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Politics

White House: Russia preparing to annex Ukraine territory (AUDIO)

White House: Russia preparing to annex Ukraine territory (AUDIO) 150 150 admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russia is laying the groundwork for the annexation of Ukrainian territory and is installing illegitimate proxy officials in areas there under its control, the White House said on Tuesday.

Unveiling what he said was U.S. intelligence, John Kirby, the chief National Security Council spokesman, told a White House news briefing that the Russians are preparing to install proxy officials, establish the rouble as the default currency and force residents to apply for citizenship.

Russia is also attempting to take control of broadcasting towers, he said.

At the same time, Kirby said the United States in the next few days will announce a new weapons package for Ukraine as it engages Russia in fierce battles in eastern Ukraine.

It will be the 16th such drawdown of money approved by Congress and allocated under presidential authority, he said.

The package is expected to include U.S. mobile rocket launchers, known as HIMARS and rounds for Multiple Launch Rocket Systems as well as artillery munitions, sources said.

 

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; additional reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Leslie Adler and Alistair Bell)

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Bidens welcome Ukraine’s first lady to White House, Zelenskiy expects major results

Bidens welcome Ukraine’s first lady to White House, Zelenskiy expects major results 150 150 admin

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden, with flowers in hand, and first lady Jill Biden welcomed Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, to the White House on Tuesday for a visit ahead of her address to Congress on Wednesday.

Zelenska, the wife of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, embraced Jill Biden and received the flowers from the president, who met her vehicle outside.

Afterwards, the two women and delegations from both countries sat down for a meeting in the White House Blue Room.

Jill Biden had made a surprise visit to Ukraine, which Russia invaded on Feb. 24, in May, visiting her counterpart and a school that was sheltering displaced Ukrainians.

Zelenskiy later said he expected “significant results” from his wife’s meetings in Washington.

Her tasks include increasing U.S. support for Ukraine, obtaining additional support to “protect people from Russian terror” and boosting humanitarian assistance, he said in a late-night video address.

He said the address to Congress would be important, adding “I strongly believe it will be heard by those people responsible for making decisions in the United States”.

Russia calls its action in Ukraine a “special military operation” to ensure its own security. Zelenskiy has led his country in standing up to Moscow.

“When I came back, one of the things that I said was, you cannot go into a war zone and come back and not feel the sorrow and the pain of the people,” Jill Biden said at the beginning of their meeting.

She said she had spoken to her team about helping address mental health issues for mothers and children who have suffered atrocities.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and David Ljunggren; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Jonathan Oatis)

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U.S. advisers say no need for Disinformation Governance Board

U.S. advisers say no need for Disinformation Governance Board 150 150 admin

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Advisers to the U.S. Homeland Security Department said there was no need for the Disinformation Governance Board created by President Joe Biden’s administration earlier this year.

The recommendation from a Homeland Security Advisory Council subcommittee comes two months after Nina Jankowicz, the head of Biden’s disinformation-fighting advisory group, resigned.

The board’s creation provoked criticism from right-wing critics of Biden and skepticism from some experts, who felt a government agency should not be responsible for tackling disinformation since the government itself is often accused of wrongdoing.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Monday.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said at the time that the board was being “grossly and intentionally mischaracterized” and that it was not about censorship or policing speech.

DHS said the board was intended to advise the government on how to fight lies spread by, for example, foreign countries such as Russia or China, or human traffickers.

DHS said in May it was pausing the board’s activity pending a “thorough review.”

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; additional reporting by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Stephen Coates)

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U.S. Senate Democrats urge Biden to declare climate emergency

U.S. Senate Democrats urge Biden to declare climate emergency 150 150 admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two U.S. Senate Democrats urged President Joe Biden on Monday to declare a climate emergency and use the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of a wide range of renewable energy products and systems including solar panels.

Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jeff Merkley, speaking days after an effort to advance climate legislation failed in the Senate, also called on Biden to use the White House “bully pulpit” to draw attention to climate-related crises in the United States.

“It is time for the Biden administration to pivot to a very aggressive climate strategy,” Merkley said.

Biden said last week that he would take unspecified steps to reduce climate emissions after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin withdrew support for climate legislation that Democrats had hoped to pass before Congress leaves Washington for its August recess. In the evenly divided Senate, Manchin’s support was critical for passage of the legislation, which lacked any Republican backing.

Manchin and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer had been in talks about $300 billion in tax credits for industries including solar and wind power, carbon capture from power plants, and nuclear power, which generates virtually emissions-free electricity.

Whitehouse said he spoke to the White House about the need to move forward with aggressive executive action, but shared no details. “I’ve talked to the White House about going on offense and being aggressive and doing all the things that it is within the executive powers to do that have not so far been done,” he said.

Whitehouse said the conversation tracked his public call for initiatives ranging from tighter carbon regulations for vehicles and power plants to carbon border tariffs and potential federal litigation against the fossil fuel industry.

It was not clear, however, how far the White House could go, after the Supreme Court last month effectively restricted the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing emissions rules involving matters of major “economic and political significance.”

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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Penalty phase begins for man facing death for Florida mass school shooting

Penalty phase begins for man facing death for Florida mass school shooting 150 150 admin

By Brian Ellsworth

MIAMI (Reuters) – Opening arguments are set to begin on Monday in the penalty phase of the trial of the man who killed 17 people at a Florida high school on Valentine’s Day in 2018, one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty in October to the premeditated murder of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, about 30 miles north of Fort Lauderdale.

A jury will now determine whether he should be sentenced to life in prison or receive the death penalty. A decision could take several months.

Cruz, a 19-year-old expelled student with a history of mental health and behavioral problems at the time of the shooting, said in his guilty plea he was “very sorry” and asked to be given a chance to help others.

Prosecutors at the Broward State’s Attorney Office in arguing for the death penalty have noted in court documents that the shooting involving an AR-15 rifle was “cold, calculated and premeditated.”

The jury must be unanimous to recommend that Cruz be executed. If any of the 12 jurors objects, Cruz will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer is presiding over the proceedings, which are being held in Fort Lauderdale.

U.S. gun violence has gotten renewed attention following a spate of mass shootings including one at an Independence Day parade outside Chicago, Illinois, that killed seven people, and another in May at a school in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

U.S. President Joe Biden in June signed the first major federal gun reform in three decades, which he has celebrated as a rare bipartisan agreement.

At a White House event last week to herald the law’s passage, Biden was interrupted by Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Oliver shouted “we’ve already gone through this for years and years” and said more needs to be done.

Some teenagers who survived the deadly rampage formed “March for Our Lives,” an organization calling for gun control legislation such as a ban on assault-style rifles.

Cruz was 18 when he legally purchased the rifle from a licensed gun dealer.

(Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Richard Chang)

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Anthony Fauci to retire by end of Biden’s term – Politico

Anthony Fauci to retire by end of Biden’s term – Politico 150 150 admin

(Reuters) – Dr Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert who is the chief medical adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, will retire by the end of Biden’s term, he told Politico in an interview on Monday.

Fauci, 81, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984 and became the face of the U.S. government’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

He served on the White House coronavirus task force under former President Donald Trump.

NIAID did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

 

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)

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Former Trump adviser Bannon on trial for defying congressional subpoena

Former Trump adviser Bannon on trial for defying congressional subpoena 150 150 admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Jury selection begins on Monday in the criminal trial of Steve Bannon, a former presidential aide to Donald Trump, who faces charges that he defied a congressional subpoena from the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump’s supporters.

Bannon, 68, is facing two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress after he declined to provide testimony or documents to the House of Representatives committee.

Bannon has unsuccessfully tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols to delay his trial, arguing that the committee’s high-profile televised hearings could make it harder for him to have a fair and impartial jury.

The committee presented evidence in a televised hearing last week that Bannon spoke with Trump at least twice on Jan. 5, the day before the Capitol attack.

The committee also played a clip of Bannon saying “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow” on a right-wing talk show that day. He made those comments after his first call with Trump, the committee said.

Another hearing could be held this week, while the trial continues.

After Bannon was first charged in the case, he claimed he was unable to comply with the committee’s request because the materials were covered by a legal doctrine known as executive privilege that keeps presidential communications confidential.

Nichols has ruled that Bannon cannot use executive privilege as a defense in his case, and he also cannot claim he relied on his attorney’s advice when he declined to testify or provide records.

Trump told Bannon earlier this month he was waiving any executive privilege claim, and Bannon has since offered to testify before the committee.

Last week, Nichols left open the possibility that Bannon could potentially present evidence of his recent offer to cooperate with the panel to the jury as a defense.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Andy Sullivan and Jonathan Oatis)

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Top Wisconsin Democrats focus on Sen. Johnson in debate

Top Wisconsin Democrats focus on Sen. Johnson in debate 150 150 admin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Top Democrats running for the chance to take on U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin largely kept their focus on the Republican opponent during the first and only televised debate Sunday, while the only female candidate faulted the men for not doing more to advocate for abortion rights.

The debate bringing together five candidates came just over three weeks before the Aug. 9 primary. The winner will advance to face Johnson, who is seeking a third term, in what is expected to be one of the most costly and hotly contested races in the country with majority control of the Senate at play.

Polls show Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry are leading the crowded field. Both Barnes and Lasry focused on Johnson, and not one another, in the debate as they advocated for getting rid of the Senate filibuster to pass a bill protecting abortion rights, passing gun safety laws, protecting the environment and tax changes to benefit the middle class.

Barnes pointed to his win as Gov. Tony Evers’ running mate in 2018 over then-Gov. Scott Walker as evidence that he knows how to beat a Republican statewide. Lasry noted his union support to make the case for him to take on Johnson.

State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, the only woman in the race, took aim at her male opponents on abortion, asking why they had not made it more of a priority before the U.S. Supreme Court last month overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which put an 1849 state law banning abortion in Wisconsin back into effect.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, who has trailed in the polls, attacked Godlewski for not voting in the 2016 election won by Donald Trump. He narrowly carried Wisconsin that year before losing the state by nearly an identical margin in 2020.

Godlewski worked for Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Wisconsin in 2016 but records show she did not vote.

“As the only woman on this stage, I don’t need to be lectured by any men about how important the 2016 election was,” Godlewski said, highlighting her work for Clinton as director of outreached to women voters. “I was the only one talking about reproductive rights because for me, this is not an afterthought.”

Barnes, who last week launched a television ad featuring his mother talking about having to end a pregnancy, said he supported exploring “every option to make sure women get the health care they need and deserve.”

Lasry, who noted that his wife works for Planned Parenthood, said defeating Johnson and doing away with the filibuster is the key to passing a law protecting abortion rights.

“We need to make sure that we’re doing anything we can to make sure women can make their own health care decisions the way men can make their own health care decisions,” Lasry said.

A fifth candidate, Steven Olikara, noted his experience leading a group called the Millennial Action Project that worked to empower younger people to bridge the partisan divide. He said he was running to change the system and reduce the influence of big money in politics.

Campaign finance reports filed last week showed that Johnson raised about $7 million over the past three months, more than the top four Democratic candidates combined. Lasry, whose father co-owns the Milwaukee Bucks, loaned his campaign $6.5 million of his own money.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal reports that the latest campaign finance reports showed Johnson had about $2 million on hand after spending about $6.5 million on ads during the second quarter.

Lasry actually outspent Johnson at $6.7 million thanks to the personal loan although his campaign brought in only $520,000 in outside donations.

Barnes collected $2.1 million in donations, Godlewski raised $900,000 and loaned her campaign $600,000 and Nelson collected $230,000.

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TML: Arab Summit Fails To Give Biden What He Wants

TML: Arab Summit Fails To Give Biden What He Wants 150 150 admin

Jeddah conference produced no strong public front on Iran, no regional security pact, nor any announcement on steps toward normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia

US President Joe Biden left Jeddah, Saudi Arabia aboard Air Force One on Saturday, ending his first Middle East visit since taking office after four days in the region without major announcements.

The lukewarm reception and lack of enthusiasm were evident when the governor of the Mecca Region, Khalid Al-Faisal, was sent to the airport to receive President Biden upon his arrival in the city of Jeddah, in striking contrast to the extravagant reception that was given to then-President Donald Trump when he visited Riyadh in 2017, making the kingdom his first destination on his first trip abroad as president.

The way President Biden greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with a fist bump rather than a handshake, and the serious expressions they maintained as they barely moved their lips, left no doubt about how they felt toward each other.

Three major topics topped the agenda of President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia: security, energy, and technology.

The Jeddah summit brought together the heads of government of the states producing about 50% of the world’s oil and was a chance for many of the United States’ Middle Eastern allies, who strongly believe the US has shifted its focus from their region to Asia, to reset relations with Washington.

“The United States is invested in building a positive future of the region, in partnership with all of you − and the United States is not going anywhere,” the president told Arab leaders in a speech during the summit, attended by the six Gulf Cooperation Council states − Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates − as well as Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.

In the end, the summit communiqué didn’t live up to the hype that preceded the highly anticipated event, as it failed to produce a strong public front on Iran or establish a security pact or announce any steps on normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, told reporters after the US-Arab summit that Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace to all air carriers had nothing to do with establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and was not a prelude to further steps.

Retired Iraqi Maj. Gen. Majid al-Qubaisi told The Media Line that the US president was greeted by “a different Middle East that Biden did not read correctly.”

The Iraqi position was clear through a statement by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who refused to let Baghdad be part of any military or security axis directed at Iran.

“Iraq’s policy is to be at an equal distance from all parties. Iraq’s political and security situation does not allow it to play a role in this region by entering into alliances against anyone,” the statement reads.

Qubaisi says Baghdad plays a positive role in the convergence of views between Tehran and Riyadh, and “won’t jeopardize its efforts.”

Although there is a strong American and Israeli attempt to unite the region against Iran and create a military alliance, Qubaisi confirms that President Biden has failed in his efforts.

“No alliance or security or military action against Iran has been announced due to the absence of any coordination or homogeneity between the countries participating in the summit, and there are many political differences, as some of them have political and economic relations with Iran,” says Qubaisi.

Iran has significant political influence in majority Shi’ite Iraq, while Qatar shares one of the largest gas fields with Iran in the Gulf. Meanwhile, Kuwait and Oman adopt a more neutral policy on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.

Fahad al-Shelaimi, president of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Political Studies in Kuwait, told The Media Line the main catalyst for the visit was that there are global geopolitical variables forcing President Biden to change his position on Saudi Arabia.

Shelaimi says the US withdrawal from the region encouraged China and Russia to fill the vacuum, economic and strategic, by building partnerships with the Gulf states.

The Gulf-Arab-Russian-Chinese rapprochement forced the Americans to rethink their approach in the region, he says.

“There is a need to build new bridges of trust or to restore old bridges of trust and political partnerships,” says Shelaimi.

Another factor, he says, that influenced the Biden Administration to reconnect with its Middle East allies is the Russo-Ukrainian War’s impact on the international energy market, as well as on regional and international political and military alliances and food security.

American domestic concerns also contributed to President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Shelaimi explains, “in an attempt to persuade the energy-rich Gulf Cooperation Council countries to increase their production until the price of oil drops.”

There is also Washington’s desire to help European allies, who rely heavily on energy from Russia, face the crippling sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow, as they look for alternative sources of energy.

The Iranian nuclear file was also on the agenda, “a priority of the Gulf and regional countries in the region,” says Shelaimi.

“Biden’s visit to the region and his meeting with the GCC is considered as sending a message to Iran, as these countries consider Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile program a threat to their national security,” he says.

Prof. Mohammad Marandi, head of the North American Studies Department at the University of Tehran, told The Media Line the Islamic Republic doesn’t see President Biden’s trip’s main intention as targeting them.

“I think the view here is predominantly that Biden is looking for Saudi oil to offset the current energy crisis and he didn’t get what he wanted.”

The feeling in Tehran is that the trip failed to achieve its objectives, Marandi says.

Talk of Israel forging some sort of military alliance with Arab states has intensified ahead of President Biden’s trip to the region, as caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid reiterated his country’s position on Iran, threatening the use of military force and insisting that “words” and “diplomacy” were not enough to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Diplomacy will not stop them. The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program the free world will use force. The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table,” Lapid told reporters standing next to the American president in Jerusalem on Thursday.

“Threats against Iran from Israel are nothing new. We’ve seen this often, during the Trump years we’ve heard the same language, also during the Obama years ‘all options were always on the table,’ the same was true with Bush,” says Marandi, adding that “the Israelis know if they carry out a strike on Iran,” Tehran will respond swiftly.

He says the chances of a security pact forming against Iran are slim because “regional countries, especially in the Persian Gulf, simply don’t trust each other.”

“Iran’s allies in Iraq are very powerful and therefore there’s no possibility for such a pact,” says Marandi.

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The Media Line: Arab Summit Fails To Give President Biden What He Wants

The Media Line: Arab Summit Fails To Give President Biden What He Wants 150 150 admin

Jeddah conference produced no strong public front on Iran, no regional security pact, nor any announcement on steps toward normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia

US President Joe Biden left Jeddah, Saudi Arabia aboard Air Force One on Saturday, ending his first Middle East visit since taking office after four days in the region without major announcements.

The lukewarm reception and lack of enthusiasm were evident when the governor of the Mecca Region, Khalid Al-Faisal, was sent to the airport to receive President Biden upon his arrival in the city of Jeddah, in striking contrast to the extravagant reception that was given to then-President Donald Trump when he visited Riyadh in 2017, making the kingdom his first destination on his first trip abroad as president.

The way President Biden greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with a fist bump rather than a handshake, and the serious expressions they maintained as they barely moved their lips, left no doubt about how they felt toward each other.

Three major topics topped the agenda of President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia: security, energy, and technology.

The Jeddah summit brought together the heads of government of the states producing about 50% of the world’s oil and was a chance for many of the United States’ Middle Eastern allies, who strongly believe the US has shifted its focus from their region to Asia, to reset relations with Washington.

“The United States is invested in building a positive future of the region, in partnership with all of you − and the United States is not going anywhere,” the president told Arab leaders in a speech during the summit, attended by the six Gulf Cooperation Council states − Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates − as well as Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.

In the end, the summit communiqué didn’t live up to the hype that preceded the highly anticipated event, as it failed to produce a strong public front on Iran or establish a security pact or announce any steps on normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, told reporters after the US-Arab summit that Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace to all air carriers had nothing to do with establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and was not a prelude to further steps.

Retired Iraqi Maj. Gen. Majid al-Qubaisi told The Media Line that the US president was greeted by “a different Middle East that Biden did not read correctly.”

The Iraqi position was clear through a statement by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who refused to let Baghdad be part of any military or security axis directed at Iran.

“Iraq’s policy is to be at an equal distance from all parties. Iraq’s political and security situation does not allow it to play a role in this region by entering into alliances against anyone,” the statement reads.

Qubaisi says Baghdad plays a positive role in the convergence of views between Tehran and Riyadh, and “won’t jeopardize its efforts.”

Although there is a strong American and Israeli attempt to unite the region against Iran and create a military alliance, Qubaisi confirms that President Biden has failed in his efforts.

“No alliance or security or military action against Iran has been announced due to the absence of any coordination or homogeneity between the countries participating in the summit, and there are many political differences, as some of them have political and economic relations with Iran,” says Qubaisi.

Iran has significant political influence in majority Shi’ite Iraq, while Qatar shares one of the largest gas fields with Iran in the Gulf. Meanwhile, Kuwait and Oman adopt a more neutral policy on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.

Fahad al-Shelaimi, president of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Political Studies in Kuwait, told The Media Line the main catalyst for the visit was that there are global geopolitical variables forcing President Biden to change his position on Saudi Arabia.

Shelaimi says the US withdrawal from the region encouraged China and Russia to fill the vacuum, economic and strategic, by building partnerships with the Gulf states.

The Gulf-Arab-Russian-Chinese rapprochement forced the Americans to rethink their approach in the region, he says.

“There is a need to build new bridges of trust or to restore old bridges of trust and political partnerships,” says Shelaimi.

Another factor, he says, that influenced the Biden Administration to reconnect with its Middle East allies is the Russo-Ukrainian War’s impact on the international energy market, as well as on regional and international political and military alliances and food security.

American domestic concerns also contributed to President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Shelaimi explains, “in an attempt to persuade the energy-rich Gulf Cooperation Council countries to increase their production until the price of oil drops.”

There is also Washington’s desire to help European allies, who rely heavily on energy from Russia, face the crippling sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow, as they look for alternative sources of energy.

The Iranian nuclear file was also on the agenda, “a priority of the Gulf and regional countries in the region,” says Shelaimi.

“Biden’s visit to the region and his meeting with the GCC is considered as sending a message to Iran, as these countries consider Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile program a threat to their national security,” he says.

Prof. Mohammad Marandi, head of the North American Studies Department at the University of Tehran, told The Media Line the Islamic Republic doesn’t see President Biden’s trip’s main intention as targeting them.

“I think the view here is predominantly that Biden is looking for Saudi oil to offset the current energy crisis and he didn’t get what he wanted.”

The feeling in Tehran is that the trip failed to achieve its objectives, Marandi says.

Talk of Israel forging some sort of military alliance with Arab states has intensified ahead of President Biden’s trip to the region, as caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid reiterated his country’s position on Iran, threatening the use of military force and insisting that “words” and “diplomacy” were not enough to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Diplomacy will not stop them. The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program the free world will use force. The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table,” Lapid told reporters standing next to the American president in Jerusalem on Thursday.

“Threats against Iran from Israel are nothing new. We’ve seen this often, during the Trump years we’ve heard the same language, also during the Obama years ‘all options were always on the table,’ the same was true with Bush,” says Marandi, adding that “the Israelis know if they carry out a strike on Iran,” Tehran will respond swiftly.

He says the chances of a security pact forming against Iran are slim because “regional countries, especially in the Persian Gulf, simply don’t trust each other.”

“Iran’s allies in Iraq are very powerful and therefore there’s no possibility for such a pact,” says Marandi.

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