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Dr. Michael Knights, a Boston-based fellow atThe Washington Institute for Near East Policythat champions conservative perspectives, and Hardin Lang, a fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress (CAP), testified before theSenate Foreign Relations Committee.

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They suggested that the United States should leave behind a military force of between 3,000 to 5,000 troops to continue working with their Iraqi counterparts for at least three years.

Dr. Knights specifically warned against withdrawing American troops from the country prematurely, adding, Just two and a half years after the U.S. military left the country, ISIL took over Mosul and a third of Iraq. ISILs success and the complete and hasty withdrawal of U.S. military support to Iraq was no coincidence.

Meanwhile, Lang reminded lawmakers that Shiite, or Shia, militiamen backed by Iran killed about 500 American troops in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.

We need to make smart choices now while we are still keenly focused on the threats to U.S. interests that are present in Iraq, testified Dr. Knights, according to his prepared remarks. These threats include not only ISIL but also Shia militias groups that parasitically exploit ISILs presence and which make up part of the Iranian threat network discussed in this committee earlier this month.

The regime in the Tehran, the worlds largest state sponsor of terrorism, has an ambitious agenda inside Iraq, he added. Tehran seeks to exploit the justifiable fear of ISIL that is felt by Iraqi Shia majority in Iraq.

When alluding to the Shiite fighters, Lang singled out the Iraqi government-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an Iran-affiliated umbrella network of mainly Shiite fighters currently fighting ISIS in Iraq.

Th PMF represents the largest alliance of all Shiite militias in Iraq and is also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMF) and al-Hashd al-Shabi.

Lang estimates the size of the Shiite militia force in Iraq to be between 100,000 and 120,000.

In his written testimony, the CAP expert acknowledged that one of the biggest threats to reconciliation [primarily between Sunnis and Shias] remains sectarian Shia militias, adding:

There is a very real risk that the PMF could take root as a Hezbollah-style Iranian [terrorist] proxy. Such a development would threaten Iraqi sovereignty and undercut attempts at national reconciliation. There are no easy solutions to managing the threat posed by Iranian- backed PMF units, but the U.S. could play a constructive role in facilitating the demobilization or integration of the remaining PMF units into the ISF [Iraqi Security Forces].

While participating in the ongoing Mosul offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is providing assistance to the PMF.

The Pentagon says it is only providing support to Shiite militiamen vetted for links to Iran and terrorist groups, as mandated by law.

A large proportion [of the PMF] receives direct Iranian backing, testified Lang. The CAP expert acknowledged that U.S. policy towards the PMF changed under former President Barack Obama.

In 2014, U.S. refused to provide them military support, but since mid-2015, American policy has evolved to include air and other support for those PMF units not beholden to Iran, he explained, noting that the Iraqi parliament legalized the PMF in November 2016.

Some news reports have accused the U.S. military of providing support to all Shiite militiamen, including those linked to Iran who may have American blood on their hands. The Pentagon has denied the allegations.

Originally posted here:
Experts Warn: Iran-Allied Shiite Militias in Iraq to Threaten US After Mosul Falls - Breitbart News

Forbes

Key Problems Trump Needs To Address On The Iran Nuclear Deal Forbes Iran's recent ballistic missile test was the latest manifestation of its enmity toward the international community and its disrespect for its commitments under UN resolutions and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the nuclear deal ... Iran's recovery faces US and nuclear deal risks, IMF warnsFinancial Times Don't get fooled again on IranThe Hill (blog) Iran's Trump CardsForeign Affairs Fox News -Bloomberg -Salt Lake Tribune all 34 news articles »

Go here to read the rest:
Key Problems Trump Needs To Address On The Iran Nuclear Deal - Forbes

VIENNA Iran's official stock of enriched uranium has fallen by half after large amounts stuck in pipes have been recategorized as unrecoverable under a process agreed with major powers, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Friday.

But before that process began last month, Iran came close to reaching a limit on its uranium stock, one of the most sensitive aspects of Tehran's nuclear deal, a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) obtained by Reuters made clear.

The agreement that the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia reached with Iran in 2015 restricts Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

"As of 18 February 2017, the quantity of Iran's uranium enriched up to 3.67 percent U-235 was 101.7 kg," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a quarterly report on Iran, its first since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, a vocal critic of the deal.

That was about half the limit of 202.8 kg, but only after 100 kg of material at one plant alone was deemed unrecoverable and not included in the calculation.

The deal also caps the concentration of the highly fissile U-235 isotope to which Iran can enrich uranium at 3.67 percent, far below the roughly 90 percent of weapons-grade uranium.

The major powers and Iran published agreements in December and January specifying types of uranium that would be considered unrecoverable and therefore not considered part of its stock of low-enriched uranium.

"DOWNBLENDING"

One of those agreements defined a process by which Iran would flush out low-enriched uranium (LEU) from pipes and other equipment at a plant in Isfahan and "downblend" it to the level of natural uranium.

That process started on Jan. 31, the report said, at which point 99.9 kg of LEU was excluded from the total stock. Friday's report was the first to specify the size of the stock, since the papers published clarified what should be excluded. Previous reports had said only that it was within the limit.

Iran's stock of heavy water - a moderator used in a type of nuclear reactor that can produce plutonium - was within a 130-tonne limit at 124.2 tonnes, but that did not include 11 tonnes that Iran has shipped to Oman.

The Obama administration criticized Tehran after it went over the limit on heavy water for the second time last year, adding that the deal specifies that excess heavy water must be delivered to a foreign buyer.

Iran shipped 11 tonnes to Oman with a view to selling it later, which defused the standoff. But it continues to produce heavy water and the issue could yet attract the attention of Trump, who has said he wants to "police that contract so tough (the Iranians) don't have a chance".

(Editing by Andrew Roche)

NEW YORK U.S. demand for gasoline hit record levels last year, averaging 9.326 million barrels per day, surpassing 2007 levels, according to new monthly figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

LONDON OPEC has cut its oil output for a second month in February, a Reuters survey found on Tuesday, allowing the exporter group to boost already strong compliance with agreed supply curbs on the back of a steep reduction by Saudi Arabia.

The White House on Tuesday denied that President Donald Trump planned to issue an executive order to change the national biofuels program, after the U.S. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said Trump's team had informed the group an order was pending.

Read more:
Iran's Enriched Uranium Stock Halves after Flirting with ...

An Iranian infant who was delayed in entering the U.S. due to the recent travel ban has successfully undergone heart surgery to fix a genetic defect, hospital officials said.

Fatehmeh Reshad, a 4-month-old infant from Iran, arrived in the U.S. to undergo tests and treatment earlier this month to fix a genetic heart defect, according to officials at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The infant was born with a condition where two main arteries are reversed.

Fatemeh had been scheduled to arrive for treatment and heart surgery on Feb. 5 because there was no hospital in Iran that provided the complex operation that would save her life. The infant and her parents had been working with lawyers and other officials when President Trump's executive order was implemented, which temporarily banned most travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations.

The family arrived on Feb. 7 after working with the Department of Homeland Security, according to the family's attorney Jennifer Morrissey. And while the delay was only two days, her medical condition made the delay serious, Morrissey said.

Fatehmeh underwent surgery on Friday and is currently recovering, said Dr. Laurie Armsby, associate professor of pediatrics and interim head of the division of pediatric cardiology at OSHU's Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

"She's in the ICU and recovering as we would hope she would," Armsby said at a news conference on Monday. "Her heart function looks beautiful, so, we're very pleased with how she's recovering."

Armsby said the family did not want details of the surgery or Fatemeh's current condition released to the public.

Sam Taghizadeh, Fatemeh's uncle, said it felt like "a miracle" to get Fatemeh and her parents in the U.S. for surgery.

"In the beginning, I didn't have any hope about my family coming here," Taghizadeh said during Monday's news conference. "I said, 'Who is going to listen to me?' ... I was surprised how the people in the U.S. helped."

Morrissey said Fatemeh's family was informed of the cancellation of Jan. 27, when the travel ban was announced.

"The delay was just a few days, but obviously every day was critical given her medical condition," Morrissey said at Monday's news conference.

Taghizadeh, who lives in Oregon, said so many people reached out to help that Fatemeh's parents couldn't believe the strangers weren't friends of Taghizadeh.

"They asked me, 'Why these people [helping us]?" Taghizadeh said. "They couldn't believe it."

Taghizadeh also thanked the many people -- including lawyers, lawmakers and doctors -- who helped to get Fatemeh in the country for medical treatment.

"English is a second language for me and I couldn't find the words to say thank you," he said.

See more here:
Iranian baby delayed by travel ban recovering after heart surgery - ABC News

For days now, large swathes of western Iran have been covered in dust literally. Dust storms have overwhelmed the oil-rich province of Khuzestan. Air quality is reportedly some 30 to 60 times the healthy level. Power stations have broken down; banks, schools and offices were closed; water supplies were disrupted; and flights to and from Ahvaz were cancelled including, ironically, one scheduled for the regimes top environment official.

Wipe the dust off of Irans scenic Khuzestan province, and youll see an even uglier truth. What is happening in Khuzestan exemplifies the disastrous policies implemented by Tehrans fundamentalist rulers. While it spends billions to wage sectarian conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, the Iranian regime has systematically and unabashedly neglected the countrys ecosystem and economy for the past 40 years.

For years, Washington has viewed Tehran as the worlds worst state-sponsor of terror while, by some twisted logic, trying to placate the mullahs. The West, in general, has never taken into account how the ruled view their rulers. The Iranian people are grappling with unprecedented, devastating challenges caused by the ruling regimes policies.

Ahvaz, for example, has been described as the worlds most polluted city by the World Health Organization. Khuzestan lies in the Fertile Crescent, with more than one million hectares of agricultural land. Destructive policies, such as the unbridled construction of dams (producing enormous wealth for the select few), have caused rivers to dry up, and the climate has taken a turn for the worse.

For decades, industrial waste and sewage poured into the Karun, Irans largest navigable river, without the slightest state interference. Khuzestan is reeling from unprecedented unemployment, a recession, a housing crisis and lack of access to education.

Add a lack of basic civic services to the environmental mishandling, and the systematic failure of public services, including water and electricity, and you get thousands of people pouring into the streets to protest.

It is clear those responsible for bringing on this enormous scale of ruin and tragedy will not be willing or able to offer genuine remedies. This is a regime, after all, that puts greater emphasis on Syria than its own provinces.

In 2013, a former commander of intelligence for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) proclaimed: Syria is our 35th province, and is a strategic province for us. If the enemy attacks us and seeks to take Syria or Khuzestan, our priority would be to keep Syria, because if we keep Syria, we can take back Khuzestan at a later date. But if we lose Syria, we would lose the capital Tehran.

It is no wonder that the Iranian people, choking on dust and without jobs, despise the IRGC and everything for which it stands. It should be equally self-evident for the U.S. administration that the IRGC is a terrorist entity, and should be so designated. The IRGC must be evicted from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and other countries of the region before any resolution to the regional crises can be found.

For years, some in Washington naively hoped that elusive moderates within the regime would solve everything. But even after the nuclear deal signed in the summer of 2015, the Iranian regime has been neither able nor willing to resolve the Iranian peoples multitude of problems and real-life crises. Now, with the death of their most notable moderate figure, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the chances are more remote than ever before.

Last week, the so-called "moderate" president Hassan Rouhani visited Khuzestan and unashamedly tried to deflect blame from the regime by saying that the catastrophic situation in the province is the result of "divine punishment" for the residents' inability to promote righteousness and to protect the environment.

So, instead of pinning its strategy on self-delusion, Washington now has the opportunity to find a real partner in the Iranian people and their organized opposition. For the sake of American security, policymakers need to decouple Washingtons future from Tehrans failing Islamic extremists and, instead, reach out to the people of Iran who want change, democracy, and a better life.

The regimes next presidential elections are scheduled to take place in May. In 2009, millions of protesters poured into the streets after those same elections, but, unfortunately, the Obama administration stood silent. The resentment of the population is now even deeper than it was eight years ago. The current administration should not repeat the same mistake.

Washington should adopt a firm policy against the Iranian regime and its terrorist and repressive arm, the IRGC, while vociferously standing with those who seek genuine democratic change.This time, we shouldnt stand idly by and let the dust settle in Iran.

Ali Safavi (@samsafavi) is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is dedicated to the establishment of a democratic, secular and non-nuclear republic in Iran.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

See the article here:
Failure to aid province highlights Iran's misguided priorities - The Hill (blog)