Commander of Iran's Army-We Are Preparing Now for Arrival of Mahdi, Armageddon - By Michael Kaplan - http://www.ibtimes.com/iran-preparing-armageddon-islamic-republic-backs-shiites-syria-iraq-afghanistan-2267065
Iran has prepared almost 200,000 young men in countries across the Middle East to help with the arrival of the Mahdi, a Muslim leader who will usher in justice prior to the Day of Judgment, a Revolutionary Guard commander said earlier this week. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said recent violence across the region, including the rise of the Islamic State group, was a sign the arrival of the messianic Muslim leader was imminent, the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah reported.
Jafari said the current developments in the region, "the formation of [the Islamic State group] and Takfiri [extremist] groups, and the events that occurred in the past years are paving the ground for the emergence of Imam Mahdi," Middle East Monitor reported. "You can now see the positive results in the readiness of nearly 200,000 young armed in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen."
Shiite Muslims generally believe the Mahdi will arrive following a period of widespread violence and instability, and will usher in justice and an event like the Armageddon, the conclusive battle between good and evil. The comments come as Iran has grown increasingly entangled with several regional conflicts, including in Syria, where Revolutionary Guard forces have been battling to support the embattled dictator Bashar Assad.
The conflict, which has broken down along sectarian lines, has given rise to apocalyptic theories, as war in the region was prophesied by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the Syrian war, and millions more have been displaced.
Several regional leaders expressed disapproval of the Iranian general's statement, reported Asharq al-Awsat, a London-based Arabic language newspaper. A spokesman for the Yemeni government said Jafari's comments were seen as "direct aggression against Yemen and a violation of its sovereignty." Houthis have been battling the Yemeni government for months and are believed to be backed by Iran.
The region has seen intensified sectarian tensions in recent weeks, particularly in the aftermath of the execution of a popular Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia, a country with a Sunni majority. The execution sparked protests in Shiite communities across several Muslim countries, including in Iran where protesters attacked the Saudi embassy.
Saudi Arabia and several of its predominantly-Sunni allies in the region cut diplomatic ties with Iran following the embassy attack. The execution and outcry that followed was seen as exacerbating already tense relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, two of the Middle East's major powers.
Iran moves from pariah state to regional power - By Samia Nakhoul - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-dynamic-insight-idUSKCN0UV0T0
Iran's release from sanctions testifies to its new relationship with the United States as it moves from pariah state to regional power, a status that could come at the cost of Saudi Arabia, Washington's chief Arab ally.
Enemies and allies alike must adjust to Iran becoming an uninhibited power broker in the Middle East after its nuclear deal with world powers and Saturday's lifting of sanctions that bring it to the top table of international politics.
The swift release last week of U.S. Navy sailors after they drifted into Iranian waters marked the new era in relations following decades of hostility with the West.
After the 1979 revolution that brought Shi'ite Muslim clerics to power, Iran would typically use hostages to extract concessions from its western adversaries.
Early on, it held 52 hostages taken from the U.S. embassy in Tehran for 444 days. That incident ranked alongside Iranian-backed suicide bombings against Western embassies and troops in Lebanon, the hijacking of planes and the kidnapping of Western hostages in the country.
All this left deep scars and incited hostility towards Iran as an outlaw, in the region and the world. Yet last week's naval incident contrasted to 2007 when Iran captured British sailors in similar circumstances, but accused of them of spying and held them for two weeks.
The hiccup over the American sailors was easily contained by the new rapprochement and "summarizes the emergence of a new relationship between Washington and Tehran", said Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at the London School of Economics.
NO LONGER A SPOILER?
Washington remains far from enamored of the mullahs ruling in Tehran, and is formally committed to Iran's arch-rival, Saudi Arabia. But Iran's attractions are both political and economic: a country that is "a potential regional superpower, and an emerging market with huge potential along similar lines to Turkey", said Gerges.
"There is a new relationship based on a new understanding of Iran's pivotal role in the region - that Iran is here to stay," he said. So, for Washington, Iran would no longer be a spoiler state, but one that could play a positive role in stabilizing the region and "help put out the fires".
Saudi Arabia, however, remains implacably at loggerheads with Iran. Its rigid Wahhabi Sunni Muslim clerical leaders treat Shi'ites as heretics, not far short of how Islamic State jihadis regard Shi'ites as idolaters to be exterminated.
The Saudis have been badly rattled by Iran's success in forging a Shi'ite axis stretching from Iraq through Syria to Lebanon, where Tehran's paramilitary ally Hezbollah is also the strongest political force.
Riyadh says Iran is also behind unrest in neighboring Bahrain, which has a Shi'ite majority, as well as the insurgency of Shi'ite Houthis in Yemen, where the Saudis launched an air war last year. It also believes Tehran is stirring up Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, which contains nearly all the kingdom's oil and most of its marginalized Shi'ite minority.
The execution this month of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a dissident Saudi Shi'ite cleric, has further poisoned relations with Iran.
Yet for the United States and its European allies, getting Iran on-side is likely to be vital to their interests. In particular, Tehran could be crucial in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The same goes for the search for ending the civil war in Syria. There Iran kept President Bashar al-Assad in power as his sole foreign ally offering battlefield help until Russia arrived with its air force last autumn.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
While Iranian confidence grows, Riyadh appears defensive - and unpredictable since last year's succession of the elderly King Salman, who has vested vast power in his young son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi watchers say.
"There is a widespread perception that Saudi Arabia is pursuing chaotic, counter-productive policies," said Gerges, and that Wahhabism lies behind the rise of al Qaeda and Islamic State, with the Saudi leadership lacking experience and wisdom.
"The Saudis are really behaving with a sense of siege, reacting to events as if each was the end of the world," Gerges said, "lashing out angrily and recklessly, with no long-term perspective".
Iran, by contrast "believes it is a rising power, that the world needs it". Tehran also appears to have grasped that the huge increase in U.S. shale oil production has freed America from its dependence on Saudi crude.
Saudi officials say their regional policy is coherent, not ideologically or religiously motivated.
"We will not allow Iran to destabilize our region. We will not allow Iran to do harm to our citizens or those of our allies and so we will react. But it is a reaction in response to Iranian aggression," Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters this month.
Farhang Jahanpour of Oxford University argues that the Saudis need to agree a regional security structure with Iran and all other Gulf states, as well as Sunni powers Egypt and Turkey.
"They should cooperate because if the present state of antagonism continues they will be the losers, and we will be witnessing wars for decades in the entire region and beyond," Jahanpour said.
NEW DILEMMAS
Rivalry between Sunni and Shi'ite Islam goes back many centuries. In modern times, this often translated into a strategic contest between Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi version of Sunni orthodoxy and the Shi'ite theocracy of Iran.
The 2003 overthrow of Sunni minority rule in Iraq by the U.S.-led invasion and its replacement by a Shi'ite government under the sway of Iran has rekindled the sectarian firestorm.
Ali al-Amin, a Lebanese analyst and researcher, says Riyadh seems to believe the real threat comes from Sunni rivals such as Islamic State and a restive young Saudi population indoctrinated with Wahhabi prejudice against Shi'ites.
"The fight with Iran strengthens it internally, it strengthens its nerve," says al-Amin. "Its purpose is to protect the regime and rally all Sunnis behind it."
But Iran, too, has its vulnerabilities. It faces the dilemma of how far to liberalize once its economy reconnects to world markets and investment creates new power groups.
Its successes in countries such as Lebanon, Iraq and Syria have come as these states were cracked open by war or invasion, leading to de facto partition. Tehran has advanced its interests by bypassing state institutions with unstable alternatives such as militias, its principal weapon of influence.
Above all, Tehran needs to win acceptance in the Middle East as a legitimate and constructive regional power.
"Iran's role was always built on divisions and fractures in society and not through government institutions," al-Amin said. "The Iranian project cannot survive without crises, it has no option for stability through ties with states. In Syria, all the Iranian influence is outside the state and the same in Iraq and Lebanon."
If Iran is to win Arab recognition as a regional power, it will need to compromise and that includes accepting a less assertive role in the affairs of Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.
"Iran has become a regional power but to be a recognized regional power, it has to define its role. It cannot preserve its presence in Syria and Lebanon," veteran Lebanese commentator Sarkis Naoum told Reuters.
Faisal al-Yafai, commentator at the The National newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, said Tehran must review its support for various armed groups in the region. If Iran "wants genuinely to be part of the international community it has to obey the rules of the international community," he said.
In the contest for the Middle East, it is too early to declare Iran as the winner, said Gerges.
However, he added: "The Iranians have really shown sophistication, cleverness, bargaining ability and gamesmanship ... Iran has established itself as a major player in its own environment and has the capacity to be major player in the (world) economy."
Don't misinterpret Iran's "goodwill" gesture - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
Praise God that Pastor Saeed Abednini was among the five Americans that the Iranian government released as a "goodwill" gesture. His plight at the hands of an Islamic government has been well documented and hats off to the American Center for Law and Justice for keeping his story in front of the American people. Prayers have been answered and families reunited. Notwithstanding, the "president" actually traded seven Iranians for the five Americans that he left in chains during his landmark negotiations with the Iranians that will likely help accelerate their nuclear weapons program, not deter it. A five for seven swap and $100 billion in assets to gain a nuclear weapon is not a bad day if you are Iran.
ACLJ's Jay Sekulow reported Sunday, "For more than three years, Pastor Saeed - a U.S. citizen - has endured imprisonment in Iran. We can now officially confirm that Pastor Saeed has been freed. In addition there are reports that 3 other Americans imprisoned in Iran have also been released. News broke late last night that Pastor Saeed had been taken from his prison cell to Iran's Central Intelligence agency. While the details are still coming in, we can confirm that this morning he was released. This is a major victory. We are incredibly grateful to the more than 1.1 million people who have joined us in fighting across the globe for Pastor Saeed's freedom.
"We're delighted this day has finally arrived. American Pastor Saeed Abedini spent more than three years in an Iranian prison. We're grateful for the millions of people who have stood with us in our ongoing efforts - both in this country and abroad - to secure his release. We have worked and prayed that this day would finally arrive. And now, Pastor Saeed can return home." According to Sekulow, Pastor Saeed's wife Naghmeh, responded:"This has been an answer to prayer. This is a critical time for me and my family. We look forward to Saeed's return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time."
Let us rejoice for Pastor Saeed's and the others' release. Let us not, however, begin to think that the Islamic government or America's "president" are good guys in this story. The $100 billion in sanctions money that the "president" is allowing to flow into Iran will empower the country to boost its support of worldwide terror and will eventually enable it to have a nuclear weapon. The world has become a much more dangerous place as US leadership has embraced all things Islam in the past seven years. And let us be reminded that Persia, modern day Iran, is among those "beast" nations that attack Israel in the end time. But also be reminded that, as Ezekiel 38:23 says, the Lord, "will be known in the eyes of many nations and they shall know that I am the Lord." The Lord has answered prayers for Pastor Saeed, and God will not be mocked.
Iran's long arm - http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Irans-long-arm-442379
Just days after implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement, we received a reminder that Iran and its proxies remain dangerous enemies of Israel.
If anyone needed proof how the lifting of sanctions on Iran will hurt Israel's security, this week provided two examples.
Just days after implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement, we received a reminder that Iran and its proxies remain dangerous enemies of Israel.
Five Palestinians from the Tulkarm area were arrested for planning to carry out terrorist attacks under instructions from Hezbollah, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said on Wednesday.
The head of the cell, Mahmoud Za'alul, had been recruited through social media networks. Using encrypted messages, he enlisted five more men from the Tulkarm area; they were ordered to gather intel and plan terrorist attacks, including preparing explosive vests for suicide bombings.
Hezbollah funded their operation by sending them $5,000 through money changers.
Now that the "crippling" economic sanctions on Iran have been removed, the resources at its disposal - and as an extension at Hezbollah's - will be significantly greater.
In Lebanon, meanwhile, Hezbollah is consolidating its political power. On Monday, in a development that is nothing short of earth shattering, Samir Geagea, leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, publicly endorsed his rival, the formal general Michel Aoun, for president of Lebanon.
In so doing, Geagea abandoned his loyalty to Saad Hariri, head of the anti-Syrian Future (Al-Mustaqbal) Movement, for an alliance with the enemy camp headed by Hezbollah, which supports Aoun for president.
This opens the way to the appointment of a pro-Iranian president in Lebanon.
Hezbollah and Iran are undoubtedly pleased with the development. If Aoun is elected president, Hariri's influence - and the influence of Hariri's main patron, Saudi Arabia - will be greatly diminished.
Finally, in the Gaza Strip, Iran has over the past few months been providing funding to a new terrorist group called Al-Sabireen Movement for Supporting Palestine. Al-Sabireen, which means "the patient ones" in Arabic, was formed in the wake of a break between Tehran and the two largest terrorist organizations operating in Gaza - Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Neither organization has acquiesced to Iran's demand to support President Bashar Assad in Syria.
Both have incensed the Iranians by remaining silent on Saudi attacks in Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthis. Both face their worst financial crisis in two decades after Iran's decision to cut off support.
Al-Sabireen's emblem - a gun sprouting from the center of its name in Arabic - is nearly identical to Hezbollah's.
So far, the organization has about 400 followers in the Gaza Strip, each one receiving a monthly salary of $250-$300, while the senior officials get at least $700, according to The Jerusalem Post's Palestinian Affairs correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh. Iran has been supplying Al-Sabireen with weapons used to attack Israel.
The Iranians are believed to have supplied their new terrorist group in the Gaza Strip with Grad and Fajr missiles that are capable of reaching Tel Aviv. Also, Iranian funds channeled through Al-Sabireen are said to be used to support the families of killed or arrested terrorists living on the West Bank.
The Iranian-backed organization is also wooing Fatah members. Scores of militiamen once belonging to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction in the Gaza Strip have allied themselves with Al-Sabireen. Most were attracted by the money.
The rise of an unshackled Iran's influence in the region is bad for Israel. But it is also bad for many of the US's Sunni allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority. A shared enemy has created a shared interest - the curtailing of Iranian influence.
Implementation of the JCPOA might delay Tehran's nuclear weapon program. The removal of sanctions, however, has set the stage for the Islamic Republic to increase its destabilizing influence. Iran and its proxies must be stopped.
Progress of sanctions relief will quicken Iran's power struggle, spur clash with Saudi Arabia - http://www.debka.com/article/25168/Progress-of-sanctions-relief-will-quicken-Iran's-power-struggle-spur-clash-with-Saudi-Arabia
The nuclear watchdog confirmed Saturday night, Jan. 16, that Iran had fulfilled its side of the nuclear deal with the six world powers and that sanctions could be lifted, after US Secretary of State John Kerry, EU's Federica Mogherini and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had been kept hanging about for the IAEA's from early morning for a verdict worth some $100-150 billion to Tehran. The wording did not explicitly confirm that Iran had met all the terms of the nuclear deal or that it had mothballed most of its uranium-enrichment centrifuges.
From the start, the deal was viewed with deep suspicion by Israel, Saudi Arabia and US lawmakers. Even the White House spokesman Josh Earnest was moved to comment Friday that "the United States wants to make sure than Iran doesn't cut any corners."
debkafile's intelligence and Iranian sources account for the delay in publishing the nuclear watchdog's report by the "corners" Iran was still trying to cut. According to our sources, Iran had managed to dodge compliance with key terms of the nuclear deal. Nine tons of enriched uranium were indeed shipped to Russia, but most expert watchers are dubious about three other commitments:
- 1. Washington and Tehran have claimed that the Iranians fulfilled their commitment to pour concrete into the core of the Arak reactor to disable its capacity for producing plutonium. Two days ago, on Thursday, Iranian officials denied this had been done: Only a token operation may have taken place, if any.
- 2.
Officials associated with Iran's radical Revolutionary Guards, which fought tooth and nail against the nuclear accord, commented that instead of pouring concrete into the Arak reactor, it should be poured into the hearts of President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif, for negotiating the accord with the six powers.
Such comments rarely reach the Western media. They are important because they mirror the fierce power struggle ongoing in Tehran, which is heavily fueled by infighting over the nuclear deal and sanctions.
2. That deal provided for the number of centrifuges enriching uranium at the Natanz center to be reduced from 19,500 to 5,050. Our sources report that 9,000 are still in operation.
3. There is no confirmation that the number of centrifuges operating at the underground facility of Fordo was cut down to one thousand, as agreed.
On top of these deviations, the Obama administration admitted last week that the dispute over Iran's nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, which were tested last month, is still open, in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. This makes Tehran liable to a fresh set of sanctions, as US officials too have indicated.
The capture of two US patrol boats by the Revolutionary Guards speedboats last Tuesday, with the 10 American sailors aboard forced to surrender before they were released, was clearly a last-ditch attempt by Iran's radicals to derail the nuclear accord before the Saturday deadline was reached.
That will not be the last such episode: Iran's radicals may embark on more such actions to counteract the nuclear deal by striking more American targets and looking for trouble with Saudi Arabi and its Gulf allies.
The fact is that the hard-line factions in Tehran don't want the sanctions lifted, because they see them as net profit for President Rouhani and his moderate conservatives and his leading backer, former president Hashem Rafsanjani, head of the powerful Assembly of Experts.
Iran's Finance Minister Ali Tayyebnia gave the radicals fodder when he said last week that even $100 billion in cancelled sanctions would not haul the Iranian economy out of crisis or balance the state budget, because the country's indebtedness is far in excess of that huge amount.
The Iranian-Saudi row is another factor that could upset the nuclear deal, although paradoxically, since oil prices sank below $30, the Guards and Riyadh have a common interest in its collapse.
Iran's expected return to an already glutted market - through the removal of sanctions - will drive prices down further. This, neither the Revolutionary Guards Corps, which control Iran's oil sector, nor the Saudis want to see.
The spiral of hostility launched with the Saudi execution of the prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, followed by the mob attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Meshaad, and the multiple severance of diplomatic and commercial ties between the Gulf emirates and Tehran, may have the effect of reversing the downward trend of oil prices with a sudden spurt.
Therefore, the rosy prospect the Obama administration paints of a successful landmark deal for curbing Iran's nuclear capabilities is a far cry from being realized.
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