Iraq Rania: The specter of unemployment haunts students and teachers at universities in northern Iraq. Many people talked about the increasing number of empty seats in classrooms in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region-these seats were once occupied by students going to Europe.
Those who stay, such as 21-year-old law student Zhewar Karzan, are making plans to leave.
He believes that there is no future in his hometown of Ranya, which is located between picturesque mountains, rivers and Lake Dukan, the largest lake in the Kurdish region of Iraq. He said that a college degree does not guarantee a job, and it is difficult for his parents to pay the bills.
Spring is here, and Karzan plans to try his luck and leave with other hopeful immigrants. His brother Jiyar paid smugglers to take him from Turkey to Italy in 2016, and eventually arrived in the UK, and now works in a pizzeria while supporting his entire family.
"I will join him," Karzan said.
Iraqi Kurdish youths face a difficult choice: either endure unemployment and corruption at home, or risk an economic collapse to sneak into Europe, or even die on a dangerous journey.
Although there are no exact statistics, it is believed that a considerable number of Iraqi Kurdish youths have left, and there is no hope for their country. At the same time, the remaining students are trying to gain motivation, because receiving education is no longer the only way to find a job.
Throughout the Middle East, troubled economies have failed to keep up with the growing population. According to United Nations estimates, in the three provinces of Kurdish, Iraq, 43,000 to 54,000 jobs need to be created every year to absorb a new wave of young people into the labor market.
The gap between tepid economic growth and "youth inflation" has resulted in high unemployment. According to a survey conducted by the United Nations, among Iraqi Kurds between 15 and 29 years old, 24% are men and 69% are women.
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden should consider a military option as a means of pressuring Iran to back down from its pursuit of nuclear weapons and aggressive drone program, a panel of former elected US officials and diplomats told an audience on Wednesday. Hosted by the National Resistance Council, chaired by former US Senator Joseph Lieberman; Robert Joseph, former Deputy Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs and Special Envoy for Non-Proliferation Affairs; Defense Intelligence Agency Former Acting Director David Shedd; Georgetown University Professor Matthew Kroenig; American Jewish National Security Institute Foreign Policy Director Jonathan Ruhe (Jonathan Ruhe).
NCRI released a detailed research report on how Iran uses drones to strike targets in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, and how to establish alliances with China, Russia, and Venezuela.
"This makes our allies in the region worry that they cannot rely on us," Lieberman told the NCRI audience in Washington.
#Iran #UAV #IranTalks Briefing: Questions and answers on policy options to respond to the rising Iranian threat @POTUS@WhiteHouse@SecBlinken@StateDept@StateDept_NEA@WHNSC@RepMcCaul@RepGregoryMeeks@RepTedDeutch@RepJoeWilson https://t.co/2PNaIcRI -United States Representative Office (@NCRIUS) December 15, 2021
#Iran #UAV #IranTalks Briefing: Questions and answers on policy options to respond to the rising Iranian threat@POTUS@WhiteHouse@SecBlinken@StateDept@StateDept_NEA@WHNSC@RepMcCaul@RepGregoryMeeks@RepTedDeutch@RepJoeWilson https://t.co/2MXPnaIc
He added: "Our efforts to rejoin the JCPOA (Nuclear Agreement) in Vienna went the wrong way in the United States. They were well-intentioned, but they did not fit the reality of what Iran did in Vienna or the world. They are high-risk. Important. The point is that the United States must not only strengthen our position and withdraw from the ongoing negotiations, but also move towards more containment and restraint of the regime."
Lieberman said: "The Iranian regime that is now returning to the JCPOA in Vienna is a regime that recklessly violated the most striking and important clause of the agreement and enriched uranium to a very dangerous level."
JCPOA is a joint comprehensive action plan signed in 2015 to lift sanctions on Iran’s withdrawal from its nuclear weapons program and allow international inspections.
Joseph called Iran "a sad regime." He believes that the best strategy is to strengthen the country’s growing resistance, which has been putting pressure on the regime, which is using the JCPOA negotiations as a way to expand its nuclear, unmanned Program for aircraft and ballistic missiles.
"The (Biden) government should withdraw from negotiations and define success. Now, we are predicting weakness," Joseph said in response to a question from Arab News.
Kronig said the United States needs to increase pressure.
"We rely too much on participating (negotiation) channels. We should put military options back on the table. President Biden should say that he is willing to use force," Kronig said.
"We need to have a stronger pressure trajectory. The regime needs to understand that if it continues on the current path, there will be consequences. It is important to support the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people. Finally, we must retain the military option as a way to prevent Iran from manufacturing nuclear weapons. The last resort."
Ruhe agreed, adding that the Biden administration should set a deadline for the talks, "after that it will be ready to take credible military actions."
Everyone agrees that the Iranian regime did not take the 2015 nuclear agreement seriously.
#Iran #UAV #IranTalks Briefing: Policy options for the rising Iranian threat @NCRIUS Deputy Director@A_Jafarzadeh@POTUS@SecBlinken@StateDept@StateDept_NEA@WHNSC@RepMcCaul@RepGregoryMeeks@RepTedDeutch@ReptcoeWilson. /OpwugwQwOo — NCRI-U.S. Representative Office (@NCRIUS), December 15, 2021
#Iran #UAV #IranTalks Briefing: Policy options for the rising Iranian threat @NCRIUS Deputy Director@A_Jafarzadeh@POTUS@SecBlinken@StateDept@StateDept_NEA@WHNSC@RepMcCaul@RepGregoryMeeks@RepTedDeutch@ReptcoeWilson. /OpwugwQwOo
Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of NCRI, stated that although Iran has expanded its drone campaign and refused to give up its push for nuclear weapons, the regime is “much weaker than in 2015.”
But he said that the weakness stems from Iran's internal resistance organizations, which provided extensive details of Iran's nuclear and drone programs that NCRI shared with the world.
Jafazad said: "The Biden administration should regard democracy and human rights as the core elements of its foreign policy towards Iran, rather than trying to find a way to deal with the authoritarian regime."
He said the world should pursue war crimes charges against Iran's recently elected President Ebrahim Raisi, who should be held accountable for his policies and past genocide.
Raisi was accused of overseeing widespread civilian killings as the leader of Iran’s “Death Committee” in 2018, which sentenced thousands of dissidents to execution.
Jafarzadeh said: “Iran has seriously violated the agreement reached in 2015. They have been violating it since the first day. All evidence shows that they have three new (nuclear program) sites.”
NCRI released a six-page summary of its findings, concluding that the 2015 nuclear agreement failed to effectively force the Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear weapons program or drone expansion.
Ruh said that research has shown that Iran’s use of drones to strike targets has tripled in recent years.
The NCRI report identified 15 companies being used as the "frontline" of Iran's terrorist drone program.
These companies are: Iranian Aerospace Industry Association; Iranian Aerospace Industry Association; Iranian Science and Technology Research Organization; Iranian Innovation Acceleration Center; Farnas Pasargad Aerospace Industry Corporation; Bal Gostar Negah Asemanha Technology; Kharazmi Electronics Industry; Iran Bekr Part Khavar Mianeh; Sahfa Production and Distribution Cooperation Company-Iran Aerospace Industry; Aras Tech Aircraft Maintenance Service Company; Maham Pergas Technology; Hezareh Sevvom Industrial Alloy Development Company; Nazareh Titanium Company; Sara Safety Tools; and Noandishan Composite Structure Industrial Production.
NCRI officials also released a copy of their newly published book "Iran: The Rising Drone Threat of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps", the subtitle of the book is: "The Desperate Regime's Strategy to Project Power and Incite War".
Cairo: Human rights watchdogs urged the United Nations on Wednesday to deploy monitors to the Darfur region of western Sudan. Since October, the surge in tribal conflicts in the region has killed more than 180 people.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement that one year after the UN Security Council ends the Darfur peacekeeping mission in Darfur, the inspectors should include experts in gender crimes.
After a military coup in October overthrew the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Sudan was plunged into turmoil and violent clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs took place in war-torn areas.
Although Hamdok resumed after reaching an agreement with the military last month, Sudan’s democratic movement rejected reconciliation and insisted on a transition led by a purely civilian government.
Mohamed Osman, a Sudanese researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that the tribal conflict in Darfur over the past year has left “marks of destruction” in the region.
Since October, at least 183 people have been killed, dozens have been injured, thousands have been displaced, and some have crossed to neighboring Chad.
Osman called the recent violence "a wake-up call" for the international community to take action.
“The UN’s top priority now should be to strengthen human rights monitoring and ensure that Sudan’s efforts to protect millions of Darfurians are strictly reviewed,” he said.
The Security Council terminated UNAMID on December 31, 2020 and replaced it with a much smaller purely political mission whose term will end in June next year. Human Rights Watch said that the departure of UNAMID created a "gap in monitoring abuse" because the atrocities committed in Darfur go unpunished.
New York: The Secretary-General of the United Nations stated in an internal report on Tuesday that cross-border humanitarian assistance to Syria is still essential because the United Nations allows assistance to rebel-controlled areas in the northwest of the country without Damascus’s approval. The authorization is about to expire.
The United States and Russia allowed the extension of Bab Al-Hawa’s activities for six months at a rare moment of cooperation in July. This is the only border crossing to assist the rebel strongholds in Idlib province. This authorization will expire on January 10.
Antonio Guterres said in a confidential document obtained by AFP: “Cross-border aid can still save millions of lives in northwestern Syria,” he added, adding that more than 4 million people across the country need critical assistance .
The United States and several European countries believe that the United Nations authorization for the border crossing between Syria and Turkey should be automatically extended for another six months without the need for a new vote.
But Russia is a key ally of the Damascus regime and has previously opposed this move and invoked Syrian sovereignty.
Moscow has linked any potential delays reported on Tuesday and possible new votes.
After Russia forcibly demolished three other access points in Syria in 2019, this cross-border mechanism has been operating through Bab Al-Hawa since 2020.
The United States and Russia allowed the extension of Bab Al-Hawa’s activities for six months at a rare moment of cooperation in July. This is the only border crossing to assist the rebel strongholds in Idlib province. This authorization will expire on January 10.
In the document on Tuesday, the head of the United Nations mentioned another humanitarian action project, this time crossing the front line to Idlib.
"If implemented, the plan will make front-line actions more predictable and effective," Guterres pointed out.
However, he insisted on the importance of the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing.
"At this point, such a cross-line fleet, even if deployed regularly, cannot replicate the scale and scope of cross-border operations," he said.
Guterres said that due to the economic crisis and the global pandemic, about 4.5 million people in Syria need help this winter, an increase of 12% over the previous year.
According to the report, only 2.9% of the Syrian population has been fully vaccinated.
More than 3 million people live in Idlib province, most of which are controlled by jihadists and allied insurgents.
In June, the United Nations stated that there were approximately 2.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Beirut: The Lebanese pound hit a record low this week, and the exchange rate against the US dollar was close to LBP29,000, which led to the intervention of the Lebanese Bank and the exchange rate fell to LBP27,000.
This prompted self-employed professionals to call for the declaration of a national emergency, while the transportation department announced that Thursday would be an "angry day."
Deteriorating the situation in Lebanon, Imad Kreidieh, the director-general of the telecommunications company Ogero, stated that he has applied for an emergency advance payment to purchase fuel to continue operating generators for the telecommunications network.
"But because the cabinet did not hold a meeting, President Michel Aoun did not sign the decree, which may lead to the suspension of our services and the interruption of Internet services," he added.
In view of Lebanon’s increasingly severe financial challenges, the purchasing power of Lebanese citizens has fallen by 95%, while the minimum wage is equivalent to approximately US$24.
Hani Bosali, head of the Food Importers Federation, said: “The situation is too dangerous. It is not limited to exchange rate or price increases. Food security is at risk. Regardless of whether you have the ability to obtain dollars for imports, the problem becomes consumption. The ability of consumers to buy goods. Chaos is permeating the market."
The heads of the professional group held a meeting on Wednesday and expressed “deeply concerned about the overall deterioration that has crossed the line and is threatening the country’s foundations.”
The syndicate called for the country to be declared a state of emergency, and at the same time to "work vigorously" to initiate a political solution to save the country, and to formulate a clear and effective rescue plan, especially for social and economic problems "without serious solutions".
"BDL and the Lebanese Banking Association should take urgent measures to allow professional groups to withdraw Lebanese and foreign currency deposits as soon as possible," these groups demanded, threatening to sue BDL and ABL, and carried out large-scale protests.
Self-employed professionals called for the declaration of a national emergency, while the transportation department announced that Thursday would be an "angry day."
As Hezbollah and the Amal movement insisted on the removal of the judge who led the investigation of the Beirut port bombing, Tarek Bitar, before participating in any meetings, it is impossible to convene a cabinet meeting in the short term.
Bitar reiterated his request to arrest Ali Hassan Khalil, the former Minister of Finance, Congressman and Amal Movement leader.
Some political observers interpret these developments as "new pressures against Hezbollah and the Amal movement that continue to disrupt cabinet meetings," while other pro-Hezbollah observers consider this to be "a new pressure for the United States to besiege the party."
Speaker Nabih Berry, an ally of Hezbollah, told his visitors on Wednesday: “99% of our suffering in Lebanon stems from internal disputes.”
He accused Aoun and the Free Patriotic Movement of opposing the Taif Agreement and failing to enforce the law, especially the electricity law. He said that more than 45% of the state’s fiscal deficit should be attributed to the electricity law.
Berry said that he and Hezbollah do not want Bitar to be removed from port detection. Instead, they asked for investigations to comply with the law and the constitution.
"The law gives judges the right to be tried in special courts, and it also gives members of parliament, the president, and ministers the right to be tried in parliamentary institutions. Why not abide by these rules and principles?"
Washington: Negotiations to resume the Iranian nuclear agreement were resumed in Vienna at the end of last month. The agreement may lift severe sanctions on Tehran in exchange for guarantees to stop its uranium enrichment program.
However, the delays and obstruction of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s hardline government, Israel’s attacks on Iranian targets in Syria, and Tel Aviv’s increasingly combative rhetoric have collectively cast doubt on the success of the renewed dialogue.
On December 7, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the parliamentary committee that he was worried that the Iranians were delaying time and trying to downplay the terms of the agreement.
Reuters quoted Le Drian as saying: "We feel that the Iranians want to keep it going, and the longer the negotiation lasts, the more they will abandon their promises and get closer and closer to the ability to have nuclear weapons."
Soon after the talks resumed, the head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, David Barnia, vowed that Israel would never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, which showed that the Naftali Bennett government has lost patience with diplomatic efforts and is becoming more and more willing. Use force.
In fact, on December 7, Israel launched a rare air strike against Latakia, the main port of Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the British-based conflict monitoring agency, the attack destroyed a number of Iranian weapons. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the attack.
"Iran will not have nuclear weapons — it will not, never will, in the next few years," Barnia said at the institution's awards ceremony in early December. "This is my personal promise: this is Mossad's promise."
"We keep our eyes open and remain vigilant. Together with our colleagues in the defense agency, we will do everything we can to keep Israel away from the threat and stop it in various ways."
Barnia and Israeli Defense Minister Benniganz visited Washington on a rare occasion last week. According to reports, they pressured senior White House officials to seriously consider conducting joint strikes against Iran’s key military and nuclear targets.
Since the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran has accelerated its enrichment, and then President Donald Trump claimed that the agreement had not done enough to contain Tehran’s atomic ambitions. Iran has long insisted that its plan is purely for civilian energy purposes.
US President Joe Biden helped negotiate the initial agreement as Barack Obama’s vice president in 2015. He hopes to rejoin a strengthened nuclear agreement. Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the European Union’s co-signatories have been Try to save.
However, Israel does not believe that the resumption of the 2015 agreement will contain Iran's nuclear capabilities and its ballistic missile program, let alone its destabilizing effects throughout the Middle East. On the contrary, the Israelis want a stronger deterrence at the negotiating table.
The window for reaching a non-military solution to Iran’s nuclear program is rapidly closing. Israeli intelligence indicates that Iranian nuclear scientists are preparing to enrich the uranium to a purity of 90%, making Tehran closer than ever to making nuclear bombs.
Unless further enrichment is prevented, Iran may stock enough weapon-grade uranium in the coming months to produce a viable nuclear weapon with little warning.
In recent weeks, Israel’s disappointment with the Biden administration’s position has been steadily rising. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Naftali Bennett called on world leaders not to let Iran escape what he called "nuclear blackmail."
Israeli officials worry that Biden’s negotiating team will lift sanctions on Iran, including nuclear sanctions and terrorism-related sanctions, thereby releasing the billions of dollars the regime desperately needs in exchange for a minimum guarantee to reduce its nuclear program.
In addition, Bennett hinted that if the United States accepts an interim agreement with Iran to “take less from less”, this may give the regime enough room to achieve nuclear weapons breakthroughs in the near future, and Israel is prepared to take matters into its own hands.
By providing Shiite agents in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and other regions with funds previously refused due to severe sanctions, this gradual transaction may eventually further strengthen Iran’s regional transnational terrorist network.
Bennet said in a video conference hosted by Reichmann University on November 23: "There is no longer any return for hunting down the terrorists sent by the Quds Force. We must go to the dispatcher."
The United States and Israel have traditionally aligned themselves on the issue of containing Iran. Therefore, the recent divergence of opinions and the increasing possibility of Israel’s unilateral actions have aroused concerns in Washington.
Gabriel Noronha, Executive Director of the Forum, said: “The Naftali Bennett government worked hard to work with the Biden team when they took office to propose a joint front on Iran’s policy because They really think that this will allow the United States to listen to their opinions more." Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's special adviser to the Iran Action Group.
"They are becoming more and more aware that they are naive on this point and are beginning to express their complaints more and more in the media. At the same time, US officials are leaking details of Israeli military operations to the media.
"Israeli officials and U.S. military leaders agree that a credible military threat is needed to stop Iran’s nuclear program. However, they are inconsistent with Biden’s political appointments to the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Pentagon’s third official Colin Carr. , They still mistakenly believe that appeasement of Iran is the best way forward."
Noronha warned against downplaying Israel’s complaints when seeking to reinvigorate the nuclear deal, arguing that taking the country’s security issues seriously might actually increase the US’s influence on Iran.
"The United States needs to change its approach and recognize Israel as its best partner against the Iranian threat because the military, diplomatic, and economic pressure it exerts on the regime gives the United States greater influence in negotiations," he told Arab News .
“Many Israeli officials are very frustrated with Washington’s hostility towards Israel’s policy, which is just an attempt to ensure that its basic security needs are met. Israel can help the United States and its negotiations by continuing to secretly operate Iran’s oil exports and its nuclear program.
"It is wise for the United States to share more intelligence with Israel to advance and support its operations, and to speed up military cooperation in possible air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities."
One area where the Biden administration differs from Bennett’s views is that it is willing to accept the “threshold state” when it comes to Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
In fact, the Biden White House seems ready to tolerate Iran’s possession of the "nuclear breakthrough" components, including the necessary knowledge, military hardware, and enrichment capabilities, without actually manufacturing nuclear weapons.
In contrast, the Israelis believe that such a threshold country is as serious as Iran’s actual development of nuclear weapons.
Ellie Cohanim, who served as the State Department's deputy special envoy for oversight and anti-Semitism during the Trump administration, fears that the Biden administration has not listened to Israel's concerns.
“It seems that behind the scenes, the differences between the Biden administration and its Iranian negotiating team and the Israeli government are growing,” Kohanim told Arab News, adding that the Biden team failed to replicate the Trump administration’s “zero”. Tolerance" policy. .
“Israeli Prime Minister Bennett publicly stated that the United States and the world’s powers need to be aware of the fact that the Iranian regime is seeking nuclear weapons, so the Israelis seem to be frustrated with the current US government,” she told Arab News.
"President Donald Trump has made it clear that he will never allow Iran to develop nuclear bombs under his supervision. Now is the time for US President Joe Biden to make a public statement.
"Israelis have demonstrated their first-class intelligence capabilities time and time again, especially in areas related to Iran. The Biden administration had better rely on Israeli intelligence data and take any necessary military actions to end Iran’s nuclear weapons activities. In the absence of other alternative kinetic energy activities, it is estimated that the Iranians have crossed the line."
Where this line is drawn remains the focus of debate between Biden and Bennett’s national security teams. Failure to reach a common position could lead to Israel’s unilateral action against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. However, the crack seems bigger than ever.
"Since Prime Minister Bennett visited Washington to meet with President Biden, senior Israeli officials have been talking publicly about their dissatisfaction with Biden's plan to fully promote diplomacy with the Islamic Republic," said Brian Leib, executive director of the Iranian American Freedom Group. . , Tell Arab News.
"Just a week ago, Biden's special envoy for the United States and Iran met with several senior Israeli officials in Israel, but according to reports, Prime Minister Bennett chose not to meet with him.
"For the past 40 years, the Iranian regime has been censoring, oppressing and murdering its own citizens, and its leaders have publicly called for the destruction of the United States and Israel, the only Jewish country in the world," Leib said.
"Diplomacy with the Islamic Republic will fail again because they are not rational actors who truly seek peace and a brighter future for the people."