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In an effusive and enthusiastic speech to the Knesset plenum, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy pledged Monday that the US would continue to fully fund Israels security needs, while denouncing Iranian aggression in the Middle East, as well as efforts to isolate Israel internationally.

In a speech replete with both praise for Israel and biblical quotations, McCarthy lauded Israel as the birthplace of the Jewish people, described the country as a modern miracle, and insisted on its right to defend itself from attack.

And he spoke of the importance of bipartisan support for Israel from both Republicans and Democrats as crucial for the relationship between the two countries.

In later comments, he repeated his statement that he would invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington if US President Joe Biden continues to refuse to do so, but said such a visit would be conducted in a bipartisan manner, with meetings with Republicans and Democrats.

He also weighed in on the governments controversial judicial overhaul program, saying checks on government power were a crucial part of democracy, but maintained that the issue was an internal Israeli matter that should be resolved by Israelis.

McCarthy was warmly welcomed to the Knesset by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Netanyahu, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, and received a strong round of applause from the assembled MKs after he finished his speech.

The US House speaker began his address by pointing out that his visit to Israel was his first international engagement since being sworn in in January.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks at a special session of the Knesset plenum, May 1, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

And I chose to come here now today to celebrate the bond between our two countries and to reaffirm that bipartisan support for Israel in Congress is at the foundation for our truly special relationship, said McCarthy.

He declared that the land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people and affirmed the historical connection of the land to the Jewish nation.

Ladies and gentlemen: Israels rebirth is nothing less than a modern miracle, he continued, praising Israels survival in the face of war and terrorism, and its story of pioneers inspired by a commitment to freedom, family, and faith in God.

He also claimed that the US and Israel were the only two countries in history that were conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that we are all equal, saying these principles were the foundation of the special relationship between the two countries.

McCarthy said Congress wanted to help Israel broaden and deepen the Abraham Accords, signed with four Arab countries in 2020, while working for a sustainable peace with all of Israels neighbors, in what may have been a vague reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a topic that was otherwise entirely absent from his address.

Addressing Irans regional activity and support for terror groups and militias, McCarthy said the one primary source of turmoil in the Middle East was Iran, which, he said, continues to fund terrorism, arm its proxy militias, and pursue nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a special session of the Knesset plenum for US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, May 1, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

He said the US would continue to assist Israel in defending its security against Irans efforts to encircle Israel with hostile forces and develop nuclear weapons, noting Israels integration into US Central Command and joint military exercises between the two countries.

As long as I am speaker, America will continue to support full funding for security assistance in Israel And as we stand shoulder to shoulder against Irans regional aggression, we must also remain resolute in our commitment that Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons, said McCarthy.

The speaker also raised concerns regarding Chinese industrial espionage, saying US and Israeli technological developments were threatened by the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to steal technological intellectual property from Western companies.

Accusing the CCP of acting like thieves, McCarthy said the US was working to protect its innovation and called on Israel to further strengthen its oversight of foreign investment particularly Chinese investment in order to stymie such activity.

Before McCarthys speech, Netanyahu welcomed him to the Knesset and averred that Israel had no better friend on the planet than the US.

Youre in the pulsating heart of Israeli democracy its a very noisy heart, he continued, and, in reference to his governments judicial overhaul program, insisted that he and his coalition were committed to trying to get a broad consensus, as broad as we can get, on the matter of judicial reform.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks during a press conference at the Knesset, May 1, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

At a press conference following McCarthys speech, the House speaker repeated his comments made in an interview with Israel Hayom on Monday that he would invite Netanyahu to Washington if Biden does not.

I expect the White House to invite the prime minister over for a meeting especially because of Israels 75th anniversary, said McCarthy following Bidens recent comments that Netanyahu would not be receiving an invite to Washington in the near future.

Asked whether he would invite the prime minister to address Congress if no White House invitation was forthcoming, McCarthy said Yes and noted that he had a long relationship with the prime minister.

McCarthy said it would be appropriate for the prime minister to visit Washington, but added that such a trip would include bipartisan meetings with Republicans and Democrats from the House of Representatives.

Addressing the coalitions judicial shakeup program, McCarthy said that checks on governmental power were an important part of democratic government, but insisted that judicial reform in Israel is an internal issue and that it should be decided by the Israeli public.

Israel is their own nation, only it can decide what it wants to do. In a democracy, you want checks and balances and a separation of powers but we leave it up to you how to decide that, said McCarthy.

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McCarthy extols ties at Knesset, vows full support for Israeli security against Iran - The Times of Israel

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

Hakan Atilla, the former deputy general manager of Halkbank who was convicted of conspiring to violate US sanctions on Iran by a federal court in Manhattan in 2018, shared on Instagram on Monday that while he was heading to Cyprus for a vacation with his family, his passport was seized at the airport and he was taken to a police station and notified that he was prohibited from leaving the country. Stating that he had served the country for years and defended it, referring to his trial in the US, Atilla added a note saying, The biter gets bit.

Reminding that he had previously been detained at an airport in New York, Atilla said he was used to this but objected to the treatment he received when with his family.

Atilla, who was sentenced to 32 months in prison after standing trial in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, returned to Turkey on July 23, 2019 from the US, where he had been jailed for 28 months. He was greeted like a hero at the airport in stanbul by Berat Albayrak, the then-economy minister and son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Atilla was later appointed to the prestigious position of head of the stanbul Stock Exchange (Borsa Istanbul). Many people at the time considered this appointment to be the equivalent of hush money.

Atilla unexpectedly announced his resignation on March 8, 2021. The Turkish media reported that he was uncomfortable with some of the governments demands.

Atillas name has recently come to the fore again with allegations of illegal money transfers related to Iran.

Muhammed Yakut, a formerly pro-government businessman who made claims about figures close to President Erdogan and his Islamist ruling party in videos he broadcast on YouTube, said Erdogans son Bilal Erdogan, his son-in-law Berat Albayrak and several former ministers laundered a large sum of money by issuing false documents as if they were trading with Iran through Aktifbank.

Aktifbank belongs to businessman Mustafa alk, who is close to Erdogan, and Albayrak served as the general manager of alks holding between 2007 and 2013.

Yakut claims that money transfers were made to nonexistent Iranian companies and that he himself visited Mustafa rak, chairman of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Board and former deputy undersecretary of the Turkish intelligence agency (MT), showing him documents of illegal bank transactions amounting to 1.2 billion euros.

Indicating that rak was shocked when he saw the documents, Yakut added that he had handed over the money receipts and Swift codes.

On April 19 journalist Serdar Akinan, who interviewed Yakut on his own YouTube channel, was detained and questioned by the prosecutors office. In statements he made after he was recently released, he revealed that he, too, was asked about money laundering claims.

Akinan told the prosecutor that he asked Atilla about the allegations concerning Aktifbank before the interview with Yakut and that after Atilla told him they were true, he decided that Yakuts revelations were serious and that he was worth interviewing.

The ban on Atillas travel abroad was implemented immediately after Akinans detention since Atilla told Turkish media yesterday that he had traveled abroad many times before and that the ban was new, strengthening the possibility that the ban is related to Atillas statement to Akinan.

Atilla stated that the reason for the travel ban was not explained to him and that such a prohibition can only be imposed with a court decision. Most likely, an investigation has been opened into Atilla or a criminal complaint has been filed against him. It wouldnt be surprising if Atilla, who is currently free under the travel ban, will be detained the next time he speaks out given the fact that this is how things work in Erdogans Turkey.

Last year, after his resignation from the stanbul Stock Exchange, allegations were made against him in the pro-government media, which had treated him like a hero until then. Atilla was accused of making disclosures that harmed Turkey during his trial in New York. Atilla revealed for the first time important information about his trial in a written statement he sent to the pro-government Sabah daily, which had made accusations against him. Atilla, who was accused of not voicing the claim that Halkbank has immunity during his trial, stated that his family, himself and his lawyers many times requested that the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., communicate to US authorities that he was a state official and thus had immunity. He also added that the records of his requests are available.

Atilla previously said the passport of his wife, who wanted to visit him while he was in prison in the US, was canceled and that a travel ban was imposed on her, a clear message that his family in Turkey would be in trouble if he testified against the bank and the Erdogan family during his trial.

In 2019 US federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York indicted Turkish state lender Halkbank (Trkiye Halk Bankas A..) on six counts including fraud, money laundering and sanctions offenses related to the banks participation in a multi-billion dollar scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran.

According to the indictment, between 2012 and 2016, prosecutors alleged that Halkbank and its officers, agents and co-conspirators directly and indirectly used money service businesses and front companies in Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere to violate and to evade and avoid prohibitions against Irans access to the US financial system, restrictions on the use of proceeds of Iranian oil and gas sales and restrictions on the supply of gold to the government of Iran and to Iranian entities and persons.

Halkbank knowingly facilitated the scheme, participated in the design of fraudulent transactions intended to deceive US regulators and foreign banks and lied to US regulators about Halkbanks involvement, the indictment states.

US federal prosecutors previously charged nine defendants, including bank employees, the former Turkish economy minister and other participants in the same scheme. On October 26, 2017 Reza Zarrab, the key suspect in the case, pled guilty to the seven counts with which he was charged. He became a government witness who confessed he had bribed Turkish government officials.

Ankara has described the Halkbank case as political, arguing that Halkbank has immunity from prosecution in the US because it is a state bank. In 2022 Halkbank lawyers claimed that according to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), it cannot be tried in a criminal court in the US. The federal court, however, found its claim unjustified, upon which Halkbank appealed to the US Supreme Court. On April 19 the Supreme Court rejected the claim of sovereign immunity under FSIA made by Halkbank.

In 2013 Turkish prosecutors revealed to the public a graft investigation in which Zarrab and the inner circle of then-prime minister Erdogan including government ministers were incriminated. Government officials and Halkbank managers were accused of accepting bribes from Zarrab in a sanctions-busting scheme run through Halkbank to circumvent US sanctions on Iran. Erdogan dismissed the corruption allegations, sacked the prosecutors and police chiefs and squelched the graft probes. He also described the investigations as a plot by the Glen movement, a group critic of the government, to topple the government and launched a crackdown on the movement.

Read more:
Erdogan government warns banker to keep quiet about new money ... - Nordic Research and Monitoring Network

An Iranian state-sponsored hacking group has been accused of deploying a new strain of malware named BellaCiao against several victims in the U.S., Europe, India, Turkey and other countries.

Researchers from cybersecurity firm Bitdefender attributed the malware to APT35/APT42 also known as Mint Sandstorm or Charming Kitten an advanced persistent threat group that is allegedly run by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Martin Zugec, technical solutions director at Bitdefender, told Recorded Future News that the malware developers named the malware BellaCiao as a reference to an Italian folk song about resistance fighting.

BellaCiao is a dropper malware designed to deliver other malware onto a victims device based on instructions from the attackers.

It is designed to be completely stealthy and doesn't communicate with the threat actors much. It's completely passive in receiving the instructions while it works. I've never seen the technique that theyre using before, he said.

Every single implant is customized for that specific victim. It's completely designed so that after initial compromise, it can turn into almost like a stealth mode. It doesn't do anything until they are ready to weaponize their access.

Based on their analysis of several victims, Zugec said it was clear the hackers were organizing victims by country based on the folder names researchers found. They discovered folders named for Israel, Turkey, Austria, India and Italy.

Zugec said they were unable to figure out the initial infection vector but said the primary targets were Microsoft Exchange servers, meaning the hackers most likely used one of the popular Microsoft Exchange exploit chains like ProxyShell or ProxyNotShell. Zugec noted that the Charming Kitten group has also been caught using the Log4j vulnerability during its attacks.

As soon as BellaCiao is deployed, it tries to disable Microsoft Defender. Bitdefender said the malware then opens the door for other strains typically used for the purposes of espionage, data theft, ransomware/extortion and others.

The campaign is highly sophisticated and Bitdefender said it is currently ongoing.

We believe this campaign is the next stage after opportunistic attacks. Charming Kitten looks for vulnerable systems indiscriminately (using vulnerability exploits), then custom malware (BellaCiao) is developed for compromised organization and deployed remotely, the researchers said.

Microsoft which calls the group Mint Sandstorm reported last week that the same Iranian hacking group spent much of 2021 and 2022 directly targeting US critical infrastructure including seaports, energy companies, transit systems, and a major US utility and gas entity.

The increased aggression of Iranian threat actors appeared to correlate with other moves by the Iranian regime under a new national security apparatus, suggesting such groups are less bounded in their operations, Microsoft explained.

Given the hardline consensus among policymakers in Tehran and sanctions previously levied on Irans security organizations, Mint Sandstorm subgroups may be less constrained in carrying out malicious cyber activity.

Jonathan Greig is a Breaking News Reporter at Recorded Future News. Jonathan has worked across the globe as a journalist since 2014. Before moving back to New York City, he worked for news outlets in South Africa, Jordan and Cambodia. He previously covered cybersecurity at ZDNet and TechRepublic.

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Iran APT using 'BellaCiao' malware against targets in US, Europe ... - The Record by Recorded Future

Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani suggested that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a Eurasian geopolitical organization, increase its role as a maritime organization, with the goal of projecting its power against the West.

Iran recently joined the SCO, which serves as one of several organizations that China and Russia seek to use to push the international system towards being multi-polar, designed to supplant the US. BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and CICA (Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia) are also used as conduits to this end.

The SCO, which works on economic and defense issues, is considered the worlds largest regional organization in terms of both geography and population. It includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, as well as India and Pakistan, with Iran being the most recent addition in 2022.

Last year, an article at Brussels-based think tank Centre for Youth and International Studies (CYIS) noted that maritime security cooperation is a viable area of activity between the SCO and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Within the SCO, Iran, Pakistan, India, China and Russia are coastal states, while Southeast Asia is at the junction of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

This important article noted that the combined maritime space of these organizations comprises the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. This shared maritime space presents several non-traditional security challenges to both organizations, such as piracy, terrorism at sea, illegal migration, illegal fishing, smuggling and man-made or natural disasters to name a few.

Thus, the SCO and ASEAN are well-positioned to collaborate to address these shared security challenges as a larger Greater Eurasian Security Community, it added.

Yet, so far the SCO does not have a maritime security mechanism. Now, the pro-Iran, pro-Syria Al-Mayadeen news channel reported that Ashtiani is pushing for more muscular defense initiatives by SCO. This move is part of Irans new tactics in Oman, and also in Beirut, which was recently visited by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Shanghai has become an influential organization in global developments and equations, whose expansion and strengthening can be an effective measure in promoting and advancing multilateralism in the international arena, Ashtiani said. We can deal with common security challenges and threats in the region and the world.

Now the Iranians want to use the SCO to increase defense and military cooperation, they want India to play a part in this as well. But India is close to the West and is also a strategic partner of Israel, so that might prove a challenge.

India also works with the I2U2 group and the Quad, a group that includes Australia, India, Japan and the US. But Iran has a different mission, as well as a defense minister that says that the world is no longer run by the West, it is no longer unipolar and is dominated by the US.

Ashtiani wants the SCO to promote global pluralism and what he sees as a balance of power, and hopes to influence the creation of a Shanghai maritime security belt, as a large part of global trade is linked to the SCO.

According to Ashtiani, It is time for global multilateralism and balance of power.

Read more from the original source:
Iran pushes for new maritime security zone in bid to intimidate West - The Jerusalem Post

I recently spoke with Guita Sharifi, the CFO of Lifelong Learning Administration, part of the Learn4Life network of public schools. Sharifi is a highly accomplished CFO, having won numerous awards for her financial leadership, including recently being honored by the Orange County Business Journal who recently nominated Guita for its Lifetime Achievement Award. She has dedicated her career to the non-profit sector, serving as CFO to some of Orange Countys most important human service organizations.

Sharifi is unique among CFOs. She was born in Iran and escaped one week before the 1979 revolution. She also holds a PhD and is a licensed IRS Enrolled Agent, and is one of the most active networkers I have ever met!

Jack McCullough: Your journey to the C-Suite is fascinating. Can you share some of your early life experiences?

Guita Sharifi: I was Born in Iran and fortunate to have been culturally diverse. I speak four languages and have attended schools on three continents. In my youth, I attended Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, one of the oldest and most prestigious boarding schools in the world known as the School of Kings. In 1979, due to Irans unrest, my family and I fled right before the revolution, planning to stay in London until things stabilized. Unfortunately, things got worse, and I had to enroll at American Community School in Wimbledon, England. After two years, we returned when the transitional government was in its preliminary stages. I enrolled in a private school but transferred to public school when the government closed international schools .

Due to the ongoing instability, I immigrated to the US and attended university. After graduating, I moved to California and launched my career with a global advertising agency, FCB. I later married and had four children and started part-time tax representation. When I was ready to return to work full-time, I discovered a finance role with a non-profit. I was initially unsure if this was the right fit for me as I enjoyed the corporate world. Still, I became increasingly engaged with the cause, serving children & youth with mental health problems through integrated services. 20 years later, I am still dedicated to the non-profit sector!

McCullough: Why did you choose finance as a career?

Sharifi: Because of my background, I thrive in ambiguity and chaos, empowering me to act quickly and decisively. Finance can be a rewarding career with growth opportunities and exciting challenges.

McCullough: All successful leaders have had mentors who made a lasting impact on their careers. Can you share one who did so for you?

Sharifi: Professor Wayne Strom was my Presidential Key Executive MBA professor at Pepperdine University. He helped me to be more self-aware and become a better leader. Professor Strom always believed, "It is not necessary to react. I have stickers on my workstation to constantly be reminded of that phrase!

McCullough: What do you enjoy most about being a chief financial officer?

Sharifi: I enjoy being the right hand to my CEO and president, enabling growth and managing uncertainty.

McCullough: You have served as CFO to many leading philanthropic organizations. Tell us about your current role.

Sharifi: Having been CFO for the past 20 years mostly in healthcare, I transitioned about four years ago to my current role in an education industry, at Lifelong Learning Administration Corp (LLAC) a supporting organization for Learn 4 Life network of public schools, Flex high school and Stanza International Academy.

LLAC as a supporting organization offers a comprehensive suite of administrative and educational services so that educators can focus on their students. We serve schools across the country with our unique blend of support and expertise to deliver high quality K-12 education.

McCullough: What are your biggest ongoing challenges today?

Sharifi: Economic uncertainty is a big challenge for any CFO, especially for a non-profit. I am also faced with federal and California State budget uncertainty as it impacts funding for education. I also report to and attend meetings for 28 different boards of directors.

But, as I mentioned, I thrive in chaos and ambiguity!

McCullough: What are some of the most important and not obvious metrics that you track, financial or otherwise?

Sharifi: In the education industry we track Average Daily Attendance of students as it directly correlates with revenue.

McCullough: You have won numerous awards for your work as a financial leader, including recently being nominated for a lifetime achievement award by the Orange County Business Journal. What are some traits that make for a Rockstar CFO?

Sharifi: CFOs who enable growth, adhere to strict ethical standards, work collaboratively and have a high emotional IQ are often the most successful.

McCullough: If you could have a conversation with your 20-year-old self, what advice would you give?

Sharifi: Start your career in a big five as an intern to gain understanding of the field of finance and find your passion. Though if I could go back even further my dream was working for United Nation.

McCullough: I follow you on social media and have developed great admiration for your social activism. What can you share with us about current causes you support?

Sharifi: In the past 20 years I have served on numerous charitable boards. However, in the past five months, I have been deeply involved in humanitarian causes impacting my home country of Iran, primarily the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. According to Human Rights Watch and United Nations the current regime has committed unspeakable atrocities, including executing more than five hundred deliberate chemical attacks aimed at schoolgirls across Iran, and the arrest and torture of more than 20,000 peaceful protestors. I have been engaged in social media and connected with legislative bodies to bring awareness to the international community to end unhumanitarian conduct and to support the revolution. I have also joined several volunteer groups such as Kharazmi Group that support to Rebuild Iran. We collaborate with experts inside Iran and volunteer globally to ensure Iran becomes an economic powerhouse.

I am the founder and president of the CFO Leadership Council, a global organization dedicated to empowering senior financial executives through innovative professional development programs and peer networking.

I am also the author of two best-selling books. In 2019 I published Secrets of Rockstar CFOs which is based upon conversations with dozens of elite CFOs, from Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 50 Multinationals. I followed this up in 2021 with "The Psychopathic CEO, an Executive Survival Guide" which was written for executives who may work for a leader with this personality disorder.

Prior to founding the CFO Leadership Council, I served as a CFO to 26 different companies, primarily early-stage technology. I live in Massachusetts with my wife and two teenage sons.

Continued here:
Meet Guita Sharifi, The CFO With A Fascinating Journey From Iran To The C-Suite - Forbes