English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 26/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today

Jesus said to his disciples: How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!’Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16/11-20/:”How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!’Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 25-26/2021

Ministry of Health: 2,652 new coronavirus cases, 54 deaths
Health Minister, UNRWA discuss plan to vaccinate Palestinians
Abiad: Easing Lockdown Measures too Soon Risks Losing any Benefit Achieved
ABL says ready to secure salaries of public, private sector employees end of January
US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
Aoun Stresses Commitment to U.N. Resolutions, Especially 1701
Lebanese MP Says Assad Associates Imported Chemicals Behind Beirut Port Blast
Lebanon Central Bank Head Says Figures in Some Media About Swiss Case 'Inflated'
Swiss Envoy, Lebanese FM Hold Talks amid Central Bank Probe
Tear Gas in Tripoli as Roads Blocked in Sidon, Beirut
Lebanese Foreign Ministry Condemns Attempted Missile Attack on Riyadh
Wehbe Issues Circular to Lebanese Embassies Seeking Expat Assistance
F-35s caught by Hezbollah TV over Lebanon in rare operational flight
Jumblat Says Lebanon Under Iranian Dominance
Pro-Hizbullah Lebanese Political Analyst Qassem Qasir: Hizbullah Must Withdraw From Syria; It Cannot Continue To Abide By Iran's Orders And Must Be Incorporated In A Lebanese Defense Strategy/MEMRI/January 25/2021
Hizbullah's Widespread Campaign To Commemorate Qassem Soleimani Sparks Criticism In Lebanon/O. Peri/MEMRI/January 25/2021
UN: Global economic recovery remains precarious, rebound of 4.7% to barely offset 2020 losses

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 25-26/2021

Iran's regime executes second wrestler within 5 months/Benjamin Weinthal/Jerusalem Post/January 25/2021
Biden Seeks to Close 'Made in America' Loophole, Spur Manufacturing
U.S. will work with Israel to build on regional normalization agreements: Biden national security adviser
Supreme Court dismisses emoluments cases against Trump
Biden lifts transgender military ban as he meets with first Black defense secretary
USA Justice Department watchdog investigating possible attempt to overturn election results
New Round of Talks on Syria's Constitution Begins in Geneva
Greece, France Sign $2.8 Billion Fighter Jet Deal amid Tensions with Turkey
Turkey, Greece Resume Talks on Maritime Disputes after 5 YearsPutin Calls Pro-Navalny Marches Illegal, New Protest Set for Sunday
Putin Calls Pro-Navalny Marches Illegal, New Protest Set for Sunday
UN: World Shed Equivalent of 255 mn jobs Last Year
Signs of human rights row loom between Cairo, Washington
Jordan Demands Israel End Al-Aqsa 'Provocations'
India and China Clash again on Himalayan Border
 

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 25-26/2021

EU rewarding Iranian aggression by seeking return to nuclear deal/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/January 25/2021
Iran must prove it is serious before Gulf talks can begin/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/January 254/2021
Nukes, terror, Syria, Iraq, Hezbollah - Iran's tentacles are spreading/Seth.J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/January 25/2021
The next pandemic may be cyber — How Biden administration can stop it/Jamil Farshchi /Samantha F. Ravich/The Hill/January 25/2021
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for U.S. Sanctions in Yemen/Behnam Ben Taleblu/Varsha Koduvayur/Insight/FDD/January 25/2021
Your Government is Afraid of You/Chris Farrell/Gatestone Institute/January 25/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 25-26/2021

Ministry of Health: 2,652 new coronavirus cases, 54 deaths
NNA/Monday, 25 January, 2021
The Ministry of Public Health announced 2,652 new cases of coronavirus infection, which raises the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 282,249.
54 deaths have been registered over the past 24 hours.

Health Minister, UNRWA discuss plan to vaccinate Palestinians
NNA/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Dr. Hamad Hassan, on Monday met with an "UNRWA" delegation headed by UNRWA Director in Lebanon, Claudio Cordone, in the presence of World Health Organization representative in Lebanon, Iman Al-Shankiti, and head of the National Committee for the Management of the Vaccination dossier, Dr. Abdel-Rahman Al-Bizri. The meeting agreed on a joint plan for vaccinating Palestinians in Lebanon based on the following axes: First - Helping to set health sector priorities in line with those that apply to the Lebanese. Second - Helping to choose vaccination centers close to Palestinian camps. Third - Intensifying contacts with the international community and international organizations to support Lebanon's efforts to include Palestinian refugees, Syrians, and residents of other nationalities in Lebanon’s vaccination process.

Abiad: Easing Lockdown Measures too Soon Risks Losing any Benefit Achieved
Naharnet/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Firas Abiad, director general of the state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital, stressed on Monday that easing the lockdown measures in Lebanon risks losing any possible benefit achieved in reducing the number of coronavirus infections.
“Over the past week, the daily number of Covid patients in ICU increased by 163(21.7%). ICU bed capacity increased by 129(15.4%). During the same period, 404 Covid patients passed away, many of them were presumably admitted to ICU. ICU bed occupancy is currently 94.4%,” said Abiad on Twitter.
“Over the past week, 122,520 tests were done for local patients. The average test positivity rate was 22.3%. After 10 days of a strict lockdown with good compliance, there is scant evidence that the spread is decreasing. However, lockdowns take time. It is too early to say,” he added.
Abiad said any delay in access to care when virus symptoms show could be the reason for a rise in cases. “In short, more demand for hospitalizations, particularly in ICU, is expected this week. Delays in access to care is probably the cause for the observed rise in Covid case fatality rate in 10 days (0.75% to 0.84%), despite the gallant efforts to treat some patients at home,” he stated.On quarantine measures for travelers, he noted that “the UK, despite battling with a more contagious Covid variant, and record hospitalizations, will discuss today whether to request from travelers, in addition to a negative PCR, to quarantine in a hotel. Lebanon, on the other hand, decided to stop that requirement.”He concluded: “There is an observed public weariness from the lockdown. The business sectors are voicing their concerns as well. This is understandable. However, easing the measures too soon risks losing any benefit that was achieved. As they say, people in a hurry never get there.”

ABL says ready to secure salaries of public, private sector employees end of January
NNA/Monday, 25 January, 2021 
The Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) on Monday issued the following statement: “President of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, Dr. Salim Sfeir, has sent a letter to Caretaker Prime Minister, Dr. Hassan Diab, in which he informed him that banks will be ready, as usual, to secure the wages of public and private sector employees at the end of January, 2021. Therefore, there’s no need for any extraordinary or additional measures for this purpose.”

US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
NNA/Monday, 25 January, 2021 
The Money Changers Syndicate announced in a statement addressed to money changing companies and institutions Monday’s USD exchange rate against the Lebanese pound as follows:
Buying price at a minimum of LBP 3850
Selling price at a maximum of LBP 3900

Aoun Stresses Commitment to U.N. Resolutions, Especially 1701
Naharnet/Monday, 25 January, 2021
President Michel Aoun on Monday emphasized Lebanon’s keenness on “cooperating with the U.N. in all fields” and on “adhering to U.N. conventions and resolutions, especially Resolution 1701.” He also called on U.N. agencies to “continue offering support and assistance to Lebanon, especially amid the difficult circumstances it is currently going through.”Aoun voiced his remarks in a farewell meeting with outgoing U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis, who has been appointed as the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
In appreciation of Kubis’ efforts in Lebanon, the president decorated the U.N. diplomat with National Order Of The Cedar (Knight Grade), wishing him success in his new mission.
 

Lebanese MP Says Assad Associates Imported Chemicals Behind Beirut Port Blast
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Syrians close to President Bashar al-Assad have brought the dangerous chemicals that exploded on August 4 at the Beirut Port, member of the Strong Republic parliamentary bloc MP Maged Eddy Abillama said Sunday. The MP said he has informed the public prosecutor about the information he has to support the ongoing investigation into the devastating explosion. Abillama said he will reveal more information on Tuesday. “I will visit, with the head of the Change Movement, lawyer Elie Mahfoud, the office of the public prosecutor to file a complaint over the crime of the Beirut Port blast,” he said in a television interview.
“The Syrian regime benefited from its proxies in Lebanon to place the ammonium nitrate at the Port of Beirut. The judiciary should assume its responsibilities,” he said. The deputy said every party linked to the explosion should be punished.
“We should gather all information that reveals what happened and hold those who destroyed Beirut accountable,” Abillama added. More than five months after the blast, little light has been shed on the circumstances that led to Lebanon's worst peacetime disaster, which is widely blamed on decades of negligence and corruption by the country's ruling elite. The slow pace of the investigation has sparked outrage at home and fueled distrust among international donors, whose support is much needed if Lebanon is to stand a chance of surviving its deepest economic crisis in decades.

Lebanon Central Bank Head Says Figures in Some Media About Swiss Case 'Inflated'
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said on Monday that figures circulating in some news outlets and on social media relating to an inquiry by the Swiss authorities into allegations of money laundering and embezzlement were inflated. Swiss investigators said last week they were looking into the allegations linked to Lebanon’s central bank. The Swiss attorney general’s office has not said whether Salameh is a suspect or not and has not given any further details about the case. A source familiar with the case has told Reuters the Swiss asked Lebanese authorities via the embassy to ask Salameh, his brother, and assistant “specific questions” about transfers abroad in recent years that amount to nearly $350 million. “All the news and figures traded in some media outlets and on social media are very inflated and are far from reality,” a statement by Salameh on Monday said. Salameh, who has led the central bank since 1993, was questioned by Lebanon’s prosecutor on Thursday. His role came under scrutiny after the country’s financial system collapsed in an unprecedented crisis in 2019 that prompted a crash in the Lebanese pound and a sovereign default.
A Lebanese government official told Reuters last week that Swiss authorities were investigating money transfers by Salameh and also looking into his brother and assistant. Salameh has said allegations about such transfers were untrue.
On Monday, Salameh said the logic of “lying and lying so that something sticks to people’s mind,” would not succeed. “All the facts are documented,” he said.

Swiss Envoy, Lebanese FM Hold Talks amid Central Bank Probe
Associated Press/January 25/2021
Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister held talks Monday with the Swiss ambassador to Beirut after Switzerland started a probe into possible money laundering and embezzlement at the Lebanese central bank. Caretaker FM Charbel Wehbe and ambassador Monika Schmutz Kirgoz did not offer comments following their meeting, saying only that the probe is a matter that judicial authorities are dealing with. Switzerland's attorney general said last week he has asked Lebanon for cooperation into the probe, without offering further details. It's not clear what prompted the Swiss investigation. Lebanon is facing its worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history. Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh denied last week he had made any transfers of the bank's funds. On Monday, shortly after the meeting between Wehbe and Kirgoz, the governor issued a statement saying reports about large transfers "are very exaggerated and have nothing to do with reality." They allegedly aim to tarnish the image of the central bank and its governor "but lies won't succeed," said Salameh, who has been questioned by Lebanon's prosecutor general, Judge Ghassan Oueidat. Swiss legislator Fabian Molina has been campaigning for months for Swiss authorities to act against corruption in Lebanon. On Sunday, he said he was pleased "there is finally a movement in connection with the billions (of dollars) stolen from the Lebanese people." Molina added he expects the Swiss government and the Financial Market Authority to take action "to block further funds and prevent future cases of money laundering by Swiss banks." Lebanon is facing its worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history and as of late 2019, private banks enforced informal capital controls, limiting withdrawals and blocking transfers abroad. The value of Lebanon's currency tumbled against the dollar amid an unprecedented shortage of foreign currencies. The government defaulted on its foreign debts and began talks with the International Monetary Fund for a rescue package. Amid the chaos, reports surfaced of capital transfers, including by government officials. A government-commissioned international audit of the central bank faltered after the New York-based company hired to do it said it was unable to acquire needed information and documents. Salameh, who has held the central bank post since 1993, has defended his role, alleging a systematic campaign meant to hold him responsible for the country's financial crisis.

Tear Gas in Tripoli as Roads Blocked in Sidon, Beirut
Naharnet/January 25/2021
Riot police fired tear gas at stone-throwing demonstrators protesting the lockdown measures in Tripoli, as other protests were organized in Beirut and Sidon. In Tripoli, security forces used tear gas after protesters “heavily pelted Tripoli’s serail with stones and damaged several cars parked in its yard,” the National News Agency said. Riot police intervened and pushed them away to the Abdul Hamid Karami Square, NNA added. The agency said the demonstrators were protesting “the general lockdown, the fines that are being issued against violators and the suffocating economic crisis.”Protesters in the southern city of Sidon meanwhile partially blocked the Elia Square with their bodies and were scheduled to roam the city’s neighborhoods and streets. The Sidon demos were also held in protest at “the hike in prices and citizens’ inability to provide their basic needs amid the general lockdown and continued curfew.”
In the capital, protesters meanwhile briefly blocked the Ring highway in both directions.

Lebanese Foreign Ministry Condemns Attempted Missile Attack on Riyadh
Naharnet/January 25/2021
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry on Monday deplored that attempted missile attack that targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday. In a statement, the Ministry condemned “any targeting of innocent civilians,” describing such attempts as “a violation of international laws that ban attacks on civilians.”And as it denounced “any attack by any side on the sovereignty of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the Ministry expressed its “full solidarity with the kingdom against any attempts to threaten its stability and security.”Saudi Arabia said Saturday it intercepted an apparent missile or drone attack over its capital, Riyadh, amid the kingdom's yearslong war against neighboring Yemen's Huthi rebels.It was unclear who was behind the incident, with the kingdom's brief statement stopping short of accusing anyone and the Huthis saying they were not involved.

Wehbe Issues Circular to Lebanese Embassies Seeking Expat Assistance
Naharnet/January 25/2021
Caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe on Monday issued a circular to all Lebanese embassies around the world asking them to encourage expats to provide medical assistance for crisis-hit Lebanon amid a surge in coronavirus cases. In his circular, Wehbe asked the embassies to seek assistance from Lebanese expats and civil and international bodies capable of providing much-needed assistance at the level of medical equipment, and all kinds of medicines, especially those related to confronting the coronavirus pandemic. The circular expressed appreciation for the “Lebanese abroad and their readiness to assist their relatives at home, whether through the official institutions or through clubs, municipalities and community bodies.”

F-35s caught by Hezbollah TV over Lebanon in rare operational flight
Jerusalem Post/January 25/2021
A photographer for Hezbollah-owned TV station Al Manar tweeted photos of the advanced fifth-generation aircraft flying over Lebanon.
Israeli F-35s are never seen in combat, but on Monday they seemed to have been captured by a Lebanese photographer patrolling the skies over Lebanon.
Ali Shaib, a photographer for Hezbollah-owned TV station Al Manar, tweeted photos of the advanced fifth-generation aircraft flying over Lebanon. While the planes could not immediately be identified as belonging to the Israeli Air Force, Israel does routinely fly over Lebanon as part of its ongoing efforts to collect intelligence on Hezbollah activities. Shaib mistakenly identified the planes as F-15 fighter jets but an examination of the photos clearly showed that they were F-35s, the most advanced fighter jet in IAF use. He wrote that he had counted six fighter jets.
Built by Lockheed Martin, the jets have an extremely low radar signature, making them stealth like and allowing them to operate undetected deep inside enemy territory, as well as evade advanced missile defense systems like the S-300 and S-400, which have been deployed in countries such as Syria. The IAF currently has about 30 active F-35i Adir aircraft out of a total of 50 planes set to land in the coming years, to make two full squadrons by 2024.
The IAF announced in August that as part of changes to make the force more efficient and better able to contend with regional threats, a third F-35i Adir squadron will open next year.
In 2018, IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin revealed that F-35s were being used in operations to attack enemy targets. Norkin also displayed a photograph of an Israeli F-35 flying over Beirut.
“We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East. It has become part of our operational capabilities. We are the first to attack using the F-35 in the Middle East and have already attacked twice on different fronts,” he said at the time.

Jumblat Says Lebanon Under Iranian Dominance
Naharnet/January 25/2021
Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat said Lebanon is under “Iranian tutelage”, and that the formation of a government is delayed because the Free Patriotic Movement and Hizbullah did not receive the green light yet, al-Anbaa electronic magazine reported..
In an online dialogue he held Sunday evening with Lebanese expats, Jumblat said: “The French initiative towards Lebanon has been thwarted because the government format requested by France was not formed. The dominant forces, Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement, did not receive the green light to form a government.” “To Hariri I tell him, these forces dominate everything,” in Lebanon he said, adding that the country is under the effect of an “Iranian tutelage.”On the investigation into the devastating Beirut port explosion, the PSP leader said only a “fair judiciary,” can reap results.
Adding: “I am the only one requesting the continuation of the probe. No one wants the probe to continue, because it will eventually condemn the Syrian regime,” he said.

Pro-Hizbullah Lebanese Political Analyst Qassem Qasir: Hizbullah Must Withdraw From Syria; It Cannot Continue To Abide By Iran's Orders And Must Be Incorporated In A Lebanese Defense Strategy
MEMRI/January 25/2021
Source: NBN TV (Lebanon)
Pro-Hizbullah Lebanese political analyst Qassem Qassir spoke about Hizbullah's changing role in an interview, which aired on NBN TV (Lebanon) on January 6, 2021. He said that Hizbullah's propaganda on the anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani backfired and was meant to compensate for the lack of military retaliation. Qassir added that Hizbullah cannot reverse the past 10 years, but it must now leave Syria and return to Lebanon. He said that Hizbullah and the Shi'ites in Lebanon cannot have the country just for themselves, and they must coexist with the others. Qassir went on to say that Hizbullah cannot continue to abide by the orders of the Ruler Jurisprudent Khamenei, and it must resolve its relations with Iran. He suggested that Hizbullah cannot continue the resistance on its own, and it must be incorporated in a Lebanese defense strategy. Lebanon's NBN TV is a pro-Hizbullah channel.
Qassem Qasir: "People talk about an American–Iranian settlement that will reshuffle the region. This requires us, at the very least, to calm down. I would like to apologize for using the expression 'the Shi'ite age.' Right now, people cannot bear to see a poster or statue of Qasem [Soleimani]. I am against all this omnipresent propaganda. Qasem Soleimani does not need all this, but Hizbullah and Iran have their own considerations..."
Interviewer: "Why are you talking about Iranian considerations? Nasrallah said that [Soleimani played a major role in the 2006 war."
Qasir: "I have noticed the scope of the hype in [Hizbullah's] media and cultural circles. Perhaps they are trying to compensate for not retaliating militarily. Perhaps that is why they focus on this morale boost. This is clear in Iran, and in Iraq, and in the entire region. We should acknowledge that this campaign in the media had a negative effect on us, regardless of Qasem Soleimani's role in Lebanon, his support of Lebanon and of the resistance. We should be able to criticize ourselves. Anything excessive causes more harm than good.
"In the past decade, and for geo–political reasons and the regional conflict, Hizbullah was compelled to [fight] outside of Lebanon. According to the principles of its foundation, Hizbullah must not intervene in the affairs of other countries. Hizbullah learned the lesson of the Arab fronts and leftist movements, who suffered a blow as soon as they intervened in another country. This is what happened to Fatah and to the PFLP. So Hizbullah made the internal decision to not interfere in any other country. I'm talking about Hizbullah, not about Iran's allies in the region."
Interviewer: "But regarding its role in Syria..."
Qasir: "After the crisis in Syria..."
Interviewer: "But Syria asked for it, and now it is considered interference?"
Qasir: "Sayyed Hassan [Nasrallah] spoke about the reasons and circumstances..."
Interviewer: "Right."
Qasir: "Whether he was right or wrong, it is in the past, and we cannot go back in time, to ten years ago. What's done is done. But now, the time has come for Hizbullah... I'm saying this here, on the [pro-Hizbullah] NBN TV. The time has come for it to return to Lebanon.
"We need the Shi'ites in general and Hizbullah in particular not to feel so high and mighty. This country should include all of us. We need to coexist with everybody..."
Interviewer: "But when Hizbullah feels so high and mighty, in your words, what does it mean on the ground?"
Qasir: "The hyped celebrations on the anniversary of Gen. Qasem Soleimani's martyrdom – this was a kind of show of force. We should take into consideration that there are other kinds of Lebanese citizens, who live in the same country with us. They are our partners, and we cannot simply ignore them. The Shi'ites cannot build a country just for themselves. The notion of diversity protects this country.
"Hizbullah's first problem has to do with its relations with Iran. With all due respect to this relationship, which had many advantages, Hizbullah cannot keep going the way it has been. It needs to be a Lebanese political party. That's it. If it has religious or moral affinity [to Iran] – that's not a problem. But it cannot continue to say that it abides by orders of the Ruler Jurisprudent. This problem must be resolved. The second problem has to do with resistance. Hizbullah cannot continue to wage resistance all by itself. It must be incorporated within a [Lebanese] defense strategy."
 

Hizbullah's Widespread Campaign To Commemorate Qassem Soleimani Sparks Criticism In Lebanon
O. Peri/MEMRI/January 25/2021
The Lebanese Hizbullah took a series of measures and held numerous events to mark the first anniversary of the death of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Qods Force in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy-commander of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in Iraq, who were assassinated in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad airport in January 2020. In addition to statements, interviews and articles extolling Soleimani and Al-Muhandis in Hizbullah's media, the organization put up posters of the two in various parts of the country, erected monuments in their honor and commemorated them in various other ways.
This commemoration campaign sparked criticism from Lebanese politicians, journalists and citizens, who saw it as an expression of Iran's control of their country. A statement made by 'Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian IRGC's Aerospace Force, ahead of the anniversary of Soleimani's and Al-Muhandis's death likewise sparked outrage in Lebanon. He said, "Iran will support anyone who is at the forefront of the confrontation with the Zionist regime. Gaza and Lebanon are at the forefront, and their missile capabilities have been supported by Iran."[1] As part of the criticism, Hizbullah was accused of representing Iran's interests rather than Lebanon's and of undermining Lebanon's sovereignty. According to reports, Lebanese citizens burned pictures of Soleimani in various parts of the country.
Condemnations of Hizbullah were heard even from Qassem Qasir, a Shi'ite journalist close to the organization, who wrote that Hizbullah must rethink its relations with Iran and become a Lebanese organization.
It should be noted that events held by Hizbullah after the assassination itself also sparked outrage in Lebanon.[2]
This report reviews the events conducted and measures taken by Hizbullah to commemorate the assassination of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, and the criticism they aroused.
Hizbullah's "Loyalty To The Resistance" Parliamentary Bloc: As Lebanese It Is Our Duty To Thank And Salute Soleimani
On the anniversary of Soleimani's assassination, many officials and bodies affiliated with Hizbullah, the IRGC and the PMU extolled him and praised the relations between Iran and Lebanon. IRGC commander Hossein Salami said on Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV: "The Lebanese and the Iranians are a single nation living in two different geographic areas, one soul in two bodies… The honorable Hassan Nasrallah and Hajj Qassem Soleimani are [also] a single soul in two bodies… We support the beloved Lebanese people and the capable and beloved Hizbullah, and will continue doing so to the end."[3]
A statement issued by Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc said: "We Lebanese have a duty to thank General Qassem Soleimani, salute him and express our loyalty to him as an honorable emblem of struggle and humanity. He deserves [all] this due to the positions [he expressed] and the sacrifices [he made] for the sake of the Lebanese people and against their terrorist, Zionist and takfiri enemies [i.e., extremist Islamist organizations that accuse fellow Muslims of heresy]… The coming days and years will reveal the scope and might of what Iran has given [us] and what its emblematic commander and hero [Soleimani] invested in order to defend our [Lebanese] people and our homeland from the forces of usurpation, aggression, occupation and takeover."[4]
Nasrallah: Were It Not For Iran's Missiles, Nobody Would Take Any Interest In Lebanon
Some statements made on the occasion of the anniversary of Soleimani's death also mentioned the issue of the weapons Iran provides to Hizbullah. For example, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said on January 3: "Yes, we also admit that the Islamic Republic [of Iran] supports us with weapons and missiles… If Lebanon is strong, if anyone takes notice of Lebanon's presence on the map, if anyone in the world, in the U.S. or in Europe [even] asks about Lebanon, it's [only] thanks to the resistance and thanks to these missiles… All of Iran's support for Lebanon is provided unconditionally, and all the campaigns that the resistance has joined since 1982 were aimed at liberating Lebanon and Lebanese prisoners and defending Lebanon's soil, [territorial] waters and sovereignty - and so it will be in the future. The resistance currently waged in Lebanon may be one of the most important resistance [campaigns] ever [undertaken] in human history by an entity with independent decision-making…"[5]
Shi'ite cleric Ahmad Qabalan said that "Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis are more than commanders and emblems. They [represent] wisdom, history, revolution, respect for life, regional sovereignty and free decision-making - and therefore their blood was not spilled in vain… It is the missiles of Qassem Soleimani and the weapons capabilities [provided by] Iran to the resistance that decided the battle of liberation and victory, consolidated Lebanon's sovereignty and restored its [independent] decision-making and its national institutions, all given for no reward… There can be no sovereignty without the missiles of Qassem Soleimani… and if a statue of liberty and sovereignty is ever erected, it will be a statue of Qassem Soleimani…"[6]
Hizbullah's Extensive Activity To Commemorate Soleimani And Al-Muhandis
In addition to media statements, Hizbullah honored Soleimani and Al-Muhandis in several other ways. Posters of the two were put up along the road leading to Beirut's international airport.[7] Not far from there, the municipal council of the town of Al-Ghobeiry, which is part of the Dahiya, Hizbullah's stronghold in Beirut, put up a bust of Soleimani on a street that bears his name.[8] In the town of Al-Khiam, Hizbullah put up a giant banner bearing the portraits of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis along with Hizbullah's late operations officer 'Imad Mughniyeh.[9] Billboards bearing Soleimani's and Muhandis's names were put up on the Ras Al-'Ayn road near Bayada lake in the Beqaa Valley and in the town of Brital in southern Baalbek. [10]
Posters of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis along the Beirut airport road (Al-Nahar, Lebanon, January 3, 2021)
Soleimani bust in Al-Ghobeiry (Alahednews.com.lb, January 5, 2021)
Various sites were also named after Soleimani and Al-Muhandis. For example, the union of Jabel 'Amel municipalities in South Lebanon opened a jihadi tourist attraction in Wadi Al-Hajir named after Soleimani, where weapons and military gear used by Hizbullah in the war with Israel are on display.[11] Hizbullah inaugurated a Soleimani nature park in the town of Al-Taybeh in South Lebanon,[12] and named a road in South Lebanon after Al-Muhandis.[13] A Hizbullah training course was named after Soleimani as well.[14]
Jihadi tourist attraction named after Soleimani (Alahednews.com.lb, January 4, 2021)
Soleimani and Al-Muhandis were also commemorated with memorials and cultural and social events, such as the "Qassem Exhibition" opened by Hizbullah's activity and information department in the Al-Ghobeiry municipal culture hall, presenting Soleimani's life story. In addition, Hizbullah put up a model depicting the assassination of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis near the village of Arab Salim.[15]
Model depicting the assassination of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis (Alahednews.com.lb, January 7, 2021)
Criticism Of Soleimani Posters: He Is Not A Lebanese Martyr
The extensive commemoration of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, and the expressions of praise for Iran, drew criticism from Lebanese politician and citizens alike, who saw this as an infringement of Lebanon's sovereignty. While Lebanese Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe sufficed with a mild response, saying that "putting up a statue of picture in some square or town hall is not a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty" but that "we are not a display window for any side,"[16] former Lebanese minister Ahmad Fatfat was took a stronger position. He said that putting up posters of Soleimani in Lebanon is "an attempt by one political side to express its dominance on the ground and announce its takeover of Lebanon," and added: "This fact [i.e., the takeover of Lebanon] does not bother Hizbullah and is an act of bullying other Lebanese and refusing to recognize the state… [We have reached] a phase of surrender that will eventually lead to the end of the Lebanese state if the Lebanese officials do not have the courage to preserve its sovereignty. We are facing a force that is occupying Lebanon through the agency of Hizbullah, and all the rest are just extras."[17]
The criticism was expressed not only in words but also in actions. Some Lebanese burned pictures of Soleimani in Beirut,[18] on the Brital road in eastern Lebanon[19] and in Nahr Al-Kalb in the center of the country.[20] Lebanese Twitter user Rama shared a video of his picture being burned, and commented: "Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese, not to the Iranians!! We are the ones who protest and defend our country. [As for] the burning of Qassem Soleimani's pictures, we Lebanese honor the martyrs of Lebanon, but Qassem Soleimani is not one of them!"[21]
Burning Soleimani's picture in Nahr Al-Kalb (Twitter.com/ALJADEEDNEWS, January 4, 2021)
Lebanese Writers: Posters Of Soleimani Are A Sign Of Iran's Control Over Lebanon
Attacks on Hizbullah for the widespread commemoration of Soleimani were also apparent in the Lebanese media. 'Adir Nasser, a Lebanese columnist for the London-based Emirati daily Al-Arab, wrote on January 6, 2021: "The Lebanese Hizbullah… does not refrain from inventing new kind of oppression inspired by the many events it conducts… Now it has taken the opportunity of the first anniversary of Qassem Soleimani's assassination to invent a new way of oppressing the Lebanese, especially the Shi'ites in the Dahiya, [Hizbullah's stronghold] in southern Beirut, in South Lebanon and in the Beqaa Valley: [it is] launching a widescale attack on their morale by putting up pictures of the murderer Qassem Soleimani in the streets and squares, and erecting a statue of him in Al-Ghobeiry square near the capital Beirut.
"We [also] see the road to the Rafiq Al-Hariri international airport, the only gateway for flights into the country, adorned with hundreds of enormous posters of the murderer Soleimani, in a bid to impress anyone entering [the country with the extent of] the Iranian regime's control of Lebanon. Is that what the Lebanese people wants [to see] when it is experiencing dire economic and living conditions?... Hizbullah and the axis to which it belongs have nothing left to do but intimidate [people] and threaten war, even if their weapons are limited to a poster or a statue here or there. But [Hizbullah's] real weapons, which it is striving to preserve, are its people and its support base - [whose members] are supposedly willing [even] to 'die in battle for the sake of Islam' just in order to stay under its rule. [But] Hassan Nasrallah will [eventually] realize, even if belatedly, that [these people actually] want to live. They oppose death and scorn the culture of death that he is championing."[22]
Lebanese journalist and political analyst Huda Al-Husseini wrote in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: "What will Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah gain if he loses Lebanon and wins Iran? In Iran - which is a [sovereign] state, even if a rogue one - will he fulfill the same role he fulfills in Lebanon, which is not a state? And what is the meaning of his provocation of the Lebanese on the anniversary of Soleimani's assassination? Will he do us the favor of explaining to us how the missiles he received from Iran in order to turn Lebanon into the front line of Iran's confrontation with Israel [can possibly] defend Lebanon's sovereignty?... What does Nasrallah gain by putting up posters of Soleimani at the entrances to Beirut, or the 'fist of resistance' [sign][23] or the bust of [Soleimani] in the Al-Ghobeiry area in the southern Dahiya? The Lebanese burned and trampled these posters and published videos [of this] on social media, not caring that this cast Nasrallah in a ridiculous light [just] as he was giving his speech to the Lebanese people. If Nasrallah wants to accelerate the declaration of the founding of his state, let him declare war on Israel. Isn't this what Iran wants him to do? Let him do so, and [then] we'll see… Posters of the 'glorious Soleimani' have been burned not only in Lebanon but also in Iraq, Turkey and Gaza. People cannot be forced to love [certain figures]…"[24]
Lebanese Writers: Hizbullah's Iranian Weapons Have Turned Lebanon Into A Province Of Iran
Intense criticism was also voiced against Hizbullah's relations with Iran, especially following Hajizadeh's declaration about supplying Hizbullah with missiles. Kataeb Party chairman Samy Gemayel tweeted: "To anyone who is still deluding himself that his country is sovereign and independent: Lebanon and the Lebanese are being held hostage by Iran with the help of Hizbullah. Both of them are using us as human shields in their war that has nothing to do with Lebanon…"[25]
Samy Gemayel's tweet
Hussein Al-Wajeh, who was a media advisor to former Lebanese prime minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, tweeted: "Some Iranian leaders insist on treating Lebanon as a province of Iran and are trying to push the Lebanese people into the Iranian regime's ongoing wars with the international community. Lebanon never has been and never will be the forefront of Iran's conflict, and the Lebanese will not pay a price on behalf of the Iranian regime. Lebanon is an Arab country committed to the charters of the Arab League, and it is sovereign, free and independent."[26]
Lebanese former minister Saj'an Qazzi wrote in the daily Al-Nahar: "Mr. Nasrallah insists that Hizbullah is 'one of the most independent resistance [movements] in history.' So what is the meaning of its ideological and military loyalty to [Iran's] Rule of the Jurisprudent [regime] and its coordination with the IRGC? Why does [Nasrallah] adopt the Iranian lifestyle and form of dress? Why the political resemblance, the military subordination and the unity of the arenas? What is the meaning of the weapons supplies, the missile factories and the financial donations? And finally, what is the meaning of the posters and statues of Qassem Soleimani, more numerous in Lebanon than in Iran? The Lebanese have lost their sovereignty, but they have not yet lost their minds. If these accusations are baseless, Hizbullah should have publicly denied the statements of IRGC commander Hajizadeh, who said on January 2 that 'Hizbullah has Iranian missiles and it has also learned how to manufacture them.' But in fact [Nasrallah] confirmed them rather than denied them. If Hizbullah is independent, it is independent of Lebanon, not of Iran."[27]
Al-Nahar columnist Sabine 'Awais wrote on January 4: "A few days after Israel violated the airspace of the capital [Beirut], 'Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian IRGC's Aerospace Force, stood up and expressed the true purpose of arming and training Hizbullah in clear terms and without a thought for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial [integrity] or borders - just as [he stated that] the Gazans were trained to use missiles against Israel, instead of stones. His grand declaration, which exposed Iran's intention to confront Israel using Tehran's tools and military proxies, in particular from Lebanese soil, revealed not only an outrageous violation of Lebanon's sovereignty but the shameful absence of any comprehensive official [Lebanese] position opposing this violation…"[28]
Pro-Hizbullah Journalist: Hizbullah Must Become Part Of The Lebanese State
Even Shi'ite journalist Qassem Qasir, known for his pro-Hizbullah positions, condemned the organization. In a January 6, 2021 interview on NBN, the television channel of the Shi'ite Amal party, he said: "Hizbullah… cannot continue its present relations with Iran… and must be a Lebanese party. Hizbullah can have a religious or moral affinity to Iran, but it cannot continue to say that it abides by the orders of [Iran's] Ruling Jurisprudent [Khamenei].' This problem must be resolved… Nor can Hizbullah continue to wage resistance all by itself. It must be incorporated in a [Lebanese] defense strategy… The notion of a Shi'ite role that supersedes the role of the state is no longer helpful." Qasir added that Hizbullah's excessive efforts to commemorate Soleimani were "meant to compensate for their failure to retaliate militarily" to his assassination.[29]
For a MEMRI TV clip of excerpts from his statements, click below.
[1] Tasnimnews.net, January 2, 2021.
[2] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 8568 - Statue Of Qassem Soleimani Put Up By Hizbullah In South Lebanon Sparks Criticism: It Is An Expression Of Iran’s Patronage Over Lebanon – February 19, 2020.
[3] Almanar.com.lb, January 7, 2021.
[4] Alahednews.com.lb, January 7, 2021.
[5] Alahednews.com.lb, January 3, 2021.
[6] Aliwaa.com.lb, January 3, 2021.
[7] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), January 4, 2021.
[8] Alahednews.com.lb, January 5, 2021.
[9] Almarkazia.com, January 3, 2021.
[10] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), January 3, 2021.
[11] Alahednews.com.lb, January 4, 2021.
[12] Alahednews.com.lb, January 1, 2021.
[13] Alahednews.com.lb, January 1, 2021.
[14] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (Lebanon), January 3, 2021.
[15] Alahednews.com.lb, January 7, 2021.
[16] Aliwaa.com.lb, January 5, 2021.
[17] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), January 5, 2021.
[18] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (Lebanon), January 5, 2021.
[19] Elnashra.com, January 3, 2021.
[20] Twitter.com/ALJADEEDNEWS, January 4, 2021.
[21] Twitter.com/Ram7Leb, January 4, 2021.
[22] Al-Arab (London), January 6, 2021.
[23] The 'Fist of the Resistance' statue, recently erected in central Beirut, commemorates the October 2019 protests in Lebanon.
[24] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), January 7, 2021.
[25] Twitter.com/samygemayel, January 2, 2021.
[26] Twitter.com/husseinwajeh, January 2, 2021.
[27] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), January 8, 2021.
[28] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), January 4, 2021.
[29] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), January 19, 2021; asasmedia.com, January 17, 2021.

UN: Global economic recovery remains precarious, rebound of 4.7% to barely offset 2020 losses
NNA/UNIC/January 25/2021
The United Nations today warned that the devastating socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for years to come unless smart investments in economic, societal and climate resilience ensure a robust and sustainable recovery of the global economy. In 2020, the world economy shrank by 4.3 per cent, over two and half times more than during the global financial crisis of 2009. The modest recovery of 4.7 per cent expected in 2021 would barely offset the losses of 2020, says the latest World Economic Situation and Prospects. The report underscores that sustained recovery from the pandemic will depend not only on the size of the stimulus measures, and the quick rollout of vaccines, but also on the quality and efficacy of these measures to build resilience against future shocks. “We are facing the worst health and economic crisis in 90 years. As we mourn the growing death toll, we must remember that the choices we make now will determine our collective future,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who will address the Davos Agenda event later today.
“Let’s invest in an inclusive and sustainable future driven by smart policies, impactful investments, and a strong and effective multilateral system that places people at the heart of all socio-economic efforts.” Developed economies, projected to see a 4 per cent output growth in 2021, shrank the most in 2020, by 5.6 per cent, due to economic shutdowns and subsequent waves of the pandemic, increasing the risk of premature austerity measures that would only derail recovery efforts globally. Developing countries saw a less severe contraction at 2.5 per cent, with an expected rebound of 5.6 per cent in 2021, according to the estimates presented in the report. The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs says that 131 million more people were pushed into poverty in 2020, many of them women, children and people from marginalized communities. The pandemic has adversely affected women and girls disproportionately, exposing them to increased risk of economic devastation, poverty, violence and illiteracy. Women make up more than 50 per cent of the workforce in high-risk labour and service intensive sectors, such as retail, hospitality and tourism - areas hardest hit by the lockdown. Many of them have limited or no access to social protection.
Massive and timely stimulus measures, amounting to US$12.7 trillion, prevented a total collapse of the world economy and averted a Great Depression. However, stark disparity in the size of the stimulus packages rolled out by developed and developing countries will put them on different trajectories of recovery, highlights the report. The stimulus spending per capita by the developed countries has been nearly 580 times higher than those of the least developed countries (LDCs) although the average per capita income of the developed countries has been only 30 times higher than that of the LDCs. The drastic disparity underscores the need for greater international solidarity and support, including debt relief, for the most vulnerable group of countries.
Moreover, financing these stimulus packages entailed the largest peacetime borrowing, increasing public debt globally by 15 per cent. This massive rise in debt will unduly burden future generations unless a significant part is channelled into productive and sustainable investment, and to stimulate growth.
According to the report, global trade shrank by an estimated 7.6 per cent in 2020 against the backdrop of massive disruptions in global supply chains and tourism flows. Lingering trade tensions between major economies and stalemates in multilateral trade negotiations were already constraining global trade before the pandemic. “The current crisis reiterates the importance to revitalize the rule-based multilateral trading system to put the world economy on the trajectory of a robust and resilient recovery,” said the Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Liu Zhenmin. “We must make global trade resilient to shocks to ensure trade remains the engine of growth for the developing countries.”
The report highlights opportunities for developing countries if they can prioritize investments that advance human development, embrace innovation and technology, and strengthen infrastructure, including creating resilient supply chains.
Stressing the importance of stimulating investments, the report shows that while the majority of the stimulus spending went into protecting jobs and supporting current consumption, it also fuelled asset price bubbles worldwide, with stock market indices reaching new highs during the past several months.
“The depth and severity of the unprecedented crisis foreshadows a slow and painful recovery,” said UN Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development Elliott Harris. “As we step into a long recovery phase with the roll out of the vaccines against COVID-19, we need to start boosting longer-term investments that chart the path toward a more resilient recovery - accompanied by a fiscal stance that avoids premature austerity and a redefined debt sustainability framework, universal social protection schemes, and an accelerated transition to the green economy.”
An unprecedented crisis – one that has killed more than 2 million people, uprooted many more lives, forced families into poverty, exacerbated income and wealth inequality between communities, disrupted international trade and paralyzed the global economy - needs an extraordinary response. Ultimately, the report underscores the importance of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals - the blueprint for a fair, peaceful and resilient world.  “Promoting inclusive and equitable growth, reducing inequality and enhancing environmental sustainability is the best plan we have to recover from this crisis and safeguard the world against future crises. Building resilience must guide every aspect of the recovery and we will find women playing critical roles as champions of resilience,” added Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, UN DESA’s Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs.—UNIC

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 25-26/2021

Iran's regime executes second wrestler within 5 months
Benjamin Weinthal/Jerusalem Post/January 25/2021
It is unclear whether the Islamic Republic authorities forced Hosseini to confess to a crime he did not commit. The Iranian regime's lethal assaults on decorated Iranian athletes continued unabated, with the execution of a second champion wrestler on Monday. The Jerusalem Post reported two weeks ago that the execution of wrestler Mehdi Ali Hosseini was imminent. He is from Andimeshk in the province of Khuzestan, and was arrested in 2015 and charged with pre-meditated murder, supposedly committed during a group fight. It is unclear whether the Islamic Republic authorities forced Hosseini to confess to a crime he did not commit. Mariam Memarsadeghi, an Iranian-American expert on human rights, told the Post that the "[Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei and his henchmen want to numb everyone to their repression. By executing more and more in spite of global outrage, they hope to show the Iranian people and the Free World that they are powerless.” She added that "But it's the regime that lacks real power. Force alone is its only means to survive but not for long; the Iranian people are more than ever refusing any prospect but a nonviolent overthrowing [of the regime].” Sardar Pashaei, the renowned Greco-Roman Iranian wrestler world champion, tweeted in Persian: “Mehdi Ali Hosseini, a young wrestler from Andimeshk, was executed. Here is Iran, Land of death, rope and bullets ...”Pashaei has urged the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to ban Iran’s regime from sports competition due to the regime’s human rights violations. Latest articles from Jpost Masih Alinejad, who launched the campaign United for Navid to address the Iranian regime's execution of wrestler Navid Afkari, tweeted:"The Islamic Republic in #Iran has executed a second wrestler, #MehdiAli_Hosseini. We are fighting against execution in Iran, and we need international community to hold the regime in Iran accountable. #StopExecutionsInIran".

Adelle Nazarian, Senior Media Fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy, told the Post that “The insecurity of the Iranian Regime is on full display with the unjust execution of Mehdi Ali Hosseini today. Hosseini did not receive access to a fair trial, and it remains unclear whether he was coerced or tortured into confessing to a crime he did not commit."
She added that "What we do know is the Iranian regime is feeling more emboldened today than it has over the last four years and the timing of their execution of Mehdi Ali Hosseini, if nothing more, was to send a message to the regime’s detractors within the Islamic Republic that any one of them could be next.”
Mansoureh Mills, an Iran researcher for Amnesty International, told the Post that "We understand that Mehdi Ali Hosseini had been convicted of murder but have no other information about his case, including his trial. However, Amnesty International has documented the systematic violation of fair trial rights of defendants in Iran. Executions are often carried out after unfair trials. Some detainees are denied access to a lawyer at the investigation stage and forced 'confessions' obtained under torture and other ill-treatment without a lawyer present are consistently used as evidence by courts to issue convictions."
She added that "Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. The death penalty violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The organization renews its call on the Iranian authorities to establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty."
The Post sent press queries to the IOC and United World Wrestling. Both organizations have faced intense criticism for failing to sanction Iran’s regime for its scorched earth policy against athletes who dissent from the ideology of the regime.
Rob Koehler, director-general of Global Athlete, an international sports advocacy organization for Olympic athletes, told the Post:
"Time and time again the IOC and UWW have had an opportunity to send a clear message by suspending Iran from international sport. Instead, too many excuses have been given why they can not act. One would think organizations like the IOC and the UWW that promote peace through sport would take proactive steps to find ways to intervene to protect the lives and safety of Iranian athletes. There is nothing peaceful about the execution of Navid and Mehdi. This is simply tragic."
Iran’s rulers imposed an extrajudicial killing on the champion Greco-Roman wrestler Navid Afkari in September. Afkari was imprisoned for participating in a 2018 demonstration against regime economic and political corruption.
According to Afkari, human rights organizations and Western governments, Iran’s regime forced Afkari to commit to the murder of a security guard at the demonstration. Prison officials brutally tortured Afkari, according to the wrestler and an eyewitness.
The US government sanctioned Iranian regime judicial and prison officials for the alleged murder of Afkari. The EU, the IOC, and the UWW opted not to sanction’s Iran’s regime. Critics argue that the EU, IOC and UWW have emboldened Iran’s regime to carry out more targeted killings of Iranian athletes.
This is a developing story.

Biden Seeks to Close 'Made in America' Loophole, Spur Manufacturing
Agence France Presse/January 25/2021
U.S. President Joe Biden will sign an executive order Monday giving American companies and products priority in contracting with the federal government, as the new administration attempts to spur domestic manufacturing. The order is aimed at boosting national production and saving industrial jobs by increasing investments in factories and workers, senior White House officials said, and comes after Biden promised on the campaign trail to "build back better" as the U.S. economy struggles through the Covid-19 pandemic. It also tightens legal loopholes that allow federal agencies to buy products stamped "Made in America" but which are often manufactured by companies that only produce a small portion of their products in the United States. Washington spends $600 billion each year on contracts, and the administration's decisions was welcomed by the Alliance for American Manufacturing trade group.
"The law should mean what it says: an American product should be truly Made in America," its president Scott Paul said.
- Avoiding a trade war -
Less than a week after his inauguration, Biden has taken to using executive orders to push through his agenda, since the Senate has not confirmed many cabinet members, including major roles like secretary of state. This latest order is similar to ones made by his predecessors, particularly former president Donald Trump. Trump had issued an executive order urging the federal government to purchase more US-made products and also turning tariffs into a weapon against imports -- with mixed results. But rather than launching a trade war, Biden favors using the federal government's massive purchasing power to tighten the "Buy American" rules. "The dollars the federal government spends... are a powerful tool to support American workers and manufacturers," an administration official said. The Buy American Act of 1933, still in force, requires federal agencies to prioritize purchasing goods produced on US soil, but "these preferences have not always been implemented consistently or effectively," according to the Biden administration. Biden's approach seeks to change the structure of the process, by changing the definition of what is considered a US-made product and reducing the possibilities for exemptions. The administration also wants new companies, including small ones, to have access to tenders.
Strengthening the supply chain
During his presidential campaign, Biden promised to strengthen the "Buy American" process with a $400 billion plan for projects using U.S.-made products -- including steel, or protective equipment for healthcare workers battling Covid-19. After his electoral victory in November, Biden promised that the federal government would buy American cars and inventory. However, companies have already warned that overly restrictive rules could cause costs to soar, making it harder to buy parts made outside the US. The executive order should also be seen as part of "the president's commitment to invest in American manufacturing, including clean energy and critical supply chains," an official said. Washington said the pandemic has highlighted the shortages and weaknesses of the system, and said that it wanted to avoid being put in a position of depending on countries that do not share country's interests in delivering essential materials. Biden "remains committed to working with partners and allies to modernize international trade rules... to make sure all countries can use their taxpayer dollars to spur investment in their own countries," an official said.

U.S. will work with Israel to build on regional normalization agreements: Biden national security adviser
Reuters/January 25/2021
The Biden administration will work closely with Israel on regional security issues and to build on the country’s regional normalization agreements, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told his Israeli counterpart, according to a statement on Sunday. “They discussed opportunities to enhance the partnership over the coming months, including by building on the success of Israel’s normalization arrangements with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco,” according to a statement on Sullivan’s call on Saturday with Israel’s Meir Ben Shabbat. Sullivan also extended an invitation to begin a strategic dialogue in the near term, the statement said.

Supreme Court dismisses emoluments cases against Trump
CNN/January 25/2021
The Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a case concerning whether former President Donald Trump violated provisions of the Constitution that bar a president from profiting from a foreign government.
The court instructed the lower courts to wipe away a previous lower court opinion that went against Trump because he is no longer in office. It leaves unresolved a novel question raised in the case because Trump, unlike other presidents, did not use a blind trust when he assumed the presidency, but instead continued to retain an interest in his businesses and let those businesses take money from foreign and domestic governments.

Biden lifts transgender military ban as he meets with first Black defense secretary
CNN/January 25/2021
President Joe Biden signed an executive order to repeal a Trump-era ban on most transgender Americans joining the military on Monday alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. "President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a bar to military service, and that America's strength is found in its diversity," a fact sheet provided by the White House on the executive order reads.

USA Justice Department watchdog investigating possible attempt to overturn election results
CNN/January 25/2021
The Justice Department's internal watchdog will investigate whether any department official sought to have the department overturn President Joe Biden's election win.The office of Inspector General Michael Horowitz is launching "an investigation into whether any former or current DOJ official engaged in an improper attempt to have DOJ seek to alter the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election," it announced Monday.

New Round of Talks on Syria's Constitution Begins in Geneva
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Delegations from Syria´s government, opposition, and civil society began a new round of meetings in Geneva on Monday aimed at revising the constitution of the war-torn country. The fifth round of the so-called Constitutional Committee came days after UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council that many subjects have been discussed for more than a year and it´s now time for the committee to ensure that "the meetings are better organized and more focused."Syria´s nearly 10-year conflict has killed more than half a million people and displaced half the country´s pre-war 23 million population, including more than 5 million refugees mostly in neighboring countries. "I believe that we need to ensure that the committee begins to move from `preparing´ a constitutional reform to `drafting´ one, as it is mandated to do," Pedersen said last week. The United States and several Western allies have accused Syria´s President Bashar Assad of deliberately delaying the drafting of a new constitution to waste time until presidential elections are held this year and avoid UN-supervised voting as called for by the UN Security Council. According to Syria´s elections law, presidential elections are scheduled to take place between April 16 and May 16, at least 90 days before Assad´s seven-year term expires. Assad has been in power since 2000. At a Russian-hosted Syrian peace conference in January 2018, an agreement was reached to form a 150-member committee to draft a new constitution, which took until September 2019. A 45-member committee known as the "Small Body" started its meetings in Geneva on Monday. Monday´s meeting involved 15 people from each delegation and was taking place amid measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Greece, France Sign $2.8 Billion Fighter Jet Deal amid Tensions with Turkey
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Greece signed a 2.3 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets, as tensions remain high with neighbor Turkey. Florence Parly, the French defense minister, signed the agreement in Athens to deliver 12 used and six new aircraft built by Dassault Aviation over two years, starting in July. France has sided with Greece in a dispute over boundaries in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean that has brought NATO members Greece and Turkey to the brink of war several times in recent decades. Tension spiked again last summer when a Turkish exploration mission in disputed waters triggered a dangerous military buildup. Greece and Turkey have agreed to restart talks aimed at resolving the dispute peacefully. Senior diplomats from the two countries met in Istanbul on Monday to resume the process that had been interrupted for nearly five years. But Athens says it will continue a multibillion-euro program to upgrade its military following years of cuts because of the country's financial crisis. France and the United States are in competition to provide the Greek navy with new frigates, while Greece's government recently approved plans to cooperate with Israeli defense electronics firm Elbit Systems to create a new military flight academy in southern Greece. “The upgrade in the capabilities of the Hellenic Air Force by means of both the acquisition of new fighter aircraft and the new state-of-the-art training center is critical for Greece to present a credible deterrence,” Michael Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, told The Associated Press. “It also provides Athens an enhanced ability to exercise more strategic autonomy when EU and NATO frameworks are deemed inadequate, making Greece more of a player in its own right.”
Starting in May, mandatory national service in the Greek Armed Forces will be increased from nine to 12 months to boost the number of people serving in uniform. Parly, who also met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced that France would join two Greek military exercises later this year, participating with Rafale jets from the French air force.

Turkey, Greece Resume Talks on Maritime Disputes after 5 Years
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Turkey and Greece resumed talks aimed at addressing long-standing maritime disputes on Monday, diplomatic sources said, after months of tension in the eastern Mediterranean. The neighboring countries, which are both members of the NATO military alliance, made little progress in 60 rounds of talks from 2002 to 2016. Plans for resuming discussions foundered last year over Turkey’s deployment of a survey vessel in contested Mediterranean waters and disagreements over which topics to cover. Ankara and Athens agreed this month to resume talks in Istanbul, in a test of Turkey’s hopes of improving its relations with the European Union, which has supported EU-member Greece and threatened sanctions on Turkey. Both sides have voiced guarded optimism before the talks, though Ankara and Athens were still trading barbs in the days leading up to Monday’s meetings in Istanbul. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said last week Greece would approach the talks with optimism but “zero naivety”. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped the resumption of talks would herald a new era. Despite the agreement to resume talks, Athens said on Saturday it would discuss only the demarcation of exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean, and not issues of “national sovereignty”. Ankara has said it wants the talks to cover the same topics as in the first 60 rounds, including the demilitarization of islands in the Aegean and disagreements over air space. It was not immediately clear what the agenda of the talks was on Monday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held a series of talks in Brussels last week to discuss possible future steps to maintain what he called the “positive atmosphere” between Ankara and the EU since the bloc postponed imposing sanctions on Turkey until March at a December summit.

Putin Calls Pro-Navalny Marches Illegal, New Protest Set for Sunday
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 January, 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned weekend protests demanding the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as dangerous and illegal, as the opposition politician’s allies said they planned a similar protest for Sunday.
Police detained more than 3,700 people and used force to break up rallies across Russia on Saturday as tens of thousands of protesters ignored extreme cold and police warnings to demand Navalny be freed from jail where he is serving out a 30-day stint for alleged parole violations he denies. Putin, who avoids mentioning Navalny by name, told students on Monday that nobody should use illegal protest action to further their own political interests. “Everyone has the right to express their point of view within the framework provided by the law. Anything outside the law is not just counter-productive, but dangerous,” said Putin. He cited upheaval caused by the 1917 Russian Revolution and the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union as examples of how illegal action could cause misery to people and should therefore best be avoided. As Putin was speaking, Leonid Volkov, a close ally of Navalny currently outside Russia, announced plans for a new protest this Sunday that would once again ask the authorities to free Navalny. Putin, in a rare public rebuttal of something Navalny has accused him of, on Monday rejected an accusation made in a video last week that has since gained more than 86 million views on YouTube. Navalny alleged in it that Putin owned an opulent Black Sea palace that the Russian leader’s friends had paid for, sometimes using public money. “I haven’t watched the film, simply because I don’t have the free time to watch such information, but I scrolled through video compilations,” Putin said. “...Nothing of what was indicated there as my property belongs either to me or to my relatives and never has belonged (to us). Never,” he said. Tensions between Moscow and Washington have flared over the Navalny protests. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday it had issued a diplomatic protest to US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan over what it said it regarded as interference in its domestic affairs. It said it took exception to social media posts by the US embassy which it alleged supported the illegal protests and to what it called an unacceptable stance from the State Department. The United States on Saturday condemned what it described as “harsh tactics” used against protesters and journalists and called for Navalny’s “immediate and unconditional” release. Putin will address the World Economic Forum by video conference on Wednesday, Russian news agencies cited the Kremlin as saying. The appearance is likely to be contentious with critics at a time when the West is weighing possible new sanctions against Russia over its treatment of Navalny.

UN: World Shed Equivalent of 255 mn jobs Last Year
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 January, 2021
The coronavirus pandemic took a "massive" toll on the global labor market last year, the United Nations said Monday, with the equivalent of more than a quarter of a billion jobs lost. In a fresh study, the UN's International Labor Organization (ILO) found that a full 8.8 percent of global working hours were lost in 2020, compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. That is equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs, which is "approximately four times greater than the number lost during the 2009 global financial crisis," the ILO said in a statement. Meanwhile, anti-poverty group Oxfam said Monday said the Covid-19 crisis is aggravating inequality, with the richest quickly getting richer while it will likely take years for the world's poorest to recover. In a report entitled "The inequality virus", the group warned that the pandemic is the first time since records began that inequality is rising in virtually every country at the same time. "The 1,000 richest people on the planet recouped their Covid-19 losses within just nine months, but it could take more than a decade for the world’s poorest to recover," said the Oxfam report.
Oxfam also highlighted the fact that the impact of the virus is also being felt unevenly, with ethnic minorities in certain countries dying at higher rates and women being overrepresented in the sectors of the economy that are hardest hit by the pandemic. The report is timed to coincide with the start of the World Economic Forum's virtual Davos event: an entire week of global programming will be dedicated to helping leaders choose innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery over the next year.

Signs of human rights row loom between Cairo, Washington
The Arab Weekly/January 25/2021
The US Department of Justice has begun its drive to suspend the immunity of a former Egyptian prime minister.
CAIRO - The administration of incoming US President Joe Biden has sent early negative signals to Egypt indicating that after a long honeymoon with the Trump administration, it must prepare for a tough period during which the file of freedoms, human rights and democratic progress will be among Washington's top priorities in the bilateral relationship.
The Biden administration did not waste time rolling back some of the decisions of former US President Donald Trump. On Saturday, the US Justice Department announced it was suspending immunity for former Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawi, who was sued for alleged torture by Egyptian-American human rights activist Mohamed Soltan, described by Cairo as affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
The US State Department declared in July 2020 that Beblawi, who now serves on the executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), should be immune from the federal lawsuit put forward by Soltan.
Political analysts said the choice of the case and the timing carry deep political implications for Cairo, which previously had a free hand in dealing with the Brotherhood and human rights related issues. Such cases were previously considered criminal cases by security services and did not spark major disagreement during Trump's term in office.
They point out that the Egyptian file was put on the front burner in Washington just two days before the tenth anniversary of the January 25 revolution that toppled the regime of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The move indicated that there may soon be tensions between the two countries.
The shift also contradicted the belief in some political circles that Biden is too burdened with pending domestic issues to focus in detail on foreign human rights concerns. The New York Times, which is seen as well connected to Democratic party circles, published a report last week about the death of four coronavirus patients in the intensive care room at El Husseineya hospital, north of Cairo. The newspaper reported that the patients had died from an oxygen shortage in the hospital, a narrative denied by the government, which attributed the patients' deaths to their deteriorating health conditions.
Egyptian political sources interpreted the newspaper’s particular interest in the incident, which occurred in a remote area of Egypt but was not unusual given the worldwide fight against the pandemic, as a discomforting start. It showed that from now on, Egypt will be in the US spotlight even after ordinary incidents.
Some analysts said that the selective and emotion-laden treatment of the issue carried political significance. They believe it has shown the United States to be again paying attention to details in Egypt. From that perspective, they say, the death of four people as a result of a suspected medical error quickly turned into a major issue. Observers say Cairo does not want a clash with Washington and is working to reduce the potential for controversial issues. It recently sent positive signals on human rights, most notably issuing executive regulations to implement a law on NGOs that have been on hold for three years. It has also widened the possibilities of releasing political activists. Cairo University political science professor Nourhan al-Sheikh said the Biden administration has an interest in global human rights issues that are not limited to Egypt.
Sheikh called on Egyptian authorities to manage the human rights file well, saying, “Washington is concerned with the human rights situation only to the extent that it allows it to achieve its political goals. Cairo must deal with the core issues and conduct a strategic dialogue with the Biden administration to formulate common understandings that outline what is acceptable and what is not. There are demands and there are interests. It is important to find common denominators around them to avoid disagreements. ”
Political sources said Cairo is keen to narrow the gap with the new Democratic administration. They believe Egypt will be inclined to build on areas of understanding with Washington if the "US avoids interfering in Egypt's internal affairs and refrains from repeating the policies of former President Barack Obama in support of the Brotherhood or inflating the importance of the human rights file at the expense of vital common concerns."
However, the decision to suspend Beblawi’s immunity reinforced the impression that the the two countries's relationship is on the verge of entering a period of political turbulence. Washington justified its position by asserting that “the issue needs time for review and scrutiny." The case will be reconsidered on February 21. Other important issues are also likely to be reviewed, including military and economic aid agreements. According to experts, this approach was a tool that former US President Barack Obama used and in which he did not hesitate to link past agreements to the issue of freedoms.
Cairo arrested Soltan, the son of a Muslim Brotherhood leader, in August 2013 in conjunction with a case known as the “Rabaa operations room," which was running a high-profile Brotherhood sit-in at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo.
He was sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges of participating in an armed sit-in. He was released in 2015 after relentless US pressure on Cairo. He later renounced his Egyptian nationality and left for the United States.
Last June, Soltan filed a lawsuit with a US court against Beblawi, accusing him and other officials of being responsible for “torture” during his arrest in Egypt. The allegation was denied by the Egyptian government, which asked the US State Department and Trump to intervene in the case in order to salvage relations between the two countries. Beblawi has been on the executive board of the IMF since November 2014, and enjoys diplomatic immunity due to his current position and past government post. After the suspension of his immunity, the Soltan case is likely to return to the limelight. This could embarrass Cairo due to the symbolic value of the position Beblawi held in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood has reportedly interpreted the US's message on the Beblawi case as an indication that its bet on Biden is not all for naught. Since the announcement of Biden's victory, the Brotherhood has been eager to reap political gains and continue pressuring Cairo.

Jordan Demands Israel End Al-Aqsa 'Provocations'
Agence France Presse/January 25/2021
Jordan urged Israel on Monday to stop blocking restoration work at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site. Jordanian foreign ministry spokesman Daifallah Alfayez said he had sent a "protest note" demanding Israel "refrain from such violations and provocations, and respect the mandate of Jordan in administering Muslim holy sites." There was no immediate response from Israel. Under a 1994 peace deal, the Jewish state recognizes Jordan's oversight of Muslim holy sites in east Jerusalem, the Palestinian sector of the city occupied and annexed by Israel since 1967. Known by Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, or Holy Sanctuary, and as the Temple Mount by Jews, the compound houses the golden Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa mosque. Jordan, which said Israel's police had interrupted restoration work on the Dome of the Rock", stressed that the Waqf, the Islamic endowments authority, was "the sole authority responsible for the supervision and maintenance of Al-Aqsa." On Sunday, the Waqf accused Israeli police of blocking "all reconstruction projects in the compound", including stopping building supplies and "the entry of basic materials necessary for maintenance." The Waqf said maintenance teams were "unable to maintain or repair the most basic facilities of the mosque and its employees are exposed to prosecution, threats of arrest and expulsion."On Saturday, the Waqf said police stopped work by "photocopying the identity cards of workers and technicians, preventing them from working and threatening them with arrest if work continues."
 

India and China Clash again on Himalayan Border
Agence France Presse/January 25/2021
Indian and Chinese troops fought a new brawl on their contested Himalayan border that left injuries on both sides, officials said Monday, highlighting the fraught state of relations between the giant neighbours. The fighting on January 20 came six months after a pitched battle which left at least 20 Indian troops dead as well as an unknown number of Chinese casualties. The world's two most populous nations have since become embroiled in a diplomatic showdown over their geographical and political differences. India's military played down the latest skirmish as a "minor face-off" at Naku La pass, which connects Sikkim state with Tibet on the Chinese side. China's foreign ministry, however, said it had "no information" on the incident. In a statement, the Indian army said last week's clash was "resolved by local commanders as per established protocols". Government sources said four Indian troops were injured when a Chinese patrol was forced back. They added that China's People's Liberation Army suffered an unknown number of casualties. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Chinese troops "dedicated themselves to safeguarding the peace and tranquillity" of the border region". "China urges India to work in the same direction," he said.
Firearms banned
Details of the latest clash emerged on the eve of India's Republic Day, when the country shows off its latest military hardware at a parade in the capital. Hand-to-hand fighting between 150 soldiers at Naku La in May also set off tensions. About 10 troops from each side were injured. The use of firearms by border patrols is banned under a bilateral agreement. In June, troops fought with fists and wooden clubs in the Galwan valley of Ladakh region, leaving dozens dead. China has never confirmed it suffered fatalities. A number of the Indian troops killed were expected to receive posthumous awards on Republic Day.
China and India, who fought a border war in 1962, blame each other for the increased tensions and each has poured tens of thousands of extra troops into border zones. The latest de-escalation talks between military commanders were held Sunday, but there have been no signs that either side is ready to back down. India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said last month that relations between the neighbours had been "significantly damaged" by events of the past year. India is also wary of China's moves to extend its diplomatic muscle into South Asia through massive investment schemes.
The government has sought to block Chinese companies from getting deals in India, banning more than 150 Chinese apps made by its tech giants. Chinese products are being halted in customs logjams at Indian ports. China has in turn warned that India will suffer economically from the dispute. Harsh Pant, a professor of international relations at Kings College in London said the Sikkim brawl showed "there is a real stalemate on the border". He said Beijing was "looking for different pressure points" in the region. On a broader level, Pant said the Himalayas were "just another theatre in the larger global picture for Beijing". "It is testing the waters with the new administration of US President Joe Biden. Earlier it used to be just Taiwan or South China Sea but now even the Himalayas (with India) are a part of that. "They want to see how Biden administration will react on these multiple fronts simultaneously or individually," said Pant.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 24-25/2021

EU rewarding Iranian aggression by seeking return to nuclear deal
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/January 25/2021

د. مجيد رافيزادا: الإتحاد الأوروبي يكافئ إيران على عدوانيتها بسعيها للعودة إلى الإتفاق النووي
The EU is redoubling its efforts and spending significant political capital to push new US President Joe Biden into immediately returning America to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran.
The bloc this month reiterated its “strong commitment” to the nuclear deal and urged the US to swiftly rejoin it. It declared in a statement: “The EU reiterates its strong commitment to and continued support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The JCPOA is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and an achievement of multilateral diplomacy, endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council through resolution 2231.” It added: “We welcome… Biden’s positive statements on the JCPOA, and look forward to working with the incoming US administration.”
The EU appears more determined than ever to revive the nuclear deal in spite of the fact that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian last week acknowledged that Tehran is violating the deal and rapidly acquiring nuclear weapons capacity. “This has to stop because Iran and — I say this clearly — is in the process of acquiring nuclear (weapons) capacity,” he was quoted as saying.
At an underground facility, Iran’s theocratic establishment is enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, which is only a relatively short technical step away from weapons-grade level.
Unfortunately, the European leaders are sending the wrong message to Iran: That the regime’s violations and threats are paying off. The Iranian leaders have ratcheted up their threats in recent months in order to get the JCPOA’s EU3 (Germany, the UK and France) and the US back to the nuclear deal as soon as possible. Tehran has threatened that, if US sanctions are not lifted by Feb. 21, it will expel International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.
The Iranian regime has learned that, the more it threatens to instigate instability and insecurity in the Middle East, the more the EU will double down on its efforts to save the nuclear deal.
The European leaders are sending the wrong message to Iran: That the regime’s violations and threats are paying off.
More fundamentally, the EU wants to see the sanctions on Iran quickly lifted once the Iranian leaders rejoin the nuclear deal. But does the EU not remember how the regime spent its influx of money as a result of the nuclear deal? The billions of dollars of increased revenues were not spent on helping the Iranian people, improving their living standards or promoting peace in the region, even though it was outlined in the nuclear deal’s preamble that all signatories “anticipate that full implementation of this JCPOA will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security.” When the deal was finalized, former US President Barack Obama famously said he was “confident” that it would “meet the national security needs of the United States and our allies.” However, this was not the case. The international community witnessed a greater propensity for Houthi rocket launches at civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, the deployment of Hezbollah foot soldiers in Syria, and constant violence by Iranian-funded militias.
The EU also wants to return to the same nuclear deal that was drafted in 2015. Does the EU not remember the negative consequences of that agreement? One of the consequences was a worsening of relations with Europe’s traditional allies. The Gulf states and Israel were excluded from the negotiations with Iran and this resulted in a flawed deal that failed to recognize their rightful concerns about missile proliferation and the funding of violent proxies within and next door to their territories.
Furthermore, the deal was heavily tilted in favor of the Islamic Republic, as unprecedented concessions were granted to the Iranian regime. For example, the deal paved the way for Iran to legally enrich uranium and spin centrifuges at any level it desires after the expiration of the JCPOA. The sunset clauses, which enshrined that commitment, set a firm expiration date for the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. The deal’s signatories also helped swiftly lift all four rounds of UN sanctions against Iran — sanctions that had taken decades to put in place. Furthermore, Iran’s military sites were exempt from inspection by the IAEA. And the West helped the Iranian regime rejoin the global financial system with full legitimacy, allowing billions of dollars to flow into the treasury of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its expanding militias across the Middle East.
By these measures alone, the EU must have realized by now that the nuclear deal with Iran, which the bloc is strongly rooting for once again, has demonstrably failed.
Finally, doesn’t the EU recall the crimes that the regime committed on its soil after the nuclear deal and before Trump pulled the US out of the JCPOA? The regime assassinated dissidents on European soil, including Ahmad Mola Nissi — a Dutch citizen of Iranian descent and a critic of the Tehran regime who was gunned down at his front door in November 2017. The Dutch security service publicly acknowledged that it had “strong indications” the Iranian government had commissioned the murder.
In a nutshell, the EU is rewarding Iran for its heightened aggression. The more the regime escalates its threats, the more the EU is increasing its efforts to revive the nuclear deal and lift sanctions.
*-Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Iran must prove it is serious before Gulf talks can begin
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/January 254/2021

د. محمد السلامي: على إيران أن تثبت جديته قبل أن بدأ أية محادثات مع دول الخليج العربي
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani last week urged the Gulf states to hold talks with Iran. The senior Qatari official expressed hope that this dialogue would take place, adding in an interview with Bloomberg TV: “We still believe this should happen.”
On Twitter, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif responded to the Qatari official’s proposal, saying: “Iran welcomes my brother (Al-Thani’s) call for inclusive dialogue in our region. As we have consistently emphasized, the solution to our challenges lies in collaboration to jointly form a ‘strong region.’”
Speaking about the same issue on Friday, Zarif told the Iranian state Mehr News Agency: “Our hands have always been extended to the Gulf states.” He added provocatively: “The region now is ours, and its security is in favor of all of us.”
In the same interview, Zarif even claimed that Iran’s regime had presented its own proposal prior to those of other regional states, saying: “Before all these proposals, we have introduced a proposal. The president of the republic last year proposed a ‘Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE).’” He added: “Our readiness for negotiations, therefore, is nothing new. And as I mentioned in my response to the Qatari foreign minister, this issue is a declaration of Iran’s long-term policy.”
Zarif also said, gloatingly, that it should be made clear to some Arabian Gulf states that they have wasted four years because of former US President Donald Trump. He recalled that, when the late emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah floated a proposal for negotiations between the Gulf states and Iran, which was accepted by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Gulf states allegedly responded by saying: “We should be patient as Trump has just taken over the US administration.” Zarif said: “These countries have wasted four years… Trump has gone, and we and they are the ones who remain.”
It should be noted here that none of the Gulf states officially responded to the remarks by Zarif. However, given the timing of his statements, two key questions arise: Is Iran serious about interacting, on a strategic rather than a tactical basis, with any genuine proposal to de-escalate the current regional situation? And can Iran reverse its current behavior in the region?
From the onset of the revolutionary regime, it has used brutal military force, as seen in the eight-year Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988). Iran emerged from this war devastated economically, politically and militarily, and in need of time to recoup its strength and overcome the crises it was going through. Hence, the regime opted for a soft approach, using diplomacy and cultural outreach, as well as emphasizing civilizational commonalities during the second term of late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1993-1997) and particularly during the tenure of Mohammed Khatami (1997-2005).
This ostensibly peaceful period witnessed one of the most dangerous phases of the Iranian regime’s penetration into the Arab world. Iran took advantage of this period of systematic openness in the region to embed its cells and entrench its presence. It was able to conceal its hostile agenda through promoting civilizational dialogue and staging exhibitions in several Arab and Gulf capitals.
During this phase, Iran also focused on establishing so-called cultural centers in Arab states and launching its operations through them. These centers were directly linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the office of the Supreme Leader. One would have expected them to have been linked to the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or even to Iran’s diplomatic consulates, but they were all bypassed, indicating Iran’s nefarious objectives behind establishing them.
All parties are fed up with Tehran’s PR campaigns, soft power rhetoric, empty diplomacy, and promises.
These centers intensified the regime’s activities regionally and globally, providing handy diplomatic cover for its recruitment, propaganda and indoctrination. This phase also saw Iran cooperating with the US and some Western countries in the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Mohammed Ali Abtahi, Iran’s vice president under Khatami, said clearly: “If it weren’t for Iran, Kabul and Baghdad wouldn’t have been toppled.”
Later in this phase, the Arab street, longing for triumphs, cheered Hezbollah’s so-called victory in the 2006 Lebanese War, which exhausted and destroyed the country. However, Iran, cheered on by some Arabs before its regional role was exposed with the onset of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, made no real gains through the Lebanese War.
As a result, following the phase of political upheaval in the Arab region, Iran left its soft power approach and returned to its original hard power approach. This involved proxy wars, a dependence on armed Shiite militias in the Arab region, sectarian rhetoric, and playing the Shiite victimhood card. The Iranian regime also activated some of its long-dormant sleeper cells and launched major intelligence activities in the region, especially in the Arabian Gulf.
The past few years have witnessed the dismantling of several Iranian espionage cells in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Yemen, not to mention Iranian support for the Houthi movement in Yemen through the supply of weapons, money and fighters. Also during this phase, Iran intensified its activities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Despite Iran’s interference, the Gulf states have not adopted a comprehensive negative outlook toward Tehran. This is because they want to establish positive fraternal relations between the two banks of the Arabian Gulf and to ensure peaceful coexistence between Iran and themselves.
While the Arab region’s countries, particularly the Gulf states, do not oppose dialogue with Iran, there is, sadly, distrust between Iran and most of the Gulf states. To build confidence and reach a phase of serious dialogue — rather than a dialogue for its own sake — the Iranian side must take steps on the ground to prove its seriousness with regard to resolving the crises in its geographic neighborhood. Naturally, the Gulf states are cautious, with the phrase “once bitten, twice shy” quite apt for describing their cautiousness at this time.
All parties are fed up with Tehran’s PR campaigns, soft power rhetoric, empty diplomacy, and promises. Instead, neighboring countries want Iran to undertake genuine steps to prove its sincerity in seeking to become a normal state that wants to improve its relations with the region and the world, and in being prepared to abandon its expansionist projects, which have provoked regional sectarian conflicts and terrorism.
Ayatollah Khomeini considered Saudi Arabia to be Iran’s No. 1 enemy, saying: “Even if we abandon Al-Quds, settle differences with the US and reach reconciliation with Saddam Hussein, we will never do this with Saudi Arabia.” Has Iran really abandoned this position? Will Iran dissolve all its militias across the region, from Lebanon in the north to Yemen in the south? Will it pledge not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries? Will it stop its sectarian mobilization campaigns? What will it do about the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad? The answer to these questions will indicate Tehran’s seriousness in reaching a settlement with the Arabian Gulf states.
The benefits of reaching an understanding between the Gulf states and Iran are so many that they require a separate article to be detailed.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami
 

Nukes, terror, Syria, Iraq, Hezbollah - Iran's tentacles are spreading
Seth.J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/January 25/2021
Iran has often used the nuclear program to distract from its real desire: Regional hegemony
Israel is preparing a full-court press to discuss Iran’s threats with the new US administration, according to various media reports. National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat spoke on Saturday with Jake Sullivan, his counterpart in the Biden administration, and Mossad head Yossi Cohen is expected to travel soon to Washington to present Israel’s concerns to his counterparts in the intelligence community.
The discussions are expected to be wide-ranging. According to the report, they will likely include Iran stopping uranium enrichment, ending production of advanced centrifuges and stopping support for various terrorist proxies and militias. The proxies include Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, as well as Iran’s threatening posture in Syria and Iraq. There are other concerns as well.
Sometimes in negotiations, one side outlines its ideal demands at the outset to get only some of them fulfilled at the end. This laundry list looks like that. Throw enough problems at the wall, and surely the US and Israel can work some of them out.
On the other hand, what Israel is sketching out also looks a lot more like an Iranian elephant in the room than just a nuclear problem. Iran has often used the nuclear program to distract from its real desire: to achieve regional hegemony.
The nuclear program is just one part of a vast military-industrial complex in Iran that involves advanced precision-guided ballistic missiles, sophisticated drones, new naval assets and a coterie of militias across the region.
Iran funds and arms Hezbollah, including secret production facilities for weapons. Iran has placed drones in Syria and even tried to put its Khordad air-defense system there. It has moved weapons to the T4 and Imam Ali bases and other centers in Syria. It is trying to move precision-guided munitions production to Lebanon or Syria, has moved drone and missile technology to the Houthis in Yemen, and in 2018, it moved ballistic missiles to western Iraq.
Never in history has a country taken such a multilayered approach so quickly to try to place a footprint across the region. In contrast to Western arms sales to countries in the Middle East, Iran has moved quickly to deploy its systems across the region. It has acted in contravention of international law, mining ships in the Gulf of Oman, attacking Saudi Arabia with drones in 2019 and moving weapons illegally across sovereign countries to illegal militias.
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This is Iran’s method.
Iran’s nuclear program is, therefore, not sui generis and has wrongly been examined as its own entity instead of part of a larger Iranian game plan. Iran has often enjoyed letting the world talk about the nuclear program and the rate of enrichment and number of centrifuges, while it focused efforts on putting its first military satellite in orbit and improved its range of solid- and liquid-fueled missiles.
Iran turns the nuclear program on and off depending on how it wants to heat up negotiations. The program is a kind of bogeyman and form of blackmail all rolled into one.
Over the past several years, Israel’s focus shifted to deal with Iran’s entrenchment in Syria. With relative quiet in Lebanon and Hezbollah focused on the Syrian civil war, Israel has launched more than 1,000 airstrikes against Iran’s presence in Syria. Recent reports note Iran may have withdrawn some IRGC assets from Syria, and that some militias may be moving from Deir Ezzor and Albukamal in the northeast to across the border in Iraq.
However, reports have also noted increased threats from Yemen. The US designated the Houthis as terrorists, which the new administration is expected to review, and similarly designated militias in Iraq and key figures, including Abu Fadak of Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq.
US officials also pressed to enable Israel more operational freedom to confront Iran’s militia presence.
This happened, to some extent, after James Mattis left his role as secretary of defense in 2018. It is believed that James Jeffrey and others at the State Department pressed for more support for Israel in its campaign against Iran in Syria.
That means that between 2018 and the end of 2020 there was a kind of hand-in-glove approach: Israel was the fist that hammered the Iranians in Syria, and the US was the glove around the fist, encouraging and supporting it. For the US, this was a win-win because the administration could say it didn’t start any new foreign wars – it just outsourced them to Israel.
For defense experts, some of whom were reportedly skeptical about the abilities of the F-35, there has been a boon as well, with three joint training exercises between US and Israeli F-35 pilots last year. According to an Al Arabiya report last May, Israel has used the F-35 against Iranian targets in Syria. The first reports of the F-35 being used in combat date back to 2018.
Iraq’s government and its pro-Iranian militias blame Israel for carrying out airstrikes in July and August 2019 against Iranian militia targets in Iraq. This caused tensions between Iraq and US air operations. It has also caused the pro-Iran militias to look skyward.
An explosion in Iraq earlier this month led militias to spread rumors of another mysterious strike. That was proven to be false, but the initial blame game illustrates how Israel is viewed. In the fall of 2017, Qais Khazali, an Iraqi pro-Iran militia leader, went to Lebanon and said Iraq’s militias would support Hezbollah if a war broke out with Israel.
Current and future discussions with the Biden administration will focus on the larger Iranian octopus spreading its tentacles across the region. How to deal with that octopus and all its threats is the real hurdle. The nuclear program is just the kind of distracting dress that the octopus wears to distract from the larger looming problem.

The next pandemic may be cyber — How Biden administration can stop it
Jamil Farshchi /Samantha F. Ravich/The Hill/January 25/2021
The next seismic event we face as a country may be a cyber pandemic. Funded by a foreign government, led by a terror organization, or carried out by a lone wolf with a laptop and a bit of skill, a major cyber event would spread faster and further than a biological virus, with potentially an equal or greater impact on our economy and way of life.
Imagine a widespread attack on our electrical grid that engulfs an entire region of the country: cell phones become useless, gas stations are out of order, restaurants and grocery stores close, air travel is grounded, supply chains are disrupted, financial systems shut down, and e-commerce comes to a standstill. Or, equally as disastrous, hackers could attack our water utilities, causing serious health consequences and public panic.
We’ve seen smaller iterations of this play out in recent months with a surge of cyberattacks. Hospitals in California, New York, and Oregon had their computer systems held for ransom, freezing medical records and delaying lifesaving care. Hackers breached local government offices in Louisiana, forcing the state to call in the National Guard for help. At least 16 school districts in a half-dozen states had their networks hit, causing delayed reopening or canceled classes.
And, just last month, the stakes were raised again when a who’s who list of organizations — including the Pentagon, the CDC, and Fortune 500 companies — were found to be using software from SolarWinds that was secretly infected by Russian hackers, highlighting a seismic weakness in our nation’s cybersecurity and presenting a clear and present danger to our way of life.
As two experts who have witnessed the cascading impacts of crises from the front lines of industry and government, we know the importance of cyber defense and the impact that a major event could have on our country.
That’s why we're calling on President Biden to mitigate the looming cyber threat in the first 100 days of his administration. Here’s how:
First, the president should nominate a National Cyber Director and begin staffing the office to bring together the full resources of the federal government and the private sector around a united cybersecurity strategy. A whole-of-nation approach to cybersecurity is required to deter our adversaries and strengthen our homeland — and American businesses must be a key partner in this fight. The private sector has a tremendous amount of knowledge and capabilities to bring to the table, which is why the National Cyber Director must engage deeply with the business community on how to protect American companies, accelerate intelligence sharing, and leverage new technologies to strengthen our cybersecurity posture. Bolstering direct collaboration between the White House and business leaders on cyber matters is how we build better resiliency and defend against our adversaries with greater speed and agility.
Second, the new administration must make it a priority to lead the way in setting new international information and communications technology standards. Much of today’s fragmented standards place an unnecessary burden on American businesses — stifling issue response and reducing real transparency for consumers. Compared to other countries, the United States is not participating as much or as effectively in global forums where these types of international standards are set. As Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) recently said, “We used to flood the zone at all these technical conferences. We are not doing that anymore.” But other countries like Russia and China are. American interests and security are strengthened when international standards are developed and set with active U.S. participation.
Third, the new administration should work quickly with Congress to establish a Joint Collaborative Environment, a mechanism by which the federal government can share with the private sector classified and unclassified cyber threat information, insights, and other relevant data — to the greatest extent possible. Today’s aged and fragmented approach to intelligence sharing must change. When it comes to winning in cyberspace, speed matters, collaboration matters, and communication matters. The private sector needs faster access to intel to preempt cyber threats, fast-twitch engagement to mitigate attacks in the heat of the battle, and stronger, ongoing communication with partners from government to collectively elevate our defenses. Through this common environment, we can build a coordinated public-private approach to cybersecurity.
Fourth, the president must address the security of our technology and communications supply chain as a result of SolarWinds breach. As Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) recently said, “There’s just a hard truth that we’re decades behind where we need to be for cyber.” The grim reality is that there are a countless number of third-party vendors just like SolarWinds who have the data, access, and trust of American businesses and countless government institutions. That’s exactly why the U.S. government needs to take immediate steps to build a trusted supply chain, which include activating a lead agency to support supply chain risk efforts; mapping how and where key vendors are used in our digital infrastructure; and accelerating better intelligence sharing, risk assessments, and product testing. As we’ve seen, the consequences of failing to protect our technology and communications supply chain has far reaching implications.
These recommendations, alongside a bevy of others from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), Sen. Sasse, and the bipartisan Commissioners of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, are mission-critical for our country.
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Congress took a critical first step in the National Defense Authorization Act by requiring the U.S. government to develop Continuity of the Economy plans to restart the economy after a widespread attack.
We can no longer accept a status quo where our adversaries relentlessly attack our way of life, where businesses are forced to fend off nation states by themselves, and where a battle is waged without investment commensurate with the national security risks we face. President Biden has the opportunity to lead us into a new era of American cybersecurity. We stand ready to help him.
*Jamil Farshchi is the Chief Information Security Officer of Equifax. Samantha F. Ravich, Ph.D., serves as a Chair of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and is a Commissioner of the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission. She previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead for U.S. Sanctions in Yemen
Behnam Ben Taleblu/Varsha Koduvayur/Insight/FDD/January 25/2021
Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, has vowed to evaluate the recent designation of Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Pushed through amidst a flurry of sanctions activity during the Trump administration’s last days in office, the designation was a welcome move for Iran hawks, a means of compounding pressure on the Iran-backed group. But aid organizations and House Democrats have opposed the designation on humanitarian grounds, fearing it will negatively impact Yemen’s civilian population, which has been brutalized since the start of the Houthi insurgency in 2014.
Rather than continue permitting the rebels to use the Yemeni population as “human shields” – something U.S. law requires punishing – the Biden administration can use this moment to better calibrate its sanctions policies while addressing divergent domestic concerns. The new administration can broaden general licenses permitting humanitarian assistance to Yemen, while also cracking down on the Houthis’ malign activities.
The Houthis – also known as Ansar Allah (the Helpers of God) – easily meet the State Department’s designation criteria for an FTO. In addition to receiving lethal material assistance from the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, for their military takeover of Yemen, the Houthis have also reportedly received training from Lebanese Hezbollah, which is also an FTO. Hezbollah fighters have fought and died in service of the Houthi campaign, and the Houthis have even attempted to fundraise for Hezbollah.
In addition to retaining and broadening these ties, the Houthis have fired missiles at targets such as population centers, airports, and oil installations; attacked vessels in the Red Sea; and even employed child soldiers and sieges. Designating the Houthis could punish such behavior and strengthen U.S. counterterrorism policy toward Iran and Yemen.
The designation means Washington can continue to rely on economic, political, and legal means to impede Iran’s revolutionary foreign policy. In Yemen, the designation stigmatizes the Houthis, a move that could help drive the rebels to the negotiating table. Washington could use the designation as a bargaining chip in return for a change in behavior and a comprehensive peace agreement.
In contrast to other Iran-backed groups, such as Shiite militias in Iraq, Yemen’s Houthis began as a local and independent resistance movement, only to be co-opted into the pro-Iran fold. Today, the Houthis are an increasingly important part of a coalition of anti-American actors that Iranian officials term the “Axis of Resistance.” Members of this axis receive Iranian backing, since their local interests and actions align with the Islamic Republic’s broader agenda.
Iran’s support for the Houthi insurgency has evolved as the conflict has dragged on. Motivated by an opportunity to bleed its chief regional rival, Saudi Arabia, as well as by the prospect of gaining a foothold on the Arabian Peninsula and in the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait along the Red Sea, Iran has increasingly co-opted the Houthi movement. In a short period of time, Iranian officials went from offering the Houthis political support to touting the impact of their training on the rebels. This relationship eventually became overt as both sides formalized and enhanced their ties. In 2019, the Houthis sent an “ambassador” to Tehran, and the Islamic Republic reciprocated.
The Houthis are thus direct beneficiaries of the Islamic Republic’s largesse. Throughout the course of the war, Iran has proliferated or attempted to proliferate a diverse collection of weapons seldom provided to other non-state actors. These include finless short-range ballistic missiles capable of traveling almost 900 kilometers, land-attack cruise missiles, anti-tank and anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, drones, suicide boats, and all manner of light weaponry, such as AK-47s, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, another FTO, is also providing technical assistance to the Houthis on the battlefield, which can help the rebels make the most of the weapons they already have, receive, or capture.
While this weaponry from Tehran may not be enough to defeat the conventionally superior Saudi-led coalition, it can still prevent peace on the coalition’s terms. Despite several interceptions of Iranian arms transfers, which violate a 2015 UN Security Council resolution (2216) that imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis – Tehran continues arming the Yemeni insurgents. Recent reports indicate that Iran has sent the Houthis “suicide drones.” Such backing underscores the necessity of eroding the rebels’ logistical, financial, and material supply lines in order to reach a swift end to the conflict.
Washington’s legitimate use of sanctions must be properly mitigated to offset – and, to the extent possible, avoid – inflaming the existing humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, which was labeled by the UN Development Program as being among the Arab world’s “poorest countries.” The United Nations also calls Yemen “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, years of war had devastated Yemen’s infrastructure and economy, putting the country on the cusp of famine and ushering in the world’s worst cholera epidemic. According to Oxfam International, 80 percent of Yemen’s population requires humanitarian assistance, and according to UN data, roughly 45 percent of the country already faces “acute food insecurity.”
The latter percentage could rise to 54 percent – or 16.2 million people – in the first six months of 2021, says the United Nations. With Yemen already importing more than 90 percent of its food, sanctions could impact this trade.
Complicating matters for aid agencies, the majority of Yemenis live in parts of the country that the Houthis control. And despite the terrible acts the Houthis have committed, which include stealing food aid and perpetrating human rights abuses against journalists, international aid workers, women, religious minorities, and other groups, aid agencies nevertheless must liaise with the Houthis to deliver assistance to innocent Yemenis.
In the absence of proper licenses or guarantees, some aid agencies may be wary of working in these areas, mostly out of fear of inadvertently providing “material support” to an FTO, which could trigger “extraterritorial jurisdiction” provisions found in U.S. counterterrorism law.
Given the Houthis’ record of brutality and diplomatic intransigence, the imperative of working to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen could not be greater. In the original State Department press release announcing the FTO designation, the Trump administration stressed it was working to grant waivers and licenses to continue aid operations. According to The Washington Post, however, Yemen’s wartime environment greatly complicates matters. Treasury officials have even claimed that the United States does not have the proper intelligence to aptly consider waivers, prompting fears that Yemen could face famine and that relief will be impeded.
Since then, however, the Treasury Department issued a broad general license permitting activities related to humanitarian aid delivery, democracy support, education, and even environmental protection. Experts believe the new administration can capitalize on such exemptions to expedite the flow of assistance. The Biden administration should also increase the overall dollar value of its assistance to Yemen and urge its international partners to do the same. According to the State Department, in 2020, the United States was the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Yemen, at more than half a billion dollars.
Exemptions should also explicitly permit the already fragile UN-led diplomatic process to end the conflict and ensure that the designation will not prevent UN officials from engaging with the Houthis or undercut UN successes in mediation, such as last October’s prisoner swap.
The designation of the Houthis is reminiscent of previous challenges facing the United States related to terrorist groups that meet the designation threshold but may have a significant role in a future political settlement or coalition government. Washington has contended with this before: The Irish Republican Army, the Taliban, Hamas, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, for example, all met the criteria for designation, yet not all were uniformly designated. This reality shows the challenge policymakers face while attempting to marry law, economic sanctions, political and humanitarian considerations, and national security.
If done right, Yemen could serve as a model for how to levy sanctions against non-state actors while facilitating the flow of aid to people who live under their jurisdiction. This can have a lasting impact. With the Yemen war still raging, the focus for the new administration should be to wind down the crisis in a manner that erodes rather than solidifies the Iranian footprint on the Arabian Peninsula while preventing further pain to an already brutalized population.
*Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Varsha Koduvayur is a senior research analyst. They both contribute to FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP), and Iran Program. For more analysis from Behnam, Varsha, CMPP, CEFP, and the Iran Program, please subscribe HERE. Follow Varsha on Twitter @varshakoduvayur. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD, @FDD_CMPP, @FDD_CEFP, and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Your Government is Afraid of You
Chris Farrell/Gatestone Institute/January 25/2021
The Swamp is terrified of Trump – still. That explains their fixation on eradicating him and his movement.
You are also supposed to ignore the facts concerning months-long violent protests with killings and burnings across America's cities by Antifa and BLM. Months ago, Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser, demanded that the National Guard withdraw from her city amid violent demonstrations. She then named a street after those demonstrators and allowed them to paint their motto across the entire street.
Watch for the same sort of public treatment and language applied to Trump supporters going forward. It is consistent with a government that is in fear of its own people. The type of government that has 25,000 soldiers guarding a few politicians in an empty city.
The Swamp is terrified of Trump – still. Pictured: President Donald Trump boards Marine One as he departs the White House on his last day in office, January 20, 2021. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
The Swamp is terrified of Trump – still. That explains their fixation on eradicating him and his movement. "Trumpism" was not extinguished when Joe Biden raised his right hand to become the 46th president.
Fear grips The Swamp. Here is some evidence: the military occupation of Washington, DC; claims of "insurrection"; Speaker Pelosi's interference with the military command structure; more baseless claims of dark Russian conspiracies; serious discussion of reeducation camps for Trump supporters; marginalizing and criminalizing all things "Trump" – those are all expressions of fear.
Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and President Biden keep using the word "insurrectionists" to describe the rowdy Trumpsters who raided the Capitol building unlawfully two weeks ago. That is deliberate. It makes all the respectable, career politicians, government drones and DC political operatives appear to be "victims" – draped in the flag and bravely defending the Constitution. It also criminalizes all of their opposition. Not just the protestors who raided the Capitol, but all Trump supporters – across the USA – and those opposed to The Swamp mentality to which we have now returned.
There were more troops in Washington, DC guarding the inauguration of Joe Biden than are in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined. 25,000 National Guardsmen from 13 states, plus more than 2,000 Active Duty military from the Metro DC region. There was also the full panoply of federal and D.C. law enforcement. From Metropolitan Police to the Postal Service. Remember: No one was allowed to go to the Inauguration. The National Mall was closed. Blocks and blocks of downtown DC were shutdown with jersey barriers, 12-foot metal fencing and armed checkpoints. You are supposed to believe this is a "normal" security precaution. You are not supposed to question if the reaction is excessive, heavy-handed or unprecedented.
In two weeks, they have made Washington DC look and feel like the Brandenburg Gate area of Cold War Berlin; Nancy Pelosi unlawfully interfered in the National Military Command Authority; and Hillary Clinton suggested Trump coordinated the activities of the protestors with Putin.
You are also supposed to ignore the facts concerning months-long violent protests with killings and burnings across America's cities by Antifa and BLM. Months ago, Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser, demanded that the National Guard withdraw from her city amid violent demonstrations. She then named a street after those demonstrators and allowed them to paint their motto across the entire street.
The crowd of Trumpsters who raided the Capitol building unlawfully two weeks ago brought about 5 deaths: 3 "medical emergencies" (read: heart attacks); Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick reportedly succumbing to a fire extinguisher blow to the head; and, unarmed, female, civilian, Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt shot point-blank by Capitol Police in the chest while crouched in a window frame. Capitol Police failed miserably. There is clear video evidence of Capitol Police opening gates for some of the protesters to approach the building. You do not hear a word about accountability for law enforcement actions during the raid, nor about the Babbitt shooting. No marches by any groups seeking justice or an investigation. Nothing.
There is also a growing drumbeat for having Trump supporters "deprogrammed." Immediately following the election, the suggestion of reeducation camps was played-off as just a snarky remark, but in the last couple of weeks the sentiment has grown in frequency and sincerity. It is a threat we should all take seriously.
This is an attempt by The Swamp to place all Americans that supported Trump into a state of neurotic acute anxiety. This type of psychological conditioning is documented as what Communist propagandists tried to do to the West throughout the Cold War. The Castro regime had a technique for isolating and criminalizing resistance, and a particular word assigned to all who opposed their regime – "gusano" – worm.
Watch for the same sort of public treatment and language applied to Trump supporters going forward. It is consistent with a government that is in fear of its own people. The type of government that has 25,000 soldiers guarding a few politicians in an empty city.
*Chris Farrell is a former counterintelligence case officer. For the past 20 years, he has served as the Director of Investigations & Research for Judicial Watch. The views expressed are the author's alone, and not necessarily those of Judicial Watch.
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