Iran has decided to bolster its traditional threats against archrival Israel with visual materials, publishing a map of the Jewish state marked with numerous possible targets Tehran could hit in response to its foe’s aggression.
An article with the attention-grabbing headline “Just one wrong move!” appeared in state-run English-language newspaper the Tehran Times on Tuesday.
“An intensification of the Israeli military threats against Iran seems to suggest that the Zionist regime has forgotten that Iran is more than capable of hitting them from anywhere,” the authors of the piece suggested.
Alongside the warning was a map of Israel, almost entirely covered with red pins symbolizing possible targets Iranian missiles could strike.
Read Iran’s severe warning to Israel in tomorrow’s edition of Tehran Times.
Also, read about the latest status of #ViennaTalks.
The article also cited the chief of general staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who insisted that “our forces have never underestimated the threat of the enemy and are prepared for the smallest of threats in the strategic field.”
“At the strategic level, we do not intend to strike anyone, but at the operational and tactical level we are ready for a decisive response and a quick and tough offensive against the enemy,” he stressed, apparently referring to Israel.
The Iranian ballistic missile attack on a US base in western Iraq in January 2020 and the downing of an American Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz in June 2019 have proven Tehran’s capabilities, Bagheri insisted.
The Tehran Times pointed out that Israel has intensified its activities, as talks to revive the landmark 2015 Iranian nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers restart after a break in Vienna.
The moves by Israel the paper considered the most concerning were: continuing Israeli air raids on targets in Syria, which relies on Tehran’s help in fighting terrorists; the reported calls by Israeli military and intelligence for the US to clamp down on the Iranian ballistic missile program; and the planned IDF drills in the Mediterranean that would simulate an attack on Iran.
“Keep your hands off!” the authors of the article wrote in conclusion.
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A few months ago, Claudio Rojas was allowed back into the U.S. He’s one of several activists deported but then allowed to return after arguing that immigration authorities retaliated against them.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended talks with the US over procuring 50 F-35 fighter jets that were part of a $23 billion arms deal, expressing concerns over a restrictive end-user agreement, according to media reports.
The plans to procure the 5th generation fighter jets have been sent for “re-assessment”, an unnamed UAE official told Reuters on Tuesday, confirming earlier reporting by the Wall Street Journal on a potential breakage of the deal.
“Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis led to the re-assessment,” the official said, adding that Washington still remains “the UAE’s preferred provider for advanced defense requirements and discussions for the F-35 may be re-opened in the future.”
The country has been reportedly seeking to “address mutual defense security conditions for the acquisition,” namely what it deemed an over-restrictive end-user agreement. The requirements have been reportedly set up by Washington over the cozy relationship Abu Dhabi enjoys with China, seeking to protect the cutting-edge planes from possible “espionage” attempts by Beijing.
The US has been very ambiguous on the fate of the deal, with Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stating earlier that Washington’s ties with the Gulf nation was a strategic matter, spanning far beyond simple arms trade. At the same time, Kirby said the US was seeking to address the questions raised by Abu Dhabi, but referred further questions on the arms trade to the State Department.
“We will always insist, as a matter of statutory requirements and policy, on a variety of end use requirements,” Kirby said.
An unnamed State Department official, who spoke with Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said Washington was seeking to iron out the outstanding issues to make the deal succeed. “We are hopeful that we can work through any outstanding issues,” the official said.
The sale of 50 F-35 jets comes as a part of a $23 billion arms deal that the US and the UAE reached in the last days of Trump’s administration. The agreement also involves a sale of 18 MQ-9B Reaper attack drones, as well as other high-tech munitions.
The deal was off to a rocky start, as it got suspended shortly after inking, as the new US administration sent Trump-era arms deals for re-assessment shortly after Joe Biden took over the White House.
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