Tag: military

Iran and Turkey Pursue Renewed Relationship Following Departure of Trump Administration @BeholdIsrael.org

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

The two countries are committed to strengthening their ties following the transition out of the Trump era; Iran’s foreign minister visited Turkey late this week to discuss several matters; Turkey’s foreign minister calls on the Biden administration to withdraw Trump era sanctions.

Amid the reality of a new US administration, the Iranian regime and Turkey are motioning to re-solidify their relationship, ultimately involving other nations moving forward. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited Turkey this week and met with several Turkish officials belonging to the Foreign Ministry to discuss regional stability.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that within Zarif’s visit, “all aspects of our bilateral relations will be discussed and views on regional and international issues will be exchanged.”

The Trump administration expressed willingness to work with the Turkish government over the last four years, putting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime in a difficult position regarding his relationship with the Iranians. In contrast, the White House emphasized a ‘maximum pressure’ campaign towards the Islamic Republic over the last four years following the US decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

According to Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, “Turkey hopes that the newly elected Biden administration in the U.S. will return to the nuclear agreement with Iran and withdraw sanctions on the Iranian people.” In essence, in the last four years, Turkey has been torn between protecting its relationship with Iran and leveraging its diplomatic relations with the US.

Eastern Europe: Russia Ready To Help Iran Build More Reactors At Bushehr Nuclear Power Plantby Tsarizm StaffJanuary 26, 2021084

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

Russia is ready to help the Iranian regime build new nuclear power units at the Bushehr nuclear power plant on the Persian Gulf.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday, reported Russian state news agency TASS.

“Particularly we discussed cooperation on construction of new power units of the Busher Nuclear Power Plant in Iran and overall welcomed the drive of all our colleagues from the economic block of the governments of the two countries and Russian and Iranian business circles to comprehensively expand multifaceted partnership,” he said.

Middle East

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

UPDATE: Twin suicide bombs rocked a busy market in central Baghdad on Thursday morning, killing at least 28 people and injuring 73 others, a security official told CNN.

Not my favorite source, but under Biden Middle East becomes a powder keg again.

Israel to Become Part of CENTCOM Amid Geopolitical Shift in Region @BeholdIsrael.org

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

In what was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the president ordered that Israel be integrated into Central Command (CENTCOM) for the first time ever, making it the 21st country to join.

Though part of the United States European Command (EUCOM) for many years, Israel is set to become the 21st country to join CENTCOM, which presides over the Middle East and Gulf region. This is of great significance concerning military strategy in the region, especially concerning the growing tension that involves the Gulf States, Israel, the US, and Iran.

In light of the recent normalization of diplomatic ties between Israel and multiple Arab nations over the last four years, the Military Times said, “It is the crowning piece of Trump’s efforts to stitch together disparate nations with a common enemy, following the signing of the Abraham Accords, in which Israel normalized relations with former enemies Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.”

The Abraham Accords, which have largely been accomplished in the last three months, have normalized diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, with others believed to follow in the future.

According to the Pentagon, the Abraham Accords opened the door for Israel to join CENTCOM. The Pentagon said, “The easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors subsequent to the Abraham Accords has provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to align key partners against shared threats in the Middle East.”

They added, “Israel is a leading strategic partner for the United States, and this will open up additional opportunities for cooperation with our U.S. Central Command partners while maintaining strong cooperation between Israel and our European allies.”

Israel’s integration into CENTCOM provides the means for a significant upgrade in intelligence and military transparency in the region.

Retired Marine and former head of the Central Command, General Anthony Zinni, also voiced his optimistic outlook on the news. He presented that while in the past, such a move would have created more friction due to the lack of trust between Israel and the Gulf States. However, amid Israel’s longstanding friendship with the US and ever-improving relationship with Arab nations, he pointed out that there very well may be no better time than now.January 15th, 2021

IDF Drawing Up Plans to Strike Iran’s Nuclear Progam

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

The Israel Defense Forces is drawing up plans for an attack on Iran’s nuclear program, the Israel Hayom daily reported Thursday in a front-page article.

The newspaper said that IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi has asked for three alternate proposals to derail Tehran’s program, without elaborating on them. It only indicated one of the proposals is a military strike, noting that such a plan would require a significant budgetary boost for the Israeli military. 

Iran resumed enriching uranium to 20 percent last week, well in excess of the threshold set out in its landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and a short technical jump from the 90% level of enrichment needed to produce weapons.

https://watch.org/ The Koenig’s Eye View

US Deploys B-52 Bombers to Persian Gulf, Warning Iran Against Possible Attacks

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

The United States flew two B-52 bombers over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday as a forewarning to Iran against any potential attacks against American or allied targets in the Middle East.

Additionally, the senior military official said there could be a “potential for other more complex attacks” against Americans in Iraq. “I think it is likely that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad would be attacked again in some manner.”

He added, “We’re seeing planning for, particularly in Iraq for complex attacks that require Iranian assistance in order to be pulled off. It’s unclear to us, whether it’s contingency planning, or whether it’s a plan that is advancing because approval has been given and they’re just trying to get all the pieces in place and execute.”

House Democrats sign letter calling on Biden to ‘swiftly’ rejoin Iran nuclear deal

~ Randy Harris ~ 1 Comment

A group of 150 Democrats in the US House of Representatives has signed a letter calling on US President-elect Joe Biden to “swiftly” re-enter the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

In the Dec. 23 letter, they wrote that “diplomacy is the best path to halt and reverse Iran’s nuclear program, decrease tensions in the region and facilitate our nation’s reincorporation into the international community. We are united in our support for swiftly taking the necessary diplomatic steps to restore constraints on Iran’s nuclear program and return both Iran and the United States to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a starting point for further negotiations.”The signees claim that the agreement “verifiably constrained Iran’s nuclear program until after the United States’ unilateral withdrawal.” per Koenig Eye View https://watch.org/