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JERUSALEM Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to voice opposition to what the Israeli leader charged were Iran's attempts to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria.

"In the framework of a (future peace agreement) or without one, Iran is attempting to base itself permanently in Syria - either through a military presence on the ground or a naval presence - and also through a gradual attempt to open a front against us on the Golan Heights," Netanyahu told his cabinet in public remarks on Sunday.

"I will express to President Putin Israel's vigorous opposition to this possibility," he said.

Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him.

Russia, also Assad's ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria's future. In Geneva on Friday, the first U.N.-led Syria peace talks in a year ended without a breakthrough.

Israeli leaders have pointed to Tehran's steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shi'ite Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah.

Majority-Shi'ite Iran says its forces are in Syria to defend holy Shi'ite shrines. However, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces said in November the Islamic republic may seek to set up naval bases in Yemen or Syria in the future.

Last year, Avi Dichter, the chair of Israel's foreign affairs and defense committee, said Iran had tried several times in the past to move forces into the Syrian Golan Heights, next to territory that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Dichter said those moves were repelled, but gave no details.

Netanyahu has said that Israel has carried out dozens of strikes to prevent weapons smuggling to the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah via Syria. Two years ago, Israel and Russia agreed to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire.

"I hope that we'll be able to reach certain understandings to lessen the possible friction between our forces and their forces, as we've successfully done so far," he said at the cabinet meeting, referring to the Russian military.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Ros Russell)

BAGHDAD More than 40,000 people have been displaced in the last week from the Iraqi city of Mosul, where U.S.-backed forces launched a fresh push towards the Islamic State-held old city center on Sunday and closed in on the main government complex.

PARIS France's conservatives appeared to be at war with themselves less than 50 days from the presidential election as Francois Fillon clung on to his struggling, scandal-tainted campaign and senior party members fought to oust him as their candidate.

DUBAI Iran has indicted a member of its nuclear negotiating team who was arrested last year on suspicion of spying, and detained an Iranian-American on charges of defrauding people under the guise of helping them emigrate, the Iranian judiciary said on Sunday.

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Netanyahu to meet Putin, says Iran seeks permanent foothold in Syria - Reuters

TEHERAN A new animated film from Iran shows the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet being blown out of the water in the latest effort to build up the legend of the country's most celebrated general.

Director Farhad Azimi told local media that his 80-minute Battle Of The Persian Gulf II is "a response to the gibberish of Hollywood and American politicians". Four years in the making, its expensive graphics, thumping soundtrack and barrages of missiles are a slick addition to Iran's propaganda efforts.

It stars a commander with a salt-and-pepper beard, explicitly modelled on Major-General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' external operations arm, the Quds Force.

Maj-Gen Soleimani heads operations in Syria, Iraq and beyond, and has become a prominent fixture in the media in recent years, often pictured on the front line or alongside Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His high profile has led to speculation he may emerge as a presidential candidate, though he has so far denied any desire to move into politics.

Battle Of The Persian Gulf II cost some five billion rials (S$218,000) to make - part of increasing military propaganda efforts that in many ways mirror the close involvement of the Pentagon in Hollywood's more gung-ho blockbusters.

It comes at a time of mounting tensions, after US President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian boats harassing the US Navy - a regular occurrence in the Gulf, according to the Pentagon - would be "shot out of the water".

Mr Azimi said he wanted to highlight Iran's defensive capabilities.

"If one bullet is fired by the enemy towards Iran, we will respond firmly," he said.

The film has premiered in Iran's second city, Mashhad, and is due to arrive in Teheran next week. The film-makers are also hoping to show it in China and Russia.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

See the original post here:
US Navy fleet blown up in new Iranian film - The Straits Times

Nazanin Zaghari_Ratcliffe was sentenced to five years in prison last year (Picture: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe/PA Wire)

A British mother who is prison in Iran has collapsed while still waiting for vital hospital treatment on her neck.

Nazanin Zaghari_Ratcliffe is awaiting treatment for several out of place neck vertebrae, damage caused by months of having no bed, poor exercise and stress.

But despite the recommendations of specialists thecharity worker has been still not been admitted to hospital from the country;s notorius Evin Prisonfor emergency treatment.

The 38-year-old, from Hampstead in London, has been in prison in Iran since April, after being arrested while visiting family in Tehran.

The dual-nationality citizen, who was on holiday with daughter Gabriella at the time, was jailed for five years after being accused of being a Western Spy despite no evidence being put forward to support the claims.

Her family have been pressing for her to receive hospital treatment that they have been told is vital.

Her husband, Richard, explainedon change.orgthat her neck and back problems have worsened over the last few months.

Without urgent treatment Nazanin runs the risk of permanent impairment, he wrote.

This week she collapsed again. She had been complaining of nausea and headaches, of an increasing inability to do anything apart from lie down.

It seems due also to psychological strains. Nazanin reports increasing unexplained panics, suffering severe insomnia at night waves of worries in the quietest hours, magnifying the alone.

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During the day suddenly unable to get calm, feeling inescapable pressures.

Feeling the interrogators presence, even where they are not. That drip feed of cruelties does not magically drain away.

Nazanin and Richards two -year-old daughter is also still in Iran, and is living with her grandparents in the same city her mother is imprisoned in.She is able to visit her once a week

The Foreign Office has said previously that it is prepared to bring her home, but has been able to do less in her mothers case as Iran doesnt recognise dual-nationality citizens.

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British mum in prison in Iran collapses while waiting for vital hospital visit - Metro

A group of Iranian fintech companies has formed Irans Fintech Association, soon after the Central Bank of Iran put forward the idea. Nasser Hakimi, the director of CBIs IT Department, had proposed that fintech firms create a forum to identify challenges, prepare key questions and contact the regulator for solutions. Currently, CBI is not able to help innovators case by case, considering the large number of financial innovators But once the forum is established, the regulator would be able to help fintechs quickly and efficiently, he told Way2pay.ir. This would be beneficial for both fintechs and CBI. The regulator would become familiar with the latest market trends. The association, called Fintech A, is set to bring industry players under a single roof, mainly to find a solution to their problems and boost innovators relations with regulatory bodies.

Ongoing Concerns We would be able to address the ongoing concerns over the operation of fintech firms through close interaction with CBI, Center for E-Commerce Development and the judiciary, Milad Jahandar, the founder of Bahamta application, was quoted as saying during the first meeting of the association last week. Bahamta is an Iranian application for management of micro-payments. We want to prevent controversies, like what happened to ride-hailing applications, he said and called for all fintechs to join the association, referring to fraught relations between taxi drivers and domestic ride-hailing companies. ZarinPal, Bahamta, Hesabit, PayPing, Poolam and Mehrabane are among founding members of the association. Mostafa Amiri, the founder of ZarinPal, said they are ready to negotiate with regulators. We need to form a unique voice today, otherwise we would lose the market to foreigners once they enter the Iranian market, he said. Amiri criticized current regulations regarding the operation of fintechs and said the document prepared by the Center for E-Commerce Development leaves no space for creating new businesses. It is our task to come up with solutions for meeting regulators concerns and prevent inefficient regulations, he said. Back in December, the center announced that it would regulate the operation of unofficial payment tools, referred to as aggregators, after profiling owners and their users. The framework requires users to provide a phone number (owned by the business) for being allowed to use payment services. The measure has been repeatedly criticized for neglecting issues concerning the operation of startups.

CBIs Stance However, Hakimi said the framework developed by the e-commerce authority is not approved by the central bank. CBI is working on another framework that defines redlines for the operation of fintech firms, he said. According to CBI regulations, innovative financial services are allowed to operate as long as they are not involved in money creation, currency exchange and offering their own payment tools (like cards) andattract deposits. It was announced earlier that CBI was working on a project to create a safe and healthy environment for innovators and fintech firms, and to authorize their operations. Hakimi said it takes at least three months to finalize the project.

View original post here:
Iran's Fintech Association Launched - Financial Tribune

The recent dust storms that wreaked havoc in southwest Iran signaled only one of the many crises the mullahs are facing less than three months before critical elections. Tehran has been hit with severe blows during the Munich Security Conference, contrasting interests with Russia, the recent escalating row with Turkey, and most importantly, a new U.S. administration in Washington.

These crises have crippling effects on the mullahs apparatus, especially at a time when Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei sees his regime facing a changing balance of power in the international community, and is faced with a major decision of selecting the regimes so-called president.

Iran and Ahvaz

The dust storms crisis in Ahwaz, resulting from the mullahs own destructive desertification policies, caused severe disruptions in water and power services and people pouring into the streets in major protests.

The regime, and especially the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), has for decades pursued a desertification policy of constructing dams, drying lagoons, digging deep oil wells beneath underground water sources with resulting catastrophic environmental disasters. Various estimates indicate the continuation of such a trend will literally transform two-thirds of Iran into desert lands in the next decade. This will place 14 to 15 million people at the mercy not only dust storms but also salt storms.

Iran and the Munich Security Conference

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attended this conference with a series of objectives in mind, only to face a completely unexpected scene. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence described Iran as the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the mullahs are the source of threats and instability throughout the Middle East. Turkey went one step further and said Tehran is the heart of sectarianism and spreads such plots across the region, and all traces in Syria lead to Irans terrorism and sectarian measures.

This resembles a vast international coalition against Tehran, inflicting yet another blow to the mullahs following a new administration taking control of the White House. These developments are very costly for Khamenei and the entire regime.

In comparison to the early 2000s when the U.S. launched wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran was the main benefactor. The current balance of power now is quite different, as seen in Munich. While there is talk of an Arab NATO, any coalition formed now in the Middle East will be completely against Irans interests.

Iran and Russia

Following a disastrous joint campaign in Syria, for the first time Russia is reportedly supporting a safe zone in Syria. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said contacts have been made with the Syrian regime to establish safe zones in Syria. These are the first remarks made by any Russian official on the issue of safe zones in Syria.

Moscows increasing contrast in interest with Iran over Syria has the potential of playing a major role in regional relations. Russia certainly doesnt consider Bashar Assad remaining in power as a red line, a viewpoint far different from that of Iran. Moscow is also ready to sacrifice its interests in Syria in a larger and more suitable bargain with the Trump administration over far more important global interests.

Iran and Turkey

Yes, Ankara and Tehran enjoy a vast economic partnership. However, recent shifts in geopolitical realities have led to significant tensions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the mullahs of resorting to Persian nationalism in an effort to split Iraq and Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Iran of seeking to undermine Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as part of Tehrans sectarian policy. Cavusoglu used his speech in Munich to say, Iran is trying to create two Shia states in Syria andIraq. This is very dangerous. It must be stopped.

Tehran considers Ankaras soldiers in Iraq and Syria as a major obstacle in its effort to expand its regional influence.

U.S. president Donald Trumps strong approach vis--vis Iran and the possibility of him supporting the establishment of a Turkish-administered northern Syria safe zone may have also played a major part in fuming bilateral tensions between these two Middle East powers.

Erdogan has obviously realized completely the new White House in Washington intends to adopt a much more aggressive stance against Tehran. This is another sign of changing tides brewing troubles for Irans mullahs.

Iran and Presidential Elections

With new reports about his ailing health, Khamenei is extremely concerned about his predecessor. One such signal is the candidacy of Ibrahim Reisi, current head of the colossal Astan Quds Razavi political empire and a staunch loyalist to Khameneis faction, for the presidency. With former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani out of the picture, Khamenei may seek to seal his legacy by placing Reisi against Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in the upcoming May elections.

This is literally Khamenei playing with fire, as Reisi is considered a hardline figure and such an appointment may spark 2009-like protests across the country, as the country has become a scene of massive social challenges. Rouhani himself doesnt enjoy any social base support, especially after four years of lies and nearly 3,000 executions.

Final Thoughts

This places the entire regime in a very fragile situation. From the internal crises of Ahwaz, the upcoming elections and the formation of a significant international front threatening the Iranian regimes strategic interests.

Forecasting what lies ahead is truly impossible, making Khamenei and his entire regime extremely concerned, trekking this path very carefully and with a low profile. As we witnessed with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, Iran immediately released the 52 hostages held for 444 days.

This regime understands the language of force very carefully. And yet, there is no need to use military force to inflict a significant blow and make Tehran understand the international community means business. Blacklisting Irans IRGC as a terrorist organization by the U.S. at this timing would be the nail in the coffin for the mullahs.

The recent dust storms that wreaked havoc in southwest Iran signaled only one of the many crises the mullahs are facing less than three months before critical elections. Tehran has been hit with severe blows during the Munich Security Conference, contrasting interests with Russia, the recent escalating row with Turkey, and most importantly, a new U.S. administration in Washington.

These crises have crippling effects on the mullahs apparatus, especially at a time when Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei sees his regime facing a changing balance of power in the international community, and is faced with a major decision of selecting the regimes so-called president.

Iran and Ahvaz

The dust storms crisis in Ahwaz, resulting from the mullahs own destructive desertification policies, caused severe disruptions in water and power services and people pouring into the streets in major protests.

The regime, and especially the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), has for decades pursued a desertification policy of constructing dams, drying lagoons, digging deep oil wells beneath underground water sources with resulting catastrophic environmental disasters. Various estimates indicate the continuation of such a trend will literally transform two-thirds of Iran into desert lands in the next decade. This will place 14 to 15 million people at the mercy not only dust storms but also salt storms.

Iran and the Munich Security Conference

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attended this conference with a series of objectives in mind, only to face a completely unexpected scene. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence described Iran as the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the mullahs are the source of threats and instability throughout the Middle East. Turkey went one step further and said Tehran is the heart of sectarianism and spreads such plots across the region, and all traces in Syria lead to Irans terrorism and sectarian measures.

This resembles a vast international coalition against Tehran, inflicting yet another blow to the mullahs following a new administration taking control of the White House. These developments are very costly for Khamenei and the entire regime.

In comparison to the early 2000s when the U.S. launched wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran was the main benefactor. The current balance of power now is quite different, as seen in Munich. While there is talk of an Arab NATO, any coalition formed now in the Middle East will be completely against Irans interests.

Iran and Russia

Following a disastrous joint campaign in Syria, for the first time Russia is reportedly supporting a safe zone in Syria. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said contacts have been made with the Syrian regime to establish safe zones in Syria. These are the first remarks made by any Russian official on the issue of safe zones in Syria.

Moscows increasing contrast in interest with Iran over Syria has the potential of playing a major role in regional relations. Russia certainly doesnt consider Bashar Assad remaining in power as a red line, a viewpoint far different from that of Iran. Moscow is also ready to sacrifice its interests in Syria in a larger and more suitable bargain with the Trump administration over far more important global interests.

Iran and Turkey

Yes, Ankara and Tehran enjoy a vast economic partnership. However, recent shifts in geopolitical realities have led to significant tensions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the mullahs of resorting to Persian nationalism in an effort to split Iraq and Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Iran of seeking to undermine Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as part of Tehrans sectarian policy. Cavusoglu used his speech in Munich to say, Iran is trying to create two Shia states in Syria andIraq. This is very dangerous. It must be stopped.

Tehran considers Ankaras soldiers in Iraq and Syria as a major obstacle in its effort to expand its regional influence.

U.S. president Donald Trumps strong approach vis--vis Iran and the possibility of him supporting the establishment of a Turkish-administered northern Syria safe zone may have also played a major part in fuming bilateral tensions between these two Middle East powers.

Erdogan has obviously realized completely the new White House in Washington intends to adopt a much more aggressive stance against Tehran. This is another sign of changing tides brewing troubles for Irans mullahs.

Iran and Presidential Elections

With new reports about his ailing health, Khamenei is extremely concerned about his predecessor. One such signal is the candidacy of Ibrahim Reisi, current head of the colossal Astan Quds Razavi political empire and a staunch loyalist to Khameneis faction, for the presidency. With former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani out of the picture, Khamenei may seek to seal his legacy by placing Reisi against Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in the upcoming May elections.

This is literally Khamenei playing with fire, as Reisi is considered a hardline figure and such an appointment may spark 2009-like protests across the country, as the country has become a scene of massive social challenges. Rouhani himself doesnt enjoy any social base support, especially after four years of lies and nearly 3,000 executions.

Final Thoughts

This places the entire regime in a very fragile situation. From the internal crises of Ahwaz, the upcoming elections and the formation of a significant international front threatening the Iranian regimes strategic interests.

Forecasting what lies ahead is truly impossible, making Khamenei and his entire regime extremely concerned, trekking this path very carefully and with a low profile. As we witnessed with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, Iran immediately released the 52 hostages held for 444 days.

This regime understands the language of force very carefully. And yet, there is no need to use military force to inflict a significant blow and make Tehran understand the international community means business. Blacklisting Irans IRGC as a terrorist organization by the U.S. at this timing would be the nail in the coffin for the mullahs.

More here:
Iran in Crisis - American Thinker