1106 Trump demanded Oil, to pay for Reconstruction. Iraq did deal with China instead. Trump furious, staged demonstrations & snipers

Iraq PM reveals: Trump demanded Oil, to pay for Reconstruction. Iraq did
deal with China instead. Trump furious, staged demonstrations & snipers
to force PM to resign.

Trump refused to complete Iraq's infrastructure & electricity
reconstruction unless promised 50% of oil revenue. Mahdi then did a deal
with China instead. Then furious Trump arranged demonstrations &
snipers, forced Mahdi to resign.

Newsletter published on January 7, 2020

(1) Suleimani assassination - for OIL or for ISRAEL?
(2) Trump demanded Oil, to pay for Reconstruction. Iraq did deal with
China instead. Trump furious, staged demonstrations & snipers to force
PM to resign
(3) Iraq PM visited China in 2019; China agreed to undertake
construction projects instead of US
(4) Michael Hudson says Suleimani assassination was for OIL, not for ISRAEL
(5) Haaretz:   U.S. gives Israel Green Light to Assassinate Soleimani
(Jan 2018)
(6) Mossad chief says Israeli assassination of Soleimani "not
impossible" (Oct 2019)
(7) Mossad targeted Soleimani, Trump pulled the trigger
(8) Iraq has lodged official complaints with UN & UNSC
(9) PM Mahdi: if US troops remain in Iraq, they will be considered an
occupying force.
(10) Pompeo Goes Full Neocon, turn away from "America First" (Nov 2019)
(11) Mission Creep: from fighting Isis to confronting Iran
(12) Michael Hudson says Neocons gave the world the Iraq & Syria wars
(13) Netanyahu, JINSA and AIPAC welcome killing of Someimani (Jewish
Telegraph Agency)
(14) China, Not Iran, Is the Power to Watch in Iraq; Iraq joins Belt &
Road (The Diplomat, journal of State Dept, Oct 2019)
(15) China builds Iraq Infrastructure

(1) Suleimani assassination - for OIL or for ISRAEL?
- by Peter Myers, January 8, 2020

Michael Hudson, the Marxist economist, has published an article saying
that the Suleimani assassination was for OIL (item 4). The article does
not mention Israel or the Neocons, but the implication is that the
assassination was for OIL NOT ISRAEL.

Pepe Escobar, at Asia Times, quoted from Hudson's article; it is doing
the rounds.

Yet in an article on his website, dated  February 1, 2019, Hudson says
that Neocons gave the world the Iraq & Syria wars:

https://michael-hudson.com/2019/02/trumps-brilliant-strategy-to-dismember-u-s-dollar-hegemony/
Trump’s Brilliant Strategy to Dismember U.S. Dollar Hegemony
By Michael
Friday February 1, 2019
(item 12 below)

In that article, Hudson clearly implies that Israel was the motive for
those wars; they were not FOR OIL.

Most 'alternative' commentators are saying that Soleimani was
assassinated for Israel. A Haaretz headline of January 1, 2018 reads:
"Report: U.S. gives Israel Green Light to Assassinate Soleimani" (item 5).

That page of Haaretz is at http://mailstar.net/Haaretz-assass-Soleimani.png

Note the date of the article in the bottom left corner.

Mossad had Suleimani in its sights for some years; it had already
assassinated at least five Iranian nuclear scientists (items 6 & 7).

However, Trump recently demanded 50% of Iraq's Oil revenues, to pay for
the continued Reconstruction of Iraq, after the US invasion of 2004 left
it in ruins (item 2).

But this was part of Trump's economy drive. His refusal to spend Dollars
repairing Iraq was the reason he asked for Oil revenues. That does not
mean that Soleimani was killed for that reason.

Marxists, pushing a materialist line, often push the OIL motive, and
deny the role of the Israel Lobby.

Ex-Larouche writers, who once wrote for Executive Intelligence Review,
such as F. William Engdahl and Webster G. Tarpley, do the same. Pepe
Escobar also seems to have a Larouche stripe.

(2) Trump demanded Oil, to pay for Reconstruction. Iraq did deal with
China instead. Trump furious, staged demonstrations & snipers to force
PM to resign

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/01/blowback-from-the-soleimani-assassination-increases-as-iraq-reveals-how-trump-tried-to-steal-its-oil.html

January 07, 2020

Blowback From The Soleimani Assassination Increases As Iraq Reveals How
Trump Tried To Steal Its Oil

The blowback from Trump's assassination of Major General Qassem
Soleimani and PMU leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is increasing.  A scandal
is developing as one consequence of Trump's evil deed after Iraq's Prime
Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi revealed the gangster methods U.S. President
Trump used in his attempts to steal Iraq's oil. Below we follow today's
development. [...]

Roham Alvandi  @RohamAlvandiLSE -10:11 UTC · Jan 5, 2020

Ardeshir Zahedi, the foreign minister of Iran from 1966 to 1971 and the
former son-in-law of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, describes Soleimani as
a "patriotic and honourable soldier who was a son of Iran" and compares
him to De Gaulle, Montgomery, MacArthur, and Eisenhower. ...

The U.S. has denied Iran's Foreign Minister Jahvad Zarif a visa for a
long planned visit to the UN in New York. Zarif responded by saying that
he can talk to the U.S. people from Tehran. [...]

The leader of a number of Iraqi Popular Militia Forces will meet in the
next 48 hours to plan for the eviction of U.S. forces from Iraq should
they not leave voluntarily. For security reasons the meeting was moved
from Baghdad to Tehran.

North-Yemen held a quite large public mourning for Qassem Soleimani and
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. A Houthi minister held a speech during which he said:

"Soleimani's blood .. will turn into intercontinental missiles .. to
destroy US warships and end US regional presence" U.S. war ships will
certainly have to avoid Yemen's coast.

The removal of U.S. troops from the region was also the theme of
Sunday's speech by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. It
seems clear that the Resistance Axis will work on the project in a
coordinated manner.

Trump said he would ask Iraq to pay for the bases the U.S. has built
should the U.S. troops be kicked out of Iraq. The U.S. already has
binding legal agreements with Iraq which stipulate that the bases, and
all fixed installations the U.S. has built there, are the property of Iraq.

Trump had already asked Iraqi Prime Ministers - twice - if the U.S.
could get Iraq's oil as reward for invading and destroying their
country. The requests were rejected. Now we learn that Trump also uses
gangster methods (ar) to get the oil of Iraq. The talk by the Iraqi
Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi happened during the recent parliament session
in Iraq (machine translation):

{quote} Al-Halbousi, Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives,
blocked the speech of Mr. Abdul Mahdi in the scheduled session to
discuss the decision to remove American forces from Iraq.

At the beginning of the session, Al-Halbousi left the presidential seat
and sat next to Mr. Abdul-Mahdi, after his request to cut off the live
broadcast of the session, a public conversation took place between the
two parties. The voice of Adel Abdul Mahdi was raised.

Mr. Abdul Mahdi spoke with an angry tone, saying:

"The Americans are the ones who destroyed the country and wreaked havoc
on it. They are those who refuse to complete building the electrical
system and infrastructure projects. They have bargained for the
reconstruction of Iraq in exchange for giving up 50% of Iraqi oil
imports, so I refused and decided to go to China and concluded an
important and strategic agreement with it, and today Trump is trying to
cancel this important agreement."

The American President's threatened the Iraqi Prime Minister to
liquidate him directly with the Minister of Defense. The Marines are the
third party that sniped the demonstrators and the security men:

Abdul Mahdi continued:

"After my return from China, Trump called me and asked me to cancel the
agreement, so I also refused, and he threatened me with massive
demonstrations that would topple me. Indeed, the demonstrations started
and then Trump called, threatening to escalate in the event of
non-cooperation and responding to his wishes, so that the third party
(Marines snipers) would target the demonstrators and security forces and
kill them from the highest structures and the US embassy in an attempt
to pressure me and submit to his wishes and cancel the China agreement,
so I did not respond and submitted my resignation and the Americans
still insist to this day on canceling the China agreement and when the
defense minister said that who kills the demonstrators is a third party,
Trump called me immediately and physically threatened me and defense
minister in the event of talk about the third party."

{endquote}

The reliable Based Cat in Iraq seems to confirm the timeline:

TØM CLT @TomtheBasedCat - 4:00 UTC · Jan 7, 2020 Yes a 50-person
delegation visited China in 2019 and then the protests started on
October 1st until the Arbaeen dates, then picked up again on Oct 25th.
I'm skeptical about the 3rd party but the timing itself was interesting.
The flames were fanned by Gulf media and Al-Hurra. Al-Hurra is a U.S.
government financed Arab language TV outlet.

Southfront has a similar report, seemingly from a different source, with
some additional context.

While this talk has not yet been confirmed it does sounds highly plausible.

The chicken-hawks of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who have all
lobbied the U.S. for war on Iran, now fear the consequences:

Gulf Arab states, potential targets for retaliation after the U.S.
assassinated Iran’s top general, are working on multiple tracks to try
to keep tensions between Tehran and Washington from building into a
military confrontation.

Earlier today Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrived in Damascus for
talks with the Syria's President Assad. Could there also be a meeting
between Putin and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah? Putin will next go
to Turkey to inaugurate the gas pipeline between Russia and Turkey.

Posted by b on January 7, 2020 at 17:40 UTC

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1214408047302520832.html

Ibn Riad - @IbnRiad

[Thread] A translation of the below thread by Ahmad Khazraji on Iraqi
caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, in which he reveals the
reasons he held his silence and resigned.

(Most significantly, he reveals that US Marine snipers fired at Iraqi
protestors.) Unroll available on Thread Reader

6:28 AM - Jan 7, 2020 The first revelation is why Halbousi attended the
parliamentary session while almost none of the Sunni members did. This
was because the Americans learned Abdul-Mehdi planned to reveal
sensitive secrets in the session, and sent Halbousi to prevent this.

Halbousi cut Abdul-Mehdi off during the beginning of his speech, then
asked for the live airing of the session to be stopped. After this,
Halbousi and the other members sat by Abdul-Mehdi and spoke openly with
no recording.

(Actually unclear to me exactly what happens here, but the important
part is that the broadcast is cut off and Abdul-Mehdi keeps talking)
This is what was discussed in that session (unbroadcast): Abdul-Mehdi
spoke angrily of how the Americans had ruined the country and now
refused to complete the infrastructure and electricity grid projects
unless they are promised 50% of oil revenues - Which Abdul-Mehdi refused.

Abdul-Mehdi: This is why I visited China and signed an important
agreement with them to undertake the construction instead. Upon my
return, Trump called me to rescind the agreement, and when I refused, he
threatened me with huge demonstrations against me that would end my PM-ship

Abdul-Mehdi: And so indeed huge demos materialised against me, and Trump
calls again and says, if I don’t comply w/ his demands, he will station
Marines snipers atop highest buildings, who will target and kill
protestors and security forces alike, in an attempt to pressure me.

Abdul-Mahdi: Again I refused, & handed in my resignation, and to this
day the Americans insist on cancelling our deal with China. Abdul-Mehdi:
After this, when our Minister of Defense publicly said that a third side
was targeting both protestors and security (just as Trump threatened), I
receive a new call from Trump who threatened to kill both me and the MoD
if we keep talking about this "third side". So to summarise, & to get
this straight, the US has:

- refused to finish reconstructing the country they destroyed

- demanded 50% of all oil revenues from Iraq in exchange for finishing
this work (gangster-style)

- lost their mind when Iraq looked to China instead

(Cont.) - demanded that Iraq rescind the agreement, & upon rejection,
fomented mass protests

- demanded anew, and this time when rejected again, stationed Marines
snipers to take out protestors and security men

- threatened to KILL the caretaker PM and the MoD if word of this got out

(3) Iraq PM visited China in 2019; China agreed to undertake
construction projects instead of US

https://southfront.org/iraqi-prime-minister-was-forced-to-resign-after-trump-threatened-his-life/

#IRAQ#USA 07.01.2020

IRAQI PRIME MINISTER WAS FORCED TO RESIGN AFTER TRUMP THREATENED HIS
LIFE: REPORT

Iraqi Prime Minister Was Forced To Resign After Trump Threatened His
Life: Report

On January 5th, the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution to expel US
troops from the country. In attendance was, caretaker Prime Minister
Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who, according to reports provided insight into why
specifically Iraq was in this situation, and predominantly spoke about
threats that came his way from US President Donald Trump and the US
policy towards the country.

The following is the summary of reports regarding Abdul-Mehdi’s comments
during the January 5 vote of the Iraqi Parliament. These reports have
been nor officially confirmed nor denied by the Prime Minister office.

Abdul-Mehdi adressed the US hostile actions against the country. For
example, the politician reportedly said that the US refused to complete
the infrastructure and electricity grid projects unless it is promised
50% of oil revenues. The Prime Minister refused to make the concession.

@Ahmedzehzeeh222

6:28 AM - Jan 7, 2020

Then, when the Prime Minister visited China and reached an important
agreement to undertake construction of the projects instead of the US,
President Donald Trump allegedly called him, telling him to rescind the
agreement with China, otherwise there would be massive demonstrations
against him, that would force him out of his seat.

HINT: A 50-person Iraqi delegation visited China in 2019 and that
protests began on October 1st, observed a religious holiday, and then
ramped up once again on October 25th. The flames of the protests were
further fanned by mainstream media outlets.

TØM CLT @TomtheBasedCat

  Yes a 50-person delegation visited China in 2019 and then the protests
started on October 1st until the Arbaeen dates, then picked up again on
Oct 25th. I'm skeptical about the 3rd party but the timing itself was
interesting. The flames were fanned by Gulf media and Al-Hurra.
https://twitter.com/iraqi_agi/status/1214392143005003777 …

Ahmed @iraqi_agi

IMPORTANT ABOUT THE PROTEST IN IRAQ: Trump called the Iraqi PM and asked
him to cancel the agreement Iraq was trying to make with China to
improve the Iraqi infrastructure (roads, electrity,water) , Iraqi PM
refused, so Trump threatened him with massive demonstrations

2:00 PM - Jan 7, 2020

Then, when massive demonstrations materialized against Adel Abdul-Mahdi,
Trump once again allegedly called him. The US President allegedly
threatened to position US marine snipers "atop the highest buildings,"
who will target and kill protesters and security forces alike in an
attempt to pressure the Prime Minister.

Instead of complying, Adel Abdul-Mahdi refused and handed in his
resignation and the US still attempt to pressure him in cancelling the
supposed deal with China.

Later on, when the Iraqi Minister of Defense publicly said that a third
side was targeting both protesters and security forces alike,
Abdul-Mahdi allegedly received a new call from Trump who threatened to
kill both him and the Minister of Defense if they kept talking about
this "third side".

Furthermore, the Iraqi Pirme Minister revealed that Iranian General
Qassem Soleimani was invited to Iraq to take part in reconciliation
negotiations with Saudi Arabia when he was assassinated by the US. ...

Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai

We have learned today from #Iraq Prime Minister AdilAbdl Mahdi how
@realDonaldTrump uses diplomacy:#US asked #Iraq to mediate with #Iran.
Iraq PM asks #QassemSoleimani to come and talk to him and give him the
answer of his mediation, Trump &co assassinate an envoy at the airport

[...] The US Embassy in New Delhi in India is closed due to mass
protests. Protesters burn flags of the USA and Israel.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia called on Muslim countries to unite to
protect themselves from foreign attacks and killings.

Thus, it appears that recent US actions have, once again, undermined its
global hegemony and especially may end up reducing its influence in the
Middle East, likely counter to its initial plans.

(4) Michael Hudson says Suleimani assassination was for OIL, not for ISRAEL

https://www.unz.com/mhudson/america-escalates-its-democratic-oil-war-in-the-near-east/

America Escalates Its "Democratic" Oil War in the Near East

MICHAEL HUDSON

JANUARY 5, 2020

The mainstream media are carefully sidestepping the method behind
America’s seeming madness in assassinating Islamic Revolutionary Guard
general Qassim Suleimani to start the New Year. The logic behind the
assassination this was a long-standing application of U.S. global
policy, not just a personality quirk of Donald Trump’s impulsive action.
His assassination of Iranian military leader Suleimani was indeed a
unilateral act of war in violation of international law, but it was a
logical step in a long-standing U.S. strategy. It was explicitly
authorized by the Senate in the funding bill for the Pentagon that it
passed last year.

The assassination was intended to escalate America’s presence in Iraq to
keep control the region’s oil reserves, and to back Saudi Arabia’s
Wahabi troops (Isis, Al Quaeda in Iraq, Al Nusra and other divisions of
what are actually America’s foreign legion) to support U.S. control o
Near Eastern oil as a buttress o the U.S. dollar. That remains the key
to understanding this policy, and why it is in the process of
escalating, not dying down. [...]

(5) Haaretz:   U.S. gives Israel Green Light to Assassinate Soleimani
(Jan 2018)
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/u-s-gives-israel-green-light-to-assassinate-iran-s-general-soleimani-1.5630156

Report: U.S. Gives Israel Green Light to Assassinate Iranian General
Soleimani

Al Jarida, a Kuwaiti newspaper which in recent years had broken
exclusive stories from Israel, says Israel was 'on the verge' of
assassinating Soleimani, but the U.S. warned Tehran and thwarted the
operation

Haaretz Jan 01, 2018 1:30 PM

Note: This article was published in January 2018

Washington gave Israel a green light to assassinate Qassem Soleimani,
the commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran's
Revolutionary Guard, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Monday.

Al-Jarida, which in recent years had broken exclusive stories from
Israel, quoted a source in Jerusalem as saying that "there is an
American-Israeli agreement" that Soleimani is a "threat to the two
countries' interests in the region." It is generally assumed in the Arab
world that the paper is used as an Israeli platform for conveying
messages to other countries in the Middle East.

The agreement between Israel and the United States, according to the
report, comes three years after Washington thwarted an Israeli attempt
to kill the general.

The report says Israel was "on the verge" of assassinating Soleimani
three years ago, near Damascus, but the United States warned the Iranian
leadership of the plan, revealing that Israel was closely tracking the
Iranian general.

The incident, the report said, "sparked a sharp disagreement between the
Israeli and American security and intelligence apparatuses regarding the
issue."

The Kuwaiti report also identified Iran's second in command in Syria,
known as "Abu Baker," as Mohammad Reda Falah Zadeh. It said he also
"might be a target" for Israel, as well as other actors in the region.

(6) Mossad chief says Israeli assassination of Soleimani "not
impossible" (Oct 2019)
https://deepstateblog.org/2019/10/24/is-israel-targeting-irans-top-general-for-assassination/

EFFERSON MORLEY

OCTOBER 24, 2019

Is Israel Targeting Iran’s Top General For Assassination?

That’s the question circulating both in Arab and Israeli media.

Israel’s Mossad is the world’s foremost practitioner of assassination.
General Qasem Soleimani is commander of the Qods Force, the special
operations command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Israel is worried about Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.
Soleimani is Iran’s most effective general.

In an interview published Thursday, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said a
potential Israeli assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the
head of the elite Quds Force in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps, was "not impossible."

In recent years, Soleimani has led two successful Iranian military
operations: the campaign to drive ISIS out of Iraq in 2015 and the
campaign to crush the jihadist forces opposed to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

In the same period, Israel assassinated at least five Iranian nuclear
scientists, according to Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman, in an effort
to thwart Iran’s nuclear program.

In a profile piece for ultra-Orthodox newspaper Mishpacha, Cohen was
asked about Soleimani’s claim that Israeli aircraft targeted him and
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut during the Second Lebanon
War in 2006.

(7) Mossad targeted Soleimani, Trump pulled the trigger

From: Sadanand, Nanjundiah (Physics and Engineering Physics)
[mailto:sadanand@ccsu.edu]
Sent: Mon, 6 Jan 2020 17:42:30 +0000

JANUARY 3, 2020

by JEFFERSON MORLEY

After Mossad Targeted Soleimani, Trump Pulled the Trigger

https://deepstateblog.org/2019/10/24/is-israel-targeting-irans-top-general-for-assassination/

https://deepstateblog.org/2020/01/03/after-Mossad-targeted-Soleimani-trump-pulled-the-trigger/

[Jefferson Morley, author of The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster
James Jesus Angleton, is the editor of The Deep State blog. He is a
member of the Truth & Reconciliation Committee, founded to reopen the
investigations of the assassination of JFK, MLK, RFK, and Malcolm X.]

Last October Yossi Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad, spoke openly about
assassinating Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite
Quds Force in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"He knows very well that his assassination is not impossible," Cohen
said in an interview. Soleimani had boasted that the Israel’s tried to
assassinate him in 2006 and failed.

"Is Israel Targeting Iran’s Top General for Assassination?" I asked on
October 24. On Thursday, Soleimani was killed in an air strike ordered
by President Trump.

Soleimani’s convoy was struck by U.S. missiles as he left a meeting at
Baghdad’s airport amid anti-Iranian and anti-American demonstrations in
Iraq. Supporters of an Iranian-backed militia had agreed to withdraw
from the U.S. diplomatic compound in return for a promise that the
government would allow a parliamentary vote on expelling 5,000 U.S.
troops from the country.

The Pentagon confirmed the military operation, which came "at the
direction of the president" and was "aimed at deterring future Iranian
attack plans." The Pentagon claimed in a statement that Gen. Soleimani
was "actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service
members in Iraq and throughout the region."

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, under indictment for criminal
charges, was the first and only national leader to support Trump’s
action, while claiming that that Trump acted entirely on his own.

"Just as Israel has the right to self-defense, the United States has
exactly the same right," Netanyahu told reporters in Greece. "Qassem
Soleimani is responsible for the deaths of American citizens and other
innocents, and he was planning more attacks."

In recent years, Soleimani led two successful Iranian military
operations: the campaign to drive ISIS out of western Iraq in 2015 and
the campaign to crush the jihadist forces opposed to Syria’s Bashar
al-Assad. The United States and Israel denounced Iran’s role in both
operations but could not prevent Iran from claiming victory.

Soleimani had assumed a leading role in Iraqi politics in the past year.
The anti-ISIS campaign relied on Iraqi militias, which the Iranians
supported with money, weapons, and training. After ISIS was defeated,
these militia maintained a prominent role in Iraq that many resented,
leading to demonstrations and rioting. Soleimani was seeking to
stabilize the government and channel the protests against the United
States when he was killed.

In the same period, Israel pursued its program of targeted
assassination. In the past decade Mossad assassinated < https:
www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/03/05/israel-assassination-iranian-scientists-217223=">
at least five Iranian nuclear scientists, according to Israeli
journalist Ronen Bergman, in an effort to thwart Iran’s nuclear program.
Yossi Melman, another Israeli journalist, says that Mossad has
assassinated 60-70 enemies outside of its borders since its founding in
1947, though none as prominent as Soleimani.

In the same period, Israel assassinated at least five Iranian nuclear
scientists, according to Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman, in an effort
to thwart Iran’s nuclear program.

In a profile piece for ultra-Orthodox newspaper Mishpacha, Cohen was
asked about Soleimani’s claim that Israeli aircraft targeted him and
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut during the Second Lebanon
War in 2006.

"With all due respect to his bluster, he hasn’t necessarily committed
the mistake yet that would place him on the prestigious list of Mossad’s
assassination targets," Cohen said.

Jack Khoury, a reporter for Ha’aretz, the leftist Israeli daily,
recently reported:

In January, Washington gave Israel the green light to assassinate
Soleimani, according to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida.

Al-Jarida, which in recent years had broken exclusive stories from
Israel, quoted a source in Jerusalem as saying that "there is an
American-Israeli agreement" that Soleimani is a "threat to the two
countries’ interests in the region." It is generally assumed in the Arab
world that the paper is used as an Israeli platform for conveying
messages to other countries in the Middle East.

An October 6 report from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism
Information Center in Israel highlighted Soleimani’s emergence as a
political figure in Iran. (The Center, named after a Mossad chief in the
1960s, reliably reflects the views of Israeli intelligence.)

Recently, the official website of the Supreme Leader of Iran
uncharacteristically published photos documenting a meeting of the
Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, the Secretary General of
Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the Commander of the Qods Force of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Qasem Soleimani. It is
unclear when the meeting was held. The photographs were published
alongside a wide-ranging interview with Secretary General of Hezbollah,
Hassan Nasrallah, published on the website of the Supreme Leader. In the
interview, Nasrallah detailed the development of relations between Iran
and Hezbollah since the 1980s. In addition, a rare interview with Qasem
Soleimani was aired on Iranian TV concerning the 2006 Lebanon War. It is
possible that these media appearances, alongside the threats recently
made toward Israel by senior IRGC commanders, are intended to send a
deterrent message to Israel to dissuade it from continuing to act
against Iranian-linked targets in Syria, Lebanon and western
Iraq.[emphasis added]

By elevating Soleimani’s prominence, the Israelis suggest, the Iranians
are sending a message that his assassination would be regarded as causus
belli, justification for war.

The "assassination squad prepared between 350 and 500 kilograms of
explosive material" to use against Soleimani during the holy month of
Muharram, which began this year in early September, possibly in the
Iranian city of Kerman, Taeb added.

Assassinating Soleimani would be consistent with Israeli doctrine. It
would also suck the United States into a war with Iran, at a time when
President Trump is loudly proclaiming his intention to end America’s
"stupid endless wars."

Israel also began striking at the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq last
year. The United States did the same on December 29, killing 19 fighters
and prompting anti-American demonstrations as big as the anti-Iranian
demonstrations of a month ago.

Now the killing of Soleimani promises more unrest, if not open war. The
idea that it will deter Iranian attacks is foolish.

"This doesn’t mean war," wrote former Defense Department official Andrew
Exum, "It will not lead to war, and it doesn’t risk war. None of that. ...

The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported a year ago that Washington had
given Israel the green light to assassinate Soleimani. Al-Jarida, which
in recent years has broken exclusive stories from Israel, quoted a
source in Jerusalem as saying that "there is an American-Israeli
agreement" that Soleimani is a "threat to the two countries’ interests
in the region." It is generally assumed in the Arab world that the paper
is used as an Israeli platform for conveying messages to other countries
in the Middle East.

Trump has now fulfilled the wishes of Mossad. After proclaiming his
intention to end America’s "stupid endless wars," the president has
effectively declared war on the largest country in the region in
solidarity with Israel, the most unpopular country in the Middle East.

(8) Iraq has lodged official complaints with UN & UNSC
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSS8N27L04K

JANUARY 6, 2020 / 12:26 AM

Iraq complains to UN over U.S. attacks -foreign ministry

BAGHDAD, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Iraq’s foreign ministry has lodged official
complaints with the United Nations Secretary-General and Security
Council over U.S. air strikes on Iraqi soil that killed Iranian general
Qassem Soleimani and several Iraqi militia leaders.

The complaint is about "American attacks and aggression on Iraqi
military positions and the assassination of Iraqi and allied high level
military commanders on Iraqi soil," the ministry said in a statement.

It described the attacks as "a dangerous breach of Iraqi sovereignty and
of the terms of U.S. presence in Iraq."

It called on the Security Council to condemn the attacks. (Reporting by
Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Maha El Dahan)

(9) PM Mahdi: if US troops remain in Iraq, they will be considered an
occupying force.

https://www.dw.com/en/iraqi-parliament-votes-to-expel-us-troops-awaits-government-approval/a-51892888

Iraqi parliament votes to expel US troops — awaits government approval

Parliament has voted to ask the government to end an agreement to host
US troops in Iraq. The move would oust all foreign soldiers, including
those from Germany. President Trump has threatened Iraq with sanctions.

Iraqi parliament on Sunday (Reuters/Iraqi parliament media office) The
Iraqi parliament has voted to remove US troops from Iraq. In an
extraordinary session, lawmakers backed a resolution to ask the
government to end an agreement with Washington to station 5,200 troops
in Iraq.

Sunday's resolution specifically calls for ending a 2014 agreement that
allows Washington to send troops to Iraq to help in the fight against
the "Islamic State" group.

"The government commits to revoke its request for assistance from the
international coalition fighting 'Islamic State' due to the end of
military operations in Iraq and the achievement of victory," the
resolution read.

"The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign
troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or
water for any reason." [...]

The decision to expel forces from the country also includes
representations from other nations, among them Germany. Foreign Minister
Heiko Maas expressed his concerns over the increasing tensions in the
Middle East, but also iterated that the Iraqi government's position must
be respected.

"Our overriding interest is that stability and unity in Iraq is not
falling victim to the recent escalation," Maas stressed late Sunday. On
the Iraqi government, he added: "We will respect every decision."

The German government said late Sunday that its military presence in
Iraq would "only remain if the Iraqi government wanted that."

Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraq's caretaker prime minister, said officials are
preparing a memo for legal and procedural steps to implement
parliament's resolution. He also said that if US troops remains then
they will be considered an occupying force. [...]

(10) Pompeo Goes Full Neocon, turn away from "America First" (Nov 2019)

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/pompeo-goes-full-Neocon-97432

Pompeo Goes Full Neocon

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pivots back from America First.

by Matthew Petti

November 18, 2019

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unleashed a litany of Neoconservative
talking points at a Monday afternoon press conference, marking a turn
away from the Trump administration’s "America First" foreign policy.

"We are recognizing the reality on the ground," he said when asked about
a one-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "When the
time is right, our vision will go forward."

The speech touched on issues around the world, from condemning China’s
crackdown in Hong Kong to condoning the recent military takeover in
Bolivia. But it focused the most on the Middle East, where President
Donald Trump has promised to end "endless wars."

Pompeo began by focusing on Iran, a country the Trump administration has
flip-flopped on several times. Pompeo demanded Iran act like a "normal
country," echoing a talking point from the days of  John Bolton.

"The United States will terminate the sanctions waiver related to the
nuclear facility at Fordow, effective December 15," Pompeo said, driving
another nail into the coffin of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and
six leading world powers. "The right amount of uranium enrichment for
the world’s largest state sponsor of terror is zero."

The waivers allowed foreign companies to work at the Fordow nuclear
enrichment facility, which Iran was converting to a civilian research
center under the deal. [...]

Pompeo also condemned Iraq’s crackdown on anti-government protests,
which has killed hundreds of civilians. He promised to sanction corrupt
Iraqi officials.

But his most-anticipated bombshell had to do with a conflict that has
been frozen in place for decades.

"The Trump administration is reversing the Obama administration's
approach towards Israeli settlements," Pompeo said, in prepared comments
that had been leaked a few hours before. "The establishment of Israeli
civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with
international law."

"There hasn’t been much support for Israel" on the international stage,
he added."

Pompeo’s statement reversed a U.S. legal position dating back to 1978.
U.S. administrations since the Carter administration have held that
Israel cannot legally settle its own civilians in the Palestinian
territories that Israel captured in its 1967 war against its Arab neighbors.

Israel and the Palestinian leadership have worked towards a two-state
solution, which would create an independent State of Palestine in the
1967 territories, since the Oslo peace accords of the 1990s. Israeli
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to annex Israeli
settlements in the territories, threatening to create a one-state status
quo. [...]

Editor's note: the piece has been updated to better reflect the context
of Mr. Reis's statement.

(11) Mission Creep: from fighting Isis to confronting Iran

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/america-wearing-out-its-welcome-iraq-110011

America Is Wearing Out Its Welcome In Iraq

If there is a parallel with Tehran in 1979, it is to be found primarily
in a U.S. failure to anticipate and understand the nature of the
anti-U.S. anger so much in evidence.

by Paul R. Pillar

The scene in the Green Zone in Baghdad easily evokes memories of Tehran
forty years ago. A U.S. embassy in the Persian Gulf region is under
siege by an angry mob. The protestors, predominantly young, break
through the outer walls of the compound as U.S. diplomats take refuge in
a safe room. President Donald Trump implicitly extends the parallel by
reacting in the narrowly anti-Iran terms that have defined his policies
in this part of the world. "Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S.
Embassy in Iraq," Trump tweeted from Mar-a-Lago. "To those many millions
of people in Iraq who want freedom and who don't want to be dominated
and controlled by Iran, this is your time!"

But a closer look at what has been happening in Iraq suggests that
genuine anger had much more to do with events than any orchestration
did. The protestors who smashed their way into the embassy compound did
so in defiance of appeals from leaders armed with loudspeakers. And the
popular anger displayed at the embassy was also quite visible elsewhere
in Iraq. If there is a parallel with Tehran in 1979, it is to be found
primarily in a U.S. failure to anticipate and understand the nature of
the anti-U.S. anger so much in evidence. [...]

U.S. military personnel are in Iraq supposedly on an anti-ISIS mission.
Under the Trump administration, there appears to have been mission
creep, in Iraq as well as Syria, in which somehow confronting Iran has
become part of a new mission. That mission has never been justified. No
one has explained exactly how the current state of Iraqi-Iranian
relations threatens U.S. interests—beyond any threat to the very same
U.S. military personnel in Iraq, which brings circular reasoning into
play. Seemingly forgotten among all this is how Iran, and the Iraqi
elements it supports, also have been performing an anti-ISIS mission.

Paul R. Pillar is a contributing editor at the National Interest and the
author of Why America Misunderstands the World.

(12) Michael Hudson says Neocons gave the world the Iraq & Syria wars

https://michael-hudson.com/2019/02/trumps-brilliant-strategy-to-dismember-u-s-dollar-hegemony/

Trump’s Brilliant Strategy to Dismember U.S. Dollar Hegemony

By Michael

Friday February 1, 2019

The end of America’s unchallenged global economic dominance has arrived
sooner than expected, thanks to the very same Neocons who gave the world
the Iraq, Syria and the dirty wars in Latin America. Just as the Vietnam
War drove the United States off gold by 1971, its sponsorship and
funding of violent regime change wars against Venezuela and Syria – and
threatening other countries with sanctions if they do not join this
crusade – is now driving European and other nations to create their
alternative financial institutions.

This break has been building for quite some time, and was bound to
occur. But who would have thought that Donald Trump would become the
catalytic agent? No left-wing party, no socialist, anarchist or foreign
nationalist leader anywhere in the world could have achieved what he is
doing to break up the American Empire. The Deep State is reacting with
shock at how this right-wing real estate grifter has been able to drive
other countries to defend themselves by dismantling the U.S.-centered
world order. To rub it in, he is using Bush and Reagan-era Neocon
arsonists, John Bolton and now Elliott Abrams, to fan the flames in
Venezuela. It is almost like a black political comedy. The world of
international diplomacy is being turned inside-out. A world where there
is no longer even a pretense that we might adhere to international
norms, let alone laws or treaties. [...]

The end of our monetary imperialism, about which I first wrote in 1972
in Super Imperialism, stuns even an informed observer like me. It took a
colossal level of arrogance, short-sightedness and lawlessness to hasten
its decline — something that only crazed Neocons like John Bolton,
Elliot Abrams and Mike Pompeo could deliver for Donald Trump.

(13) Netanyahu, JINSA and AIPAC welcome killing of Someimani (Jewish
Telegraph Agency)

https://www.jta.org/2020/01/04/united-states/what-the-killing-of-the-top-iranian-general-qassem-soleimani-means-for-jews-the-us-and-israel

What the killing of the top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani means for
Jews, the US and Israel

BY RON KAMPEAS

JANUARY 4, 2020 11:48 AM

WASHINGTON (JTA) — A U.S. strike on a vehicle near Baghdad airport early
Friday morning killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s most influential military
commander. [...]

Eric Edelman, a former undersecretary of defense for policy under George
W. Bush, praised the action in a conference call organized by the Jewish
Institute for National Institute of America but said Trump should make a
long-term policy clear. [...]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was almost alone among foreign
leaders in welcoming the strike. France, Russia and China condemned the
attack as destabilizing, and Pompeo spent much of Friday on the phone
with regional and world leaders pledging to de-escalate tension in the
region.

"Just as Israel has the right of self-defense, the United States has
exactly the same right," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Qassem
Soleimani is responsible for the death of American citizens and many
other innocent people. He was planning more such attacks. President
Trump deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and
decisively. Israel stands with the United States in its just struggle
for peace, security and self-defense."

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee also praised the action.

"The president’s decisive action brought to justice one of the world’s
most dangerous terrorists, who was responsible for the deaths of over
600 U.S. servicemen," the pro-Israel lobby stated.

(14) China, Not Iran, Is the Power to Watch in Iraq; Iraq joins Belt &
Road (The Diplomat, journal of State Dept, Oct 2019)

By Daniel J. Samet

October 30, 2019

China, Not Iran, Is the Power to Watch in Iraq

[...]  Analysts are right to worry about foreign influence in Iraq — a
weak state racked by sectarian tension and extremism and currently
embroiled in mass social unrest. Yet while the United States fixates on
Iranian ambitions, a far more formidable power has stepped in. Last
month, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi revealed that his country
was signing on to China's signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). His
announcement coincided with his state visit to Beijing, which the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime feted with habitual adulation in
state media.

Amid the typically tumultuous Middle East news, Abdul-Mahdi's visit and
BRI announcement made few headlines. But the United States and others
ought to pay attention as China adds another feather to its BRI cap.

Iraq and China had quietly begun to deepen their relationship before
this year. In 2015, Haider al-Abadi, Abdul-Mahdi's predecessor, took a
state visit of his own to China, where the two sides concluded an
agreement on a "strategic partnership." Iraqi oil exports to China
jumped to approximately $20 billion last year, making Iraq the country's
fourth largest supplier.

(15) China builds Iraq Infrastructure

Chinese investments in Iraq are concentrated not just in oil exploration
but also in infrastructure such as power plants, cement factories and
water treatment facilities

https://www.mei.edu/publications/china-iraq-relations-poised-quantum-leap

China-Iraq Relations: Poised for a "Quantum Leap"?

October 8, 2019

John Calabrese

[...] Decades of war, sanctions, and sectarian conflict have not
deterred China from pursuing business in Iraq. On the contrary, China
has emerged as Iraq’s number one trading partner and Iraq as China’s
third-leading source of oil after Saudi Arabia and Russia. As the Da’esh
threat has receded, China has sought to expand its footprint in Iraq and
has found in Baghdad a partner greatly in need of support for its
reconstruction and recovery effort. This past April while in Baghdad,
China’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations Lee Joon was reported as
saying his country was ready to contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction.[1]

Upon arriving in Beijing on September 19 at the head of a 55-member
delegation, Iraq Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi described the visit to
China as heralding a "quantum leap" in bilateral relations.[2] The
five-day visit culminated in the signing of eight wide-ranging memoranda
of understanding (MoUs), a framework credit agreement, and the
announcement of plans for Iraq to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI).[3] Since then, however, a wave of angry anti-government protests
have swept across much of Iraq, leaving more than 100 dead and thousands
wounded — a vivid reminder of the country’s ongoing struggle for
stability and of the obstacles to the further consolidation of
China-Iraq relations. [...]

While the fact that Iraq’s oil production has increased by nearly half
despite the turmoil in the country and volatile prices is encouraging,
it is important to point out that the oil sector is beset with damaged
and outdated infrastructure, as well as a lack of pipeline and export
capacity.[21] The country has also been struggling with severe
shortfalls in electricity supply and with provision of adequate water
supply for oil recovery. In addition, there is an urgent need to repair
the Baiji refinery and to overhaul the refining sector as a whole to
meet rising domestic demand for refined products.

Iraq’s ability to achieve its new oil production targets of 6.2 million
barrels per day (bpd) by the end of 2020 and 9 million bpd by the end of
2023[22] and to harness additional associated gas from fields in the
oil-rich Basra province depends on securing sufficient water for
reinjection into oil reservoirs — hence, Baghdad’s ambitious plans to
build out the Southern Iraq Integrated Project (SIIP).[23] However, this
critical infrastructure project has faced extensive delays and the scope
of the work has been dramatically scaled back. Unable thus far to strike
a deal with ExxonMobil, Iraq could cast a wider net, splitting up the
mega-project among other foreign companies. Potentially bright prospects
for doing so could lie in Asia, the destination for over 60% of its
crude oil exports. In fact, Exxon’s project partner, PetroChina,
reportedly is seeking to bring in other Chinese companies to participate
in the infrastructure work[24] — a plausible scenario given the nature
and trajectory of the Sino-Iraqi relationship. [...]

However, it is important to note that Chinese investments in Iraq are
concentrated not just in oil exploration but also in infrastructure such
as power plants, cement factories and water treatment facilities.
Numerous Chinese firms are currently engaged in major construction
projects in Iraq, including Shanghai Electric, China Building Materials
Construction, and China Hydroelectric Power.[51] CITIC Construction Co.
is serving as credit provider and engineering, procurement, and
construction (EPC) contractor in the building of a combined cycle power
plant in Missan Governorate.[52]


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