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Arab News
a day ago
- Business
- Arab News
Araghchi, the bomb and the Iranian train
The US has no interest in resorting to a military solution to resolve the dispute with Iran over its nuclear program. The use of force in the Middle East revives memories of costly experiences. President Donald Trump himself does not believe that a military solution is viable, unless all other options to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear dream run out. Iran, in turn, says it has no such dream. However, despite its repeated denials, the nuclear file continues to return to the spotlight. The lack of trust between the US and Iran is not unusual. The two countries have traded direct and indirect blows over recent decades, deepening this crisis of trust. The current Iran always views the US, or 'the Great Satan,' as the top danger. It is aware that the US is a major power that is capable of upending balances of power in most parts of the world. Meanwhile, the US views Iran as the main backer of terrorism in the Middle East and Washington has accused it of having a hand in every attempt to destabilize the region. Trump's return to the White House has inflamed the crisis with Iran. He is connected to two major events in Iran's recent history: Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement and the killing of Qassem Soleimani. Trump has opened the door for negotiations with Iran, but with the constant reminder that it will never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, even if this ultimately means resorting to military force to prevent it from doing so. The current nuclear crisis with Iran has entered a new phase in the wake of the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report, which accused Tehran of speeding up the rate of its uranium enrichment. Trump's repeated statements that Tehran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear arms have been accompanied by repeated signs from him that an agreement is possible, and soon. The US has no interest in sliding into a military confrontation with Iran. It also has no interest in Israel taking the reins in such a mission, meaning unpredictable repercussions. In all likelihood, Iran, which has long avoided slipping into a direct confrontation with the US, will continue to walk the same path in avoiding such a costly clash. The US has no interest in a military confrontation with Iran. It also has no interest in Israel taking the reins in such a mission Ghassan Charbel Moreover, Iran is today in no shape to become embroiled in such a test of force. The recent changes in the Middle East have not at all been in Iran's favor and they have denied it some of its most valuable cards. On this note, we have to wonder what Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will feel when his plane approaches Beirut airport. Will he sense that Beirut has changed or that the region has changed, along with Iran's position in it? He knows that his mission these days is very difficult, if not impossible. The world is calling on Iran to reassure it, while he responds that it should reassure Iran instead. Araghchi is aware of what has happened to the Iranian train in recent months. Syria has hopped off and there is nothing that would lead anyone to believe that it will jump back on again. What has changed in Syria is not just the name of its president, but an entire reversal in how it treats the Syrian people, its neighbors and the world. Damascus ousted the 'way of the resistance' that the Assad regime had long relied on. The US is no longer viewed as an enemy. Syria is now being desired and is in demand. Its advice and demands are also being heard. Syria no longer hosts the officers of Iran's Revolutionary Guards as part of the plan Soleimani spent years drawing up, especially after he successfully persuaded Vladimir Putin's Russia to save the Assad regime from collapse. Syria no longer hosts the headquarters of Palestinian 'resistance' organizations or offers its leaders safe havens. These groups are no longer welcome in Syria, while Lebanon's Hezbollah is now viewed as an enemy. Lebanon has also changed. The naming of presidents is no longer in the hands of Hezbollah commanders. The current president of the republic was elected after vowing to achieve a state monopoly over arms. The same can be said of the current prime minister. The current rule in Lebanon is based on the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. Any delay is full of dangers and risks wasting opportunities for reconstruction and reestablishing stability. Araghchi knows that the current nuclear crisis erupted at a very difficult time. The changes in Syria are comparable to the changes that took place in Iraq after Saddam Hussein was overthrown. Another Iraq and another Syria. Iran has not been able to make up for such losses. Iraq did not hop off the Iranian train in the wake of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation and its ensuing wars, but it managed to remain outside of the storm and avoid any adventures. The Houthi missiles are not enough compensation for Iran's losses. One must pause at the situation in Gaza. The catastrophe there has no bounds and there are no limits to Israel's savagery. Hamas fought long and hard and paid a hefty price, but today it has no other practical alternative than to seek shelter in US envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal. Araghchi is aware of what happened to the Iranian train in the wake of the Al-Aqsa operation. He knows that the countries of the region encourage the building of bridges with his own. Perhaps he even knows that accepting a lesser role for his country is much better than risking exposing it and its regime to a direct clash with the American military machine. *Ghassan Charbel is editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. X: @GhasanCharbel This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.
Wall Street Journal
5 days ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
The Jewish Revival Inside Mumbai
Mumbai The memorial to one of the deadliest terror attacks in India's history can be found behind closed doors in a fortress-like building with no sign. It is the Chabad House of Mumbai, one of the 12 sites that Pakistani Islamist terrorists targeted between Nov. 26 and Nov. 29, 2008. Among the 166 slain were Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, his wife, Rivka, 28, and their unborn child.
Arab News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Nine ‘Indian-sponsored' militants killed in Pakistan's northwest — army
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Sunday it had killed nine 'Indian-sponsored' militants in three separate operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Tensions remain high after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 following the most dramatic escalation of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades earlier this month. Since the military confrontation cooled off with the truce, Pakistan has blamed India for being behind several terror attacks in the country, including when three children were among at least five people killed when a suicide bomber struck an army school bus in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province earlier this week. India denies it backs militancy in Pakistan. In a statement released on Sunday evening, the army said it had carried out three operations in KP's Dera Ismail, Tank and Khyber districts. 'An intelligence-based operation was conducted by the security forces in Dera Ismail Khan District … and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored khwarij [militants] were sent to hell,' the statement said. It added that two militants were separately killed in Tank and three in Khyber. 'Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other kharji found in the area, as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country,' the statement added. Both India and Pakistan have traded accusations of supporting militancy on each other's soil, a charge that each denies. The latest escalation, in which the two countries traded missiles and drones, was sparked when India accused Pakistan of supporting a militant assault on tourists in the Indian-administered portion of the contested region of Kashmir. Islamabad denies any involvement. Pakistan has mostly blamed India of supporting a separatist insurgency in Balochistan, a southwestern province that borders Iran and Afghanistan. It also accuses it of backing the Pakistani Taliban who regularly carry out attacks in the country's northwestern and other regions. India denies the allegations.
Globe and Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
The real goal of Trump's mass detention centres? Unlimited power
Opinion If the administration can establish arbitrary overseas detention for one group – such as those declared to be Venezuelan gang members – history shows it will likely keep going U.S. military personnel at El Salvador International Airport on April 12 escort one of the alleged gang members the U.S. deported to be imprisoned at El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via REUTERS to view this content.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Air Shady: If Donald Trump were a country, he'd be just like Qatar
With the news that the royal family of Qatar is gifting a $400 million airliner to the Trump administration to use as a new Air Force One, it has become clear to me that if Donald Trump were a country, he'd be Qatar. Trump and Qatar have the same fundamental moral flexibility. Trump is for raising taxes on the rich and lowering taxes on the rich; starting a trade war with China and declaring peace with China. In Qatar's case, leaders fund the taking of American hostages and they facilitate their release; they fund global terrorism while they host a huge American military base. There's not much substance in Mar-a-Lago or the Qatari royal palace. Trump's wealth has always been more appearance than reality, filing for bankruptcy three times as often as he files for divorce. Qatar is the same kind of nation — 300,000 people on a speck of land. It is about as much of a nation as Cincinnati (population 311,097). Contractors are key. In the real estate business, the subs do all the work and then Trump stiffs them. Qatar imported 2 million contractors and is famous for abusing their human rights. Inherited titles decide who rules the Qatari kingdom. Inherited wealth decides who rules the Trump empire. They both hired Pam Bondi as a lobbyist, though Trump pays her less and has given her a better title. Of course, it was Bondi who said this gifted plane deal was kosher. Neither Trump nor Qatar produce products that are all that good for you, and they're more than a little unstable. Trump's most recent gushers of wealth come from influence-fueled cryptocurrency and the stock of a money-losing social media site. Either could disappear tomorrow. If you depend on Qatar's natural gas bounty, your supply rests on one of the world's most heavily-armed powder kegs, featuring nuclear rivalry, terrorist intrigue, bloody religious schism and the scars of empires long dead. Both have a national news channel that defends the indefensible and can turn its editorial views on a dime. Qatar's Al Jazeera acts as the press agent for Hamas, hosting a cavalcade of Oct. 7 Israeli massacre enthusiasts. Fox News delivers the views of Trump's press secretary defending the president's ethical compass with little question or rebuttal. Each TV channel is family-owned by a billionaire. If you look at the glossy photos of Trump Tower and Qatar's palaces, there's more than a hint of a common design aesthetic: a dash of Bronx Mafia don, a little 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' and gold — a whole lotta gold. No doubt that sensibility will show up in the interiors of the airliner Qatar wants to gift the Trump administration. The idea is so shady that even a few Republicans and Trump-friendly influencers are aghast. That will last until the Democrats reclaim the sense of propriety they lost when they looked the other way as the Clinton Foundation raised millions in foreign boodle while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state and, coincidentally, meeting with the donors in her official capacity. Nothing rallies Republicans like liberal hypocrisy and perfectly justified talk of a third Trump impeachment. Reportedly, matters are being arranged so the airplane can be transferred to the nonprofit(!) Trump presidential library whenever Donald decides to leave office. Once it is back in private hands, it can be repainted with the flag flown by Qatari royals and the Trump family alike — a golden dollar sign surrounded a bilious gray cloud. No longer will Trump fly Air Force One. Air Shady will soon take off. David Mastio is a national columnist for McClatchy and the Kansas City Star.
