IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Brigadier General Esmayeel Qaani lauded the role of Martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in strengthening the Axis of Resistance, and vowed that the U.S. troops will soon leave the region.

Qaani praised the role of General Soleimani in resolving regional crises and strengthening the Resistance Front, stressing that according to the agenda of the Resistance Axis, the end of the US military presence in the region is imminent.

He made the remarks in a closed session of the Iranian Parliament on Wednesday, where he briefed the lawmakers on the details of the last year terror attack on his former boss, Martyr General Soleimani.

He emphasized the necessity of revenge for the blood of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Hailing the role of General Soleimani in resolving regional crises and strengthening the Axis of Resistance, Qaani said that the bones of the enemy are being crushed due to such strengthened resistance.

Referring to the remarks of IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Qaani in the closed session of Iran’s Parliament on Wednesday, parliament member Ebrahim Rezaee said, “In the first place General Qaani stressed that the U.S. must leave Iraq and the region.”

Qaani, who served as Martyr Soleimani’s deputy for more than a decade, replaced him after his assassination.

He did not go into details of his meeting with lawmakers but it was expected the meeting to be on the latest developments in Iraq and in the region.

In relevant remarks on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker’s Special Aide for International Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian underlined once again that the country will certainly take a harsh revenge from the masterminds and perpetrators of the terror attack on the former IRGC Quds Force Commander, Lieutenant General Soleimani.

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These days and in the media and virtual space, some whispers are heard from Iraqi parties in support of Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, and the vote of confidence will put an end to months of speculations, anticipations, and also weakness in political decision in the country.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

After months of hard times in Iraq, ultimately Shiite groups designated Al-Kadhimi for the premiership seat. One of the features of the prime-minister designate and his cabinet is that there is no ambiguity and doubt about their honesty and also no foreign player has had a hand in his designation, and so far  no doubt has been cast about his designation.

All Iraqi currents and parties like Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis have supported this designation and consider it the result of a national understanding which enjoys the support of all groups and ethnics in the country.

Although Shiite parties have enjoyed the majority in the Parliament, it is the first time that they overwhelmingly support any prime minister in the country. Of course, this will be politically important achievement if Al-Kadhimi and his cabinet win votes of confidence because it will provide a good opportunity for strengthening unity and creating convergence among all political parties from Shiites, Kurds to Sunnis.

Consensus among three important political and religious currents in Iraq on a designate from the majority group in the parliament can be a prelude to overcoming all challenges that Iraq has faced in recent years.

What is materialized today in Iraq is the result of instructive reaction which was seen during the parliament and national currents’ stance against dictation of Americans’ will. Americans wanted to impose Adnan Al-Zurfi as prime minister through illegal action of Iraqi President Barham Salih and through resorting to national reasons and winning the public opinion in Iraq but it faced with strong opposition from Shiite groups and their plot failed.

But Iraq’s own mechanism and coalition of the majority could reach an agreement on Al-Kadhimi and asked him to form the cabinet.

Al-Kadhimi’s background and records especially as the head of National Intelligence Service are good enough to be designated for the job. Some speculations over Al-Kadhimi’s having a hand in assassination of Martyr Qassem Soleimani have not been confirmed yet and the probes have not confirmed the allegations.

His good relation with domestic political parties and neighboring states of Iraq and key regional players is of his positive point, showing  his political maturity, which can settle some undecided issues in Iraq and the region.

Implementing the parliament’s approval of expulsion of the U.S. forces from Iraq is one of the conditions which has been set by the Shiite groups for his support which is strategically important and this demand undoubtedly is a national one from the new prime minister which is still a condition.

Some believe that former Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was the best one for the resistance front and in the regional level but the current critical condition and deadly protests in Iraq and ultimately Shiite Jurisprudence’s demand led to his resignation which changed the situation.

However the coalition between majorities of resistance Shiite groups in Iraq reached a consensus on Al-Kadhimi and this decision in the current critical condition of the country and Iraqi people is considered as a positive and forward-moving action.

Since a couple of days ago, Americans have resorted to some wicked actions to weaken the position of Iraqi parliament which is considered as an open interference in administration of an independent country like Iraq.

They have begun a psych-war in the virtual space by frightening the people of the Daesh forces attacks. And on the eve of Iraqi parliament’s courageous action, American planes started air drills over Iraq space and it has been reported that they have disembarked some mercenary Daesh forces in some areas in Iraq or have armed them.

Iraq Interior Minister and Iraqi military commanders in their interviews assured the people about possible Daesh threats and claimed those attacks were just for weakening the parliament decision for pullout of the U.S. troops.

It seems aligned maturity of political parties in Iraq has been carefully planned to overcome the U.S. policies, and after five months of speculation and anticipation Iraq would achieve an admirable result.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – A senior Iranian military commander says Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is closely monitoring the movements of U.S. troops in the region.

Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said Rriday the Iranian military is keeping a close watch on the Persian Gulf.

“Today, we (the IRGC) are following the Americans like a falcon in the entire Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and anywhere that the Americans are present, and our brothers in the Army are monitoring them in the Sea of Oman, too,” said Admiral Tangsiri, the commander of the IRGC’s Naval Force.

“The Islamic Republic [of Iran]’s forces in the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf are monitoring all movements of the Americans,” he said.

The top commander said there is no way, but for the Americans to leave the region.

“We see a bright prospect for the Persian Gulf region. If we say the Americans should leave the region, it is because their departure will rid the region of problems and security will return to the Persian Gulf,” he noted.

“The Americans are seeking to foment tension and fuel the fire in the region,” he said.

“They brought insecurity to anywhere they went to; so, the presence of the U.S. and transregional countries has brought insecurity to the Persian Gulf, a region which used to be calm and nations lived there in peace and harmony,” he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. system are playing a blame game at this juncture given that the country is facing internal problems.

“This blame game in the Persian Gulf is a justification for their illegitimate presence, but the nations in the region have been awakened and their initial departure from Iraq will take place and, God willing, the same trend will begin in other countries as well,” the commander said.

“It has been forty years that their presence is not acceptable to people, and we believe collective security is the only way to ensure stability in the region, and we announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of challenging anybody,” he said.

He said the Americans are seeking to regain the face they have lost in the region. He also touched upon Iran’s downing of an American done that had trespassed into Iranian airspace as well as Iran striking a US base in Iraq in revenge for the U.S. assassination of top Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

“As I said, in addition to this, they are also gripped by internal problems, and that’s why they need to play blame games,” he said.

“You should know that since the Persian Gulf region is our home, we are not seeking to set off fire in our own home, but we cannot accept that our fishing launches are searched by U.S. forces and US choppers fly over our oil rigs and we cannot accept that they violate our rights,” he said.

The top commander also referred to the recent confrontation between the IRGC’s speedboats and American warships in the Persian Gulf.

“They had entered the territory of our exercises while it has already been announced that drills were being conducted in that territory. By making such moves, they are seeking insecurity and that is why they were ordered to leave,” he said.

“A few years ago, what happened when a US warship targeted a vessel belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), killing two Indians? The Americans are not observing shipping rules; why should they reserve the right to conduct military war games whenever they want?” said the commander.

“The Americans are on the decline and collapsing from within, but they keep trying to show off their hollow grandeur to the oppressed people in the region,” he added.

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IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

Doha, the capital of Qatar, recently hosted U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban forces’ representative Mullah Abdul Ghani where the world watched a peace deal which was a mere loss and flop for the whole region. Doha created a ground for representatives of the U.S. and Taliban to reach an agreement for release of 5,000 prisoners, attributed to the Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

Doha was the finish line for almost a year and a half of talks between Taliban and U.S. President Donald Trump’s government to pave the ground for pullout of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Of course, it should be mentioned that so far both sides have not revealed official details of their peace deal but witnesses in Doha acknowledge that in the deal, the Afghan government has been tasked with releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners from prisons across the country. Meanwhile, the U.S. has been assigned with pulling out fully its troops and undiplomatic forces from Afghanistan by June 2021.

But what makes it clear is that to what cost, Americans have accepted to leave Afghanistan and all its interests in Afghanistan after about 20 years military and all-out presence in the country. It seems President Trump has hurriedly signed the deal as a winning card for his upcoming November 2020 U.S. presidential election in order to have at least an achievement to convince American public.

Mr. Trump in his political strategy, resulted from Afghan peace deal, believes that he can make a hype in the media like what he did in Iran’s nuclear deal, trade war with China or nuclear talks with North Korea cases where he had no sustainable interactions and achievements, and this time in deal with Afghanistan even its achievement is only a media hype or memento photo can be considered an achievement in his foreign policies.

From the trend of the deal, it seems that the deal is the ground for probable next agreement in which giving self-autonomy to the Taliban in their two dominated provinces in Afghanistan will be a part of the deal. Of course by release of 5000 Taliban imprisoners, it is unlikely that Taliban remains committed to the deal by getting self-autonomy without arms and in the framework of Afghanistan laws.

That both parties have resorted to political silence over the second phase of the deal can be tied with hope of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan. Regarding the deal, probably both Taliban and legal Afghan government are after choosing the lesser of two devils, namely, the pullout of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, as they consider it a good opportunity. And in the second stage, Afghan government also considers it an achievement in its foreign policy.

Giving concession to the Taliban will be easier. By the way, both Taliban and Afghan government consider themselves as the license holders of the country owners while Mr. Trump also sees the occasion as a good opportunity to boost his position in the presidential election by showing the deal as an achievement.

Although the U.S. military men and experts disagree with Trump’s decision, after the deal, they conducted an attack at Taliban position in order to weaken the ground for the deal. Apart from sabotages, both Afghan and Trump governments, despite striking the deal, can break it by resorting different pretexts and Taliban forces, in the wake of the deal, may be forced to disarm and accept the self-autonomy in the framework of Afghan laws.

Regarding the background of the Taliban who have full awareness and familiarity with tricks and treasons of aliens, it seems they have received all concessions from their American party, and undoubtedly they will not be ready to accept disarmament and implementation of general ceasefire in Afghanistan. By the way, the Pentagon also believes that with this deal, Taliban will take full control of whole Afghanistan.

It means that Taliban will keep its military structure and body across Afghanistan and with release of some 5000 of its skillful warriors from the prisons, it can ignite fire of war in Afghanistan with the simplest pretext in order to have dominance over the whole country.

So, Trump, U.S. Department of State and their advisors in Afghanistan should be considered as the ultimate losers of Afghan peace deal. From the day the Afghan peace deal has been signed, all Afghan nation have started countdown for the U.S. troops pullout from the country while they are not ready to give concessions to Taliban forces to run some major parts of Afghanistan.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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