Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Islamic jihad representative slams Turkey-Israel normalization

Tehran, IRNA – Nasser Abu Sharif, Representative of Palestine’s Islamic Jihad Resistance Movement in Tehran, on Monday condemned the normalization of ties between Turkey and the Zionist regime, describing the move as a great mistake on part of Ankara.

In an interview with the Turkish service of IRNA, Abu Sharif said that the Zionist regime has been founded based on inhumane crimes against Palestinians and through unlimited support by Western states.

He added that the Palestinian people are opposed to normalization with the Zionist regime at any level and reject it, because they believe that it will not benefit them and instead will help maintain the existence of the regime.  

He said that relations between Turkey and the Israeli regime have witnessed many developments since 1948, and Ankara at a time announced its recognition of the regime.

Abu Sharif added, after the Justice and Development Party, known as AK Party, took power in Turkey, positive changes took place in the country’s stance towards the Palestinian issue, with measures being taken by the Turkish people and government in support of the Palestinians.

But now, the government in Ankara has normalized ties with the Zionist regime, a measure that the Islamic Jihad considers as a setback regrading Palestine.

Abu Sharif said that Iran is the only country which has always stood by the Palestinian people, adding that what benefits the Palestinian people is true confrontation and declaration of war against the Zionist regime.

He said that when the regime’s president is warmly welcomed, it leads to the recognition of the regime and then ambassadors are exchanged, and that means the rejection of the true history of Palestine.

On August 17, Turkey and the Zionist regime announced that they will restore full diplomatic relations and reappoint respective ambassadors for the first time since 2010 when their ties were severed over the regime’s raid on a Turkish-flagged flotilla bound for Palestine.

Revival of JCPOA hinges on IAEA behavior

TEHRAN – Iran has rejected the allegation by Western media that it has backed down on its demand for closing a UN nuclear watchdog probe into its past nuclear activities, saying that the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal depends on the closing of that probe. 

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, reacted to Western allegations that Iran has dropped a demand for the International Atomic Energy Agency to end its probe. 

The IAEA’s investigation into Iran’s alleged past nuclear activities has been a major source of contention in the talks in Vienna over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The IAEA claims that it found uranium particles in a number of “undeclared” sites in Iran. It presented Iran with a set of questions on the sites. Iran provided answers but the IAEA keeps insisting that the Iranian answers are not technically credible.

On the other hand, Iran said the IAEA has moved away from its mandate by pursuing unfounded allegations propagated by Israel, a staunch opponent of the JCPOA. Iran said the IAEA, in its dealings with Iran, has not been technical and its behavior is politically motivated. 

In his recent phone call with the UN secretary-general, the Iranian foreign minister said Iran had reminded all negotiating partners that it is “highly essential” to resolve all “artificial and politically-motivated Safeguards” issues pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program.

He added Iran has shown “strong, serious and real will for” reviving the JCPOA, and “we have shown this in practice.”  

Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi underlined the same position on Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference attended by Iranian and foreign reporters, Ayatollah Raisi said Iran has been committed to negotiations while also working to neutralize U.S. sanctions.

He outlined the parameters for reaching a deal, saying that such a deal would require four conditions: credible guarantees, practical verification of sanctions removal, lasting and meaningful sanctions relief, and the closure of political allegations made by the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

Ayatollah Raisi said the talks are proceeding within the framework of removing U.S. sanctions on Iran. In this regard, he put emphasis on the need to put an end to the IAEA probe into Iran’s past nuclear activity, which has been triggered by allegations submitted by Israel.

Relying on Israel-supplied documents, the IAEA has requested answers from Iran about nuclear particles found at a number of Iranian sites. Iran gave its answers but the IAEA insists on greater cooperation, a move that has been seen by Iran as politically motivated and incompatible with the technical nature of IAEA work.

President Raisi said reaching a deal is now dependent on the IAEA closing its probe. “We emphasized verification and confidence-building assurances in the negotiations. We also emphasize that safeguards issues must be resolved and this is a pillar in the negotiations and without it, the talk of an agreement has no meaning,” he said. 

Raisi added, “The agreement should be accompanied by the resolution of safeguards issues and points that Iran follows as a strategy. We have not and will not fail to realize the interests of the Iranian nation.”

Eslami said Wednesday that reviving the JCPOA is now dependent on how the IAEA tackles its probe. 

He reiterated that if the IAEA does not close its probe, there will be no such thing as “Reimplementation Day,” a stage in the process of reviving the JCPOA that would come nearly four months after the start of the process. 

Commenting on the Western reports that Iran dropped its demand for closure of the IAEA probe, Eslami told ISNA, “What we have written [to the West] is decisive. Our intention and emphasis are that if these questions are not closed by the Reimplementation Day, there will be no Reimplementation Day. We did not back down and we cannot back down.”

Iran and its negotiating partners have been engaged in long, painstaking talks since April 2021. Since then, more than eight rounds of talks have been held, which resulted in producing a draft agreement. 

Eslami said this draft agreement is the result of the Iranian body politic, not a certain faction. 

Canadian intelligence agent smuggled British schoolgirls into Daesh clutches in Syria

Crescent International

Shamima Begum, now 23, was smuggled into Syria by a Canadian intelligence agent and handed over to the terrorist outfit, Daesh (aka ISIS). Currently living in a refugee camp in Syria, she awaits her fate about whether she can return to Britain. In 2019, the British government revoked her citizenship. Her lawyer is challenging the decision at a Special Immigration Tribunal in Britain.
Intelligence activity is not only murky but sordid business.

The case of British schoolgirls Shamima Begum and her two friends, who were smuggled into Syria in 2015 to join the terrorist outfit, Daesh (aka ISIS), by an intelligence agent for Canada, exposes the dirty world of espionage.

Shamima Begum was only 15 while her two friends Kadiza Sultana, and Amira Abase were 16 and 15 respectively at the time.

In other words, they were minors.

Richard Kerbaj, a former security correspondent of The Sunday Times, says in an explosive new book, The Secret History of the Five Eyes, that Britain conspired with Canada to cover up the role of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the smuggling of Shamima Begum.

The ‘Five Eyes’ refers to the US, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand whose intelligence agencies work closely with each other.

The CSIS agent was Mohammed al-Rasheed, who was recruited by the spy agency when he visited the Canadian embassy in Jordan in 2013 seeking asylum in Canada.

His job was to gather information about Daesh terrorists.

At the same time, he smuggled young girls like Shamima Begum and other Britons to fight for Daesh.

In a detailed report on August 30, the BBC wrote: “A senior intelligence officer, at an agency [presumably British or Canadian] which is part of the global coalition against IS, has confirmed to the BBC that Rasheed was providing information to Canadian intelligence while smuggling people to IS.”

The BBC report also said it obtained a dossier on Rasheed that contained extraordinary detail about how he operated.

The CSIS “Muslim” agent was arrested in Turkey soon after he smuggled the underage girls into Daesh hands in Syria.

He told authorities he had gathered information on the people he smuggled into Syria because he was passing it to the Canadian embassy in Jordan.

The BBC report confirmed that he moved in and out of Jordan multiple times between 2013 and 2015.

In February 2019, Shamima Begum expressed the desire to return home, but the British government revoked her citizenship.

Her lawyers launched an appeal in the UK Supreme Court last year but were unsuccessful.

The latest revelations in Kerbaj’s book have created an opportunity for her lawyers to challenge the revocation of her citizenship because a western intelligence agent helped smuggle her into Syria.

Shamima Begum, now 23, remains in a camp in northern Syria, awaiting verdict in her case at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission due in November.

Tasnime Akunjee, a lawyer for Shamima Begum family, has called for an inquiry into what the police and intelligence services knew.

“Britain has lauded its efforts to stop ISIS and the grooming of our children by spending millions of pounds on the Prevent programme and online monitoring. However, at the very same time we have been cooperating with a Western ally, trading sensitive intelligence with them whilst they have effectively been nabbing British children and trafficking them across the Syrian border for delivery to ISIS, all in the name of intelligence gathering,” he said.

“The calculation here is that the lives of British children, and the risk of their death, is part of the algorithm of acceptable risk our Western allies have taken,” he added.

Akunjee said the revelations were of “crucial importance”, given that Shamima Begum had argued she was trafficked into Syria.

Amnesty International UK has similarly described the British Government’s decision to deprive her of citizenship and abandon her and her British children in Syria “an utter disgrace.”

Shamima Begum’s episode shows how western regimes create terrorist groups for their nefarious agenda.

Then they allow their agents to smuggle misguided impressionable young girls into the hands of these very terrorists.

The girls are accused of aiding terrorists and stripped of citizenship.

It cannot get any dirtier.

DaeshSyriaCanadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS)British governmentsJordan

Biden is Trying to Bring Down Xi Jinping and Organize a “Color Revolution” in China

 Valery KulikovXIP5933

This autumn will be a momentous time for China – in the XX National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party the delegates will confirm China’s strategy and development priorities, and elect the country’s leader for the next five years. It is likely that Xi Jinping, the current head of the Party, will be reelected for a third term, as the rule limiting a General Secretary to serving a maximum of two consecutive terms was abolished back in 2018. Xi Jinping has already served almost ten years as head of the Chinese Communist Party, during which time he has consistently focused on strengthening China’s national sovereignty in the political arena, as well as in the fields of economics and trade, defense and the sciences. This policy has certainly served to strengthen his personal authority within China, but it has also raised Washington’s ire, and the latter is now determined to find some way of removing him from power.

Many members of Joe Biden’s administration have openly voiced their opposition to Xi Jinping’s policies. To cite just one instance, in May this year US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described China as “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order” and to the “future that Americans and people around the world seek.” The only answer, he added is an approach of “integrated deterrence” and of “investing in our strength.”

At the beginning of this year the 90-year old Georg Soros, who has earned himself an unenviable reputation as a sponsor of “color revolutions,” launched barely disguised calls for a change of regime in Beijing, calling Xi Jinping the “main threat to the liberal world order.”

As their main target in their bid to organize a “color revolution” in China, Mr. Soros and his various NGOs and other social organizations chose to focus on the country’s young political high-flyers, in the hope that they will be able to function as an effective opposition to China’s Party veterans and military. Aware that this section of Chinese society has a great deal of influence over the national economy and financial sector, Mr. Soros was calculating that Washington would only need to give the word for them to provoke a social crisis in China, thus pushing hundreds of millions of Chinese over the poverty line.

By means of his Foundation, Mr. Soros therefore attempted to follow the formula used to organize “color revolutions” elsewhere: working with young politically active Chinese, selecting the most “promising” candidates for internships in the US and Europe, where they could be trained to serve the interests of the US political establishment.

The former US diplomat Roger Garside published a book, China Coup: The Great Leap to Freedom, where he described how the Chinese leader might be toppled in a rebellion by political rivals – ideas which were also discussed in an article by Robert Wihtol, published on September 21, 2021, on the website of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the Strategist. Roger Garside described a scenario in which China’s President is forced to retire following a “color revolution” in the run up to the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party this autumn. In this scenario, the trigger for this “palace coup” is the threat of a trade war with the US, which would damage China’s economy, after which Washington would expect to see a change in power and the beginning of political reforms in China.

But the ageing “gray eminence,” along with the current US president, who is only slightly younger, has clearly overlooked the fact that over the last five years Xi Jinping has set up a number of systems to counter foreign influence, including a strengthened command hierarchy within the Chinese Communist Party, as well as anti-corruption campaigns. As a result, the sabotage campaign failed to go as planned, and Washington changed tack and embarked on a new anti-Chinese policy, this time focused on the “Taiwan problem.”

Washington’s choice of Taiwan as the focal point of its attack on China is no coincidence. Its previous attacks, focused on the situation in Xinjiang, had failed. This became especially evident this spring, when Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, returned from her visit to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and confirmed that the situation there appeared normal. Moslem communities around the world united in resisting the attempt to use the situation in the region as a weapon against China.

Washington’s attempts in Summer 2019 to organize demonstrations against Xi Jinping in Hong Kong were no more successful. As yet the US’s hopes to undermine China by playing the Hong Kong card have met with disappointment. The US’s plans to recognize Hong Kong as an independent state and establish separate trading relations with it, thus cutting out China, were foiled, and the White House’s “experts” were then inspired to make use of Taiwan in their attacks on mainland China.

Hoping that China would want to avoid a direct confrontation with the US, including possible conflict with US forces across the Taiwan Strait, on August 2 Joe Biden sent Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Congress, on a trip to Taiwan. His goal was not just to undermine Xi Jinping, but to seduce US voters with the promise of a “short victorious war,” and hopefully boost his performance in the upcoming midterm elections. Washington is also well aware that at the moment, shortly before the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, stability – whether in the social, economic or foreign policy spheres – is of paramount concern to China.

After making the first move in its Taiwanese gambit, the US followed up its “success” with further political missions to the island. On August 14, a delegation from the US Congress, headed by Senator Ed Markey, supported by four other senators, arrived in Taiwan for a two week visit. Then Eric Holcomb, Republican Governor of Indiana, and, shortly afterwards, Marsha Blackburn, Senator from Tennessee, both visited the island.

In a show of loyalty to the US, Lithuania, ready to support any Washington-led project, sent a delegation headed by Deputy Transportation Minister Agne Vaiciukevičiūtė on a five-day trip to the island. Japan followed suit, sending a delegation headed by Shigeru Ishiba, a former Defense Minister and respected statesman, on a four-day trip to Taiwan. Shortly afterwards another Japanese lawmaker, Keiji Furuya, also traveled to the island.

By organizing a series of visits by politicians loyal to the White House, Washington is clearly trying to push Taipei into making an official declaration of independence, and hoping that China’s restrained response to these provocations will be seen as a blow to the authority both of its ruling party and of Xi Jinping himself.

While the above events have been unfolding both the US and China have been mounting displays of military might in the waters around Taiwan – although they are well aware of the potentially disastrous consequences for both countries, and for the rest of the world, of such saber-rattling by leading nuclear powers.

With the situation as it is, it’s most likely that the US will continue with its provocations, in the hope that China will miscalculate and find itself drawn into a conflict. But Beijing is well aware of Washington’s cynical plans. Xi Jinping made this clear in a recent seminar, in which he called on party officials to be vigilant in relation to the standoff with the US: “National rejuvenation will be no walk in the park, and it will take more than drum beating and gong clanging to get there.”

Valery Kulikov, political expert, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

Israel attacks International airport at Damascus and Aleppo

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

For the first time, Israel targets two major airports in Syria on the same night

On 31 August, Israel targeted the Aleppo International Airport and the Damascus International Airport near Syria’s capital.

This is the first time since the beginning of the conflict that Israel targeted both airports on the same night, just an hour apart.

Syrian air-defense systems in Latakia intercepted several Israeli missiles fired from the Levantine Sea, causing loud explosions in the area.

A military source told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) c that “at about 8:00 pm, the Israeli enemy struck Aleppo International Airport with a missile strike resulting in material damage only.”

The last time Israel struck the area was in July 2021.

The second attack on Aleppo airport was just an hour apart from the strikes on Damascus International airport in the eastern countryside of the capital.

Syrian military sources reported that Israeli jets carried out “aerial bombardments from the direction of Tiberias Lake in northern occupied Palestine, targeting several areas southeast of the city of Damascus.”

According to local sources, the air-defense systems stationed near Kisweh town in southern Damascus and the vicinity of the airport highway managed to engage some of the incoming missiles.

In the aftermath of the attack, large fires engulfed the surrounding area of the impact.

There are no immediate reports of casualties or injuries, according to SANA.

Last week, Israeli warplanes conducted several missile strikes, targeting the Scientific Research Center, Talaee Campground, and Jobb Ramleh town in the vicinity of Masyaf city in western Hama countryside.

The missile strikes resulted in the injuries of two civilians and material damage.

On 15 August, Israel also launched several missile strikes targeting rural Damascus and the outskirts of Tartous city near the Russian naval base on the Mediterranean coast.

Furthermore, on 12 August, Israeli tanks fired three shells at the border town of Al-Hamidiyah in the western Al-Quneitra near the occupied Golan Heights, wounding two people.

Earlier this year, Israeli air raids caused significant damage to the Damascus International Airport, halting all air traffic for a duration of two weeks.

Amirabdollahian: Rasht-Astara railway to be operational in joint agreement

Tehran, IRNA - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Wednesday that the development of cooperation in the North-South transit corridor is one of the significant priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Rasht-Astara railway will be operational in the joint agreement.

Amirabdollahian met and held talks today with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow, Russia.

Pointing to the development of cooperation in the North-South transit as Iran’s significant priority, Amirabdollahian underlined that the Rasht-Astara railway will be operational in the joint agreement.

Referring to the right track of relations between Iran and Russia, Amirabdollahian stressed the need to continue and strengthen joint efforts to further develop ties in various bilateral dimensions. 

In this regard, Amirabdollahian termed the necessity of joint efforts to realize and implement the agreements of the presidents of Iran and Russia in Ashgabat and Tehran as important. 

Expressing satisfaction over the increasing trend of trade cooperation between the two states, the top Iranian diplomat added that facilitating cooperation, and eliminating obstacles plus problems are the basis for strengthening the volume of trade between Iran and Russia.

Emphasizing boosting the railway cooperation between Iran and Russia, he called for expediting the implementation of rail and transportation projects.

Lavrov, for his part, stressed the importance of the agreements of the Presidents of the two countries in Ashgabat and emphasized the need for joint efforts to implement them.

Expressing satisfaction over the enhancing level of cooperation between Iran and Russia, he reiterated that as a result of the increased exchange of economic and trade delegations between the two countries and the consequent agreements, "we hope to see more growth in cooperation" in all areas of interest.

How Disinformation Works: Western Intelligence Agencies' Global War on the Left

  • David Miller 

  • Source: Al Mayadeen English

Recent events in the UK reveal the lengths to which western intelligence services will go to strangle and suppress anti-imperialist sentiment.

A shocking story has emerged from leaked emails showing that a prominent supposedly left-wing journalist  - Paul Mason - has been in close contact with a senior British intelligence official in an attempt to target critics of the NATO proxy war in Ukraine, including the author of this piece.

The emails show Mason and his MI6 handler, Andy Pryce, plotting to set up an organisation  - a ‘cut out’ as he called it – using well-known intelligence lingo – to target critics of the NATO proxy war in Ukraine. In one leaked email, Mason advocated the creation of “a kind of permanent rebuttal operation” to discredit critics of the Ukraine adventure. In another, he declared that “the far left rogue academics is who I’m after,” in an apparent reference to a small group of academics producing evidence-based critiques of UK foreign policy, of which the present author is one.

Mason went on to produce a crude and widely ridiculed ‘map’ of the dissidents he was after and – in a move which surely shows his ‘informant’ role – sent it to his MI6 handler Andy Pryce. In another email, Mason passed on to his MI6 handler the name of an anti-war dissenter who had argued with Mason at a pro-war demonstration. He wanted British intelligence to tell him who was ‘pulling his strings’.

‘Russian Disinformation’ or Ukrainian lies? 

This apparent obsession with Russian influence and ‘disinformation’ is of course really a concern that Western lies are being exposed.  The war in Ukraine has seen perhaps the largest number of lies in recent times.  The catalogue of deceptions from the alleged Russian atrocity at Snake Island (where the posthumously decorated soldiers turned out to be alive), the fake story of the Ghost of Kiev, to the misinformation put out by Ukraine and supported by the west about the bombings of the Mariupol maternity hospital, the Mariupol Mosque (debunked by the Imam of the Mosque and the Turkish foreign minister) and the theatre, to the quickly exposed lies about the alleged Russian attack on Kramatorsk, followed by the now receding memory of the alleged Russian massacre in Bucha.  All of these have been fake news of one sort or another and it is the function of intelligence officials like Pryce to pretend that the truth about these events is actually just Russian disinformation. Anyone who mentions any particular truth is derided for echoing Putin's “talking points”.

The Integrity Initiative 

Pryce had first been exposed as an intelligence officer through his involvement as the handler of a Foreign Office-funded project called the Integrity Initiative, which was tasked with countering Russian disinformation.  But following a huge leak of internal government documents, his role was publicised and he took steps to cover his tracks including deleting his LinkedIn page in late 2018. The Integrity Initiative leak effectively sunk the organisation when complaints to the Scottish charity regulator were made about the parent organisation. It had emerged that its official headquarters was a derelict mill in the Scottish countryside, that it was run by military intelligence officers and had a career MI6 officer – Guy Spindler -  as its Chief Operating Officer. Worse, it was discovered that it had spent significant energy attacking the leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn as a dupe of Russia, rather than actually combatting supposed Russian disinformation. The regulator concluded that the purposes of the Integrity Initiative were “not entirely charitable” and it was closed down.

This episode is though not an isolated example of the very significant assault that the UK, US, "Israel" and others are unleashing on critics of their global military adventures.

Alleged chemical weapons use in Syria 

Mason alludes in the emails to other issues where the ‘rogue academics’ have commented and which have been at the forefront of the ‘talking points’ issued covertly by MI6 to pro-NATO journalists. He pointed in particular to the question of the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria and the idea that antisemitism slurs against the left in the UK were ‘a scam’ – or in other words to two areas where there have been massive intelligence-led operations. The biggest Syrian operation has been around the alleged “chemical weapons” attack on the city of Douma in early 2018.  Western governments insisted that the Syrian military had used nerve agent and/or Chlorine dropped from a helicopter and that this resulted in the deaths of over 40 civilians. This provided justification for the Western bombing of Syria shortly thereafter.  

Later, as a result of independent investigations and then the emergence of whistle-blowers from within the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons, it became clear that no nerve agent was used as had been claimed by pro-Western sources, that the bodies of the civilians allegedly killed and indeed the Chlorine cylinders allegedly used in the attack had been tampered with and moved, that the lack of glass in the windows in the apartment block would have made it exceptionally difficult to kill anyone with Chlorine and – finally that a four-person German NATO toxicology panel -commissioned by the OPCW - determined that Chlorine was not the cause of death. These and other anomalies suggested  - as the OPCW weapons inspectors had concluded in their first (suppressed) report - that this was most likely a ‘staged’ event. These explosive facts are dismissed as ‘disinformation’ and ‘conspiracy theory’ by the likes of Mason and the burgeoning disinformation industry copiously funded by the US, UK, and “Israel”. But, in reality, they are strongly evidenced. It has transpired, as a result of further leaks of government documents, that many of the organisations involved with the armed opposition to the Assad government, from at least 2012, some of which were implicated in fabricating evidence of chemical weapons attacks, have also been funded by the UK Foreign Office. Some of the groups are staffed or directed by serving or former MI6 (British foreign intelligence) officers or those with a background in military intelligence, for example, ARKMayday Rescue (which operated the ‘White Helmets’ and whose founder James Le Mesurier, a former military intelligence officer who died in mysterious circumstances in Istanbul in November 2019), Tsamota, or the Centre for International Justice and Accountability. It is not clear how many of these had MI6 officer, Andy Pryce, as their handler.  

The ‘antisemitism’ scam 

Since 2015 there has been an alleged epidemic of Judeophobia sweeping Western countries, especially the UK.  It was targeted especially at the then newly elected leader of the UK Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn.  It is now clear that the campaign was a propaganda campaign directed from “Tel Aviv” by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, the government department charged with tackling Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. Staffed by significant numbers of intelligence agents, the ministry covertly directed significant quantities of cash through a private company set up for the purpose, the aim being to secretly funnel propaganda funds to pro-“Israel” groups new and old alike, and thus bypass transparency rules – especially in the US. In the UK, a whole raft of new pro-"Israel" groups was set up as a result of this strategy (including The Campaign Against Antisemitism, Sussex Friends of Israel, and social media troll farms emerging around the GnasherJew Twitter account)  and they were at the forefront of the campaign against Jeremy Corbyn. However, the strategy needed not just infrastructure but ideological work to modify the notion of ‘anti-Semitism’ into the ‘new antisemitism’.  This is held to have significant overlap, sometimes to be indistinguishable from ‘anti-Zionism’, the racist state ideology of the Zionist movement, and ‘Israel’. The use of ‘the new antisemitism’ strategy as a diplomatic weapon was formalised with the creation of the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism in 2000 by former Israeli ministers Natan Sharansky and Rabbi Michael Melchior. Its ‘first large International Conference’ took place in 2007, followed by two more in 2008 and 2009.

The Global Forum has been part of “Israel’s” efforts to (i) redefine antisemitism so that it becomes less about hatred of Jews as Jews and more about fighting anti-Zionism, and (ii) build the myth of ‘Muslim antisemitism’, thereby allowing pro-“Israel” groups around the world more latitude to demonise Muslim political movements and a more overt outlet to join with governments in securitising, surveilling and penalising Muslim communities. It was the forum that – in 2015 – began the push to introduce and formalise the IHRA working definition of Antisemitism, which has been the weapon of choice in attacking the left, Muslims, and Palestine solidarity work.

The level of harassment, bullying, intimidation, and misinformation caused by these campaigns against the international anti-Imperialist movement is increasing in intensity and  - in the Ukraine war – has succeeded in peeling off some layers of the erstwhile left.  However, slowly but surely, the truth about the illegitimate role played by the security apparatus of Western states is emerging.

Yazd, home to one of the oldest mosques in Iran

TEHRAN–The central province of Yazd is home to one of the oldest Islamic structures in Iran, the provincial tourism chief has said.

As the capital of Iranian-Islamic architecture of the country, Yazd houses several old and historical mosques including the Jameh Mosque of Fahraj, which dates over 1400 years, and is of great significance as one of the oldest extant mosques in Iran, Ahmad Akhundi said on Wednesday.

One of the most important cultural heritages of Yazd is the historic mosques that exist across the province, the official added.

To enable historical mosques to be reopened to the people and tourists, efforts are made to help restore the structures, which are mainly located inside the historical core of Yazd, he noted.

Mosques in Yazd, including some that were ancient fire temples, exemplify a culture of peaceful life among divine religions, and the region is a culture of peaceful life, he stated.

Jameh Mosque of Fahraj still stands tall in a township of the same name in Yazd province. Some archeologists believe that the mosque is the oldest surviving Islamic structure in the country, erected following the conquest of Persia (637–651) by Muslims that put an end to the mighty Sasanian Empire.

The Jameh Mosque of Fahraj primarily consists of an internal courtyard, vaulted sanctuary and arcades, and a clay minaret which is essentially built of sun-dried, unfired clay tiles and mud bricks.

The minaret was added to the mosque later as a lighthouse for caravans around 400 years ago. It features a tapering cylinder with an internal spiral staircase.

Its modest internal courtyard is lined with clay tiles and contains a now dry central ablution tank. The internal facades are near symmetrical and consist of three arched bays defined by thick piers, partly relieved by vertical niches, according to the Islamic Architecture Community.

In the surrounding area, there is a crumbling castle, a hammam (bathhouse), and an Ab-anbar (water reservoir) with four badgirs (wind tower or ventilation shaft) used to catch breezes and funnel them down into a building to cool it.

Mosque, according to Islamic tradition, is any house or open area of prayer in Islam. The Arabic word masjid means “a place of prostration” to God, and the same word is used in Persian, Urdu, and Turkish. The first mosques were modeled on the place of worship of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH); the courtyard of his house in Medina.

Iran is home to countless mosques and holy shrines in the country, many of which represent a combination of symmetry, geometric designs, and vibrant colors, creating an astonishing view that no visitor can forget easily. The architecture of the mosques in the country varies from one region to another. However, they often boast very complex structures in which color variations, tiles, and symbolic designs are utilized.

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EXCLUSIVE: Iraqi civil war averted due to prominent Shia religious figures

ByNews Desk- The Cradle 

The Cradle's sources confirm Hassan Nasrallah did not play any role in ending the crisis in Iraq, contrary to some media reports

The most recent resignation of Muqtada al-Sadr from his political and leadership duties on 29 August was a result of the direct influence of two of the most prominent Iraqi Shia clerics.

In light of the total absence of any foreign influence on either side of Iraq’s most recent political crisis, the bloodshed in the Green Zone was swiftly halted as Muqtada al-Sadr called on his supporters to end “this charade.”

According to exclusive information provided to The Cradle, Muhammad-Rida al-Sistani contacted Al-Sadr’s office and informed him about the position taken by the elders of the religious school in Najaf regarding the political crisis in the country.

Al-Sistani informed Al-Sadr that his actions will lead to an inter-Shia civil war and that “the bloodshed of the Iraqis will be on Al-Sadr’s hands.”

Additionally, Al-Sadr was invited to meet with Muhammad-Rida’s father, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani.

Ayatollah Al-Sistani is one of the most recognized Muslim scholars in the world and is currently the most influential religious figure in Iraq.

Ayatollah al-Sistani’s message to Al-Sadr was an unexpected turn of events, considering that al-Sistani usually does not interfere with the internal Iraqi political struggle.

Al-Sistani’s remarks and those of cleric Kazem al-Haeri forced Al-Sadr to concede and forfeit all his plans as the current developments put him at odds with his father’s legacy and most importantly against Shia clerics in Iraq.

Al-Haeri was nominated by Al-Sadr’s father to become a cleric and ordered his followers to pledge support to him. As a result, Al-Sadr sees himself bound to follow Al-Haeri who denounced Al-Sadr in a statement on 29 August and accused him of being a maverick.

Additionally, The Cradle has been informed that all reports about a political mediation through Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah are false.

On 30 August, Al-Amwaj Media claimed that Al-Sadr received a phone call from Beirut and that “Hezbollah played a crucial role in containing the eruption of an all-out Shia civil war in Iraq.”

However, claims about Hezbollah having any influence on al-Sadr’s positions on the political crisis in Iraq have been denied to The Cradle.

“Hezbollah does not have a special project in Iraq, and we do not adopt any party at the expense of another. The role that Hezbollah has always been keen to play in Iraq is to bring the views closer,” Nasrallah said in a speech on 25 July.

Tehran to play host to G5 health officials

TEHRAN – The subregional workshop for G5 countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, plus the World Health Organization) on health system strengthening will be held in Tehran on September 6-7.

Iran initiated the establishment of the G5 in 2005 to promote subregional cooperation in health among the group of four countries – Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan – plus the World Health Organization as the fifth member of this group to provide technical support in improving this collaboration.

Several activities have already been taken under this initiative, with the Islamic Republic of Iran taking responsibility for serving as its secretariat.

The first subregional workshop for G5 countries on health system strengthening was hosted by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination of Pakistan on November 19–20, 2013 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Exchanging experiences on issues related to moving towards universal health coverage; developing national roadmaps and strategies for improving service delivery, population coverage, and financial risk protection; assisting each other in health workforce capacity development activities, health system research, national health accounts, and policy development; developing measurable indicators related to three dimensions of universal health coverage are among the goals of the meeting.

In June 2021, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for primary health care.

For the past four decades, its PHC network has aimed to ensure that people have timely access to affordable, accessible, and acceptable essential health services, he explained.