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MOSCOW Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow on Thursday seeking reassurancefrom Russian President Vladimir Putin that his countrys presence in Syria would help Israel block arch-nemesis Iran from taking advantage of the chaos to position itself permanently on Israels northern border.

Until now, the Israeli government has stayed relatively quiet about developments in the six-year-old conflict raging in neighboring Syria, acting militarily only when it feels its security threatened. But now, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad receives a boost from the strategic alliance between Russia and Iran, Tehrans expanding influence across the region is causing alarm in Israel.

At the start of his meeting with Putin, Netanyahu noted the significant progress made by Russia and other players in the region in fighting Islamist militant groups, including the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. He added, however, that the victory over the terrorism of ISIS cannot lead to an upsurge in terrorism by Iran and its proxies. We will not exchange terrorism for terrorism. ISIS is an alternative acronym for the Islamic State.

[Putin, the perpetual spoiler, tries his hand at a peace process]

After the meeting, Netanyahu issued a statement in which he said, I made it clear that regarding Syria, while Israel is not opposed that there should be an agreement there, we strongly oppose the possibility that Iran and its proxies will be left with a military presence in Syria under such an agreement.

Although Russia is unhappy with some of Irans strategic objectives in a postwar Syria, it is unclear how far Putin would go in supporting Israeli action to prevent Iran from building a sphere of influence from Tehran to Lebanon, via Syria and Iraq.

Syria is at a crossroads right now. On one side, there is a cease-fire that seems to be holding and Assad has managed to regain control of parts of his country. Israel is worried that Iran and its proxies will gain a permanent foothold in Syria, said senior Israeli minister Tzachi Hanegbi, a close ally of Netanyahu.

Ever since Russia entered Syrian territory two years ago, Israel has repeatedly emphasized to Putin its red lines regarding Iran and the groups it supports Lebanons Hezbollah and other Shiite militias involved in the fighting in Syria. Netanyahu has visited Moscow four times over the past 1 years, and the two sides have struck cooperation agreements aimed at preventing confrontations between their warplanes in Syrian airspace.

With rapid changes on the ground, however, Hanegbi said Israel feels it is time to focus on the future.

[Trump wants to push back against Iran, but Iran is now more powerful than ever]

In its official statements, Moscow has been unwilling to make predictions about what would happen with Irans military buildup after the end of hostilities in Syria.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, in an interview with the newspaper al-Hayat on Sunday that was quoted by the Interfax news agency, said that any decision on the withdrawal of Iranian forces would rest with Syrias leaders.

(Ishaan Tharoor and Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

The lawful authorities who will be lawfully chosen in Syria would be the ones with the right to demand the withdrawal of all foreign powers from the country, Bogdanov said.

This official stance reflects the reality that Putin has neither the ability nor the intention to exclude Iran from a settlement in Syria, not when Irans role in supporting Assad far exceeds that of Russia, said Vladimir Frolov, a foreign-policy analyst based on Moscow.

During the course of Syrias war, Iran has provided billions of dollars to shore up Assads regime and contributed much of the manpower that has sustained the depleted Syrian armys capabilities, in the form of Shiite militias recruited from the region and elsewhere.

In the process, Iran has significantly expanded its reach across Syria, giving it new strategic depth in any future conflict with Israel. Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are now present along the 1967 cease-fire line with Israel in the Golan Heights, putting them directly opposite Israeli troops for the first time.

Hezbollah, which has fought wars with Israel and has an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 fighters in Syria, is also active in the Golan.

On Wednesday, an Iranian-allied Shiite militia from Iraq, Hezbollah al-Nujaba, announced that it had established a new unit, the Golan Liberation Brigade, dedicated to liberating the remainder of the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967.

If the Syrian government requests, we are ready to take actions to liberate Golan, Irans Tasnim news agencyquoted a spokesman as saying.

Iran is also thought to have deployed missiles in Syria capable of reaching deep inside Israeli territory.

While refraining from commenting on the war in Syria, Israel is believed to have carried out unclaimed airstrikes inside Syria targeting suspected Iranian and Hezbollah weapons storage sites and missile depots in recent years. Russia has turned a blind eye to the strikes.

Putin, who has made support for Assad a cornerstone of his policy, would probably be unwilling to go beyond that and support an Israeli incursion.

Given all this, it is hard to see what Putin could promise to Netanyahu, Frolov said. He might, and likely will, promise a lot, but is in no position to deliver.

Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Liz Sly in Beirut contributed to this report.

Read more:

First sign of enhanced U.S.-Russia relations under Trump: An invite to Syria talks

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New anti-Islamic State plan could change U.S. strategy in Syria

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Netanyahu urges Putin to block Iranian power corridor on Israel's border - Washington Post

WASHINGTON (JTA) The FBI says it hasa dedicated team seekingthe return of Robert Levinson, aformer agent who went missing in Iran a decade ago.

The announcement, included in a statement releasedThursday on the 10th anniversary of Levinsons disappearance, is unusual. Over the years, the State Department and the White House have noted the anniversary, but the FBI has not weighed in.

Bob and the entire Levinson family are remembered every day by his FBI friends and colleagues, said the statement. The FBI shares in their anguish and resolve to return their husband, father and grandfather to his family and country.

It concluded: The FBI continues to dedicate a team of agents and analysts who, along with our interagency partners, remain steadfast in our mission to locate Bob and return him home where he belongs.

Robert Levinson, 68, of Coral Springs, Florida, a private investigator and former FBI agent who was also a part-time consultant for the CIA, disappeared onIrans Kish Island during what has since been revealed as a rogue CIA operation.

Also Thursday, the White House reiterated President Donald Trumps pledge, made as a candidate, to bring Levinson home.

The Levinson family has suffered far too much during the last decade due to the absence of Mr. Levinson, a loving father, brother, husband, grandfather and friend to many, the White House said in a statement on Thursday. Each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the Levinson family. We will not rest until this case is resolved.

The statement notedthat there is an outstanding $5 million reward for information leading to Levinsons return.

Under President Barack Obama, five Americans were released by Iran in January 2016 in an exchange timed to coincide with the implementation of the nuclear deal struck between Iran and six major powers. Levinson was not one of those released, but the Obama administration, which had brokered the deal, accepted an Iranian pledge to help track his whereabouts and said his return was a top priority.

Iranian tips on Levinsons whereabouts have reportedly led to dead ends.

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FBI: Dedicated team seeking return of Jewish agent missing in Iran - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Iran has dismissed as baseless and hackneyedclaims by the Arab League foreign ministers about the ownership of the three Iranian islands of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf.

Irans sovereignty over these islands is an undeniable and eternal reality, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Friday.

He added that such false allegations and statements can never undermineIrans sovereignty over the three islands.

The Iranian spokesperson also rejected as groundless claims about the Islamic Republics interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has never interfered in the internal affairs of any country and feels no need at all for such interference, Qassemi pointed out.

He added that levelingsuch irrelevant charges against Iran has turned into a fruitless effort by some countries at playing a blame game over their domestic issuesand a failed attempt to free themselves from the quagmire that they have put themselves in.

The Iranian spokesman expressed hope that the Arab League would exercise greatervigilanceand focus onthe fundamental objectives behind its establishmentby abstaining from spending undue time and money on rehashing baseless claims.

The islands of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa have always been part of Iran historically, the proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. However, the United Arab Emirates has repeatedly laid baseless claims to the islands.

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Iran's sovereignty over trio islands 'undeniable reality' - Press TV

Toronto Sun

The liberal narrative is in denial about Iran Toronto Sun The war of words coming out of the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to intensify. New video footage of Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan further demonstrates Iran's hostile attitude and intentions towards America and its allies. Speaking with ...

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The liberal narrative is in denial about Iran - Toronto Sun

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif address a joint press conference following their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 12, 2016.(photo byADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Author:Mehmet Cetingulec Posted March 10, 2017

A preferential trade agreement between Turkey and Iran has proved to be a huge disappointment in its first two years, with bilateral trade lagging far behind the $35 billion target the deal was supposed to achieve. The agreement, which took effect Jan. 1, 2015, introduced tariff cuts on about 300 products with a view of tripling the trade volume. The results, however, turned far off the mark, failing to achieve even one-third of the target.

Starting from its first year, the deal led to an awkward outcome: Instead of growing, the trade volume between the two neighbors declined. At the end of 2015, Turkish-Iranian trade stood at $9.76 billion not only $25 billion short of the target, but also $4 billion below the 2014 figure of $13.7 billion.

Thus, hopes had to be extended to 2016, which came with added optimism as international sanctions against Iran were lifted in the wake of its nuclear deal with world powers. While the Iranian market whetted the appetite of global trade giants, Turkey saw itself in a highly favorable position, being an immediate neighbor with tariff cuts already in place. Yet a bigger disappointment was in store. Despite the lifting of sanctions, Turkish-Iranian trade in 2016 turned about $100 million less than the previous year, signaling the collapse of the preferential trade deal in just two years' time.

It is almost impossible not to conclude that serious political issues are snagging economic ties. Chief among them is the two neighbors' diverging policies in the Middle East, especially on Syria and Iraq. As Al-Monitor's Fehim Tastekin noted in February, political tensions between Turkey and Iran, stemming from their regional rivalry, have come to threaten economic ties.

Political discord has undermined the two countries' commerce so much that they seem headed to a point where they will trade only in natural gas and a few other urgent and compulsory items. The trade figures from the past five years offer a clear illustration of that trend.

Remarkably, Turkey and Iran traded more in the years before the preferential trade agreement. The bilateral trade volume had peaked in 2012, reaching $21.9 billion. But as the civil strife in Syria and Iraq flared, the figure began to steadily decline first to $14.6 billion in 2013 and then to 13.7 billion in 2014. To reverse the trend, Ankara and Tehran enacted the preferential trade agreement, which they had negotiated for a whole decade. Yet bilateral tensions over regional policies proved so overwhelming that even the combined trade volumes of 2015 and 2016 $9.76 billion and $9.67 billion, respectively fell short of the $35 billion target set under the agreement, which today seems reduced to a symbolic importance.

The data from the past two years offers small solace for Turkey, indicating that the balance in the shrinking trade has been changing in its favor.

In 2016, Turkish exports to Iran stood at $4.97 billion, up from $3.66 billion the previous year, while imports from Iran, including natural gas, were worth $4.7 billion, down from $6.1 billion in 2015. It was the first time in 16 years that Turkey had a trade surplus vis-a-vis Iran. Though it is a tiny surplus of only about $270 million, the fact that the balance is changing in favor of Turkey is a noteworthy development, the outcome of a steady trend over the past four years.

In 2013, Turkish exports to Iran amounted to $4.2 billion, while imports were worth $10.4 billion, meaning a trade deficit of $6.2 billion. The deficit declined to $5.9 billion in 2014 and $2.4 billion in 2015 before turning to a surplus in 2016.

Yet because of the shrinking trade volume, this rise in exports is no reason to celebrate. Turkey was able to export some $10 billion worth of goods to Iran in 2012, but now this figure has fallen to $4.9 billion despite the lifting of sanctions and booming demand in Iran. The overall picture is pessimistic, with no tangible sign that tripling the trade volume is a target within reach. In February, bilateral tensions forced Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci to cancel a visit to Tehran, where he had been expected to attend a business forum, together with a large number of Turkish entrepreneurs. This development alone undercuts any hope that things could take a turn for the better in 2017, as economic ties remain mired in the shadow of political discord.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/turkey-iran-trade-deal-collapsed-in-two-years.html

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How Turkey-Iran trade deal collapsed in two years - Al-Monitor