LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 28/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus sighed and said to the deaf man, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 07/31-37:”Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 27-28/2020
Coronavirus: Lebanon death toll rises to 7, total of 391 infections
Lebanese Ministery Of Public Health (MoPH): 391 confirmed cases, one death
RHUH: 72 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases, one death
Patient with coronavirus escapes hospital in Bouar
Health Minister, Palestinian delegation discuss anti-coronavirus measures in refugee camps
Lebanon extends country lockdown until April 12
Diab meets World Bank Regional Director, Kubis
Saad Hariri: Amnesty should include Islamist prisoners
Wazni meets World Bank Regional Director
Information Minister thanks Lebanese media for relentless efforts raising awareness on COVID-19
Education Ministry refutes news about early end of scholastic year or cancellation of official exams
Foucher urges French nationals to respect Lebanese government's actions to combat coronavirus
Berri calls for extraordinary session to reconsider expatriates’ rightful return to Lebanon
Diab inspects Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH): Lebanese must remain united and in solidarity regardless of sectarian or political affiliations
World Council of Churches calls for solidarity amid COVID-19 spread
Beirut Airport to Remain Closed until April 12 as Algeria Expands Curfew
Lebanese Drivers Stranded on Iraqi-Turkish Borders For 40 Days
Lebanese Order of Physicians on Coronavirus: Don’t Hide It
Don’t fall for Hezbollah’s coronavirus conظTony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer/Washington Examinar/March 27/ 2020
Lebanon: Pandemic on Regime's Side Against the Uprising/Hussam Itani/Asharq Al Awsat/March 27/2020
Lebanese volunteers launch heroic effort to help health workers battle coronavirus/Nicholas Frakes/The New Arab/March 27/2020
Pope’s Urbi et Orbi Blessing in Light of Coronavirus: ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’/Zenit/March 27/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 27-28/2020
USA Treasury Designates Vast Network of IRGC-QF Officials and Front Companies in Iraq, Iran/U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
U.S. Adds to Sanctions Against Iran/Ian Talley/The Wall Street Journal/March 27/202
Coronavirus: Iran death toll rises to 2,378
US has more known cases of coronavirus than any other country
British PM Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus
UK Health Minister Hancock tests positive for coronavirus, after PM Boris Johnson found infected
Trump phones Netanyahu to congratulate him that he’ll form, head next government
Israel Demolishes Houses in West Bank, Arrests 9 Palestinians in Jerusalem
'Manifestation of the wrath of God': Jihadists see coronavirus as call to duty
False Belief That Methanol Fights Coronavirus Kills 300 Iranians
WHO Representative Warns of Virus Danger in War-Torn Countries
LNA Says Expels GNA Militias, Syrian Mercenaries from W. Libya Regions
Even Doctors Are Terrified by Coronavirus in Iraq
Negotiations With Taliban Hampered by Political Turmoil in Kabul
Magnitude 3.2 Earthquake Shakes Kuwait
France Says Four Kidnapped Aid Workers Released After 2 Months
Amnesty International’ Urges Algeria to Release Prisoners of Conscience

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 27-28/2020
IMF Should Reject Islamic Republic’s Loan Request/Richard Goldberg/Saeed Ghasseminejad/FDD/March 27/2020
Now is the time for the G20 to really show what it can do/Michael Stephens/Al Arabiya/March 27/2020
Iran campaign for sanctions relief seeks to cover up negligence over coronavirus/Jason Brodsky/Al Arabiya/March 27/2020
If Europe Won’t Snapback, End the Waiver for Arak/Richard Goldberg/FDD/March 27, 2020
Khamenei Securitizes the Pandemic as the IRGC Mulls Regional Action/Farzin Nadimi/The Washington Institute/March 27/2020
Coronavirus: The European Union Unravels/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/March 27/2020
Communicating in the Time of No Communication/Elias Harfoush/Asharq Al Awsat/March 27/2020
Uncertainty in a Bleak Moment/Amir Taheri//Asharq Al Awsat/March 27/2020
IMF approves changes to enable debt service relief for poorest countries/Nicky Harley/The International/March 27/2020
Question: “How, why, and when did Satan fall from heaven?”/GotQuestions.org
"What does it mean that the Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23)//GotQuestions.org
Iran using time of crisis to increase its regional meddling/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 27/2020
COVID-19 poses a huge challenge for Europe/Randa Takieddine/Arab News/March 27/2020
With US preoccupied and Europe weak, China begins to advance/Dr. John C. Hulsman/Arab News/March 27/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 27-28/2020
Coronavirus: Lebanon death toll rises to 7, total of 391 infections
Tamara Abueish, Al Arabiya English/Friday 27 March 2020
Lebanon reported its seventh coronavirus-related death in the country, as the total number of infections in the country rose to 391. The latest death is of an 80 year-old who suffered from chronic illnesses, the ministry said. The Ministry of Health reported 23 new cases of coronavirus on Friday. Lebanon announced that it will impose an overnight shutdown from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting from March 27, as the country steps up its measures to prevent the virus from spreading further. Violators will face legal action, the Internal Security Forces said on Friday. The health ministry urged citizens, residents, and tourists to adhere to the regulations published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to prevent getting infected with coronavirus.

Lebanese Ministery Of Public Health (MoPH): 391 confirmed cases, one death
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
The Ministry of Public Health issued its daily report on COVID-19, which states: "To date (March 27, 2020) the number of laboratory-confirmed cases at the Hariri University Hospital and other accredited university hospital laboratories, in addition to private laboratories, has reached 391, marking an increase of 23 cases since yesterday. A coronavirus patient in his eighties, suffering from chronic diseases, was pronounced dead at the Saint George University Hospital. The Ministry stresses the need to comply with all the preventive measures, especially the full commitment to home isolation, which has become an individual and societal moral responsibility that must be shouldered by every citizen. Non-compliance will lead to legal prosecution."

RHUH: 72 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases, one death
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
In its daily report on COVID-19 updates, the Rafik Hariri University Hospital indicated in a statement on Friday that the number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases had reached 72, 4 of which had been transferred to other hospitals. Also, 4 patients have fully recovered as they tested negative twice, taking the total number of recoveries to 27. The RHUH added that one death had been recorded in its intensive care unit.

Patient with coronavirus escapes hospital in Bouar
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
A Syrian diagnosed with coronavirus has escaped the Bouar Governmental Hospital where he was admitted for treatment, National News Agency correspondent reported on Friday. The fleeing patient had reportedly headed to his friends' place in Nahr Ibrahim, which police have cordoned off.

Health Minister, Palestinian delegation discuss anti-coronavirus measures in refugee camps
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, met Friday at his office in the ministry with a delegation of the Palestinian factions, chaired by Fathi Abu Ardat. Talks reportedly touched on the means to coordinate measures preventing the spread of coronavirus inside the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. "The protection of the Palestinian community is that of the Lebanese, and vice versa," the Minister said following the meeting.

Lebanon extends country lockdown until April 12
AFP/March 27/2020
DUBAI: Lebanon has extended nation lockdown to April 12 and the closure of institutions and supermarkets from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. with some exceptions due to the coronavirus outbreak, local press reported on Thursday. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lebanon has jumped to 368, an increase of 35 cases within 24 hours. There are also 360 ​​suspected cases and 944 quarantined people. Two deaths have been recorded for patients who suffered from chronic diseases, raising the number of COVID-19 deaths in Lebanon to six.

Diab meets World Bank Regional Director, Kubis
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab met this morning with the World Bank Regional Director of the Mashreq Department, Saroj Kumar Jha, in the presence of the Minister of Defense, Zeina Akar. Talks featured high on the support the WB is ready to offer to Lebanon to fight coronavirus.
PM Diab also received UN Special Coordinator to Lebanon, Jan Kubis, with whom he discussed latest developments and means to boost bilateral cooperation to better fight coronavirus. -- Presidency of the Council of Ministers

Saad Hariri: Amnesty should include Islamist prisoners
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that coronavirus is not a door for discrimination in judicial decisions, stressing the need for the amnesty law to include the Islamist prisoners.
He said on twitter: "It is a good thing for the amnesty to include those whose sentence ends in six months, but what is more important is the fate of hundreds of Islamist prisoners who are paying the price of the slowdown in trials or have been held under preventive detention for years."
He added: "In time of coronavirus, these should be pardoned first. We have previously rejected a proposal for a general amnesty law that unfairly deals with this case. Today there is an epidemic that has limitless risks on the lives of citizens, and a general amnesty has become an urgent demand that is more important than all narrow calculations, and political considerations are no longer acceptable." ----Hariri's Press Office

Wazni meets World Bank Regional Director

NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Finance Minister, Dr. Ghazi Wazni, me this Friday in his office at the Ministry with the World Bank Regional Director of the Mashreq Department, Saroj Kumar Jha.Talks reportedly touched on an array of matters, including the WB’s support to Lebanon in the fight against coronavirus.

Information Minister thanks Lebanese media for relentless efforts raising awareness on COVID-19
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Information Minister, Manal Abdel Samad, on Friday restored to twitter to thank the Lebanese media for their dauntless endeavors raising awareness on the novel Coronavirus. “I salute the efforts of tens of media soldiers who have devoted their time, in an act of solidarity, to spread awareness nationwide amid the prevailing tough circumstances, and to tell everyone: for your own sake, and for the sake of those you love, stay home and limit the spread of Coronavirus,” Abdel Samad tweeted.

Education Ministry refutes news about early end of scholastic year or cancellation of official exams

NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Education and Higher Education Ministry’s Press Office issued a statement this Friday, in which it stressed that all circulated news through media and social networks regarding the early end of the current scholastic year or the cancellation of official exams is “absolutely groundless.”
The statement called on citizens to solely rely on news officially issued either by the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Tarek Al-Majzoub or by his media office, pointing out that promoting rumors is penalized by law.

Foucher urges French nationals to respect Lebanese government's actions to combat coronavirus
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
French Ambassador, Bruno Foucher, called on the French community in Lebanon to "respect the measures taken by the Lebanese government to combat the outbreak of coronavirus, as it constitutes the only deterrent against the rapid spread of the virus, which may exceed the capabilities of the Lebanese health services.""The French community in Lebanon should be exemplary, and we French and Lebanese must stand side by side to [achieve] victory. From this standpoint, France was the first country to send to Lebanon medical equipment to combat coronavirus, and we will continue to stand with our Lebanese friends in the spirit of friendship that binds our two countries," he pledged. Foucher also called on French nationals to restrict their international travel as much as possible.

Berri calls for extraordinary session to reconsider expatriates’ rightful return to Lebanon

NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, called on the government to hold an "exceptional session at the soonest possible, in order to reconsider the issue of Lebanese expatriates who face the threat of a pandemic in their countries of residence all over the world, some of which lacking hospitals and the most basic health care services."Berri criticized the cabinet for acting contrary to all the countries of the world, with regard to the choice of repatriating its sons who live abroad. "All these countries are seeking after their citizens to bring them back to their countries. As for us in Lebanon, we have forgotten that these people were originally pushed by the neglect of the State towards leaving the country, and yet they still enriched it with their love, loyalty, and the fruit of their labor.""Was it not enough to try to waste, if not steal, their deposits through Capital Control? Is this an attempt to steal their nationalities?" he asked.

Diab inspects Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH): Lebanese must remain united and in solidarity regardless of sectarian or political affiliations
NNA/Friday 27 March 2020
Prime Minister Dr. Hassan Diab on Friday visited the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, where he thanked the Hospital's medical, nursing, and administrative staff for the relentless efforts and sacrifices they are offering to treat patients.
In his delivered word, Premier Diab said: "I wanted to visit the Rafik Hariri University Hospital to look into the center’s situation in light of the pressure it is facing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
I would first like to commend the terrific efforts of the hospital, and to thank the medical, nursing, and administrative staff, as well as the hospital director, Dr. Firas al Abyad, for the relentless efforts and sacrifices they are offering to treat patients.
And I have good news to relay: I have signed and submitted the letter received by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, from His Excellency the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Hamad Hassan, regarding the remaining balance of the salary and grades scale, amounting to a billion and fifty million Lebanese Pounds, in addition to the 950 million pounds that have been previously settled. Every employee of the hospital will be receiving their new salary by the end of this month. As such, the employees would have obtained their rights due by the Government.
As for professional grades and compensations thereof, which is considered a strictly administrative matter, I will ensure that hospital staff will be receiving just treatment in accessing their financial rights.
I would like to thank H.E the Minister of Public Health for the considerable efforts he is employing to equip hospitals in Lebanon, and ensuring constant monitoring of this epidemic’s spread in the country.
I am aware of the extent of the worry experienced by the Lebanese people. Truly, I deeply recognize and understand their concerns. Citizens are troubled by both the present and the future. They are concerned for their parents, children, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren.
Today, we are all faced with great challenges. And these challenges and risks do not merely target a single group, a single region, a single community, nor a single political group. This risk is facing all citizens of Lebanon. Consequently, we, the Lebanese, must remain united and in solidarity, regardless of our sectarian, political, or regional affiliations, regardless of any other consideration, as we are all confronted with the same danger. Coronavirus, much like the livelihood crisis, makes no distinctions among citizens. This is not the time to outbid nor to settle political scores.
The Ministry of Public Health, the medical and nursing personnel, hospital services, and the Red Cross are all at the service of every citizen with no exception. Therefore, the Lebanese people must, in their turn, overcome this challenging situation through unity and cooperation, through these qualities they have always proven to possess in moments of crises and when danger threatens their nation.
Today, we rely on this spirit of unity. Believe me, if we remain united, if we work hand in hand, victory can only follow.
I would like to grasp this opportunity to call on all Lebanese people to uphold this spirit of unity, to commit to the State and preserve it, as the State is the sole patron of unity. If the State collapses, God forbid, so will our stronghold. The State is a refuge to every one of us, and our trust in the State is a starting point to restoring our resilience in the face of health, financial, and political scourges affecting our country.
Based on the aforementioned, I call upon the Lebanese to commit to the measures adopted by the Government in view of protecting citizens against the spread of Coronavirus. The Government is employing great efforts to fulfil its responsibilities before the people, and will do everything in its power to comfort citizens and challenge the social consequences of this crisis. I am aware that expatriates wish to return to their country, as they have found that the measures taken by the Government are better than those adopted by the numerous countries in which they reside. We are glad that the Lebanese are expressing more trust in their home country. I know that families of expatriates are concerned. You are well aware that we have granted a four-day period to citizens wishing to return before having closed the airport. In fact, we are unable to make any exceptions before the conclusion of general mobilization period, for two reasons:
1-To protect those who wish to return. If one passenger on the plane returning to Lebanon is infected with Coronavirus, they could transmit it to numerous, if not all, passengers.
2-To curb the spread of the epidemic in the country, as a great number of infections was due to travelers who have transmitted it into the country.
The best that expatriates could do at the present time is to remain in place, in isolation, and under protection. This is for their own good.
In either case, we are looking into repatriation possibilities, and we will have a clearer idea before April 12.
God willing, we will overcome these difficult times with the least possible damage, in order to continue treating other chronic diseases suffered by Lebanon and the Lebanese.
I would like to assure our citizens that the Government is following all international developments to overcome this epidemic, and we will always be prepared to respond to any new development.
Given that this matter is the Government’s priority at this time, we have allocated approximately 60 million dollars to confront Coronavirus, to ensure the necessary equipment, material, medication, and apparatus relative to coronavirus, and to provide the necessary care to affected people in compliance with the established norms.
These are difficult times. We all wish to cooperate and rally around the State to regain the trust of the people in their country.
In fact, in lacking trust, we destroy the upholder of our immunity as a nation and as citizens. Allow me once more to thank the Minister of Public Health, and the administrative, medical, and nursing staff at the Rafic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut. May God bless your efforts." --Grand Serail Press Office

World Council of Churches calls for solidarity amid COVID-19 spread
Annahar/March 27/2020
The religious leaders also stressed on the necessity to give greater attention to the needs of the homeless, the incarcerated, the elderly and those already suffering from social isolation. BEIRUT: Representatives of Regional Ecumenical Organizations and the World Council of Churches shared called for solidarity amid the challenges that communities around the world are facing due to COVID-19. The religious leaders urged people to take precautions to avoid transmitting the virus. "It is important and urgent that we adapt our modes of worship and fellowship to the needs of this time of pandemic infection, in order to avoid the risk of becoming sources of viral transmission rather than means of grace. Our faith in the God of life compels us to protect life by doing all that we can to avoid transmitting this virus," they said in a statement. The religious leaders also stressed that restricted movement should not lead to spiritual isolation. "Physical distancing does not mean spiritual isolation. This is an opportune time for the churches all over the world to review their role in society by safely ministering to, providing for, and caring for the poor, the sick, the marginalized, and the aged –all those who are most at risk due to COVID-19," the statement said. The religious leaders also urged people to give greater attention to the needs of the homeless, the incarcerated, the elderly and those already suffering from social isolation. "We recognize the need for responsible leadership by the state, communities, and faith leaders alike. Governments at all levels must ensure access to correct and timely information, address the situations due to loss of livelihood and employment, especially to provide access to clean water and sanitizers and soap, to safe shelter, and to compassionate care for the most vulnerable, while aware that some of these remain challenges for many across the globe. This is also a time for profound reflection on the common good, good governance, and ethical values rooted in our traditions," the statement added.

Beirut Airport to Remain Closed until April 12 as Algeria Expands Curfew
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
Lebanon will keep Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport closed for both private and commercial passenger flights until Apr. 12, the transport ministry said on Friday, extending a shutdown that began this month due to the coronavirus outbreak. Lebanon has recorded 391 cases of the coronavirus and seven deaths. It registered 23 cases on Friday. The latest casualty was a man in his 80s who was suffering from a chronic illness, reported the National News Agency. The airport will remain open only for flights for the military, air ambulance service, cargo, diplomatic delegations, international organizations and oil and gas drilling workers. Lebanon also extended its national lockdown by two weeks to April 12 on Thursday and announced stricter measures, banning people from leaving their homes and shutting nearly all businesses. The country has already been hit by a crippling financial crisis, and health officials have warned that the healthcare system is ill-equipped to confront a surge in cases. In the Palestinian territories, the government announced Friday that seven virus cases were registered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Health ministry spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said five cases were reported in the village of Bidu and two in Bethlehem, bringing the total cases in the Palestinian territories to 73. The ministry reported one death and 17 recoveries. Officials said the Palestinian Authority is suffering from a shortage of coronavirus test kits. The PA declared on Sunday a 14-day curfew in the West Bank in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
Iraq orders military to Sadr City
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, in his capacity as commander of the armed forces, ordered on Friday the deployment of military troops to Baghdad’s Sadr City to enforce a curfew in the area. Iraq reported 382 virus cases, 36 deaths and 105 recoveries as the infection spread throughout the country, including the Kurdistan region. The military has locked down areas where the virus has been detected and dispatched additional troops to the Najaf province to enforce the curfew. The cabinet extended on Thursday the lockdown until April 11, as religious figures appealed to the public to stay home.
Algeria expands curfew
Algeria, meanwhile, announced it will impose a night curfew in nine more provinces to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the prime minister's office said on Friday. Earlier this week the government imposed a night curfew in the capital and a full lockdown in the neighboring province of Blida.
The country has so far reported 367 cases of the illness, with 25 deaths. Most cases have been in Blida, south of Algiers. The curfew extension, to be enforced from 7 pm to 7 am will include central, eastern and western provinces where coronavirus cases have been rising. There have been no reported effects on the country's oil and gas production.

Lebanese Drivers Stranded on Iraqi-Turkish Borders For 40 Days
Beirut - Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
Maher Ayyash, one of the fifty Lebanese drivers stuck at the Khabour crossing on the Iraqi-Turkish border, bitterly recounts the difficult conditions they've been living under for 40 days now after the Turkish authorities closed the border as part of measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. “Many drivers are lacking sufficient money to buy food and water, after spending all that they had in the past weeks. Restrictions imposed by banks have made it difficult and often impossible for their families in Lebanon to send them money,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. Ayyash noted that drivers from other nationalities, including Greeks, and Bulgarians were stranded along with the Lebanese on the border. “But their countries’ embassies quickly interfered with Ankara, which allowed them to return to their country, unlike what is happening with us,” he explained. “Although we reached out to the Lebanese embassies in Ankara and Baghdad, and contacted a large number of Lebanese officials, our crisis has not yet come to an end,” Ayyash stressed. The head of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, MP Taymor Jumblatt, intervened to help the stranded drivers. He contacted the Turkish ambassador to Lebanon, who explained that the entry ban was linked to measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, promising to make all efforts to find a solution to this issue. Saleh Hadifa, Information Officer at the PSP, said that the Turkish ambassador to Lebanon proposed a way out, saying that Turkish drivers could drive Lebanese trucks to Mersin port, to be transported onboard a ferry to Lebanon, provided that the Lebanese drivers return to Iraq until the crisis ends. However, this proposal does not seem to be a satisfactory solution for truck owners. Muhammad Breidi. The owner of nine trucks told Asharq Al-Awsat that the return of the Lebanese drivers to Iraq was costly, given that it would require that they stay in hotels for an unlimited period. “We are not able to incur any additional costs,” he emphasized.

Lebanese Order of Physicians on Coronavirus: Don’t Hide It

Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
The head of Lebanon’s Order of Physicians, Charaf Abou Charaf, has called on the Lebanese to come forward if they have any doubts of being infected with the coronavirus even during their quarantine at home. “Everyone is responsible,” he said Thursday, adding “it’s not a shame to test positive.”“We should all cooperate to rescue ourselves, our surroundings and our country,” he stated. Abou Charaf revealed of several cases at hospitals after patients hid their symptoms of the COVID-19 disease. He said such behavior has caused great harm to Red Cross volunteers, nurses and hospital employees, who were forced to self-isolate for 14 days. On Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health indicated in its daily report on the coronavirus, that there were 35 new lab-confirmed cases, taking Lebanon's tally to 368. “Until 26/3/2020, the number of laboratory-confirmed cases at the Rafic Hariri University Hospital, the accredited university hospital labs and private laboratories, there were 368, with an increase of 35 cases compared to the day before," the MoPH reported. The Rafic Hariri University Hospital said Thursday that the total number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in patients isolated in the hospital has reached 72, including six patients transferred from other hospitals. Three new patients have fully recovered. Their PCR tests came negative twice, and all their symptoms have gone, it said. Meanwhile, the General Directorate of General Security announced it "is conducting patrols across Lebanon to ensure the compliance of citizens and residents with the general mobilization measures aimed to limit the spread of the coronavirus."

Don’t fall for Hezbollah’s coronavirus con
Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer/Washington Examinar/March 27/ 2020
ملخص دراسة لطوني بدران وجوناثان شانزر نشرتها أمس واشنطن اكسامينار/عنوان الدراسة: نحذر الجميع من مغبة الوقوع في خداع حزب الله تحت ذرائع مساعدة لبنان في مواجهة فيرس الكورونا

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/84609/tony-badran-and-jonathan-schanzer-washington-examinar-dont-fall-for-hezbollahs-coronavirus-con-%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d9%84%d8%b7%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%88/
تلخيص الياس بجاني بتصرف وحرية كاملين/27 آذار/2020
نحذر الجميع من مغبة الوقوع في خداع حزب الله تحت ذرائع مساعدة لبنان في مواجهة فيرس الكورونا فالحزب يحتل البلد ويهيمن على كل شيء فيه بالقوة والفرض وذلك خدمة للمشروع الإيراني.
دراسة معمة وعلمية وشاملة تبين تفشي حزب الله السرطاني في كل مؤسسات الدولة وتحكمه فيها والسيطرة عليها واستغلالها خدمة للمشروع الإيراني الإرهابي والتوسعي.
كما يبين بالوقائع والإثباتات تسلل الحزب الإرهابي إلى القطاع المصرفي ونخره من الداخل واستغلاله مما أدى بالخزانة الأميركية إلى وضع بنكين من البنوك اللبنانية على قوائم العقوبات والحظر مما تسبب بإقفالهما على خلفية تبيضهما الأموال لمصلحة حزب الله.
الدراسة تحذر الدول والصناديق الدولية المالية من أخطار الوقوع في خداع حزب الله المتذرع بمعالجة ومواجهة مرض فيروس كورونا لأن أي مساعدة مالية للبنان دون قيود وشروط وإشراف ومتابعة وإصلاحات وفقط عن طريق البنك الولي وصندوق النقد الولي ستكون وسيلة لبقاء وترسيخ احتلال الحزب وهيمنته على لبنان وعلى حكمه ومقدراته، وأيضاً لإنعاش الطبقة السياسة النتنة والفاسدة التي تغطي احتلال الحزب وهو بدوره يحميها ويحافظ على بقائها في السلطة.
كما تحمل الدراسة حزب الله وإيران مسؤولية إدخال فيروس الكورونا إلى لبنان عن طريق طائرة إيرانية كان على متنها اناس مصابون بالمرض.
وتشير الدراسة إلى عجز إيران عن مساعدة حزب الله مالياً كما كان الحال سابقا بسبب الأزمة المالية الخانقة التي تواجهها مما دفع حكامها الملالي ولأول مرة لطلب المساعدة من صندوق النقد الدولي في حين حزب الله يمنع هذا الصندوق من مساعدة لبنان وانتشاله من أزمته المالية لأنه أن فعل فسوف ينكشف أمره وتنفضح كل أعماله اللاشرعية التي تشمل السرقات والنهب وتهريب وتبيض أموال وتزويرها وغيرها الكثير.
Don’t fall for Hezbollah’s coronavirus con
Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer/Washington Examinar/March 27/ 2020
*The Lebanese system is built on graft. Its political class is corrupt beyond redemption. And at the center of it all is the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.
* Decades of corruption and mismanagement saddled Lebanon with insurmountable debt
* if Lebanon opens the books, the IMF would see how Hezbollah’s illicit finance has infected the entire economy.
*The Jammal Trust Bank in Lebanon that was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury last year “facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions through the Lebanese financial system” on behalf of a Hezbollah company
*With no one willing to foot the bill, organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank are among the few options left. But the genuine reform they require would undermine the very system on which Hezbollah and its partners depend
*Iran and Hezbollah are directly responsible for the spread of the virus. The Lebanese government has allowed flights from Iran to Beirut International Airport, even after the virus began to spread like wildfire in Iran, thereby increasing Lebanon’s exposure to COVID-19
***
Lebanon announced this month it was defaulting on all of its outstanding debt payments for the year, including $1.2 billion in eurobonds due in March. There are another $3.4 billion worth of eurobonds coming due after that. Those, too, will go unpaid.
It’s a burgeoning crisis that deserves attention — but it does not warrant the blind bailout that Beirut is trying to secure.
The defaults come as no surprise. The foreign currency reserves of Lebanon’s central bank are running on fumes. Beirut must now negotiate with bondholders to restructure its debt. Desperate for cash, the government seeks billions of dollars in assistance and handouts from international donors, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.
The suffering of the Lebanese people will be featured in the headlines in the coming weeks, particularly as COVID-19 continues to claim victims across the Middle East. The people of Lebanon should get the medical support they need and request. But the Lebanese government should not be granted a lifeline. Nor should any future government, without an overhaul of the existing system. The Lebanese system is built on graft. Its political class is corrupt beyond redemption. And at the center of it all is the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.
There are those who question, even challenge, this assessment. Their arguments are reminiscent of the gaggle of analysts who have advocated for the Islamic Republic of Iran since the ill-conceived interim nuclear deal of 2013. They assert that with Western funding and encouragement, “moderates” can challenge and ultimately overcome “hardliners.” It didn’t work then for Iran, and it won’t work now for Lebanon.
The facts speak for themselves. Since October, Lebanese people from all sects and regions have taken to the streets to denounce the entire political class. As a crippling financial and economic crisis deepened, banks restricted people’s access to their own cash. Citizens can withdraw only meager sums, as little as $100 weekly. The lira, Lebanon’s currency, is pegged to the dollar and is steadily losing its value.
It was all foreseeable. Decades of corruption and mismanagement saddled Lebanon with insurmountable debt. It happened in slow motion, as the international community refrained from pushing for structural reform and instead indulged the corrupt politicians, who they believed were partners against Hezbollah. In fact, they were Hezbollah’s junior partners.
In February, the government, formed by Hezbollah and its allies, asked the IMF for technical assistance. Lebanon’s finance minister has announced a need to restructure the Lebanese banking sector, which holds a sizable chunk of the debt. Following the default, the capital of many private banks could be wiped out.Yet the government so far has rejected the IMF’s conditions for assistance. This obstinacy stems mainly (though not only) from Hezbollah. As Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, put it, the group is not opposed to IMF assistance “in principle.” However, “Lebanon must not fall under anybody’s trusteeship or hand over its financial and economic administration” to outside parties. To put it another way, if Lebanon opens the books, the IMF would see how Hezbollah’s illicit finance has infected the entire economy.
The Lebanese are fond of emphasizing the importance of foreign workers who send cash home from the diaspora. But it’s Hezbollah’s illicit finance that accounts for a significant source of foreign currency for the Lebanese economy. The Jammal Trust Bank in Lebanon that was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury last year “facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions through the Lebanese financial system” on behalf of a Hezbollah company. And this is not new. The now-defunct Lebanese Canadian Bank was at one point laundering as much as $200 million a month in narcotics proceeds. That bank was sanctioned in 2011 — the year Lebanon’s slide began, setting the stage for its current implosion.
Since then, U.S. sanctions have increasingly constrained Hezbollah’s ability to launder money through Lebanon’s banks, leading to a precipitous drop in the flow of foreign currency. The terrorist group initially tried to keep a lid on the crisis by pumping dollars from its reserves into the market while doing its best to continue paying employees across all of its operations, military or otherwise.
Yet the economic crisis is taking its toll. COVID-19 is exacerbating it. As is the case around the world, people are losing their livelihoods. To top it off, strict capital controls are denying Lebanese access to their savings.
Hezbollah’s prominence in Lebanon’s economy and politics has also led to a complete halt of cash injections from Lebanon’s longtime patron, Saudi Arabia. After years of throwing good money after bad, the Saudis could simply not justify keeping Lebanon solvent when it had so clearly become an Iranian satrapy. Senior Saudi officials say this decision will not be reversed any time soon, even as Lebanon’s economy craters.
Other patrons are also unable to step up. Iran, struggling under crippling U.S. sanctions and now a coronavirus crisis, continues its support to the group, but cannot fill the void. Nor can the French, who have expressed some willingness to help but lack the means.
With no one willing to foot the bill, organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank are among the few options left. But the genuine reform they require would undermine the very system on which Hezbollah and its partners depend — a fact evident in the Lebanese demand that any IMF program “not negatively affect the political situation in Lebanon.”
Beyond increased taxes, any worthwhile reforms would include downsizing the bloated public sector, which Hezbollah and the other sectarian barons use for patronage. The same would apply to other nontransparent tools of patronage, including the various “councils” and “funds” (e.g., the Council for the South, the Council for Development and Reconstruction, the Higher Relief Council, and the Fund for the Displaced) that the chiefs use to dole out services and shady contracts (often financed by international grants) and to enrich themselves and their partners. This is to say nothing about public utilities and ports of entry, such as the Beirut International Airport, and the Beirut seaport, where Hezbollah smuggles in whatever it pleases.
In other words, real, structural reform would undercut the instruments through which the political elite, in partnership with Hezbollah, maintain power. More to the point, it would require Hezbollah and the political elite to commit political and financial suicide.
As the crisis worsens, Lebanon’s bankers and ruling elite will be pleading for a bailout. They hope to put to the world a binary choice: saving their system or ignoring the suffering of some 6 million people. They will almost certainly cite the coronavirus as a precipitating factor, following Iran’s example.
The Iranian regime, for its part, has launched a loud public campaign to extract cash from the IMF and gain sanctions relief from the international community under the pretext of combating the coronavirus. Of course, these activists tend to ignore the fact that the current sanctions already offer an exception for humanitarian goods, granting Iran continued access to medicine and medical equipment. In fact, Iran’s imports of pharmaceuticals in the first half of 2019 increased compared to the year prior.
The Iranian people are undoubtedly suffering from the effects of COVID-19. But the regime is only interested in getting its hands on cash. This is why the regime rejected American offers to provide medical aid to the Iranian people. In addition, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has noted, regime officials have already stolen more than $1 billion the Europeans intended for medical supplies and “continue to hoard desperately needed masks, gloves, and equipment for sale on the black market.”
In Lebanon’s case, Iran and Hezbollah are directly responsible for the spread of the virus. The Lebanese government has allowed flights from Iran to Beirut International Airport, even after the virus began to spread like wildfire in Iran, thereby increasing Lebanon’s exposure to COVID-19. In addition to personnel, these flights from coronavirus-afflicted Iran carry arms shipments. These are deadly precision weapons that neighboring Israel is now openly threatening to destroy. And a war with Israel would be far worse than anything the country is now enduring.
Lebanon’s crisis, once again, is of its own doing.
Offering Lebanon help with COVID-19 testing kits and other medical gear is one thing. But a bailout without structural reform will mean perpetuating Lebanon’s corrupt system, on which Hezbollah’s criminal enterprise depends. Underwriting pro-Iranian political orders is not in the U.S. interest. This is as true during a public health crisis as when there is none. Washington’s priority must be to maintain maximum pressure on Iran and its regional allies from Tehran to Beirut.
*Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
*Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is senior vice president for research.

Lebanon: Pandemic on Regime's Side Against the Uprising
Hussam Itani/Asharq Al Awsat/March 27/2020
The coronavirus pandemic has already exacerbated the suffering of the Lebanese people. Fear of the spread of the virus forced private and public institutions to stop working and interrupted the academic year. It has also deepened the economic crisis which has made life extremely difficult for millions of citizens and refugees in Lebanon. However, there is more to the infection's effect politically, as it helps the dying regime get a better grip over the public life, which has become restricted for the majority of the Lebanese and obstructs demanding reforms.
The economic and political paralysis, from which the country has been suffering for many months, was added to the lack of trust in the failed and bankrupt state’s capacity to simultaneously control two intersecting and dangerous crises, the socioeconomic crisis and the pandemic. The truth is that both of these crises are feeding each other and are providing each other with reasons to persist and spread.
There has been no severe rise in cases until now, however, medical bodies, especially public institutions [which alongside the public university and public schools were top targets of austerity policies set by subsequent governments marking comic tragedies that the Lebanese have lived for decades] are still capable of conducting the necessary tests, accommodating the ill and providing them with reasonable medical services. Private hospitals, however, stand in the backbenches wanting to generate more profits from those suffering. This is another issue, however.
This partial control over the disease in Lebanon and the shifting of work of many companies, schools and universities remotely, has provided the political authorities with an opportunity to take a breath and recommence its interests in the issues that led to the uprising last October. The current government seems to be working at a fast pace to issue a series of laws and procedures that will have long-term economic and political implications, such as restructuring the debt, instituting “capital control” and putting restrictions on foreign currency. This could change the nature of the entire Lebanese economic system and may reach a point where it is excluded from the global (or western banking system as some would like to call it) constructing an alternative cash-based system following the suit of countries such as Iran, Syria, and Venezuela. It is no secret that a change of this kind, regardless of its social implications in a country that is organically connected to the global economy, will pose many questions about the function of the economy and how it will provide the Lebanese with their income and the markets that will receive their products. There are also many other mazes that Lebanon will enter, and it is in its worst state in terms of being able to formulate the necessary policies to make large alterations in its regional role.
It cannot be denied that the pandemic has halted all revolutionary activities that opposed the approach that forced the country to hit rock bottom.
The pandemic is taking the side of the regime by stopping demonstrators from taking to the street or conducting any activity. On the other hand, it is facilitating the bureaucratic nature of the regime in carrying on without any obstacles. Relying on telephone and remote orders by using telecom phone networks and the internet allows the regime to maintain some effectiveness without posing any risk of infection to politicians or officials. This is contrary to the revolutionary activities that are based on crowded demonstrations, which have been banned by the government. This will set the regime loose.
The situation, which the regime seems to take advantage of to impose a fait accompli in procedures and laws that would not have passed had the public sphere been open as it was between October and December, will draw new facts that will be very difficult to change later on. Especially that these new factors will be consecrated by legal texts and a large imbalance of powers favoring traditional parties and movements, whether for those taking part in the current government or hoping to return to the frontline.
The new pandemic was a huge blow to the attempts of political and economic change in Lebanon and has put citizens in front of very harsh choices, such as continuing to protest and spreading the virus, or stepping aside and watching how things will unfold under a confused administration that is relying on the lack of alternatives and vacuum as primary elements in overcoming the regime that many Lebanese believed was close to being overthrown.

Lebanese volunteers launch heroic effort to help health workers battle coronavirus
Nicholas Frakes/The New Arab/March 27/2020
Hospitals have been unable to secure basic medical supplies such as masks and gloves.
With Lebanon's coronavirus outbreak worsening by the day, attention is focused on dwindling medical supplies which are desperately needed by medical staff in order to treat their patients, as well as maintain their own safety. A recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has shed light on the growing issue of a lack of medical supplies in Lebanon, where over 360 people have tested positive for Covid-19.
The report states that due to the country's dollar shortage, hospitals have been unable to secure basic medical supplies such as masks and gloves.
"The COVID-19 outbreak has placed additional strain on a health care sector already in crisis," HRW's Deputy Middle East Director Joe Stork said. "The Lebanese government has taken swift and broad measures that bought it time, but its ability to manage the outbreak will depend on how it uses this time to secure necessary supplies and provide health care workers with the resources they need."
Lebanon Response Team
Within the health sector, the fear of running out of medical supplies is widespread, with staff trying to ration what available items they have.
"It will be a big problem," Atef Akoum, a medical intern at Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) where coronavirus patients are being quarantined, told The New Arab.
"Especially if the N95 [mask] is missing, because in some settings, like incubated patients or CPR or nebuliser, the coronavirus becomes aerosol."
Multiple groups, such as the Lebanon Response Team (LRT), have responded to this chronic shortage of supplies by doing what they can to help hospitals.
Consisting of over 300 people, the LRT works remotely from home and is made up of people from various professional backgrounds who are using technology such as 3D printing to make medical supplies for hospitals.
The group was started when Hisham Issa and Hussein Hamdan, both engineers, approached Dr Hussein Al-Haj Hassan about starting the initiative.
"They called me," Hassan told The New Arab, "saying that they had this idea and asked me what I think. I said that this is something that we should go forward with. Hisham is an electrical engineer and Hamdan is mechanical, so we wanted to get help from other specialties."
"I posted on Facebook what we needed and what we needed some help in implementing, like with 3D printing, and it went viral. Everyone was contacting me on the phone."
One of these people was Mohammad Al-Haj, a mechanical engineering student in his last year at Phoenicia University, who said that he wanted to get involved to help Lebanon in its time of crisis.
He now manages several of LRT's teams, including one that produces mask shields.
"I heard about it through Facebook when I saw Dr Hassan's post," Al-Haj told The New Arab. "I sent my name to the group and they gave me the number of Nour Alwan, who is one of the top managers. After that, I was told that I need to join the Slack team, so I joined the website and figured out that we had a lot of experts and volunteers, and even professionals."
Due to the thousands of messages that he was receiving, Hassan spoke with another one of his colleagues about turning the small project into a larger initiative.
"Since a lot of people were contacting me, I said, 'Why not move from a small team to a big initiative'," Hassan said.
"I talked to my friend Nour Alwan and we created a platform and called it Lebanon Response Team. This way, everyone can talk with each other, they can form teams, so that we can work not only on ventilators, but on other stuff that the medical sector would need in Lebanon," he added.
"We're working remotely and we meet using online platforms that are available to everyone. When we want to transport something, we're wearing masks, gloves and the device [that is being delivered] is sanitised, there's a company helping us with this."
Financial crisis
In addition to the hundreds of volunteers that have been working on various medical supplies, several companies are providing free aid. The work being done by the LRT is a non-profit project with everything being open source and implemented by anyone.
But the nationwide lockdown and financial crisis has made getting supplies much more challenging, as well as creating the need to self-fund the LRT.
"For the prototypes," Hassan explained, "we have the support of the people inside the initiative, inside the Lebanon Response Team, they are paying from their own pocket. And when we are moving it to the second phase, people that are in that field are helping."
"Lebanon is in a financial crisis. We all know this. And because of this, people are helping. We know that this crisis will not allow for other countries to support us"
The volunteers also rely on financial contributions from Lebanese expatriates.
In order to know what supplies are needed the most, there is a team within the initiative dedicated to contacting hospitals and finding out what they are looking for. Then, once the LRT knows what to build, they manufacture it and send a version to the hospital for testing in the field in order to have medical staff verify that it is suitable for use.
According to Al-Haj, his team working on the mask shields recently finished their prototype and sent them to RHUH.
When he heard back, they told him that the masks were useable except for a minor detail that was quickly fixed by him and his team. They plan to deliver over a thousand masks in the coming days.
"It is a plan B," Al-Haj explained. "Right now they have enough supplies, but if the disease expands in Lebanon, then they will go to plan B. The things that they want the most are the mask shields, the sanitiser and, finally, the suit that protects them from the coronavirus for the Red Cross and for the hospitals."
'Help the Lebanese people'
It is not just companies, though, who have taken note of what the LRT is doing. Imad Hoballah, Lebanon's Minister of Industry, met with Hassan after his Facebook post went viral to discuss what they were doing along with academics and industry figures.
"We had more than one meeting," Hassan stated, "and the idea was to continue developing the solution in order to help Lebanon. So the minister [Hoballah] was actually very supportive."
According to Hassan, the two major focuses of the initiative are time and making sure that what they are producing is useable and will not simply break down.
Because of that, they are looking at the requirements that other governments have for their medical supplies and take great lengths to ensure that everything that they make is as close to meeting those standards as possible.
"A crisis is when we run out of ventilators and the hospitals are not capable of accepting any new patients," Hassan said.
"The biggest focus is time as well as the requirements. We are developing ventilators under the requirements set by the UK Government."
"In Lebanon, we have a lot of talented people, but we do not have the industrial experience."
One of the biggest challenges is that these are supplies made for the medical sector and require rigourous tests. One of the most ambitious projects that the IRT is working on is making ventilators, using 3D printers to make many of the parts for the medical device.
"This project is challenging because it is in the medical sector," he admitted. "So it needs a lot of tests. It needs a lot of validation from several perspectives, especially from a medical perspective. The first thing that we did was conceptual and on paper. We reached the mechanical design and controls and we started developing this more advanced control."
Since the ventilator is a much more complicated piece of technology, the initiative has been experimenting with various types of materials that they print with in order to find the most durable and reliable version of the part.
"Some of the parts are not reliable for a long time," Hassan explained. "For now, we are testing components by creating them from 3D printing."
While many of those working with the IRT are engineers and professionals in their fields, there are still students like Al-Haj who have had to find a balance between their work and studies, which went online following a lockdown on 15 March.
However, this has not deterred people, who still dedicate the vast majority of their day to research and developing prototypes with their teams and plan to continue this work no matter what they have to do.
"I work around 11 hours per day in order to help the Lebanese people as much as I can," Al-Haj said.
*Nicholas Frakes is a freelance journalist who reports from London, the Middle East and North Africa.

العظة التي ألقاها اليوم قداسة البابا فرنسيس في حاضرة الفاتيكان تحت عنوان: "ما لكم خائفين هذا الخوف؟ أإلى الآن لا إيمان لكم
Pope’s Urbi et Orbi Blessing in Light of Coronavirus: ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’
Zenit/March 27/2020

Pope Francis on March 27, 2020, asked of the world the question Jesus asked of the apostles who cowered in fear in a storm-seized boat on the Sea of Galilee: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”
The Holy Father referred to the story from the fourth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. But he explained that the storm the world faces today is the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than half a million people worldwide and resulted in more than 25,000 deaths.
“It is easy to recognize ourselves in this story. What is harder to understand is Jesus’ attitude,” Pope Francis said. “While his disciples are quite naturally alarmed and desperate, he stands in the stern, in the part of the boat that sinks first. And what does he do? In spite of the tempest, he sleeps on soundly, trusting in the Father; this is the only time in the Gospels we see Jesus sleeping. When he wakes up, after calming the wind and the waters, he turns to the disciples in a reproaching voice: ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’ (v. 40).
“The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits, and priorities. It shows us how we have allowed to become dull and feeble the very things that nourish, sustain and strengthen our lives and our communities. The tempest lays bare all our prepackaged ideas and forgetfulness of what nourishes our people’s souls; all those attempts that anesthetize us with ways of thinking and acting that supposedly “save” us, but instead prove incapable of putting us in touch with our roots and keeping alive the memory of those who have gone before us. We deprive ourselves of the antibodies we need to confront adversity.”
The Holy Father’s words come in an extraordinary setting. He prayed before an empty Square from the sagrato of St. Peter’s Basilica, the platform at the top of the steps immediately in front of the façade of the church. The “Salus Populi Romani” icon and the crucifix of St. Marcellus, were placed in front of the central door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Blessed Sacrament was exposed on the altar in the atrium of the Vatican Basilica.
The ceremony included readings from scripture, prayers of supplication, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament It concluded with Pope Francis giving the Urbi et orbi Blessing, with the possibility of gaining a plenary indulgence for all those who listened to it live through the various forms of communication. This plenary indulgence will also be extended to those who may not be able to participate in the prayer through the media due to illness but who unite themselves in spiritual communion with the prayer.
The blessing “to the City [of Rome] and to the World” is normally only given on Christmas and Easter.
“The Lord asks us and, in the midst of our tempest, invites us to reawaken and put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support, and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering. The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith,” Francis stressed.
“Embracing his cross means finding the courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time, abandoning for a moment our eagerness for power and possessions in order to make room for the creativity that only the Spirit is capable of inspiring. It means finding the courage to create spaces where everyone can recognize that they are called, and to allow new forms of hospitality, fraternity, and solidarity. By his cross, we have been saved in order to embrace hope and let it strengthen and sustain all measures and all possible avenues for helping us protect ourselves and others. Embracing the Lord in order to embrace hope: that is the strength of faith, which frees us from fear and gives us hope.”
Following is the Holy Father full address, provided by the Vatican
“When evening had come” (Mk 4:35). The Gospel passage we have just heard begins like this. For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets, and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel, we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.
It is easy to recognize ourselves in this story. What is harder to understand is Jesus’ attitude. While his disciples are quite naturally alarmed and desperate, he stands in the stern, in the part of the boat that sinks first. And what does he do? In spite of the tempest, he sleeps on soundly, trusting in the Father; this is the only time in the Gospels we see Jesus sleeping. When he wakes up, after calming the wind and the waters, he turns to the disciples in a reproaching voice: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” (v. 40).
Let us try to understand. In what does the lack of the disciples’ faith consist, as contrasted with Jesus’ trust? They had not stopped believing in him; in fact, they called on him. But we see how they call on him: “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” (v. 38). Do you not care: they think that Jesus is not interested in them, does not care about them. One of the things that hurts us and our families most when we hear it said is: “Do you not care about me?” It is a phrase that wounds and unleashes storms in our hearts. It would have shaken Jesus too. Because he, more than anyone, cares about us. Indeed, once they have called on him, he saves his disciples from their discouragement.
The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits, and priorities. It shows us how we have allowed to become dull and feeble the very things that nourish, sustain and strengthen our lives and our communities. The tempest lays bare all our prepackaged ideas and forgetfulness of what nourishes our people’s souls; all those attempts that anesthetize us with ways of thinking and acting that supposedly “save” us, but instead prove incapable of putting us in touch with our roots and keeping alive the memory of those who have gone before us. We deprive ourselves of the antibodies we need to confront adversity.
In this storm, the façade of those stereotypes with which we camouflaged our egos, always worrying about our image, has fallen away, uncovering once more that (blessed) common belonging, of which we cannot be deprived: our belonging as brothers and sisters.
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Lord, your word this evening strikes us and regards us, all of us. In this world, that you love more than we do, we have gone ahead at breakneck speed, feeling powerful and able to do anything. Greedy for profit, we let ourselves get caught up in things, and lured away by haste. We did not stop at your reproach to us, we were not shaken awake by wars or injustice across the world, nor did we listen to the cry of the poor or of our ailing planet. We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was sick. Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you: “Wake up, Lord!”.
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Lord, you are calling to us, calling us to faith. Which is not so much believing that you exist, but coming to you and trusting in you. This Lent your call reverberates urgently: “Be converted!”, “Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not the time of your judgment, but of our judgment: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others. We can look to so many exemplary companions for the journey, who, even though fearful, have reacted by giving their lives. This is the force of the Spirit poured out and fashioned in courageous and generous self-denial. It is the life in the Spirit that can redeem, value and demonstrate how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people – often forgotten people – who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines nor on the grand catwalks of the latest show, but who without any doubt are in these very days writing the decisive events of our time: doctors, nurses, supermarket employees, cleaners, caregivers, providers of transport, law and order forces, volunteers, priests, religious men and women and so very many others who have understood that no one reaches salvation by themselves. In the face of so much suffering, where the authentic development of our peoples is assessed, we experience the priestly prayer of Jesus: “That they may all be one” (Jn 17:21). How many people every day are exercising patience and offering hope, taking care to sow not panic but a shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents, and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday gestures, how to face up to and navigate a crisis by adjusting their routines, lifting their gaze and fostering prayer. How many are praying, offering and interceding for the good of all. Prayer and quiet service: these are our victorious weapons.
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith”? Faith begins when we realize we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves, we founder: we need the Lord like ancient navigators needed the stars. Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples, we will experience that with him on board there will be no shipwreck. Because this is God’s strength: turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies.
The Lord asks us and, in the midst of our tempest, invites us to reawaken and put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support, and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering. The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith. We have an anchor: by his cross, we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross, we have been redeemed. We have hope: by his cross, we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love. In the midst of isolation when we are suffering from a lack of tenderness and chances to meet up, and we experience the loss of so many things, let us once again listen to the proclamation that saves us: he is risen and is living by our side. The Lord asks us from his cross to rediscover the life that awaits us, to look towards those who look to us, to strengthen, recognize and foster the grace that lives within us. Let us not quench the wavering flame (cf. Is 42:3) that never falters, and let us allow hope to be rekindled.
Embracing his cross means finding the courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time, abandoning for a moment our eagerness for power and possessions in order to make room for the creativity that only the Spirit is capable of inspiring. It means finding the courage to create spaces where everyone can recognize that they are called, and to allow new forms of hospitality, fraternity, and solidarity. By his cross, we have been saved in order to embrace hope and let it strengthen and sustain all measures and all possible avenues for helping us protect ourselves and others. Embracing the Lord in order to embrace hope: that is the strength of faith, which frees us from fear and gives us hope.
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith”? Dear brothers and sisters, from this place that tells of Peter’s rock-solid faith, I would like this evening to entrust all of you to the Lord, through the intercession of Mary, Health of the People and Star of the stormy Sea. From this colonnade that embraces Rome and the whole world, may God’s blessing come down upon you as a consoling embrace. Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:5). And we, together with Peter, “cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us” (cf. 1 Pet 5:7).
© Libreria Editrice Vatican

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23536
March 26, 2020
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated 20 Iran- and Iraq-based front companies, senior officials, and business associates that provide support to or act for or on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) in addition to transferring lethal aid to Iranian-backed terrorist militias in Iraq such as Kata’ib Hizballah (KH) and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH). Among other malign activities, these entities and individuals perpetrated or supported: smuggling through the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr; money laundering through Iraqi front companies; selling Iranian oil to the Syrian regime; smuggling weapons to Iraq and Yemen; promoting propaganda efforts in Iraq on behalf of the IRGC-QF and its terrorist militias; intimidating Iraqi politicians; and using funds and public donations made to an ostensibly religious institution to supplement IRGC-QF budgets. The terrorist militias supported by the Iranian regime such as KH and AAH have continued to engage in attacks on U.S. and Coalition forces in Iraq.
“Iran employs a web of front companies to fund terrorist groups across the region, siphoning resources away from the Iranian people and prioritizing terrorist proxies over the basic needs of its people,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “The United States maintains broad exceptions and authorizations for humanitarian aid including agriculture commodities, food, medicine, and medical devices to help the people of Iran combat the coronavirus.”
Today’s designations were taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, which targets terrorists and those providing support to or acting for or on behalf of designated terrorists or supporting acts of terrorism.
RECONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATION OF THE HOLY SHRINES IN IRAQ
The Reconstruction Organization of the Holy Shrines in Iraq (ROHSI) is an IRGC-QF-controlled organization based in Iran and Iraq whose leadership was appointed by the late IRGC-QF Commander Qassem Soleimani. Though ostensibly a religious institution, ROHSI has transferred millions of dollars to the Iraq-based Bahjat al Kawthar Company for Construction and Trading Ltd, also known as Kosar Company, another Iraq-based entity under the IRGC-QF’s control. Kosar Company has served as a base for Iranian intelligence activities in Iraq, including the shipment of weapons and ammunition to Iranian-backed terrorist militia groups.
Additionally, Kosar Company has received millions of dollars in transfers from the Central Bank of Iran, which was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 in September 2019 for its financial support of the IRGC-QF and Lebanese Hizballah. Both the IRGC-QF and Hizballah have been designated by the U.S. Department of State as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
In addition, IRGC-QF officials have used ROHSI’s funds to supplement IRGC-QF budgets, likely embezzling public donations intended for the construction and maintenance of Shiite shrines in Iraq.
ROHSI and Kosar Company are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being owned, controlled, or directed by, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF.
OFAC is also designating Mohammad Jalal Maab, the current head of ROHSI, who was personally appointed to the position by former IRGC-QF Commander Soleimani. Jalal Maab succeeded Hassan Pelarak, an IRGC-QF officer and co-owner of Kosar Company, who was selected by Soleimani to serve as his special assistant on an IRGC-QF-led committee focused on sanctions evasions activity. Pelarak also worked with IRGC-QF officials to transfer missiles, explosives, and small arms to Yemen, intensifying the Yemeni conflict and exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes.
Mohammad Jalal Maab is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being a leader or official of ROHSI. Hassan Pelarak is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF.
Alireza Fadakar, another co-owner of Kosar Company, has worked in Iraq on behalf of the IRGC-QF for several years and is an IRGC-QF commander in Najaf, Iraq. Muhammad al-Ghorayfi is an IRGC-QF affiliate and employee of Kosar Company who provides administrative support to Fadakar and has facilitated the travel of IRGC-QF officials between Iraq and Iran.
Alireza Fadakar is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF. Muhammad al-Ghorayfi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Alireza Fadakar.
Masoud Shoustaripousti, another co-owner of Kosar Company, has worked in Iraq on behalf of the IRGC-QF for several years and has laundered money for the group. Shoushtaripousti worked with Mashallah Bakhtiari, who used Kosar Company to launder money and worked with officials at the Baghdad-based branch of Iran’s Bank Melli to deposit funds for the IRGC-QF in Iraq. OFAC designated Bank Melli in November 2018, pursuant to E.O. 13224, for acting as a conduit for payments to the IRGC-QF which also used Bank Melli to dispense funds to Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Iraq.
Masoud Shoustaripousti is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF. Mashallah Bakhtiari is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC-QF.
AL KHAMAEL MARITIME SERVICES
Separately, OFAC is taking action against Al Khamael Maritime Services (AKMS), an Iraq-based company operating out of Umm Qasr port in which the IRGC-QF has a financial interest. The IRGC-QF leveraged Shiite militia group contacts to evade Iraqi government inspection protocol at Umm Qasr port and has charged foreign companies and vessels fees for services at its terminal at the port. AKMS also worked to sell Iranian-origin petroleum products in contravention of U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime.
AKMS is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being owned, controlled, or directed by, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF.
OFAC is also designating Hasan Saburinezhad, also known as Engineer Morteza, who is involved in the finances of AKMS. As a representative of AKMS, Saburinezhad worked to facilitate the entry of Iranian shipments into Iraqi ports for the benefit of the IRGC-QF. Saburinezhad is also involved in IRGC-QF financial and economic activities between Iran, Iraq, and Syria, including smuggling activities along the Syria/Iraq border. Saburinezhad also runs smuggling routes to help Iraqi terrorist group KH and the IRGC-QF smuggle goods into Iraq from Iran, and has assisted KH in funding the acquisition and transfer of goods out of Iran.
Saburinezhad is the Managing Director and a member of the board of directors of Mada’in Novin Traders (MNT), an Iran- and Iraq-based company associated with multiple IRGC-QF officials, including Vali Gholizadeh, who has worked with Saburinezhad for the benefit of both AKMS and MNT.
Hasan Saburinezhad is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF. Mada’in Novin Traders is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Saburinezhad. Gholizadeh is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being a leader or official of Mada’in Novin Traders.
OFAC is also designating Mohammed Saeed Odhafa Al Behadili, the Managing Director of AKMS, and Ali Hussein Falih Al-Mansoori, also known as Seyyed Rezvan, the company’s deputy managing director and head of its board of directors. Additionally, as of 2018, Al Behadili was focused on facilitating shipments and business transactions to circumvent U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime. Al-Mansoori has worked with IRGC-QF officials on business issues related to AKMS.
Mohammed Saeed Odhafa Al Behadili is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, AKMS. Ali Hussein Falih Al-Mansoori is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being a leader or official of AKMS.
Sayyed Reza Musavifar, who is responsible for the accounts and finances of AKMS, has worked with the IRGC-QF to transfer money to terrorist militias, including KH and Lebanese Hizballah. In 2014, Musavifar transferred the equivalent of millions of dollars of foreign currency to senior IRGC-QF officials.
Musavifar is a part owner of Middle East Saman Chemical Company, an Iran-based company that maintained an account at Rashed Exchange, an Iran-based exchange house used to convert currency for the IRGC-QF that was designated in May 2018 for being owned or controlled by Mohammadreza Khedmati, an individual designated for support to the IRGC-QF.
Sayyed Reza Musavifar is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC-QF. Middle East Saman Chemical Company is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Sayyed Reza Musavifar.
Additionally, Ali Farhan Asadi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, AKMS.
SAYYED YASER MUSAVIR AND MEHDI GHASEMZADEH
IRGC-QF official Sayyed Yaser Musavir has been deployed to Iraq extensively since early 2014 in support of the IRGC-QF, and he has coordinated operations between the group and Iraqi terrorist militia group officials. In 2019, Musavir coordinated with IRGC-QF officials to sell Iranian petroleum products to Syria. In 2018, Musavir coordinated propaganda efforts with AAH on behalf of senior IRGC-QF officials. AAH was designated in January 2020 by the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to E.O. 13224.
Sayyed Yaser Musavir is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF.
Mehdi Ghasemzadeh is an IRGC-QF official and is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF.
SHAYKH ‘ADNAN AL-HAMIDAWI
Shaykh ‘Adnan Al-Hamidawi is a Special Operations Commander for KH who in 2019 planned to intimidate Iraqi politicians who did not support the removal of U.S. forces from Iraq. KH, an Iranian-backed terrorist militia group that has been a U.S. Department of State-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and SDGT since 2009, receives lethal support from the IRGC-QF, and has been responsible for numerous terrorist acts against Iraqi, U.S., and Coalition forces in Iraq for over a decade, including bombings, rocket attacks, and sniper operations.
Shaykh ‘Adnan Al-Hamidawi is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, KH.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of these persons that are in or come within the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve and property or interests in property of blocked persons.
In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the persons designated today may themselves be exposed to sanctions. Furthermore, any foreign financial institution that knowingly conducted or facilitated any significant transaction on behalf of individuals and entities designated today could be subject to U.S. correspondent account or payable-through account sanctions.
Identifying information on the entities designated today.

U.S. Adds to Sanctions Against Iran
Ian Talley/The Wall Street Journal/March 27/202
Action targets 20 entities and comes as the U.S. rebuffs suggestions to lighten penalties during coronavirus pandemic
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration on Thursday levied another round of sanctions against Iran, targeting 20 companies, officials and business executives it says have helped U.S.-designated terror groups attack American forces in Iraq.
The action follows a series of deadly strikes by Iranian-backed forces in Iraq in an escalation of hostilities between Tehran and Washington, and comes as the administration faces increasing pressure to ease its sanctions campaign while Iran struggles to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. Treasury Department said several of the blacklisted entities provided support for, or on behalf of, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, the elite Iranian militia that funds, arms and directs Tehran’s proxies abroad and is designated a terror group by the U.S. and other countries.
Others targeted by the U.S. transferred aid to Iraq-based militias directed by the Quds Force and responsible for the deaths of U.S. and allied forces, including Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Treasury said.
The sanctions—which freeze any assets held in the U.S. and prevent U.S.-based companies or people from doing business with the blacklisted entities—are unlikely to significantly deter the targets’ operations given that they work largely outside of the administration’s reach. Rather, they are intended to call attention to Tehran’s activities. Such exposure, U.S. officials say, should help undermine any political support the regime maintains both within the country and outside of it.
By continuing to fund the groups, Iran was “siphoning resources away from the Iranian people and prioritizing terrorist proxies over the basic needs of its people,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.
Tehran blames the U.S. for its coronavirus crisis, calling the sanctions “medical terrorism.”
“Imposing new sanctions while Iranians are fighting the Covid19 pandemic…is simply another example of an inhuman U.S. policy, driven by ‘Secretaries of Hate’ toward Iran,” Alireza Miryousefi, the spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations, said in an email.
The U.S. sanctions have forced an already-hobbled Iranian economy into a sharp contraction. But Trump officials say Iran’s coronavirus pandemic woes are the result of the regime’s own incompetence and failure to favor the welfare of its people over a conflict-fueling foreign policy meant to secure regional hegemony. The administration, responding to calls to relax sanctions, has reiterated that it maintains broad exceptions for humanitarian aid and has set up a special financing channel to facilitate such trade.
Among those blacklisted on Thursday are the Reconstruction Organization of the Holy Shrines in Iraq, an institution Treasury officials said is controlled by the Quds Force and whose leadership was appointed by the late commander of the Iranian militia killed by the U.S. last year, Qassem Soleimani. The administration said that while it purports to be a religious institution, the organization has sent millions of dollars to another company sanctioned Thursday, Bahjat al Kawthar Company for Construction and Trading Ltd. That firm is allegedly used as a base for Intelligence operations in Iraq and for shipping weapons to the militias attacking U.S. forces, Treasury said. Several of its top officials and owners were also blacklisted.
Neither the organization or the company immediately responded to requests for comment. Treasury said the blacklisted companies and men smuggled weapons to Iraq and Yemen and sold Iranian oil to the Assad regime in Syria, where a brutal civil war has created a humanitarian crisis as millions of refugees flee the conflict.

Coronavirus: Iran death toll rises to 2,378
AFP, Tehran/Friday 27 March 2020
Iran on Friday announced 144 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the official number of fatalities to 2,378 in one of the world’s worst-hit countries. “In the past 24 hours, we’ve had 2,926 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections across the country,” health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in a televised news conference. “This brings the overall confirmed cases to at least 32,332,” he added, noting that 11,133 of those hospitalized so far have recovered. Jahanpour said nearly 2,900 of those infected are in a “severe” condition. He said that the rising number of confirmed cases was due to Iranians increasingly “self-declaring” symptoms and undergoing testing. The ministry has repeatedly called on citizens to visit a website and report potential symptoms. The data, together with their phone number and ID, is used to identify potential cases. Iran has imposed strict new containment measures, after weeks of public appeals largely failed to deter hundreds of thousands taking to the roads to visit family for the Persian New Year holidays. State television on Friday showed police checkpoints at Tehran’s entrances and exits preventing residents leaving and non-residents entering. It said motorists were identified by their car plates and IDs and that several vehicles were impounded and drivers fined for violating the measures. “Since a small number of the people do not heed warnings, we are now forced to talk to them” through forceful measures, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. The Islamic republic has already closed schools, universities and key Shiite pilgrimage sites, cancelled the main weekly Friday prayers and temporarily shut parliament.

US has more known cases of coronavirus than any other country
CNN/March 27/2020
The United States now has the highest number of known cases of coronavirus in the world with more than 81,000, according to CNN's tally of cases reported by health officials. The US cases piled up Thursday, surpassing China and Italy. The per capita rate of cases varies because of the countries' vast differences in population. As of Thursday evening, the United States had at least 81,836 cases while China was reporting 81,782. There have been more than 510,000 cases reported worldwide. The countries' numbers are changing constantly and both the totals and the rank order of countries could change at any time.

British PM Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus
Reuters/March 27/2020
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday he had tested positive for coronavirus and was self isolating but would still lead the government’s response to the outbreak. A Downing Street spokesman said Johnson, 55, experienced mild symptoms on Thursday - a day after he answered at the prime minister’s weekly question-and-answer session in parliament’s House of Commons chamber. “Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” Johnson said. “I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus.”It was not immediately clear how many Downing Street staff and senior ministers would now need to isolate given that many have had contact with Johnson over recent days and weeks. When Britain clapped health workers on Thursday evening, Johnson and his finance minister Rishi Sunak came out of separate entrances on Downing Street and did not come into close contact, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene. Previously the government has said that Johnson had the option to del agate to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab if needed. “The prime minister was tested for coronavirus on the personal advice of England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty,” the spokesman said. “The test was carried out in No 10 by NHS staff and the result of the test was positive,” the spokesman said. So far, 578 people in the United Kingdom have died after testing positive for coronavirus and the number of confirmed cases has risen to 11,658. The UK toll is the seventh worst in the world, after Italy, Spain, China, Iran, France and the United States, according to a Reuters tally. Britain’s Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the British throne, tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week but is in good health and is now self-isolating at his residence in Scotland with mild symptoms along with his wife Camilla, who tested negative, his office said.

UK Health Minister Hancock tests positive for coronavirus, after PM Boris Johnson found infected
Reuters/March 27/2020
British Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Twitter on Friday (March 27) he has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating at home with mild symptoms.

Trump phones Netanyahu to congratulate him that he’ll form, head next government
The Timers Of Israel/March 27/2020
Leaders also discuss steps needed to manage coronavirus pandemic; call comes day after Benny Gantz indicates he will enter unity government with PM.
US President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to congratulate him that he’ll be forming Israel’s next government. The call came a day after Netanyahu closed in on a unity government with rival Benny Gantz.“The president of the United States telephoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and congratulated him that he will form and head the next government,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Israel Demolishes Houses in West Bank, Arrests 9 Palestinians in Jerusalem
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
Israel has demolished houses in the West Bank and arrested Palestinians despite a lockdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The Palestinian Prisoners Club said that the occupation forces arrested nine youths in the West Bank and Jerusalem as bulldozers demolished properties in Deir Ballut, west of Salfit, near Nablus, in the village of Ibziq, north of Tubas, and ad-Duyuk at-Tahta, west of Jericho. Head of the village council in Ibziq Abdel Majeed Khudairat said that the occupation forces raided the area, demolished residential homes, and destroyed two pumps to generate electricity and water.
Under the pretext of illegal construction at a military site, the occupation forces seized eight unconstructed tents, six pumps, and bricks for construction, which were intended for the mosque, clinic, and council. Palestinian WAFA News Agency revealed that Israeli soldiers and police accompanied bulldozers as they invaded ad-Duyuk at-Tahta and proceeded to demolish three 120-square-meter houses owned by Palestinian citizens from Jerusalem and the city of Hebron. In Deir Ballut, Israeli forces demolished a farming shed and a water well belonging to Aziz Yusef Abdullah, a villager. Abdullah said that the bulldozers demolished a 30-square-meter greenhouse and a water well and removed the fence in Sarida area under the pretext that it is a nature reserve and a heritage site. However, the Israeli claims are false because the area includes a 25-donum plot where 300 olive trees are planted, he added. Moreover, settlers encroached on agricultural lands in al-Khader, Bethlehem, and ruined 40 grapevines and 10 olive trees near the settlements of Gush Etzion.
This isn’t the first time that settlers have carried out such assaults.

'Manifestation of the wrath of God': Jihadists see coronavirus as call to duty
By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times - Thursday, March 26, 2020
Leading terror organizations such as Islamic State have been calling on followers to increase attacks in recent days as world governments and militaries shift their focus to combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
While it may be premature to draw a direct correlation to a recent wave of attacks from Africa to Afghanistan in recent days, counterterrorism experts point to a spike in extremist propaganda describing the coronavirus outbreak as being sent by God to assist the jihadist cause.
Islamic State leaders quickly claimed credit for a deadly attack on Sikh worshippers in Kabul this week, and radical Islamist movements in Africa have stepped up their activity in countries such as Nigeria and Chad. “Jihadis see the current crisis as a manifestation of the wrath of God, both upon the non-believers for their rejection of God’s law and crimes against Muslims, and upon those Muslims who have forsaken the duty of jihad,” said Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, director of research at The George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. “They argue that fighting jihad is the surest way to guarantee protection from the virus.”Bill Roggio, who analyzes jihadist terrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said there was a consistent argument in messages from various outfits online — from the Taliban in Afghanistan to Islamic State and underground al Qaeda affiliates around the globe. A “common theme,” he said, is that “coronavirus is a punishment from Allah to our decadent Western style of life.”

False Belief That Methanol Fights Coronavirus Kills 300 Iranians
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
As he stood over the body of an apparently ill kid wearing nothing but a plastic diaper, Iranian health care worker urged citizens to stop drinking industrial alcohol over fears about the new coronavirus. The 5-year-old boy is now blind after his parents gave him toxic methanol in the mistaken belief that it protects against the virus. He is just one of hundreds of victims holding wrong beliefs over the pandemic now gripping Iran. There are nearly 300 who have been killed and more than 1,000 sickened so far by ingesting methanol across the country. The poisonings come as fake remedies spread across social media in Iran, where people remain deeply suspicious of the government after it downplayed the crisis for days before it overwhelmed Iran, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Dr. Knut Erik Hovda, a clinical toxicologist in Oslo, said to expect more methanol poisoning victims. “The virus is spreading and people are just dying off, and I think they are even less aware of the fact that there are other dangers around,” Hovda said.“When they keep drinking this, there's going to be more people poisoned.”For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Scientists and doctors continue to study the virus and search for effective medicines and a vaccine. However, in message that were forwarded over and over again, Iranian social media accounts in Farsi falsely suggested a British school teacher and others cured themselves of the coronavirus with alcohol and honey, which are baseless claims so far. International experts also fear Iran may be under-reporting its cases, as officials for days played down the virus ahead of a parliamentary election.
According to AP, the fear of the virus, coupled with poor education and internet rumors, saw dozens sickened by drinking bootleg alcohol containing methanol in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province and its southern city of Shiraz.

WHO Representative Warns of Virus Danger in War-Torn Countries
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
The World Health Organization representative in the East Mediterranean warned Friday of the repercussions of a potential spread of the novel coronavirus in the region's war-torn countries. "The emergence of the virus in much more vulnerable countries with fragile health systems in the region, including Syria and Libya, is of special concern," said WHO East Mediterranean Office Director Ahmed Al Mandhari. On Wednesday, the count of infectious cases in Syria rose to five. A day earlier, Libya recorded its first confirmed COVID-19 case. "A country like Syria, ravaged by conflict and displacement, and with a health system already pushed to its limits, will clearly be overburdened by an outbreak of COVID-19, and the impact could be catastrophic," he added in a statement issued Friday. Libya's ongoing civil war coupled with its poor health system weakens the country's ability to respond to the new pandemic, added Mandhari.

LNA Says Expels GNA Militias, Syrian Mercenaries from W. Libya Regions
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday/27 March/2020
Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari announced on Friday that the military has cleansed regions in western Libya from militias loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) and affiliated Syrian mercenaries. In a statement on his official Facebook page, he declared that the LNA, commanded by Khalifa Haftar, cleared the regions of al-Assah, Riqdalin and Zliten of GNA militias and Syrian mercenaries, “who fled from the advance of our brave forces.”He thanked the residents for helping secure this victory and restoring their freedom from the clutches of terrorist and criminal groups.
Mismari said that the international community is aware that these groups were violating the UN-brokered ceasefire and have rejected the LNA’s calls for focusing efforts on combatting the novel coronavirus in Libya.
Given the violations of the so-called national accord government and its terrorist militias, “the LNA finds itself obligated to confront the militias, which are backed by Turkish military forces and terrorist Syrian mercenaries,” he added, saying the army will take “all appropriate” measures to protect the Libyan people. He warned the GNA and its militias that the ongoing violation of the ceasefire will make them legitimate targets of the LNA on all battlefronts. “We will hold them responsible for all the consequences of their failure to heed this warning,” he vowed.

Even Doctors Are Terrified by Coronavirus in Iraq

Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
Doctors and nurses across Iraq have treated hundreds of thousands of victims during decades of civil war, violence and sanctions, while watching what was once one of the best healthcare systems in the Middle East crumble. Today, they say Iraq may be singularly unprepared for the coronavirus. Through decades of conflict, Dr. Haidar Hantoush has watched wounded soldiers and civilians flood into Iraq's emergency wards. But he's never been so scared, Reuters reported.
"Violence we can just about handle. Patients stream into hospitals for hours at a time - but you can see how many there are. You get a lull to prepare for the next round," said Hantoush, public health director for southern province Dhi Qar. "With coronavirus, there's no safe place. We don't know when the number of cases will explode.... Even the world's best healthcare systems can't cope."Iraq has counted more than 450 coronavirus cases and 40 deaths, most of them in the past week. But doctors worry that those figures barely scratch the surface of an epidemic that may already be raging undetected across crowded cities. "There are many unrecorded cases. People aren't getting tested or taking it seriously," Hantoush said. One Baghdad doctor, requesting anonymity because the ministry forbade medical staff from speaking to media, said a sharp rise in cases is imminent. "We're bracing for what happens in the next two weeks. And we can't cope," he said. Loudspeakers on mosques in Baghdad blast out government guidelines daily urging people to stay at home and get tested if they think they are ill. A curfew is in place until April 11. Borders are shut and international flights halted. However, getting the message across is difficult in a country with deep distrust of the authorities. Tribes have sometimes refused to allow women with symptoms to be isolated because they do not want them to be alone in hospitals, Hantoush noted. Dr Laith Jubr, 30, who works at a Baghdad ward testing suspected coronavirus cases said many Iraqis were nonchalant because they thought they had "seen it all" through years of war. "This is dangerous. We're facing a hidden enemy that requires not just doctors but the whole population to combat it."Security forces deployed on Friday to Baghdad's densely populated Sadr City district, home to millions, to enforce the curfew, a statement said. The United Nations praised Iraq's early measures in closing borders last month but has urged respect for the curfew.

Negotiations With Taliban Hampered by Political Turmoil in Kabul

Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
President Ashraf Ghani announced his 21-member team to negotiate peace with the Taliban on Friday after months of deliberation, only to have his political opponent reject it as not inclusive enough. Afghanistan's political turmoil has impeded each tentative step toward negotiations with the Taliban, which is the next critical step in a peace deal Washington signed with the insurgent group last month. The deal calls for the eventual withdrawal of all 13,000 U.S. soldiers from Afghanistan in exchange for guarantees from the Taliban to fight terrorist groups, including the ISIS group. The deal has also been touted as Afghanistan's best chance yet of ending its relentless wars. But Ghani and his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah - who has also declared himself president - have been locked in a political power struggle that even US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could not bring to an end.
Pompeo made an emergency visit earlier this week that ended with a promise to cut $1 billion in assistance to Afghanistan if the two leaders couldn't "get their act together." Ghani's 21-member team is led by the Masoom Stanikzai, former head of Afghanistan's intelligence agency, who was forced to resign last year. He quit after a CIA-trained team under his command was found to have killed four brothers they falsely accused of being ISIS operatives. The special forces unit known as Unit 02 still operates despite reports of abuses, including one last year by the Human Rights Watch, which documented what it says are mounting atrocities by US-backed Afghan special forces. Abdullah meanwhile is unhappy with the negotiating team. He also wants to restart talks with Ghani to devise a power-sharing deal, which until now the Afghan president has rejected. Abdullah has accused Ghani of being unwilling to compromise. Ghani for his part says that Abdullah's power-sharing demands will require a constitutional change and that can come only with a loya jirga, or grand council. In a televised speech earlier this week, Ghani also said Afghanistan can manage without the $1 billion in US aid. Despite 18 years and billions of dollars in international aid, Afghanistan remains desperately poor. The poverty level soared from 35% of the population in 2012 to more than 55% last year. Poverty level counts those who survive on $1 or less a day. Successive Afghan governments, including Ghani's, have been accused by international watchdogs of widespread corruption.Meanwhile, Taliban political spokesman Sohail Shaheen said the group would send four members to Bagram north of Kabul to oversee the release of their prisoners, also part of the deal signed with the U.S. That deal calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban and 1,000 government personnel held captive by the Taliban. The visit to Bagram will be the first time Taliban representatives have officially visited Afghanistan since being thrown out of power in 2001 by the US-led coalition after they harbored Osama bin Laden and al Qaida.

Magnitude 3.2 Earthquake Shakes Kuwait
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
A 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit Kuwait overnight Thursday, reported the country’s state news agency KUNA. Supervisor of the Kuwait National Seismic Network Dr. Abdullah Al-Enzi said the tremor was monitored at a depth of five kilometers in the northern region of al-Abdali. The quake was felt by farmers in the area, he told KUNA.

France Says Four Kidnapped Aid Workers Released After 2 Months
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
Four kidnapped aid workers from France and Iraq have been released two months after they were taken hostage in Baghdad. French President Emmanuel Macron announced their liberation Thursday and thanked Iraqi authorities for their cooperation with France to free them. He didn't provide details. “The President of the Republic welcomes the release of our three nationals Antoine Brochon, Julien Dittmar, Alexandre Goodarzy and Iraqi Tariq Mattoka”, Macron’s office said in a statement on Thursday. Their liberation was announced the day France started pulling out troops from Iraq as the French military is deployed to help fight the new virus.The French Armed Forces Ministry said on Wednesday it would withdraw all troops it has stationed in Iraq until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak. “France has taken the decision to repatriate until further notice its personnel deployed in operation Chammal in Iraq,” the ministry said, adding about 100 hundred soldiers were concerned. The army said it would continue air operations against ISIS. The three French citizens and one Iraqi worked for aid group SOS Chretiens d'Orient, which helps persecuted Christians in the region. They all had past experience in crisis zones and were staying at a hotel that regularly hosts international guests when they went missing in January. It was a time of heightened tensions in the region after a US drone strike on Baghdad airport.

Amnesty International’ Urges Algeria to Release Prisoners of Conscience
Algiers - Boualem Goumrassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 27 March, 2020
Amnesty International has demanded that the Algerian authorities release prisoners of conscience, as a dispute spurred between attorneys and judges on judicial and legal proceedings in these cases. The National Union for the Algerian Bar Associations, which represents 50,000 attorneys, denounced on Thursday "violating defense rights" during the trial of Karim Tabbou at the appeal court that sentenced him to one year in prison. The Union, led by Ahmed Sai, said that the judge refused to delay the trial given the convict's health condition. For his part, Tabbou objected to the absence of defense during his trial. Further, the Union – which is fighting for judiciary independence – expressed in a statement its rejection of these practices that impact the judiciary's credibility. It also called on superior authorities to meddle and put an end to these violations. The law stipulates that the defendant must be notified of the sentence in his presence but this didn’t apply in the case of Tabbou who was still at Kolea’s prison’s clinic – west of the capital. Notably, the activist is facing two charges in two separate cases: “incitement to violence” and “harming national security”. Responding to the court’s decision, Amnesty International asserted that the “Court's decision sends a deliberate and frightening message to demonstrators, including political and other civil society activists, that anyone who dares to oppose or criticize the government will be punished.” It added: “Karim should never have been charged in the first place simply for expressing peaceful political views and the authorities must immediately and unconditionally release him.” In a statement issued on its website: Amnesty said: “Instead of persecuting critics and people who courageously speak their minds freely, the Algerian authorities should immediately quash Karim Tabbou’s conviction and drop all the charges against him. “At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has governments worldwide considering early prisoner releases, the Algerian authorities must immediately release all those imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights. They should also urgently consider the release of other prisoners – especially pre-trial detainees and those who may be more at risk from the virus – and take necessary measures to protect the health of all prisoners.”

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 27-28/2020
IMF Should Reject Islamic Republic’s Loan Request
Richard Goldberg/Saeed Ghasseminejad/FDD/March 27/2020
The Islamic Republic of Iran has requested a $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Tehran confronts a perfect economic storm combining President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign, an unexpected plunge in oil prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Were the IMF to approve this loan, the nature and structure of the Islamic Republic would likely result in the misuse of these funds in manner that benefits the regime but not the people.
The Islamic Republic runs a corrupt economy where freedom is scarce, accountability nonexistent, and transparency rare. Transparency International’s corruption index ranks Iran 146th among 180 countries. The Central Bank of Iran – designated by the United States for its direct financing of terrorism – lacks the independence of a normal central bank and engages in a range of money laundering activities. The country’s banking system is an inefficient structure where politically connected figures embezzle billions of dollars from ordinary depositors. Firms controlled by the military or by the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, dominate the economy.
The Islamic Republic’s rampant corruption and money laundering practices are rooted in a financial structure that runs contrary to IMF rules by operating multiple currency exchange rates. While the IMF allows its members to operate multiple rates temporarily, Tehran relies on its multiple rates as a means of distributing political spoils, by granting regime loyalists access to hard currency on favorable terms.
In addition to these structural issues, Iran diverts its revenues to fund terrorism, missiles, and illicit nuclear capabilities. In response, the Trump administration imposed “maximum pressure” sanctions, vowing to add additional pressure until the regime halts its sponsorship of terrorism, removes its forces from the Middle East, dismantles its nuclear and missile programs, and releases all U.S. hostages. The IMF would be right to worry that its loan may never be repaid and – worse – that Tehran will use it to subsidize malign activities.
The influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization whose leaders and affiliates are subject to UN sanctions, also seriously compromises the integrity of the Iranian financial system. The IRGC controls roughly 25 to 30 percent of the Iranian economy, while Khamenei sits on a $200 billion empire, which also operates above the law. Businesses owned and controlled by the IRGC or supreme leader account for 20 to 25 percent of the value of all firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has found Iran’s entire financial system, including its central bank, to be a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern.
For the IMF to have confidence in Iran’s ability to repay a loan – or even use such funds in a responsible manner – the Islamic Republic would have to halt all sponsorship of terrorism; stop investment in its illicit missile and nuclear programs; disentangle the supreme leader, clerics, and IRGC from the economy; and comply with all the requirements and recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which just last month ordered the global banking community to defend itself against Iranian money laundering practices.
The World Health Organization and various countries and non-governmental organizations are taking proactive steps to deliver medical supplies and technical assistance to help the Iranian people combat COVID-19. America would be doing the same, but Tehran has rejected multiple offers of assistance, while the supreme leader promotes baseless conspiracy theories accusing the United States of inventing the coronavirus. While transfers of goods and supplies directly to the Iranian people serve a crucial need, cash payments, loans, and other lines of credit to the Islamic Republic of Iran pose grave threats to international security and do not help ordinary Iranians. Without wholesale behavioral changes by Iran’s government and structural changes to its economy, the United States and other IMF shareholders should reject Iran’s request for any IMF loan.
*Richard Goldberg, who previously served as National Security Council director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction, is a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where *Saeed Ghasseminejad is a senior Iran and financial economics advisor. They both contribute to FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP). For more analysis from Saeed, Richard, and CEFP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Saeed and Richard on Twitter @SGhasseminejad and @rich_goldberg. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CEFP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Now is the time for the G20 to really show what it can do
Michael Stephens/Al Arabiya/March 27/2020
Thursday’s G20 summit hosted by King Salman marked an important step in advancing the global response against the Coronavirus. Promising to do “whatever it takes” the collective noted that some $5 trillion had been injected into the Global economy to “minimise the economic and social damage from the pandemic, restore global growth, maintain market stability, and strengthen resilience.”
It is rare in these politically difficult times to find things that we can all agree about, such is the partisan nature of politics and the level of global instability that we face. But the spectre of the killer virus disrupting the world for months, and possibly years has been proven a rare source of unity among a fractured global leadership. Notwithstanding the fact that it’s comforting to see the world’s leaders having to conduct their affairs through webcam like the rest of us, it was important that the world’s richest nations all committed publicly together to do more to speed up the global response to the pandemic, and the $5tn figure is certainly impressive. But bandying about massive sums of money is just the start of the fightback, and now the G20 really needs to make good on doing as much as possible to be a forum for sharing ideas and best practice. A G20 meeting of health ministers is due to take place some time before 20 April following up on the promises of cooperative work shown by their respective leaderships. This needs to be where the substantive work is done, or else the G20 risks looking like a place for world leaders to show off in front of their peers, without tying leaders down to substantive commitments.
This doesn’t mean that the G20 should enforce a standardised a response across the world. There are widely differing approaches being taken by countries towards handling this problem, which is their right to pursue, and the G20 isn’t a security council that can violate state sovereignty. Nor is it a body that can force states to engage to make U-turns on policies like sanctions on states, which President Putin of Russia urged during his speech. Instead the G20’s role can, and should be that of a trend setter, where powerful states can shape a global conversation around action, and then encourage other states in their respective neighbourhoods to do the same. It is a place to show solidarity for states that have experienced severe human trauma like Italy, Spain and China, which can take the sting out of the accusatory tone that has pervaded international discourse of late.
It doesn’t matter whose fault COVID-19 was, the problem affects all of us, and the framework of the G20 holds states to a shared discourse that can be conducted in a more constructive tone than in press conferences or on Twitter. The G20 also provides a chance for countries better understand the stresses and strains that others are experiencing, and adapt their policy responses accordingly. There is a real chance to build momentum for a global conversation to progress in areas like healthcare, the establishment of joint research programmes in which international scientists come together to help solve this problem, and the sharing of knowledge and experience is vital at a time like this. With so much goodwill apparently on the TV screen, now is the time to capitalise and build positive steps forward for global cooperation. It might be interesting to see world leaders gathering together to talk, it looks impressive and makes the news, but let’s really keep an eye out for that meeting of health ministers in April, then we’ll really know if the G20 is doing what it said it would; defeating this virus and getting all of us back to work again.
*Michael Stephens is an Associate Fellow at RUSI, follow him on Twitter @MikerStephens.

Iran campaign for sanctions relief seeks to cover up negligence over coronavirus
Jason Brodsky/Al Arabiya/March 27/2020
Iran has been mounting a full-court press in recent weeks over the need for sanctions relief. This global campaign has consisted of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lobbying allies around the world to publicly and privately press the US government to ease its economic pressure. Such an effort has deflected attention away from the regime’s own mismanagement of the coronavirus outbreak – specifically, prioritizing conspiracy theories and ideology over science and the welfare of the Iranian people; creating a hydra-headed, dysfunctional management structure to combat the coronavirus; and haphazard decision-making.
The coronavirus is rapidly spreading among the general population of Iran. According to a Health Ministry official, one Iranian is killed every 10 minutes. It’s not just ordinary Iranians who are being afflicted with the disease – the heart of the Islamic Republic’s Establishment has also been affected. At least two extended family members of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have contracted the coronavirus – the brother-in-law of his influential son Mojtaba and the mother-in-law of another son, Meysam, also died from the disease. That’s not to mention that at least two members of the Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader have contracted the coronavirus – his foreign policy adviser Ali Akbar Velayati and his deputy for supervision and auditing Mohammad-Javad Iravani.
The Rouhani administration has fared no better. The first vice president, the vice president for family and women’s affairs, the minister of industry, the tourism minister, and a deputy health minister have all suffered from the outbreak. The situation has become so dire that President Rouhani announced around half of all government employees are staying at home or limiting their work activities. Such a dynamic is dangerous, as in recent days the head of US Central Command assessed that Iran is slower in its decision-making as a result of the coronavirus.
Prioritizing ideology over welfare
Despite all these trend lines, the regime has continued to prioritize conspiracy theories and ideological purity over tangible assistance. Just days ago, Iran’s supreme leader repeated the outlandish and outrageous claim that the United State is “accused of having created this virus.” Khamenei’s willingness to entertain these baseless claims has filtered down to the Islamic Republic’s top brass, with the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami, members of parliament, and the secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei employing this messaging. Rezaei recently accused the United States and Israel of using the coronavirus to launch World War III.
This is not mere rhetoric. Such dangerous thinking has had devastating effects for the Iranian people. On February 28, the US government made an offer to provide humanitarian assistance to Iran to help with the coronavirus pandemic. But the US State Department indicated that the approach was “quickly” and clearly rejected by the regime.
It’s not only the United States that has seen its efforts rebuffed. France’s Doctors Without Borders (MSF) shipped an inflatable hospital to be deployed in Isfahan, along with nine doctors and specialists. But an official from the Health Ministry later announced “Iran did not need hospitals established by foreigners.” In justifying the ban on MSF operating a hospital, Khamenei ally and editor of Kayhan Hossein Shariatmadari quipped “is it not true that France has always cooperated with the US conspiracies against Iran?” He also accused MSF’s presence in Iran as being “a cover for non-humanitarian activities.”
Iran’s officials have made similar decisions in the past. Ayatollah Khamenei and his allies routinely rail against Western infiltration. In 1992, the regime expelled all of the Red Cross’ staff matters after allegations they had assisted in the compilation of a United Nations report on the human rights situation in the country. There have been times when the regime has accepted US assistance, such as after the 2003 Bam earthquake. But in the current situation, the regime is prioritizing its revolutionary dogma over real-time, tangible assistance for the welfare of the Iranian people.
Chaos, confusion, and competition
Iran’s management structure of the coronavirus has also hobbled the response. There are three competing entities which have been established to confront the crisis – the National Coronavirus Headquarters, chaired by the Rouhani administration; the Imam Reza Headquarters, chaired by the chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces; and the IRGC’s Shafa Headquarters. The New York Times also reported of a clash between Rouhani and Bagheri over command – with Bagheri insisting Khamenei gave him the authority “to act independently” of the president.
Such a collection of colliding entities has resulted in conflicting messages and erratic decision-making. When the supreme leader tasked the chief of staff of the Armed Forces General Staff Mohammad Bagheri to establish the Imam Reza Headquarters, Bagheri announced his forces would be “emptying shops, streets, and roads” within 24 hours. But a few days later during Nowruz, Iranian police announced that over 1.2 million traveled for the holiday. Only this week, after the initial traffic, did the Rouhani administration come around to forbidding travel.
There has also been internal confusion and dissent within the Rouhani administration over the handling of the pandemic. Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi indicated that it was his ministry which approved the arrival of MSF in Iran, only to see MSF later forbidden from erecting a mobile hospital. To add to the turmoil, the government’s spokesman later said Iran would accept assistance from MSF, with little clarity over next steps. Deputy Health Minister Reza Malekzadeh, himself a former health minister, recently admitted publicly that Iran did not restrict travel to and from China “in a timely manner” because of the “economic ties with China as well as the large number of Iranians in China.” He also regretted the “delay in informing the public” about coronavirus.
In recent days, Iran and its allies have been lobbying for sanctions relief given the public health emergency. But the rationale for this campaign raises serious questions, given the regime’s rejection of tangible offers of assistance, the existence of a Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement in which 50 companies have expressed interest in participating, and the government’s helter-skelter management of the crisis.
*Jason Brodsky is currently the Policy Director of United Against Nuclear Iran.

If Europe Won’t Snapback, End the Waiver for Arak
Richard Goldberg/FDD/March 27, 2020
“Iran must stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing. This includes closing its heavy water reactor.” – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, May 21, 2018
Iran has two pathways to nuclear weapons: uranium and plutonium. While the Trump administration made clear that a new agreement with Iran must permanently and irreversibly close both, it continues issuing a sanctions waiver that endorses the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and keeps Iran’s plutonium pathway alive. It’s time for the administration to reconsider this waiver and align its sanctions policy with its negotiating demands.
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), longstanding demands for a permanent prohibition on reprocessing activities and the full dismantlement of Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor was replaced with an Iranian commitment to forgo work on such reactors for 15 years and an international commitment to help Iran “modernize” its existing reactor.
Iran agreed to disable the reactor by pouring concrete into its core on the promise of retrofitting the facility to a design that produces far less plutonium. Five years later, however, Iran retains its ability to return the reactor to a more threatening course at any time. Last year, Iran’s top nuclear official revealed that the regime had negotiated in bad faith – concealing spare tubes it can use to build a new reactor core.
With this backdrop, it’s no surprise that when it came time for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to issue America’s demands to Iran as the basis of any future agreement, he rightly called on Iran to close the Arak reactor.
Surprisingly though, six months after issuing the demand to close Arak, the administration issued a sanctions waiver to allow European and Chinese firms to continue working with Iran on the JCPOA project. That waiver was renewed three times in 2019 and again earlier this year – each time with robust lobbying by the United Kingdom, France and Germany (the "E3"), and each time contradicting a key Trump administration demand.
Despite all the tough talk of maximum pressure, the administration has repeatedly undermined its own negotiating posture at Europe's request – not only with sanctions waivers like the one for Arak but also by refusing to trigger the restoration of all international sanctions and restrictions on Iran – a mechanism in the UN Security Council known as “snapback.”
Why does the E3 care so much about the Arak waiver? They have no other way to show Iran they remain committed to the nuclear deal. With their private sectors in compliance with U.S. sanctions, technical support to the Arak reactor is their Iran deal “Alamo.”
What then does President Trump gain from giving Europe this JCPOA lifeline that outweighs undermining his own negotiation position? If the answer is anything less than European support for “snapback,” it’s time to end this pro-JCPOA waiver.
Supporters of the JCPOA will argue that the administration should renew this waiver no matter what. Since Iran has threatened to reconstitute its old reactor design as part of its counter-maximum pressure campaign, ending the waiver could give the regime the pretext to do just that.
But Iran’s threat is hollow. Facing a perfect storm of maximum pressure, coronavirus and plunging oil prices, the Iranian economy is likely to collapse sooner than the time it would take to build a new reactor core. Tehran also knows that Arak is an easier target for the Israeli Air Force than an underground enrichment facility like Fordow.
Moreover, Secretary Pompeo was unmoved by similar threats when he revoked a sanctions waiver last May that allowed Iran to swap enriched uranium for natural uranium – a program established by the JCPOA to legitimize enrichment on Iranian soil. Rather than fearing an Iranian breach of its enrichment limits, Pompeo aligned America’s sanctions policy with its enrichment policy – no waiver for the swap and no enrichment in a future agreement.
Another reason revoking the Arak waiver is easy: Russian uranium suppliers are not a factor. Unlike other nuclear activities in Iran, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Russian firms are not involved in the Arak project – alleviating concerns among America’s uranium importers that sanctions could disrupt their nuclear fuel supply.
In January, reportedly at the urging of the Trump administration, the E3 took the first step toward a UN snapback by invoking the JCPOA’s dispute resolution mechanism. If European leaders are seriously considering taking the final step – accusing Iran of violating its nuclear commitments under the deal – they will want to appear to be the aggrieved parties who faithfully upheld the agreement until the end. By pointing to their work at Arak, European capitals could say they are upholding their commitments, but Iran is not.
If the E3 commits to snapback within 60 days, but say they need the Arak waiver as part of their political and communications strategy, one more waiver is worth the benefit. Otherwise, it's time for the administration to end the European addiction to the deal and align its sanctions policy with its negotiating demands.
*Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, most recently served as Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction on President Trump’s National Security Council. Follow him on twitter @Rich_Goldberg.

Khamenei Securitizes the Pandemic as the IRGC Mulls Regional Action
Farzin Nadimi/The Washington Institute/March 27/2020
With the regime leadership accusing the United States of using bioweapons and fomenting other hateful disinformation, the potential for violence against U.S. forces and interests will likely escalate.
Taking advantage of his annual Nowruz speech on March 22, Iran’s increasingly paranoid Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei aimed sharp criticism at the United States by accusing it of waging a genetically engineered biowarfare campaign against his nation. Besides raising concerns about his mental state, such rhetoric may signal a new chapter of hostilities between the two countries, especially in light of recent moves by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
HUMAN-JINN CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Citing chapter 6, verse 112 of the Quran, Khamenei categorized Iran’s enemies into two groups, demonic (jinn) and human, claiming that they have close “intelligence cooperation” with each other. Even allowing for sarcasm and rhetorical flourishes, such language from the commander-in-chief of a well-armed, demonstrably hostile regime is quite unsettling and dangerous. He also accused Washington of genetically engineering a strain of coronavirus in order to use it on Iranians and “study the effects.”
Even more important than his rhetoric were the regime’s actions: Khamenei directed the government to reject any American aid, while the IRGC expelled a team of French doctors representing Medecins Sans Frontieres after they were accused of performing non-medical activities. Then, following Khamenei’s lead, Iran’s Health Ministry announced on March 23 that scarcely available manpower and resources were being diverted to investigate whether the country had been subjected to biowarfare.
Khamenei’s speech went into further detail about this supposed conspiracy. According to him, enemies “are said to have used various means to collect data on the Iranian genetic makeup and have used this data to design strains specifically for Iran.” He was probably referring to scientific projects such as Iranome, which sought to map the genomes of various Iranian ethnic groups. Headed by the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences in Tehran, the project was completed in 2019 in collaboration with two German institutes: the Cologne Center for Genomics and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin.
Beyond scoring rhetorical points, Khamenei’s remarks are dangerous from a wider security standpoint. He characterized the supposed U.S. involvement in spreading coronavirus as a “terrorist” act, raising the potential that Iran may seek to retaliate by military means or “in kind,” if it still has such capabilities (e.g., the regime reportedly experimented with biological agents during the 1980s).
IRAN’S CORONA CONTAINMENT EFFORT
Khamenei’s controversial remarks came amid continued uncertainty over who is leading the country’s efforts to stem the pandemic. The IRGC-affiliated National Passive Defense Organization (NPDO) was traditionally in charge of countering biological threats and established a biological defense network across all provinces years ago, headed by provincial governors with IRGC commanders as their deputies.
According to NPDO chief Gen. Gholam Reza Jalali, however, his organization was completely sidelined when the government formed a national command center to combat coronavirus, with President Hassan Rouhani sitting at the top. And on March 12, after “considering the evidence that points to a biological attack,” Khamenei put the Armed Forces General Staff and its commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, in charge of coordinating the military’s biological defense efforts, creating a “welfare and treatment headquarters” in the process.
TEHRAN IS NOT DETERRED
The old problems of the Middle East linger even amid the unprecedented local and global effects of the pandemic. Tehran shows no sign of backing down from its defiant posture despite having to dedicate a great deal of its resources to containing the virus. Its proxy forces in Iraq continue to launch deadly rocket attacks at U.S. bases.
For its part, Washington is determined to continue its “maximum pressure” campaign. It is also quietly strengthening its regional military posture with new deployments and joint exercises. A second aircraft carrier (the USS Eisenhower) has joined the USS Truman in the region, and for the first time in many years, Patriot missile defense systems have been sent to protect at least some U.S. personnel and assets in Iraq. None of these developments are escaping the attention of IRGC strategists, who likely regard such measures as either insufficient (missile defense) or temporary (the second carrier). They will be keen to resume the “old normal” sooner rather than later, reasserting the IRGC’s recent momentum even as much of its domestic capacity—and that of the Artesh—is busy dealing with the effects of the virus and seasonal floods across the country.
That is presumably why Khamenei is so keen on focusing the regime’s wrath back on the old enemy in the middle of a national crisis. In place of strategic patience, one can expect an even more significant escalation in proxy violence against American military forces and interests in the region. Such attacks might seek to cause American casualties and force a direct military response against Iran—this in turn could initiate a round of actions and reactions in which the IRGC seems confident it can prevail, both militarily and rhetorically.
Notably, all of these developments could cause domestic political problems. Military escalation may widen the Rouhani government’s rift with the IRGC, further crippling governance. And Khamenei’s stark demon remarks—which exceeded his past mentions of the subject—could backfire by convincing people inside and outside the regime that the eighty-year-old leader is indeed losing his mind.
CONCLUSION
Given the increasing securitization of Iran’s anti-virus measures, information pertaining to the spread and containment of the pandemic will likely be classified going forward, even if this approach hampers the wider international effort. Moreover, in light of the Supreme Leader’s hateful tone and the IRGC’s propensity to follow his lead, the United States needs to consider the possibility of retaliatory attacks by the IRGC and prepare proper deterrent measures. Potential acts of Iranian terrorism could include conventional attacks on biological facilities that result in the release of pathogens, or even direct bioterrorism in the worst-case scenario.
Finally, the pandemic’s serious effects inside Iran should not be regarded as evidence that the Iranian military threat has decreased. Washington should continue taking the IRGC threat to its regional military presence seriously, deploying a viable air and missile defense capability in Iraq and perhaps even Afghanistan in order to deter any attacks. And while it cannot maintain a two-carrier force posture in the region indefinitely, it still needs to maintain a demonstrated qualitative and quantitative advantage in Iran’s neighborhood—and, perhaps more important, credibility that it will respond at the right time and place.
*Farzin Nadimi is an associate fellow with The Washington Institute, specializing in the security and defense affairs of Iran and the Gulf region.

Coronavirus: The European Union Unravels
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/March 27/2020
Faced with an existential threat, EU member states, far from joining together to confront the pandemic as a unified bloc, instinctively are returning to pursuing the national interest. After years of criticizing U.S. President Donald J. Trump for pushing an "America First" policy, European leaders are reverting to the very nationalism they have publicly claimed to despise.
Ever since the threat posed by coronavirus came into focus, Europeans have displayed precious little of the high-minded multilateral solidarity that for decades has been sold to the rest of the world as a bedrock of European unity. The EU's unique brand of soft power, said to be a model for a post-national world order, has been shown to be an empty fiction.
In recent weeks, EU member states have closed their borders, banned exports of critical supplies and withheld humanitarian aid. The European Central Bank, the guarantor of the European single currency, has treated with unparalleled disdain the eurozone's third-largest economy, Italy, in its singular hour of need. The member states worst affected by the pandemic — Italy and Spain — have been left by the other member states to fend for themselves.
The European Union, seven decades in the making, is now unravelling in real time — in weeks.
In recent weeks, EU member states have closed their borders, banned exports of critical supplies and withheld humanitarian aid. Pictured: Trucks are backed up on the road leading to the Austrian-Hungarian border crossing near Nickelsdorf, Austria on March 18, 2020. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
As the coronavirus pandemic rages through Europe — where more than 250,000 people have now been diagnosed with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 15,000 have died — the foundational pillars of the European Union are crumbling one by one.
Faced with an existential threat, EU member states, far from joining together to confront the pandemic as a unified bloc, instinctively are returning to pursuing the national interest. After years of criticizing U.S. President Donald J. Trump for pushing an "America First" policy, European leaders are reverting to the very nationalism they have publicly claimed to despise.
Ever since the threat posed by coronavirus came into focus, Europeans have displayed precious little of the high-minded multilateral solidarity that for decades has been sold to the rest of the world as a bedrock of European unity. The EU's unique brand of soft power, said to be a model for a post-national world order, has been shown to be an empty fiction.
In recent weeks, EU member states have closed their borders, banned exports of critical supplies and withheld humanitarian aid. The European Central Bank, the guarantor of the European single currency, has treated with unparalleled disdain the eurozone's third-largest economy, Italy, in its singular hour of need. The member states worst affected by the pandemic — Italy and Spain — have been left by the other member states to fend for themselves.
The seeds of the European Union were planted in the ashes of the Second World War. In May 1949, Robert Schuman, one of the EU's founding fathers, boldly announced the creation of new world system:
"We are carrying out a great experiment, the fulfillment of the same recurrent dream that for ten centuries has revisited the peoples of Europe: creating between them an organization putting an end to war and guaranteeing an eternal peace."
The European Union, seven decades in the making, is now unravelling in real time — in weeks. After the dust of the coronavirus pandemic settles, the EU's institutions will almost certainly continue to operate as before. Too much political and economic capital has been invested in the European project for European elites to do otherwise. However, the EU's attraction as a post-national model for its own citizens, much less for the rest of the world, will have passed.
Recent examples of the unilateral pursuit of the national interest by European leaders, many of whom publicly espouse globalism but in times of desperation embrace nationalism, include:
France. On March 3, France confiscated all protective masks made in the country. "We will distribute them to healthcare professionals and to French people affected by the coronavirus," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter. On March 6, the French government forced Valmy SAS, a face mask manufacturer near Lyon, to cancel an order for millions of masks placed by the UK's National Health Service.
Germany, March 4. Germany banned the export of medical protective equipment such as safety glasses, respiratory masks, protective coats, protective suits and gloves. On March 7, the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported that German customs authorities were preventing a Swiss truck carrying 240,000 protective masks from returning to Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU. The Swiss government summoned the German ambassador to protest against the export ban. "In these contacts, the German authorities were urged immediately to release the blocked products," a Swiss government spokesperson was quoted as saying. After facing a backlash from other EU member states, Germany on March 19 reversed course and lifted the export ban.
Austria, March 10. Austria became the first EU country to close its borders to another EU country. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced controls along the border with Italy and a ban on the entry of most travelers from there. "The utmost priority," Kurz said, "is to prevent the spread and thus importing the illness into our society. There is therefore a ban on entry for people from Italy into Austria, with the exception of people who have a doctor's note certifying that they are healthy." The government also announced a ban on all air or rail travel to Italy. Austria's decision threatened to undo the so-called Schengen Area, which entered into effect in 1995 and abolishes the need for passports and other types of control at the mutual borders of 26 European countries.
Slovenia, March 11. The government closed some border crossings with Italy and at those remaining open, had started making health checks to combat the spread of the virus.
Czech Republic, March 12. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš closed the country's borders with Germany and Austria and also banned the entry of foreigners coming from other risky countries. On March 22, the government said that the border restrictions may last for up to two years.
Switzerland, March 13. The Swiss government imposed border controls with other European countries. Switzerland, although not a member of the European Union, is part of the Schengen zone.
Italy, March 13. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde dismissed calls by Italy for financial assistance to help it cope with the pandemic. After her comments rattled financial markets, Lagarde said that the ECB was "fully committed to avoid any fragmentation in a difficult moment for the euro area." Italian President Sergio Mattarella replied that Italy had a right to expect solidarity rather than obstacles from beyond its borders.
Denmark, March 14. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen imposed border controls on all traffic by land, sea and air until at least April 13.
Poland, March 15. The government closed the country's borders to everyone except Polish citizens or people with a Polish residence permit.
Germany, March 16. Germany, the largest and most powerful country in the European Union, introduced controls on its borders with Austria, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland. The move came after Germany registered 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in just one day.
Hungary, March 16. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán halted all passenger traffic into Hungary would be halted and only Hungarian citizens allowed to enter the country.
Spain, March 16. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska decreed the establishment of controls at all land borders.
Serbia, March 16. President Aleksandar Vučić declared a state of emergency due to coronavirus. He condemned the EU for restricting exports of medical equipment and appealed for help from his "friend and brother," Chinese leader Xi Jinping. "European solidarity does not exist," Vučić said. "That was a fairy tale on paper. I have sent a special letter to the only ones who can help, and that is China." Serbia applied to become a member of the EU in 2009. Accession talks began in January 2014.
Czech Republic, March 17. Czech authorities seized 110,000 face masks that China had sent to Italy. On March 23, the Czech Republic delivered the confiscated material to Italy. "There are 110,000 masks on board the bus as a gift to Italy, which is supposed to replace the material that was probably a Chinese gift for Italian compatriots," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Stichova.
Germany, March 18. Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a rare televised speech, urged all Germans to obey rules aimed at reducing direct social contact and avoiding as many new infections as possible. "It is serious," she said. "Take it seriously. Since German reunification, actually, since World War Two, there has never been a challenge for our country in which acting in solidarity was so very crucial." Merkel's address to the nation was the first time in nearly 15 years in office that she had spoken to the country other than in her annual New Year's address. She did not mention the European Union or other EU member states.
Belgium, March 22. The coronavirus has fueled tensions between Belgium, which is on lockdown, and the Netherlands, which is not. "In the Netherlands, shops are still open and meetings of 100 people are still allowed — these are breeding grounds for the virus," said Marino Keulen, mayor of the Belgian border town Lanaken. Belgian authorities have set up barricades along the border and are ordering cars with Dutch license plates to turn around and return home. Keulen called the border checks a "signal to The Hague" to "quickly scale-up" its response and align with neighboring countries. "The Dutch government is incompetent and ridiculous in its response to the coronavirus crisis," said Leopold Lippens, the mayor of Belgian seacoast town Knokke-Heist. "The Netherlands is doing nothing, so we have to protect ourselves."
Spain, March 25. After failing to obtain assistance from the European Union, the Spanish government asked NATO for help in acquiring 1.5 million face masks and 450,000 respirators. NATO lacks this material and is limited to passing the Spanish request on to the remaining 29 allies, many of which are also members of the EU.
Poland, March 25. Polish authorities prevented hundreds of thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer from being exported to Norway, which is not a member of the EU. The Norwegian company Norenco manufactures and packages hand sanitizer for the Scandinavian market at a factory it owns in Poland. Norenco's chief executive, Arne Haukland, said that after he applied for an export license, five men arrived at the factory, and demanded to be shown its stock of hand sanitizer. He said the company then received a letter ordering it to sell any hand sanitizer it had produced to the local city authorities in Lubin at a fixed price, under emergency coronavirus laws passed in Poland at the start of March. The seizure will exacerbate the supply problem faced by Norwegian hospitals.
France, March 25. President Emmanuel Macron, in an address to the nation at a military hospital in the eastern city of Mulhouse, which has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus, called for national, as opposed to European, unity: "When we engage in war, we engage fully, we mobilize united. I see in our country factors of division, doubts, all those who want to fracture the country when it is necessary to have only one obsession: to be united to fight against the virus. I call for this unity and this commitment."
Meanwhile, in Italy, a nationwide survey published on March 18 found that 88% of Italians believe that the EU is not helping their country. Only 4% thought the opposite while 8% did not have an opinion. More than two-thirds (67%) of Italians said that they believe that being part of the European Union is a disadvantage for their country.
In an article titled, "Coronavirus Threatens European Unity," Bill Wirtz, a political commentator based in Luxembourg, observed:
"As the coronavirus unfolds, Schengen countries are shutting their own borders. Whether or not they do so because they believe that a coordinated European response would be inefficient, or whether they believe that their own voters wouldn't buy it — at this stage it's irrelevant. The mere fact that borders have resurfaced in Europe is a failure for the integrity of the Schengen open borders agreement....
"A coordinated EU response to this crisis does not exist, and as the recommendations fall on deaf ears, Brussels is dealing with a crisis of confidence. There is no union-wide crisis response, coordinated testing or research. Worse than that, the EU institutions are bystanders to a war between countries, which are trying to limit exports of medical supplies in order to keep them for themselves. In times of crisis, the true influence and capacity of the EU has shown, and it is very little.
"As it stands, countries are dealing with a crisis of missing hospital beds, medical equipment, and overall resources. If the virus ever happens to lay lower than it does now, and the conclusion is drawn that the European Union was a powerless bystander in the eye of the storm (which it is), then the Schengen Agreement and open borders in Europe could be dealing with a difficult recovery."
Darren McCaffrey, the political editor of the France-based news channel Euronews, wrote:
"In the past couple of weeks, solidarity has collapsed in the bloc. Countries have started imposing border controls on neighboring EU countries, and even Germany has taken steps to manage the flow of people entering and leaving its territory.
"On Tuesday, a 35-kilometer-long queue formed at the Polish-German border, where hundreds of Europeans — Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians — were stuck in trucks, cars and buses.
"As the EU must take measures to prevent the spread of the disease, many are worrying about the essence of the European Union and its four freedoms [the free movement of goods, services, capital and people].
"What is the EU if its own citizens can't move freely? What is the single market if goods can't cross Europe's borders without hindrance?"
In an article titled, "Nations First: The EU Struggles for Relevance in the Fight against Coronavirus," the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel noted:
"As the pandemic takes hold in Europe, the decades-old union is showing its weaknesses. While the EU managed to survive Brexit and the euro crisis, the corona crisis may yet prove to be an insurmountable challenge.
"Instead of trying to come up with joint solutions, the Continent is becoming balkanized and is reverting to national solutions. Instead of helping each other out, EU countries are hoarding face masks like panicked Europeans are hoarding toilet paper. The early decisions made by some EU member states to refrain from exporting medical equipment to Italy — the EU country that has thus far been hit hardest by the pandemic — has even overshadowed the lack of European solidarity displayed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the refugee crisis.
"Europeans are even divided on the question as to how to combat the virus. Whereas Germany is eager to prevent as many people as possible from encountering the virus and becoming infected, the Netherlands wants to see as many healthy people as possible fight off COVID-19, thus becoming immune. The signal is clear: When things get serious, every member state still looks out for itself first — even 60 years after the founding of the community."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Communicating in the Time of No Communication
Elias Harfoush/Asharq Al Awsat/March 27/2020
I am one out of millions quarantined in their rooms because of the coronavirus attack on the human race. I, a traditional man when it comes to spending time on social media, would not have imagined that the day would come when it would be my only means to cross into what resembles a normal life.
Here I am, surrounded in my house by my wife and phone. This little device has become my means of production, I worry for it as I worry over my health, for it to stop working or for its battery to run out amid this crisis. The article you are reading right now, whether on our paper print or website, would not have reached you had it not been for the Microsoft company or the Windows software. The WhatsApp application on this device in my hand has become my only means to communicate with my colleagues and the outside world.
I think, in my humble analysis of the plan the coronavirus has in its attack on the human race, that it is conspiring with social media, including WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook and similar apps, to teach skeptics like me a lesson: There will come a day, and indeed it has come now, that people will not have any means of communication among them other than these platforms.
World leaders are conducting conferences and meetings through Skype and Television channels are hosting commentators using the same means. I can’t imagine what those who cannot use these means or do not have them are doing? How are they talking to their loved ones? How are they shopping and calling their doctors and pharmacists?
Don’t you agree with me? What if there was a conspiracy behind the spread of the coronavirus? Then it must be the CEOs of Microsoft and Apple and their comrades, who will leave this war the only victors? All reasons for a normal life have stopped while they remain alone in the arena, alone capable of lifting people from the isolation that has been imposed on them.
These modern technologies are not the only ones that will leave this war victorious and will be able to breach the siege imposed by the virus invasion on our daily lives. On the sidelines of this crisis that is threatening the global economy, the stocks of the largest companies and the income of millions of people, there are factories that are rushing to produce masks and ventilators that intensive care units in hospitals are in dire need of.
There are also labs and scientific research centers that are working hard to produce a vaccine for this pandemic with the prospect of millions of dollars in estimated profit if they succeed.
Of course, it could be said in response to this claim that these labs and centers are doing necessary humanitarian acts that will serve the entire human race. This is true, however, can we not say that perhaps they are making the best out of this crisis?
China has found an opportunity as well. The country that is accused of exporting this pandemic around the world, has become the country that is exporting experts and doctors to fight it. It is competing with the European Union in helping devastated European countries like Italy and Spain after the EU found itself incapable of helping them. This has led to many legitimate questions about the seriousness of solidarity and the effectiveness of the unified laws that were meant to secure minimal European solidarity.
Who would have expected two months ago that our lives will turn upside down because of the systematic violence that the coronavirus is practicing against the world in an unprecedented manner in modern human history? We could have expected it to be a foreign enemy and would have taken precautions, but now, our bodies have become our enemies. Fears of a handshake, a sneeze and a gasp for breath have become justified. The battle now needs new tools.
I imagine that coronavirus was hiding somewhere, watching us live our silly lives, our reckless ways of dealing with places, countries and beautiful things, our taking for granted the conveniences that we have. The virus then jumped out of its hiding place to remind us that these things are not to be taken for granted. Going to cafes and restaurants, walking on the street and the pavement, things that we would consider normal things to do in our daily lives, we would be deprived of in a moment. And by whom? Does it move in the air that we breathe and spread its poison from one country to another? Or does it need proximity with someone who is infected? Suspicions that resemble suspicions about its source. Is it an American or Chinese product? Who stands behind this destruction?
The day will come, hopefully soon, when we leave our rooms to enjoy the sun again, the greenery, museums, cinemas and music venues, when we return to our normal lives. Perhaps when that day comes, that what we had taken for granted is not always like that, and that we may lose them at any second for a reason that we could not have predicted. Therefore, we need to enjoy the beautiful moments, times and opportunities, and to get closer to the ones we love.

Uncertainty in a Bleak Moment

Amir Taheri//Asharq Al Awsat/March 27/2020
Regardless of its denouement, the current coronavirus crisis may end up affecting the authority of the political, economic, media and scientific elites who shape world public opinion. The function of the elites, and their clam to legitimacy, has been linked to their ability to create certainty, in defiance of all and sundry Cassandras.
However, the current crisis, which struck like thunder out of the blue, has reasserted the evanescence, even the uncertainty, of human affairs. Just a few weeks ago the received wisdom was that stock exchanges will continue to move upwards while Donald J. Trump would sail to a second term and post-Brexit European Union would settle for a period of anemic growth on the edge of recession. Globally, the elites peddled the certainty of business as usual.
And, yet, what we now have is uncertainty on a degree not seen in recent memory. Already the Brexit agenda in Europe is delayed, if not actually derailed as British Premier Boris Johnson’s stiff upper lip is less impressive under a surgical mask. With French airplanes ferrying abandoned Brits back home from the four corners of the globe and British aircraft providing the same service to European tourists, the old union, cursed by the Brexiters, does not look as dead as Boris hoped.
In Britain itself, Boris has been forced to postpone local and mayoral elections for a whole year, adding to the sense of uncertainty.
The political process is also slowing down in the United States as both parties are forced to put the presidential campaign in a low gear. With President Trump losing his chief claim to success, the robust health of Wall Street, his re-election is no longer as certain as pundits pretended. There is also uncertainty in the camp of the Democrats. Will enough Americans be seduced by the “end of capitalism” mantra to go for Bernie Sanders and a Socialist America or will they choose Joe Biden another septuagenarian who represents the back to the future option?
In China, the birthplace of the virus, uncertainty is illustrated with the postponement, sine die, of the Communist Party’s congress which was slated to trigger a massive purge and consolidate President Xi Jinping’s position for at least another decade.
In France, Emmanuel Macron has used the coronavirus as an excuse to virtually abandon the key reforms that was to make his presidency different from the self-indulgent and ineffective terms of his three predecessors. He also postponed the second and crucial round of municipal and mayoral elections that could have seen his En Marche (Marching On) party trounced at the polls.
In Japan, the controversial amendment of the Constitution, to allow the nation too re-arm and if necessary, fight foreign wars, has been put on the backburner. Uncertainty is also casting its shadow on constitutional wizardry to keep Vladimir Putin in power as long as the Angel of Death allows.
In Italy and Spain, the two European nations most affected by the pandemic, shaky minority governments are using uncertainty to prolong their lives.
Uncertainty may also be affecting politics in Iran where he “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei may have slowed down his bid for exclusive hold on power, in the hope that Hassan Rouhani, the hapless president, will end up carrying the can for the disaster caused by the pandemic.
Slowdown in the power struggle is also noticeable in Iraq where fear of facing the pandemic has dampened the enthusiasm of many ambitious figures, allowing the shaky status quo to endure. Shaky status quo is also prolonged in Afghanistan where the latest round of the Pahstun-Tajik power struggle has lost much of its intensity while the curious “deal” the US has signed with the Taliban fades into the background.
On positive note, the pandemic may have slowed down India’s tragic rush towards a major Hindu-Muslim civil war that threatened to tear its democracy apart.
The uncertainty in question has also made some “unthinkable” decisions inevitable, including the postponement of the Olympics in Tokyo. There is also talk of postponing or re-locating the Football World Cup in Qatar with the excuse that the cancellation and/or postponement of most tournaments, including the European Cup, have upset the entire global sporting calendar.
Another “unthinkable” that has come to pass is the absence of the United States from a leading role in curbing and defeating the pandemic. China, Russia and Cuba have tried to fill at least part of the vacuum thus created and, hopefully, burnish their tarnished images as despotic regimes.
Global elites have always built their predictions on the law of causality, the association of a cause with every effect and the temporal sequence of cause and effect. Since Immanuel Kant and Pierre Simon Laplace, researchers and scientists have assumed that if one knows the exact position of a particle at any given time, one can predict its exact position and velocity at any given time in the future.
From the mid-1920s, a number of European scientists among them Bohr, Born, Jordan, Pauli and Dirac challenged that certainty, arguing that study of phenomena should take into account the possibility of jumps and discontinuity. Werner Heisenberg took that thesis a notch further with his concept of uncertainty. He wrote: “The law of cause and effect asserts that if we know the present, we can calculate the future. It is not the conclusion that is wrong, but the premise.”
It is no surprise that Heisenberg arrived at his thesis during the crisis of uncertainty that struck Germany under the Weimar Republic while the rest of the so-called civilized world coped with the global economic crash.
Should the global system rethink its fascination, not to say obsession, with speed and appreciate the individual and collective slowdown imposed by the pandemic? The question is not impertinent if we consider that we often confuse haste with speed as we aspire after permanence when our reality is one of evanescence not to say precariousness.
Uncertainty, jumps and discontinuity; key words in a new vocabulary we ought to ponder. They help rein in our hubris but could also temper any despair we might feel at this bleak moment. If the best we hoped for a few months ago didn’t happen, there is no reason why the worst that we now fear may come to pass. The beauty of uncertainty is that it works both ways.

IMF approves changes to enable debt service relief for poorest countries
Nicky Harley/The International/March 27/2020
International Monetary Fund to allow up to two years relief in response to coronavirus outbreak
The International Monetary Fund's executive board has approved changes to allow it to provide up to two years of debt service relief to its poorest and most vulnerable members as they respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
In a meeting on Friday, the IMF said it had expanded the qualification criteria for its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) to reflect the circumstances created by the pandemic.
As a result, all member countries with per capita income below the World bank's operational threshold for concessional support will now be eligible for debt service relief for up to two years.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she was particularly concerned about emerging markets and developing countries which had seen $83 billion in capital outflows and predicted they would need upwards of $2.5 trillion in financial resources to recover from virus-related disruptions. IMF member countries had encouraged the Fund to focus its efforts on steps that could be done quickly, including a doubling of emergency financing to $100 billion and creation of a new short-term liquidity facility, she said in an interview.
Asked whether the global economy needs more than the $5 trillion in new rescue spending pledged by G20 countries on Thursday, Georgieva said: "Our advice is go big."
"This is a very big crisis and it's not going to be sorted out without a very massive deployment of resources," she said, noting that low interest rates made it easier for countries to provide significant fiscal support.
The G20's $5 trillion pledge is equal to what was spent in 2009 during the global financial crisis, although economists say this crisis could be far worse. Mrs Georgieva on Friday said the pandemic has already plunged the world into recession and it will be worse than during the last crisis, which caused a 0.7 per cent drop in global output in 2009.
She welcomed a $2.2 trillion aid package approved by the US Congress on Friday to cushion the blow to consumers and businesses - more than double what it pledged in 2009.
"The size matters. What matters perhaps even more is well-targeted measures," she said, citing the need to focus stimulus efforts on health systems, income for workers who have lost jobs and keeping companies out of bankruptcy.
Emerging markets will likely need more than $2.5 trillion in resources, although some of this will come from their internal reserves, and some from domestic borrowing markets, she said.
"I do believe this number is on the lower end, because we are yet to see the full unfolding of this crisis in many emerging markets and developing countries," she said. "It is hitting countries one after another, and it's like a domino falling until your turn comes."
The IMF could approve additional emergency financing and creation of a new short-term liquidity facility when it meets for its now-virtual Spring Meetings in April, said one source familiar with the process.
Mrs Georgieva said it would take longer and more consultation with members was needed to move forward on her proposal to allow countries to draw on their Special Drawing Rights, the currency of the IMF, as was done in 2009 during the global financial crisis.

Question: “How, why, and when did Satan fall from heaven?”
GotQuestions.org
Answer: Satan’s fall from heaven is symbolically described in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18. While these two passages are referring specifically to the kings of Babylon and Tyre, they also reference the spiritual power behind those kings, namely, Satan. These passages describe why Satan fell, but they do not specifically say when the fall occurred. What we do know is this: the angels were created before the earth (Job 38:4-7). Satan fell before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:1-14). Satan’s fall, therefore, must have occurred somewhere after the time the angels were created and before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Whether Satan’s fall occurred hours, days, or years before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden, Scripture does not specifically say.
The book of Job tells us, at least at that time, Satan still had access to heaven and to the throne of God. “One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, ’Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the LORD, ‘From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it’” (Job 1:6-7). Apparently at that time, Satan was still moving freely between heaven and earth, speaking to God directly and answering for his activities. Whether God has discontinued this access is a matter of debate. Some say Satan’s access to heaven was ended at the death of Christ. Others believe Satan’s access to heaven will be ended at the end times war in heaven.
Why did Satan fall from heaven? Satan fell because of pride. He desired to be God, not to be a servant of God. Notice the many “I will…” statements in Isaiah 14:12-15. Ezekiel 28:12-15 describes Satan as an exceedingly beautiful angel. Satan was likely the highest of all angels, the anointed cherub, the most beautiful of all of God’s creations, but he was not content in his position. Instead, Satan desired to be God, to essentially “kick God off His throne” and take over the rule of the universe. Satan wanted to be God, and interestingly enough, that is essentially what Satan tempted Adam and Eve with in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5). How did Satan fall from heaven? Actually, a fall is not an accurate description. It would be far more accurate to say God cast Satan out of heaven (Isaiah 14:15; Ezekiel 28:16-17). Satan did not fall from heaven; rather, Satan was pushed.
Recommended Resources: Angels: Elect & Evil by C. Fred Dickason and Logos Bible Software.

Question: "What does it mean that the Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23)?"

Answer: The clause “the Lord is my shepherd” comes from one of the most beloved of all passages of Scripture, the 23rd Psalm. In this passage and throughout the New Testament we learn that the Lord is our Shepherd in two ways. First, as the Good Shepherd, He laid down His life for His sheep and, second, His sheep know His voice and follow Him (John 10:11, 14).
In Psalm 23, God is using the analogy of sheep and their nature to describe us. Sheep have a natural tendency to wander off and get lost. As believers, we tend to do the same thing. It’s as Isaiah has said: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). When sheep go astray, they are in danger of getting lost, being attacked, even killing themselves by drowning or falling off cliffs.
Likewise, within our own nature there is a strong tendency to go astray (Romans 7:5; 8:8), following the lusts of our flesh and eyes and pursuing the pride of life (1 John 2:16). As such, we are like sheep wandering away from the Shepherd through our own futile self-remedies and attempts at self-righteousness. It is our nature to drift away (Hebrews 2:1), to reject God, and to break His commandments. When we do this, we run the risk of getting lost, even forgetting the way back to God. Furthermore, when we turn away from the Lord, we soon find ourselves confronting one enemy after another who will attack us in numerous ways.
Sheep are basically helpless creatures who cannot survive long without a shepherd, upon whose care they are totally dependent. Likewise, like sheep, we are totally dependent upon the Lord to shepherd, protect, and care for us. Sheep are essentially dumb animals that do not learn well and are extremely difficult to train. They do not have good eyesight, nor do they hear well. They are very slow animals who cannot escape predators; they have no camouflage and no weapons for defense such as claws, sharp hooves, or powerful jaws.
Furthermore, sheep are easily frightened and become easily confused. In fact, they have been known to plunge blindly off a cliff following one after another. Shepherds in Bible times faced incredible dangers in caring for their sheep, putting their own lives at risk by battling wild animals such as wolves and lions who threatened the flock. David was just such a shepherd (1 Samuel 17:34–35). In order to be good shepherds, they had to be willing to lay down their lives for the sheep.
Jesus declared that He is our Shepherd and demonstrated it by giving His life for us. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Through His willing sacrifice, the Lord made salvation possible for all who come to Him in faith (John 3:16). In proclaiming that He is the good shepherd, Jesus speaks of “laying down” His life for His sheep (John 10:15, 17–18).
Like sheep, we, too, need a shepherd. Men are spiritually blind and lost in their sin. This is why Jesus spoke of the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4–6). He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us. He searches for us when we’re lost, to save us and to show us the way to eternal life (Luke 19:10). We tend to be like sheep, consumed with worry and fear, following after one another. By not following or listening to the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:27), we can be easily led astray by others to our own destruction. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, warns those who do not believe and listen to Him: “I did tell you, but you do not believe . . . you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:25–28).
Psalm 23:1–3 tells us that the shepherd meets the sheep’s every need: food, water, rest, safety, and direction. When we as believers follow our Shepherd, we, too, know that we will have all we need. We will not lack the necessities of life, for He knows exactly what we need (Luke 12:22–30).
Sheep will not lie down when they are hungry, nor will they drink from fast-flowing streams. Sometimes the shepherd will temporarily dam up a stream so the sheep can quench their thirst. Psalm 23:2 speaks of leading the sheep “beside the quiet [stilled] waters.” The shepherd must lead his sheep because they cannot be driven. Instead, the sheep hear the voice of their shepherd and follow him—just as we listen to our Shepherd, Jesus Christ—in His Word and follow Him (John 10:3–5, 16, 27). And if a sheep does wander off, the shepherd will leave the flock in charge of his helpers and search for the lost animal (Matthew 9:36; 18:12–14; Luke 15:3–7).
In Psalm 23:3, the Hebrew word translated “paths” means “well-worn paths or ruts.” In other words, when sheep wander onto a new path, they start to explore it, which invariably leads them into trouble. This passage is closely akin to the warning in Hebrews 13:9: “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” The apostle Paul also alludes to this idea in Ephesians 4:14. Finally, the shepherd cares for the sheep because he loves them and wants to maintain his own good reputation as a faithful shepherd. As we’ve seen in Psalm 23, the analogy of the Lord as the Good Shepherd was also applied by Jesus in John chapter 10. In declaring that He is the shepherd of the sheep, Jesus is confirming that He is God. The Eternal God is our Shepherd. And we would not want it any other way.

Iran using time of crisis to increase its regional meddling
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 27/2020
Iran is facing one of the worst public health crises in its modern history. Tens of thousands of people there have been infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and more than 2,000 have lost their lives.
Many members of the country’s medical staff and health officials keep calling on the government to take the necessary steps to disrupt the spread of the virus. Kianush Jahanpur, the spokesperson for Iran’s Health Ministry, revealed the depth of the crisis by tweeting: “Based on our information, every 10 minutes one person dies from the coronavirus and some 50 people become infected with the virus every hour in Iran.”
But the Islamic Republic and its proxies appear to be prioritizing the regime’s revolutionary ideals, military adventurism and pursuit of regional hegemony over the public health crisis that the nation is facing. For example, Iran-backed militias in Iraq are ratcheting up their rocket attacks amid the coronavirus crisis. One attack killed several members of the US-led anti-Daesh coalition at Iraq’s Camp Taji base on March 11. Eighteen 107 millimeter Katyusha rockets slammed into the base, killing two Americans and one British soldier.
The US took retaliatory measures by conducting precision strikes against Kata’ib Hezbollah bases across Iraq, including targeting five of their weapons storage facilities. Iran is a major supplier of weapons and rockets to Shiite militias across the region. The US Navy and allied nations have previously intercepted several shipments of weapons heading to Yemen from Iran, while a UN report conclusively revealed a connection between Iran’s short-range ballistic missiles and the Houthis.
The Tehran regime has long been trying to boost its ballistic missile capacity throughout the region, in defiance of international norms and sanctions. Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles to other countries raises the question of whether Tehran is violating UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which stipulates that: “Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.” Most likely, Tehran’s long-term ballistic missile strategy is not limited to arming militias and terror groups, but also includes having the capacity to manufacture short-range and long-range ballistic missiles in other countries. Since Iran possesses the technology, it will be much more efficient and cost-effective to produce missiles in other nations.
Iran also appears to be setting up new militia groups in Iraq. One such Shiite militia group, which calls itself Usbat Al-Thayireen, or League of Revolutionaries, was likely established and armed by Tehran. In a video it released, a masked man holding a Kalashnikov-style assault rifle warned that attacks on Camp Taji and the Basmaya military base were only the beginning of a larger offensive. In another video, the group declared: “The Islamic resistance of Usbat Al-Thayireen vows to strike the occupation forces’ bases and embassy in the coming days and will continue striking the occupation until it exits the country, and the matter will be taken further if the occupier does not leave.” The militia also described itself as “a martyrdom project whose mission is striking the American occupation forces, striking its bases, striking (its) embassy and avenging the martyred leaders and their companions.”
Through its influence in the Iraqi government, the Iranian regime previously pushed Iraq into recognizing a conglomerate of Shiite militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces as “legitimate” groups, incorporating them into the state apparatuses and making the Iraqi government allocate wages and ammunition for them. Iranian forces and aligned Syrian militias have recruited about 9,000 young fighters from Shiite communities.
In another Arab country, Syria, the Iranian regime has ratcheted up its efforts to recruit young Shiite fighters. Iranian forces and aligned Syrian militias such as Saraya Al-Areen have recruited about 9,000 young fighters from Shiite communities in Sayda, Da’el and Izraa and sent them for military training, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Mass recruitment can also be witnessed in the northeast of the country, around the Euphrates River and Deir Ezzor province.
Iran is exploiting the economic situation by offering financial incentives to the fighters. “Those young people hurry to join the ranks of Iranian-backed militias because of the deteriorating living conditions and lack of job opportunities,” the SOHR reported.
Iran’s modus operandi is also anchored in exploiting religion and using sectarianism as a powerful tool to gain power and further the regime’s parochial, religious and political ambitions. The young people recruited by Iran are generally forced into carrying out various crimes against civilians, including torture, kidnapping, the use of child soldiers, widespread demolition of buildings, indiscriminate attacks, and unlawful restrictions on the movement of people fleeing the fighting.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

COVID-19 poses a huge challenge for Europe
Randa Takieddine/Arab News/March 27/2020
Europe has been badly affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and this has revealed the limits of the solidarity that exists between the 27 member nations of the EU.
Italy and Spain are particularly suffering, with COVID-19 death tolls in both countries surpassing the total in China, which was the first country affected by the outbreak. In effect, Europe is now the center of the pandemic.
While Italy has received some help from China and Cuba, other countries in Europe have been managing the crisis on their own, adopting an “every man for himself” approach.
While the approval ratings of French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe have been boosted, by 14 percent and 13 percent respectively, as a result of the public’s positive view of their handling of the crisis domestically, European nations have failed to efficiently coordinate in the wider battle against the virus.
French hospitals and health professionals lack sufficient stocks of masks and respirators, and components for masks had to be imported, mainly from China. Italy needs more hospital space for the large numbers of patients. France offered little assistance with this because its own hospitals are saturated.
Macron, Philippe and Minister of Health Olivier Veran, a rising star in French politics if public opinion is anything to go by, are making relentless efforts to win the battle in France’s “war” against the coronavirus; Macron repeated six times in a recent speech that “we are in a war.”
There is no doubt that the pandemic has delivered a hard economic shock to the continent, and European leaders are beginning to think about the aftermath and the recession that is sure to follow.
The leaders of nine European countries, including France, Italy and Spain, have called for the issuance of joint European debt to finance the response to the pandemic. They sent a letter to Charles Michel, president of the European Council, arguing that the EU must provide a common debt instrument, issued by a European institution, through which member states can raise funds, on the same basis and to the benefit of all, to counter the effects of the pandemic. The German and Dutch governments do not favor this idea.
The leaders of the 27 EU member states took part in a summit on Thursday, using video links, during which they tried to improve their coordination as they tackle the crisis. If they fail to unify their response to the pandemic and its consequences on their economies, the results will be devastating for a union that already faces growing opposition from populist voices in many of its member nations.
It is true that public health is important to all nations, each of which develops and implements its own rules and procedures to safeguard it. However, the scale and the global nature of the pandemic will force EU states to develop a common economic strategy to help the continent recover from a major economic shock. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, fearing a recession, has announced a business aid package worth €45 billion ($50 billion) for French companies, and said the government is willing to nationalize large companies, such as Air France, to protect them from bankruptcy. He also described the struggle against the pandemic as an economic and financial war, and said national debt will exceed 100 percent of the GDP this year, well above the EU guidelines of not more than 60 percent.
Macron, meanwhile, speaking at an emergency medical center established by the army in Mulhouse, eastern France, made a commitment to the nation to implement a massive investment plan for hospitals and health care when the crisis is under control. This is badly needed; France has some of the best doctors and medical researchers in the world but its public hospitals have been suffering as a result of lack of investment in improvements and modernization.
One hopes that Europe can succeed in creating an operational, well-coordinated economic strategy to prevent the European ship from sinking.
For the time being, as the death toll in France approaches 1,700, the French military is supporting public health services through Operation Resilience, which includes field hospitals set up by the army.
European leaders thinking about the aftermath of the pandemic must prepare for the dramatic recession that will hit them following the restrictions on social and commercial activities, which are likely to remain in place for several more weeks, if not months.
Will they prove to be more united and efficient in their response to this crisis than they have so far managed to be in foreign diplomacy, where Europe has failed to act as a single, unified power in the world?
The challenges created by this coronavirus “war” are huge in terms of human lives, of course, but also at an economic level. One hopes that Europe can succeed in creating an operational, well-coordinated economic strategy to prevent the European ship from sinking.
*Randa Takieddine is a Paris-based Lebanese journalist who headed Al-Hayat’s bureau in France for 30 years. She has covered France’s relations with the Middle East through the terms of four presidents.

With US preoccupied and Europe weak, China begins to advance

Dr. John C. Hulsman/Arab News/March 27/2020
History certainly teaches us that power abhors a vacuum. Geopolitics goes on, as it has done since the days of Athens and Sparta, whatever the calamity. In the case of the coronavirus catastrophe, ironically it is China — the initial propagator of the virus, whose two-month cover-up allowed it to spread undetected to much of the world — that stands to benefit most. Sometimes history favors the culpable. And Beijing has lost no time in taking advantage of the sluggish responses to the virus emanating from both Brussels and Washington. In the case of the EU, the coronavirus crisis is ruthlessly exposing its flaws: It is too slow, too divided, and — when push comes to shove — not enough of a union at all. For example, while the hard-pressed Italians were first bearing the brunt of the disease in Europe, a selfish German government decided to hoard surgical masks, as the Germans might need them themselves in just a matter of weeks. Either Europe is a union, and behaves as such, or else all that endless pious talk means nothing.
America, as all continental powers tend to be, is so preoccupied with itself and the impending hit it is about to take that it has spared nary a thought for its besieged European allies. In essence, the crisis is ruthlessly making clear weaknesses already present in the international system well before it struck: Europe is both weak and less than a real union, while the US has lost interest in Europe as its gaze turns to Asia — with much of the world’s future growth as well as much of its global risk. In both cases, the coronavirus has merely clarified the strategic vacuum that had already been quietly growing.
It is at this critical moment that an assured China has chosen to pounce. This past week, as I have turned on the Italian evening news, I have been greeted by the strange sight of Russian, Chinese and even Cuban (of all places) aid trucks wheeling off of runways with medical supplies for the plague-stricken Italian people. China may be culpable in spreading the coronavirus, but Beijing is determined to win the post-virus narrative, while the self-involved transatlantic alliance sleeps.
Beijing is fully energized in winning over the world — whatever the facts of the virus’ providence — with two basic facts. First, due to its ruthless but effective authoritarian response and the innate discipline of its people, it has successfully seen off the virus. It is willing to share its know-how with the rest of the world, as the propaganda victory is apparent: In this newly dangerous world, Beijing is making it clear that its success illustrates that dictatorship is a more effective system than chaotic democracies.
Second, the very global time frame of the coronavirus itself economically favors the Chinese. As the first to be hit by and get through the virus, China will be ramping up its economy, even as later-hit Europe and North America are struggling with the plague. This means China will have a huge economic advantage in coming online first in the post-coronavirus world.
So, into this global pandemic and geopolitical vacuum, China has begun to play the strategic game of dividing an already fractured Europe and making it clear to Italians everywhere that their fears about Donald Trump and America’s fecklessness toward the transatlantic alliance are real.
Or, as John Stuart Mill observed, all it takes for evil to win the world is for enough good men to do nothing. It is easy to be for Europe when the sun is shining. It is easy to believe in NATO when there is no real threat requiring sacrifice. But these beliefs are only real, only tangible, only powerful, when they work as the ancient Greek notion of “praxis” — the unity of thought and action — and do so in a crisis, with real things on the line.
Whatever the origins of the virus, China is determined to win the post-pandemic propaganda narrative.
In other words, because continental statesmen believe in Europe to the marrow of their bones, they act collectively now to help the hardest-hit plague states, such as Italy and Spain. Likewise, America must (yet again) come to the rescue of its European allies by collectively engaging in economic stimulus across the transatlantic space — and even better at the G20 level — as, saving the old continent strategically helps safeguard the new continent, as has been the case for the past 100 years.
One final positive thought, which ought to stand as the West’s collective propaganda riposte to the Chinese: As the world races to find a vaccine for the coronavirus, do not bet against the Germans, Japanese, British or Americans getting there first, ahead of the Chinese; and getting there better, in terms of a safer, more comprehensive product. Western democratic states have a far better record of innovation than communist dictatorships, precisely because the work emanates in free societies where creativity is not punished.
Or, as Winston Churchill so eloquently put it, democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. The West must not be shy about combating Chinese propaganda with this central, and very real, fact.
*Dr. John C. Hulsman is the president and managing partner of John C. Hulsman Enterprises, a prominent global political risk consulting firm. He is also senior columnist for City AM, the newspaper of the City of London. He can be contacted via www.chartwellspeakers.com.