Mediaboss Marketing

Manchester United teenager Zidane Iqbal will be called up by Iraq and is set to be handed a testing international debut away at Iran next week, Sky Sports News understands.

Sky Sports News last year revealed England face the prospect of missing out on Iqbal with Iraqi football chiefs keen to secure the 18-year-old's services at senior international level. Iqbal has previously captained and scored for Iraq's U23s.

The Manchester-born midfielder is eligible to represent England, Iraq and Pakistan at international but has never been called up to an England age-group squad. He will now join the Iraq squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Lebanon.

Both matches are away, and Iqbal faces the most exacting of international debuts against Iraq's long-term rivals Iran at Tehran's formidable Azadi Stadium next Thursday, where he could line up against former Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Newcastle-linked striker Sardar Azmoun. Iraq travel to Beirut to play Lebanon five days later.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Iqbal is expected to link up with the Iraq squad for the World Cup qualifying double-header after the national team's home friendly with Uganda on Friday.

Iraq and Iran have a complicated history with a football rivalry dating back 60 years when the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in Tehran in 1962. The two sides have met on 30 previous occasions, with Iran winning 17 and Iraq winning six, with seven draws.

Iran won the reverse fixture between the two sides 3-0 last September in a match that was played on neutral ground in Qatar at Doha's Khalifa International Stadium, which will host matches at the World Cup later this year.

Iqbal made history last month when he appeared in the Champions League game against Young Boys to become the first British South Asian to play for Manchester United. Iqbal came on in the closing stages of the Group F encounter, replacing England international Jesse Lingard as a late substitute.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Speaking to MUTV after the game, Iqbal said: "It feels amazing, I've been working my whole life for this opportunity, it's a dream come true, it's just the start and hopefully I can keep pushing on.

The teenager scored for the club's youngsters against Sunderland in the EFL Trophy in November, and followed that up by netting United's opener in their 4-2 UEFA Youth League win against Italian side Atalanta.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Iqbal won a penalty for United U23s in a 1-1 home draw against Tottenham last week, with Dilan Markanday scoring a late equaliser for the visitors in a game which proved to be his last in a Spurs shirt.

Sky Sports News exclusively revealed Barnet-born Markanday had rejected a contract offer from Spurs and was set to join promotion-chasing Blackburn, with the Hindu-Punjabi forward this week signing an initial three-and-a-half-year deal at Ewood Park.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray told reporters Markanday has been signed for the first-team, with the 20-year-old becoming the first British South Asian footballer to play for Rovers in the club's 147-year history when he came on in the second half of Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Hull for his first taste of senior league football.

"He fits the profile of young, talented hungry players [that we are looking for]," Mowbray said. "He left his club to try and play football and really get his career started."

"He's a nice boy and his family are lovely people. I'm sure he'll fit into the culture of this club and hopefully he can hit the ground running. We've been watching him for quite a while, he's been on our radar a long time, and the opportunity has arisen, and we've taken it."

Asked if Markanday has been earmarked for the first team, Mowbray said: "Yeah, and that's why he is here. I think he is exciting but I don't want to overburden him, I just want him to come, play, and do what he does - he's very direct and positive and he knows where the back of the net is.

"Thankfully for us, he is a permanent signing, and we're very hopeful that in the future, whether it be short-term but definitely longer-term, that he becomes very much a fans' favourite and scores goals and does well for the team."

Markanday, who scored in the very first game to be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March 2019, has scored 12 goals in 14 Premier League 2 fixtures this seen and is one of the country's most promising British South Asian footballers.

He now looks set to line up against one of the country's most experienced British South Asian players, Neil Taylor, when Blackburn host Middlesbrough on Monday night, live on Sky Sports.

Wales international Taylor, whose mother is Bengali, recently extended his Boro contract until the end of the season after joining on an initial one-month deal.

Taylor has now been joined in the North-East by another South Asian heritage player after Danny Batth completed a move from Stoke to Sunderland.

Batth, whose father is from the Indian city of Jalandhar, moves to the Stadium of Light from Stoke, where he made 107 appearances across three seasons

"I'm very happy that this deal is done because this is a juggernaut of a football club and I'm delighted to be a part of its journey," Batth said after joining Sunderland.

"This is the perfect set-up for me. I'm really looking forward to playing in front of the home supporters and I've already spoken to the head coach, who has tried to sign me in the past."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson added: "Danny is a player that I've tried to sign a couple of times before, so it's third time lucky. We have some good characters already in place at the football club and you are always looking to nurture leadership qualities, but Danny's come ready-made.

"A dominant centre-back, he has a great personality and I think he will have really positive effect on and off the pitch."

Meanwhile, former Manchester United youngster Otis Khan has joined Leyton Orient on an 18-month contract following the expiry of his short-term deal at Walsall.

Khan, who counts Barnsley, Yeovil, Mansfield and Tranmere among his former clubs, will wear the number 14 shirt for Kenny Jackett's side.

He said: "The way Kenny wants me to play here suits me down to the ground. I like to get forward, assist, score goals, and help the team any way that I can. It's a really exciting time."

British South Asians in Football

For more stories, features and videos, visit our groundbreaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platforms.

Read the original post:
Zidane Iqbal: Iraq set to hand Manchester United teenager international debut away in Iran - Sky Sports

The news comes as Mr Johnson awaits the results of the Sue Gray inquiry in which his conduct and attendance at a Downing Street party during the height of lockdown restrictions was exposed. Already, several Tory MPs have publically called on Mr Johnson to resign, including high profile figures such as David Davis, as well as numerous crossbench party members.

The situation become more inflamed when MP for Bury South, Christian Wakeford defected to the Labour Party just prior to PMQs on Wednesday.

Highlighting the Iranian stance on Twitter, one journalist added further woe onto the PM by reposting a social media message by an IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps) affiliated account to Mr Johnson.

Writing on Twitter, journalist Lizzie Porter said: Seriously Boris Johnson, even IRGC-affiliated social media is jibing at you now - a Quds Force-affiliated Telegram channel, citing Reuters and The Daily Telegraph, describes probability of a revolt in the ruling party and Johnsons removal from office.

In her own chance to jibe the PM, she also ended her Tweet with the words: Just go.

READ MORE:Boris Johnson facing downfall as pundit savages 'pointless' PM

The message on the IRCG account, called Quds News, was written in Farsi and published on their Telegram channel.

The attention given to the case by Iran is not unique.

Across the world, the global media is highly focused on the fate of the Prime Minister.

French journal Le Monde also covered the news, saying Mr Johnson had lied about events at Downing Street, suggesting the PM is now on his last chance.

Germanys DW also joined in, stating that Mr Johnson was defying the odds in fighting a leadership challenge within the party.

Turkeys TRT World published a piece in which Tory MP William Wragg accuses Mr Johnsons staff, Government ministers and others of encouraging the publication of stories in the press seeking to embarrass those whom they suspect of lacking confidence in the Prime Minister.

DON'T MISS:US President 'humiliated America' with silly Churchill snub[REPORT]Pensioner who ran popular beach rides let two donkeys die[REVEAL]Gloating German politician issues extraordinary Brexit attack[COMMENT]

Irans IRGC account was not the only story in the Iranian media surrounding the PM.

The scandal has been an ideal opportunity for nations not traditionally allied with the UK to focus attention on the country.

For Iran, ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna have brought London and Tehran much closer as both parties, along with France, Germany, China and Russia negotiate terms to bring the US back into the mix.

Britain and Iran also continue to enjoy diplomatic exchanges through their respective embassies.

For Mr Johnson, the future now lies in the hands of the independent inquiry being led by Ms Gray.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he will await the publication of the report prior to making a decision.

Follow this link:
Now Iran weighs in on party row Tehran armed forces urge Boris Johnson to resign - Express

Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman has strongly condemned a terrorist bomb attack in Pakistans eastern city of Lahore, reaffirming the need to continue the fight against terrorist groups across the region.

Saeed Khatibzadehs statements came after at least two people were killed and 22 wounded on Thursday during a bomb blast in a busy shopping district of the Pakistani megacity of Lahore.

A newly formed separatist group based in southwestern Balochistan province claimed responsibility in a text message sent to a Reuters reporter.

"This attack targeted bank employees. A detailed statement will be issued soon," a spokesman for the Baloch Nationalist Army said on Twitter.

"It was a bomb blast," a police spokesman, Arif Rana, told Reuters, adding that a time device rigged to a motorcycle exploded outside a shop in the market. He noted that a nine-year-old boy is among the three dead.

Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed regret over the "loss of precious human lives," a spokesman for his office told reporters.

Such terrorist attacks once again highlight the necessity forfighting against terrorist groups in order to establish peace and calm in the region, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Khatibzadeh also expressed sympathy with victims of the terrorist attack, their families, and the friendly government of Pakistan.

Separatists in Pakistans Balochistan province have previously claimed several attacks across the mineral-rich province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran and is the largest of Pakistan's four provinces.

Since December, Pakistan has seen a string of blasts and attacks against its police force after a truce between the government and Pakistan's Taliban expired.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a home-grown militant group, has claimed responsibility for most recent attacks.

The TTP said earlier this week that it was responsible for a deadly shootout in Islamabad on Monday night during which a police officer was killed and two others injured.

Police said both attackers were killed while Pakistan's interior minister warned of the potential for further violence.

Pakistan's government announced late last year that it had entered a month-long truce with the TTP, facilitated by Afghanistan's Taliban, but the truce expired on December 9 last year after peace talks failed to make progress.

The TTP has been blamed for hundreds of bomb attacks and kidnappings across the country.

See the original post:
Iran condemns terrorist attack in Pakistan, reaffirms need to fight terrorism across region - Press TV

Jan. 16, 2022 5:44 pm ET

Jeremy Ben-Ami has been an opponent of pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran and a supporter of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. That 2015 deal, with nuclear and missile restrictions that sunset between 2023 and 2031, gave Tehran patient pathways to nuclear weapons and the intercontinental missiles to deliver them. In his letter Diplomacy, Not War, With Iran (Jan. 14), Mr. Ben-Ami attacks us personally, but we all want a nuclear-free Iran so lets look, instead, at the facts.

His main argument is that Irans nuclear expansion occurred because President Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement and imposed a campaign of maximum pressure. The problem is that the timelines dont support that belief. Mr. Trump withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 and imposed severe sanctions from November 2018 until he left office. While Tehran took preliminary steps to expand its nuclear program in May 2019, the most significant steps took place after President Bidens election in November 2020. These include enriching uranium first to 20% purity and then to 60% (a stones throw from weapons-grade), the production of uranium metal for nuclear warheads, the operation of more advanced centrifuges, and massively increasing stockpiles of enriched uranium.

Excerpt from:
As Biden Relaxed Pressure, Iran Took Advantage - The Wall Street Journal

Since 2017, evidence of Irans new precision-strike weapons capability has been raining down across the Middle East. In the last five years, the Revolutionary Guard has used highly accurate ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones to hit range of targets including ISIL in Syria, Kurdish militias in Iraq, oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, a U.S. airbase in Iraq, and an Israeli-linked oil tanker off the Omani coast. Iranian forces also used surface-to-air missiles in the intentional downing of a U.S. reconnaissance drone and the accidental shootdown of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 over Tehran.

Iran has expanded the types and deployments of precision-strike weapons across all of its military services. As a result, these weapons form a critical pillar of Irans military strategy for deterrence, for defense, and for supporting its Axis of Resistance partners. Whereas Western concerns once focused on Irans potential use of missiles as nuclear delivery systems, its missiles have now become a conventional threat in themselves.

U.S.policymakers andmilitary planners are working to counter Irans advances in precision-strike weapons. But Washington hasnt fully reckoned with the way in which this new capability has increased Irans strategic self-confidence and heightened the risk of rapid escalation in a crisis. Unless and until traditional efforts to constrain Irans new weapons prove effective or it is feasible to negotiate limits on them, the United States and its allies should take steps to enhance strategic stability and reduce the risk of inadvertent escalation.

Irans Increasing Reliance on Precision-Strike Weapons

The important role of precision-strike weapons in the arsenals of both the Revolutionary Guard and Irans conventional military, the Artesh, has increased in recent years, with both forces now deploying these weapons throughout their individual services. For years, the guards aerospace force has deployed ballistic missiles, land-attack cruise missiles, and drones while the Artesh air force has deployed air-launched anti-ship cruise missiles. The navies of the guard and Artesh have operated anti-ship cruise missiles and their air defense forces have both operated surface-to-air missiles. But things have expanded in recent years. In 2021, Iranian commanders highlighted the deployment of ballistic missiles, traditionally a monopoly of the guards aerospace force, by the Guard Corps ground force and navy. Moreover, the Artesh air force displayed a long-range land-attack cruise missile, another munition traditionally reserved for the guards aerospace force. The military services of both the Revolutionary Guard and Artesh now use armed and suicide drones, as shown by the Arteshs tests of long-range suicide drones last year as well as their deployment by the guards ground force. Finally, the ground forces of the guard and Artesh have incorporated guided rockets into their arsenals. In sum, all of the military services of the Revolutionary Guard and Artesh now bristle with strike weapons for offensive and defensive use.

This newfound emphasis on precision-strike missiles and drones can also be seen in Iranian military exercises. In November, the Artesh used cruise missiles, armed and suicide drones, and surface-to-air missiles to strike targets during its Zolfaghar 1400 exercise. In the Great Prophet 17 exercise in December, all three of the Revolutionary Guards forces aerospace, navy, and ground relied on strike weapons in their simulated offensive and defensive operations, including coordinated ballistic missile and drone strikes on a mockup of Israels Dimona nuclear facility. The research organizations of the Revolutionary Guard and Artesh have also stepped up their involvement in in the development of precision-strike weapons. This has expanded the countrys domestic research, development, and industrial base, which has traditionally been dominated by defense ministrys development and production organizations such as the Aerospace Industries Organization, Aviation Industries Organization, and Defense Industries Organization.

As a result of these efforts, Iranian precision-strike weapons are now critical to the countrys military strategy. Iran has used precision-strike weapons to respond to what it calls semi-hard (nimeh-sakht) threats such as terrorism and assassination and to address the hard (sakht) threat of armed conflict via deterrence and defense. These weapons are an important part of deterrence, the cornerstone of Irans military strategy. They support Irans stated active deterrence (bazdarandegi-e fael) strategy and its doctrine of defensive and offensive deterrence (bazdarandegi-e defai va tahajomi), which emphasizes the threat of decisive offensive and defense responses to deter Irans adversaries. Irans precision-strike weapons do so by providing the means to threaten retaliation and possibly preemption against enemy actions and to threaten high costs if adversaries attack or invade.

Statements by Iranian officials emphasize three main components of deterrence: capability, resolve, and vulnerability. Precision-strike weapons are central to all three. First, Iran is increasing its qualitative and quantitative capabilities in the full range of missile and drone strike weapons. Second, Iran has signaled its resolve to use these weapons overtly or covertly against its non-state and state adversaries. Third, it is attempting to decrease its own vulnerabilities by enhancing the survivability of its precision-strike weapons. Iran is also attempting to exploit the perceived vulnerabilities of its adversaries by threatening to strike Israeli cities and nuclear facilities as well as U.S. military bases and forces in the region.

In addition to deterrence, precision-strike weapons also play a critical role in Irans plans for defense and asymmetric warfare should deterrence fail. For example, Iran would rely heavily on these weapons if it ever followed through on its threats to close the Strait of Hormuz. They also play an important role in the military dimension of Irans strategy of resistance, including its support of its Axis of Resistance partners such as Lebanese Hizballah and the Yemeni Houthis.

The Risk of Rapid Escalation

Irans reliance on precision-strike weapons to support its military strategy and national security goals will likely continue to grow. Not surprisingly, Western countries, in particular the United States and Israel, have become increasingly concerned, and reportedly now view Irans conventional strike capabilities as a more immediate danger than Irans nuclear program. U.S. Central Command has highlighted its concerns about Irans achievement of overmatch in the region and stressed the measures that it has taken in response, including enhancing deterrence, improving active and passive defenses, and redeploying forces.

Unfortunately, the United States and its allies still face serious challenges in responding, whether by seeking to constrain Irans advances in precision-strike weapons or to deter Irans use of them. Western countries will almost certainly continue their traditional measures aimed at constraining Irans development of strike weapons, such as national and multilateral export controls, sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and interdictions. However, these measures have shown little impact thus far on Irans capability to develop, deploy, and transfer weapons.

Negotiations to limit Irans precision-strike weapon programs, capabilities, or transfers will likely not be feasible for some time, based on the high level of political tensions, the critical role that these weapons play in Irans military strategy, and the clear advantages they provide to Iran. Tehrans consistent position remains that negotiations on these weapons are a red line. This means that any efforts to constrain Irans capabilities or decouple Iranian precision-strike weapons from the central role they play in Irans military strategy will most likely prove impractical for at least the near future.

Western countries also face a tough challenge in deterring Irans threat and use of precision-strike weapons so long as Iran believes it holds the advantage in the overall balance of deterrence. Although Iranian officials likely do not doubt U.S. and Israeli capabilities to strike Iran, statements by Iranian military officials suggest they question Western resolve in using military force against Iran and also believe Israeli targets and U.S. bases in the region are highly vulnerable to Iranian missile and drone strikes. Indeed, Iranian military officials assert that Iran has passed the deterrence phase (marhaleh-ye bazdarandegi) and reached the point where the onus now lies with Irans adversaries to deter it, not the other way around.

These dynamics all intensify the risk of rapid escalation during a crisis or conflict with Iran. Irans self-confidence and perception of advantage may not be justified but they nonetheless create the risk of Iranian misperception during a crisis. Additionally, Irans reliance on precision-strike weapons to conduct quick, decisive, and offensive responses to enemy actions could easily drive a fast, escalatory cycle of tit-for-tat attacks with Iran using increasing numbers of these weapons in each step. This would only be intensified by the use or lose pressures on Iranian commanders to launch strikes before their own arsenals are destroyed.

The United States and its allies should continue to seek military and diplomatic ways to blunt the threat of Iranian precision-strike weapons. Until these efforts succeed, however, they should seek ways to strengthen strategic stability and reduce the risk of inadvertent escalation in the case of a crisis. Such measures could include direct communication hotlines between military commanders, streamlined diplomatic channels using a pre-arranged third party, advanced notification of military exercises, and agreements to reduce the chances of naval or air incidents.

Jim Lamson is a senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Prior to that, Jim worked for 23 years as an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency.

Image: Islamic Republic News Agency

See the article here:
New Missiles, New Risks: The Escalatory Implications of Iran's Precision-Strike Weapons - War on the Rocks