{"id":712,"date":"2020-04-17T08:21:27","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T13:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=712"},"modified":"2020-04-18T09:23:48","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T14:23:48","slug":"712","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2020\/04\/17\/712\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

I guess he didn\u2019t see the video.\u00a0 Iran\u2019s Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami on Friday said U.S. reports of harassment by Iranian speedboats yesterday in the Gulf were \u201cbaseless.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cIran says ‘illegal’ U.S. presence in Gulf causes insecurity \u2013 IRNA,\u201d<\/a> Reuters, April 17, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cU.S. State Department Issues $10 Million Bounty On Mohammed Kawtharani,\u201d<\/a> UANI, April 17, 2020.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cLast week, the U.S. State Department offered a $10 million reward for information on Lebanese Hezbollah\u2019s senior military commander in Iraq, Mohammed Kawtharani. Kawtharani, who was first designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2013, has played an integral role in advancing the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s support for proxy terrorist groups across the Middle East. Kawtharani\u2019s 2013 global terrorist designation resulted from his efforts to fund proxy militia forces and facilitate Iran\u2019s global terror campaign in Iraq. Under his leadership, Iran\u2019s operatives have violently suppressed protests, attacked foreign diplomatic missions, and engaged in organized criminal activity. By including Kawtharani in its Rewards for Justice Program, the U.S. has increased pressure on Hezbollah and doubled down on its April 2019 commitment to disrupt the financial mechanism of Hezbollah – which provides training, funding, and logistical support to Iraqi Shiite militia groups.\u00a0 In one of the few available profiles on this terrorist leader, United Against Nuclear Iran\u2019s (UANI) resource, Mohammad Kawtharani, outlines Kawtharani\u2019s background and modus operandi, as well as his role in establishing Hezbollah\u2019s footprint in Iraq, and influence on the Iraqi political system. Kawtharani\u2019s responsibilities in Iraq have only grown after Qassem Soleimani\u2019s death, especially in coordinating among Iran\u2019s fractious allies in Iraq. Tehran\u2019s control over Shi\u2019a militias has made it the dominant military, political, and diplomatic power broker there, but its quest for domination and subversion of Iraqi interests to its own has weakened Iraq\u2019s central government and impeded its ability to provide for the welfare of its citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIran to reopen businesses as COVID-19 lockdown eased,\u201d<\/a> Zein Basravi, Al Jazeera, April 17, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIranian teen shocks chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen to win $14,000 prize,\u201d<\/a> Ben Morse, CNN, April 17, 2020.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFirouzja plays under the flag of FIDE, the global chess organization, after leaving his native Iran to avoid government restrictions. Iran strongly discourages its citizens from competing against Israelis, as a sign of protest against the country and a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The teenage grandmaster moved to France at the end of 2019 with his father so he could compete against Israeli opponents.\u201d And against anyone\u2014he does not discriminate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I guess he didn\u2019t see the video.\u00a0 Iran\u2019s Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami on Friday said U.S. reports of harassment by Iranian speedboats yesterday in the Gulf were \u201cbaseless.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cIran says ‘illegal’ U.S. presence in Gulf causes insecurity \u2013 IRNA,\u201d Reuters, April 17, 2020. \u201cU.S. State Department Issues $10 Million Bounty On Mohammed Kawtharani,\u201d … <\/p>\n

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