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Iran has been fanning the flames of the confrontations in Jerusalem. Days before the latest clashes developed, Irans Ayatollah Khamenei and its IRGC head, Hossein Salami, prepared speeches and media engagements in which they pushed messages throughout the region, arguing that Israel is in a downward spiral and destined to fall apart. This message was given to Hassan Nasrallah in his Lebanon bunker where he would also emphasize Israels internal divisions in a Quds Day speech on Friday, May 7. This message discipline of Iran and its proxies was clear. Days later, however, as the violence in Jerusalem has grown and western powers have joined the chorus condemning Israel, as well as countries in the Gulf, who have increased concerns. Iran has been more quiet. So what happened? Why isnt Irans regime riding the chaos, exploiting it, increasing tensions in Syria? While tensions simmer in Jerusalem on Monday, Irans Tasnim, which is linked to the IRGC, ran an all-important story about bureaucracy in Iran. Why should an entrepreneur go to 18 places to get a license? Good question, but not the usual Zionism is ending dogma. What other news from Tehran? The regime is talking about the Vienna nuclear talks and discussing the pandemic. At Fars News the stories revolve around the high cost of vaccines and reduction in smuggling. There is no doubt that in English, Iran has a different message. At Irans Press TV, its propaganda network focused on western audiences in English, it has wall-to-wall coverage of Jerusalem. Iran-backed Hamas says Israel will pay a price for the violence and Iran notes that its foreign ministry cares deeply about Palestinian issues. Of course, we know that the ministry is in the dog house with the Iranian regime in recent weeks because of leaked tapes of Foreign Minister Javad Zarif speaking with embarrassing disrespect about the late Qasem Soleimani. Iran may be fumbling a bit in trying to ride the chaos in Jerusalem. It has long backed Hamas and Hezbollah, but as usual, Iran has no real plan to confront Israel. It prefers the propaganda of claims that Israel is falling apart from within, rather than take direct action. This is because Iran knows its own capabilities fall short of confronting Israel on the battlefield, or even with its proxies. It sought to fan the flames of chaos on Quds Day, but beyond that, it has nothing to show for it. Despite its propaganda, it has made no real inroads with the Palestinians and so far it is struggling to exploit the violence.

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Originally posted here:
What is Irans goal in the Jerusalem crisis? - The Jerusalem Post

1. Banking Is Center Stage as Iran Seeks Nuclear Deal That Delivers  Bloomberg
2. The one that gets away: Joe Bidens jaded romance with Iran  POLITICO
3. Iran will extend deal with IAEA if needed, top negotiator says  Tehran Times
4. Iran upbeat on reviving nuke deal, dismissing Biden's doubts  CGTN
5. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Banking Is Center Stage as Iran Seeks Nuclear Deal That Delivers - Bloomberg

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday he was optimistic over talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and suggested a deal had been reached to lift the main sanctions on Tehran, state media reported.

Only the details remained to be agreed, Rouhani said, though there was no immediate confirmation from U.S. officials or from the other parties to the accord.

"We've reached a point where the Americans and the Europeans are saying openly they have no choice but to lift sanctions and return to the (nuclear deal), and that almost all main sanctions have been lifted and talks continue on some details," Rouhani was quoted by state media as saying. He did not elaborate.

U.S. officials returned to Vienna this week for a fourth round of indirect talks with Iran on how to resume compliance with the deal, which former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, prompting Iran to begin violating its terms about a year later.

The crux of the agreement was that Iran committed to take steps to rein in its nuclear programme to make it harder to obtain the fissile material for a nuclear weapon in return for relief from U.S., EU and U.N. sanctions.

Tehran denies having nuclear weapons ambitions.

Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier on Saturday that the United States had an obligation to help revive the nuclear deal, after U.S. President Joe Biden said it was unclear how serious Tehran was about talks on the accord.

Asked if he thought Tehran was serious about talks, Biden replied: "Yes, but how serious, and what they are prepared to do is a different story."

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Iran's Rouhani upbeat on accord at talks to lift sanctions - Reuters

Robert Gates:

I think he's doing really well.

I think there's a lot of continuity on several of the really big problems. On China, on Russia, North Korea, I think there's a lot of continuity with the previous administration, in fact, and I think that the tough line that he has taken has been the appropriate one.

And on North Korea, they have basically said they're going to try and thread the needle between the strategic patience of President Obama and the maximum pressure of President Trump.

I think, as I write in the book, we have tried we have been down this road before under four presidents, and it hasn't yielded much progress. But there's a lot of continuity there. I think the only area that concerns me is the effort to renew the nuclear agreement with Iran.

I think, first of all, the agreement is half over in terms of its duration. It was supposed to be for 10 years or so. And I was heartened initially by the administration's references to strengthening and lengthening that agreement. I think our objective ought to be for Iran never to have a nuclear weapon, not just time-limited.

And I think we also need better monitoring or verification of their adherence to the agreement. And, finally, I think we need to do something about their ballistic missile capability. So, just picking up the old agreement where we left off, I think, is probably insufficient.

But in the other areas of important areas of foreign policy, I think that they're on a good path.

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Robert Gates on US action in Iran, Afghanistan and China - PBS NewsHour

BAGHDAD--A leading Iraqi anti-government activist was killed early Sunday, security sources and activists said, sending supporters of a protest movement onto the streets to demand an end to bloodshed. Some of his fellow activists blamed pro-Iran militias for the murder, in social media posts.

Ihab al-Wazni, a coordinator of protests in the Shia shrine city of Karbala, was a vocal opponent of corruption, the stranglehold of Tehran-linked armed groups and Irans influence in Iraq.

He was shot overnight outside his home by men on motorbikes, in an ambush caught on surveillance cameras. His death was confirmed by security forces and activists.

Wazni narrowly escaped death in December 2019, when men on motorbikes used silenced weapons to kill fellow activist Fahem al-Tai as he was dropping him home in Karbala, where pro-Tehran armed groups are legion.

Both were key figures in a national protest movement that erupted against government corruption and incompetence in Iraq in October 2019.

Around 600 people were killed as a result of their association with that movement many on the streets during rallies, others targeted on their doorsteps away from the rallies.

Protests broke out in Karbala, Nassiriya and Diwaniya in southern Iraq in reaction to Waznis killing, as people called for an end to the bloodshed and to rampant corruption.

In a video recording in the morgue where his body was initially held, a fellow activist made it clear who he and colleagues blamed for the killing.

It is the Iranian militias who killed Ihab, said the unnamed activist. They are going to kill all of us! They threaten us and the government remains silent.

Police in Karbala said they will spare no effort to find the terrorists behind Waznis killing.

Politicians, including Shia leader Ammar al-Haki, deplored the killing and called for justice.

Around 30 activists have died in targeted killings and dozens of others abducted, some detained briefly, since October 2019.

Such targeted killings are normally carried out in the dead of night by men on motorbikes, and nobody claims responsibility.

Activists and the UN repeatedly blame militias.

Authorities have consistently failed to identify the perpetrators of these political killings.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office a year ago, vowing to rein in rogue factions, fight corruption and roll out long-awaited reforms after years of war and insurgency.

Pro-Iran groups view the premier as being too close to Washington and protesters believe he has failed to deliver on his promises.

Such crimes against activists in Iraq raise again the question about the real steps of the government regarding accountability for (those) responsible for crimes targeting protesters, Ali Bayati, a member of Iraqs Human Rights Commission, tweeted Sunday.

Wazni had himself challenged Kadhimi in a Facebook post in February, asking rhetorically: Do you know what is going on? You know that they kidnap and kill or you live in another country?

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Pro-Iran militias blamed as Iraqi anti-corruption activist killed | | AW - The Arab Weekly