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Substantial sums of hard currency provided to Saddam Hussein from the sale of Iraqi oil allowed under United Nations sanctions have been laundered through banks around the world by a Russian Mafiya boss described in an MI5 report as "one of the world's top criminals." Despite that, Israel continues to allow Semyon Yukovich Mogilevich to travel openly on one of its passports. Even more remarkable, the MI5 description was reinforced by an investigation by Mossad. Its report concluded that Mogilevich is a "major criminal - but has taken great care to commit no crime against Israel." His supply of arms...

Iran's Options and the Destructive Defiance by Amir Taheri May 26, 2019 at 4:00 am To start with, we must realize that the crisis in question isn't caused by any of the traditional causes of conflict between nation-states.... In other words, the conflict isn't a classical international one. The reason is that Iran no longer behaves as a nation-state but as a vehicle for an ideology. The madness that is Khomeinism has always had its method, which includes abject surrender when pressed too hard and brazen aggression when pressure is eased. Contrary to claims by the pro-mullah lobby in Washington,...

Oman announced on Wednesday that it will open an embassy in the Palestinian territories in support of the Palestinian people, AFP reports. The announcement coincided with the US-led economic workshop in Bahrain in which the Trump administration unveiled the economic portion of its Middle East peace plan. "In continuation of Oman's support for the Palestinian people, the Sultanate of Oman has decided to open a diplomatic mission at the level of embassy in the State of Palestine," the foreign ministry said on Twitter. A delegation from the ministry will travel to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, to take...

Jeremy Hunt says Britain would consider joining the US in military action against Iran. Tensions between the US and Iran have increased in recent weeks after the downing of an American drone, and claims by Washington that Tehran was behind attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. The Foreign Secretary's comments came as Foreign Office minister Andrew Murrison held talks with the Tehran government at the weekend where he said he was "clear" about the UK's concerns over Iran's activities. Mr Hunt said Britain would "stand by the United States as our strongest ally" and "weigh up military intervention...

Palestinian leadership said Saturday that White House adviser Jared Kushner's proposed economic plan was a non-starter unless it came coupled with a political solution for the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Reuters reported that leaders of both the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank and Hamas, the Islamist militant party that controls the Gaza strip, dismissed Kushner's proposal for a $50 billion plan that includes a global investment fund meant to improve economic opportunities in the Palestinian territories.

DUBAI—Two tankers were damaged in attacks off the coast of Iran early Thursday, including one operated by a Japanese company, on a day when Tehran rebuffed attempts by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to ease a military standoff with the U.S. The incidents sent oil prices sharply higher, reigniting fears of trade disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which over a third of the world’s seaborne crude oil is shipped. Brent crude, the international benchmark for crude prices, rose 4% on Thursday to $62.37. The attacks appeared to use relatively sophisticated weapons, according to early assessments, and came within...

Lots of differing accounts from different media sources. Some say the tankers were attacked, a couple say “ torpedoed”. Bottom line, there was an incident nvolving two large oil tankers, one is on fire.

Iran’s Al-Alam television network cited local sources in Oman as saying that two successive explosions were heard in the Sea of Oman on Thursday morning. The sources said the blasts were caused by “attacks” on the tankers, according to the report. Local Pakistani sources also said the giant tankers had sent distress calls to the sea’s littoral states, the report added.

The bizarre phenomenon was pictured above Al Ain near the border with Oman Due to its rarity and strange appearance the holes are often attributed to UFOs Scientists quickly explained it is a 'fallstreak hole' or 'hole punch cloud' Fallstreak holes occur when water droplets quickly freeze and form ice crystals ======================================================================= UAE citizens were left baffled after a mysterious 'whirlpool hole' suddenly appeared in the sky above the city of Al Ain this weekend. The large circular patch of clear sky emerged inside the otherwise heavy cloud near the border with Oman, as if somebody had punched a hole...

ROME - Italy has planned to sign a memorandum of understanding to become part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. "The negotiation is not over yet, but it is possible that it will be concluded in time for (Xi's) visit," the newspaper reported, quoting Michele Geraci, the undersecretary in the Italian economic development ministry. The United States said the project was unlikely to help Italy economically and could significantly damage the country's international image, the paper reported. "We view BRI as a 'made by China, for China' initiative,"the report quoted Garrett Marquis, White House National Security Council spokesman, as saying....

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured another diplomatic victory for Israel with the dramatic announcement that Chad and the Jewish State would be reestablishing diplomatic relations. The Muslim majority nation had severed ties in 1972 following intense pressure from Libya, its menacing neighbor to the north, which at the time was led by the dictator, Col. Muammar Qaddafi. But following a visit by Chad’s President Idriss Déby to Jerusalem and a reciprocating visit by PM Netanyahu to N’Djamena, forty-seven years of animosity instantly vanished. Israel’s historic diplomatic achievement occurred despite intense efforts by the Palestinian Authority and Iran to torpedo the...

MANAMA/Bahrain—The Trump administration, via Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is beginning to build a coalition of Arab allies that will help the United States expel "every last Iranian boot" from Syria and ensure the Islamic Republic's march across the Middle East is stopped in its tracks, according to U.S. officials.Pompeo arrived in Bahrain early Friday to hold the first of a series of meetings with Arab leaders in key gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. During this leg of Pompeo's weeklong trek across the region, the secretary of state will continue his behind-the-scenes...

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on Turkey to respect International Law at the Press Conference following the 5th trilateral meeting in Israel with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday... “We have emphasised the need for respect of international law in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. Respecting, in particular, the right of Cyprus to exercise its sovereign rights in its EEZ “. Mr Tsipras went on to underline the need for a just and viable solution of the Cypriot problem with the scrapping of the guarantees on the occupied part of the island and...

The US-backed military alliance agreed to facilitate the medical evacuations at the request of Griffiths for "humanitarian reasons" and as a "confidence-building" measure, Maliki added in the statement. There was no immediate reaction from the Houthi rebels or the UN. The proposed UN-brokered peace talks have been backed by both the rebels and the Saudi-led government and were expected to take place in Sweden this week. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, however, has played down the early December schedule and said he hoped talks would start "this year". Houthi rebels have said they will attend the talks if they are guaranteed...

Any lingering thought that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) would have any role to play in President Trump’s soon to-be-released peace plan has vanished - after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that $165 million had been deducted from funding to the PLO because of its continuing “pay for slay” policy in breach of the Taylor Force Act. Jordan has now signalled its preparedness to replace the PLO by publically supporting Trump in an article written in the Jordan Times by Walid Sadi – a retired Jordanian diplomat with over 35 years’ experience and himself a former editor of the...

The Trump bandwagon is swinging into top gear--with Jordan in the box seat and the PLO left flailing way behind. Any lingering thought that the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) would have any role to play in President Trump’s soon to-be-released peace plan has vanished - after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that $165 million had been deducted from funding to the PLO because of its continuing “pay for slay” policy in breach of the Taylor Force Act. Jordan has now signalled its preparedness to replace the PLO by publicly supporting Trump in an article written in the Jordan Times...

The Palestinian Authority President delivered his statement on Sunday as pressures mount on Saudi Arabia following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement on Sunday in which he voiced "full confidence" in Saudi Arabia and praised its leaders for their support for the Palestinians. The statement, which was published by the PA president's office, quoted Abbas as saying he has "absolute confidence" in Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. "Palestine was - and shall remain - on the side of Saudi Arabia," Abbas said....

Prince William will sit down for talks with the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian president during his historic visit to the Middle East. William will also visit Jordan, and the capital Amman where his wife the Duchess of Cambridge lived from May 1984 until September 1986. 'The non-political nature of His Royal Highness's role – in common with all Royal visits overseas –allows a spotlight to be brought to bear on the people of the region: their cultures, their young people, their aspirations, and their experiences.' The palace said his 'goal' is to meet as 'many people from as...

My words: "OOOH! LET'S SWORDFIGHT!" A senior Likud source on Saturday responded to former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting took place in France. "Olmert, who offered Abbas the Western Wall, has now turned into his faithful mouthpiece," the source said. "In the US and many Arab countries, they already understand that Abbas is the true obstacle to peace, and that the reason for his extreme demands is not peace but rather the elimination of the State of Israel." MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) also responded to the meeting. "Olmert met with...

The White House has confirmed that there has been a complete disconnect between the Palestinian Authority and the Trump administration. Former US secretary of state John Kerry met in London with a close associate of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Hussein Agha. Stall, play for time, do not break. Trump will not remain in office for a long, within a year Trump would not be in the White House. Kerry offered to help Sheppard his alternative peace initiative and promised to help garner international support from Europeans, Arab states and the international community. He promised to use all his contacts and...