US Voices Concern Over Russia-Iran 'Deepening Alliance'
US State Department Thursday voiced concern over expanding ties between Russia and Iran, calling it a “deepening alliance” after Tehran’s drone supplies to Moscow.
US State Department Thursday voiced concern over expanding ties between Russia and Iran, calling it a “deepening alliance” after Tehran’s drone supplies to Moscow.
Department spokesperson Ned Price answering a question during his press briefing about the visit of Russia’s national security council secretary Nilolai Patrushev to Iran this week, said, “All of this is a concern in the context of the partnership – in some ways the burgeoning partnership – that we’ve seen develop in recent years and in different ways in recent months between Iran and Russia. This is a deepening alliance that the entire world should view as a profound threat.“
Patrushev held meetings with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani and President Ebrahim Raisi on November 9, discussing their "strategic partnership".
Price referring to Iranian drones used by Russia against Ukraine said that the US is working with the international community "to address the threats that are posed by Russia and Iran separately and the cooperation…between the two of them, including Iran’s dangerous proliferation of weapon systems to Russia."
Price also reiterated concern over Russia possibly helping Iran with knowledge of how to suppress protests but did not share any evidence of such cooperation.
A reporter asked Price during his briefing for more details about an initial statement two weeks ago that Russia may be helping Iran to suppress demonstrators.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing more I can provide,’ Price responded adding that “In some instances we’re able to provide additional detail, including as we’ve done with the transfer of weapons. In this case it was the broader point that there are indications that this knowledge may be shared.”
Price went on to say that both Russia and Iran “have a good deal of experience when it comes to repression. They have both demonstrated their effectiveness when it comes to their ability to repress their people…our concern is that they will share this knowledge and that they will attempt to optimize those practices.”
Russia is a signatory of the 2015 nuclear accord known as the JCPOA and played an active role during 18 months of negotiations in Vienna initiated by the Biden Administration immediately after coming to office. But ultimately Iran presented demands unacceptable for Washington and the talks reached a dead-end in August, as Tehran was delivering military drones to Moscow.
In the meantime, Iran continues to expand its nuclear program with enriching more uranium, with having stockpiled 62 kilograms of fissile material enriched at 60 percent, enough for one nuclear weapon. The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA confirming this development voiced concern on Thursday [Nov. 10].
Iran is also expanding its missile program, with testing its ballistic missiles with space launches and developing new weapons.
A top Iranian commander announced Thursday that Tehran has developed hypersonic ballistic missile.
"This missile has a high speed and can maneuver in and out of the atmosphere. It will target the enemy's advanced anti-missile systems and is a big generational leap in the field of missiles," commander Amir-Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying.
IAEA’s chief Rafael Grossi pointing to this announcement said during the United Nations COP27 climate meeting in Egypt that “We see that all these announcements increase the attention, increase the concerns, increase the public attention to the Iranian nuclear program.”
Gantz told a press briefing Wednesday that Israel had prepared “long-term processes I don’t want to elaborate on.” Gantz claimed the last time Israel was so ready for striking Iran was when he was chief of staff in 2012 and then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the option.
With Netanyahu set to return to office after November 1 parliamentary elections, Gantz said he expected Likud leaders would now “act with judgment.” The outgoing government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid has since taking office in June 2021 argued Netanyahu had left Israel ill-prepared for an attack on Iran.
Israel’s leaders have all criticized efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, which restricted Tehran’s atomic program until the United States abandoned it in 2018. A series of killings in Iran of nuclear scientists and explosions at atomic facilities have been widely attributed to Israel.
Israel was responsible, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, for air strikes near Abu Kamal, Deir Ezzor province, eastern Syria, Tuesday/Wednesday night targeting a convoy suspected of carrying Iranian weapons. At least 14 people were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Iraqi officials and Iranian media have said the tanker convoy was carrying fuel sent by Iran to Lebanon, a long journey. The Journal cited an Iraqi border official that Iran sends one or two convoys a month to help with Lebanon’s chronic power shortages and that Tuesday morning, a convoy of 22 vehicles had been in the Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, waiting to cross.
‘Trucks loaded with weapons and oil..’
Since retaken 2017 by the Syrian army with Russian air support from the Islamic State (ISIS) group, Abu Kamal, also known as Al-Bokamal and 4km from the Iraqi border, has been a shipment hub used by Iraqi militia allied to Iran. The border crossing to Al-Qaim, in Anbar province, reopened 2019.
Iranian state television attributed Tuesday night’s attack to a United States drone. The Syrian Observatory for Human rights (SOHR) said US aircraft had been flying low in the vicinity, but a spokesman for the US military said its forces had not been involved.
SOHR said aircraft had hit “trucks loaded with weapons and oil tanks of Iranian-backed militias in the customs square in Al-Hari and the military gate in Al-Bokamal countryside,” and a separate “military site of Iranian-backed militias near the area.”
SOHR said of at least 14 dead, most were “Iranian-backed militiamen,” and that due to serious injuries the toll was likely to rise. Israel had carried out frequent air strikes in Syria it says have disrupted arms supplies to the Lebanese group Hezbollah. SOHR reported Thursday heightened security among Hezbollah fighters near the Syrian border town of Dimas, Rif Dimashq governorate, south-west Syria adjoining Lebanon.
Violence in Syria continued this week with Russian jets striking caves and dens held by Isis fighters in Al-Rusafah desert, Al-Raqqah governorate. SOHR reported Thursday Syrian army firing rockets in the ‘Putin-Erdogan area,” the supposedly de-escalated region from the Latakia mountains to Aleppo’s suburbs, while Turkish and Kurdish forces traded shellfire in Aleppo governorate.
A short alert said that Elham Afkari was detained as she tried to “flee the country” as well as her husband and three-year-old daughter. She was accused of fomenting the current popular protests.
Afkari is the sister of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari who was executed in September 2020, after participating in protests and being accused of killing a government employee. His execution led to strong domestic and international condemnations.
Two of Afkari’s brothers are still in prison serving a jail term of 66 years between the two and the family has been persecuted for more than four years. Navid and his two brothers were subjected to extensive torture in prison.
Iran International, a London-based Persian broadcaster, reacted to the news by tweeting that Elham Afkari never “worked for or collaborated” with the network.
It also condemned the coverage of the news by Reuters and Aljazeera Arabic for repeating “the Islamic Republic’s sheer lies” regarding Afkari’s arrest.
The Iranian government has arrested an estimated 15,000 protesters since mid-September when demonstrations started after a young woman, Mahsa Amini, was killed in ‘morality police’ custody. Iranian lawmakers and officials have threatened many detainees with the death penalty.
The Islamic Republic’s Judiciary is not independent and both prosecution and judges answer to the same bureaucracy that closely collaborates with intelligence services. The accused usually are denied the chance to choose their own attorneys and have little access to their case files. In cae of political prisoners, such as detained protesters, trials are generally unfair.
Iranian officials and government-controlled media have repeatedly accused foreign-based Persian media for fomenting the unrest, without presenting any credible proof. Three influential networks are based in London and provide news and views to audiences in Iran who have long been denied access to free media. Besides Iran International, Islamic Republic officials have also accused the BBC Persian service of agitating during the protests.
Tehran has accused foreign “enemies”, meaning the United States and its allies of being behind the protests, although numerous rounds of demonstrations have taken place since 2017 by various social and labor groups.
In desperation to prove foreign conspiracies, the Islamic Republic may arrest more people and activists, and accuse them of collaborating with Iran International or other media outlets.