NOURNEWS- The following headlines appeared in English-language newspapers in the Iranian capital on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.
IRAN DAILY:
-- Iran becomes self-sufficient in CK45 steel production
Saba Steel Complex, a subsidiary of Mobarakeh Steel Company (MSC) inaugurated a production line of CK45 steel that will make Iran needless of importing the product.
CK45 steel is classified as medium carbon steel, which is one of the most widely used non-alloy carbon steels. It has good tensile properties and machinability. So, the product is widely used in the field of machinery manufacturing.
In the past two years, one of the main strategies of MSC has been the production of new products with greater added value, said Mohammad-Yaser Tayyebnia, the CEO of the company, ILNA reported.
“Fortunately, out of the 14 new products produced by the MSC last year, Saba Steel Complex produced eight. This achievement shows the expertise and capability of our personnel in Saba Steel Complex.”
He pointed to the mass production of stainless steels as one of the most important plans of the company in the upcoming six months.
Mahmoud Mohammadi Fesharaki, the manager of Saba Steel Complex, said the company has succeeded in producing three new products this year in order to develop its product portfolio.
The new hot-rolled product of CK45 steel, which has many applications in the agricultural industry as well as making industrial tools, was manufactured by Saba Steel Complex after months of effort and relying on technology and skill, he noted. He stressed that the quantitatively, qualitatively, and economically advantageous manufacturing of products is targeted by Saba Steel Complex in compliance with environmental considerations.
Arash Hajipour, head of Planning and Metallurgy at Saba Steel Complex, said the strategy of the complex has been to produce steel grades that are either not made in the country or seriously challenging to produce.
“This strategy was devised considering the technology and skills possessed by the complex’s personnel as well as their focus on CSP as one of the latest steelmaking technologies in the world,” he added.
Vast product portfolio
For the current [Iranian] year, Saba Steel Complex’s goal for developing its product portfolio is to produce the grades that are made by top foreign factories, including heat-treated grades, spring steels, wear-resistant steels, and martensitic stainless steels. So far, three new grades have been produced by the company, and nine more grades will be produced by the end of the year (March 19, 2024).
The produced CK45 with thicknesses of less than 2.5 mm and width of 1,500 mm is done for the first time by hot-rolling, he noted, adding that all the products are among the most widely used grades of medium-carbon steels.
Hamed Safari, an expert in metallurgy and production methods of the complex, said the high strength and hardness of the new product have made these steels widely used in the manufacture of wheels and gears.
In the metallurgical unit, the design of the new product has been proven to be in accordance with the DIN17200 standard after evaluating the mechanical properties of the product.
Ahmad Tarazuyeh-Zar, the production planning expert of Saba Steel Complex, said, “After making the necessary coordination regarding the orders by MSC, the production of CK45 was planned for October, and grades with the thicknesses of 6 mm, 5 mm, and 4 mm were produced according to the orders placed by clients.”
Moreover, the ability of the complex’s rolling equipment to produce steels with lower thicknesses was investigated. After receiving the approval of the head of the rolling unit and the experts of the rolling technical office, the production of CK45 in thicknesses of 3 mm, 2.5 mm, 2 mm, and 1.8 mm was also carried out, he noted.
Rouhollah Jamali, a steelmaking expert at Saba Steel Complex, said the company’s diverse portfolio of products fully satisfies the country’s need for such grades and makes the production complex more dynamic.
CK45 grade has more carbon content than other grades made by Saba Steel Complex. CK45 can save the consumption of electricity, refractories, and aluminum in the case of mass production, as well as decrease the unloading time of the product.
Online process monitoring
Also, Ebrahim Shokraneh, the foreman of the steelmaking unit at Saba Steel Complex, said that the production of CK45 requires online monitoring of furnace conditions.
During the operation of the arc furnace, the percentages of molten carbon and phosphorus were controlled by repeated sampling. During the discharge, some other materials were added so that the molten poured to the ladle furnace would have suitable conditions, Shokraneh noted, adding: “We tried to ensure that all the desired molten are completely suitable and in compliance with the approved analysis.”
Davoud Mirzaei, the head of steel smelting at Saba Steel Complex, said the mass production of CK45 can result in a significant reduction in cost and energy due to the possibility of using a lot of carbon during the process and reducing the consumption of deoxygenating agent in the discharge time.
Majid Fat’hi, the material handling foreman of Saba Steel Complex, said in order to produce CK45 steel, all the necessary materials and ferroalloys including carbon wire were provided, and the preparation and calibration of the material transfer equipment were done. The materials were also sent with the required quality and high accuracy in terms of tonnage.
Jafar Abbasi, the foreman of Casting Production and Emergency Repairs at Saba Steel Complex, said for the production of the CK45, the content of the carbon in the steel had been increased to about 0.4%.
In the production of this grade, the parameters designed for the casting machine were checked and monitored so that the production of the new grade could be operational with the least damage, he added.
Mehdi Gholami, the casting production technician of the complex, said that the production of CK45 is being done for the first time in Saba Steel Complex with control on cooling parameters, speed, and thickness reduction.
Yadollah Maleki, a production technician at Saba Steel Complex, said to produce CK45, they needed to study and design all the production parameters and replace them in the LEVEL 2 system.
Also, due to the lack of testing and use of mold powder in the new grade, production for the first time was associated with risk. With the participation of domestic firms, Maleki said they succeeded in producing CK45 steel in the complex. This product is used in petrochemical, oil, construction, and automobile industries.
Hamid Hatami, the refractory foreman of Saba Steel Complex, said carefully moving the tundish during the installation of special shapes and using appropriate refractories were among the steps taken for CK45 production.
Iranian steelmakers churned out 19.7 million tons of crude steel in the first eight months of 2023, according to recent statistics released by the World Steel Association, indicating that the country stands in tenth place among steel-producing countries.
Steel mills of the country kept the rising trend for the eight-month period despite a major drop in production during the summer due to problems in electricity supply.
The country’s steel ingot production for August 2023 registered a 24.1 percent shrinkage compared to the figure for August 2022.
World crude steel production for the 63 countries reporting to the association was 152.6 million tons in August 2023, a 2.2 percent increase compared to August 2022.
Iran’s annual steel production capacity is expected to hit a target of 55 million tons by 2025.
The country’s steel output capacity had increased by more than six times in 20 years to reach the current figure of 45 million tons per year.
Iran also increased its exports of steel sheets and long steel products by 15% year on year in March–August while the overseas shipments of sponge iron rose by more than 232% over the same period to reach 0.708 million tons, according to official statistics.
The increased exports of steel from Iran come despite the fact that exporters and their foreign customers cannot access normal banking services because of US sanctions imposed against the country.
-- Hamas fighters counter Israeli soldiers inside Gaza
Israel on Monday bombarded Gaza with more airstrikes including refuges as its soldiers fought Hamas fighters on the ground in raids within the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday that 436 people had been killed by Israeli aerial attacks in the past 24 hours, most of them in the south of the narrow, densely populated Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
According to AP, Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza, including in areas where Palestinian civilians have been told to seek refuge, after another small aid shipment was allowed into the besieged
Hamas-governed strip.
The Israeli regime is widely expected to launch a ground offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attack against Israel that killed 1,400 people and captured more than 200 Israelis. Tanks and troops have been massed at the Gaza border.
Israel says it has stepped up airstrikes in order to reduce the risk to troops in the next stages. This is while, at least 5,087 Palestinians, including 2,055 children and 1,119 women, have been killed in two weeks of Israeli strikes, the enclave’s Health Ministry said in an update, AFP reported.
This is while 15,273 people have been injured in the relentless bombardments, the
ministry added.
Limited land raids
Both Israel and Hamas reported overnight clashes in Gaza. Israel said ground forces mounted limited raids to fight Palestinian fighters and that airstrikes focused on sites where Hamas was assembling to ambush any wider Israeli invasion.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said its fighters engaged with an Israeli force that infiltrated Gaza and they destroyed some Israeli military equipment. The group said the infiltration by what it described as an armored force took place east of Khan Yunis
in southern Gaza.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry said that at least 18 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli airstrike that hit homes in the Al-Saudi and Janina neighborhoods of Rafah, close to Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, after the third small aid shipment was allowed into the besieged Hamas-governed territory. The third aid convoy entered the Gaza Strip on Monday via the Rafah border crossing, AFP said. The UN says at least 100 trucks a day are needed to provide the basic needs of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants.
Desperate need for fuel
The development came as UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned on Sunday that it was set to run out of fuel within three days, putting the humanitarian response in Gaza at risk.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said that without fuel, “there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries” and that “no fuel will further strangle the children, women and people of Gaza”.
Israel has still not allowed any fuel to enter Gaza, where there has been a power blackout for nearly two weeks. Hospitals say they are scrounging for generator fuel in order to keep operating life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies.
‘Massacre’ in Gaza condemned
However, millions of people across the world, especially Europe and the US, have demonstrated support for Palestinians during the past two weeks.
Thousands of people rallied in Paris on Sunday demanding an end to the Israeli military operation in Gaza which organizers said was a “massacre”.
“Israel assassin, Macron complicit” and “No peace without decolonization” were among the slogans at the demonstration in the Place de la Republique Square in eastern Paris, called by a left-wing collective.
Police said they made ten arrests at what was the first pro-Palestinian rally in the capital that had not been banned by the police because of security fears.
Police estimated that 15,000 people attended the rally Sunday, while organizers counted 30,000.
Roughly a thousand people also marched in the southern city of Marseille.
Several thousand people also demonstrated support for Palestinians in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo with the city’s mayor harking back to the bloody siege the city endured during Bosnia’s inter-ethnic war in the 1990s.
Iran support for Palestine
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s support for the oppressed Palestinian people, saying Israel must immediately stop its massacre of civilians, Press TV reported.
Amir-Abdollahian made the remark in separate phone calls with Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhaleh on Monday.
He noted that Israel must open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza to let desperately needed aid flow to Palestinians running short of basic needs and also stop the forced replacement of people in the besieged strip.
WHO calls for safe passage
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a new appeal on Monday for “sustained safe passage” for medical essentials and fuel to keep health facilities open.
The UNRWA said Sunday that 29 of its staff had been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of the war. “We are in shock and mourning. It is now confirmed that 29 of our colleagues in Gaza have been killed since October 7,” it wrote on X, raising the death toll released Saturday of 17 staffers.
Western ‘license’ to kill
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh on Monday accused Western nations of giving Israel a “license to kill” in its war against Hamas, AFP reported.
“What we hear from the mouth of the occupation (Israeli) leaders on preparations for a land invasion means more crimes, atrocities and forced displacement,”
he said.
US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and other leaders have visited Israel in recent days reaffirming its “right to defend” itself, while calling on the Israeli government to stay within international humanitarian law.
-- Hamas gearing up for major move
For several days, the Israeli armed forces have maintained a presence on the Gaza border and have signaled their preparedness for a ground invasion on the Palestinian territory. However, a combination of factors have led to uncertainty and hesitation on their part to roll into the besieged Gaza Strip.
Since launching an all-out offensive after suffering a stunning defeat at the hands of Hamas on October 7, the Israelis have been attempting to force Palestinian residents to evacuate the northern and central areas of Gaza, with the intention of relocating them to the south near the Egyptian border. Their attempts have not succeeded, as a dramatic rise in casualties in the coastal enclave suggests that people have not abandoned their homes. On the other hand, Israeli residents near the fence with Gaza and in the northern areas of the occupied territories have fled.
On Sunday, Israeli forces carried out a limited operation to test land incursion into Gaza from Khan Yunis. But they encountered fierce resistance from Hamas. An Israeli soldier was killed, and several others were wounded, forcing the infiltrator to abandon their tanks. The countermeasure indicated Hamas’s readiness for an Israeli land invasion.
Furthermore, tensions have grown between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the military top brass, with reports of commanders not effectively executing Netanyahu’s orders. Israel’s National Security Council held a meeting on Sunday to address this issue.
Hamas’s combat readiness, internal disputes, and doubts among Israeli officials, coupled with pressure from the families of soldiers captured by Hamas, have all contributed to the hesitation in launching a ground attack on Gaza.
Another major factor causing Israeli concerns is the potential response of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran to a ground invasion of Gaza. The reduced media presence of Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has left the Israelis jittery about the resistance group’s possible response. The United States and Europe, as supporters of Israel, also fear possible reactions from Hezbollah and Iran, leading them to make various threats.
If the current situation persists, and Israeli bombardment continues to claim more lives in Gaza, it may end up very costly for Israel. The ongoing loss of life could result in the situation spiraling out of control. The relatively restrained response of Palestinian resistance groups and their resilience in the face of brutal Israeli attacks indicate that Hamas and other Palestinian groups are gearing up for a major operation. It is even suggested that Nasrallah may be overseeing these developments.
-- Iran: Time to promote peace, cooperation in Caucasus
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said today is a historic opportunity for all countries of the region as the “war in the Caucasus region is now over and the time has come for peace, cooperation and progress”.
Addressing a meeting of the 3+3 cooperation format on Monday, the Iranian foreign minister said the meeting aims to use the capacities of the region to resolve issues, establish peace and expand cooperation with the aim of promoting the region’s economy and people’s welfare.
The meeting, dubbed “Time for Peace, Cooperation, and Progress in the South Caucasus,” was attended by the foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey and Iran. The 3+3 consultative platform, which first held talks in 2021 in Moscow, was established in an attempt to resolve regional problems through the inclusion of regional countries and the exclusion of extra-regional countries.
The platform was to include Georgia, but Georgia has stated previously it did not plan to participate in the initiative and said on Sunday it would not participate in the meeting in Tehran.
The Iranian foreign minister expressed hope for the “constructive and effective presence of the friendly country of Georgia” in future meetings.
Monday’s meeting was overshadowed with the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The two countries have fought two wars in the past three decades over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and have so far failed to reach a peace deal despite long-running efforts by the United States, EU and Russia.
The land-locked region has always been internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, although it is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan won the 2020 war, regaining much of Nagorno-Karabakh. Another battle in September left the entire territory under the control of the Baku government, after months of blockade. Over 100,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to flee, and Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of carrying out ethnic cleansing – a claim Azerbaijan denies, saying people were free to stay and be integrated into Azerbaijan. Before the meeting, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia held separate meetings with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. During the meetings, Raisi said that Iran is ready to help resolve the disputes between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Raisi told the Armenian foreign minister that Iran considers extra-regional interference detrimental to regional peace and stability.
-- Armenia, Iran to construct roads for INSTC
Armenia and Iran signed a contract on Monday to construct a part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in southern Armenia during a visit by Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash to Yerevan.
Under the contract, the two countries will reconstruct the Agarak-Vardanidzor Road (about 21km long), and construct a road that will stretch about 11km from Vardanidzor to the tunnel exit within the framework of the INSTC Investment Program - Tranche 4, Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure announced.
The contract was signed by Gor Avetisyan, the executive director of Armenia’s Road Department Foundation, and representatives of the Tehran-based Abad Rahan Pars International Group and Tunnel Sadd Ariana joint venture, according to armradio.am
The project is financed by the Eurasian Development Bank loan and the Armenian government.
Construction works are planned to start at the end of 2023, and will be completed within three years.
The reconstruction of the 32km road section is to fall under the framework of the ongoing Kajaran-Agarak reconstruction project on the border and meet advanced international standards in terms of road safety, convenience, and travel time reduction.
Regarding the security of the INSTC, Armenia’s Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said, “There is no way to say that there are no security issues, but at the same time, both Armenia and Iran have a clear commitment to the implementation of this project, and Iran has always expressed unequivocally its unconditional support for Armenia’s territorial integrity.”
The project plans to build five new intersections, six new flyovers, two new tunnels, with a total length of 920 meters, and 17 new bridges.
Bazrpash stressed that the current bridge on the Armenian-Iranian border is not enough for the large amount of traffic, adding that this new bridge can contribute to the development of Armenian-Iranian economic relations.
The current bridge on the Armenia-Iran border was built in 1995 on the Araks River, news.am wrote.
The Iranian minister pointed out that negotiations are underway between Iran and Armenia on holding a tripartite meeting between Iran, Georgia, and Armenia in order to facilitate transit in the INSTC, Tasnim news agency reported.
Bazrpash said that Iranian companies are ready to assist the Armenian side in various projects. “We inform any Armenian company engaged in the field of housing construction and road construction that we are ready to assist them in their projects in Iran,” the Iranian official added.
During his visit, the two parties also agreed to nullify road duties for trucking as it “will make it possible to deliver goods at a lower price,” Bazrpash said at a press briefing in Yerevan.
The Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan described the move as an “important political decision”.
-- Riyadh to ease Iran participation in Saudi expos: Envoy
Saudi Ambassador to Iran Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi said that he will pave the way for the presence of Iranian businesspeople in Saudi exhibitions.
The Saudi ambassador made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade Mehdi Zeighami in Tehran on Sunday, according to IRNA.
For his part, the Iranian official expressed the eagerness of Iranian companies for participating in Saudi health, food, and petrochemical events.
Furthermore, Zeighami called for exchanging the list of businesspeople between the two countries and hoped that Saudi trade delegations will visit Iran in the near future.
“Considering the farsighted programs of Saudi Arabia and the country’s current investments, the two countries can benefit from trading in the field of new technologies,” he said.
The Saudi ambassador and the Iranian deputy industry minister were mainly focused on the growth of trade between the two neighboring countries.
-- Raisi: We can resolve ‘severe energy shortage’
Noting that the incumbent government has inherited a country with a severe shortage in the field of energy, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi considered it possible to resolve this shortage in light of Iran’s capacities.
He expressed his appreciation for the significant measures that were taken so far, but said that to resolve it as soon as possible and prevent its repercussions from damaging other sectors including industries, agriculture, and domestic consumption, no effort must be spared, president.ir reported.
Highlighting the importance of optimizing energy consumption during a meeting of the country’s Supreme Council of Energy, Raisi obliged the council to carefully examine the current trend of consumption and quickly provide optimization solutions.
Iran has the largest known reserves of natural gas in the world after Russia, but Tehran was at times unable to supply enough energy for domestic consumption. An international sanctions regime has prevented the Ministry of Oil from producing enough gas to reliably maintain Iran’s own power grid, let alone export at scale.
As a result, one of its strategies to deal with chronic energy shortages during the cold seasons was to cut gas supplies to leading industries including steel and petrochemicals.
Iran is a country that still burns its natural gas produced from oil wells and is unable to collect it due to its outdated technology and machinery, AFP reported.
In the weeks ahead of predicted power cuts, Iran regularly begins to burn alternatives to natural gas, usually diesel and heavy fuel oil, in order to ease supply issues.
According to a World Bank ranking, Iran ranks third in the world in burning natural gas, wasting more than $5 billion worth of gas every year in the exploitation of oil wells.
While in the short-term, some of its needs have been met by striking gas swap deals with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, Iran is looking to solve what it calls “energy imbalance” for the long term by boosting renewable energy production. Under a major Energy Ministry plan, 20,000 megawatts of renewable electricity would be generated by 2027.
KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL:
-- Raisi: No Need for Outsiders in Caucasus
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi here Monday stressed the need for more cooperation to find a settlement to disputes in the Caucasus region.
In a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, the president said regional problems cannot be solved with the intervention of outside countries. Bayramov said his country attaches special significance to relations with Iran.
-- China Warns of Gaza War Spillover
China’s special envoy for West Asia on Monday urged the international community to remain “highly vigilant” over the potential spillover of the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Veteran diplomat Zhai Jun, who is currently on a tour of the region, said the situation in Gaza is “very serious” and “worrisome.” Zhai said China is willing to do “whatever is conducive” to promote dialogue, achieve ceasefire and restore peace.
-- Gaza Under ‘Biggest Massacre’
The Gaza Strip has been hit by one of the deadliest nights of Israeli bombing so far in the new war against the besieged enclave.
At least 436 Palestinians were martyred in Gaza in the last 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run health ministry Monday, and 70 were martyred overnight on Sunday in bombardments of the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp and streets close to two hospitals in Gaza City.
The ministry described the aftermath of the bombing as “massacres”.
Gaza’s health authority has said at least 5,087 people have been martyred in Israel’s two-week bombardment – many of them women and children. The Zionist regime launched its brutal campaign to compensate for its humiliation after Hamas fighters attacked southern occupied territories on October 7, killing 1,400 Zionists and capturing 222 others.
Early on Monday, the Israeli military said it had hit more than 320 sites in the last 24 hours, and that ground forces had conducted “limited raids” inside Gaza. Hamas said the day before that it destroyed an Israeli tank and two armored bulldozers inside the territory, which it has administered since 2007.
Sirens sounded in north of Haifa and in the Acre area on Monday, according to Israeli media.
It was the first time sirens were wounded in Acre, which is some 170 km north of Gaza and some 20 km from south Lebanon.
With its violence increasing, Israel on Sunday added 14 communities close to Lebanon and Syria to its evacuation contingency plan in the north of Occupied Palestine.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the strip’s civil defense unit, told the independent Palestinian media organization Wattan that rescue operations were becoming more difficult because of the scale of destruction and impeded access. “Our crews are recovering victims in the form of body parts, and the chances of recovering survivors are diminishing,” he said.
Babies in Gaza’s neonatal intensive care units could die within minutes, if incubators lose power.
“We call on everyone to send the necessary medical supplies for this critical department or else we face a huge catastrophe,” Nasser Bulbul, a doctor at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, told Reuters.
“If the electricity is out, in these departments, where there are 55 babies, we will lose all those who need electricity within five minutes.”
One baby at Al-Shifa hospital lost 11 members of her family, including her mother in an Israeli bombing. Doctors are waiting for a relative to come forward and name the infant, according to Reuters.
“When the baby gets better we don’t know who is going to take care of him after he became an orphan,” a physician treating the baby said on Facebook.
There are 130 newborn babies in electric incubators in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian health ministry said.
A crisis of trust is emerging between the Israel’s extremist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of the military, including the war minister, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday.
The Israeli daily said Netanyahu is “angry” at the leadership of the army and believes they bear responsibility for the failure to detect or stop the Hamas-led attack on October 7.
The premier is reportedly reacting with “impatience” to opinions and assessments presented to him by senior generals and is hesitant to adopt their recommendations.
His relationship with war minister Yoav Gallant is also shaky, the paper said. Israeli media previously reported the two disagreed over launching a preemptive strike against Hezbollah, with Gallant advocating for it and Netanyahu stopping it.
The disagreements are hindering the occupying regime’s ability to make unanimous decisions on key issues regarding the next steps in the war, Yedioth Ahronoth added.
The spokesperson of the Israeli military previously said troops are ready for a ground invasion of Gaza but are waiting for a political green light.
Meanwhile, a document presented by Israeli president Isaac Herzog as proof that Hamas intended to develop chemical weapons is actually an amateur biography of World Trade Center attacker Ramzi Yousef and contains no instructions on how to develop chemical weapons.
In an interview with Sky News, Herzog presented what he said was an “official” 2003 Al-Qaeda manual that he claimed contained instructions on how to make chemical weapons.
He said the document was found on the body of one of the Hamas operatives who attacked southern Israel on October 7.
The document he presented is attributed to the “Supreme Paradise Brigades, and is adorned with a logo associated with the Daesh group.
Readily available on the internet, the 30-page book contains no instructions on how to make chemical weapons but makes reference to the Kuwait-born Yousef’s life working for Al-Qaeda, especially his role in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center.
-- Pro-Palestine Rallies Intensify Across World
Tens of thousands of people waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Gaza, Paris is with you” have rallied for the first pro-Palestinian demonstration allowed by police in the French capital since the Oct. 7 Hamas operation inside the territories occupied by Israel.
They turned out at the Place de la Republique to express solidarity with Palestinians as the death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza rose to more than 5,000 people on Monday.
Police said that the protest was authorized, unlike others. On Thursday, a protest was authorized at the last minute only after a Paris court overturned the police decision to ban it, and in the last few days, other protests have been authorized in cities across France.
This came following a ruling by France’s highest administrative court stating that pro-Palestinian protests were to be banned on a case-by-case basis, not systematically as an earlier instruction by the French interior minister had suggested.
The protest in Paris was called by the collective “National Collective for a sustainable and just peace “, made up of more than 40 organizations, including left-wing party France Unbowed, the CGT trade union and the organization “France Palestine Solidarity”.
At a peace summit in Cairo on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Israel had a right to self-defense.
Elsewhere across Europe, people gathered in Sarajevo — bombed and besieged during the Bosnian war in the 1990s — to show solidarity with the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
“What is happening in Gaza is simply human disaster. Collective punishment. War crimes. These things have to be named by their rightful name,” said Nabil Naser, a Palestinian doctor who worked in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.
Thousands also attended a “Freedom for Palestine” rally at a square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Waving Palestinian flags and to the beat of drums, protesters including women and children chanted “Palestine will never die” and “From the rivers to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Malaysia is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic ties with Israel. Muslims in the country have staged weekly rallies after Friday prayers outside the American Embassy, slamming the U.S. for its support of Israel.
Retiree Munir Izwan urged neighbors of the Palestinians to step up efforts to help.
“Even in Islamic teachings, the closest neighbors should help the most in making peace between the two parties. But from what I see, the neighboring countries of Palestine, they are only talking but no actions,” Munir said.
Demonstrations of support of the Palestinians were held Saturday across Europe — in Rome, Barcelona, several French cities, Düsseldorf, Germany and the Kosovo capital, Pristina — as well as in Sydney and in U.S. cities including Los Angeles and Houston.
On Sunday, pro-Palestinian activists staged rallies across the United States, including thousands in Boston for the ‘All Out For Gaza’ protest.
The demonstrators marched through the city to the consulate general of Israel.
Protesters also assembled in Las Vegas to support Palestine as the relentless Israeli war rages on. The protesters voiced their anger at the Biden administration’s request for additional funding to support the Zionist regime.
Co-founder of the Fifth Sun project Eztli Amaya said she does not want her tax dollars going to Israel.
“We need complete dismantling the system. We need them at this point, a complete abolishment and a little bit less funding isn’t going to make a difference.
It’s just it’s just it’s a small dent. We need to pull out completely,” she said.
“I don’t want my tax dollars going to the act of genocide to war. That tax money is for my kids, for all the kids we have here. We need a better future for our kids. We need to make sure that we’re building that, not killing a whole another population.”
Shaun Navarro, a community organizer, said, “These are the biggest Palestinian protests we’ve seen pretty much in the history of the United States. And you really see kind of a changing of public opinion on it. It’s it’s very clear that more and more people are supporting Palestine, more people are making their voices heard. So it’s extremely frustrating to see administration just give this very one sided opinion in support of Israel.”
He said, “I think it’s the latest numbers like he (Biden) wants a $12 billion to support genocide, basically. And I think it’s going to be a huge issue for young people. It’s going to be huge, huge issue for voters in general.”
In New York, people rallied in Hauppauge in Long Island, protesting against the Israeli war crimes and the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
“We have to ask everyone to stand up and express yourself regardless of whether your political or ethnic affiliation,” co-organizer of the rally Dr. Nasal Shaid said.
More than a dozen mosques across Suffolk County in the U.S. state of New York were represented at the rally following earlier demos in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
According to local media, more than a dozen protesters were arrested on Saturday.
Also, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles to call for an end to deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza.
After a round of speeches, the demonstrators began a slow march down Hill Street chanting and carrying signs opposing the occupation of Gaza and denouncing Netanyahu as a “war criminal.”
“What we’re experiencing today, what is happening in Palestine is a genocide against Palestinian people. This is a human rights issue,” Aida Mackic, one of the LA protesters said.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud in Dearborn, Michigan, blamed U.S. President Joe Biden, and other pro-Israel officials in his administration including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for being “silently complicit in some of the most horrific war crimes our eyes have witnessed, funded by our tax dollars.”
-- 3+3 Platform FMs Discuss Peace, Progress
Foreign ministers from Iran, Turkey and Russia met their counterparts from Azerbaijan and Armenia in Tehran on Monday and discussed peace, cooperation and progress in the South Caucasus region.
The first meeting of foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan after the September lightning offensive by Azeri forces in Karabakh also took place amid rising tensions in West Asia.
IRNA news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying the countries wanted to talk about regional issues “without the interference of non-regional and Western countries”.
That was an implicit reference to the United States and the European Union, whose involvement in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has particularly annoyed Moscow.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov traveled to Tehran for the meeting as did his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, Armenia’s Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijan’s Jeyhun Bayramov.
The so-called 3+3 South Caucasus Platform, which first held talks in 2021, were to include also Georgia, but Georgia has stated previously it did not plan to participate in the initiative and said on Sunday it would not be coming to Tehran.
Amir-Abdollahian said, “We hope to witness the constructive and effective presence of the friendly country of Georgia in the continuation of these meetings.”
“Tehran’s hosting of a meeting of the foreign ministers about the Caucasus based on the 3+3 format lies within the framework of the Islamic Republic’s neighborliness policy. The meeting has put the strengthening of regional stability, peace and security on its agenda,” Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali wrote.
“The surrounding issues can be negotiated and resolved with the cooperation and interaction of regional countries and the non-interference of external actors.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars in the past three decades and have so far failed to reach a peace deal despite long-running efforts by the United States, EU and Russia.
-- UNRWA Warns of Catastrophe in Gaza
An aid convoy entered the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday via the Rafah border crossing, AFP correspondents on the Egyptian and Palestinian sides said, the third since war erupted on October 7.
More than a dozen lorries crossed Rafah, the correspondents said, adding to a previous total of 34 trucks that had entered Gaza on Saturday and Sunday according to an Egyptian Red Cross official.
The United Nations says at least 100 trucks a day are needed to provide the basic needs of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants as a massive bombardment by the Zionist regime rages on, with thousands killed already.
Relief workers said far more aid was needed to address the spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where half the territory’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes. The UN humanitarian agency said Saturday’s convoy carried about four percent of an average day’s imports before the war and “a fraction of what is needed after 13 days of complete siege.”
The Zionist regime’s military said the humanitarian situation was “under control,” even as the UN called for 100 trucks a day to enter.
The occupying regime repeated its calls for people to leave northern Gaza, including by dropping leaflets from the air. It estimated 700,000 have already fled. But hundreds of thousands remain. That would raise the risk of mass civilian casualties in any ground offensive.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths has called the deliveries into Gaza a “small glimmer of hope” but warned its people would “need more, much more”.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Sunday warned of a complete cessation of humanitarian response in the besieged Gaza Strip if fuel is not allowed to immediately enter the enclave.
“In three days, UNRWA will run out of fuel, critical for our humanitarian response across the Gaza Strip,” said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini in a statement, explaining that “without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach those in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance.”
“No fuel will further strangle the children, women and people of Gaza.”
He called on all parties and those with influence over them to immediately allow fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip and to ensure that fuel is used to prevent a collapse of the humanitarian response.
“UNRWA is currently hosting more than half a million people out of nearly 1 million displaced across the Gaza Strip,” he added.
Director UNRWA Affairs – Gaza, Thomas White, said in press statements that the status of humanitarian aid is both terrible and very limited where food and water have become “scarce.”
“We need a sustainable supply line of aid to avoid a catastrophe in the Strip.”
“No fuel is coming into Gaza. Fuel is really critical now, we need it coming in to keep aid operations going,” he said.
TEHRAN TIMES:
-- Iran FM talks to Palestinian resistance leaders
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of Iran, has reiterated the Islamic Republic’s backing for the oppressed Palestinian people and demanded that Israel quickly put an end to its killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip. Amir Abdollahian made the comments on Monday during separate phone conversations with Ziad al-Nakhaleh, the secretary-general of Islamic Jihad, and Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau. He said that in addition to stopping the forcible relocation of residents in the besieged Strip, Israel must open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza to allow much-needed relief to pass to Palestinians. In addition to the relentless bombardment of the coastal enclave of Gaza, Israel has cut food, water, medicine, and fuel to the people. In terms of international law, Israel’s actions are clear examples of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
-- Disney’s controversial donation: a clash of values amidst Gaza conflict
Amid the ongoing war and genocide in Gaza that has resulted in the tragic deaths of numerous children and teenagers at the hands of Israeli forces, it is disheartening to learn that Disney Company, renowned for producing family-friendly content, has made a donation of two million dollars to the Israeli government. Such contributions will be utilized towards the procurement of bombs and missiles, directly contributing to the already devastating loss of lives. This contradiction is alarming, as a company that endeavors to bring joy and happiness to children worldwide is also enabling a regime that perpetrates violence against them. In this new world, however, it is not surprising that the governments of superpowers not only tolerate but actively endorse such heinous deeds. The creators of so-called heroes for children are now aiding the enemies of these innocent kids, making it easier for them to harm children. Considering the United States history marred by the tragic displacement and colonization of Native American lands, it is not unreasonable to seek assistance from an animation company like Disney to create heroes for their young generation, to replace the real heroes they have never had the privilege to witness in their own lives.
-- Iranian transport minister visits Armenia to pursue expansion of ties
Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash traveled to Armenia on Monday to meet the country’s senior officials and discuss ways of expanding trade and transit ties between the two countries, IRNA reported. Speaking to the press prior to the visit, Bazrpash emphasized Iran’s readiness to export technical-engineering services to Armenia, announcing the plan of the two countries to strengthen the level of trade and transit and remove cumbersome regulations in the way of trade development. Regarding the objectives of his trip to Armenia, the official pointed out that the two countries have common borders with each other, which is an advantage for both, saying: “During this trip to Armenia, we have based negotiations with political and economic authorities on two axes.”
-- A severe political & military paranoia
More than two have passed since the historical epic “Al-Aqsa Storm”. The military spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, has spoken about 250 Zionist prisoners, the majority of whom were from the “elite” brigades. The Zionists believe that through the ground invasion, they will enforce a state of “humanitarian” pressure to reduce their losses. Nevertheless, the entire Palestinian resistance forces have tested its army repeatedly, and know that it is a fragile and helpless cartoon army that is only good at slaughtering children and women with absolute American support and advanced weapons. During the past days, the enemy’s leadership’s speech is evidence of weakness; its threats are released from shelters, while the Palestinian resistance is determined to resolve the issue of its own prisoners, and bring joy to their hearts, as Abu Ubaida has promised in his recent speech.
-- Why Israel’s invasion of Gaza is still pending
Israel has been talking up a supposedly upcoming ground offensive into Gaza over the past days. Despite attempts by the Israeli regime to project a united front and strong military presence, recent events indicate that Israel’s military as well as its cabinet are grappling with internal challenges following the attack by Hamas on October 7. Tensions are escalating within Israeli forces, particularly involving high-ranking leaders, suggesting a strained atmosphere. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in particular, has faced calls from various Israeli politicians and settlers to step down. As reported by Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Monday, three Israeli ministers are contemplating resignation to “hold Netanyahu accountable” for the recent Palestinian attack. The prime minister is also being given the cold shoulder by the military. A video shared online on Saturday shows Netanyahu getting confronted by an Israeli soldier during his visit to a base.
-- What position has Iran taken on the Gaza war?
The following report highlights the viewpoints of the top Iranian political and military figures regarding the barbarity of the Israeli rulers against Palestinians in Gaza. The senior Iranian officials have openly supported the Palestinians’ struggle against the Israeli occupation and violence for more than four decades. Iran also praised the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by Hamas against Israel inside the occupied territories on October 7. However, the Islamic Republic has dismissed linking the Storm operation to Iran as non-sensical. Despite all commotions, Iran stands with the oppressed Palestinians. Leader’s stance regarding Storm operation Ayatollah Khamenei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, in the joint graduation ceremony for the cadets on October 10 said: “We cannot be indifferent to these matters and to this important event. Fortunately, the stances taken by our officials were correct and good.”
-- Iranian transport minister visits Armenia to pursue expansion of ties
– Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash traveled to Armenia on Monday to meet the country’s senior officials and discuss ways of expanding trade and transit ties between the two countries, IRNA reported. Speaking to the press prior to the visit, Bazrpash emphasized Iran’s readiness to export technical-engineering services to Armenia, announcing the plan of the two countries to strengthen the level of trade and transit and remove cumbersome regulations in the way of trade development. Regarding the objectives of his trip to Armenia, the official pointed out that the two countries have common borders with each other, which is an advantage for both, saying: “During this trip to Armenia, we have based negotiations with political and economic authorities on two axes.”
NOURNEWS