Russian&nbsp;hackers&nbsp;piggy-backed on an&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;cyber-espionage&nbsp;operation&nbsp;to attack government and industry organizations in dozens of countries while masquerading as attackers from the Islamic Republic, British and US&nbsp;officials&nbsp;said on Monday.

The&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;group, known as "Turla" and accused by Estonian and Czech authorities of operating on behalf of Russia's FSB security service, has used&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;tools and computer infrastructure to successfully hack into organizations in at least 20 different countries over the last 18 months, British security&nbsp;officials&nbsp;said.

The&nbsp;hacking&nbsp;campaign, the extent of which has not been previously revealed, was most active in the Middle East but also targeted organizations in Britain, they said.

Paul Chichester, a senior official at Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency, said the&nbsp;operation&nbsp;shows state-backed&nbsp;hackers&nbsp;are working in a "very crowded space" and developing new attacks and methods to better cover their tracks.

In a statement accompanying a joint advisory with the US&nbsp;National Security Agency (NSA), GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre said it wanted to raise industry awareness about the activity and make attacks more difficult for its adversaries.

"We want to send a clear message that even when cyber actors seek to mask their identity, our capabilities will ultimately identify them," said Chichester, who serves as the NCSC's director of&nbsp;operations.

Officials&nbsp;in Russia and Iran did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent on Sunday. Moscow and Tehran have both repeatedly denied Western allegations over&nbsp;hacking.

Western&nbsp;officials&nbsp;rank Russia and Iran as two of the most dangerous threats in cyberspace, alongside China and North Korea, with both governments accused of conducting&nbsp;hacking&nbsp;operations against countries around the world.

Intelligence&nbsp;officials&nbsp;said there was no evidence of collusion between Turla and its&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;victim, a&nbsp;hacking&nbsp;group&nbsp;known as "APT34" which cybersecurity researchers at firms including FireEye FEYE.O&nbsp;say&nbsp;works for the&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;government.

Rather, the&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;hackers&nbsp;infiltrated the&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;group's infrastructure in order to "masquerade as an adversary which victims would expect to target them," said GCHQ's Chichester.

Turla's actions show the dangers of wrongly attributing cyberattacks, British&nbsp;officials&nbsp;said but added that they were not aware of any public incidents that had been incorrectly blamed on Iran as a result of the&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;operation.

The United States and its Western allies have also used foreign cyberattacks to facilitate their own&nbsp;spying&nbsp;operations, a practice referred to as "fourth party collection," according to documents released by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden and reporting by German magazine Der Spiegel.

GCHQ declined to comment on Western&nbsp;operations.

By gaining access to the&nbsp;Iranian&nbsp;infrastructure, Turla was able to use APT34's "command and control" systems to deploy its own malicious code, GCHQ and the NSA said in a public advisory.

The&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;group&nbsp;was also able to access the networks of existing APT34 victims and even access the code needed to build its own "Iranian"&nbsp;hacking&nbsp;tools.

Russian hackers piggy-backed on an Iranian cyber-espionage operation to attack government and industry organizations in dozens of countries while masquerading as attackers from the Islamic Republic, British and US officials said on Monday.

Russian hackers piggy-backed on an Iranian cyber-espionage operation to attack government and industry organizations in dozens of countries while masquerading as attackers from the Islamic Republic, British and US officials said on Monday. The Russian group, known as "Turla" and accused by Estonian and Czech authorities of operating on behalf of Russia's FSB security service, has used Iranian tools and computer infrastructure to successfully hack into organizations in at least 20 different countries over the last 18 months, British security officials said. The hacking campaign, the extent of which has not been previously revealed, was most active in the Middle East but also targeted organizations in Britain, they said. Paul Chichester, a senior official at Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency, said the operation shows state-backed hackers are working in a "very crowded space" and developing new attacks and methods to better cover their tracks. In a statement accompanying a joint advisory with the US National Security Agency (NSA), GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre said it wanted to raise industry awareness about the activity and make attacks more difficult for its adversaries. "We want to send a clear message that even when cyber actors seek to mask their identity, our capabilities will ultimately identify them," said Chichester, who serves as the NCSC's director of operations. Officials in Russia and Iran did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent on Sunday. Moscow and Tehran have both repeatedly denied Western allegations over hacking. Western officials rank Russia and Iran as two of the most dangerous threats in cyberspace, alongside China and North Korea, with both governments accused of conducting hacking operations against countries around the world. Intelligence officials said there was no evidence of collusion between Turla and its Iranian victim, a hacking group known as "APT34" which cybersecurity researchers at firms including FireEye FEYE.O say works for the Iranian government. Rather, the Russian hackers infiltrated the Iranian group's infrastructure in order to "masquerade as an adversary which victims would expect to target them," said GCHQ's Chichester. Turla's actions show the dangers of wrongly attributing cyberattacks, British officials said but added that they were not aware of any public incidents that had been incorrectly blamed on Iran as a result of the Russian operation. The United States and its Western allies have also used foreign cyberattacks to facilitate their own spying operations, a practice referred to as "fourth party collection," according to documents released by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden and reporting by German magazine Der Spiegel. GCHQ declined to comment on Western operations. By gaining access to the Iranian infrastructure, Turla was able to use APT34's "command and control" systems to deploy its own malicious code, GCHQ and the NSA said in a public advisory. The Russian group was also able to access the networks of existing APT34 victims and even access the code needed to build its own "Iranian" hacking tools.

Hacking the hackers: Russian group hijacked Iranian spying operation, officials say

Iran-backed&nbsp;militias&nbsp;deployed&nbsp;snipers&nbsp;on Baghdad rooftops during Iraq’s deadliest anti-government&nbsp;protests&nbsp;in years, two&nbsp;Iraqi security officials told Reuters.

The deployment of militia fighters, which has not been previously reported, underscores the chaotic nature of&nbsp;Iraqi politics amid mass&nbsp;protests&nbsp;that led to more than <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/anti-govt-protests-in-iraq-death-toll-rises-to-100-254028">100 deaths </a>and 6,000 injuries during the week starting October&nbsp;1. Such&nbsp;militias&nbsp;have become a fixture here with&nbsp;Iran's rising influence.

They sometimes operate in conjunction with&nbsp;Iraqi security forces but they retain their own command structures.

The&nbsp;Iraqi security&nbsp;sources&nbsp;told Reuters that the leaders of&nbsp;Iran-aligned&nbsp;militias&nbsp;decided on their own to help put down the mass&nbsp;protests&nbsp;against the government of&nbsp;Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, whose one-year-old administration is&nbsp;backed&nbsp;by powerful&nbsp;Iran-backed&nbsp;armed groups and political factions.

“We have confirmed evidence that the&nbsp;snipers&nbsp;were elements of&nbsp;militias&nbsp;reporting directly to their commander instead of the chief commander of the armed forces,” said one of the&nbsp;Iraqi security&nbsp;sources. “They belong to a group that is very close to the&nbsp;Iranians.”

A second&nbsp;Iraqi security source, who attended daily government security briefings, said militiamen clad in black shot protesters on the third day of unrest when the death toll soared to more than 50 from about half a dozen. The fighters were directed by Abu Zainab al-Lami, head of security for the Hashid, a grouping of mostly Shi’ite Muslim paramilitaries&nbsp;backed&nbsp;by&nbsp;Iran, the second source said. The Hashid leader was tasked with quashing the&nbsp;protests&nbsp;by a group of other senior militia commanders, the source said. The&nbsp;sources&nbsp;did not say how many&nbsp;snipers&nbsp;were&nbsp;deployed&nbsp;by militia groups.

A spokesman for the Hashid, Ahmed al-Assadi, denied the groups took part in the crackdown. “No members were present in the protest areas. None of the elements of the Hashid took part in confronting protesters,” Al-Assadi said in a statement to Reuters.

Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maal said state security forces did not fire directly at protesters and blamed unnamed “vicious” shooters for the mass deaths and injuries. The government has opened an investigation to determine who shot the protesters and who ordered it, Maal said in a news conference on October&nbsp;6.

The assertion that security forces did not participate in the violence seemed to contradict an earlier statement on October&nbsp;14 from the&nbsp;Iraqi government, which admitted state security forces had used excessive force and promised to hold individuals accountable for violence against civilians.

An official with the prime minister’s office said in a statement to Reuters Wednesday that it would be “premature to lay the blame on any parties, whether from Hashid or other security forces before we end the investigation. Let’s wait and see who gave the order ‘shoot to kill.’”

Iran’s role in responding to the demonstrations was another reminder of Tehran’s reach in&nbsp;Iraq, where a sizable number of former militia commanders are now members of parliament and support the&nbsp;Iranian agenda. Stability of the&nbsp;Iraqi government is in the best interests of&nbsp;Iran, which has been steadily amassing influence in&nbsp;Iraq&nbsp;since 2003 when the US-led invasion toppled the Islamic Republic’s arch-enemy, Saddam Hussein.&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;is&nbsp;Iraq’s biggest trading partner.

Iran's delegation to the United Nations did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon to questions from Reuters about its support of&nbsp;militias&nbsp;and their involvement in the violence against protesters. Leaders of&nbsp;militias&nbsp;in&nbsp;Iraq&nbsp;have denied getting training and weapons from&nbsp;Iran.

As&nbsp;protests&nbsp;entered their third day, on October&nbsp;3,&nbsp;snipers&nbsp;appeared on Baghdad rooftops. A Reuters cameraman who was covering the unrest near Baghdad’s Tahrir Square that afternoon said he saw a sniper, wearing a balaclava and dressed in black as he stood on top of an under-construction building that overlooked the demonstrations.

Protesters fled as the sniper opened fire.&nbsp;One protester who was shot in the head was carried away in a large crowd. Another who was shot in the head appeared to have died and was rushed off in a truck. When his phone rang, a friend recognized that the man’s brother was calling.

“Don’t tell him he died,” the friend said.

The&nbsp;protests&nbsp;started October&nbsp;1 amid public rage over chronic shortages of jobs, electricity and clean water.&nbsp;Iraqis blame politicians and officials for systemic corruption that has prevented&nbsp;Iraq&nbsp;from recovering after years of sectarian violence and devastating war to defeat Islamic State.

Any vacuum of power could prove challenging for the region, given that Baghdad is an ally of both the United States and&nbsp;Iran, who are locked in their own political standoff. Thousands of US&nbsp;troops are stationed in the country in positions not far from those of&nbsp;Iran-backed&nbsp;Shi’ite&nbsp;militias.

The second security source told Reuters that the&nbsp;snipers&nbsp;were using radio communications equipment that was provided by&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and is difficult to intercept, giving the groups an essentially private network.

A group of senior commanders from&nbsp;Iran’s Revolutionary Guards travelled to&nbsp;Iraq&nbsp;on the second day of the&nbsp;protests&nbsp;and met with&nbsp;Iraqi intelligence and security officials, according to a diplomat in the region familiar with&nbsp;Iran’s decision-making process. After the meeting, senior Revolutionary Guard officers with experience in curbing civil unrest continued to advise the&nbsp;Iraqi government, the diplomat said, although no&nbsp;Iranian soldiers were&nbsp;deployed.

A senior commander of one of the&nbsp;Iran-backed&nbsp;militias&nbsp;- who said his group was not involved in efforts to stop the&nbsp;protests&nbsp;or the resulting violence - said Tehran consulted closely with forces trying to quell the demonstrations.

“After two days, they jumped in and supplied the government and&nbsp;militias&nbsp;with intelligence,” the militia leader told Reuters. “Iranian advisors insisted on having a role and warned us that the ongoing&nbsp;protests, if not reversed, will undermine the government of Abdul Mahdi.”

Iran-backed militias deployed snipers on Baghdad rooftops during Iraq’s deadliest anti-government protests in years, two Iraqi security officials told Reuters. The deployment of militia fighters, which has not been previously reported, underscores the chaotic nature of Iraqi politics amid mass protests that led to more than 100 deaths and 6,000 injuries during the week starting October 1.

Iran-backed militias deployed snipers on Baghdad rooftops during Iraq’s deadliest anti-government protests in years, two Iraqi security officials told Reuters. The deployment of militia fighters, which has not been previously reported, underscores the chaotic nature of Iraqi politics amid mass protests that led to more than 100 deaths and 6,000 injuries during the week starting October 1. Such militias have become a fixture here with Iran's rising influence. They sometimes operate in conjunction with Iraqi security forces but they retain their own command structures. The Iraqi security sources told Reuters that the leaders of Iran-aligned militias decided on their own to help put down the mass protests against the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, whose one-year-old administration is backed by powerful Iran-backed armed groups and political factions. “We have confirmed evidence that the snipers were elements of militias reporting directly to their commander instead of the chief commander of the armed forces,” said one of the Iraqi security sources. “They belong to a group that is very close to the Iranians.” A second Iraqi security source, who attended daily government security briefings, said militiamen clad in black shot protesters on the third day of unrest when the death toll soared to more than 50 from about half a dozen. The fighters were directed by Abu Zainab al-Lami, head of security for the Hashid, a grouping of mostly Shi’ite Muslim paramilitaries backed by Iran, the second source said. The Hashid leader was tasked with quashing the protests by a group of other senior militia commanders, the source said. The sources did not say how many snipers were deployed by militia groups. A spokesman for the Hashid, Ahmed al-Assadi, denied the groups took part in the crackdown. “No members were present in the protest areas. None of the elements of the Hashid took part in confronting protesters,” Al-Assadi said in a statement to Reuters. Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maal said state security forces did not fire directly at protesters and blamed unnamed “vicious” shooters for the mass deaths and injuries. The government has opened an investigation to determine who shot the protesters and who ordered it, Maal said in a news conference on October 6. The assertion that security forces did not participate in the violence seemed to contradict an earlier statement on October 14 from the Iraqi government, which admitted state security forces had used excessive force and promised to hold individuals accountable for violence against civilians. An official with the prime minister’s office said in a statement to Reuters Wednesday that it would be “premature to lay the blame on any parties, whether from Hashid or other security forces before we end the investigation. Let’s wait and see who gave the order ‘shoot to kill.’” Iran’s role in responding to the demonstrations was another reminder of Tehran’s reach in Iraq, where a sizable number of former militia commanders are now members of parliament and support the Iranian agenda. Stability of the Iraqi government is in the best interests of Iran, which has been steadily amassing influence in Iraq since 2003 when the US-led invasion toppled the Islamic Republic’s arch-enemy, Saddam Hussein. Iran is Iraq’s biggest trading partner. Iran's delegation to the United Nations did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon to questions from Reuters about its support of militias and their involvement in the violence against protesters. Leaders of militias in Iraq have denied getting training and weapons from Iran. As protests entered their third day, on October 3, snipers appeared on Baghdad rooftops. A Reuters cameraman who was covering the unrest near Baghdad’s Tahrir Square that afternoon said he saw a sniper, wearing a balaclava and dressed in black as he stood on top of an under-construction building that overlooked the demonstrations. Protesters fled as the sniper opened fire. One protester who was shot in the head was carried away in a large crowd. Another who was shot in the head appeared to have died and was rushed off in a truck. When his phone rang, a friend recognized that the man’s brother was calling. “Don’t tell him he died,” the friend said. The protests started October 1 amid public rage over chronic shortages of jobs, electricity and clean water. Iraqis blame politicians and officials for systemic corruption that has prevented Iraq from recovering after years of sectarian violence and devastating war to defeat Islamic State. Any vacuum of power could prove challenging for the region, given that Baghdad is an ally of both the United States and Iran, who are locked in their own political standoff. Thousands of US troops are stationed in the country in positions not far from those of Iran-backed Shi’ite militias. The second security source told Reuters that the snipers were using radio communications equipment that was provided by Iran and is difficult to intercept, giving the groups an essentially private network. A group of senior commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards travelled to Iraq on the second day of the protests and met with Iraqi intelligence and security officials, according to a diplomat in the region familiar with Iran’s decision-making process. After the meeting, senior Revolutionary Guard officers with experience in curbing civil unrest continued to advise the Iraqi government, the diplomat said, although no Iranian soldiers were deployed. A senior commander of one of the Iran-backed militias - who said his group was not involved in efforts to stop the protests or the resulting violence - said Tehran consulted closely with forces trying to quell the demonstrations. “After two days, they jumped in and supplied the government and militias with intelligence,” the militia leader told Reuters. “Iranian advisors insisted on having a role and warned us that the ongoing protests, if not reversed, will undermine the government of Abdul Mahdi.”

Iran-backed militias deployed snipers in Iraq protests: Report

The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the September&nbsp;14 attacks on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mike-pompeo-says-abundantly-clear-iran-was-behind-saudi-oil-attacks-250674">Saudi Arabia's oil facilities</a>, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two US&nbsp;officials have told Reuters.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran's ability to spread "propaganda."

One of the officials said the strike affected physical hardware, but did not provide further details.

The attack highlights how President Donald Trump's administration has been trying to counter what it sees as Iranian aggression without spiralling into a broader conflict.

Asked about Reuters reporting on Wednesday, Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi said: "They must have dreamt it," Fars news agency reported.

The US&nbsp;strike appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on oil tankers in the Gulf in May.

The United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed the September&nbsp;14 attack on Iran, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iran-aligned Houthi militant group in Yemen claimed responsibility.

Publicly, the Pentagon has responded by sending thousands of additional <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/weapons-used-in-saudi-oil-attacks-came-from-iran-saudi-coalition-250062">troops and equipment to bolster Saudi defences</a>, the latest US&nbsp;deployment to the region this year.

The Pentagon declined to comment about the cyber strike.

"As a matter of policy and for operational security, we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence, or planning," said Pentagon spokeswoman Elissa Smith. 
 
Gulf tensions rise sharply

The impact of the attack, if any, could take months to determine, but cyber strikes are seen as a less-provocative option below the threshold of war.

"You can do damage without killing people or blowing things up; it adds an option to the toolkit that we didn't have before and our willingness to use it is important," said James Lewis, a cyber expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Lewis added that it may not be possible to deter Iranian behaviour with even conventional military strikes.

Tensions in the Gulf have escalated sharply since May 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

It was unclear whether there have been other US&nbsp;cyberattacks since the one in late September.

Iran has used such tactics against the United States. This month, a hacking group that appears linked to the Iranian government tried to infiltrate email accounts related to Trump's re-election campaign.

Over 30 days in August and September, the group, which Microsoft dubbed "Phosphorous," made more than 2,700 attempts to identify consumer accounts, then attacked 241 of them.

Tehran is also thought to be a major player in spreading disinformation.

Last year a Reuters investigation found more than 70 websites that push Iranian propaganda to 15 countries, in an operation that cybersecurity experts, social media firms and journalists are only starting to uncover.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/saudi-oil-attacks-put-us-commitments-to-the-test-250551">Tensions with Iran have been high since the September&nbsp;14 attack</a>. Tehran has said an Iranian tanker was hit by rockets in the Red Sea last week and warned that there would be consequences.

On Monday, President Hassan Rouhani reiterated his country's policy toward the Trump administration, ruling out bilateral talks unless Washington returns to the landmark nuclear deal and lifts crippling US&nbsp;economic sanctions.

The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two US officials have told Reuters.

The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two US officials have told Reuters. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran's ability to spread "propaganda." One of the officials said the strike affected physical hardware, but did not provide further details. The attack highlights how President Donald Trump's administration has been trying to counter what it sees as Iranian aggression without spiralling into a broader conflict. Asked about Reuters reporting on Wednesday, Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi said: "They must have dreamt it," Fars news agency reported. The US strike appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on oil tankers in the Gulf in May. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed the September 14 attack on Iran, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iran-aligned Houthi militant group in Yemen claimed responsibility. Publicly, the Pentagon has responded by sending thousands of additional troops and equipment to bolster Saudi defences, the latest US deployment to the region this year. The Pentagon declined to comment about the cyber strike. "As a matter of policy and for operational security, we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence, or planning," said Pentagon spokeswoman Elissa Smith. Gulf tensions rise sharply The impact of the attack, if any, could take months to determine, but cyber strikes are seen as a less-provocative option below the threshold of war. "You can do damage without killing people or blowing things up; it adds an option to the toolkit that we didn't have before and our willingness to use it is important," said James Lewis, a cyber expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Lewis added that it may not be possible to deter Iranian behaviour with even conventional military strikes. Tensions in the Gulf have escalated sharply since May 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions. It was unclear whether there have been other US cyberattacks since the one in late September. Iran has used such tactics against the United States. This month, a hacking group that appears linked to the Iranian government tried to infiltrate email accounts related to Trump's re-election campaign. Over 30 days in August and September, the group, which Microsoft dubbed "Phosphorous," made more than 2,700 attempts to identify consumer accounts, then attacked 241 of them. Tehran is also thought to be a major player in spreading disinformation. Last year a Reuters investigation found more than 70 websites that push Iranian propaganda to 15 countries, in an operation that cybersecurity experts, social media firms and journalists are only starting to uncover. Tensions with Iran have been high since the September 14 attack. Tehran has said an Iranian tanker was hit by rockets in the Red Sea last week and warned that there would be consequences. On Monday, President Hassan Rouhani reiterated his country's policy toward the Trump administration, ruling out bilateral talks unless Washington returns to the landmark nuclear deal and lifts crippling US economic sanctions.

United States carried out secret cyber strike on Iran in wake of Saudi oil attack: Officials

By Haidar Khezri

Kurdish fighters under attack by Turkey have described President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria as a “stab in the back.”

Since the bombing began on October 9, Turkish military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, Washington’s staunchest and most effective allies in the war against the Islamic State, has killed at least 11 civilians and an unconfirmed number of Kurdish fighters, with estimates ranging from dozens to hundreds.

Kurdish fighters are key partners to the US in the Middle East. From 2003 to 2017, they helped overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein, battled al-Qaida and pushed the Islamic State out of northern Iraq and Syria.

Kurdish women have fought on the front lines in all these battles, as they have done since the 19th-century Kurdish commander Kara Fatma led an Ottoman battalion of 700 men and 43 women against the Russian Empire.

That was unusual for the period – but, then again, Kurdish women have long been exceptions in the mostly conservative Middle East.

Who are the Kurds?

Kurdistan, where I was born, is among the largest nations in the world without a state. Around 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous zone straddling Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Armenia.

The Kurds were first split up politically in the 17th century when their territory was divided between the Ottoman and Safavid empires. Back then, the Roman scholar Pietro Della Valle travelled to the region and was surprised to find “Kurdish women commuting freely without hijab.” He noted in his 1667 travelogue that “they engage with Kurdish men and foreigners without any problems.”

After World War I, a treaty between Britain and France, called the Sykes-Picot Agreement, drew arbitrary borders across the Middle East, creating colonial protectorate states. The partition again fragmented the Kurds, this time across four countries: modern-day Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

The Kurds have been fighting for their sovereignty ever since. In recent decades, they have succeeded in establishing autonomously governed regions within Iraq and Syria.

But in Iran and Turkey, the Kurds continue their armed struggle. Both countries to view this ethnic minority as a terrorist threat and legally repress Kurdish populations.

This setup has put Kurdistan – domestically a rather peaceable, prosperous place with significant oil reserves – squarely in the center of a geopolitical quagmire.

Until Trump’s recent turnaround, the US had backed the Kurds in Syria, Iraq and Iran, where they were critical to defeating the Islamic State and served as jailers to about 11,000 captured IS fighters.

But Turkey – a US ally – sees the armed Kurds in Syria as an extension of the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since the 1980s.

In May 2018, over 250 people were killed when Turkey bombed the Kurdish-majority Syrian city of Afrin, which Turkish armed forces consider a “terrorist corridor.”

The feminists of the PKK

The Marxist-Leninist PKK, founded in 1978, may be an enemy of the Turkish state, but it is also one of the most feminist movements in the Middle East.

The group held its first congress on women’s rights in 1987, in which PKK co-founder Sakine Cansiz – who was assassinated in 2013 – proposed that its “liberation for all” rhetoric must include women’s liberation, too.

Today the party’s political agenda explicitly recognises religious minorities, dissidents and women as the crux of democracy.

In the autonomous Kurdish regions of Iraq and Syria, women have the same legal rights as men. Indeed, the Iraqi Kurdish regional government has a higher proportion of women than the United Kingdom – 30 per cent versus 20 per cent.

The charter of the semi-autonomous Syrian Federation of Kurdistan, founded in 2012, requires that women must hold a minimum of 40 per cent of all government posts. Every Kurdish Syrian public institution must also have two co-presidents, one male and one female.

Women also make up 30 per cent of Kurdish fighters deployed across the Middle East. More than 25,000 Kurdish women are deployed in Syria as the Women’s Protection Units, an all-female militia inspired by the KPP’s feminist liberation ideology.

In contrast, about 14 per cent of US military service members are women.

Female Kurdish troops rescued thousands of Yazidis trapped by the Islamic State on Iraq’s Mount Sinjar in 2014 and helped liberate the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State in 2017.

Equal in battle but not everywhere else

Despite the relative freedom of women in Kurdistan compared to elsewhere in the Middle East, Kurdish society is not entirely gender equal.

In 2014, only 12 of 250 judges in Iraqi Kurdistan were female, and just one of 21 government ministers was. Female genital mutilation, child marriage and honour killings – in which male family members murder women who are alleged to have disgraced their families – persist, particularly in rural areas of Kurdistan.

And, in my experience, feminist debates like equal pay for women and #MeToo aren’t yet a topic of conversation in Kurdistan.

Historically, too, it’s noteworthy that many famous female Kurdish leaders succeeded only because their empowerment did not challenge the male establishment.

During World War I, Lady Adela Khanum, leader of the Kurdish region of Halabja, saved the lives of numerous British army officers on the battlefield, earning her the nickname “Princess of the Brave.”

But she originally rose to power because she inherited the position when her husband died. While ruling Halabja from 1909 to 1924, she did not push a women’s rights agenda.

The hard labour of freedom

Kurdish women who were seen as threats to male authority have often been punished, sometimes with death.

That’s what happened to the very first woman to fight in the Kurdish army. Margaret George Malik quickly rose up among the all-male ranks in the 1960s to lead troops in the Kurdish war for independence from Iraq.

She was murdered in 1969 under mysterious circumstances. Some historians believe that Malik was killed by her lover because she rejected his marriage proposal. Others say she was assassinated by the Kurdish leadership, which feared her growing influence.

Either way, Malik’s murder speaks to the battles Kurdish women still fight today.

It’s meaningful that in the Kurdish language, the word for woman – “jin” – shares a root with the word for life: “jiyan.” And both jin and jiyan are related to the word “jan,” or labour pains.

In a region surrounded by threats – from Turkey’s attacks and Islamic State terrorism and patriarchy at home – the women of Kurdistan are fighting for their life and liberty. And the cost is hard, dangerous labour.

 
(Haidar Khezri is Assistant Professor, University of Central Florida)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the<a href="https://theconversation.com/kurds-targeted-in-turkish-attack-include-thousands-of-female-fighters-who-battled-islamic-state-125100"> original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

By Haidar Khezri Kurdish fighters under attack by Turkey have described President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria as a “stab in the back.

By Haidar Khezri Kurdish fighters under attack by Turkey have described President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria as a “stab in the back.” Since the bombing began on October 9, Turkish military operations against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, Washington’s staunchest and most effective allies in the war against the Islamic State, has killed at least 11 civilians and an unconfirmed number of Kurdish fighters, with estimates ranging from dozens to hundreds. Kurdish fighters are key partners to the US in the Middle East. From 2003 to 2017, they helped overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein, battled al-Qaida and pushed the Islamic State out of northern Iraq and Syria. Kurdish women have fought on the front lines in all these battles, as they have done since the 19th-century Kurdish commander Kara Fatma led an Ottoman battalion of 700 men and 43 women against the Russian Empire. That was unusual for the period – but, then again, Kurdish women have long been exceptions in the mostly conservative Middle East. Who are the Kurds? Kurdistan, where I was born, is among the largest nations in the world without a state. Around 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous zone straddling Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Armenia. The Kurds were first split up politically in the 17th century when their territory was divided between the Ottoman and Safavid empires. Back then, the Roman scholar Pietro Della Valle travelled to the region and was surprised to find “Kurdish women commuting freely without hijab.” He noted in his 1667 travelogue that “they engage with Kurdish men and foreigners without any problems.” After World War I, a treaty between Britain and France, called the Sykes-Picot Agreement, drew arbitrary borders across the Middle East, creating colonial protectorate states. The partition again fragmented the Kurds, this time across four countries: modern-day Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. The Kurds have been fighting for their sovereignty ever since. In recent decades, they have succeeded in establishing autonomously governed regions within Iraq and Syria. But in Iran and Turkey, the Kurds continue their armed struggle. Both countries to view this ethnic minority as a terrorist threat and legally repress Kurdish populations. This setup has put Kurdistan – domestically a rather peaceable, prosperous place with significant oil reserves – squarely in the center of a geopolitical quagmire. Until Trump’s recent turnaround, the US had backed the Kurds in Syria, Iraq and Iran, where they were critical to defeating the Islamic State and served as jailers to about 11,000 captured IS fighters. But Turkey – a US ally – sees the armed Kurds in Syria as an extension of the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey since the 1980s. In May 2018, over 250 people were killed when Turkey bombed the Kurdish-majority Syrian city of Afrin, which Turkish armed forces consider a “terrorist corridor.” The feminists of the PKK The Marxist-Leninist PKK, founded in 1978, may be an enemy of the Turkish state, but it is also one of the most feminist movements in the Middle East. The group held its first congress on women’s rights in 1987, in which PKK co-founder Sakine Cansiz – who was assassinated in 2013 – proposed that its “liberation for all” rhetoric must include women’s liberation, too. Today the party’s political agenda explicitly recognises religious minorities, dissidents and women as the crux of democracy. In the autonomous Kurdish regions of Iraq and Syria, women have the same legal rights as men. Indeed, the Iraqi Kurdish regional government has a higher proportion of women than the United Kingdom – 30 per cent versus 20 per cent. The charter of the semi-autonomous Syrian Federation of Kurdistan, founded in 2012, requires that women must hold a minimum of 40 per cent of all government posts. Every Kurdish Syrian public institution must also have two co-presidents, one male and one female. Women also make up 30 per cent of Kurdish fighters deployed across the Middle East. More than 25,000 Kurdish women are deployed in Syria as the Women’s Protection Units, an all-female militia inspired by the KPP’s feminist liberation ideology. In contrast, about 14 per cent of US military service members are women. Female Kurdish troops rescued thousands of Yazidis trapped by the Islamic State on Iraq’s Mount Sinjar in 2014 and helped liberate the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State in 2017. Equal in battle but not everywhere else Despite the relative freedom of women in Kurdistan compared to elsewhere in the Middle East, Kurdish society is not entirely gender equal. In 2014, only 12 of 250 judges in Iraqi Kurdistan were female, and just one of 21 government ministers was. Female genital mutilation, child marriage and honour killings – in which male family members murder women who are alleged to have disgraced their families – persist, particularly in rural areas of Kurdistan. And, in my experience, feminist debates like equal pay for women and #MeToo aren’t yet a topic of conversation in Kurdistan. Historically, too, it’s noteworthy that many famous female Kurdish leaders succeeded only because their empowerment did not challenge the male establishment. During World War I, Lady Adela Khanum, leader of the Kurdish region of Halabja, saved the lives of numerous British army officers on the battlefield, earning her the nickname “Princess of the Brave.” But she originally rose to power because she inherited the position when her husband died. While ruling Halabja from 1909 to 1924, she did not push a women’s rights agenda. The hard labour of freedom Kurdish women who were seen as threats to male authority have often been punished, sometimes with death. That’s what happened to the very first woman to fight in the Kurdish army. Margaret George Malik quickly rose up among the all-male ranks in the 1960s to lead troops in the Kurdish war for independence from Iraq. She was murdered in 1969 under mysterious circumstances. Some historians believe that Malik was killed by her lover because she rejected his marriage proposal. Others say she was assassinated by the Kurdish leadership, which feared her growing influence. Either way, Malik’s murder speaks to the battles Kurdish women still fight today. It’s meaningful that in the Kurdish language, the word for woman – “jin” – shares a root with the word for life: “jiyan.” And both jin and jiyan are related to the word “jan,” or labour pains. In a region surrounded by threats – from Turkey’s attacks and Islamic State terrorism and patriarchy at home – the women of Kurdistan are fighting for their life and liberty. And the cost is hard, dangerous labour. (Haidar Khezri is Assistant Professor, University of Central Florida) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Kurdish women have been exceptions in mostly conservative Middle East

Charting Pakistan's Track-record In Negotiating Peace

Gravitas: Can Pakistan be trusted to broker peace?

Pakistan PM Imran Khan's Latest Assignment In West Asia: Play the Role Of Messenger For The U.S. To Iran

Gravitas: Imran Khan: Mediator or Messenger of America?

Imran Khan's visit comes after the United States asked Pakistan to help mediate between long-time regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Imran Khan meets Rouhani in Tehran

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-supports-turkeys-syria-offensive-255446">Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan</a> was heading to Iran Sunday following a request from the United States and Saudi Arabia for him to try to defuse rising tensions in the Gulf.&nbsp;

Khan's office said his visit was part of an initiative "to promote peace and security in the region", and that he will hold talks with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

It will be his second visit this year to Iran, which shares a border of around 1,000 kilometres with Pakistan.&nbsp;

In a press briefing last week, a spokesman for Pakistan's foreign office said Khan was expected to visit Saudi Arabia, without providing further details.

Khan said last month that both the United States and Saudi Arabia had asked him to mediate with Iran to defuse tensions in the Gulf.

There has been a spate of still unexplained attacks on shipping in and around the vital seaway involving Iran and Western powers, as well as drone attacks on Saudi oil installations.

Washington accused Tehran of attacking the vessels with mines and to be behind the drone assault, something Tehran strongly denies.

Pakistan has strong relations with Saudi Arabia -- over 2.5 million of its nationals live and work in the kingdom -- but also maintains good relations with Iran and represents Tehran's consular interests in the United States.

Khan met both US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations last month, shortly after he visited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was heading to Iran Sunday following a request from the United States and Saudi Arabia for him to try to defuse rising tensions in the Gulf.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was heading to Iran Sunday following a request from the United States and Saudi Arabia for him to try to defuse rising tensions in the Gulf. Khan's office said his visit was part of an initiative "to promote peace and security in the region", and that he will hold talks with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani. It will be his second visit this year to Iran, which shares a border of around 1,000 kilometres with Pakistan. In a press briefing last week, a spokesman for Pakistan's foreign office said Khan was expected to visit Saudi Arabia, without providing further details. Khan said last month that both the United States and Saudi Arabia had asked him to mediate with Iran to defuse tensions in the Gulf. There has been a spate of still unexplained attacks on shipping in and around the vital seaway involving Iran and Western powers, as well as drone attacks on Saudi oil installations. Washington accused Tehran of attacking the vessels with mines and to be behind the drone assault, something Tehran strongly denies. Pakistan has strong relations with Saudi Arabia -- over 2.5 million of its nationals live and work in the kingdom -- but also maintains good relations with Iran and represents Tehran's consular interests in the United States. Khan met both US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations last month, shortly after he visited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan heads to Iran as tensions rise in Gulf

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran in a bid to diffuse tensions in the region.

Imran Khan meets Hassan Rouhani in Tehran

The United States announced the deployment of additional American military forces to Saudi Arabia on Friday to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explosion-sets-ablaze-iranian-oil-tanker-near-saudi-port-report-255149">bolster the kingdom's defences</a> after the September 14 attack on its oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Iran.

The large deployment, which was first reported by Reuters, includes fighter squadrons, an air expeditionary wing and air defence personnel, the Pentagon said. Together with the 200 forces to Saudi Arabia announced last month, the deployment totalled about 3,000 troops, it said.

US-Iran tensions have risen to new highs since May 2018, when the Trump administration withdrew from a 2015 international nuclear accord with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

As Trump reinstated US sanctions, increasing pressure on the Iranian economy, there have been a series of attacks that Washington and close allies have blamed on Iran, including the attack on the world's biggest crude oil-processing facility. Iran denies responsibility.

In a bid to better shield Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said it was sending two additional Patriot batteries and one Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD).

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper told reporters the deployments were designed to deter Iran.

"We thought it was important to continue to deploy forces to deter and defend and to send the message to the Iranians: Do not strike another sovereign state, do not threaten American interests, American forces, or we will respond," Esper told reporters during a press briefing.

Trump said the United States would not bear the expense of the deployment. "Saudi Arabia, at my request, has agreed to pay us for everything we’re doing," he told reporters.

Some of Trump's Republican allies have called for retaliatory strikes, which the president has so far declined to carry out.

It was unclear whether some of the newly announced troops might replace other American forces expected to depart the region in the coming weeks or months.

The Pentagon has yet to announce, for example, whether it will replace the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group when it eventually wraps up its deployment to the Middle East.

Esper declined to say whether the carrier, which itself includes thousands of troops and massive firepower, would be replaced.

The deployment is part of a series of what the United States has described as defensive moves following the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities last month, which rattled global energy markets and exposed major gaps in Saudi Arabia's air defences.

Iran has responded to previous US troop deployments this year with apprehension. It denies responsibility for the attack on Saudi Arabia as well as attacks on oil tankers earlier this year.

The additional deployment comes as many members of Congress have questioned the longstanding US-Saudi security alliance and backed several efforts - which have failed so far - to stop Trump from selling arms to the kingdom without congressional approval or providing support to the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen.

Criticism of close US-Saudi ties under Trump increased last year after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Eleven Saudi officials are on trial in Riyadh for the murder, which took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The United States announced the deployment of additional American military forces to Saudi Arabia on Friday to bolster the kingdom's defences after the September 14 attack on its oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Iran.

The United States announced the deployment of additional American military forces to Saudi Arabia on Friday to bolster the kingdom's defences after the September 14 attack on its oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Iran. The large deployment, which was first reported by Reuters, includes fighter squadrons, an air expeditionary wing and air defence personnel, the Pentagon said. Together with the 200 forces to Saudi Arabia announced last month, the deployment totalled about 3,000 troops, it said. US-Iran tensions have risen to new highs since May 2018, when the Trump administration withdrew from a 2015 international nuclear accord with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of sanctions. As Trump reinstated US sanctions, increasing pressure on the Iranian economy, there have been a series of attacks that Washington and close allies have blamed on Iran, including the attack on the world's biggest crude oil-processing facility. Iran denies responsibility. In a bid to better shield Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said it was sending two additional Patriot batteries and one Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD). US Defence Secretary Mark Esper told reporters the deployments were designed to deter Iran. "We thought it was important to continue to deploy forces to deter and defend and to send the message to the Iranians: Do not strike another sovereign state, do not threaten American interests, American forces, or we will respond," Esper told reporters during a press briefing. Trump said the United States would not bear the expense of the deployment. "Saudi Arabia, at my request, has agreed to pay us for everything we’re doing," he told reporters. Some of Trump's Republican allies have called for retaliatory strikes, which the president has so far declined to carry out. It was unclear whether some of the newly announced troops might replace other American forces expected to depart the region in the coming weeks or months. The Pentagon has yet to announce, for example, whether it will replace the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group when it eventually wraps up its deployment to the Middle East. Esper declined to say whether the carrier, which itself includes thousands of troops and massive firepower, would be replaced. The deployment is part of a series of what the United States has described as defensive moves following the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities last month, which rattled global energy markets and exposed major gaps in Saudi Arabia's air defences. Iran has responded to previous US troop deployments this year with apprehension. It denies responsibility for the attack on Saudi Arabia as well as attacks on oil tankers earlier this year. The additional deployment comes as many members of Congress have questioned the longstanding US-Saudi security alliance and backed several efforts - which have failed so far - to stop Trump from selling arms to the kingdom without congressional approval or providing support to the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen. Criticism of close US-Saudi ties under Trump increased last year after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Eleven Saudi officials are on trial in Riyadh for the murder, which took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

US says deploying more forces to Saudi Arabia to counter Iran threat

The United States announced on Friday (October 11, 2019) a new, large deployment of forces to Saudi Arabia to help bolster the kingdom's defences following the Sept. 14 attack on its oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Iran.

Deployment of large number of forces to Saudi Arabia by U.S.

Iran&nbsp;has offered to engage&nbsp;Syrian&nbsp;Kurds, Syria's government and&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;in talks to establish security along the Turkish-Syrian&nbsp;border following&nbsp;Turkey's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-opposes-syria-military-action-javad-zarif-tells-turkey-254396">military incursion</a> into northern Syria to fight Kurdish forces.

In making the mediation offer during an interview shot on Monday (October 7),&nbsp;Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to a 21-year-old security accord that required Damascus to stop harbouring Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants waging an insurgency against the Turkish state.&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;has said that pact was never implemented.

The United States has ramped up its efforts to persuade Ankara to halt the incursion, saying Ankara was causing "great harm" to ties and could face sanctions.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday the 1998 accord could only be implemented if there was a political settlement to Syria's eight-year-old war. He also said implementing the Adana pact would require the&nbsp;Syrian&nbsp;government to be in control of northeastern Syria - which it is not.

Iran, a close ally of&nbsp;Syrian&nbsp;President Bashar al-Assad, has regularly urged&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;to respect Syria's territorial integrity and avoid military action in northeastern Syria.

Iran has offered to engage Syrian Kurds, Syria's government and Turkey in talks to establish security along the Turkish-Syrian border following Turkey's military incursion into northern Syria to fight Kurdish forces.

Iran has offered to engage Syrian Kurds, Syria's government and Turkey in talks to establish security along the Turkish-Syrian border following Turkey's military incursion into northern Syria to fight Kurdish forces. In making the mediation offer during an interview shot on Monday (October 7), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to a 21-year-old security accord that required Damascus to stop harbouring Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants waging an insurgency against the Turkish state. Turkey has said that pact was never implemented. The United States has ramped up its efforts to persuade Ankara to halt the incursion, saying Ankara was causing "great harm" to ties and could face sanctions. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday the 1998 accord could only be implemented if there was a political settlement to Syria's eight-year-old war. He also said implementing the Adana pact would require the Syrian government to be in control of northeastern Syria - which it is not. Iran, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has regularly urged Turkey to respect Syria's territorial integrity and avoid military action in northeastern Syria.

Iran offers to mediate between Syrian Kurds and Turkey

Iran vowed on Saturday not to let an attack on one of<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explosion-sets-ablaze-iranian-oil-tanker-near-saudi-port-report-255149"> its oil tankers</a> off the coast of Saudi Arabia to go unanswered, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said clues had been uncovered as to who was behind what he called a "missile attack" on the Sabiti tanker.

"Maritime piracy and wickedness in international waterways... will not be left unanswered," he said, quoted by ISNA.

"By reviewing the available video and gathered intelligence evidence, the primary clues to the dangerous adventure of attacking the Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea have been uncovered," he added.

Shamkhani warned of "disturbing risks" for the global economy as a result of insecurity in international waterways.

The National Iranian Tanker Company, which owns the Sabiti, said its hull was hit by two separate explosions on Friday off the Saudi port of Jeddah,

But the state-owned company denied reports the attack had originated from Saudi soil.

The attack caused oil to spill from the tanker into the Red Sea, the NITC said, before it was eventually controlled and the vessel began slowly moving back towards Gulf waters.

According to the latest data from shipping monitors Marine Traffic, the Sabiti was still in the Red Sea about 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Jeddah.

The incident comes after a spate of still unexplained attacks on shipping in and around the vital seaway to the Gulf involving Iran and Western powers, as well as drone attacks on Saudi oil installations.

Washington accused Tehran of attacking the vessels with mines and to be behind the drone assault, something it strongly denied.

In a statement, Iran's government spokesman Ali Rabiei called Friday's attack "cowardly" and said Tehran would give a "proportionate response" following investigations.

"The question now is, those who accused Iran of disrupting free maritime transport in the Persian Gulf and the attack on Aramco installations with no proof, are they ready to once again defend the principles of free maritime transportation in international waters and condemn such an attack on an Iranian ship?" he said.

Iran vowed on Saturday not to let an attack on one of its oil tankers off the coast of Saudi Arabia to go unanswered, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Iran vowed on Saturday not to let an attack on one of its oil tankers off the coast of Saudi Arabia to go unanswered, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said clues had been uncovered as to who was behind what he called a "missile attack" on the Sabiti tanker. "Maritime piracy and wickedness in international waterways... will not be left unanswered," he said, quoted by ISNA. "By reviewing the available video and gathered intelligence evidence, the primary clues to the dangerous adventure of attacking the Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea have been uncovered," he added. Shamkhani warned of "disturbing risks" for the global economy as a result of insecurity in international waterways. The National Iranian Tanker Company, which owns the Sabiti, said its hull was hit by two separate explosions on Friday off the Saudi port of Jeddah, But the state-owned company denied reports the attack had originated from Saudi soil. The attack caused oil to spill from the tanker into the Red Sea, the NITC said, before it was eventually controlled and the vessel began slowly moving back towards Gulf waters. According to the latest data from shipping monitors Marine Traffic, the Sabiti was still in the Red Sea about 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Jeddah. The incident comes after a spate of still unexplained attacks on shipping in and around the vital seaway to the Gulf involving Iran and Western powers, as well as drone attacks on Saudi oil installations. Washington accused Tehran of attacking the vessels with mines and to be behind the drone assault, something it strongly denied. In a statement, Iran's government spokesman Ali Rabiei called Friday's attack "cowardly" and said Tehran would give a "proportionate response" following investigations. "The question now is, those who accused Iran of disrupting free maritime transport in the Persian Gulf and the attack on Aramco installations with no proof, are they ready to once again defend the principles of free maritime transportation in international waters and condemn such an attack on an Iranian ship?" he said.

Iran vows response to attack on tanker off Saudi coast

For nearly 40 years, the Islamic republic has barred female spectators from entering football and other sports stadiums, with clerics arguing women must be shielded from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men.

First time in nearly 40 years, women in Iran attend football match

Oil prices surged more than two per cent Friday after an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iranian-oil-tanker-hit-by-suspected-missile-strikes-claims-ship-owner-255181">Iranian tanker</a> was hit by suspected <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explosion-sets-ablaze-iranian-oil-tanker-near-saudi-port-report-255149">missile strikes</a> near Saudi Arabia, sparking fresh supply concerns with tensions already high after last month's attacks on two Saudi crude facilities.

The National Iranian Tanker Company, which owns the ship, said the hull of the Sabiti was hit by two separate explosions off the Saudi coast, saying they were "probably caused by missile strikes".

The news sent Brent surging 2.3 per cent to $60.46, while West Texas Intermediate jumped 2.1 per cent to $54.69. Prices had already been rising on growing hopes for a breakthrough in the China-US trade talks.

The blasts come just weeks after two of Saudi Arabia's biggest oil installations were hit, wiping out five per cent of global production. That caused a record rise in prices for both main contracts, though they have since subsided.

They will also revive concerns about the security of the world's crude supplies as tensions in the tinderbox Gulf region are already high, with Riyadh and the United States accusing Iran of being behind last month's attacks.

Tehran-back Huthi rebels in Yemen have officially claimed responsibility.

Tensions have been running high for months with ships attacked in the region, drones downed and oil tankers seized.

Oil prices surged more than two per cent Friday after an Iranian tanker was hit by suspected missile strikes near Saudi Arabia, sparking fresh supply concerns with tensions already high after last month's attacks on two Saudi crude facilities.

Oil prices surged more than two per cent Friday after an Iranian tanker was hit by suspected missile strikes near Saudi Arabia, sparking fresh supply concerns with tensions already high after last month's attacks on two Saudi crude facilities. The National Iranian Tanker Company, which owns the ship, said the hull of the Sabiti was hit by two separate explosions off the Saudi coast, saying they were "probably caused by missile strikes". The news sent Brent surging 2.3 per cent to $60.46, while West Texas Intermediate jumped 2.1 per cent to $54.69. Prices had already been rising on growing hopes for a breakthrough in the China-US trade talks. The blasts come just weeks after two of Saudi Arabia's biggest oil installations were hit, wiping out five per cent of global production. That caused a record rise in prices for both main contracts, though they have since subsided. They will also revive concerns about the security of the world's crude supplies as tensions in the tinderbox Gulf region are already high, with Riyadh and the United States accusing Iran of being behind last month's attacks. Tehran-back Huthi rebels in Yemen have officially claimed responsibility. Tensions have been running high for months with ships attacked in the region, drones downed and oil tankers seized.

Oil prices jump after Iranian oil tanker damaged by explosions near Saudi Arabia

Reform Or Tokenism Saudi Arabia, Which Allowed Women To Join Army & Iran, Which Allowed Women To Enter Football Stadium!

Gravitas: Gender Equality In Saudi Arabia & Iran: Reform Or Tokenism

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran&nbsp;Khan&nbsp;is likely to&nbsp;visit&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia and&nbsp;Iran, the foreign office in Islamabad said on Thursday, weeks&nbsp;after&nbsp;Islamabad said Washington had asked it to mediate with Tehran.

"The possibility of a&nbsp;visit&nbsp;of the prime minister to&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia and&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;is on the cards and I will update you as things unfold," foreign office spokesman, Mohammad Fasisal, told a news briefing.

The announcement of the possible&nbsp;visit&nbsp;comes&nbsp;after&nbsp;Khan&nbsp;last month described a request by&nbsp;US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, asking the&nbsp;Pakistani leader to help defuse tensions with&nbsp;Iran. Washington had blamed Tehran for an attack on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility in&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia.

Faisal declined to comment when asked whether the&nbsp;visit&nbsp;was related to the&nbsp;mediation&nbsp;request.

Tensions have elevated between&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia since the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/drone-attack-at-saudi-arabias-oil-refinery-massive-fire-broke-out-249565">attack, which took place on Sept. 14.</a>

Yemen's&nbsp;Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has been fighting a&nbsp;Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, has claimed responsibility, but Washington and Riyadh say they believe the attack came from the opposite direction and blame&nbsp;Iran.&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;denies involvement.

Khan&nbsp;said&nbsp;after&nbsp;a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that he was "trying and mediating" and had also spoken with&nbsp;Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.

Khan&nbsp;has ramped up his government's engagement on the international stage, offering to negotiate regional tensions. He has separately proposed to Trump that&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;could&nbsp;help broker peace in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Last week<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-delegation-meets-imran-khan-discusses-afghan-peace-process-253661">&nbsp;Pakistani government ministers met with both Taliban representatives</a> and the&nbsp;US&nbsp;peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, in Islamabad while&nbsp;Pakistan's foreign minister called for a resumption in stalled peace talks between the Taliban and Washington.

The Taliban also met with Khalilzad, sources told Reuters, the first known contact since Trump halted talks last month, though officials said the talks did not represent a formal resumption of negotiations.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to visit Saudi Arabia and Iran, the foreign office in Islamabad said on Thursday, weeks after Islamabad said Washington had asked it to mediate with Tehran.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to visit Saudi Arabia and Iran, the foreign office in Islamabad said on Thursday, weeks after Islamabad said Washington had asked it to mediate with Tehran. "The possibility of a visit of the prime minister to Saudi Arabia and Iran is on the cards and I will update you as things unfold," foreign office spokesman, Mohammad Fasisal, told a news briefing. The announcement of the possible visit comes after Khan last month described a request by US President Donald Trump, asking the Pakistani leader to help defuse tensions with Iran. Washington had blamed Tehran for an attack on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia. Faisal declined to comment when asked whether the visit was related to the mediation request. Tensions have elevated between Iran and Saudi Arabia since the attack, which took place on Sept. 14. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has been fighting a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, has claimed responsibility, but Washington and Riyadh say they believe the attack came from the opposite direction and blame Iran. Iran denies involvement. Khan said after a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that he was "trying and mediating" and had also spoken with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. Khan has ramped up his government's engagement on the international stage, offering to negotiate regional tensions. He has separately proposed to Trump that Pakistan could help broker peace in neighbouring Afghanistan. Last week Pakistani government ministers met with both Taliban representatives and the US peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, in Islamabad while Pakistan's foreign minister called for a resumption in stalled peace talks between the Taliban and Washington. The Taliban also met with Khalilzad, sources told Reuters, the first known contact since Trump halted talks last month, though officials said the talks did not represent a formal resumption of negotiations.

Pakistan says Imran Khan could visit Saudi, Iran, after US mediation request

Iran has released a Russian journalist detained for suspected links to Israeli intelligence and she was on her way to Moscow, Russia's embassy in Tehran said on Thursday.

Yulia Yuzik, 38, was arrested in Tehran last week.

An Iranian government spokesman said she was being held over alleged visa violations but the Russian embassy said she had been accused of working for Israeli security services.

"As a result of joint efforts of the Russian foreign ministry and the Russian embassy in Tehran, Iran decided to release Russian citizen Yulia Yuzik," the embassy said on Twitter.

It said she was flying back to Moscow.

Boris Voitsekhovskiy, identified by Russian media as Yuzik's ex-husband, said on Facebook that she had landed in the Russian capital.

Russia summoned the Iranian ambassador last week to clarify the circumstances of the arrest.

Yuzik has worked for a number of publications including the Russian version of Newsweek.

She has written two books including "Beslan Dictionary", based on testimony from survivors of the 2004 school massacre that claimed at least 330 lives, more than half of them children.

Iran has released a Russian journalist detained for suspected links to Israeli intelligence and she was on her way to Moscow, Russia's embassy in Tehran said on Thursday.

Iran has released a Russian journalist detained for suspected links to Israeli intelligence and she was on her way to Moscow, Russia's embassy in Tehran said on Thursday. Yulia Yuzik, 38, was arrested in Tehran last week. An Iranian government spokesman said she was being held over alleged visa violations but the Russian embassy said she had been accused of working for Israeli security services. "As a result of joint efforts of the Russian foreign ministry and the Russian embassy in Tehran, Iran decided to release Russian citizen Yulia Yuzik," the embassy said on Twitter. It said she was flying back to Moscow. Boris Voitsekhovskiy, identified by Russian media as Yuzik's ex-husband, said on Facebook that she had landed in the Russian capital. Russia summoned the Iranian ambassador last week to clarify the circumstances of the arrest. Yuzik has worked for a number of publications including the Russian version of Newsweek. She has written two books including "Beslan Dictionary", based on testimony from survivors of the 2004 school massacre that claimed at least 330 lives, more than half of them children.

Iran releases Russian journalist detained for suspected links to Israeli intelligence

Iranian women fans are free to enter a football stadium Thursday for the first time in decades, after FIFA threatened to suspend the Islamic republic over its controversial male-only policy.

Iran has barred female spectators from football and other stadiums for around 40 years, with clerics arguing they must be shielded from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men.

World football's governing body FIFA last month ordered Iran to allow women access to stadiums without restrictions and in numbers determined by the demand for tickets.

The directive came after a fan dubbed "Blue Girl" died after setting herself on fire in fear of being jailed for dressing up as a boy in order to attend a match.

Women were quick to get their hands on tickets to attend Iran's 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia at Tehran's Azadi Stadium on Thursday.

The first batch sold out in under an hour, and additional seats were also snapped up in short order, state media said.

A sports ministry official said the 100,000-capacity stadium -- whose name means "Freedom" in Farsi -- was ready to host even more women.

One of the 3,500 women to have secured a ticket was Raha Poorbakhsh, a football journalist.

"I still can't believe this is going to happen because after all these years of working in this field, watching everything on television, now I can experience everything in person," she told AFP.

'Blue girl'

But Poorbakhsh said she was aware of many other women without tickets and some were expected to travel from as far away as Ahvaz in southern Iran in the hope of still getting one.

Those lucky enough to attend will be segregated from men and watched over by 150 female police officers, according to Fars news agency.

People on the streets of Tehran said they supported the decision to allow women into stadiums.

"I would like there to be freedom for women, like men, to go freely and even sit side by side without any restrictions, like other countries," said a woman who only gave her name as Hasti.

Nader Fathi, who runs a clothing business, said the presence of women could improve the atmosphere in stadiums.

But he said "they will regret it" if they are exposed to "really bad swear words" and "bad behaviour".

The bumpy road Iranian women have travelled in order to gain free access to stadiums has not been without tragedy.

Sahar Khodayari died last month after setting herself ablaze outside a court in fear of being jailed for attending a match.

Dubbed "blue girl" because of the colours of the club she supported, Esteghlal FC, she had reportedly been detained last year when trying to enter a stadium dressed as a boy.

Her death sparked an outcry, with many calling on FIFA to ban Iran and for fans to boycott matches.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili at the time dismissed reports she had been told she would be jailed for six months as "fabricated rumours and hearsay".

And Khodayari's father told Mehr news agency that she did not "sacrifice" herself for any cause.

Shadow of FIFA

Ahead of Qatar 2022, Iran has come under pressure from FIFA to allow women to attend this round of World Cup qualifiers.

The ban on women in stadiums is not written into law or regulations, but it has been strictly enforced.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, women have only had rare access to stadiums in Iran.

About 20 Irish women attended a World Cup qualifier in 2001, and four years later a few dozen Iranian women were allowed to watch the national "Team Melli" take on Bahrain.

In October, as many as 100 Iranian "handpicked" women entered Azadi for a friendly against Bolivia.

But the day after, the prosecutor general warned there would be no repeat, saying it would "lead to sin".

The issue has been divisive in Iran.

The reformist camp has welcomed the decision to allow women into Thursday's match, while conservatives have argued that football is not a priority for women.

The Donya-e-Eqtesad financial newspaper called it "a step to weaken a taboo and also free Iran's football of the looming shadow of FIFA's punishment".

But the ultra-conservative Keyhan daily said women were more concerned about economic issues.

"There are many girls still single and at home, afraid of the cost of marriage. The government should be thinking of this, not sending them to stadiums," it quoted a mother as saying.

Iranian women fans are free to enter a football stadium Thursday for the first time in decades, after FIFA threatened to suspend the Islamic republic over its controversial male-only policy.

Iranian women fans are free to enter a football stadium Thursday for the first time in decades, after FIFA threatened to suspend the Islamic republic over its controversial male-only policy. Iran has barred female spectators from football and other stadiums for around 40 years, with clerics arguing they must be shielded from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men. World football's governing body FIFA last month ordered Iran to allow women access to stadiums without restrictions and in numbers determined by the demand for tickets. The directive came after a fan dubbed "Blue Girl" died after setting herself on fire in fear of being jailed for dressing up as a boy in order to attend a match. Women were quick to get their hands on tickets to attend Iran's 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia at Tehran's Azadi Stadium on Thursday. The first batch sold out in under an hour, and additional seats were also snapped up in short order, state media said. A sports ministry official said the 100,000-capacity stadium -- whose name means "Freedom" in Farsi -- was ready to host even more women. One of the 3,500 women to have secured a ticket was Raha Poorbakhsh, a football journalist. "I still can't believe this is going to happen because after all these years of working in this field, watching everything on television, now I can experience everything in person," she told AFP. 'Blue girl' But Poorbakhsh said she was aware of many other women without tickets and some were expected to travel from as far away as Ahvaz in southern Iran in the hope of still getting one. Those lucky enough to attend will be segregated from men and watched over by 150 female police officers, according to Fars news agency. People on the streets of Tehran said they supported the decision to allow women into stadiums. "I would like there to be freedom for women, like men, to go freely and even sit side by side without any restrictions, like other countries," said a woman who only gave her name as Hasti. Nader Fathi, who runs a clothing business, said the presence of women could improve the atmosphere in stadiums. But he said "they will regret it" if they are exposed to "really bad swear words" and "bad behaviour". The bumpy road Iranian women have travelled in order to gain free access to stadiums has not been without tragedy. Sahar Khodayari died last month after setting herself ablaze outside a court in fear of being jailed for attending a match. Dubbed "blue girl" because of the colours of the club she supported, Esteghlal FC, she had reportedly been detained last year when trying to enter a stadium dressed as a boy. Her death sparked an outcry, with many calling on FIFA to ban Iran and for fans to boycott matches. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili at the time dismissed reports she had been told she would be jailed for six months as "fabricated rumours and hearsay". And Khodayari's father told Mehr news agency that she did not "sacrifice" herself for any cause. Shadow of FIFA Ahead of Qatar 2022, Iran has come under pressure from FIFA to allow women to attend this round of World Cup qualifiers. The ban on women in stadiums is not written into law or regulations, but it has been strictly enforced. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, women have only had rare access to stadiums in Iran. About 20 Irish women attended a World Cup qualifier in 2001, and four years later a few dozen Iranian women were allowed to watch the national "Team Melli" take on Bahrain. In October, as many as 100 Iranian "handpicked" women entered Azadi for a friendly against Bolivia. But the day after, the prosecutor general warned there would be no repeat, saying it would "lead to sin". The issue has been divisive in Iran. The reformist camp has welcomed the decision to allow women into Thursday's match, while conservatives have argued that football is not a priority for women. The Donya-e-Eqtesad financial newspaper called it "a step to weaken a taboo and also free Iran's football of the looming shadow of FIFA's punishment". But the ultra-conservative Keyhan daily said women were more concerned about economic issues. "There are many girls still single and at home, afraid of the cost of marriage. The government should be thinking of this, not sending them to stadiums," it quoted a mother as saying.

Iran women to see football freely for first time in decades

Despite having nuclear technology, Iran has never pursued building or using nuclear weapons, which its religion forbids, the country's highest political authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday.

"Building and stockpiling nuclear bombs is wrong and using it is haram (religiously forbidden) ... Although we have nuclear technology, Iran has firmly avoided it," State TV quoted him as saying.

Iran has repeatedly denied ever having sought to build a nuclear bomb.

A landmark 2015 deal that put curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief has been on life support since May last year when US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from it and reimposed sanctions.

The remaining parties to the deal with Iran — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — have tried to salvage the accord, but Tehran has repeatedly accused Europe of not doing enough.

Despite having nuclear technology, Iran has never pursued building or using nuclear weapons, which its religion forbids, the country's highest political authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday.

Despite having nuclear technology, Iran has never pursued building or using nuclear weapons, which its religion forbids, the country's highest political authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday. "Building and stockpiling nuclear bombs is wrong and using it is haram (religiously forbidden) ... Although we have nuclear technology, Iran has firmly avoided it," State TV quoted him as saying. Iran has repeatedly denied ever having sought to build a nuclear bomb. A landmark 2015 deal that put curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief has been on life support since May last year when US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from it and reimposed sanctions. The remaining parties to the deal with Iran — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — have tried to salvage the accord, but Tehran has repeatedly accused Europe of not doing enough.

Iran's Khamenei says building, using nuclear bomb religiously forbidden: State TV

Iran's top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone call that Tehran is opposed to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/disaster-in-the-making-top-republicans-outraged-over-trump-pullback-in-syria-254361">military action in Syria</a>, the foreign ministry said.

"Zarif voiced opposition to military action" and "urged respect for Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty," Zarif was quoted as saying in a statement issued late Monday.

The Iranian foreign minister also "stressed the need for the fight against terrorism and for the establishment of stability and security in Syria".

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey was poised to launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, after US President Donald Trump gave him the green light.

Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from the region has faced strong criticism in the US, including from his own allies who have accused him of turning his back on Kurds who took heavy casualties in the US-backed campaign against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

In their phone call, Zarif told Cavusoglu that the Adana agreement was "the best approach for Syria and Turkey and for addressing their concerns".

Ankara and Damascus signed the agreement in 1998 to ease tensions after Turkey threatened Syria with military action if it did not expel Turkish-Kurdish rebel leader Abdallah Ocalan from its soil.

For his part, Cavusoglu said the Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria "would be temporary", according to the statement from the Iranian foreign ministry.

Erdogan has expressed Ankara's determination to clear the Syrian border area east of the Euphrates river of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The United States worked closely with the YPG to recapture swathes of territory from IS.

Iran's top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone call that Tehran is opposed to military action in Syria, the foreign ministry said.

Iran's top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone call that Tehran is opposed to military action in Syria, the foreign ministry said. "Zarif voiced opposition to military action" and "urged respect for Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty," Zarif was quoted as saying in a statement issued late Monday. The Iranian foreign minister also "stressed the need for the fight against terrorism and for the establishment of stability and security in Syria". President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey was poised to launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, after US President Donald Trump gave him the green light. Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from the region has faced strong criticism in the US, including from his own allies who have accused him of turning his back on Kurds who took heavy casualties in the US-backed campaign against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria. In their phone call, Zarif told Cavusoglu that the Adana agreement was "the best approach for Syria and Turkey and for addressing their concerns". Ankara and Damascus signed the agreement in 1998 to ease tensions after Turkey threatened Syria with military action if it did not expel Turkish-Kurdish rebel leader Abdallah Ocalan from its soil. For his part, Cavusoglu said the Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria "would be temporary", according to the statement from the Iranian foreign ministry. Erdogan has expressed Ankara's determination to clear the Syrian border area east of the Euphrates river of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The United States worked closely with the YPG to recapture swathes of territory from IS.

Iran opposes Syria military action, Javad Zarif tells Turkey

Since they erupted a week ago, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-violent-protests-in-iraq-at-least-100-dead-over-6000-hurt-254349">deadly protests in Iraq </a>have been tracked closely in Iran where they are seen as a plot to undermine ties between the neighbours.

Tehran has close but complicated relations with Baghdad, holding significant clout among its Shiite political groups.

The two countries fought a devastating war from 1980 to 1988 and Iran's influence in Iraq grew after the US-led invasion toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Clashes that broke out in Iraq last week between protesters and security forces have claimed more than 100 lives, and wounded over 6,000,&nbsp;most of them demonstrators struck by bullets.

The rallies began on Tuesday with calls to reduce corruption and unemployment but have spiralled into demands for the fall of the government and overhaul of the political system.

A string of Iranian officials have&nbsp;since come out with statements accusing their country's arch-foes of being behind the unrest.

"Enemies seek to sow discord but they've failed &amp; their conspiracy won't be effective," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, quoted on his office's Twitter account.

"Iran and #Iraq are two nations whose hearts &amp; souls are tied together... This bond will grow stronger day by day," he added.

State news agency IRNA said the supreme leader was reacting to the violence in Iraq.

The official news agency weighed in with its own commentary, accusing the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel of stirring the Iraqi protests in order to spoil Iran's ties with Iraq and Syria.

"Unprecedented protests in Iraqi cities... show that some forces inside and outside of the region are seriously concerned about the closeness and cooperation" of Baghdad, Tehran, and Damascus, it added.

Iran's government spokesman Ali Rabiei opened his weekly news conference on Monday with a statement on the Iraqi crisis.

He said there "are ill-wishers who seek to sabotage any opening between us and those neighbours who've had differences of opinions in recent years".

The spokesman called on "the great people of Iraq to show more self-restraint and seek democratic and legal means to reach their demands.

"As always, the Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its readiness to stand beside Iraqi brothers and sisters and help them.

"No form of propaganda can sever the people of Iran and Iraq."

Iran has accused its foes of deliberately stirring trouble in Iraq at a time when vast numbers of pilgrims are heading there for one of the world's largest religious events.

A top military adviser to Khamenei said those behind the unrest would be unable to deter the faithful, however.

"They want to scare people into not going to Arbaeen, but even if it rains arrows and stones, Hussein's lovers will not be afraid," Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for the seventh-century killing of Imam Hussein by the forces of the Caliph Yazid.

Last week, Iran urged citizens who were planning to head to Iraq to delay their travel for the pilgrimage that culminates on October 17 with the Arbaeen commemoration.

On Monday, Iran reopened the Khosravi border crossing with Iraq following its closure last week as the protests raged.

IRNA said the fact that the "provocations" came ahead of Arbaeen showed Iran's enemies were "scared".

Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said those responsible for the unrest in Iraq aimed to undermine Arbaeen.

"The seditionists intend to undermine and sap enthusiasm for this great event," he said, quoted by state television's website.

"The vigilant people of Iraq exposed this sedition. But everyone must be careful. The seditionists are seeking new tricks at any moment to overshadow the Arbaeen ceremony and to undermine it."

The hardline Keyhan newspaper said "evidence" pointed to the Americans, Saudis and Israelis being involved.

A columnist in the reformist Shargh daily also suggested the Americans, Israelis and Saudis might be the "hidden hands" behind the Iraqi protests.

"Even if that is not the case, the chaotic and tense situation in Iraq today can prepare the grounds for these actors to ride the wave to fulfill their objectives and demands," wrote Abdelrahman Fathollahi.

Since they erupted a week ago, deadly protests in Iraq have been tracked closely in Iran where they are seen as a plot to undermine ties between the neighbours. Tehran has close but complicated relations with Baghdad, holding significant clout among its Shiite political groups.

Since they erupted a week ago, deadly protests in Iraq have been tracked closely in Iran where they are seen as a plot to undermine ties between the neighbours. Tehran has close but complicated relations with Baghdad, holding significant clout among its Shiite political groups. The two countries fought a devastating war from 1980 to 1988 and Iran's influence in Iraq grew after the US-led invasion toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. Clashes that broke out in Iraq last week between protesters and security forces have claimed more than 100 lives, and wounded over 6,000, most of them demonstrators struck by bullets. The rallies began on Tuesday with calls to reduce corruption and unemployment but have spiralled into demands for the fall of the government and overhaul of the political system. A string of Iranian officials have since come out with statements accusing their country's arch-foes of being behind the unrest. "Enemies seek to sow discord but they've failed & their conspiracy won't be effective," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, quoted on his office's Twitter account. "Iran and #Iraq are two nations whose hearts & souls are tied together... This bond will grow stronger day by day," he added. State news agency IRNA said the supreme leader was reacting to the violence in Iraq. The official news agency weighed in with its own commentary, accusing the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel of stirring the Iraqi protests in order to spoil Iran's ties with Iraq and Syria. "Unprecedented protests in Iraqi cities... show that some forces inside and outside of the region are seriously concerned about the closeness and cooperation" of Baghdad, Tehran, and Damascus, it added. Iran's government spokesman Ali Rabiei opened his weekly news conference on Monday with a statement on the Iraqi crisis. He said there "are ill-wishers who seek to sabotage any opening between us and those neighbours who've had differences of opinions in recent years". The spokesman called on "the great people of Iraq to show more self-restraint and seek democratic and legal means to reach their demands. "As always, the Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its readiness to stand beside Iraqi brothers and sisters and help them. "No form of propaganda can sever the people of Iran and Iraq." Iran has accused its foes of deliberately stirring trouble in Iraq at a time when vast numbers of pilgrims are heading there for one of the world's largest religious events. A top military adviser to Khamenei said those behind the unrest would be unable to deter the faithful, however. "They want to scare people into not going to Arbaeen, but even if it rains arrows and stones, Hussein's lovers will not be afraid," Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for the seventh-century killing of Imam Hussein by the forces of the Caliph Yazid. Last week, Iran urged citizens who were planning to head to Iraq to delay their travel for the pilgrimage that culminates on October 17 with the Arbaeen commemoration. On Monday, Iran reopened the Khosravi border crossing with Iraq following its closure last week as the protests raged. IRNA said the fact that the "provocations" came ahead of Arbaeen showed Iran's enemies were "scared". Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said those responsible for the unrest in Iraq aimed to undermine Arbaeen. "The seditionists intend to undermine and sap enthusiasm for this great event," he said, quoted by state television's website. "The vigilant people of Iraq exposed this sedition. But everyone must be careful. The seditionists are seeking new tricks at any moment to overshadow the Arbaeen ceremony and to undermine it." The hardline Keyhan newspaper said "evidence" pointed to the Americans, Saudis and Israelis being involved. A columnist in the reformist Shargh daily also suggested the Americans, Israelis and Saudis might be the "hidden hands" behind the Iraqi protests. "Even if that is not the case, the chaotic and tense situation in Iraq today can prepare the grounds for these actors to ride the wave to fulfill their objectives and demands," wrote Abdelrahman Fathollahi.

For Iran, Iraq's unrest is plot to undo bilateral ties

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "enemies" were trying to drive a wedge between Tehran and Baghdad in a tweet on Monday following deadly unrest in neighbouring Iraq.

"#Iran and #Iraq are two nations whose hearts &amp; souls are tied together... Enemies seek to sow discord but they've failed &amp; their conspiracy won't be effective," Khamenei was quoted as saying on his office's Twitter account.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iraq?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iraq</a> are two nations whose hearts &amp; souls are tied together through faith in God &amp; love for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImamHussain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ImamHussain</a> &amp; the progeny of the Prophet (pbut). This bond will grow stronger day by day. 
 
Enemies seek to sow discord but they’ve failed &amp; their conspiracy won’t be effective. <a href="https://t.co/Psya7CJGLB">https://t.co/Psya7CJGLB</a>
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1180945275306889216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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State news agency IRNA said the supreme leader was reacting to recent violence in Iraq.

More than 100 people have been killed in Iraq since clashes erupted last week between protesters and security forces, the majority of them demonstrators struck by bullets.

The Iraqi authorities have accused "saboteurs" and unidentified snipers of targeting the protesters.

Iran has urged its citizens planning to take part in a major Shiite pilgrimage in Iraq to delay their travel into the country over the violence.

Tehran has close but complicated ties with Baghdad, with significant influence among its Shiite political groups.

The two countries fought a bloody war from 1980 to 1988 and Iran's influence in the country grew after the US-led invasion of Iraq toppled veteran dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. 
&nbsp;

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "enemies" were trying to drive a wedge between Tehran and Baghdad in a tweet on Monday following deadly unrest in neighbouring Iraq.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "enemies" were trying to drive a wedge between Tehran and Baghdad in a tweet on Monday following deadly unrest in neighbouring Iraq. "#Iran and #Iraq are two nations whose hearts & souls are tied together... Enemies seek to sow discord but they've failed & their conspiracy won't be effective," Khamenei was quoted as saying on his office's Twitter account. #Iran and #Iraq are two nations whose hearts & souls are tied together through faith in God & love for #ImamHussain & the progeny of the Prophet (pbut). This bond will grow stronger day by day. Enemies seek to sow discord but they’ve failed & their conspiracy won’t be effective. https://t.co/Psya7CJGLB — Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) October 6, 2019 × State news agency IRNA said the supreme leader was reacting to recent violence in Iraq. More than 100 people have been killed in Iraq since clashes erupted last week between protesters and security forces, the majority of them demonstrators struck by bullets. The Iraqi authorities have accused "saboteurs" and unidentified snipers of targeting the protesters. Iran has urged its citizens planning to take part in a major Shiite pilgrimage in Iraq to delay their travel into the country over the violence. Tehran has close but complicated ties with Baghdad, with significant influence among its Shiite political groups. The two countries fought a bloody war from 1980 to 1988 and Iran's influence in the country grew after the US-led invasion of Iraq toppled veteran dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

'Enemies seek to sow discord' between Iran and Iraq: Supreme leader Khamenei

India is likely to face heat in the near future due to various emerging fault lines in the Gulf. While Gulf managed to ensure stability amidst the Syrian crisis in particular and Arab Spring in general, recent events in the Gulf cast doubt on the long term stability of the region.&nbsp;

In this context, the September 14 Drone attacks, reportedly&nbsp;carried out by Iranian backed Houthi guerrilla, on&nbsp; Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil refinery and Khurais oil field - belonging to the state-owned Aramco - have sent ‘oil shock wave’ throughout the world.

The attacks disrupted the outflow of 5 per cent of global oil supply. While Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stated that this attack will not affect Saudi’s production of oil, however, it could not remove the feat that oil installation in Saudi Arabia, UAE and elsewhere is not free from external attacks.&nbsp;

This combines with other factors such as a series of attack on oil tankers belonging to different countries, UK-Iranian tension for seizing the private oil tanker caring the Iranian oil to Syria by UK, shooting down of US drone by the Iran, the traditional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the continuous blockade of Qatar by the Quarter (Saudi Arabia, UAE, &nbsp;Egypt and Bahrain), the US sanction against Iran, and Yemen civil war with UAE-Saudi Arabia supporting the Yemini government in exile and Iranian backing the Houthis—all combined have made the region very vulnerable to the forces of destabilisation.&nbsp;

India is directly affected by such developments in the Gulf. India is the third-largest oil importer in the world and 83 per cent of its oil is imported from the Gulf despite its diversification of sources of hydrocarbon products. Of late, India has stopped buying oil from Iran under US pressure, which has made India more dependent on Saudi Arabia.&nbsp;

Besides, India is critically dependent on the flow of remittances from the region, which constitutes the largest share of total global remittances. Further stability in Gulf is important from the point of view of trade and investment, particularly with the UAE government. &nbsp;

Given the high-stake that India has in the stability of Gulf, the government of India&nbsp;must come up&nbsp;with a&nbsp;strategy to cope with the emerging crisis in the Gulf which may affect the uninterrupted supply of the oil or even soar the prices of  oil because of  above-enumerated reasons. Following the 1973 Oil Shock, which had disrupted the manufacturing industries of the West due to steep hike in the prices of oil  as well as the supply of oil for a few months, the West developed the capacity of storing oil for minimum six months. Earlier it was 23 days. Currently, India has a capacity to meet only about 12 days of the country’s crude oil requirement with storage facility for only 87 days.&nbsp;

Though in the event of the oil crisis, India may rely upon the USA and Nigeria, the quality of oil supplies by these countries are as good as that of Gulf apart from long-distance travel costs.  Given this situation, India needs to devise specific strategy including enhancing the storage capacity of hydrocarbon resources for at least 6 months, on par with advanced countries. &nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

&nbsp;

India is likely to face heat in the near future due to various emerging fault lines in the Gulf. While Gulf managed to ensure stability amidst the Syrian crisis in particular and Arab Spring in general, recent events in the Gulf cast doubt on the long term stability of the region.

India is likely to face heat in the near future due to various emerging fault lines in the Gulf. While Gulf managed to ensure stability amidst the Syrian crisis in particular and Arab Spring in general, recent events in the Gulf cast doubt on the long term stability of the region. In this context, the September 14 Drone attacks, reportedly carried out by Iranian backed Houthi guerrilla, on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil refinery and Khurais oil field - belonging to the state-owned Aramco - have sent ‘oil shock wave’ throughout the world. The attacks disrupted the outflow of 5 per cent of global oil supply. While Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stated that this attack will not affect Saudi’s production of oil, however, it could not remove the feat that oil installation in Saudi Arabia, UAE and elsewhere is not free from external attacks. This combines with other factors such as a series of attack on oil tankers belonging to different countries, UK-Iranian tension for seizing the private oil tanker caring the Iranian oil to Syria by UK, shooting down of US drone by the Iran, the traditional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the continuous blockade of Qatar by the Quarter (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain), the US sanction against Iran, and Yemen civil war with UAE-Saudi Arabia supporting the Yemini government in exile and Iranian backing the Houthis—all combined have made the region very vulnerable to the forces of destabilisation. India is directly affected by such developments in the Gulf. India is the third-largest oil importer in the world and 83 per cent of its oil is imported from the Gulf despite its diversification of sources of hydrocarbon products. Of late, India has stopped buying oil from Iran under US pressure, which has made India more dependent on Saudi Arabia. Besides, India is critically dependent on the flow of remittances from the region, which constitutes the largest share of total global remittances. Further stability in Gulf is important from the point of view of trade and investment, particularly with the UAE government.  Given the high-stake that India has in the stability of Gulf, the government of India must come up with a strategy to cope with the emerging crisis in the Gulf which may affect the uninterrupted supply of the oil or even soar the prices of  oil because of  above-enumerated reasons. Following the 1973 Oil Shock, which had disrupted the manufacturing industries of the West due to steep hike in the prices of oil  as well as the supply of oil for a few months, the West developed the capacity of storing oil for minimum six months. Earlier it was 23 days. Currently, India has a capacity to meet only about 12 days of the country’s crude oil requirement with storage facility for only 87 days. Though in the event of the oil crisis, India may rely upon the USA and Nigeria, the quality of oil supplies by these countries are as good as that of Gulf apart from long-distance travel costs.  Given this situation, India needs to devise specific strategy including enhancing the storage capacity of hydrocarbon resources for at least 6 months, on par with advanced countries.  (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

How does Gulf crisis affect India

Saudi and Iranian leaders are this week walking back from the brink, signalling that they want to avoid outright military confrontation and manage rather than resolve differences.

In fact, there is every reason to believe that neither Riyadh nor Tehran has a vested interest in a definitive solution of the Middle East and North Africa’s multiple problems.

The trick for men like Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is to find a controllable way of maintaining their potentially existential bitter rivalry without fighting what could be a devastating regional war.

To do so, both men appear to be making the right noises against the backdrop of an evolving US policy that is forcing Saudi Arabia to rethink its almost decade-long, often reckless and assertive go-it-alone foreign and defence policy and Iran to seek ways to level the playing field.

“The Anti-Iran Alliance is not just faltering, it’s crumbling. Bolton is gone; Bibi is going; MBZ has struck his deal with Iran; MBS is not far behind,” tweeted Council on Foreign Relations distinguished fellow and former US Middle East negotiator Martin S Indyk.

Indyk was referring to former US national security advisor John Bolton and embattled Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu while identifying United Arab Emirates crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed and his Saudi counterpart and namesake, Prince Mohammed, by their initials.

Signalling a change in tone, Saudi Arabia has gone quiet on its investigation into responsibility for last month's attacks on key Saudi oil facilities after earlier stopping just short of blaming Iran.

Prince Mohammed has, meanwhile, welcomed potential face-to-face talks between US President Donald J Trump and Rouhani, saying “absolutely... This is what we all ask for.”

Prince Mohammed’s remarks were tempered by Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir who spelled out the kingdom’s demands.

Without clarifying whether these were a pre-condition for talks or issues to be discussed, Al-Jubeir’s demands included “ending Iran’s involvement in the affairs of other countries; stopping support for terrorist organisations; abandoning the policy of destruction and sowing conflict; and freezing the plan to develop nuclear weapons and the ballistic-missile program.”

In response, Iran insisted that Saudi Arabia freeze its multibillion-dollar arms purchases from the United States, stop its intervention in Yemen and end discrimination against the Shiite Muslim minority in Saudi Arabia.

The chances of the two countries accepting the other’s conditions are virtually nil.

Nonetheless, Rouhani, with France, Iraq and Pakistan seeking to mediate, has kept the door open for talks with the United States which withdrew last year from the 2015 international agreement that curbs the Islamic republic's nuclear program and has since imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran.

Addressing the Iranian cabinet this week, Rouhani termed a four-point plan put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron “acceptable.”

The plan calls for the United States to lift sanctions on Iran and allow it to freely export its oil and collect revenue in return for an Iranian commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons and help ensure Gulf security.

Macron’s proposal includes a $15 billion credit line that would enable Iran to export oil and would also restore the P5+1 framework of signatories of the nuclear accord, France, Britain, Russia, China, Germany and the US.

Like with Al Jubeir’s demands, the question is what comes first, the chicken or the egg.

Trump sees lifting of sanctions as the outcome of talks while Rouhani has insisted that sanctions be removed prior to negotiations.

To step up the pressure, Iran has been gradually breaching the terms of the accord and increasing tensions that bring the region closer to the brink of war in a bid to position negotiations as the only alternative.

Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh put the changing mood on public display at a Russian energy conference chaired by President Vladimir Putin when he described his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, a son of King Salman, the Saudi monarch, as “a friend.”

“Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has been a friend for over 22 years,” Zanganeh said.

The two men were later seen holding hands together with Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Mohammed Barkindo and speaking on the sidelines of the conference in the first such encounter since the attack on the oil facilities.

The new mood could over time, against the backdrop of mounting Gulf doubts about the reliability of the United States’ regional defence umbrella, make a Chinese-backed Russian proposal for a multilateral security architecture more attractive.

The Russian proposal is built on the notion that security in the Gulf would be better served by an architecture that downplays regional rivalries rather than accentuating them as part of the US umbrella that is rooted in the Saudi-Iranian divide and designed to protect the conservative Arab monarchies against the Islamic republic.

The Russian approach theoretically could accommodate the survival strategies of both the Iranian regime and the Saudi ruling family.

Upholding Iran’s revolutionary façade requires the existence of an imperialist foreign threat that also gives a lease on life to the vested economic interests of hardliners grouped around the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Saudi Arabia, figuring that it needs at least six years to develop its natural gas potential to the degree that it can compete with Iran, home to the world’s second-largest reserves, may want to see an Iranian regime that is weakened and possibly destabilised, but not on the verge of collapse. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Saudi and Iranian leaders are this week walking back from the brink, signalling that they want to avoid outright military confrontation and manage rather than resolve differences.

Saudi and Iranian leaders are this week walking back from the brink, signalling that they want to avoid outright military confrontation and manage rather than resolve differences. In fact, there is every reason to believe that neither Riyadh nor Tehran has a vested interest in a definitive solution of the Middle East and North Africa’s multiple problems. The trick for men like Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is to find a controllable way of maintaining their potentially existential bitter rivalry without fighting what could be a devastating regional war. To do so, both men appear to be making the right noises against the backdrop of an evolving US policy that is forcing Saudi Arabia to rethink its almost decade-long, often reckless and assertive go-it-alone foreign and defence policy and Iran to seek ways to level the playing field. “The Anti-Iran Alliance is not just faltering, it’s crumbling. Bolton is gone; Bibi is going; MBZ has struck his deal with Iran; MBS is not far behind,” tweeted Council on Foreign Relations distinguished fellow and former US Middle East negotiator Martin S Indyk. Indyk was referring to former US national security advisor John Bolton and embattled Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu while identifying United Arab Emirates crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed and his Saudi counterpart and namesake, Prince Mohammed, by their initials. Signalling a change in tone, Saudi Arabia has gone quiet on its investigation into responsibility for last month's attacks on key Saudi oil facilities after earlier stopping just short of blaming Iran. Prince Mohammed has, meanwhile, welcomed potential face-to-face talks between US President Donald J Trump and Rouhani, saying “absolutely... This is what we all ask for.” Prince Mohammed’s remarks were tempered by Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir who spelled out the kingdom’s demands. Without clarifying whether these were a pre-condition for talks or issues to be discussed, Al-Jubeir’s demands included “ending Iran’s involvement in the affairs of other countries; stopping support for terrorist organisations; abandoning the policy of destruction and sowing conflict; and freezing the plan to develop nuclear weapons and the ballistic-missile program.” In response, Iran insisted that Saudi Arabia freeze its multibillion-dollar arms purchases from the United States, stop its intervention in Yemen and end discrimination against the Shiite Muslim minority in Saudi Arabia. The chances of the two countries accepting the other’s conditions are virtually nil. Nonetheless, Rouhani, with France, Iraq and Pakistan seeking to mediate, has kept the door open for talks with the United States which withdrew last year from the 2015 international agreement that curbs the Islamic republic's nuclear program and has since imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran. Addressing the Iranian cabinet this week, Rouhani termed a four-point plan put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron “acceptable.” The plan calls for the United States to lift sanctions on Iran and allow it to freely export its oil and collect revenue in return for an Iranian commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons and help ensure Gulf security. Macron’s proposal includes a $15 billion credit line that would enable Iran to export oil and would also restore the P5+1 framework of signatories of the nuclear accord, France, Britain, Russia, China, Germany and the US. Like with Al Jubeir’s demands, the question is what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Trump sees lifting of sanctions as the outcome of talks while Rouhani has insisted that sanctions be removed prior to negotiations. To step up the pressure, Iran has been gradually breaching the terms of the accord and increasing tensions that bring the region closer to the brink of war in a bid to position negotiations as the only alternative. Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh put the changing mood on public display at a Russian energy conference chaired by President Vladimir Putin when he described his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, a son of King Salman, the Saudi monarch, as “a friend.” “Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has been a friend for over 22 years,” Zanganeh said. The two men were later seen holding hands together with Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Mohammed Barkindo and speaking on the sidelines of the conference in the first such encounter since the attack on the oil facilities. The new mood could over time, against the backdrop of mounting Gulf doubts about the reliability of the United States’ regional defence umbrella, make a Chinese-backed Russian proposal for a multilateral security architecture more attractive. The Russian proposal is built on the notion that security in the Gulf would be better served by an architecture that downplays regional rivalries rather than accentuating them as part of the US umbrella that is rooted in the Saudi-Iranian divide and designed to protect the conservative Arab monarchies against the Islamic republic. The Russian approach theoretically could accommodate the survival strategies of both the Iranian regime and the Saudi ruling family. Upholding Iran’s revolutionary façade requires the existence of an imperialist foreign threat that also gives a lease on life to the vested economic interests of hardliners grouped around the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Saudi Arabia, figuring that it needs at least six years to develop its natural gas potential to the degree that it can compete with Iran, home to the world’s second-largest reserves, may want to see an Iranian regime that is weakened and possibly destabilised, but not on the verge of collapse. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Gulf straddles the edge of war and peace

After US President Donald Trump refuse to retaliate against Iran for the September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities, Riyadh has asked leaders of Pakistan and Iraq to speak with Iran regarding de-escalation of the situation.

In a report published on Saturday, the New York Times said that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) asked the leaders of Iraq and Pakistan to intervene.

Iran has welcomed the gesture, stating privately and publicly that it was open to talks with Saudi Arabia.

Both the US and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities and warned of retaliatory action.

The attack knocked out five per cent of global crude supply."Efforts at de-escalation must emanate from the party that began the escalation and launched attacks, not the kingdom," said Saudi's official in a statement.

But the NYT reported that US President Donald Trump's refusal to order a military response "raised questions for the Saudis about the American commitment to Saudi security, which has underpinned the strategic layout of the Persian Gulf for decades".

The report said that Iran has been trying to "wrest" the Saudis from the alliance of Tehran's archenemies, Israel and the United States.

NYT, while quoting the unnamed Iraqi and Pakistani officials, said that MBS told Pakistan`s Prime Minister Imran Khan that "I want to avoid war" and asked him to mediate. Khan visited Saudi Arabia from September 19 to 20.

When Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi visited Jeddah on September 25, the crown prince made a similar request.

The unnamed Iraqi official said that the government had suggested its capital Baghdad, as the venue for a potential meeting between Saudi and Iranian leaders.&nbsp;

After US President Donald Trump refuse to retaliate against Iran for the September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities, Riyadh has asked leaders of Pakistan and Iraq to speak with Iran regarding de-escalation of the situation.

After US President Donald Trump refuse to retaliate against Iran for the September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities, Riyadh has asked leaders of Pakistan and Iraq to speak with Iran regarding de-escalation of the situation. In a report published on Saturday, the New York Times said that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) asked the leaders of Iraq and Pakistan to intervene. Iran has welcomed the gesture, stating privately and publicly that it was open to talks with Saudi Arabia. Both the US and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities and warned of retaliatory action. The attack knocked out five per cent of global crude supply."Efforts at de-escalation must emanate from the party that began the escalation and launched attacks, not the kingdom," said Saudi's official in a statement. But the NYT reported that US President Donald Trump's refusal to order a military response "raised questions for the Saudis about the American commitment to Saudi security, which has underpinned the strategic layout of the Persian Gulf for decades". The report said that Iran has been trying to "wrest" the Saudis from the alliance of Tehran's archenemies, Israel and the United States. NYT, while quoting the unnamed Iraqi and Pakistani officials, said that MBS told Pakistan`s Prime Minister Imran Khan that "I want to avoid war" and asked him to mediate. Khan visited Saudi Arabia from September 19 to 20. When Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi visited Jeddah on September 25, the crown prince made a similar request. The unnamed Iraqi official said that the government had suggested its capital Baghdad, as the venue for a potential meeting between Saudi and Iranian leaders.

Saudi asks Iraq, Pakistan to speak to Iran about defusing tensions

An Australian travel-blogging couple held in Iran on spying charges have been freed and returned home, authorities said Saturday, in a possible swap for an Iranian student&nbsp;wanted in the US.

Perth-based Jolie King and Mark Firkin had been documenting their journey from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/australian-pm-to-visit-india-in-january-calls-india-a-natural-partner-253636">Australia</a> to Britain on social media for the past two years but went silent after posting updates from Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan about three months ago.

The pair, who have tens of thousands of followers on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, were alleged to have used a drone to take pictures of "military sites and forbidden areas", an Iranian judiciary spokesman said last month.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said they were released after "very sensitive negotiations" and had been reunited with their family in Australia.

"We are extremely happy and relieved&nbsp;to be safely back in Australia with those we love," the couple said in a statement issued by the foreign ministry in Canberra.

"While the past few months have been very difficult, we know it has also been tough for those back home who have been worried for us", they added.

Hours later, state media in Tehran said an Iranian student held in Australia for 13 months on accusations of circumventing US sanctions on military equipment had also been released and returned home.

Australia's attorney general Christian Porter confirmed in a statement that he had stopped&nbsp;the extradition of Reza Dehbashi to the United States.

But he dismissed "speculation" over the case, amid media reports including in the Sydney Morning Herald that it could be part of a prisoner swap involving the bloggers.

Porter declined to comment further "particularly when any such response from me may diminish our government's capacity to deal with future matters of this type in Australia's best interests."

State media in Tehran said Dehbashi, a PhD student at the University of Queensland, had been detained on allegations of "attempting to purchase and transfer advanced American military radar equipment via Dubai to Iran".

It said Dehbashi had dismissed the charges as "a misunderstanding".

Emotional reunion

An Iranian state channel showed footage of what it said was Dehbashi arriving at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport and hugging a tearful woman apparently from his family.

The Australian couple sought privacy, however.

They said in their statement that intense media coverage "may not be helpful" in the negotiations for the release of a third Australian detained in Iran in an unrelated case.

Melbourne University Academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who specialises in Middle East politics with a focus on Gulf states, had been detained for "some months" before King and Firkin were arrested.

Her case also came to light last month. Moore-Gilbert is accused by Iranian authorities of "spying for another country".

Negotiations over the fate of the university lecturer are "very long term", Payne said.

"She has been detained for some considerable time and has faced the Iranian legal system and has been convicted and sentenced," the minister said.

"We don't accept the charges on which she was convicted and we would seek to have her returned to Australia," Payne added, declining to comment further on the case.

Payne has maintained the cases of those detained were not related to diplomatic tensions.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-urges-australia-to-release-tamil-family-253223">Australia</a> said in August that it would join a US-led naval coalition to escort commercial ships in the Gulf, after a spate of attacks blamed on Iran but that Tehran denied.

However, that announcement is believed to have come after the arrests.

Prisoner swap proposal

News of the release of the King and Firkin comes just weeks after an Iranian woman arrested in Australia and sentenced in the United States was returned home.

Negar Ghodskani was sentenced last month in Minneapolis to 27 months in prison for violating sanctions against Tehran, but was released following time served in custody in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-asked-australia-for-help-discrediting-russia-probe-252947">Australia and the United States</a>.

After her extradition to the US, she confessed to participation in a conspiracy to illegally export technology to Iran in breach of sanctions, according to the US Justice Department.

She was pregnant when she was arrested in 2017 in Australia where she was a legal resident. She gave birth while in Australian custody and her son was sent to Iran to live with his father.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in April floated a potential prisoner swap with a British-Iranian mother being held in Tehran.

He suggested exchanging Ghodskani for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, in jail in Tehran for alleged sedition.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe has also been separated from her daughter while in custody.

An Australian travel-blogging couple held in Iran on spying charges have been freed and returned home, authorities said Saturday, in a possible swap for an Iranian student wanted in the US.

An Australian travel-blogging couple held in Iran on spying charges have been freed and returned home, authorities said Saturday, in a possible swap for an Iranian student wanted in the US. Perth-based Jolie King and Mark Firkin had been documenting their journey from Australia to Britain on social media for the past two years but went silent after posting updates from Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan about three months ago. The pair, who have tens of thousands of followers on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, were alleged to have used a drone to take pictures of "military sites and forbidden areas", an Iranian judiciary spokesman said last month. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said they were released after "very sensitive negotiations" and had been reunited with their family in Australia. "We are extremely happy and relieved to be safely back in Australia with those we love," the couple said in a statement issued by the foreign ministry in Canberra. "While the past few months have been very difficult, we know it has also been tough for those back home who have been worried for us", they added. Hours later, state media in Tehran said an Iranian student held in Australia for 13 months on accusations of circumventing US sanctions on military equipment had also been released and returned home. Australia's attorney general Christian Porter confirmed in a statement that he had stopped the extradition of Reza Dehbashi to the United States. But he dismissed "speculation" over the case, amid media reports including in the Sydney Morning Herald that it could be part of a prisoner swap involving the bloggers. Porter declined to comment further "particularly when any such response from me may diminish our government's capacity to deal with future matters of this type in Australia's best interests." State media in Tehran said Dehbashi, a PhD student at the University of Queensland, had been detained on allegations of "attempting to purchase and transfer advanced American military radar equipment via Dubai to Iran". It said Dehbashi had dismissed the charges as "a misunderstanding". Emotional reunion An Iranian state channel showed footage of what it said was Dehbashi arriving at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport and hugging a tearful woman apparently from his family. The Australian couple sought privacy, however. They said in their statement that intense media coverage "may not be helpful" in the negotiations for the release of a third Australian detained in Iran in an unrelated case. Melbourne University Academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who specialises in Middle East politics with a focus on Gulf states, had been detained for "some months" before King and Firkin were arrested. Her case also came to light last month. Moore-Gilbert is accused by Iranian authorities of "spying for another country". Negotiations over the fate of the university lecturer are "very long term", Payne said. "She has been detained for some considerable time and has faced the Iranian legal system and has been convicted and sentenced," the minister said. "We don't accept the charges on which she was convicted and we would seek to have her returned to Australia," Payne added, declining to comment further on the case. Payne has maintained the cases of those detained were not related to diplomatic tensions. Australia said in August that it would join a US-led naval coalition to escort commercial ships in the Gulf, after a spate of attacks blamed on Iran but that Tehran denied. However, that announcement is believed to have come after the arrests. Prisoner swap proposal News of the release of the King and Firkin comes just weeks after an Iranian woman arrested in Australia and sentenced in the United States was returned home. Negar Ghodskani was sentenced last month in Minneapolis to 27 months in prison for violating sanctions against Tehran, but was released following time served in custody in Australia and the United States. After her extradition to the US, she confessed to participation in a conspiracy to illegally export technology to Iran in breach of sanctions, according to the US Justice Department. She was pregnant when she was arrested in 2017 in Australia where she was a legal resident. She gave birth while in Australian custody and her son was sent to Iran to live with his father. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in April floated a potential prisoner swap with a British-Iranian mother being held in Tehran. He suggested exchanging Ghodskani for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, in jail in Tehran for alleged sedition. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has also been separated from her daughter while in custody.

Australian bloggers return home after being held for spying charges in Iran

A senior Iranian official said on Thursday (October 3) that Tehran had foiled a plot by Israeli and Arab agencies to assassinate Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force. Watch this video to know more.

Iran says it foiled plot to kill Quds Gen. Qassim Soleimani

The U.N's nuclear watchdog said Friday Iran had taken "a step in the right direction" towards dealing with questions on its nuclear programme but cautioned that the issues have not been "completely addressed".

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did not detail what the questions related to but said it was "discussing substance" with the Iranians.

There has been "engagement" from Tehran in recent weeks on questions relating to its nuclear safeguards declarations to the agency, IAEA acting head Cornel Feruta told journalists in Vienna.

"(That) engagement doesn't mean that the issues are completely addressed but it's a step in the right direction," he added.

Feruta said the queries did not touch directly on the faltering 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers but rather on Iran's separate safeguards agreement with the agency.

Diplomatic sources in Vienna say the agency has been waiting for information from the Iranians relating to samples taken earlier this year from a warehouse near the capital Tehran.

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of using the site for undeclared nuclear activity.

At the beginning of September, Feruta had meetings with high-level officials in Tehran and subsequently urged Iran to "respond promptly" to the IAEA's questions, adding: "Time is of the essence."

On Friday, he said the IAEA had "been having a very active dialogue with Iran at both technical and higher levels in the past few weeks."

Feruta met Iran's atomic energy agency chief Ali Akbar Salehi during the IAEA's General Conference in Vienna in late September, followed by meetings with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his deputy Abbas Araghchi during the UN General Assembly in New York.

"I think the message we sent out in September and also during my visit to Tehran was understood by the Iranian officials and as a result, we have this engagement on these particular issues," Feruta said.

The latest developments come a week after the IAEA reported that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-uses-advanced-centrifuges-in-new-nuclear-deal-breach-iaea-252257">Iran had started using advanced models of centrifuges</a> to enrich uranium, a fresh breach of the 2015 deal.

Iran has been progressively abandoning commitments under the deal in response to the US withdrawal from the pact and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-demands-united-states-pay-more-for-a-wider-deal-252151">re-imposition of sanctions.</a>

The U.N's nuclear watchdog said Friday Iran had taken "a step in the right direction" towards dealing with questions on its nuclear programme but cautioned that the issues have not been "completely addressed".

The U.N's nuclear watchdog said Friday Iran had taken "a step in the right direction" towards dealing with questions on its nuclear programme but cautioned that the issues have not been "completely addressed". The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did not detail what the questions related to but said it was "discussing substance" with the Iranians. There has been "engagement" from Tehran in recent weeks on questions relating to its nuclear safeguards declarations to the agency, IAEA acting head Cornel Feruta told journalists in Vienna. "(That) engagement doesn't mean that the issues are completely addressed but it's a step in the right direction," he added. Feruta said the queries did not touch directly on the faltering 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers but rather on Iran's separate safeguards agreement with the agency. Diplomatic sources in Vienna say the agency has been waiting for information from the Iranians relating to samples taken earlier this year from a warehouse near the capital Tehran. In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of using the site for undeclared nuclear activity. At the beginning of September, Feruta had meetings with high-level officials in Tehran and subsequently urged Iran to "respond promptly" to the IAEA's questions, adding: "Time is of the essence." On Friday, he said the IAEA had "been having a very active dialogue with Iran at both technical and higher levels in the past few weeks." Feruta met Iran's atomic energy agency chief Ali Akbar Salehi during the IAEA's General Conference in Vienna in late September, followed by meetings with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his deputy Abbas Araghchi during the UN General Assembly in New York. "I think the message we sent out in September and also during my visit to Tehran was understood by the Iranian officials and as a result, we have this engagement on these particular issues," Feruta said. The latest developments come a week after the IAEA reported that Iran had started using advanced models of centrifuges to enrich uranium, a fresh breach of the 2015 deal. Iran has been progressively abandoning commitments under the deal in response to the US withdrawal from the pact and re-imposition of sanctions.

U.N. nuclear watchdog says Iran taking 'step in right direction'

A senior Iranian official of Iran's intelligence agency has claimed that Tehran has foiled a plot to assassinate Major General Qassem Soleimani, a senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Hossein Taeb — the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence unit — said that the unit thwarted a ploy to assassinate the major general.

The blame has been put on old foes — the Israelis and Arabs.

According to Hossein Taeb, a team of terrorist-recruits were to enter Iran and execute the plan for a bomb attack targeting Soleimani.

Watch: Major General Qassem Soleimani agrees to 1st TV interview in 20 years

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/major-general-qassem-soleimani-agrees-to-1st-tv-interview-in-20-years-253492/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The plotters were to buy property adjacent to the grave of Soleimani's father in the south-eastern province of Kerman and rig it with three-hundred-and-50 to five-hundred kilograms of explosives.

They would then blow it up during the major general's religious visit between September 8 and 9.&nbsp;

Hossein Taeb said that the plotters were under watch for some time.

Three members of the team have since been arrested.

He pointed out that the arrested confessed of their intention to do something big and that the plot had been years in the planning..

Hossein Taeb alleged that the Hebrew-Arab intelligence services wanted to ignite a religious conflict and portray the assassination as domestic revenge.

Major general Qassem Soleimani is a globally famous defence strategist and is currently the commander of the &nbsp;Quds Force unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

He is credited with heading the counter-terrorism operations that led to the collapse of the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria.

A senior Iranian official of Iran's intelligence agency has claimed that Tehran has foiled a plot to assassinate Major General Qassem Soleimani, a senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

A senior Iranian official of Iran's intelligence agency has claimed that Tehran has foiled a plot to assassinate Major General Qassem Soleimani, a senior commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Hossein Taeb — the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence unit — said that the unit thwarted a ploy to assassinate the major general. The blame has been put on old foes — the Israelis and Arabs. According to Hossein Taeb, a team of terrorist-recruits were to enter Iran and execute the plan for a bomb attack targeting Soleimani. Watch: Major General Qassem Soleimani agrees to 1st TV interview in 20 years The plotters were to buy property adjacent to the grave of Soleimani's father in the south-eastern province of Kerman and rig it with three-hundred-and-50 to five-hundred kilograms of explosives. They would then blow it up during the major general's religious visit between September 8 and 9. Hossein Taeb said that the plotters were under watch for some time. Three members of the team have since been arrested. He pointed out that the arrested confessed of their intention to do something big and that the plot had been years in the planning.. Hossein Taeb alleged that the Hebrew-Arab intelligence services wanted to ignite a religious conflict and portray the assassination as domestic revenge. Major general Qassem Soleimani is a globally famous defence strategist and is currently the commander of the Quds Force unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He is credited with heading the counter-terrorism operations that led to the collapse of the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria.

Iran says it foiled 'plot' to kill Quds Force chief Qassem Suleimani

Fears of a potential military conflict with Iran may have opened the door to a Saudi-Iranian dialogue against the backdrop of a rethink of US military logistics, involving at least a gradual partial relocation to the United States of command and control operations based in the Gulf for almost four decades.

The relocation does not necessarily signal a reduced US commitment to the defence of the strategic energy-rich region even if it comes amid Gulf suspicions that the United States is gradually withdrawing from the Middle East.

Nonetheless, the move, officially intended to reduce the vulnerability of US military assets to a potential Iranian strike without decreasing the United States’ operational capability, is bolstering a rethink in capitals across Eurasia, including Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh about possible alternative, more collective and multilateral security arrangements in the Gulf.

The arrangements would involve the Gulf states, Russia, China, the US, the European Union and India as well as other stakeholders, a likely reference to Iran. By necessity, it would require a lowering of tension in the region and a degree of accommodation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi urged Gulf states “To establish a platform for dialogue and consultation” in which countries from outside the region would play a role in maintaining security in the region."

Wang was speaking days after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposed a security arrangement that would be limited to countries in the region.

In a variation on the theme, Narayanappa Janardhan, a prominent Indian Gulf researcher at the United Arab Emirates’ Emirates Diplomatic Academy, suggested that a new regional security architecture should be Asian-led.

US President Donald J Trump’s transactional approach towards foreign and defence policies in which countries are expected to shoulder their fair burden and pay for US defense services coupled with the president’s long-standing assertion that China and others dependent on energy supplies from the Gulf are free-riding beneficiaries of the US defence umbrella and his withdrawal early in his presidency from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional trade pact, has sparked doubts across Asia about the wisdom of depending on the United States for energy security.

In a sense, the Gulf states and Asian nations are in a bind. The United States may no longer be reliable but despite the various calls for a new security arrangement few realistically see an alternative.

“Having just spent three days in Moscow, I’m convinced the Russians haven’t the faintest clue how to operate any architecture in the Gulf...let alone a security architecture,” tweeted Gulf scholar Michael Stephens.

Concern that military retaliation for last month’s attacks on two key Saudi oil facilities would spark a regional war has sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity and a search for non-military responses as the United States and Saudi Arabia point the finger of responsibility at Iran.

Iran has warned that military retaliation by the United States or the Kingdom would spark a war that would spread to the Gulf, including Iranian targeting of installations in the region.

Trump’s cautious reaction to the attacks coupled with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s stated preference for a non-military response constitutes the latest developments in recent months that have opened the door to the Chinese-backed Russian proposal for a collective security arrangement that would reduce US influence in the region.

Saudi and Iranian leaders, in a gleam of hope that the two countries may be inching towards one another, expressed an interest in resolving issues politically rather than militarily.

“The political and peaceful solution is much better than the military one,” Prince Mohammed told CBS News when asked about a possible military response to the attacks on the kingdom’s oil assets.

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani responded saying: "The doors of Iran are open. A Saudi-Iranian dialogue can solve many of the region's security and political problems."

In a further hopeful development, Saudi Arabia was reported to be considering a partial ceasefire in Yemen. Earlier, the Houthis declared a unilateral halt to the fighting. Larijani said Iran was advising the Houthis to accept whatever ceasefire was on offer.

At the same time, Iraq suggested that it had established a backchannel between Riyadh and Tehran.

"The Saudis have conditions before the negotiations process starts and the same with Iranians. We have liaised these conditions to each side. It is not an easy task to get together two opposite sides in terms of their ideology, sect and their alliances in the region," said Abbas al-Hasnawi, an official in the office of Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

"Saudi Arabia’s conditions are that Iran minimises its role in Yemen and Syria and stop supporting armed groups such as the Houthis. It also asks the Syrian regime to solve its problems with the Syrian opposition groups, and to write a constitution for Syria with all parties agreeing on it," the official said.

&nbsp;"If there will be a potential deal in the region that includes Yemen, Syria and Iraq, the Americans have no problem with that," Hasnawi added.

While there is every reason to be sceptical despite the noise that Saudi Arabia and Iran are anywhere near resolving their differences, talk of dialogue and calls for a Yemen ceasefire suggest that Iran’s strategy of strategic escalation may be producing results.

Iran moved earlier this year away from its initial strategic patience response to the US withdrawal from the 2015 international agreement curbing the Islamic republic’s nuclear program to a strategy of gradual escalation.

Escalation tactics include a step-by-step breaching of the agreement and a more aggressive asymmetric military posture involving the seizing of a British vessel that was released last week, alleged attacks on tankers off the coast of the UAE, and allegedly the attacks on the Saudi oil facilities.

 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Fears of a potential military conflict with Iran may have opened the door to a Saudi-Iranian dialogue against the backdrop of a rethink of US military logistics, involving at least a gradual partial relocation to the United States of command and control operations based in the Gulf for almost four decades.

Fears of a potential military conflict with Iran may have opened the door to a Saudi-Iranian dialogue against the backdrop of a rethink of US military logistics, involving at least a gradual partial relocation to the United States of command and control operations based in the Gulf for almost four decades. The relocation does not necessarily signal a reduced US commitment to the defence of the strategic energy-rich region even if it comes amid Gulf suspicions that the United States is gradually withdrawing from the Middle East. Nonetheless, the move, officially intended to reduce the vulnerability of US military assets to a potential Iranian strike without decreasing the United States’ operational capability, is bolstering a rethink in capitals across Eurasia, including Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh about possible alternative, more collective and multilateral security arrangements in the Gulf. The arrangements would involve the Gulf states, Russia, China, the US, the European Union and India as well as other stakeholders, a likely reference to Iran. By necessity, it would require a lowering of tension in the region and a degree of accommodation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi urged Gulf states “To establish a platform for dialogue and consultation” in which countries from outside the region would play a role in maintaining security in the region." Wang was speaking days after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposed a security arrangement that would be limited to countries in the region. In a variation on the theme, Narayanappa Janardhan, a prominent Indian Gulf researcher at the United Arab Emirates’ Emirates Diplomatic Academy, suggested that a new regional security architecture should be Asian-led. US President Donald J Trump’s transactional approach towards foreign and defence policies in which countries are expected to shoulder their fair burden and pay for US defense services coupled with the president’s long-standing assertion that China and others dependent on energy supplies from the Gulf are free-riding beneficiaries of the US defence umbrella and his withdrawal early in his presidency from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional trade pact, has sparked doubts across Asia about the wisdom of depending on the United States for energy security. In a sense, the Gulf states and Asian nations are in a bind. The United States may no longer be reliable but despite the various calls for a new security arrangement few realistically see an alternative. “Having just spent three days in Moscow, I’m convinced the Russians haven’t the faintest clue how to operate any architecture in the Gulf...let alone a security architecture,” tweeted Gulf scholar Michael Stephens. Concern that military retaliation for last month’s attacks on two key Saudi oil facilities would spark a regional war has sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity and a search for non-military responses as the United States and Saudi Arabia point the finger of responsibility at Iran. Iran has warned that military retaliation by the United States or the Kingdom would spark a war that would spread to the Gulf, including Iranian targeting of installations in the region. Trump’s cautious reaction to the attacks coupled with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s stated preference for a non-military response constitutes the latest developments in recent months that have opened the door to the Chinese-backed Russian proposal for a collective security arrangement that would reduce US influence in the region. Saudi and Iranian leaders, in a gleam of hope that the two countries may be inching towards one another, expressed an interest in resolving issues politically rather than militarily. “The political and peaceful solution is much better than the military one,” Prince Mohammed told CBS News when asked about a possible military response to the attacks on the kingdom’s oil assets. Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani responded saying: "The doors of Iran are open. A Saudi-Iranian dialogue can solve many of the region's security and political problems." In a further hopeful development, Saudi Arabia was reported to be considering a partial ceasefire in Yemen. Earlier, the Houthis declared a unilateral halt to the fighting. Larijani said Iran was advising the Houthis to accept whatever ceasefire was on offer. At the same time, Iraq suggested that it had established a backchannel between Riyadh and Tehran. "The Saudis have conditions before the negotiations process starts and the same with Iranians. We have liaised these conditions to each side. It is not an easy task to get together two opposite sides in terms of their ideology, sect and their alliances in the region," said Abbas al-Hasnawi, an official in the office of Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. "Saudi Arabia’s conditions are that Iran minimises its role in Yemen and Syria and stop supporting armed groups such as the Houthis. It also asks the Syrian regime to solve its problems with the Syrian opposition groups, and to write a constitution for Syria with all parties agreeing on it," the official said. "If there will be a potential deal in the region that includes Yemen, Syria and Iraq, the Americans have no problem with that," Hasnawi added. While there is every reason to be sceptical despite the noise that Saudi Arabia and Iran are anywhere near resolving their differences, talk of dialogue and calls for a Yemen ceasefire suggest that Iran’s strategy of strategic escalation may be producing results. Iran moved earlier this year away from its initial strategic patience response to the US withdrawal from the 2015 international agreement curbing the Islamic republic’s nuclear program to a strategy of gradual escalation. Escalation tactics include a step-by-step breaching of the agreement and a more aggressive asymmetric military posture involving the seizing of a British vessel that was released last week, alleged attacks on tankers off the coast of the UAE, and allegedly the attacks on the Saudi oil facilities. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Can Saudi Arabia and Iran get along?

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