Turkish operations in Syria spook Hezbollah militias
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-29
Turkey's military operations have inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah militias in Idlib, northwestern Syria, and their panic is evident in internal communications accessed by Anadolu Agency. | The Iran-backed Hezbollah militias support Assad regime forces against Syria's moderate opposition groups, and have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians. | They use WhatsApp groups for coordination and communication, and recent messages show their growing anxiety as Turkish forces make gains to protect Syrian civilians. | In messages seen by Anadolu Agency, the militia members blamed Russia for…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkish-operations-in-syria-spook-hezbollah-militias-3513009
Death toll from coronavirus in Iran hits 43
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-29
The death toll from coronavirus in Iran has climbed to 43 and the number of cases is now 593, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.A ministry spokesperson said nine more deaths and 205 new cases were reported across Iran over the past 24 hours."Most of the new cases were detected in Tehran, Golestan, Qom, Markazi, Mazandaran, and Ghilan," Kianush Jahanpur said at a press conference.He said there were many more suspected COVID-19 cases in the country, adding that between 10% to 15% of quarantined individuals tested positive so far.He said 100 lawmakers were also administered tests and only five of them were found…
yenisafak.com/en/world/death-toll-from-coronavirus-in-iran-hits-43-3513012
Qatar confirms first case of coronavirus
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-29
Qatar's Health Ministry reported the first case of the novel coronavirus in the country on Saturday.A 36-year old Qatari citizen who returned recently from Iran tested positive for the virus, the ministry said in a statement cited by the official QNA news agency.The ministry said the infected person was among Qatari nationals evacuated on Thursday from Iran, where 43 deaths were reported from the virus.Known as COVID-19, the novel coronavirus has now spread to more than 45 countries worldwide, including the U.S., U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.China, where the virus originated, is the worst-hit…
yenisafak.com/en/world/qatar-confirms-first-case-of-coronavirus-3513011
Doctors Without Borders: Cheap Coronavirus Diagnostic Kits Needed in War-Torn Areas & Refugee Camps
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-28
Across the U.S., officials report a severe shortage of test kits for coronavirus. New York officials say they're preparing their own kits, after kits distributed by the Centers for Disease Control failed validation tests. Meanwhile, new cases of coronavirus continue to spring up worldwide, with Nigeria reporting its first case and one of Iran's vice presidents testing positive. We discuss how MSF USA, or Doctors Without Borders USA, is responding to coronavirus, with the organization's executive director, Avril BenoàÆt.
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/28/avril_benoit_msf_usa_coronavirus
A Difficult Peace
Sean Reynolds | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-28
Nearly a thousand of us were gathered in Chicago beneath the alarming edifice of Chicago's "Trump Tower." Iran's General Qassem Soleimani had been brutally murdered the day before in Iraq, with several of his associates; and the welcome surprise of Iran's relatively measured response was yet a few days off. A region-wide conflagration seemed just …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/a-difficult-peace/
US Military Building Presence in Saudi Arabia for First Time in 17 Years
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-28
Amid rising tensions with Iran, the United States is increasing its military presence in Saudi Arabia- separated from the Islamic Republic by only the Persian Gulf. Some 2,500 troops have arrived at their new home, the Prince Sultan Air Base, some 60 km southeast of Riyadh. On Iran, General John Walker, commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing at the base, said: "We face a thinking enemy that is playing a real regional conflict for keeps, and they're very good." | While the U.S. government has not given any indication of how long it expects its forces to be there, temporary structures are being replaced with…
mintpressnews.com/us-military-building-presence-saudi-arabia/265343/
The Space Force Becomes a Weapons System, Arms Companies Profit
T.J. Coles | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-28
As the world gets used to what the US military calls "Full Spectrum Dominance," the complex uplinks/downlinks, spurious RADAR returns, cyber glitches, and misinterpretations of big data bring the world closer to its ends, especially as US systems–including possibly nuclear–are orbited or put into the loop of the new Space Force. But the news isn't…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/28/the-space-force-becomes-a-weapons-system-arms-companies-profit/
Turkey bombs Syria after losing dozens of troops to Syrian-Russian airstrike
wsws.org | 2020-02-28
The danger is growing that all-out war could erupt between the NATO alliance and the Syrian government's major international backers, Iran and Russia.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/28/turk-f28.html
'Not noble to cheer human suffering': Tehran shreds US offer of 'help' with coronavirus as Pompeo vows to 'sustain' sanctions
rt.com | 2020-02-28
Washington's offer to assist Tehran with its Covid-19 outbreak is pure hypocrisy, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, condemning the top US diplomat after he promised to keep up crippling sanctions on Iran while vowing to send aid. | While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Friday that the administration had extended an offer to help Tehran beat back the lethal virus, he couldn't help but take jabs at "the regime," insisting Washington would "sustain [its] pressure" through a devastating sanctions campaign
Selected Articles: Assad's Victory in Syria War?
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-28
A future without independent media leaves us with an upside down reality where according to the corporate media "NATO deserves a Nobel Peace Prize", and where "nuclear weapons and wars make us safer" | | | If, like us, this is a …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-are-we-seeing-assad-victory-syria-war/5704994
"I Don't Think That You are Telling Us the Truth": House Democrats Grill Pompeo on Iran and Coronavirus
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-28
"You can't hide behind classification on this one because you can't classify something that doesn't exist." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1203951459.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/28/i-dont-think-you-are-telling-us-truth-house-democrats-grill-pompeo-iran-and?cd-origin=rss
Turkey, Russia tiptoe toward 'unnecessary war'
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-02-28
A military confrontation between Turkey and Syria has erupted in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. Latest reports say that at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed on Thursday in a Syrian air attack. A Turkish retaliation commenced last night itself. The Syrian airstrike in Idlib took place in an area between the towns Baluon and …
iranian.com/2020/02/28/turkey-russia-tiptoe-toward-unnecessary-war/
Prominent Iranian physician clears up misconceptions about outbreak & impact of sanctions
Sina Toossi | iranian.com | 2020-02-28
Prominent Iranian physician & member of the Health Ministry Minoo Mohraz has for her part defended the health ministry's data but has also said the number of people infected has been underreported because sanctions had blocked access to diagnostic kits: twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409214002999296 twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409467125059584 twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409591616118786 twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409679872663562 twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233409919447117824 twitter.com/SinaToossi/status/1233410030164226049 twitter.co…
iranian.com/2020/02/28/prominent-iranian-physician-clears-up-misconceptions-about-outbreak-impact-of-sanctions/
Afghanistan 'peace deal' is not real without Iran
Pepe Escobar | iranian.com | 2020-02-27
Nearly two decades after the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan post-9/11, and after an interminable war costing over $ 2 trillion, there's hardly anything "historic" about a possible peace deal that may be signed in Doha this coming Saturday between Washington and the Taliban. We should start by stressing three points. 1- The Taliban wanted …
iranian.com/2020/02/27/afghanistan-peace-deal-is-not-real-without-iran/
Thousands Of US Troops Return To Saudi Base After 17-Year Absence To "Deter Iran"
Zero Hedge | iranian.com | 2020-02-27
After a nearly 17 year absence, US troops have returned Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base. The last time the base, which lies about 60 miles outside of Riyadh, saw an American presence was in 2003, after which the troops moved to Qatar. The American troop surge into the gulf region to curtail Iran continues even as the world …
iranian.com/2020/02/27/thousands-of-us-troops-return-to-saudi-base-after-17-year-absence-to-deter-iran/
America's Iran Policy Backed Into a Corner By MEK in Albania
Anne Khodabandeh | iranian.com | 2020-02-27
Since well before President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, the U.S. and Iran have been in a de facto state of non-military warfare with sanctions, economic sabotage, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and social media attacks the weapons of choice. Both countries have exploited conflict in the region, especially after the rise …
iranian.com/2020/02/27/americas-iran-policy-backed-into-a-corner-by-mek-in-albania/
UN disarmament chief hopes upcoming conference will address current nuclear challenges
news.un.org | 2020-02-26
With division and distrust rife among countries that possess nuclear arsenals, the UN disarmament chief is hopeful that the issue will be addressed during an upcoming conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1058171
JCPOA Members Remain Committed to the Deal: Russian Official
The Iran Project | iranian.com | 2020-02-26
The Permanent Representative of Russia to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Wednesday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is regarded as an important part of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Mikhail Ulyanov made the remarks in tweet about the meeting of the Joint Commission of the …
iranian.com/2020/02/26/jcpoa-members-remain-committed-to-the-deal-russian-official/
Iran: Hotel business hit hard by coronavirus outbreak
Anadolu Agency | iranian.com | 2020-02-26
A vast majority of hotels in Qom, a holy city of Iran, have closed in the wake of rising cases of the coronavirus. Ahmed Fellahiyan, head of Qom Hotels and Hostels Association, told Iranian Students News Agency: "There are no tourists left in Qom due to coronavirus. Reservations are all cancelled. Only 30% of hotels …
iranian.com/2020/02/26/iran-hotel-business-hit-hard-by-coronavirus-outbreak/
Iran deputy health minister has coronavirus: Adviser
Sputnik News | iranian.com | 2020-02-25
Tehran previously stated that at least 95 people had been diagnosed with the dangerous disease. The majority of confirmed cases in the country come from the city of Qom – a centre of traditional pilgrimage for Shia Muslims, with at least 15 Iranians dying from the disease. Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi has tested …
iranian.com/2020/02/25/iran-deputy-health-minister-has-coronavirus-adviser/
Deconstructing the election to Iran's Majlis
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-02-25
Iran's parliamentary election on Friday took place in extraordinary circumstances. The pandemic fear over coronavirus significantly impacted the voter turnout, which is estimated to be around 42% (as compared to 62% in the 2016 election to the Majlis). A dozen people have died so far in Iran and a few dozen diagnosed with the virus …
iranian.com/2020/02/24/deconstructing-the-election-to-irans-majlis/
Sanders Will Not Attend AIPAC Conference Over Concern for 'Basic Palestinian Rights'
Eoin Higgins | iranian.com | 2020-02-24
Democratic 2020 presidential primary frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders earned the praise of progressives after announcing on Sunday he would not attend the annual AIPAC conference due to his concerns over the group's willingness to endorse the views of bigots and its dismissal of the human rights of Palestinians. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also a candidate …
iranian.com/2020/02/24/sanders-will-not-attend-aipac-conference-over-concern-for-basic-palestinian-rights/
Iran-Iraq Border Crossing Reopens
Tasnim News | iranian.com | 2020-02-24
Spokesperson for the Iranian Customs Administration said the Mehran border crossing on the common border with Iraq reopened on Monday morning. According to Ruhollah Latifi, the Mehran border crossing in western Iran reopened at 10: 45 am local time on Monday. Meanwhile, director of the Iranian Customs Administration in Bilesavar in the northwestern province of Ardabil …
iranian.com/2020/02/24/iran-iraq-border-crossing-reopens/
Iran's government disputes report that 50 have died from the coronavirus
The Guardian | iranian.com | 2020-02-24
The Iranian government has denied trying to cover up the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak after reports suggested the death toll from the disease was more than four times higher than official figures claim. On Monday, a lawmaker from Qom
Russiagate 3.0 drowns out Trump's reckless escalation of US-Russia nuclear arms race
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-23
Amid new fear-mongering about "Russian interference," former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter on Trump's overlooked, reckless escalation of the US-Russia…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/23/russiagate-2-0-drowns-out-trumps-reckless-escalation-of-us-russia-nuclear-arms-race/
Peace Action: Senate Reclaims War Powers to Thwart Iran War
Paul Kawika Martin | peaceaction.org | 2020-02-13
Washington, D.C.
US Deploys 'Mini-Nukes' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace
Strategic Culture | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-08
These so-called "mini-nukes" represent–despite the diminutive-sounding name–an increased risk of nuclear war.
Trump Says War With Iran Was "Closer Than You Thought" Last Month
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-05
Trump told reporters that the U.S. came "closer than you thought" to war with Iran last month.
Trump Says War With Iran Was "Closer Than You Thought" Last Month
War with Iran Is at Stake–and Democrats' High Jumps Over Low Standards Aren't Helping
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2020-02-02
The huge crisis with Iran is more dangerous because so many Democrats have been talking out of both sides of their mouths…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/war-with-iran-is-at-stake-and-democrats-high-jumps-over-low-standards-arent-helping/
War Crimes Against Iran
Marjorie Cohn | zcomm.org | 2020-02-02
Trump has already committed the crime of aggression against Iran…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/war-crimes-against-iran/
House Votes to Rein in Trump's Iran War Powers While Ending Endless Wars
Jon Rainwater | peaceaction.org | 2020-01-31
Washington, D.C.