behind this series of attacks? Presenter: Adrian Finighan; Guests: Nasser Arrabyee, Yemeni journalist and filmmaker. Trita Parsi, Professor of Middle East Politics at Georgetown University and Author of 'Losing an Enemy- Obama, Iran and the triumph of Diplomacy. Samuel Ramani, Univeristy of Oxford PhD candidate, regular contributor for the Diplomat and Washington Post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJml6aBHk5w
(* A P)
The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere in Mideast amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran (all times local):
https://apnews.com/c61546f081e842f6b5d944ed20a204bc
(* A K P)
UAE says it will show restraint after tanker attacks, Iran's behavior a concern
The United Arab Emirates will show restraint after attacks on oil tankers off its coast and is committed to de-escalation during a “difficult situation” caused by Iranian behavior in the region, a senior official said on Wednesday.
UAE says committed to Yemen peace deal but will retaliate to Houthi attacks
A Saudi-led military coalition will “retaliate hard” for any attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on Saudi Arabia but remains committed to a U.N.-sponsored peace deal in the main port city of Hodeidah, a senior United Arab Emirates official said on Wednesday.
(* A B K P)
Drohnenangriffe und Schüsse auf Schiffe: Wie der Konflikt im Mittleren Osten eskaliert
Nach den mysteriösen Anschlägen auf vier Öltanker im Persischen Golf eskalieren die Spannungen in der Region weiter.
Auf Satellitenbildern sei kein größerer Schaden an den vier Schiffen vor dem Hafen von Fudschaira zu sehen, berichtete die Nachrichtenagentur AP. Reportern durften die Schiffe aber nicht näher in Augenschein zu nehmen.
Auch iranische Hardliner nehmen an der Propagandaschlacht teil
(A K P)
Saudi Arabia says 'terrorist attack' on oil tankers raises new security concerns
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet called the “terrorist attack” against two Saudi oil tankers near the United Arab Emirates’ territorial waters a threat to maritime safety, saying it reflected poorly on regional and international security, Saudi Press agency reported on Tuesday.
(* A P)
Official: Initial U.S. Assessment Blames Iran for United Arab Emirates Ship Attacks
An American military team’s initial assessment is that Iranian or Iranian-backed proxies used explosives Sunday to blow large holes in four ships anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. official said Monday.
http://time.com/5588640/us-blames-iran-uae-ship-attacks/
(*A P)
U.S. Envoy Urges Response “Short of War” to Gulf Tanker Attacks
The U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Washington should take what he called “reasonable responses short of war” after it had determined who was behind attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Iran was a prime suspect in the sabotage on Sunday although Washington had no conclusive proof, a U.S. official familiar with American intelligence said on Monday. Iran has denied involvement.
https://gcaptain.com/us-response-short-of-war-gulf-tanker-attacks/
My comment: Just a claim would do it. This would be a typical US foreign policy.
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IRAN IN FOCUS
The UAE has not revealed details about the nature of the attack on ships near Fujairah port, which lies just outside the Strait of Hormuz, or blamed any party or country.
Iran was a prime suspect in the sabotage on Sunday although Washington had no conclusive proof, a U.S. official familiar with American intelligence said on Monday.
Iran has denied involvement and described the attack on the four commercial vessels as “worrisome and dreadful”. It has called for an investigation.
The U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Washington should take what he called “reasonable responses short of war” after it had determined who was behind the attacks near Fujairah.
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U.S. Energy Department says oil markets well supplied after attack on ships off UAE
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Four vessels struck in reported sabotage attacks off UAE coast
Some international media reports suggested that other ships also had been targeted in the attacks. Another such ship is reported to have been the Dominica-flagged MT Miraj.
An assessment of the various reports and statements released suggests a degree of uncertainty as to the precise location of the attacks. There have also been no suggestions – or claims – of responsibility for carrying out the attacks.
https://safetyatsea.net/news/2019/four-vessels-struck-in-reported-sabotage-attacks-off-uae-coast/
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Saudi oil tankers among those attacked off UAE amid Iran tensions
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-538 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-538:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-538-yemen-war-mosaic-538
Vorige / Previous
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-537-yemen-war-mosaic-537
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-537 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-537:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
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