Latest news with #Iranian-backed
Miami Herald
16 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Giant Construction Projects Boom as U.S. Lifts Syria Sanctions
Syria has signed a $7 billion deal with a consortium of U.S., Qatari, and Turkish energy firms to build new power plants, part of a broader push to revive its energy infrastructure, after President Donald Trump recently announced lifting sanctions on the war-ravaged country. The projects are a sign of Syria's re-emergence after years of conflict and international isolation and of the investment it can potentially attract for infrastructure construction. They also show the way that U.S., Gulf and Turkish administrations and companies seek to take a lead in a country formerly aligned with Iran. Aiming to breathe life into a war-weary Syria and to assist new President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump's surprise announcement in Riyadh on lifting sanctions marked a pivotal moment in his Middle East visit-one with significant implications for U.S.-Arab relations. U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, announced the deal a day after arriving in the country, marking the first official U.S. visit to Syria in 12 years. "Only a week after President Trump's announcement to lift sanctions, we have already unlocked billions of dollars of international investment for Syria," Barrack posted to his X account. Syria signed the memory of understanding with a consortium led by the Qatari-based UCC Holding. The deal includes four gas power plants in Homs, Hama, and Deir-Azzour with a total capacity of 4,000 MW, plus a 1,000 MW solar plant in southern Syria. The breakthrough in U.S.-Syria relations follows the ouster of the Iranian-backed Assad regime. However, there remains skepticism about Syria's stability and continuing violence. Further concerns of renewed ISIS threats persist. ISIS claimed responsibility for its first two attacks in Syria under the new government on Thursday-one hitting seven soldiers in Sweida and another targeting the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army according to The Associated Press. U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack wrote on X: "Thanks to @POTUS, Syria is OPEN FOR BUSINESS, and thanks to Qatar and Türkiye, the old boundaries and borders are collapsing. Commerce not chaos!" Syria's Energy Minister Mohammed Al Bashir, ass quoted by the company's press release: "This agreement marks a crucial step in Syria's infrastructure recovery plan. It will strengthen our national grid, expand access to electricity, and help meet growing demand through partnerships that combine international expertise with local priorities." Construction will start after final agreements, with gas plants completed in three years and the solar plant in under two years, UCC Holding said. Syria can expect to attract significantly more infrastructure investment if the security situation allows. Related Articles Why MBS Is Keeping the Pressure on Iran | OpinionThe Sanctions Era Is Quietly Ending. The West Isn't Ready | OpinionDonald Trump's Middle East Tour: Five Things We LearnedIsrael Issues Warnings to Syria and Turkey as Trump Praises Their Leaders 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Why a Princeton graduate student kidnapped in Iraq still isn't free 800 days later
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With the world's attention fixed on efforts to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, talks are quietly continuing to liberate an Israeli hostage held in Iraq by a different Iranian-backed militant group. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a 38-year-old graduate student at Princeton University was kidnapped in 2023 while doing research in Iraq, and officials from several countries say progress is being made to secure her release.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Why an Israeli scholar kidnapped in Iraq still isn't free 800 days later
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With the world's attention fixed on efforts to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, talks are quietly continuing to liberate an Israeli hostage held in Iraq by a different Iranian-backed militant group. A 38-year-old Middle East scholar from Israel was kidnapped in 2023 while doing research in Iraq, and officials from several countries say progress is being made to secure her release.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US Congress members call to sanction Iranian-backed militias in Iraq
US congress members called to sanction several Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including the Popular Mobilization Forces, in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The US should sanction Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including the powerful Popular Mobilization Forces, US Members of Congress Joe Wilson and Greg Steube asserted in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The PMF include numerous militias arranged in dozens of brigades. Most of the militias are linked closely to Iran and have carried out numerous crimes in Iraq. According to the letter the PMF are 'an umbrella group of 238,000 Iranian-backed militias, have been legitimized as part of Iraq's state security services and receive over $3 billion annually from the Iraqi government—funded in part by American taxpayer dollars. Since 2015, the US Department of State has provided Iraq with $1.25 billion in Foreign Military Financing, in addition to billions more in aid to Iraq's Interior Ministry and Defense Ministry, despite these institutions being deeply infiltrated by Iranian proxies. These same Iran-backed militias, now operating with legal authority under the PMF, have launched rocket attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria.' Wilson and Steube began their letter by noting, 'We write to express our deep concern over the complete subjugation of Iraq to the Iranian regime. More than 4,400 American service members sacrificed their lives since the start of the Iraq War, yet today, Iraq stands as nothing more than a puppet of Tehran. This outcome is the direct result of disastrous policies that, under previous administrations, empowered Iran's control over Iraq's government, military, and economy.' They added 'The National Security Policy Memorandum-2 (NSPM-2) of February 4, 2025 clearly articulates the reimposition of maximum pressure on Iran and its terror proxies. However, any campaign against the Iranian regime will require an equally robust campaign against Iraqi institutions, which have become essential clients of the Iranian regime.' The report argues that the US should expand sanctions on the various militias. The US has already sanctioned Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and some other militias and their leaders. The members of Congress say that the US should sanction the PMF as well as 'the Muhandis General Company, and the Badr Organization as foreign terrorist organizations.' They also call for sanctions on Iraq's importation of Iranian gas. They also said a bank in Iraq and a number of individuals who support Iran should be sanctioned. These include 'former Prime Ministers Nouri al-Maliki and Adel Abdulmehdi, Izzat Shabander, Hadi al-Ameri, AbdulKarim al-Sudani, Abbas Shia al-Sudani, Haider Shia al-Sudani, Abdul Karim al-Faisal, Yasser Suhail al Maliki, Minister of Higher Education Naem al-Aboud, Governor Adnan Feihan,' and others. This is an important development and illustrates how the US is moving to potentially clip the wings of Iran's role in Iraq. For instance, Kataib Hezbollah, which is part of the PMF, continues to hold Elizabeth Tsurkov, a researcher who is also an Israeli citizen. Tsurkov was kidnapped in 2023 in Iraq while doing research. She is a doctoral student at Princeton. Her kidnapping was orchestrated by the Iranian-backed militias. Reports from Iraq indicate that Baghdad is seeking to harm the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq by not paying salaries. This illustrates how Baghdad is destabilizing Iraq through its policies.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Family of an Israeli held hostage in Iraq for 800 days hangs on to hope for her freedom
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With the world's attention fixed on efforts to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, talks are quietly continuing to liberate an Israeli hostage held in Iraq by a different Iranian-backed militant group. A 38-year-old Middle East scholar from Israel was kidnapped in 2023 while doing research in Iraq, and officials from several countries say progress is being made to secure her release. The family of the scholar – Elizabeth Tsurkov, who also holds Russian citizenship – is trying to remain optimistic. Even though the circumstances are completely different, the release of hostages from Gaza earlier this year gave the family reason to stay hopeful that Tsurkov, who marks 800 days in captivity on Thursday, will also be freed. 'It's like a phoenix rising from the ashes when the hostages come out. You see that despite everything they've been through, there is still life in them,' said Emma Tsurkov, the scholar's sister. There were reports over the weekend that negotiators were very close to a deal, but the terms are complicated and Tsurkov's sister said no deal appears imminent. 'One of the most difficult parts about having a loved one in captivity is the uncertainty,' she said. Negotiators are focusing on an exchange that would include seven Lebanese captured during the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. But Iraqi and Lebanese officials told The Associated Press the talks recently stalled over Iran's demand for the release of one of its citizens detained in Iraq for the killing of an American. Elizabeth Tsurkov disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate at Princeton University. The only direct sign of life her family has received is a November 2023 video of her broadcast on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media. In the past few months, officials from several countries, including the Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister, have confirmed she is alive and being held in Iraq by a Shiite Muslim militant group called Kataeb Hezbollah, according to her sister. The group has not claimed the kidnapping nor have Iraqi officials publicly said which group is responsible. Kataeb Hezbollah's leader and founder died in an American airstrike in 2020 that also killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force and the architect of its military alliances in the region. The group, an ally of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is part of a coalition of Iranian-backed militias that are officially part of Iraq's armed forces but in practice often act on their own. The U.S. government listed Kataeb Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2009. Emma Tsurkov, who lives in California, believes the U.S., Israel's closest ally, has the most leverage to pressure the Iraqi government for her sister's release – either by withholding arms or financial assistance. Israel, which does not negotiate directly with Iraq because the two countries have no formal relations, has less influence, she said. Although Tsurkov entered Iraq using her Russian passport, Russia has declined to get involved in negotiating for her release, Emma Tsurkov said. Earlier this year, a senior Israeli official said the Israeli government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of Tsurkov. Israeli officials declined to comment for this story. About a month ago, a U.S. official and several former diplomats visited Baghdad to mediate for Tsurkov's release, according to a senior Iraqi political official involved in the negotiations. They held indirect talks with Iranian officials and leaders from the militant group holding her, according to this official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secretive talks. Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's top hostage envoy, has repeatedly called for Tsurkov's release and has traveled to Iraq to press his case. 'We have and will continue to underscore with the Iraqi government the urgency of securing her release,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Tuesday. Another Iraqi official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. and Israel do not object to the release of the Lebanese prisoners held in Israel. An official with a Lebanese group involved in the indirect negotiations said that, in exchange for Tsurkov's freedom, they are seeking the release of seven Lebanese prisoners, some of whom are associated with Hezbollah and a Lebanese navy officer who was kidnapped by an Israeli commando force on Lebanon's northern coast in early November. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Also involved in a possible exchange are five men in prison in Iraq for the 2022 fatal shooting of Stephen Edward Troell, a 45-year-old teacher from Tennessee. Troell was killed as he pulled up to the street where he lived in central Baghdad with his family. Iranian citizen Mohammed Ali Ridha was convicted in the killing, along with four Iraqis, in what was described as a kidnapping gone wrong. The prospect of Ridha's release is one of the major holdups in the negotiations, Lebanese and Iraqi officials said. Emma Tsurkov said the complexity of the negotiations is devastating for her family. 'This isn't a real estate deal, we aren't talking about a piece of land,' she said. 'We're talking about an innocent human being who is having a just horrendous ordeal.' In an interview in September 2023, Tsurkov said her sister's ordeal was 'the type of nightmare I wish on no one.' Three weeks later, some 251 people were captured during Hamas' cross-border attack on southern Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. There are 58 hostages still being held in Gaza, though Israel believes only around a third of them are alive. Tsurkov said that although her sister's kidnapping is very different from the situation of the hostages, she couldn't help but watch the videos of the unifications between released hostages from Gaza and their families earlier this year and wonder if she will ever get that opportunity to embrace her sister again. 'I know my sister is going through something so incredibly difficult, and I hope that I get to see her again, and I hope that there's still life left in her.' She said one of the more heartbreaking aspects of the past two years has been how many officials have told her they wish they could benefit from her sister's expertise during the negotiations over a possible deal. Elizabeth Tsurkov is a well-known academic who was often interviewed in the media, and her research was focused on sectarianism in the Middle East, specifically Iraq. 'If we want a good understanding of the Middle East, we need people like my sister to travel to the Middle East to research it,' Emma Tsurkov said. — Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, and Bassem Mroue in Beirut, contributed to this report.
