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As Russia faces rising setbacks in Ukraine, it seems to be more and more turning to Iran for assist, in a growth that has sparked concern from the West and Tehran’s regional adversaries.
Sources conversant in US intelligence have informed CNN that Iran has sent military trainers to Crimea to coach and advise the Russian army on the use of Iranian-built drones that Moscow has used to rain down terror on cities throughout Ukraine.
The presence of Iranian personnel in occupied Ukrainian territory would mark a vital escalation in Iran’s involvement in the war in assist of Russia, and a new part in the two international locations’ budding army alliance.
Reuters on Tuesday additionally reported that Iran could provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles. Nasser Kanani, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied the allegation, saying Iran “has always opposed the continuation of the [Ukraine] war.”
Despite their variations, Iran and Russia have been getting nearer as a result of they “share the same threat perception,” mentioned Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish suppose tank in Washington. “They see a regional order aligned against them by an extra-regional power,” he mentioned, referring to the United States.
If Iran sells missiles to Russia, this may imply that it is “moving some of its most accurate, some of its most precise ammunition closer to Europe,” he mentioned. “It is critical to see Iranian involvement with Russia as part of its larger war with the West.”
Since Russia’s invasion, the two sanctioned international locations have cooperated on political and financial issues, with the army dimension being the newest side in their relationship.
Major General Yahya Safavi, a high army aide to Iran’s supreme chief, on Tuesday boasted that 22 international locations are actually in the marketplace for Iranian drones.
Iran, which earlier than the 1979 revolution imported most of its weapons, now manufactures more than 80% of its military equipment, he was cited as saying by semi-official information company Fars.
Iran and Russia have repeatedly denied the Islamic Republic’s involvement in Ukraine, however analysts have mentioned that the information round Iranian drones isn’t essentially seen as dangerous publicity in Tehran.
While Russia’s use of Iranian weapons might say extra about its desperation in the war than Tehran’s army prowess, specialists say that media experiences about Iran’s killer drones are bolstering its picture as it tries to indicate the world that its arms can compete in worldwide battle.
“For the Iranians, it is about getting market share, it is about prestige, it is about solidifying alliances,” mentioned Eric Lob, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute’s Iran program, including that these are incentives for a nation that is as remoted as Iran.
Iran hasn’t been identified as a weapons exporter. Its arms have been beforehand despatched to ideologically aligned proxies in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon, largely to satisfy the Islamic Republic’s personal regional agenda. The Ukraine war, say analysts, is altering that.
Drones have been in use in the Middle East for a number of years, however, Lob mentioned, “the Iranians have been working on their indigenous drone capabilities since the Iran-Iraq war, since the 1980s,” giving Tehran ample time for additional development.
The Ukraine war is a possibility for Iran to watch how its drones are getting used in the battlefield, so it may take a look at the shortcomings and see the best way to additional enhance them, mentioned Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, a senior analysis fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. She added that “it is possible that what is happening in Ukraine would bring Iran more customers… Iran really wants to be a big player in the arms and drones industry.”
But Iran’s foes may also be watching the efficiency of its drones in Ukraine. Its regional rivals in the Gulf Arab states have been direct targets of drone attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen, they usually have accused the Islamic Republic of supplying these drones.
Iran’s archenemy Israel, too, is prone to be watching very intently, mentioned Amir Avivi, a retired senior normal in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and founder and CEO of the Israel Defense and Security Forum.
“It’s a threat and it’s an opportunity,” he informed CNN. “It’s an opportunity for us to really see [Iranian] capabilities on the grounds, learn about what’s going on. On the other hand, one of the things that worries us is that [weapons]… might arrive to Hezbollah, for example, [or] to Hamas.”
“It’s a challenge all the time to keep developing and always being one step ahead [of] the capabilities that the other side is developing,” he mentioned. “So we are watching very closely what is happening in Ukraine.”
Tehran and Moscow’s rising army ties are, nevertheless, “bad news” for the West, he mentioned, “because [we’ve] never seen such a tight and close cooperation between Russia and Iran.”
CNN’s Hadas Gold and Abbas Al Lawati contributed to this report.
Regime change instigated from Washington is not a part of the Biden administration’s coverage on Iran, US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley informed CNN’s Becky Anderson on Monday.
“Our policy is to defend and support the fundamental rights of Iranian citizens just as we want to support the fundamental rights of citizens across the globe. The form of government in Iran will be up to the Iranians to decide,” he mentioned.
Nationwide protests have been ongoing for over a month following the dying of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini with requires regime change ringing round the streets.
Here’s the newest on this growing story:
- Professional Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi mentioned that she “accidentally” competed without a hijab throughout the Asian Championships in South Korea this week, in an interview with state-run IRNA upon her arrival in Tehran Wednesday.
- At least 880 individuals have been arrested in Iran’s Gilan province, semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.
- The European Union on Monday sanctioned 11 individuals and 4 entities for his or her position in the dying of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent crackdown on protesters. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian branded the transfer “superfluous.”
- At least 215 individuals have been killed since Iran’s nationwide protests began in September, Norway-based Iran-focused rights group, Iran HR, mentioned on Monday. .
UAE summons EU mission head to elucidate Borrell feedback it says have been racist
The United Arab Emirates on Monday summoned the performing head of the EU mission in the nation, asking for an evidence of what it mentioned have been racist feedback made by EU overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell final week. The UAE overseas ministry mentioned the remarks have been “inappropriate and discriminatory” and “contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination worldwide,” state information company WAM reported.
- Background: In his remarks at the new European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium final week, Borrell referred to as Europe “a garden” and most of the world a “jungle” that “could invade the garden.” “The gardeners have to go to the jungle. Europeans have to be much more engaged with the rest of the world. Otherwise, the rest of the world will invade us,” he mentioned. At a press convention on Monday, Borrell denied that his message was racist or colonialist, information company EFE reported.
- Why it issues: The feedback have created a stir on social media in the Middle East, with critics denouncing the speech as selling a colonial narrative. Most of the Middle East had been underneath European management till the mid-Twentieth century.
Israel summons Australian ambassador to protest resolution on Jerusalem
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Australia’s ambassador to the nation on Tuesday to protest Canberra’s reversal of a resolution taken by the earlier authorities to acknowledge West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid mentioned.
- Background: Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday justified the reversal of the transfer by saying the sovereignty of the holy metropolis is a “final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people.”
- Why it issues: Israel considers all of Jerusalem its “undivided capital.” It captured the japanese sector of the metropolis in the 1967 war and later annexed it in a transfer not acknowledged by most of the worldwide group. Palestinians need the occupied japanese sector of the metropolis as the capital of a future state.
Son of US citizen detained in Saudi Arabia says his father is ‘nowhere near being dissident’
The son of an American citizen imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for criticizing the Saudi authorities mentioned Tuesday night that his father is “nowhere near being a dissident.” Ibrahim Almadi told CNN on Tuesday that if his father had been held in Russia or Iran, “we’d see his name in the headlines every morning.”
- Background: The US State Department confirmed earlier Tuesday that 72-year-old Saad Ibrahim Almadi has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia after being given a 16-year sentence for tweets vital of the Saudi authorities. State Deputy Spokesperson He mentioned the State Department is nonetheless going by way of the course of to find out whether or not Almadi can be designated as “wrongfully detained.”
- Why it issues: Saudi Arabia has very strict social media guidelines and has sentenced individuals in the previous over their Twitter exercise. In August, Saudi girls’s rights campaigner Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in jail for her exercise on Twitter, based on courtroom paperwork seen by CNN. Another lady, Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, was sentenced to 45 years in jail for tweets, based on US-based advocacy group DAWN.
Egypt, Kuwait, UAE: #Ahmed_Al_Saadoun
It’s not each day that a politician from a small Gulf nation traits on social media half the means throughout the Arab world. But Kuwait’s new parliament speaker is a well-liked determine who has a following far past his nation’s borders.
Eighty-seven-year-old Ahmed Al-Saadoun was named speaker of Kuwait’s parliament on Tuesday. He’s not new to politics, having served as speaker between 1985 and 1999, as properly as in 2012. A fiery politician whose profession has spanned virtually 4 a long time, he is a staunch advocate of democracy, human rights and freedom of expression and is identified for his vocal assist for the rights of Palestinians.
Sadoun, who has greater than 400,000 followers on Twitter, was trending in Egypt, Kuwait and the UAE following the announcement. Kuwait is a nation of 4.3 million individuals, slightly below 2 million of whom are residents.
The new speaker has not shied away from controversy. In Gulf states, publicly criticizing neighboring international locations is taboo however in 2012, after Saudi Arabia proposed becoming a member of Gulf nations into a union, Saadoun, as the-then speaker of parliament, mentioned he supported Gulf integration with situations.
“There cannot be a union with countries whose political systems are different… whose jails are filled with thousands of prisoners of conscience,” he informed the Saudi state-backed information channel Al Arabiya information channel at the time, including that his personal nation enjoys freedom of expression and illustration.
Kuwaiti politics are adopted intently in the area. Despite the years-long standoff between the authorities and parliament, which has delayed essential reform, the nation is broadly seen as the most democratic of the six Gulf states, with a vibrant press scene and a comparatively open political discourse.
