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Syrians stage mass anti-US rally Mature (BBC NEWS) -- Thousands of people have held a peaceful demonstration in Damascus against an alleged US raid on a village that Syria says killed eight people. Riot police armed with batons and shields surrounded the US embassy in Damascus, which closed due to what it said were increased security concerns. The US state department and the White House have refused to confirm, deny or comment on The assault claimed the lives of eight civilians, including a father and his four sons. They protestos said the act of aggression is a flagrant violation of international law and a form of systematic terrorism exercised by the American administration on the Arab world, Lebanese Al-Manar TV reported. Damascus witnessed a huge public demonstration in protest to the US act of aggression which targeted the al-Sukkariah farm outside Abu Kamal. The protestors, who came from student, women, civic societies, religious and trade union activists, voiced condemnation of the American crime which targeted peaceful building workers on a farm outside the town of Abu Kamal near the border with Iraq on Sunday. The protestors called on the international community to put an end to reckless US arrogance, appealing to international organizations to condemn such acts of terrorism and take the needed procedures to put on trial the aggressors who show disregard for international laws, norms and charters. The US Embassy in Damascus was closed Thursday because of security concerns related to the protest. The Syrian government has ordered the closure of a US school, expected within a week, and the immediate closing of the American cultural center linked to the embassy. The US Embassy meanwhile warned Americans on Thursday to be vigilant. The announcement raises concerns about the safety of US citizens in Syria. In Washington, State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said Wednesday that Syria had formally notified the US of the closure order for the cultural center, effective immediately, and the school by November 6. Wood said Washington was considering how to respond and stressed the US expects the Syrian government to provide adequate security for the buildings housing the cultural center and the Damascus Community School.

Jundullah leader Abdulmalik Rigi received $100,000 from US operatives to fuel sectarianism in Iran in just one of their meetings, his brother has said. "My brother Abdulmalik met several times with US forces in Pakistan," Abdulhamid Rigi told a group of tribal leaders and citizens in the town of Iranshahr in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan. "I myself took part in one of those meetings, where we discussed recruitment, training, infiltrating Iran and methods of inflaming Sunni-Shia sectarianism for three hours. In that meeting, the Americans gave my brother $100,000," he added. Abdulhamid also said that during the meeting in question, his brother had asked for computer and satellite equipment, which he used to recruit young Sunni Baluchies. According to Jundullah's former number two, young men were attracted to the group because it sought to portray itself as an Islamic and Jihadist movement. He said that the group promoted the idea that killing two people from the Shia community would ensure entry to Paradise as they are infidels. Abdulhamid said that he had shot his wife dead in the Pakistani city of Quetta while she was asleep, because his brother had said she must die for being a Shia and a government spy. He added that Abdulmalik too had previously killed his own wife by slitting her throat for the same reason. Abdulhamid Rigi had earlier confirmed that the ring leader had repeatedly met with US agents in the Pakistani cities of Islamabad and Karachi since 2005. "In Pakistan, Malik [Abdulmalik Rigi] contacted an individual who resided in the US, who then put him through to the FBI," he said in a recent interview with Press TV. Jundullah (meaning 'God's Army') is a Pakistan-based terrorist group closely affiliated with the notorious al-Qaeda organization and is made up of disgruntled members of Iran's Sunni Baluch community. A 2007 Sunday Telegraph report revealed that the CIA had created Jundullah to achieve 'regime change in Iran'. The report said it was the very same US intelligence outfit that had tried to destabilize Iran by 'supplying arms-length support' and 'money and weapons' to Jundullah. Another report posted by ABC also revealed that the US officials had ordered Jundullah to 'stage deadly guerrilla raids inside the Islamic Republic, kidnap Iranian officials and execute them on camera', all as part of a 'programmatic objective to overthrow the Iranian government'. Jundullah has carried out a number of bombings and other violent attacks in Iran resulting in many casualties. Some of the attacks for which it has claimed responsibility are the killings of at least 16 Iranian police officers in a 2008 attack, nine Iranian security guards in 2005, and another 11 in a 2007 bombing. The group's leader Abdulmalik Rigi has also publicly claimed responsibility for a bombing in May at a Shia mosque in the southeastern city of Zahedan, which left 25 worshipers dead and scores injured. Soon after the attack, Abdulmalik Rigi admitted during an interview with a US-based satellite TV station that his group collaborated with another anti-Iranian terrorist group, the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO). "They (MKO) inform us about the regime's activities in our areas of operations and let us know of the regime's forces in these districts and send us most of the intelligence of our interest by email and messages," Rigi told the station. MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, Iran, and Iraq. Nevertheless, the US government has still not classified Jundullah as a proscribed terrorist organization.

A huge crowd of anti-US protesters took to the streets in Karachi to denounce the killing of two motorcycle riders in the city of Lahore by a US consular official. Pakistani police have charged the diplomat with double murder. According to a provincial minister, the US official believed the two intended to rob him. A pedestrian was also killed by a speeding car from the US consulate. These demonstrators are protesting against the recent killings in Lahore by the US diplomats and for the immediate release of Afia siddiqui, an American-educated neuroscientist who was sentenced to 86 years in jail in the US after being convicted of trying to kill an American soldier. Anti-US sentiments run high in Pakistan. American drone attacks are another source of growing anger at the US and its policies. Over one thousand civilian have been killed so far in these attacks. Pakistani media speculate that the consulate official charged with the murder of two Pakistani citizens is an agent of the notorious US private security firm, XE (Zee) services formerly known as Blackwater. Muhammad Aslam Tarin, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) says the men who were shot dead had no previous criminal records, adding that none of them had robbed or fired at the diplomat. The US embassy in Islamabad confirmed that Davis was a consular worker but said it was still trying to work out with the police what had happened. What does US government say? Washington is apparently wary of the rising anti-American sentiment in Pakistan given its strategic partnership with Islamabad, but analysts remain skeptical about the strength and future of US ties with regional nations. After all, many Pakistanis say they view the United States with suspicion or outright enmity because of what they call Washington's interfering policies in the Muslim world.

Iranian academic Shahram Amiri who was abducted by the US last year is now in Iran's interest section in Washington. Iranian academic Shahram Amiri, who was abducted by the US last year, has been escorted by American forces to Iran's interest section in Washington. IRIB reported on Tuesday that Amiri took refuge in Iran's interest section in Washington, urging an "immediate return" to Iran. The Pakistani Embassy in Washington preserves Iran's interests in the United States, since the two countries have no diplomatic relations. In collaboration with Saudi forces, US security forces kidnapped Amiri while he was on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in June 2009 and took him to America. Since then, two videos and one audio message featuring him have emerged. In the first video, Amiri said that he was abducted "in a joint operation by terror and kidnap teams from the US intelligence service, CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and Saudi Arabia's Istikhbarat" from Medina. In the second video, he contradicted his earlier statements, saying that he was in the US of his own free will to further his education, dismissing all rumors about his defection. However, in the latest audio message obtained by Iran's intelligence sources, Amiri insists that he was offered $10 million to appear on CNN and announce that he had willingly defected to the US. Holding the US accountable for Amiri's abduction, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss charge d'affaires, whose embassy represents US interests in Iran, earlier this month and handed over new documents related to the abduction of the Iranian national by the CIA. Analysts say US intelligence officials decided to free Amiri after they failed to advance their propaganda campaign against Iran's nuclear program via fabricating interviews with the Iranian national.

April 25, marks the anniversary of failure of US military aggression to Tabas. Thirty years ago on April 25, 1980, the US staged a military aggression against Iran's soil with a number of choppers and planes. The US administration, whose different plots to defeat the sacred Islamic system had failed, launched this military aggression with the goal of releasing the spies that had been detained throughout the seizure of US spy den in Tehran. Meanwhile, despite precise planning, usage of advanced equipment, and numerous exercises that the Americans had done in similar locations, this military assault failed due to occurrence of a sand storm throughout the deserts in the vicinity of the city of Tabas, central Iran, while a number of US choppers and planes caught fire; a number of US troopers were killed; and the rest of these US troopers fled Iran's soil. The Americans had planned to fly to Tehran with a chopper, after landing in the city of Tabas. The occurrence of a sand storm astounded the American officials, who had made all the essential arrangements and had even studied the weather conditions. In fact, with divine blessings, US military aggression was doomed to fail. Meanwhile, in reference to the humiliating military failure of the US in Tabas, the Founder of Islamic Republic of Iran late Imam Khomeini (May his soul rest in peace) noted now that the Great Satan has committed such an absurd act, the honorable Iranian nation should become fully prepared for confrontation with the enemies, with all its potential and through reliance on God's strength. April 25, 1980 is a memorable day for the Iranian nation. This date is unforgettable for the Iranian nation because on this day the Iranian people were blessed by the Almighty in the face of the enemy's plot and conspiracy. This day will also not be forgotten in US history, because it showed that sole reliance on military equipment in confrontation with faithful people will not bring about victory. Tabas incident paved the way for further unity and solidarity of Iran's revolutionary forces, while also proving Islamic Revolution's righteousness throughout the international community. Throughout the course of this incident, the true ominous visage of the enemy was revealed more than ever and the divine nature of Islamic Revolution was proved to the international community. In fact, this sand storm unveiled the ugly visage of Washington's rulers and displayed their clear aggression, which was in violation to international rules and regulations.

Sayyed Nasrallah: Pure Blood Shed Yesterday Unveils US Schemes Batoul Wehbe Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah saluted in a speech at the opening of the conference on innovation and intellectual diligence in Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei\\\'s view the protesters who gathered courageously yesterday on the 44th anniversary of Naksa Day at the borders of the occupied Syrian Golan. “We must stand with dignity and great appreciation for the Palestinians and these young people who gathered yesterday and their insistence on confrontation,” Sayyed Nasrallah said adding that this pure blood is a new witness on the political and historical awareness dedicated by Imam Khomeini and then Imam Khamenei. Sayyed Nasrallah said that the resilience of this nation unveiled the US administration’s attempt to confiscate the Arab revolutions and America’s commitment to Israel’s security. IMAM’S AGGRIEVED PERSONALITY His eminence started his speech with an introduction on the Islamic Revolution leader in Iran Sayyed Khamenei’s aggrieved personality that should be studied in all its dimensions. “We find ourselves in front a great and exceptional personality who is aggrieved by his nation and even in Iran. Even in the political dimension of his personality, because he’s encircled by enemies, our responsibility is to introduce the nation on this great Imam,” his eminence said. “This is the very important and sensitive mission of this conference.” UNIQUE PREDICTIONS OF A UNIQUE IMAM Sayyed Nasrallah also tackled the regional stages in which Imam Khamenei was the pioneer to predict the unpredictable, from the failure of the Syrian-Israeli settlement in 1996 to the Israeli demise in the near future. “In 1996, they told us do not bother yourselves and that there’s no need to provide blood and sacrifices, but there was someone (Imam Khamenei) who called on us to arrange our issues and continue our Jihad and resistance on the basis that the Israeli-Syrian settlement won’t be executed.” “In late 1999, Imam Khamenei told us that your victory in Lebanon is very, very close, closer than you would expect and this was unlike all the analysis and information that there were no preparations for any Israeli withdrawal,” his eminence said. “In the early days of July 2006 War, we received verbal message from Imam Khamenei telling us that we’ll remain victorious and undefeated power after this war,” Sayyed Nasrallah added. US TO COLLAPSE, ISRAEL TO DISAPPEAR The Hezbollah secretary general indicated that after September 11 events, Imam Khamenei told us not to be worried and that this is the beginning of America’s collapse “and when they entered Iraq and Afghanistan this was the beginning of their end.” “He said that when the US is unable to protect its interests through regimes in the region or through armies and fleets and become obliged to enter all the fleets to the region, this is a sign of weakness,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. His eminence pointed out that Imam Khamenei was the leader of the confrontation in the most difficult war that needed a lot of reason, wisdom and courage and so far we cannot detect many of the aspects of this war. Imam Khamenei believes that the demise of Israel is not so far away and that the compromise with Israel won’t take place, Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding that what Imam Khamenei says on Israel can be understood when we realize US retreat and resistance achievements and assess the experience of July War and Gaza War, then we believe that the demise of Israel is very soon.

http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/215690.html A political activist says that the United States and Israeli governments are the greatest security threat in the world, inflicting wholesale slaughter and massive human displacement. Press TV has conducted an exclusive interview with Dahlia Wasfi, with the Iraqi Justice & political activist, to further discuss the issue. The following is a transcript of the interview. Press TV: The US is supposed to withdraw from Iraq by the year's end. And with Obama saying just days ago in a press conference with Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki, the US troops will be leaving Iraq with heads held high. What legacy will the US leave behind in Iraq? Wasfi: Well, it's nothing to be proud of. There's a legacy of the wholesale slaughter of over a million people, the making of a massive refugee crisis - the largest since the Palestinian refugee crisis began - the destruction of the Iraqi health care system, the destruction of the Iraqi education system, the destruction of Iraq's infrastructure. In terms of security in Iraq, the most dangerous forces in the world today are the United States military and the Israeli occupation forces. Those are the greatest threats to global security. So while it's true that Iraq is a dangerous place, it is because of the US military stay and its illegal occupation, not in spite of it. Press TV: If the US leaves Iraq - and I say IF, because there might be the possibility to extend the deadline at the 11th hour - how capable do you think Iraq would be in taking care of itself? Wasfi: Iraq is the cradle of civilization. There's no question that though it will take decades to overcome the destruction that has been wrought by the forces led by the United States and Great Britain, that Iraq can recover on its own. History has shown that. As you said, this is a farce. It's not actually an end to the military occupation of Iraq. It's a maintained military and economic occupation with, as I've read, 16,000 US military personnel, in addition to mercenaries, in addition to CIA and other operatives that are operating in Iraq under the guise of organizations like US Aid which have long time been used as cover for the CIA. Press TV: Adding to your list, what remains for the question of the Mujaheddin Khalq Organization - the terrorist organization operating on Iraqi soil? Wasfi: I'll repeat again that the largest terrorist organization that's operating on Iraqi soil is the US military. Iraq's borders have been blown wide open since March 19th, 2003. Anyone and everyone has access to Iraq. Iran has a very strong influence in Iraq today. But the only future of Iraq, it is only up to the Iraqis, just as the future of Syria is up to the Syrians, just as the future of Iran is only up to Iran. And the future of the US is up to the Americans. And for all of these countries, no more interference by Israeli politics.

[29 April 2012] US Drone War - News Analysis - Presstv - English Some of the mainstream media in the US are reporting it as "US relaxes drone rules in Yemen." In reality, the US has approved a new authority that allows US assassination drones to fire on targets in Yemen even when their identities aren't known: it's called signature airstrikes. How could these drones, which have been described as targeted killings, not that they have hit their targets all the time, to have resulted in many civilian deaths, now fire at targets whose identities are not known? In this news analysis, we will ask our guests whether this is another way for the US to okay civilian deaths as collateral damage, and whether it is a sign to spread this to other countries in order to keep America in a perpetual state of war.

The new US administration has not shied away from criticising Israel's illegal settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territorities. And when Israel announced plans to build 1,600 new settler homes in East Jerusalem while Joe Biden, the US vice-president, was visiting the country last week as part of a Middle East peace inititative - the US was not happy. A senior US official has called the timing of the announcement an "insult". And Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, had earlier told Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, that his government was putting "US ties at risk" by failing to take action towards renewed Middle East peace talks. Although Netanyahu has apologised for the timing of the announcement, Israel is not showing any signs of stopping the settlement expansion and the US is not backing down from its tough criticism.

US, Israel behind cyber-attack on Iran? Experts say a computer worm that has targeted Iran's industrial sites may be part of a cyber-attack by the US or Israel against the Islamic Republic. The Stuxnet, a computer worm that is viewed as potentially the most dangerous piece of computer malware discovered, has targeted industrial computers in Iran. The complex worm recognizes a specific facility's control network and then destroys it. Experts say the worm, which has a very sophisticated design, may have been created by a state-sponsored organization in the US or Israel to target specific control software being used in the Iranian industrial sector, including the Bushehr plant -- Iran's first nuclear power plant. "All the details so far to me scream that this was created by a nation-state," Bloomberg quoted Frank Rieger, technology chief for a maker of encrypted mobile phones, as saying. Iran's nuclear facilities may have been the targets, said both Rieger and Richard Falkenrath of the Chertoff Group, a Washington-based security advisory firm. "It is theoretically possible that the US government did this," Falkenrath said during an interview with Bloomberg Television on Saturday. "But in my judgment, that's a very remote possibility. It's more likely that Israel did it." Meanwhile, a top US cyber-security official claims that the US does not know who is behind the cyber-attack and is still analyzing the worm. "We've conducted analysis on the software itself," Sean McGurk, director of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, told reporters on Friday. "It's very difficult to say 'This is what it was targeted to do,'" he said, adding the center was not looking for those behind the attack but it rather sought to prevent the spread. The US and Israel accuse Iran of developing a nuclear weapons program. Iran rejects the allegation, saying its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency, in its several reports, has confirmed that it continues to verify the country's non-diversion from its peaceful path. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143868.html

US President Barack Obama has defended his administration\'s use of drones as legal, effective, and just. \"We are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many Americans as they could if we did not stop them first. So this is a just war,\" Obama said in a major policy speech at Washington\'s National Defense University on Thursday. \"Our nation is still threatened by terrorists,\" he pointed out, noting that \"We must recognize however, that the threat has shifted and evolved from the one that came to our shores on 9/11,\" he said. The US president claimed the strikes have been effective in targeting militants and have made the United States a safer country. Obama outlined the legal guidelines surrounding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to wage war in distant lands. \"I don\'t not believe it would be constitutional for the government to target and kill any U.S. citizen...Nor should any president deploy armed drones over US soil. But when a US citizen goes abroad to wage war against American and is actively plotting to kill US citizens...his citizenship should no more serve as a shield than a sniper shooting down an innocent crowd should be protected from a swat team,\" he said. On Wednesday, US Attorney General Eric Holder admitted for the first time that four US citizens were murdered in assassination drone attacks conducted by the CIA in Pakistan and Yemen since 2011.

Ira Helfand, the co-president of the group International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, says there are more than 17 000 nuclear warheads which have been ignored since the Cold War ended in 19 91. He says modern nuclear weapons are far more powerful than the US bombs used against Japan in 19 45. Nine countries are believed to possess nuclear weapons with Russia and the US holding the vast majority of them. Israel is the Middle East\'s sole possessor of nuclear weapons. The US pledged in 2009 to work toward the abolition of its nuclear weapons but said it would keep them so long as others keep theirs.

It\'s been more than three weeks since vital supply route for the US led forces stationed in neighboring Afghanistan remains blocked in the North West of Pakistan.The supply route at Torkham border has been blocked by activists of religious and political parties to protest against the US assassination drone strikes in the tribal areas. However, the move by the provincial government, which is run by Tehreek-e-Insaf or Justice Party, has put the central government in difficult position.That is why these top Pakistani civil and military authorities gathered in Islamabad to find a way out of the ongoing standoff. Despite efforts by the central government, the provincial administration has refused to allow trucks carrying supplies for the US forces in Afghanistan pass through the Torkham border.Pakistan is considered important for the US to ensure its forces\' smooth pull out of Afghanistan.The US has recently threatened to suspend billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan if supply routes are not reopened. In the face off continuing US drone attacks, Pakistan\'s civil and military leadership has promised to safeguard the country\'s national interests. However, they have not been able to come up with a clear strategy to pacify the growing public anger against the CIA\'s illegal and deadly drone campaign.

over a 1,000 people came together in front of the US Consulate Toronto, Canada to stand for international law, and against a Israeli-only Jerusalem. People from all walks of life, Jews, Christians, Muslims and other faiths, joined together to send the message “Hands Off Al Quds/Jerusalem.” Their message is that USA decision to name Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate the US embassy has innumerable serious consequences. This emergency rally was one among a number happening across Canada including in Montreal, Ottawa, London, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. All around the world, citizens are coming together in front of US diplomatic office to speak out against Trump\'s unilateral and illegal recognition of Jerusalem. Trump administration’s plans run counter to longstanding international consensus. It is a major violation of many United Nations Security Council resolutions) and the principles of international law, which consider all Israeli actions and laws aimed at changing the legal and historical status of East Jerusalem null and void. These resolutions ban the establishment of diplomatic missions, the transfer of embassies or the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. These resolutions consider East Jerusalem as an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967. Any recognition of the city of Jerusalem as the capital of the occupying power, the establishment of any diplomatic mission in Jerusalem or its transfer to the city is a violation of International law and the Fourth Geneva Convention On November 30, 2017, the UN General Assembly last week voted overwhelmingly that “any actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal and therefore null and void and have no validity whatsoever.” The rally is important said organizers not only because of the Trump Administration decision, but because, Canada was one of just six countries that voted against this resolution on Jerusalem. Canadians have clearly spoken that the Canadian government is out of line with public opinion when it comes to Palestine. In a March 2017 EKOS poll, Canadians indicated they believe overwhelmingly that sanctions are a reasonable way for Canada to censure countries violating international law and human rights, and a strong majority of Canadians believe that government sanctions on Israel would be reasonable. The message is that the Canadian government’s decision not to follow the US example is not enough. Canada has an obligation to condemn the actions of the US government based on Article 1 of the Geneva Convention which requires that Canada \"ensure compliance\" with the Geneva Convention by other High Contracting Parties.\" This makes it essential that the Canadian government issue a clear statement condemning the action of the US government, and to publicly and diplomatically oppose all foreign embassies in Jerusalem. Speakers were from the Palestinian and Arab communities, the United Church of Canada, the Muslim community, the Jewish community, labour, the Canadian Federation of Students (Ontario), the Christian Peacemaker Teams, Solidarity Against Fascism Everywhere, Canadian Peace Congress, and others who stand for justice and international law. Over 40 groups endorsed today’s emergency action to speak against the move for a Israeli exclusive Jerusalem, and for a universal city where all are welcome.

WARNING: This video may not be suitable for minors:- A new footage showing the killing of a dozen civilians in Baghdad in 2007 by helicopter gunships. The secret video, released by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, shows US air crew hunting civilians in the streets of the Iraqi capital purportedly mistaking them for 'insurgents.' US military service members laughed and cursed at their victims that included Reuters photojournalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, and his driver, Saeed Chmagh, who appear unarmed. The footage shows US forces repeatedly firing on a group of civilians and then on a van that stopped to rescue one of the wounded. The US military says the killings were in line with the law of armed conflict and its own 'rules of engagement.' The video, shot from one of the two striking Apache helicopters, was obtained by Wikileaks despite the US Defense Department's blocking of an earlier attempt by Reuters to get hold of the footage via the Freedom of Information Act.

An Iranian man who says he was kidnapped and interrogated for 14 months in the US over Iran's nuclear programme, has returned to his home country where he was reunited with his family. Shahram Amiri says he was abducted by US and Saudi agents at gunpoint while on a pilgrimage to the Saudi city of Mecca last year and flown to the US, where he claims he was physically and psychologically tortured under questioning. The US government has denied all the allegations, saying Amiri was not held against his own will in the US. Speaking to Al Jazeera in Doha on Wednesday en route to Tehran, Amiri said: "For 14 months I was put under a number of pressures in the US. And in reality the freedom to communicate with my family and to express myself in an ordinary fashion was not granted. "Behind the scenes this was very politically motivated."

US Major TV networks ban a TV commercial about the US national debt because it is too controversial. In it, a Chinese professor tells students that America has turned its back on the principles that made it great and borrowed too much money. He says We own most of the debt, so now they work for us

The United States arms sales to the Middle Eastern countries will eventually boomerang on the US, a political analyst tells Press TV. His comment comes as the US has recently finalized a 30-billion-dollar deal with Saudi Arabia as part of a 60-billion-dollar contract, first unveiled in October 2010. The US has also signed a deal to sell about USD 3.5 billion worth of arms to the United Arab Emirates. “The sales of such high technology to unstable regimes in the Middle East region such as Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates, is something that is going to backfire on the United States,” said Nader Mokhtari political commentator and journalist. “You have to take into account that these countries are not run via political operatives like other countries,” the Tehran-based analyst said, adding that they are run 'like family-run businesses.' The US has demonstrated support for popular uprisings in the Middle East while at the same time propping up their authoritarian regimes by selling them billions of dollars worth of various types of weaponry. In its Yearbook 2010, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) stated that the US accounts for 43 percent of world military spending and 30 percent of global arms exports, making it the world's leader in both categories. US arms sales to the Persian Gulf countries has reached USD 123 billion, with a USD 67.8 billion package for Saudi Arabia, USD 35.6 billion for the United Arab Emirates, USD 12.3 billion for Oman and USD 7.1 billion for Kuwait.

[17 July 2012] US withdrawal key to peace in Pakistan - English Pakistan's move to reopen its routes used for the transfer of supplies to the US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan has triggered a fresh protest in city of Peshawar where demonstrators have rallied to urge the government to reverse its decision. The protesters also staged a sit-in protest on Monday and chanted anti-US and anti-government slogans. They also strongly denounced the US assassination drone attacks in Pakistan that have killed thousands of innocent civilians. Press TV has conducted an interview with Ishtiaq Ahmad, a political analyst from Islamabad, to further discuss the issue.

[14 Aug 2012] US violates all of the laws on Syria - English The mission of the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her recent visit to Turkey was to supply the Syrian insurgents with anti-aircraft equipment and missiles, a report says. According to a report published on August 12 by the newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's achievements on the ground against the insurgents in Aleppo have frustrated both Ankara and Washington. The report added that, the US is trying to establish a no-fly zone in Syria in order to weaken the Syrian army's air force. However, they will not succeed. Considering the situation, the US tries to supply the Syrian insurgents with anti-aircraft equipment and Stinger missiles, the report said. Press TV has conducted an interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, director of Pan-African News Wire, from Detroit, to further discuss the issue.

[15 Aug 2012] Afghanistan war ending in US failure - English He made the comments one day after an Afghan policeman opened fire on US-led forces in the eastern province of Nangarhar, injuring two soldiers. Last week, seven US-led soldiers were killed over four days when Afghan security forces opened fired on them in another green-on-blue or insider attack, in which Afghans turn their weapons against their foreign allies. According to a NATO count, such attacks have killed a total of 37 US-led foreign soldiers this year, up from 35 deaths in 2011. Press TV has conducted an interview with Conn Hallinan, a columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus, to further discuss the issue.

[14 Sept 2012] Yemenis storm US embassy slamming the mocking of Prophet Muhammed - English

The US spying scandal has spread in scope and geography: The latest: The US National Security Agency has spied on Germans, including Chancellor Angela Merkel. Add to that, French diplomats in Washington and at the UN, not to mention Italy, Brazil, Mexico, and of course, the US itself. All based on leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, through Glen Greenwald, the outgoing Guardian journalist, who is feeding the material from Brazil. In this debate, we will discuss what the repercussions of this US spying on its allies would be, and try to get to the bottom of how vast this spying has been, and whether the countries involved will do anything about it.

Afghan tribal elders have convened in the capital Kabul to debate the fate of the US forces in the war-torn country beyond 2014. The participants in the gathering known as Loya Jirga are discussing the draft of a long-awaited bilateral security deal between Kabul and Washington. The draft agreed on Wednesday appears to meet US demands on some thorny issues. Among them are US troops\' unilateral operations, their authority to enter Afghan homes and immunity from prosecution. In his opening speech at the meeting, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said 15000 foreign forces would remain in Afghanistan if the deal is inked. The presence of US-led forces in Afghanistan has generated deep anti-US sentiments among Afghans who accuse Washington of violating their country\'s sovereignty and killing civilians.

Human rights lawyer Shazhad Akbar is spearheading a movement against the US assassination drone strikes in the Pakistani tribal areas. Earlier this year he won a major legal battle when a top court in Pakistan declared that drone strikes are amounted to war crime and directed the government to use all available means to stop such illegal strikes. However, according to Shazad, Islamabad has failed to implement the court order. Anger is growing with every passing day in Pakistan over the continued US drone strikes. Last week several religious and political parties held a massive protest in the north western city of Peshawar blocking supply lines of the US-led forces stationed in Afghanistan. Despite strong public opposition, the US has expanded drone campaign to beyond the tribal areas. The development has prompted the provincial government in the North West of the country to file a legal case against the CIA for killing innocent people. The Pakistani government is under pressure to take a decisive action against US drone strikes. Many experts here believe that authorities need to come up with a clear plan to stop the United States from violating the country\'s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Palestinians insist that they will not accept a security plan proposed by the US, regarding their conflict with Israelis.A member from the Fatah Party of acting Palestinian chief Mahmud Abbas has told Press TV that anything detracting the sovereignty of a Palestinian state is rejected. The plan was proposed by US secretary of state, John Kerry during his latest trip to occupied territories on Thursday and Friday ---- the second such visit in less than a week. Under the proposed plan, Israel will keep military presence in a future Palestinian state along its strategic border with Jordan. Acting Palestinian chief, Mahmud Abbas has rejected the US-proposed plan. Sources say he\\\'s also presented Kerry a letter laying down what Palestinians have called red lines. Yet, Abbas is facing growing criticism over the continuation of talks with Israelis. Critics say the talks must be halted, as long as Israel pushes ahead with its settlement projects on occupied Palestinian lands and continues aggressions against Palestinians. Although Abbas has rejected the security proposals outlined by the US, political factions are calling on him to end the negotiations and take other methods against the occupation, as they see the US taking Israel\\\'s side.

[06 May 2014] US intelligence officials: Israel has crossed red lines in spying on US - English

[29 June 2014] US president: European militants in Syria, Iraq threaten US - English