40,000 Syrians Reported Registered To Go To Ukraine, Fight For Russia (But None Have Left)
Good day from REEDNEWSARABWORLD for Tuesday, March 15, 2022!
The first reports were 16,000 Syrians ready to become mercenaries, go to Ukraine, and fight for Russia. Now the number is 40,000. And none have left. Russian President Vladimir Putin invited "people who want of their own accord, not for money, to come to help." But money is what is attracting Syrians to register, with payment reported to be as much as $3,000 a month, practically a fortune in Syria. The recruitment program is said to be only starting to organize, and so far no mercenaries are known to have left Syria.
Iran is trying to show strength but is causing new tensions, saying it's up to the U.S. to revive the nuclear deal, attacking Iraq with missiles, and then saying it won't tolerate threats from Iraq. As nuclear talks in Vienna appear near collapse, Iran says the U.S. must make decisions before it will return to the talks. Meanwhile,. Iran's oil minister says all the sanctions by the U.S. aren't preventing oil exports, and seizures of its tankers haven't hurt.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is asking for energy help from both Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He's expected to go to Riyadh this week to ask the Saudis to increase oil production, and he talked natural gas with Qatar's emir.
Iran says it thwarted attempted espionage against its major nuclear facility, arrested Iranians, and blamed Israel for recruiting them.
In the U.S., the retired army commander for Europe says Russia is running out of manpower in Ukraine, with desertions and a mutiny
A newly-released FBI report on 9/11 indicated that a low-level Saudi official in California wasn't what he seemed to be, and the report offered a 50-50 estimate that he had advance knowledge of the attacks on New York and Washington.
And news from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, and More.
More than 40,000 Syrians are reported registering to travel to Ukraine and fight for Russia, but none have left. A Syrian non-governmental organization, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, gave the estimated number, but said no fighters had left Syria so far. The group quoted proposed pay of $1,500 to $2,500, lower than the amount of $3,000 a month previously reported.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said that if people want to come on their own accord and "not for money," then "we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone."
U.S. General Ben Hodges said he believes the Russians "are running out of time, ammunition and manpower" in Ukraine. Hodges, retired after commanding the U.S. Army in Europe, cited "reports of low morale, dissension between commanders, mutiny on at least one vessel, and desertion" in Russian forces as "indicators of major manpower problems."
CBS News, Over 40,000 Syrians reportedly register to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
A newly-declassified FBI report on the 9/11 attacks says a Saudi Arabian official in California was rated a "50/50 chance" of having prior knowledge of the plans to attack New York and Washington. Earlier, Omar Al-Bayoumi had been described as a minor Saudi government official who had only helped two of the attackers find housing. The 16-page report by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was written in 2017 and labeled "Encore Investigation Update." It was recently declassified without any fanfare by the FBI or the U.S. Justice Department and, although heavily redacted, news reports describe it as suggesting that Bayoumi was more than an obscure bureaucrat and had a direct connection to the Saudi Arabia embassy in Washington and the ambassador at the time, Prince Bandar bin Sultan.
North Jersey.com, Exclusive: New FBI documents link Saudi spy in California to 9/11 attacks.
Iran claims it thwarted a sabotage attempt on its major Fordow nuclear site and blamed the attempt on Israel. Iranian state television reported that an unspecified number of people have been arrested, saying that an Israeli agent had recruited Iranians and paid them in cash and digital currency. The state news outlet IRNA said Iran has created a new agency, the Revolutionary Guard Nuclear Command, which stopped the planned sabotage. Iran has previously accused Israel of carrying out attacks on nuclear facilities and killing its nuclear scientists.
Reuters, Iran says it thwarted nuclear site sabotage it ascribes to Israel.
Iran says it's up to the United States to revive the nuclear deal. An Iran spokesman cited the current pause in negotiations in Vienna and said the U.S. must make decisions on "important open issues." He said as soon as Iran receives the U.S. decisions, its delegation will return to Vienna "and reach a final agreement." The talks were halted by a late-hour Russian demand, and although a largely completed text of an agreement is reported to be in place, no time frame has been given for resumption of the talks.
Reuters, Iran foreign ministry spokesperson says U.S. has to take decision to revive nuclear deal.
After a missile strike on Iraq, Iran warns that it won't tolerate any threats from Iraqi soil. An Iranian spokesman said Iran has warned Iraq's government "several times" not to "allow its borders to be abused," without giving details. "Iran expects the central government of Iraq to end this situation once and for all." The warning came one day after Iran fired missiles at a site in Iraq’s Kurdish city of Erbil that housed a new U.S. consulate. Iraq summoned Iran's ambassador after the attack, which it called a "flagrant violation of sovereignty."
CBS News, After missile strike in Iraq, Iran warns it "will not tolerate" any "threats" from Iraqi soil.
Iran said its missile attack in Iraq was retaliation for deaths in Syria caused by Israeli air strikes, but it was also seen as a warning to the United States and the Middle East. Analysts say the unusual direct strike was intended to demonstrate Iran's regional clout at a critical time when nuclear negotiations near an end in Vienna and Iraq tries to form a new government.
Reuters, Iran strike on Iraq signals defiance to US, allies in region, officials, experts say.
The U.S. downplays Iran's missile attack on Iraq because it doesn't want to shake up the Iran nuclear talks. "The U.S. was not the intended target," State Department spokesman Ned Price said, echoing what Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had said earlier: "We do not believe the consulate was the target."
And the White House said the attack targeted a "civilian residence."
A barrage of Iran's missiles struck the area in Erbil where a new U.S. consulate is being built, but the U.S. is concerned with concluding nuclear talks in Vienna. The talks, if completed, would allow a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, remove U.S. sanctions on Iran, and allow Iran to resume exporting a million barrels of oil a day into a market the U.S. wants to see enlarged as gasoline prices soar.
CNN, Iran's strike on Iraq puts US in awkward position amid nuclear talks.
Iran's oil minister says exports are increasing even as tankers are seized. Minister Javad Owji was critical of the United States, which has seized vessels to prevent export of oil shipments, and said: "When the enemy realized it could not stop our exports and contracts, they went after our ships." Iran's oil exports are limited by U.S. sanctions, but Iran views them as illegal and has said it will make effort to sidestep them.
Reuters, U.S. seizing tankers has failed to stop Iran's oil exports, minister says.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to go to Saudi Arabia this week and try to persuade the kingdom to increase its oil output. So far, the two countries in the Gulf that have extra production capacity, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have both rejected U.S. pleas for more oil. Saudi ties with the West remain strained over a number of issues, and Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing states have indicated more interest in China and Russia than the United States' problem of high gasoline prices.
Reuters, U.K.'s Johnson urges Saudi Arabia to raise oil output, minister says.
The British prime minister talked natural gas with the emir of Qatar, one of the world's leading producers of liquefied natural gas. The two leaders discussed "volatility in the energy market," a Downing Street spokesperson said, with no indication about whether gas shipments were included . Qatar has said it can't alone meet rising demand in Europe for natural gas because its supply is tied up in long-term contracts.
Reuters, UK PM Johnson discusses energy volatility with Qatar's emir.
Saudi Arabia has invited China's leader, Xi Jinping, to visit the kingdom on a trip that could happen as early as May. The visit could strengthen relations between the Saudis and China at a time of increased tension with the United States. A number of events have tested the strategic relationship with the U.S., and Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf countries, has shown more interest in China and Russia.
Reuters, Saudi Arabia invites China's Xi to visit - WSJ.
The United Arab Emirates and Israel want a security strategy from the United States if a new nuclear deal is reached with Iran. The two countries, now allied, are asking the U.S. to provide them with enhanced missile defenses and intelligence-sharing. The UAE and Israel were reported to be approaching the U.S. separately with their concerns but also coordinated because they fear new Iranian oil money could be used to finance proxy groups in the region.
The Hill, UAE, Israel press US for security assurances should Iran nuclear deal be revived: report.
The Islamic State is solidifying support for its new leader. Photos show a group of IS fighters in the Iraqi city Kirkuk raising their weapons and pledging allegiance to the leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. The Voice of America obtained the Iraqi photos and similar photos from Africa.
Voice of America, Islamic State fighters in Iraq, Africa line up behind new leader.
Libya's two rival prime ministers may sit down for talks. United Nations envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams said there has been "positive feedback from the two" even as militias have been massing and raising fears of new violence in Libya. The premier opponents are Abdulhamid Dbeibah, interim prime minister who sits in Tripoli and says he won't quit until elections are held, and Fathi Bashagha, who was chosen as prime minister by the Libyan parliament sitting in Tobruk.
Bloomberg, Rival Libya prime ministers may meet to stop slide to violence, UN says.
The Arab League will hold its first conference in three years in November. The two-day conference is usually held in March and was planned for this month, then postponed. The next meeting will be held in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, and will begin on November 1.. The last meeting was in Tunis, Tunisia, in 2019; meetings were then suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National, First Arab League summit in three years set for Algeria in November.
Lebanon's prime minister says he won't run for reelection. Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in a television address, threw Lebanese politics into an even deeper disarray with his announcement that he won't contest in the elections scheduled for May 15. His statement followed an earlier announcement by former prime minister Saad Hariri that he was withdrawing from politics and that his Future Movement, with 20 members of parliament, won't field candidates.
Al Jazeera, Lebanon's PM Najib Mikati says not running for reelection.
A judge in Lebanon froze the assets of five banks and board members as she investigates dealings with the country's central bank. No bank or individual was charged, but the order of Judge Ghada Aoun applied to properties, vehicles, and shares in companies owned by the banks or board members. Lebanon's bank association said her order was illegal and would further destabilize the country's banking system.
Reuters, Lebanon judge freezes assets of five banks and members of their boards.
A court in Sudan sentenced senior military officers including a former chief of staff to prison for their roles in a failed coup. The former army chief, Gen. Hashem Abdel-Muttalib Babakr, received a sentence of nine years, and five senior officers were sentenced to five years each. They were convicted of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2019.
Associated Press, Sudan court sends senior officers to prison over failed coup.
MORE: Saudi national development fund to inject $152 bn in local economy by 2030, crown prince says, ArabNews... Basel al-Haroun appointed as Kuwait c-bank governor, Reuters... Egypt not currently in talks with IMF for new loan: minister, Ahram... Egypt to see wheat imports resume from Ukraine Russia, Al-Monitor... Middle East and North Africa are 'directly affected' by wheat shortage, says research center, CNBC... Algeria bans export of food, Afr;icaNews.
News You Missed
Recent diplomatic outreach shows varying degrees of momentum toward improving relations between Gulf Arab states and Iran. But is the momentum of this Gulf rapprochement dependent on the success of the Vienna nuclear talks?
Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Qatar and Iran expand ties amid broader Gulf de-escalation.
Saudi Arabia has completed a deal to build a major energy complex in China. Saudi Aramco will develop a refinery and petrochemical complex in northeast China with Chinese partners, the latest example of increasing cooperation between the two countries.
Al-Monitor, Saudi cooperation with China continues with finalization of long-planned refinery deal.