Tehran, 12 Jan 2020

Qatar and Iran has announced today that both countries have decided to enhance their bilateral relations specially in areas of Economy, Trade, Investment and Tourism. Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani and Irani President Dr. Hassan Rouhani were addressing a press conference after their meeting on delegations level. During their discussions, they also talked on various regional and international issues. Both the leaders stressed on dialogue and said bilateral dialogues are the only solution to solve the conflict.

Amir of Qatar paid his gratitude to government of Iran on facilitating the space and marine routes to Qatar just immediately after the blockade  of Qatar.  Earlier, on arrival at Meharabad International Airport, Amir of Qatar and accompanying delegation was received by Reza Ardakanian, Minister of Energy of Iran.

President Dr. Hassan Rouhani received Amir of Qatar on arrival at the Republic Palace. National anthems of both the states were played. Amir of State of Qatar inspected the Guard of Honour.

Muscat, 11 Jan. 2020 (AlJazeera News)

Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the Arab world's longest-ruling monarch knopwn for promoting peace, has died, according to an announcement by state media.

"With sadness ... the Omani Sultanate court mourns ... our Sultan Qaboos bin Said ... who God chose to be by his side on Friday evening," the announcement on Saturday morning said.

It added that 79-year-old Qaboos died after "a wise and triumphant march rich with generosity that embraced Oman and extended to the Arab, Muslim and entire world, and achieved a balanced policy that the whole world respected".

A three-day period of mourning has been declared in Oman and the country's flag will be flown at half-mast for 40 days.

Later on Saturday, Oman named Qaboos's cousin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said as the country's new ruler in a smooth transition.Sworn  The former culture minister, 65, was sworn in before the ruling family council on Saturday morning.

State television said authorities had opened a letter by Qaboos naming his successor, without elaborating, before announcing Haitham bin Tariq as the new ruler.

"Haitham bin Tariq was sworn in as the new sultan of the country ... after a meeting of the family which decided to appoint the one who was chosen by the sultan," the government said in a Twitter post.

In his first address to the nation, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq pledged to maintain the Gulf state's foreign policy, which he said was built on peaceful coexistence and maintaining friendly ties with all nations.

"We will continue to follow in the same course the late sultan adopted … embracing foreign policies based on peaceful coexistence among peoples and countries without any interference in the domestic affairs of other states," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

"We will continue as always … contributing and calling for peaceful and amicable solutions for all disputes," he added, paying tribute to the late sultan.

"The least we hope for is to follow in his [Qaboos] footsteps and remain guided by his wisdom into the future, and preserve … the achievements he made," Sultan Haitham bin Tariq said.

Tehran, 11 Jan. 2020 (AlJazeera News)

Iran has announced that its military "unintentionally" shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 on board.

The statement on Saturday morning blames "human error" for the incident, adding that the military mistook Flight 752 for a "hostile target". Press TV also quoted Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces as saying that the plane had flown close to a "sensitive military site".

The military said it was at its “highest level of readiness" amid the heightened tensions with the United States. "In such a condition, because of human error and in a unintentional way, the flight was hit,” the military said. It apologised and said it would upgrade its systems to prevent future tragedies.

In a statement posted on social media, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani wrote that the country "deeply regrets this disastrous mistake". "My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families. I offer my sincerest condolences," he said, adding that "investigations continue to identify and prosecute this great tragedy and unforgivable mistake".

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement on Saturday said his country expects a full admission of guilt and compensation for the jet's downing.  "We expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open investigation, bringing those responsible to justice, the return of the bodies of the dead, the  payment of compensation, official apologies through diplomatic channels," he said.

Iran had denied for several days that a missile downed the aircraft. But then the US and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Iran shot down the aircraft. On Friday, Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran's civil aviation authority, said it was impossible due to close coordination between Iran's air defence and the civil aviation department. "What is obvious for us, and what we can say with certainty, is that no missile hit the plane," Abedzadeh told reporters in Tehran.

Acknowledging that the aeroplane had been taken down, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei on Saturday offered his condolences and called for an investigation into the incident.

The jetliner, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukraine International Airlines, went down on the outskirts of Tehran during takeoff just hours after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at US forces in Iraq.

Al Jazeera's Assed Baig, reporting from Tehran, said questions were now being raised as to why Iranian authorities kept the country's air space open during a military operation. "There's a lot of explaining to do by Iranian authorities. People want to know why and how it happened."

In a social media post, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that "human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to the disaster".

"Our profound regrets, apologies and condolences to our people, to the families of all victims and to other affected nations."

The plane, en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members from several countries, including 82 Iranians, 57 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians, when it was shot down.

"This is the right step for the Iranian government to admit responsibility and it gives people a step toward closure with this admission," said Payman Parseyan, a prominent Iranian-Canadian in western Canada who lost a number of friends in the crash.

"I think the investigation would have disclosed it whether they admitted it or not. This will give them an opportunity to save face," he told AP news agency.

Friday, 03 Jan. 2020 (Media Reports)

Leaders in the Middle East condemned the US attack, with Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi calling it an "aggression" on Iraq that would "spark a devastating war".

"The assassination of an Iraqi military commander is an aggression on Iraq as a state, government and people," Abdul Mahdi said in a statement.

"Carrying out physical liquidation operations against leading Iraqi figures or from a brotherly country on the Iraqi lands is a flagrant violation of Iraq's sovereignty and a dangerous escalation that triggers a destructive war in Iraq, the region and the world," Abdul Mahdi said. He added that the attack was a "flagrant violation of the conditions authorising the presence of US troops" on Iraqi soil.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the US of "harsh revenge" for the assassination.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif condemned the killing as an "act of state terrorism". "The pure blood of Qassem Soleimani will surely strengthen the tree of resistance, unite the Iranian people, and make US policies in the region less effective by the day," he said in a statement.

Many analysts in Iran called the strike an 'act of war'.

The attack took place amid tensions with the US after an Iran-backed militia and its supporters breached the US embassy in Baghdad. The protests at the embassy on New Year's Eve was in response to a deadly US air attack that killed 25 forces of the PMF, also known as the Hashd al-Shaabi group.

Trump also faced sharp criticism from Democrats, who said he acted without congressional approval. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the strike "risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence".

"America - and the world - cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return," she said in a statement. "The Administration has conducted tonight's strikes in Iraq targeting high-level Iranian military officials and killing Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani without an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iran. Further, this action was taken without the consultation of the Congress."

 

Tehran, Friday , 03 Jan. 2020 (Anadolu News)

"Order coffins for your soldiers," wrote an Iranian Twitter user underneath U.S. President Donald Trump's tweet in the wee hours of Friday as news about the killing of Iran’s top military commander sent shockwaves across the region.

A U.S airstrike killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior commander of Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

The U.S. said it killed Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region".

The news drew angry reactions from all political factions in Iran. Statements of condemnation have been pouring in since early Friday morning and mourning ceremonies are underway in different parts of the country.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who felicitated Soleimani with the country’s highest honor last year, issued a lengthy statement, saying a “severe retaliation” will follow his killing. He declared three days of national mourning in Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif termed the attack on “the most effective force fighting ISIS, Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda" a “foolish escalation” and warned that the U.S. “bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism”.

President Hassan Rouhani’s advisor Hesamedin Ashena warned that whoever crosses Iran’s “red lines” must be “prepared to face the consequences” hinting at a possible counter-strike from Iran.

Over the last few days, since the deadly U.S. attack on an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq and Syria, tensions have been building up between the two adversaries. Soleimani, according to sources, had arrived in Baghdad late on Thursday from Syria, to access the prevailing situation.

The high-profile military figure in the region, who was reviled in the West, had escaped many assassination bids in the past. This time, however, he was not so lucky. A strike killed him moments after he had landed in Baghdad and was greeted by his long-time friend Muhandis.

Iraq on high alert

Just a few days ago, the U.S. attacks on Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group in western Iraq and eastern Syria, which killed at least 25 fighters, had put Iran and the U.S. on a collision course.

The devastating strikes against the group that was accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings in Iraq before taking part in anti-Daesh/ISIS in the country, was the first major attack by the U.S. on an Iran-linked group since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2001.

Following the attack, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was attacked by a large crowd of angry protesters on Tuesday, leading to a two-day standoff between U.S. soldiers and protesters.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to threaten Iran saying that it “will pay a very big price” for any loss of life or damage to the U.S. facilities.

Barely 24 hours after protesters withdrew from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a drone strike targeted a vehicle carrying Soleimani.

Iraq’s premier Adel Abd al-Mahdi, who called for an emergency session of the parliament, termed the attack “an aggression against Iraq, people and state”. “The assassination is a clear violation of the conditions of the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq,” he said in a statement.

Iraq’s influential cleric Sayid Moqtada al-Sadr issued a statement offering condolences to Iran and ordered the Mahdi Army to be “fully ready to protect Iraq”. A few days ago, he was quoted saying that he would launch a campaign to oust U.S. forces from Iraq.

Expecting possible retaliation, the U.S. government has issued an advisory to its citizens to leave Iraq “immediately” and suspended all consular operations in Baghdad.

“This [killing of Soleimani and Muhandis] took the recent U.S.-Iran conflict to another level, putting Iraq in the heart of the fight,” Abbas Kadhim, a senior fellow at Atlantic Council, tweeted.

Will Iran strike back?  

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council will be holding an emergency meeting to discuss the matter. Sources said the voices of moderation who had been calling for restraint would be forced to eat the humble pie now.

“US has re-written rules of engagement and exposed every American boot on the ground in Middle East to possible retaliatory attacks,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, Senior Fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations.

Syed Mohammad Marandi, senior commentator who was part of the team that negotiated the nuclear deal between Iran and the West, says there will be a “huge price to pay” for this “act of war” against the two high-ranking officials of Iran and Iraq.

“I don’t think the American presence in Iraq is any more sustainable. They will be severely weakened by this act and they gave Iran the justification to punish the U.S. and its allies. If I was a U.S. citizen I would try to leave the region as soon as possible,” he said.

 

Ankara, 03 Jan. 2020 (Anadolu News)

Turkey Friday voiced concern over the U.S.-Iran row in the wake of the killing of a top Iranian commander in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq, warning the move will escalate “mistrust and instability” in the region.

“Turkey is gravely concerned over escalating tensions in the region between the U.S. and Iran,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“It is obvious that the U.S. airstrike targeting the convoy of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force, and the people along with him in Baghdad early on Friday will escalate mistrust and instability in the region,” the statement said.

The U.S. early Friday confirmed that it carried out a strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad.

The U.S. strike came amid heightened tensions after thousands of Iran-backed protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday.

The Turkish statement strongly warned that turning Iraq into a conflict zone will harm peace and stability both in the country and in the region.

“Turkey has always been against foreign interventions, assassinations and sectarian conflicts in the region,” the ministry said.

Soleimani was the long-time commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, which has been designated as a terror group in the U.S. since 2007. The group is estimated to have 20,000 members.

The U.S. said it killed Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region."

The U.S. strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior commander of Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

Turkey further warned that such steps escalating tension and threatening stability in the region “will grow the spiral of violence and all parties will suffer from it.”

The statement called on all parties to act in common sense and sobriety, and said unilateral steps that would jeopardize the regional peace and stability should be avoided, letting the diplomacy prevail.