LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 20/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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On Khamenei, Abdelnasser, Jews, and Israel
Hazem Saghieh/Al Arabiya/June 19/18
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has quite unexpectedly started criticizing Gamal Abdelnasser, the leader of Arab nationalism who passed away in 1970. The new Twitter controversy sprung up in the context of Abdelnasser’s alleged statement that he would throw all the Jews into the sea, while in reality he never said this. The statement was in fact made by Ahmad al-Shukeiri, the first chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
This does not mean that Nasserism was innocent of anti-Semitism. During its heydays, a large number of anti-Semitic European literature was translated into Arabic. Gamal Abdelnasser’s brother Al-Leithi was one of those who translated The Protocols of the Elders of Zion into Arabic in 1968.
Similarly, Abdel Halim Hafez sang a song written by Abdul Rahman Al-Abnoudi titled Christ in which the final line read “the same Jews” had “crucified” Christ. However, after Al-Azhar had pointed out and cautioned that Christ, according to Islam, was not crucified, they replaced the word “crucified” with “betrayed.”All this is history now. It is expected that Khamenei, who translated some of the books of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood member Sayyed Qutb into Persian, would not be a fan of Abdelnasser who executed Qutb.
What is surprising about Khamenei’s tweet is how he appears to have retracted from his promise of “wiping Israel off the map,” by underlining that Iran is “playing rationally” and demanding “democratic methods to solve the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis,” even insisting that “democracy today is the modern approach accepted by the whole world”
Nevertheless, it is still not understandable why Khamenei opened up this matter now. The movement, which the supreme leader belongs to, is one of most active in terms of denying the occurrence of the Holocaust. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of the most prominent Holocaust deniers. Khamenei himself has endorsed such views in a video clip posted on his website on the Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27, 2016. In Tehran, conferences for people who deny the Holocaust were organized. This is in addition to caricatures and exhibitions.
Ayatollah Khomeini promoted the "International Jewish Conspiracy" in the 1960s and called the Shah a closet Jew. His book The Islamic Government is replete with this “wisdom” and superstitious rulings concluding that the “Israelis are not humans.”
Khamenei’s flip-flop
What is surprising about Khamenei’s tweet is how he appears to have retracted from his promise of “wiping Israel off the map,” by underlining that Iran is “playing rationally” and demanding “democratic methods to solve the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis,” even insisting that “democracy today is the modern approach accepted by the whole world.”This rhetoric is not that of Khomeini or Khamenei, and adopting it is not due to ideological reasons but most likely due to politics. The Israelis have besieged Iran’s presence in Syria and have placed Tehran before options of which the best is humiliating. The economic situation is very bad, and with the return of American sanctions it will get worse. The relationships between the wings of power inside Iran are not so good. The cost of external expansion has significantly increased over the past two years. We know that the Islamists of Iran, like Arab Islamists, engage in a kind of cheap pragmatism that makes them change with changing circumstances. We also know that Iran, when Khomeini was still alive, combined between the peak of enthusiasm to “export the revolution” with the extreme willingness to cooperate with ‘Great Satan’ as revealed in the notorious Iran–Contra affair. Is it possible to assemble such scattered pieces for a useful purpose? Is it possible that Iran is feeling the pulse of Israelis and advocating a bridge between the two countries? Could the Russians have hinted to the Iranians to behave as such, so that Tehran can break free from its Syrian dilemma without Moscow having to openly declare its open tilt towards Israel in a confrontation between two of its allies? Is it possible that the Iranian leadership has found a reference to imitate in the recent US-North Korean deal?
If the answers are ‘yes’, then we can say that Khamenei’s recent “intellectual” position is not based on ideals at all. In fact, the aim of negatively and falsely talking about Abdelnasser may be to confirm the distance between the Islamists of Iran and the Arab nationalists whom calls to eliminate Israel have been historically linked to. If this scenario is true, there is still a startling oddity. Iranian Islamists have incited and inflamed Arab and Palestinian nationalists when they were calming down. This scenario thus implies that those who have adopted this inflammation approach will from now on cool down the situation and perhaps completely extinguish it. We may be on the eve of exciting transformations in an exciting region.

Can Kim-Trump summit be replicated with Iran?
Hamid Bahrami/Al Arabiya/June 19/18
The US President hailed the historic summit with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, following a year of political roller coaster and exchange of threatening words.Many global security pundits are confused about the rationale behind why Kim has changed his mind on the relationship with the US.
President Trump’s strategy to solve the North Korean crisis has been to tighten the noose around Kim’s regime in order to force him to respect international laws. Seemingly, this strategy has worked as North Korea has already agreed to dismantle its nuclear capacity.
It appears that the US National Security team pursues the same strategy with regard to addressing the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambition and regional mischief. But the Iran situation is in fact a very different story. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s list of 12 demands from Iran directly targets the theocracy’s fundamental pillars, namely its export of terrorism and domestic repression.
It is evident that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei seeks to salvage his totalitarian regime. However, the quandary is that if he accepts only two of the 12 American demands and reforms the Islamic Republic’s behavior accordingly, nothing will remain of his regime.
Khamenei fully understands this, which is apparent from his most important condition for staying in the nuclear deal. Drawing a red-line for the EU3, the Supreme Leader made it clear that the EU should pledge not to seek negotiations on the regime’s regional activities.
Commanders of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have consistently repeated that if the IRGC does not fight beyond Iran’s borders, the regime will face perilous threats on the streets of Tehran. In contrast to the Iranian regime, North Korea has never destabilized its neighbors and in reality what President Trump expects from Kim does not threaten the existence of his regime
Pouring cold water
On the other hand, the so-called moderate President of Iran poured cold water on all hopes for negotiations with Iran in the Post-Nuclear Deal era.
During a meeting of regime officials on Friday on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, Rouhani said: “It is amazing that a power who has the blood of the people of this region from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen to other regions on its hands, has worn the mask of peace and speaks about negotiation, and the usurper regime who is killing people every day is traveling around to portray a false image of the Islamic Republic and people of Iran”.
This is the main reason that I strongly believe the IRGC will never pull out its forces from the Middle East through diplomatic negotiations or sanctions. Restrictions on the regime’s source of income will certainly limit its influence but the US should eventually consider expelling the IRGC from the region.
In contrast to the Iranian regime, North Korea has never destabilized its neighbors and in reality what President Trump expects from Kim does not threaten the existence of his regime.
Hence, it is naive to expect for a real negotiation between Iranian clerics and President Trump even if the US gives them security guarantees. Historically, no one can secure a regime that is deeply hated by its own people.
Ideological leverage
Now, one may argue that both dictators could lose their ideological leverage and be overthrown by their suppressed masses if the political and social atmosphere are opened up. The Iranian regime has of course already lost its religious leverage among the people.
In reality, this argument could not be realistic for North Korea because Kim’s regime is not facing massive popular protests with chants of regime change at home.
On the contrary, in Iran, economic and political crises have risen to a decisive point as the regime has been faced with an organized opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which regime officials blames for the ongoing nationwide protests inside the country.
As the NCRI prepares for its annual gathering in Paris on 30 June, known as Free Iran, my source inside Iranian President’s Office tells me that during a phone call between the French and the Iranian Presidents a few days ago, Rouhani asked for restrictions to be put on the event, which the French President declined. As history teaches us, the US administration should not waste time to hear anything from theocracy. Instead, both Arab states and President Trump should pay close attention to the message out of NCRI’s gathering in Iran, which will echo the real voices of Iranians.

Liberation of Hodeidah and the rapid strategic shift
Radwan al-Sayed/Al Arabiya/June 19/18
Yemeni army forces and resistance factions, aided by the coalition’s ground, aerial and naval forces, are advancing toward the city of Hodeidah as fierce battles continue. I do not have any military experience but ever since the Houthis were driven out of South Yemen, it has been clear that containing the Houthi coup requires three military goals: expelling the Houthis away from the Saudi borders, getting them out of the central governorates and getting them out of ports, specifically the Hodeidah Port.
The Hodeidah Port is the main naval entrance to North Yemen, and it is also important because most food imports and other goods come through it. The Houthis have benefitted a lot from its financial resources and have used it to smuggle Iranian weapons and to threaten international navigation.
They have also relied on the port to control wide areas, which never embraced them in Yemen. Military oppression and army barricades in support of Ali Saleh were not enough to subjugate these areas so the Houthis resorted to famine, like Bashar al-Assad did in Syria, to control people.
Interestingly, the Houthis, who view themselves as part of the Iranian camp, used the same methods adopted by Hezbollah and other Iranian militias, i.e. murder, starvation, displacement and imposing Iranian domination on the abandoned land under the pretext of Shiism.
Many observers think that storming the west coast has been delayed a lot but they disagree over the reason. The most prominent reason they note is that the coalition countries, which succeeded in the issuance of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 before they intervened, had to listen to the UN Security Council at every step of the way.
Envoys always proposed truces, discussions and negotiations in Oman, Kuwait and other places. Meanwhile, the Houthis have been stalling to improve their control over Yemen, and then came the health and humanitarian crises. This called for taking many things into consideration and to listen to people’s worries and tragedies, which the Houthis do not care about. The circumstances in 2015 were the darkest but the decisive Arab countries turned this darkness into hope
Divided army
In addition to that, I think the Yemeni situation also plays a role here. The Houthis’ arrival to Aden, Hadhramaut and Hodeidah during a month or less meant the Yemeni army was divided or practically shattered.
Therefore the coalition’s and the legitimate government’s ability to rebuild the Yemeni army during less than three years is considered an important and a fateful achievement as the army’s presence and efficiency is now essential in the ongoing war to restore the country from the Houthis who control the capital and other major cities. It’s true that the resistance forces remained active on the ground in Taiz and other areas and in Hodeidah later but the main factor on the ground now is the Yemeni army in addition to Emirati and Sudanese forces. The air force is very important alongside the forces that are liberating lands and managing them.
There is another strategic factor which significance has appeared now. In 2015, the year of seizure and interference, the situation was entirely in favor of the Iranian axis as at the time the Russian intervention happened in Syria and the international coalition had intervened in Iraq.
The Iranians had been in Syria for around three years. Iran and its militias were the actual power on the ground after Assad’s army was exhausted. This made Arab communities desperate especially that armed militias were also in control of Libya or had spread in some of parts of the country.
During this extreme Arab weakness, all what could possibly be saved was international resolutions. In that year in particular (2015), it seemed that the Arab Levant was back to the colonial phase of the 1930’s and 1940’s, i.e. the countries witnessing unrest had lost their independence and ability to act and had fallen victims of superpowers’ and regional powers’ conflict over areas of influence in the Arab world.
The apparent reason for this power struggle is new and it’s fighting terrorism. The strategic change noted in the article’s headline is represented in the decision of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Arab countries, which joined them to take action in Yemen to save legitimacy there and begin confronting Iran’s interferences. This decision required courage, wisdom and the capability to act even if under the umbrella of the UN Security Council decisions and the legitimate government’s request. It’s said that the darkest hours at night are those before dawn. The circumstances in 2015 were the darkest but the decisive Arab countries turned this darkness into hope.
The years 2016 and 2017 saw the liberation of the south and restoration of vast areas in Yemen and the rebuilding of the army. The third step now is liberating the west coast and its capital Hodeidah so 80 percent of Yemen is under the control of the Arab and Yemeni legitimacy.
The Arab strategic rise began with the Arab decision of Saudi Arabia and the UAE following around two decades of vacuum. What’s happening in Yemen will happen in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Woe to the Arabs!

A unified call for ‘Sports without Politics’
Mohammed Al-Hammadi/Al Arabiya/June 19/18
The Saudi Football Federation has done well to file a complaint with FIFA over the exploitation of Qatar-owned BeIN Sports channel’s exclusive rights to the 2018 World Cup to broadcast politicized messages aimed at harming Saudi Arabia.
What happened in the channel’s studio while analyzing the football match between Saudi Arabia and Russia after it ended is a disgusting chapter of a media scene that is falling and declining every day. This was not the first time that this channel, which is supposed to be a sports channel, broadcasts political messages. Sometimes, it has even broadcast inciting messages against countries that the Qatari regime politically disagrees with. We were hoping this channel will dissociate itself from the behavior of the mother channel Al-Jazeera which has mastered propagating strife and working on dividing Arab unity. This is in addition to the channel’s exposed work at supporting terrorism and paving way for terrorists to voice their opinions and regularly send their messages through it.
Same mastermind
It’s clear that the mastermind who manages Al-Jazeera is not that different from that managing BeIN. Therefore, the task is one and the messages are similar. This is why everyone is calling for a serious and unified stance against the channel and the behavior of its supervisors and employees.
Mixing sports with politics is completely rejected. The exploitative approach of this channel which monopolizes the broadcast of World Cup matches to millions of Arabs in the Middle East is immoral and is rather hostile as it directly contradicts with the great purpose of organizing the World Cup and which is uniting all people, bringing them closer to each other, forgetting political disputes and regional interests and focusing on fun, co-existence and love.
What we see on beIN Sports does not reflect any of this as even the channel’s selection of some Arab analysts and commentators shows that the channel has an agenda that’s distant from sports and close to inciting strife and stirring problems. Therefore, the initiative launched by top sports figures in the Gulf and the Arab world on Monday under the slogan “sports without politics” is very important and it’s a civilized step that reflects Arab athletes’ concern to keep sports distant from politics.
What pushed them to launch this initiative is BeIN Sports’ insistence to involve politics in sports. We’ve noticed in the past few months how the channel’s reporters and hosts intentionally involved athletes and the audiences in political disputes which they have nothing to do with. This has called for a firm response taking a real position to end this unprofessional, unethical and irresponsible behavior.
The Qatari channel’s continuous instigation and inciting of hatred violate the media’s professional ethics and FIFA’s rules which stipulate that it is a must to dissociate sports from politics. Therefore, the Saudi move is welcomed and it must be supported to end the channel’s unsporting behavior.

An Islamophobic Eid?
رحيل رضا من كندا/عيد للإسلموفوبيا
Raheel Raza/Clarion Project/June 19/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/65431/raheel-raza-clarion-project-an-islamophobic-eid-%d8%b1%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%84-%d8%b1%d8%b6%d8%a7-%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%83%d9%86%d8%af%d8%a7-%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%af-%d9%84%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d9%81/
My Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr started with an incredible and unbelievable tweet by the Canadian parliamentarian and the MP for Mississauga Centre, Omar Alghabra, which went viral:
“Eid Mubarak, friends! I wish I could celebrate it with you but @AndrewScheer couldn’t set aside partisanship for 1 day and is forcing votes for 30 hrs straight on one of the holiest days for Muslims!”
In response, MP Erin O’Toole wrote, “It is clear you recognize your tweet was misleading Omar. Considering the context you really should apologize” to which Mr. Alghabra responded by tweeting “You don’t believe Islamophobia exists! You disrespect the importance of Eid!”
Seriously? Mr. Alghabra is citing Islamophobia? The vote was called for by the Liberals, the party that Mr. Alghabra belongs to. But he decided to make Eid a political issue and embarrass Canadians. He certainly embarrassed me by making such an ignorant remark.
Mr. Alghabra has a clear choice: Whether to identify as Islamist or Canadian. His constituents are not just Muslim – they are Canadians of every faith.
Eid is a celebration of the feast after the fast of Ramadan for Muslims. Eid is a time where one is meant to think about others, and what better way to do this than to spend time resolving Canadian issues in parliament?
Therefore, this Eid was very meaningful for me. I was in Ottawa where I attended an event hosted by the Hungarian ambassador about persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority areas of the Middle East. Following this, I attended an event about the continued genocide of the Yazidis in Iraq and Syria.
It was heartrending to meet some of the victims of ISIS brutality. At this event, it was mentioned more than once that the Canadian government is dragging its feet about bringing Yazidi families into Canada, especially those that already have some family members here.
Canada has agreed to bring 40,000 Syrian refugees, which is a good thing. However, Syrians are victims of a civil war and many will be able to go back home when things clear up. The Yazidis, on the other hand, have no place to go because they have been persecuted for centuries and have now been ousted from their place of birth.
Even though I was unable to be with my family for Eid celebrations, the fact that I was able to contribute in some small way to the cause of justice for humanity definitely made it worthwhile.
Canadians should be aware that we are going down a slippery slope – first with M103 (the motion condemning Islamophobia and all forms of religious discrimination in Canada) and second with this latest tweet by Mr. Alghabra – which may be the first shot to show how Islamophobia will be used as a weapon at every turn, even in parliament.
So if Mr. Alghabra wants to know the real meaning of Eid, he should stop being selfish and consider the intention of the holiday. Although Muslims are a large part of the Canadian mosaic, if he wants to observe all Muslim holidays at work in a secular country, he should not be in the Canadian parliament. I hear there are vacancies (due to members who whose heads have been chopped off) in Saudi Arabia and Iran.
https://clarionproject.org/islamophobic-eid-raheel-raza/

Criticism Of Russia In Iran: 'Russia Must Not Interfere In Syria's Internal Affairs'; If Russia 'Wants To Stand [Against Us], We Will Surely Stand Against It'
الانتقادات في إيران لروسيا: لا يجب أن تتدخل روسيا في شؤون سوريا الداخلية. إن وقفت ضدنا نحن بالتأكيد سنكون ضدها
MEMRI/June 19/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/65438/memri-criticism-of-russia-in-iran-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%8A/
Iran responded resentfully to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's statements in late May 2018 regarding the need for all foreign forces to withdraw from Syria – meaning also Iranian forces or those sponsored by Iran, such as Hizbullah and the Shi'ite militias.
Iranian regime spokesmen, from both the pragmatic and ideological camps, rejected the demand, that came from Russia's most pro-Iran representative, Lavrov. They clarified that Iran was in Syria at the permission of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, and that therefore Russia's demand was illegitimate. The Iranian Ghanoon daily, which is affiliated with the Iranian reformist stream, openly expressed opposition to reliance on Russia, even mounting a personal attack against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor and associate of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is the most senior political figure in Iran's ideological camp, which has in recent years pushed for cooperating with Russia to counter the pro-West, and particularly pro-U.S., policy promoted by the pragmatist camp, led by Iranian President Hassan Rohani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. He attempted to defend his pro-Russia policy and Russia itself, saying that it had consistently supported Iran's position in the face of the West's pressure on Iran and false promises to it (for more on the rival Iranian camps' choice between a pro-West or a pro-Russia strategy, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1191, Iran At The Crossroads: Between Russia And The U.S., October 13, 2015). Velayati stated that Russia does not want to, and cannot, force a policy on Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesmen were more vehement in their criticism of Russia. After recalling Russia's generally pro-Iran policy, they stated that Russia does not determine Iranian policy, and warned it, albeit not strongly, not to dictate to Iran to pursue Russian interests in Syria.
Below is an analysis of the situation in Syria from an interview with Jahangir Karami, director of a research group on Russia at Tehran University, on the subject, followed by reactions from officials of Iran's pragmatic, reformist, and ideological camps to Russia's demand that all foreign withdraw from Syria.
Director Of Research Group On Russia At Tehran University: Russia Will Not Hesitate To Choose The West Over Iran
The Tasnim news agency, which is close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), interviewed Jahangir Karami, director of a research group on Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus at Tehran University. In the interview, Karami noted Iran's inferiority to Russia in the Syrian arena and the limitations of its power in the global political arena. He discussed Iranian, Russian, and Israeli interests in Syria, and noted that Iran-Russia relations do not constitute a comprehensive military alliance, and that Russia will prefer to join the West, not confront it militarily, and in particular will prioritize Israel's interests over Iran's. He recommended that Iran cooperate with Russia in Syria, rather than confronting it. The following are the main points of the interview:
"Iran-Russia ties are not considered a comprehensive military alliance... Iran expects Russia not to prioritize Israel over Iran. [Iran is aware] that Moscow views Israel in a positive light and has no essential problem with it. Russia views Israel as a player that can significantly benefit it bilaterally, regionally, and internationally...
"[As for Iran], Moscow and Tehran have shared bilateral and international interests, and particularly regional interests, which have reached the point of military and operational cooperation. But as far as the Kremlin is concerned, its ties with Iran come at a heavy price [for instance, the economic punishments levied by the U.S. for dealings with Iran]. Sadly, this has caused Israel, the West, and the Arabs to succeed in casting a shadow on some [aspects of] Iran-Moscow relations...
"Russia had considerable need for Iran at the military phase cementing the status of the Syrian government. But at the next phase, the diplomatic phase, Russia has a greater need for players other than Iran. At this [stage] America, Europe, the Arabs, and even Israel are important. Israel held discussions with the Russians and promised that if Iran and Hizbullah retreated from the Israel-Syria border, Israel would help [promote a political solution in Syria]. The painful truth is that Iran is conspicuously weak when it comes to the diplomatic stage [of seeking a political solution] in Syria, which gives the Russians a more prominent role...
"Israel's objective is to expel Iran from all of Syria, or at least drive it back from the Israel-Syria border. The Russians want all foreign forces out of Syria – Iran, the U.S. and Turkey. Iran has apparently agreed [to withdraw its forces] provided that Syrian forces take their place. Some Iranian political institutions regard this Russian [position] as a betrayal of Iran, although it was clear from the start that along with the agreement between Iran and Russia about combatting terror and maintaining the Syrian regime, there were also disagreements between them on the Syrian issue. At the time, they were silent about this, because cooperation was more essential... The important point is that, sadly, if Russia or any other country [finds itself] at a crossroads, [required to choose] between ties with Iran or with the West, it will not hesitate to choose the West [over Iran]...
"The Russians apparently do not think that an agreement with Israel is necessarily at Iran's expense. They believe they are acting as mediators to prevent confrontation between the two sides in Syria. [As for] Iran-Israel relations, Russia is neutral, [favoring] neither side...
"[Iran] needs to cooperate with Russia on various issues. We cannot have rivalry or hostility with Russia, China, or any other country vis-à-vis their relations with the West or with Israel – because no player, not even Putin's Russia, wants to form a military coalition [with us] against the West..."[1]
Reactions From Iran's Pragmatic And Reformist Circles
Pragmatic Daily Ebtekar: Iran Must Not Allow Itself To Be Depicted As A Player That Destabilizes Syria
In its May 31, 2018 editorial, the pragmatic Ebtekar daily addressed the strategy Iran should adopt vis-à-vis Syria. It concluded: "Iran can cooperate with all sides at the same time. When external regional forces lead an initiative to reduce tensions in Syria, Iran must not allow itself to be depicted as a player undermining stability, and to become a target for American-Western negative propaganda. Perhaps the optimal strategy for Iran right now is to cooperate with all the players in the Syrian arena."[2]
Reformist Daily Ghanoon On Putin: "A Swindling Scoundrel"
On June 3, 2018, the reformist daily Ghanoon published a photo of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu with Russian President Putin, captioned "A Swindling Scoundrel" – apparently in reference to Putin.
The caption goes on to say: "The people expect that just as those in charge shout about the excessive demands of America and the West and protest against their support of Israel, the murderer of children, they will also respond to these actions by Russia [i.e. demands that Iran withdraw its forces from Syria] and skillfully implement the principle of 'neither East nor West', [thus] following in the footsteps of the founder of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Khomeini]...[3]
"Russia was not supposed to withdraw its support of Iran in the post-ISIS period and sign a pact of brotherhood with Iran's major enemy, that is, the Zionists – thus trampling the Iranian blood that has been spilled in Syria. It seems that once again, the historic nature of the Russians has been revealed – [their disloyalty and a willingness to again betray [Iran]...
"Russian elements have been speaking for a while now of expelling Iran from certain areas in Syria... [But] Iran has invested efforts in Syria and has paid a price, and it must extend its strategic border as far as it serves its national might. Iran must not allow countries that think only of their own interests to make decisions for it."[4]
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif: Iran Was Invited Into Syria And Iraq By Their Governments
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said at a May 23, 2018 press conference: "With regard to the statements by Putin's representative in the matter of Iran's withdrawing from Syria, it is true that this statement was amended. But I must emphasize the Iranian position on this matter, which was always explicit: Anywhere Iran has a military advisor presence – whether in Iraq, Syria, or anywhere else – [this presence] is at the invitation of that state, and with the aim of fighting terrorism. In effect, Iran is the only country in the region, and in the world, that is fighting terrorism, paying the price for doing so and sacrificing martyrs. Iran arrived at the invitation of the countries of the region – not like other countries, that came without permission. We will continue our aid as long as these countries wish it. I believe that this aid is for the good of the entire world, because the terror groups that we are fighting with threaten the entire world."[5]
IRGC Spokesman Baharam Qassemi: "No One Can Force Iran To Do A Thing... Iran Sets Its Policy According To Its National Interests"
On May 21, 2018, IRGC spokesman Baharam Qassemi told a press conference: "Iran will remain in Syria as long as there is a need [for it to do so], as long as there is a danger of terrorism in Syria, and as long as the Syrian government asks it to continue its aid to Syria.
"With regard to the Russian elements that said that foreign forces must withdraw from Syria, and the question of whether it is possible for Russia to force Iran to exit Syria – I must clarify that no one can force Iran to do a thing. Iran is an independent state that sets its policy according to its national interests in the region and in the world. Iran is present in Syria at the invitation of the Syrian government. Our main aim is fighting terrorism and suppressing terrorism in Syria, so that Syria's sovereignty is preserved... Whoever comes to Syria without the permission of its government and violates its sovereignty must be the one to withdraw from Syria."[6]
Reactions From Iran's Ideological Camp
The following are several reactions to Russia's demand from Iran's ideological camp:
Ali Akbar Velayati, Senior Advisor To Khamenei: "Russia Cannot And Also Does Not Want To Force Exaggerated [Demands] On Iran"
Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Khamenei, said at a May 30, 2018 conference titled "The Eternal Lesson –Another Look At The Positions Of The Leader in the Matter of the JCPOA": "One of the most important things [with regard to Iran's foreign policy] is turning eastward [i.e. towards Russia and China]. Unfortunately, those afflicted with the Western disease and the fools [i.e. the reformist and pragmatic camps] very much oppose this. Some [of them] say that Russia has broken past promises. They should be asked whether Europe has fulfilled, with its pure intentions, everything we wanted?! Every country operates according to its national interests. In certain places, we have interests with Russia and China, and we can cooperate. The Russians vetoed England's cunning anti-Iran draft resolution regarding Yemen at the UN [Security Council], and without a doubt did so explicitly and swiftly.
"After America withdrew from the JCPOA, Putin met with [French President Emmanuel] Macron, and at this meeting Macron talked a lot and said that the JCPOA should be complemented by [other agreements] on the missile issue and on [Iran's expansion] in the region. But Putin told him explicitly that the missiles and the region[al expansion] were completely unconnected to the JCPOA. Who of the Westerners are willing to do something like Putin did? ...
"Russia cannot and also does not want to force exaggerated [demands] on Iran. We have defense cooperation with Russia, and Russia gave us almost everything we wanted. The reactor that the Russians built was meant to be built by the Germans, but they left after the [1979] revolution and never made the smallest move [to compensate us]. But the Russians built the reactor, and gave us things for which the Europeans would not give us a single bolt.
"At the height of the sanctions, China cooperated with us, and the volume of our commerce reached $52 billion... Many years ago, at a meeting with China's president, the leader [Khamenei] spoke about a [political] turn eastward, and reminded us that we want strategic relations with China; [China] also noted this point. The Chinese want to work in the oil fields in the south, at Pars and Bazargan. Therefore, turning eastward is the easiest way to be rid of the game of hide and seek with the West. We must not be influenced by the propaganda of those afflicted by the West and who love Paris more than Moscow."[7]
Hossein Sheikh Al-Islam, Advisor To Iranian Foreign Minister: "Russia Must Not Interfere In Syria's Internal Affairs"
Former Iranian ambassador to Syria Hossein Sheikh Al-Islam, who is currently an advisor to Foreign Minister Zarif, said on June 3, 2018: "We all know that the Syrian government is the official government elected by the parliament. We are there in accordance with an official invitation by the Syrian government, [and our presence there] is compatible with all the international laws and the UN Charter. It is the Syrian government – and no other government – that determines who will be there and who will not. Therefore, as long as the Syrian government and Iran want it, the work of the [Iranian] military advisor will continue. It is clear that both we and Russia want those who came to Syria on other pretexts to leave it...
"Russia must not interfere in Syria's internal affairs. Only the Syrian government, and no one else, has the authority to determine who remains and who will not. We must note that [Syrian] Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad stressed, after Russia's statements, that Iranian forces and Hizbullah are in Syria at our [Syria's] request, and their presence will continue...
"In any event, Russia has a decisive role to play in stabilizing Syria, and this began seven years ago, with the first resolutions initiated by the West in the UN in the matter of [Iran's] intervention in Syria's affairs – which Russia vetoed three times. [Russia's] air force helped the Syrian government where necessary, and this was because the Syrian government's air force was not precise, and unfortunately, when it carried out bombing, some civilians were mistakenly harmed. The Russian government, alongside Iran, helped the Syrian government and army, and did not allow Syria to disintegrate.
"Russia played an active role in fighting terrorism, because of its interests; many of the terror elements came to Syria from regions in southern Russia, and were trained, and then returned to Russia to carry out [terror] operations. Russia came to Syria, undoubtedly, because of its own national and regional interests, and not for us. In some places, we succeeded in precisely defining joint interests with Russia and with the Syrian government, including [the interests of] destroying terror and preserving Syria's unity stability and the region's security – and we cooperated in these issues. If we again have joint interests, we will again collaborate. The Assad regime and the Syrian government will decide whether to have closer [relations] with Russia or with Iran – I am not deciding for them.
"Make no mistake, we have not sacrificed martyrs in Syria in order to now grab money [at their expense]. We sacrificed martyrs to protect Iran's security. This does not mean that we will have no role in rebuilding Syria. Previously, we played a very large role in the Syrian economy. If you've ever been to Damascus, you've seen that most of the taxis there [were made in Iran]. Once, we had a prominent role in the Syrian economy, and this role will continue. The Western Satan wants to provoke us and prevent our beneficial presence in Syria, so it is spreading false rumors. You must know that Iranian companies have won more than 50% of Syrian electricity and water tenders. We built there a refinery and a silo [sic]. Ten silos were built during my term as ambassador to Syria. We have there companies for assembling [Iranian] Faraed and Samand cars. We provide technical and engineering services for many projects for building roads and so on. All these will continue. It is not like after all this we will leave Syria and return [to Iran], because the Syrians will not leave us."[8]
Gen. Kosari, Deputy Commander Of IRGC's Tharollah Command In Tehran: If Russia "Wants To Stand [Against Us], We Will Surely Stand Against It"
Gen. Ismail Kosari, deputy commander of the IRGC's Tharollah Command in Tehran, said on May 22, 2018: "I believe that Russia has not stood against us in any matter, but if it wants to stand [against us], we will surely stand against it – like we did against the USSR."[9]
IRGC-Affiliated Kayhan Daily: Israel And Russia Do Not Decide About Withdrawal Of Iranian And Hizbullah Forces From Syria
In its June 11, 2018 editorial, the IRGC-affiliated Iranian daily Kayhan, which reflects the views of Iran's ideological circles, opposed the withdrawal of Iranian forces and of Hizbullah from Syria. It stated that Russia cannot decide for Iran on this issue:
"Iran's military advisors, and Hizbullah forces, did not come to Syria with Israel's or Russia's approval, and therefore the [latter] cannot decide now about withdrawing them... It is inconceivable that there should be any deal between any of the sides involved in Syria with regard to the Iranian presence and the role of Hizbullah. This is because the policy of the resistance axis is clear and independent, and insists on non-reliance on other powers. Secret negotiations [between Russia and Israel] cannot influence this principled policy. Furthermore, no side can decide on Iran's policy and role in the region..."[10]
[1] Tasnim (Iran), June 5, 2018.
[2] Ebtekar (Iran), May 31, 2018.
[3] "Neither East nor West" was a revolutionary principle of Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini – that is, not to be identified as either an American or a Russian satellite.
[4] Ghanoon (Iran), June 3, 2018.
[5] ISNA (Iran), May 23, 2018.
[6] ISNA (Iran), May 21, 2018.
[7] Tasnim (Iran), May 30, 2018.
[8] Majlis website (Iran), June 3, 2018.
[9] ILNA (Iran), May 22, 2018.
[10] Kayhan (Iran), June 11, 2018.
https://www.memri.org/reports/criticism-russia-iran-russia-must-not-interfere-syrias-internal-affairs-if-russia-wants