A few hours after Yemeni fighters targeted Saudi oil tankers and Abu Dhabi Airport, a senior member of the Houthis’ Political Council, in an interview with Iran’s state TV, threatened that they would further expand their attacks hereafter, and if Saudi Arabia and its allies did not put a stop to their attacks on Yemen, the Yemeni fighters would target their key political, economic and military zones.

al- Deilami’s interview with Iran’s state TV is to be aired in Saturday night.

Saudi Arabia suspend all shipments of crude oil passing through the Straits of Bab El-Mandab after two giant oil tankers belonging to the Saudi National Shipping Company, each carrying two million barrels of crude oil, was attacked by the Houthi fighters in the Red Sea on Wednesday morning after crossing the Straits of Bab El-Mandeb.

On Thursday, Houthi fighters attacked Abu Dhabi’s international airport in the United Arab Emirates with a drone. In same day Saudi Arabia’s oil minister said that the country will suspend all shipments of crude oil passing through the Straits of Mandab until “navigation becomes safe”.

After Trump’s threatening Tweet against Iran and the response of President Hassan Rouhani, saying that his country will respond in the event of oil sanctions or US military attack not only in the Strait of Hormuz but also in other strategic areas of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, Yemen’s Houthi fighters’ operations in targeting Saudi oil tankers and stopping the transit of oil exports from the Strait of Bab-el-Mandab in the Red Sea was seen as a warning from Iran’s allies to the West.

“Yemeni political and military leaders have decided to target all oil and strategic areas of Saudi Arabia and the UAE hereafter,” a member of Ansar Allah’s (Houthi) Political Council Ibrahim al-Deilami told Iran’s state TV.

Yemen’s Houthi to UN: Stop the War or It Becomes Global

“Our factories and our facilities have been razed to the ground, and our ports and airports have been destroyed, so our enemies should be assured that the status quo will not be tolerated, and no point in these two countries will be safe henceforth. From now onward, we will attack their key military, political and economic zones, and the military bases at Jeddah and Riyadh airports will not be safe from our missiles and UAVs,” al-Deilami threatened.

General Abdullah al-Jafri, a spokesman for the Houthis also said the drone attack on Abu Dhabi airport showed the movement was capable of launching attacks against vital civilian infrastructure of the Saudi-Emirati-led military coalition battling the rebels in Yemen.

“Our attack on Abu Dhabi airport shows our forces are no paper tiger like our enemies claim,” Jafri told Al-Masirah TV on the phone.

Regarding attacks on Saudi Arabia and UAE’s oil exports as a new Yemen’s strategy to counteract the invaders, Al- Deilami warned foreign companies helping Saudi Arabia and the UAE economy.

“Oil wells and foreign companies helping enemies will not be safe either, and hence the equations of war will enter a new phase”, he told Iran’s state TV.

Answering a question on possible solutions to the Yemen war he laid stress on the fact that Yemen crisis would be solved only by putting an end to the Saudi aggression against Yemen and removing the country’s siege.

Expressing disappointment with the UN intervention to end the Yemeni crisis, he warned, “For the expediency of the United Nations we say that the continuation of the Yemeni war is not in the interest of the international community. And the international community must be aware that the continuation of war endangers the interest of many countries in Europe, Asia and elsewhere.”

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A Farsi version of this article appeared in the Iran’s state newspaper Jam-E-Jam, November 12, 2016.

Saudi Arabia has introduced a new phenomenon to the modern world; a kind of political hostage-taking, in which a tribal regime has availed itself of modern international legal instruments to advance its primitive policies. Mandatory residence and resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri in Saudi Arabia has put forth important questions regarding the reason, legal consequences, response of the countries and international organizations to it, and finally the issue of “breaking the law through legal instruments”- to which the United States has given rise-, and the essay makes an attempt to deal with them.

Why is Saudi Arabia removing its most important ally in Lebanon?
Regional developments have long been against Saudi’s desire; on the one hand, the victory of the Axis of Resistance in the war on terrorism in Syria and Iraq has increased Iran’s regional power and influence; on the other hand, the decrease of Saudi Arabia’s direct military intervention in Yemen, the disagreements between the countries of the Arabian Gulf region and also the unsuccessful efforts to remove Lebanon’s Hezbollah from the power structure have all turned Saudi Arabia into a potential loser in the transition period in the regional power system in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia has tried to introduce Hezbollah and Iran as the cause of the resignation of Saad Hariri and the emergence of a political void in the Lebanese sovereignty structure so that it could create tension and internal disagreements against the Axis of Resistance while increasing economic pressure on Lebanon as well as making the crisis so critical in such a manner that the only way to sustain the Axis of Resistance would be the retreat of Hezbollah and other political groups opposed to Saudi. In practice, however, the vigilance of Hezbollah and al-Mustaqbal led, unlike Saudi’s desire, to strengthening the unity of the Lebanese, and even the most important Saudi allies in the Lebanese sovereignty were forced to take a firm stand against Saudi Arabia.

An American trick for Breaking the Law through Legal Instruments
Pointing to Hariri’s Lebanese-Saudi citizenship, some analysts say that Saudi Arabia has tried to rescind Hariri’s political immunity following his resignation so that they can detain him as a Saudi citizen by plotting corruption charges. In accordance with Articles 29 and 31 of the Vienna Convention on political relations, officials, including heads of states, enjoy full political and judicial immunity and cannot be detained at any time. Another important point is that the cancellation of a political envoy’s immunity is feasible only through the written declaration of the sending country. Therefore, in this particular case, even if Hariri resigned willingly, the immunities will be enforced until the Lebanese government declares cancellation of his political immunity formally and through a written declaration, and Saudi Arabia cannot detain or rather arrest him under the pretext of Hariri’s Saudi citizenship.
Maybe that is the reason why Saudi Arabia refuses to announce Hariri’s arrest publicly. Saudi’s young leaders are now well versed in these American tricks on breaking the laws in an apparently legal manner. If we take a look at the structure of American sanctions against Iran, and in particular the post-JCPOA sanctions, we see a complex process of legislation that allow the United States to act contrary to the objectives of these laws and treaties without violating international treaties and laws. This is the trick that the new Saudi leaders have taken on the issue of Bahrain, Yemen and now Lebanon, in spite of the fact that their performance seems not as suitable as their American mentors.

Where is the Security Council?
But the third question to be answered is the role of international organizations and the Security Council in solving the Saudi crisis and the modern process of “hostage-taking of officials” by this country. Now even the US State Department, the most important Saudi ally, has implicitly confessed Hariri’s capture in Saudi Arabia. Hostage-taking of the head of government of a foreign country is unprecedented in the history of contemporary international relations and to ridicule all the values and principles that underpinned the creation of the United Nations, the Security Council and international law over the past few decades. If Saudi’s oil and financial strength is the reason why these international institutions are completely silent, then perhaps it would be better to talk about the end of the Western international system and the attempt to formulate a new and collective mechanism, which is what Iran is preparing for.

*Mojtaba Mousavi is the founder and editor of Iran’s View. 

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Only one day after US President Donald Trump has called Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince to congratulate him, American hamburger and fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s in Saudi Arabia tweets allegiance to the new Saudi crown prince.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has replaced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with his own son, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the deputy crown prince and defense minister.

According to a royal decree, Mohammed bin Salman, 31, was also named deputy prime minister, and shall maintain his post as defense minister, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

نبايع صاحب السمو الملكي الأمير #محمد_بن_سلمان على كتاب الله وسنة رسوله وعلى السمع والطاعة، سائلين الله تعالى الأمن والأمان لمملكتنا الحبيبة pic.twitter.com/t4Os2S9ghp

— ماكدونالدز السعودية (@McDonaldsKSA) June 21, 2017

Saudi media say King Salman has called for a public pledge of allegiance to the new crown prince in the holy city of Mecca on Wednesday night.

According to a White House statement released Wednesday, the president and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman spoke on the phone “to advance our shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond.”

The Israeli regime also signaled that it welcomes the move with Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, asserting that it “means more economic cooperation in the Middle East, and not just regarding oil.”

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Just two days after the US Senate advanced Iran Sanctions Bill, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said putting Qatar under blockade had led to “unintended” humanitarian consequences and called on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt “to ease the blockade.”

“We’re seeing shortages of food. Families are being forcibly separated, and children pulled out of school…Our expectation is that these countries will immediately take steps to de-escalate the situation and put forth a good faith effort to resolve their grievances they have with each other,” the US top diplomat said.

The call for easing Qatar’s blockade comes as, despite the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, the US Senate unanimously approved a bill to tighten Iran sanctions on Wednesday. The sanctions not only have significantly hampered Iran’s international trade, but also created serious obstacles in the way of importing medicines, endangering the Iranian patients’ lives over the past decades.

Meanwhile, the US senior officials have repeatedly accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism with no solid evidence. In the latest case, US President Donald Trump called the Tehran twin attacks the fruits of Iran’s support for terrorism. The attacks, which left 17 dead and dozens injured, were claimed by the ISIS terrorist group.

Trump’s statements which sparked international criticisms across the world stand in direct contradiction with his presidential campaign promises. During his campaign Trump repeatedly blamed his predecessor, President Barack Obama, for supporting Saudi Arabia. He also praised Iran and Russia for their fight against ISIS.

But Trump dramatically changed his positions since taking office and particularly after signing a $110b arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Now, he not only remains silent towards Saudi Arabia as the ideological hub of terrorism, but also accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism.

It seems that the US expresses concerns about terrorism and accuses certain states of sponsoring terror based on its trade ties with the regional states. With its significant trade relations with Saudi Arabia, the US has already closed its eyes to Riyadh’s dictatorship, violent acts and sponsoring terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda that was behind 9/11 attacks.

Interestingly enough, Washington is against Qatar blockade despite admitting its support for terrorists in Iraq and Syria. During his Friday statements, Tillerson said: “The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.”

He went on saying: “The emir of Qatar has made progress in halting financial support and expelling terrorist elements from his country, but he must do more and he must do it more quickly.”

The post Blockade, Bad for Qatar, Good for Iran: US first appeared on .

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps condemned Tehran terrorist attacks on Wednesday in a statement and pledged retaliation for the attack.

Hinting Saudi was behind the event in which at least 12 people were killed, the IRGC statement says Tehran attacks, only a week after US U.S. president’s visit of Saudi Arabia is “meaningful”.

“This terrorist attack happened only a week after the meeting between the U.S. president (Donald Trump) and the (Saudi) backward leaders who support terrorists. The fact that Islamic State has claimed responsibility proves that they were involved in the brutal attack,” said the statement.

Brigadier General Hossein Salami, IRGC deputy commander also promised retaliation for the attack. “Let there be no doubt that we will take revenge for today’s attacks in Tehran, on terrorists, their affiliates and their supporters,” he said, as cited by the news agency Mehr.

The post Iran Guards Blames Saudi, Pledges Revenge for Tehran Attacks first appeared on .

As countries of the world including Iran’s neighboring states are condemning today’s terrorist attacks in Tehran, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to condemn the event. Adel Al-Jubeir was speaking in a joint press conference with his German counterpart in Berlin when he skipped a question asked by a reporter on terrorist attacks carried out in Tehran and asked for the next question.

Saudi Minister also threatened Iran few hours before the attacks carried out by terrorists in Tehran. Adel Jubeir said Iran must be punished for its interference in the region and support for terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Al Arabiya News Channel reported him as saying early Wednesday.

Although ISIS has taken the responsibility of Tehran terror attack, security experts and analysts in Tehran believe that Saudi is behind the attacks. A security source told Iran’s View that evidences show Saudi Arabia’s intelligence entities directly working along with the MKO agents in carrying out the terror attacks. Jihadi militias controlled by Saudi Arabia have been making connections with the MKO for almost a year now.

Earlier in May Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud, the kingdom’s defense minister talked of his country’s efforts to take the battle inside Iran.

“We know that the aim of the Iranian regime is to reach the focal point of Muslims [Mecca] and we will not wait until the fight is inside Saudi Arabia and we will work so that the battle is on their side, inside Iran, not in Saudi Arabia,”he said.

In meantime Qatar that is accused by Saudi Arabia of siding with Iran has condemned the attacks. The State of Qatar has condemned and denounced the two attacks which took place in Iranian capital Tehran and left many more than 50 killed and injured.

The country’s Foreign Ministry stated Qatar’s firm stance against violence and its rejection of criminal acts, expressing condolences to the government and people of Iran and to the families of the victims.

The post Saudi Minister Refuses to Condemn Tehran Shootings first appeared on .

In an unprecedented move Persian Gulf states on Monday cut all diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as well as Egypt all announced they were severing ties with gas-rich Qatar. Libya and Maldives also followed the Saudi alliance against Qatar.

To “protect its national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism” Riyadh decided to “sever diplomatic and consular ties with Qatar, and to close all land, sea and aviation” links, a Saudi official cited by the official Saudi Press Agency said. Qatar’s foreign ministry called the other nations’ decision “unjustified” and vowed that the move would not affect the “normal lives of citizens and residents,” according to a statement reported by Al Jazeera.

Earlier this week, Qatar’s state-run news agency released comments attributed to Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on sensitive issues. The Qatari emir was quoted as describing Iran as an “Islamic power” and “big power in the stabilization of the region.” The Qatari government then said that the state agency had been hacked and that the remarks attributed to the emir and the foreign minister had never been made. But Saudi media continued attacking Qatar, accusing it of having “betrayed” the other Arab countries particularly at a time when they had attempted to stage a show of “unity” against Iran after Trump’s visit from Riyadh.

First Iranian reaction to the event came from the Political Deputy of Iran’s Presidential Office Hamid Aboutalebi calling the move by Saudi and its allies as the first outcome of Trump’s visit from Riyadh.

Some analysts do not rule out the possibility of a military action or a coup attempt against Qatar.

“I expect more radical moves against Qatar to come. A coup like the one Saudi planned against Egypt’s Mohammad Mursi and in the worst and least possible scenario a military attempt to occupy wealthy and strategic Qatar by Saudi alliance is possible,” Said Mojtaba Mousavi, Iranian political analyst.

“One could expect any radical move from new Saudi rulers who are bombing another neighbor, Yemen, for several years,” He added.

But the situation could also provide an opportunity for Tehran. “If Qatar and some other players can handle the situation to avoid a coup, this situation can be an extraordinary opportunity for Iran to have Doha in its front. Qatar now feels like being a blockade, people are queuing in front of shops and banks and Iran can be the closest and more plausible solution to bypass the blockade,” Mousavi said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi also warned about possible Saudi military attempt against Qatar and asked both sides to solve their differences through dialogue and avoid confrontation.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif asked Saudi to avoid coercion to reach its political aims. “Neighbors are permanent; geography can’t be changed. Coercion is never the solution. Dialog is imperative, especially during blessed Ramadan,” He tweeted.

In mean time, Iran expressed its readiness to supply Qatar with its food products. Saudi is Qatar’s main source of food supply and about 40% of Qatar’s food is believed to come via Saudi border which is closed now.

Head of the Iran’s Union of Agricultural Products Exporters said today that the country is ready to export its agricultural and food products to Qatar through the waterway and 3 Iranian ports. ” We have coordinated with Valfajr shipping company to export goods from Bushehr, Bandar Abbas and Bandar Lengeh ports,” he said.

In the other hand, some political observers believe the Saudi’s move is backed by the US. “It’s clearly an attempt to get the Qataris in line and not support Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Peter Sluglett, visiting research professor at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore told CNBC.

In the case of Iran, he added, a key factor is the Trump administration’s threat to review a landmark deal that lifted most economic sanctions against Iran in return for curbing its nuclear and missile programs. “The Americans cannot unilaterally back out of the deal as it is the P5+1, so they are using the GCC and Egypt to put pressure on any countries supporting Iran,” Sluglett said.

– AFP, CNBC contributed to this report.

The post Severed Qatar-Saudi Alliance Ties; What’s there for Iran? first appeared on .

It was Malala Yousafazi, who said: “We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced.” Today we have the opportunity to speak up and denounce the most heinous crimes of all – those committed against children.

Because our laws only have the power to protect and deter when they are applied and implemented absolutely – regardless of one’s status or station; is it not therefore our collective duty to rise against those who seek to defile and defy our laws, for they imagine themselves above all judgement?

Can we afford to remain silent when our laws are tossed to the wind and ignored, for certain powers chose not to be bound to those words they vow to uphold?

Today one young man, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, stands to be executed by Saudi Arabia for crimes he did not commit; on account his family dared defy the kingdom’s rule of silence. Arrested at the age of 16 by the Saudi Security Forces, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, grandson to prominent Shia cleric and activist: Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was unlawfully arrested and tortured.

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, born December 25, 1995, was a minor when the Saudi authorities arrested him for participating in a peaceful protest. He is now aged 19, and has been sentenced to execution by beheading and crucifixion.

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was held in a juvenile prison and forced by torture to confess to crimes he did not commit. Furthermore, he was held incommunicado for 6 months and was denied legal representation.

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr has now been moved to a maximum security prison where he is in solitary confinement. There, he awaits alone, knowing that his sentence could be carried out at any minute.

Ali’s predicament is not an isolated incident – Saudi Arabia’s prisons hold many minors within their walls; and too many, just like Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, have been sentenced to death, in clear violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

It needs to be noted that in June 27, 2012, Saudi Arabia agreed to be a state party to the CRC, when the Saudi Human Rights Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

And yet, Saudi Arabia has systematically violated Ali Mohammed al-Nimr’s rights – all before the deafening silence of the United Nations.

Not only has the UN failed to fulfill its mandate by challenging those in infractions of international law, it rewarded the kingdom.

In June of 2015 Faisal Trad, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in Geneva, was elected Chair of the UN Human Rights Council panel that appoints independent experts.

Today we wish to break the silence and denounce those crimes the international community should have acted against long ago!

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) states:

“Article 37 States Parties shall ensure that:(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age;

(b) No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time;

(c) Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. In particular, every child deprived of liberty shall be separated from adults unless it is considered in the child’s best interest not to do so and shall have the right to maintain contact with his or her family through correspondence and visits, save in exceptional circumstances;

(d) Every child deprived of his or her liberty shall have the right to prompt access to legal and other appropriate assistance, as well as the right to challenge the legality of the deprivation of his or her liberty before a court or other competent, independent and impartial authority, and to a prompt decision on any such action.”

Moreover, under article 15 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), peaceful assembly is a protected right. It reads:

“Article 15: 1. States Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly.

2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of these rights other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”

There are a number of active petitions calling for the unconditional and immediate release of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, including:

– The White House (for U.S. citizens only).

– Amnesty International

– change.org

– Reprieve

The post Saudi to Execute Juvenile Grandson of Prominent Shia Cleric first appeared on .

Behzad Sedaqatnia, Iran Aid Plane Captain, recorded footage of Saudi fighter jets following his plane closely.

The Iranian aircraft had received permission to fly to Yemen via the Omani airspace to deliver urgently required medicine for those injured in the Saudi aggression of Yemen.

Saudi jets bombed the airport preventing the Iranian aircraft from landing.

The post Video: Saudi Warplanes Trying to Intercept Iranian Aircraft en Route to Yemen first appeared on .

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Lebanese Al-Manar TV that the country already received the first shipment of S-300 missiles from Russia and will receive the second shipment soon.

Al-Akhbar newspaper’s website published some important remarks of the President Assad’s recorded interview which is to broadcast from Al-Manar TV on Thursday night.

“We will participate in Geneva-II conference but we are not optimistic to its result,” Assad said. Geneva talk is due to be held possibly in June.

Assad confirmed military presence of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group in Syria and said: “Hezbollah’s forces are in border regions of Syria with Lebanon and they are fighting against Terrorist groups but we are handling the war.”

“Almost 100,000 armed terrorists entered Syria with support of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey,” he said.

Syrian President warned to “respond immediately” to any future attack by Israel.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem also said on Wednesday that Syria will immediately respond to “any possible future attacks by the Zionist regime.”

In an interview with Lebanese al-Mayadeen TV, Al-Moallem said that any response from Damascus will be given without a warning.

“Syria will not let any Israeli aggression go unanswered without retaliation. The retaliation will be the same size as the aggression, and the same type of weapons will be used,” he said.

Moallem added that Syria would take part in the upcoming talks in Geneva without any precondition, adding that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would remain president until the next presidential election scheduled to be held in 2014.

“From now until the next elections, President Bashar al-Assad is the president of the Syrian Arab Republic,” he said.

The Syrian foreign minister noted that any deal reached in the Geneva talks would be put to a referendum inside Syria. “If it wins the support of the Syrian people, we will go ahead with it,” Moallem said.

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