Crisis in the Arabian Gulf | Page 15 | World Defense

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The Latest: Iran official says some in US pushing for war
15 minutes ago
29 May 2019


FILE - In this Friday, May 24, 2019, file photo, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is surrounded by reporters at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan. North Korea on Monday, May 27, 2019, has called U.S. National Security Adviser Bolton a "war monger" and "defective human product" after he called the North's recent tests of short-range missile a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. (Yohei Kanasashi/Kyodo News via AP, File)

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — 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):

5:25 p.m.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister is saying that some “elements” in the Trump administration are pushing the country into a war that would be “catastrophic” for the region.

The semi-official ISNA news agency quotes Abbas Araghchi as saying, “We are aware that evident elements are trying to put America into a war with Iran for their own goals.” He did not elaborate on who those elements are.

Araghchi said there have been no talks and won’t be any talks with the U.S., either directly or indirectly.

Araghchi added that Iran is ready to talk with any Persian Gulf state to reduce tensions and establish a balanced and constructive relationship.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran soared recently over America deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf over a still-unexplained threat it perceives from Tehran.
__
4:25 p.m.
Iran’s foreign ministry is rejecting accusations by President Donald Trump’s national security adviser that Tehran was behind alleged sabotage of oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
John Bolton, long a hawk on Iran, said during a visit to the UAE on Wednesday that the sabotage came from naval mines placed “almost certainly by Iran.” He declined to offer any evidence to support his comments.
In Tehran, the foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that it was a “ridiculous accusation” but not a surprise and “not a strange thing” since it came from someone with a long record of anti-Iran stance.
Bolton’s visit to the UAE comes amid heightened tensions across the Persian Gulf.
___
2:30 p.m.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the “road is not closed” if the U.S. wants negotiations with Iran and returns to the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

Rouhani spoke during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

He did not explicitly name the United States but referred to Washington by saying: “The road is not closed for them, whenever they put aside their cruel sanctions and return to the negotiation table that they left.”

Rouhani’s website also quoted him as saying that if the U.S. chooses “another way and returns to justice and law, the Iranian nation will keep the road open to you.”

The U.S. last year pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

___
1:30 p.m.
Iran’s official news agency says Russia’s deputy foreign minister is visiting Tehran to discuss the increasingly unraveling 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

IRNA says Sergey Ryabkov met his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Wednesday. It says they discussed the deal as well as bilateral ties, regional and international issues.

The visit comes as tensions have escalated in the Persian Gulf region amid a crisis between Washington and Iran. Last year, the Trump administration pulled America out of the nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Iran targeting the country’s oil sector.

America has deployed an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the region over the escalation. Countries such as Iraq and Japan have offered to mediate in the crisis. Iran says it will wait and monitor the developments in the region before deciding about the offer.
___
10:05 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s national security adviser says there was a failed attack recently on the Saudi oil-port city of Yanbu.

The comments by John Bolton on Wednesday came during a briefing to journalists in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi.

Bolton’s remarks mark the first time anyone has alleged that Yanbu was targeted during the ongoing Persian Gulf crisis.

Yanbu is the terminus, the final point, of Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline. That pipeline was recently targeted by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in a coordinated drone attack.

Bolton said he suspected Iran was behind the failed attack, but did not elaborate.

Officials in Saudi Arabia could not be immediately reached for comment.
___
9:55 a.m.
The top security adviser to President Donald Trump says that there’s “no reason” for Iran to breach the terms of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers other than to seek atomic weapons.

John Bolton made the comment on Wednesday while speaking to journalists in Abu Dhabi ahead of meetings he planned with top Emirati officials.
Bolton said: “There’s no reason for them to do . it unless it is to reduce the breakout time to nuclear weapons.”

Bolton also claims that four oil tankers Emirati officials alleged were sabotaged off the coast of Fujairah were attacked “almost certainly by Iran.” He declined to offer any evidence to support his comments.

Bolton dismissed the idea there was any difference between his positions and Trump, saying: “I am the national security adviser, not the national security decision-maker.”
___
8:55 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, a longtime hawk on Iran, is visiting the United Arab Emirates amid heightened tensions across the Persian Gulf.

John Bolton tweeted he had arrived in the Emirates for meetings Wednesday “to discuss important and timely regional security matters.”

America recently deployed an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf over a still-unexplained threat it perceives from Tehran. The U.S. also pulled nonessential diplomats out of Iraq and sent hundreds more troops to the region.

Meanwhile, Emirati officials allege four ships off their coast were sabotaged. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have launched drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. pulled out of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers a year ago. Iran now says it too will begin backing away from the accord.

 

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Rouhani Suggests Talks with US Possible if it Lifts Sanctions
Wednesday, 29 May, 2019
iranian_president_hassan_rouhani._ap.jpg

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (AP)

Asharq Al-Awsat

President Hassan Rouhani suggested on Wednesday that talks with the United States may be possible if it lifted sanctions against Iran.

“Whenever they lift the unjust sanctions and fulfill their commitments and return to the negotiations table, which they left themselves, the door is not closed,” he told a cabinet meeting without explicitly naming the US.

“But our people judge you by your actions, not your words,” he said according to state television.

Rouhani's website also quoted him as saying that if the US chooses "another way and returns to justice and law, the Iranian nation will keep the road open to you."

He made his comments days after US President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program was conceivable.

Washington withdrew last year from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran, and is ratcheting up sanctions in efforts to shut down Iran’s economy by ending its international sales of crude oil.

Trump said on Monday: “I really believe that Iran would like to make a deal, and I think that’s very smart of them, and I think that’s a possibility to happen.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Tuesday that Iran saw no prospect of negotiations with the United States.

Tensions have risen between Iran and the United States since Washington deployed military resources including a carrier strike group and bombers and announced plans to deploy 1,500 troops to the Middle East, prompting fears of a conflict.


 

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Saudi foreign minister: Attacks on Gulf oil facilities must be addressed with 'firmness'
May 30, 2019

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that attacks on Gulf oil facilities must be addressed with “strength and firmness” and that more efforts were needed to combat the activities of the groups that carried them out.

“We emphasize the need to exert more efforts to combat the subversive activities of extremist and terrorist groups,” Ibrahim al-Assaf told a meeting of foreign ministers ahead of emergency summits of Gulf and Arab leaders to discuss the attacks.

“They must be addressed with all strength and firmness,” he said. He was referring to an attack on oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates this month and drone strikes two days later on oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh has accused Tehran of ordering the drone strikes on its oil assets. Tehran has denied involvement in either attack.

Reporting by Marwa Rashad and Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

 

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Top U.S., Israeli, Russian security officials to meet in Jerusalem in June: White House
May 30, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House national security adviser John Bolton and his Israeli and Russian counterparts will meet in Jerusalem in June to discuss regional security issues, the White House said on Wednesday.

In a brief statement, the White House said Bolton, Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, would take part in the meeting.

Reporting by Tim Ahmann; writing by Mohammad Zargham; editing by Jonathan Oatis

 

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No negotiations with U.S., says Iran's Supreme Leader
May 29, 2019
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin


LONDON (Reuters) - Iran will not negotiate with the United States, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, after President Hassan Rouhani signaled talks with Washington might be possible if sanctions were lifted.

Washington withdrew last year from an international nuclear deal signed with Tehran in 2015, and it is ratcheting up sanctions in efforts to shut down Iran’s economy by ending its international sales of crude oil.

U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the accord, signed by his predecessor Barack Obama, as flawed for not being permanent and for not covering Iran’s ballistic missile program and role in conflicts around the Middle East.

Trump said on Monday he was hopeful Iran would come to negotiating table to reach a new deal: “I really believe that Iran would like to make a deal ... and I think that’s a possibility to happen.”

Khamenei was quoted as saying on his website: “We said before that we will not negotiate with America, because negotiation has no benefit and carries harm.”

Khamenei said Iran had no problems negotiating with Europeans and other countries, but added, “We will not negotiate over the core values of the revolution. We will not negotiate over our military capabilities.”

Earlier in the day, Rouhani had taken a more positive stance.

In remarks carried by state television, he said: “Whenever they lift the unjust sanctions and fulfill their commitments and return to the negotiations table, which they left themselves, the door is not closed.”

“But our people judge you by your actions, not your words.”

Khamenei has the final say in all major policies under Iran’s dual system, split between the clerical establishment and the government. He is also the head of the armed forces.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Tuesday that Iran saw no prospect of negotiations with the United States.

Last week the Pentagon announced the deployment of 900 additional troops to the Middle East, and extended the deployment of another 600 service members in the region, describing it as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran.

Speaking with reporters en route to Indonesia on Wednesday, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the additional troops announced last week would be going to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Without giving details or evidence, Shanahan said that while the Iranian posture had changed recently, the threat remained.

He added that sending military assets into the region, such as deploying bombers, Patriot missiles and accelerating the movement of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, had helped deter attacks against Americans in Iraq.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton also said on Wednesday naval mines “almost certainly from Iran” were used to attack oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates this month, and warned Tehran against conducting new operations.

Mousavi dismissed Bolton’s remarks as a “ludicrous claim”.

Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London, Idrees Ali in Jakarta, and Dubai newsroom; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Alison Williams and Frances Kerry

 

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US will respond with military force if its interests are attacked by Iran — Hook
Reuters
May 30, 2019
  • Hook says US waiting for results of investigation into tanker attacks off UAE coast before discussing proper response
  • The Iran envoy said the US repositioning of military assets has had desired deterrent effect on Iranian regime
DUBAI: The United States will respond with military force if its interests are attacked by Iran, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told a news conference call on Thursday.

Hook spoke to reporters ahead of emergency summits of Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia due on Thursday to discuss drone strikes on oil installations in Saudi and attacks on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the UAE coast earlier this month.

Tehran has denied involvement in either attack.

Meanwhile, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Thursday that the US is not pursuing a policy of regime change in Iran.

During a visit to London, Bolton also told reporters the threat from Iran was not over but that the quick response and deployment from the United States had helped deter it.

The U.S. military has sent forces, including an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers, to the Middle East in a move that U.S. officials said was made to counter "clear indications" of threats from Iran to American forces in the region.

 

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U.S. top security adviser says threat from Iran is not over
May 30, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) - The threat from Iran is not over but quick action from the United States has helped deter it, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Thursday.

The U.S. military has sent forces, including an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers, to the Middle East in a move that U.S. officials said was made to counter “clear indications” of threats from Iran to American forces in the region.

“I don’t think this threat is over, but I do think you can make at least a conditional claim that the quick response and the deployment and other steps that we took did serve as a deterrent,” Bolton told reporters during a visit to London.

Asked whether he was at odds with President Donald Trump, who said earlier this week that the U.S. was not looking for regime change in Iran, he said: “The policy we’re pursuing is not a policy of regime change. That’s the fact and everybody should understand it that way.”

Bolton said there was some prospect that evidence Iran was behind attacks this month on oil tankers in the Gulf would be presented to the United Nations Security Council next week.

“I don’t think anybody who is familiar with the situation in the region, whether they have examined the evidence or not, has come to any conclusion other than that these attacks were carried out by Iran or their surrogates,” he said.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and William James, Writing by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Alistair Smout

 

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Latest Video Of Iran's Bond Villain-Like Ballistic Missile Lairs Shows Key New Detail
Iran has invested heavily in its subterranean ballistic missile infrastructure and is able to build, service, and fire them from underground.

By Tyler Rogoway
May 29, 2019

7430


It is no secret that if Iran thinks something is of extreme strategic value it is also at the top of their enemies' targeting lists and it is safer buried beneath the ground than not. Since 2015, Iran has sporadically shown off videos of its elaborate and impressively large missile caverns that are not only designed to store and assemble ballistic missiles, but also to launch through from deep cylindrical concrete apertures in the roofs of specially designed subterranean firing rooms. Now a new video has been released showing another interesting, but highly logical feature of these underground bases.

The video, which was posted by Iranian media just days ago, gives us a higher-definition look at some of the areas in one of the country's missile caverns. In particular, it shows a blast door and drawbridge mechanism that opens and closes when passing from one section of the cavern to another. This is a very important feature as it means that even if one section of the cave system is successfully struck or an accidental detonation of explosive components occurs and it is destroyed, the other sections would remain isolated and should survive.


The video goes on to show a number of missile components appearing to belong to the Qiam-1 short-range ballistic missile system in storage and being assembled for deployment from one of the base's underground launch rooms. The Qiam-1 has a range of around 400 miles.

We get to see a closeup of the missile launching through the thick concrete aperture in the launch room's roof from the outside. A screengrab from this section clearly shows the launch room illuminated as the booster is fired. In the past, there were some questions as to the authenticity of the launch portions of the videos, which were often shot at long distances. The missile then climbs away through the hole and past steep terrain. By placing the fissures on a sloped mountain, it would presumably make them harder to strike directly.

7431

You can clearly see the launch room and TEL from this video shot outside the launch room's roof aperture.


These cave complexes are not immune to conventional strike, but they are highly resistant to standoff cruise missile attacks, giving Iran time, at least under some circumstances, to fire off ballistic missiles even as an attack was underway. The U.S. has the capability to hit bunkers buried inside mountains without resorting to nuclear weapons via the gargantuan GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator guided bunker buster, but these are limited in number and require the use of a B-2 stealth bomber for delivery. The U.S. and its allies can also burrow down using smaller bunker busters dropped on the same coordinates in succession, but it is not clear if those munitions could effectively destroy such a large and segmented cavern system that is likely to feature long sections buried deep below mountainous terrain.

Other videos of the caverns show long lines of missiles sitting ready for deployment on mobile transporter-erector-launchers. As such, at least some of them serve as ready storage and deployment sites for land-mobile ballistic missiles systems, as well. These facilities are in addition to Iran's 'underground cities' where the missile components themselves are constructed. A handful of these are said to exist, giving Iran an 'end-to-end' hardened ballistic missile infrastructure. This concept is meant to act as much as a deterrent as anything else.


The huge investment Iran has dumped into its ballistic missile infrastructure is no surprise because of this fact. If a war were to spark off in and around the Persian Gulf, Iran would make its primary foe and its allies pay via ballistic missile barrages. This could quickly turn a limited conflict into a far wider and complex one. Even though they are not impenetrable, these facilities will be a major tactical problem to deal with during a conflict and will require plenty of combat capacity of the highest order to effectively neutralize. Clearly, the release of this latest video comes at a time of heightened tensions with the U.S. and its regional allies, and is a form of counter-messaging to the United States military's own aggressive messaging push in regards to the risk its forces pose to Iran's own combat capabilities.

Hopefully the effectiveness of these elaborate underground installations, both in terms of launching missile barrages over substantial ranges and surviving an aerial attack, isn't ever put to the test.

 

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Jubeir to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Don’t Want War, But We Will Defend Interests
Thursday, 30 May, 2019

Jeddah - Mohammed al-Ayed, Saeed al-Abyad

The urgent GCC and Arab League summits will denounce the recent developments in the region because of Iran’s policies, stated Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Jubeir said that his country has been very clear since the beginning about not wanting war in the region, but will surely “protect its land, people, and interests in suitable means.”

The Minister indicated that Iran must put an end to its policies in the region if it wants to be part of the international community.

Jubeir discussed the issues that will be addressed during the GCC and Arab League summits hosted by Saudi Arabia on Thursday and Friday, noting that the aim is to denounce all recent incidents in the region caused by Tehran’s policies.

Saudi Arabia will host the Arab League, GCC and Islamic summits scheduled for Makkah on Thursday and Friday.

He indicated that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold its regular summit during which the current presidency will be transferred from Turkey to Saudi Arabia. He hopes this summit will enhance the organization’s role in the Islamic world and contribute to finding solutions for the challenges facing Islamic states.

Asked whether any of the member states of the OIC called for freezing Iran’s membership in the organization, Jubeir said he expects that all the countries are against Iran’s aggression and its involvement in other state’s affairs. He added that they also denounce Tehran’s support for terrorism and providing Hezbollah and Houthis with ballistic missiles.

Regarding a war in the region following Iran’s acts of sabotage and targeting of oil tankers, as well as instructing the Houthi militias to target oil pipelines in two vital areas, Jubeir asserted that Saudi Arabia is trying to avoid war in any way, but it doesn’t want Iran to maintain its aggression in the region.


 

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US Says to Take Iran’s Sabotage of Vessels to Security Council
Thursday, 30 May, 2019

vessel.jpg

One of the vessels that was sabotaged off the UAE. EPA file photo

Asharq Al-Awsat

White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Thursday that there was some prospect that evidence Iran was behind attacks this month on oil tankers in the Gulf would be presented to the United Nations Security Council next week.

"I don’t think anybody who is familiar with the situation in the region, whether they have examined the evidence or not, has come to any conclusion other than that these attacks were carried out by Iran or their surrogates," he said.

The US military has sent forces, including an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers, to the Middle East in a move that US officials said was made to counter "clear indications" of threats from Iran to American forces in the region.

"I don’t think this threat is over, but I do think you can make at least a conditional claim that the quick response and the deployment and other steps that we took did serve as a deterrent," Bolton told reporters during a visit to London.

Asked whether he was at odds with President Donald Trump, who said earlier this week that the US was not looking for regime change in Iran, he said: "The policy we're pursuing is not a policy of regime change. That's the fact and everybody should understand it that way."

Meanwhile, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said US actions taken so far in the Gulf region, which include repositioning military assets, have had the "desired deterrent effect on the (Iranian) regime's risk calculations".

The United States will respond with military force if its interests are attacked by Iran, he said.

Hook was speaking to reporters by phone ahead of emergency summits of Gulf and Arab leaders in Makkah on Thursday to discuss drone strikes on oil installations in Saudi Arabia and attacks on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the UAE coast earlier this month.


 

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GCC Summit Communique Supports US Measures Against Iran, Stresses Joint Defense Agreement
Friday, 31 May, 2019

000-2607827341559253783361.jpg

GCC Extraordinary Summit | SPA

Makkah- Asharq Al-Awsat

Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states condemned, in the final communiqué of the Gulf summit held in Makkah, attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, affirming that such terrorist acts represented a direct threat to peace and security in the region, the freedom of maritime navigation, international trade and the stability of oil markets.

The Supreme Council reviewed the critical circumstances and serious challenges facing the region as a result of the recent attacks on the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Council expresses solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of these terrorist threats aimed at provoking unrest in the region and reiterated support to all measures taken by the Kingdom to protect its security, stability and territorial integrity.

The GCC extraordinary session was held at an invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, under the chairmanship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and in participation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates' Armed Forces; King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain; Shihab bin Tariq Al Saeed, Advisor to the Sultan of Oman; Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah Nasser Al Thani of the State of Qatar; Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of the State of Kuwait, and Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States.

The GCC leaders lauded the leading role played by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques as well as his call to hold this extraordinary summit and the Arab and Islamic summits in order to unite ranks to face the challenges facing the region and maintain security and stability.

They also lauded the level of coordination and consultation with the United States of America and the US-GCC joint cooperation within the framework of the existing strategic partnership in order to achieve security and stability in the region. They reiterated their support for the US strategy towards Iran, including Iran nuclear program, ballistic missile program, Iran's activities to destabilize the region, its support for terrorism, and combating the hostile activities of Hezbollah, the Revolutionary Guards, Houthi, and other terrorist organizations.

The GCC final communique condemned the terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthi terrorist militias through bomb-laden drones targeting two oil pump stations in Dawadmi and Afif provinces in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, affirming that these acts of terrorism pose a serious threat to the security of the region and the global economy. It also condemned the firing of ballistic missiles by the Houthi militias, totaling more than 225 missiles toward Saudi Arabia, including attacks on Makkah, and more than 155 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Furthermore, it denounced the sabotage acts on four civil commercial vessels in the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates, which affected UAE oil tanker, two Saudi tankers, and Norwegian oil tanker, considering it a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime navigation in this vital region of the world and negatively affects regional and international peace and security as well as stability of oil markets. The Council affirmed its solidarity with the UAE and its support for all measures taken by the UAE to protect its security, stability, and territorial integrity, calling upon the international community and the international maritime authorities to shoulder their responsibilities to prevent such acts of sabotage.

The Council emphasized the strength and coherence of the GCC and the unity of its ranks to confront these threats, and reviewed the GCC defense policy based on the principle of collective and integrated security for the purpose of defending the entity, fundamentals and interests of its countries, territories, airspace and territorial waters, affirming the principles embraced by the GCC Joint Defense Agreement and the indivisible security of GCC States as a whole unit. The Council also asserted the contents of the principles of the Statute of the Cooperation Council and the decisions of the Supreme Council on integration and cooperation among the GCC States to maintain security, peace and stability in the GCC States.

As for relations with Iran, the GCC emphasized the stances taken by the Supreme Council and urged the Islamic republic to abide by the basic principles based on the Charter of the United Nations and the international laws, principles of good neighborliness, respect for the sovereignty of States, non-interference in internal affairs and non-use of force or threat. The Council restated that Iran must stop supporting, financing and arming terrorist militias and organizations as well as feeding sectarian conflicts, calling upon the Iranian regime to prevail wisdom, keep away from hostilities, and destabilizing security and stability. The Council called upon the international community to shoulder its responsibility to maintain international peace and security, take firm action against the Iranian regime, as well as more effective and serious steps to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability and put more stringent restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program.

The communique highlighted the need that Iran spares the region the dangers of war by abiding by the international laws and conventions, stops interference in the internal affairs of the countries of the region, and stops supporting terrorist groups and militias threatening the security of maritime navigation.

Furthermore, the Council affirmed the GCC keenness to maintain stability, security, and peace in the region, the growth of the world economy, and the stability of oil markets.

Finally, the GCC Supreme Council expressed thanks and appreciation to King Salman and the Saudi government and people for the warm reception, good hospitality, and sincere brotherhood.


 

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So much pressure is now put on the international community to deal with the Mullah malignant activities in the region. Let us wait and see what for the Islamic summit to conclude.
 

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Pompeo: US Ready to Talk to Iran With ‘no preconditions’ If It Acts Like 'A Normal Nation'
Sunday, 2 June, 2019

dfd.jpg

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis attend a press conference at the Castelgrande closing a bilateral meeting on June 2, 2019 in Bellinzona, southern Switzerland.

Asharq Al-Awsat

Washington is prepared to engage with Iran without pre-conditions but needed to see the country behaving like "a normal nation", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday.

"We are certainly prepared to have that conversation when the Iranians can prove that they want to behave like a normal nation," Pompeo said Sunday at a joint news conference with his Swiss counterpart in the southern Swiss city of Bellinzona.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani suggested on Saturday that Iran may be willing to hold talks if Washington showed it respect, but said Tehran would not be pressured into talks, Reuters reported.

"We are for logic and talks if (the other side) sits respectfully at the negotiating table and follows international regulations, not if it issues an order to negotiate," said Rouhani.

Last year, Pompeo outlined 12 ways Iran must change — including stopping its support for proxy groups and halting its missile program — before the United States lifts sanctions.

 

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Pompeo: US Ready to Talk to Iran With ‘no preconditions’ If It Acts Like 'A Normal Nation'
Sunday, 2 June, 2019

dfd.jpg

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis attend a press conference at the Castelgrande closing a bilateral meeting on June 2, 2019 in Bellinzona, southern Switzerland.

Asharq Al-Awsat

Washington is prepared to engage with Iran without pre-conditions but needed to see the country behaving like "a normal nation", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday.

"We are certainly prepared to have that conversation when the Iranians can prove that they want to behave like a normal nation," Pompeo said Sunday at a joint news conference with his Swiss counterpart in the southern Swiss city of Bellinzona.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani suggested on Saturday that Iran may be willing to hold talks if Washington showed it respect, but said Tehran would not be pressured into talks, Reuters reported.

"We are for logic and talks if (the other side) sits respectfully at the negotiating table and follows international regulations, not if it issues an order to negotiate," said Rouhani.

Last year, Pompeo outlined 12 ways Iran must change — including stopping its support for proxy groups and halting its missile program — before the United States lifts sanctions.

 

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IRGC Fortifies Tehran With Surface-to-Air Missiles
Sunday, 2 June, 2019
1976581.jpg

Iranian Shahab 2 missile bearing crest of IRGC 370. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl)

London - Asharq Al-Awsat

Tehran's Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Mohammad Reza Yazdi uncovered on Saturday that Iran would deploy on Monday its HAWK anti-aircraft defense system to protect its airspace from any potential attacks during a ceremony on June 4 in the Iranian capital to mourn the father of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini.

“The security agencies will deploy surface-to-air missiles, and anti-aircraft defense system HAWK missiles near the Khomeini tomb to counter threats including drones. We will be ready to deal with any possible security threats,” said Yazdi.

The IRGC commander denied that security forces had found any evidence showing the presence of real threats. He stated that there were no reports of any activity of small flying objects, but added, "We are planning to show our capability."

Yazdi warned that "those who might be planning to disrupt order and security in this year's gathering on June 13 - 15 should not to waste their time, as security forces will confront them seriously."

Iranians will descend on Khomeini’s Mausoleum in southern Tehran to remember the leader of the 1970 Islamic Revolution, Khomeini, who died on June 3, 1989. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei is expected to speak at the event.

Two years ago, ISIS members launched raids on the Khomeini Mausoleum and the Iranian parliament, killing 17 and wounding more than 50.

Lately, tensions have risen between Tehran and Washington after the latter sent additional military forces to the Middle East against Iranian threats to US troops and interests in the region.

Last Thursday, Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan confirmed that the Pentagon was considering sending additional US troops to the Middle East as one of the ways to bolster protection for American forces there.

On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani suggested Iran might be willing to hold talks if the US showed respect, but said Tehran would not be pressured into negotiations.

Fars news agency quoted Rouhani as saying: “We are for logic and talks if (the other side) sits respectfully at the negotiating table and follows international regulations, not if it issues an order to negotiate.”

Rouhani said that the “same enemy which declared its aim last year to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran today explicitly states that it does not want to do anything to (our) system.”

The President concluded, “If we remain hopeful in the war with America, we will win.”

 
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