Headlines:
- Iran Files Suit in International Court against US over Sanctions
- Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince is Taking the Kingdom Back to the Dark Ages
- US Used Pakistan as Hired Gun, says Imran Khan
Iran Files Suit in International Court against US over Sanctions
Iran has filed a lawsuit against the United States alleging that Washington’s decision in May to impose sanctions after pulling out of a nuclear deal violates a 1955 treaty between the two countries, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said on Tuesday. A State Department official said the application was without merit and the United States would fight it in the court. “While we cannot comment on the specifics, Iran’s application is baseless and we intend to vigorously defend the United States before the ICJ,” a State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran reached by his predecessor Barack Obama and other world powers, and ordered tough US sanctions on Tehran. Under the 2015 deal, which Trump sees as flawed, Iran reined in its disputed nuclear program under UN monitoring and won a removal of international sanctions in return. The ICJ, which is based in The Hague and is also known as the World Court, is the United Nations tribunal for resolving international disputes. Iran’s filing asks the ICJ to order the United States to provisionally lift its sanctions ahead of more detailed arguments. “Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy and legal obligations,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet on Monday, referring to Tehran’s lawsuit at the ICJ. Iran said in its filing that Trump’s move “has violated and continued to violate multiple provisions” of the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights, signed long before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the US-allied shah and triggered decades of hostile relations with Washington. The specter of new US sanctions, particularly those meant to block oil exports that are the lifeline of Iran’s economy, has caused a rapid fall in the Iranian currency and triggered street protests over fears economic hardships will soon worsen. The Trump administration has indicated it wants a new deal with Iran that would cover the Islamic Republic’s regional military activities and ballistic missile program. Iran has said both are non-negotiable, and the other signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal including major European allies Britain, France and Germany, as well as Russia and China, remain committed to it. [Source: Eye Witness News]
In 2015, the Iranian regime signed up to the nuclear accord after conceding to humiliating conditions. At that time, many Iranians wondered why the regime had surrendered its nuclear sovereignty. Today, America has unilaterally withdrawn from the nuclear accords and the Iranian regime is begging major powers and the ICJ to protect the humiliation of the accords. Had the Iranian regime not surrendered its nuclear programme it would most likely have developed a nuclear bomb, which would dissuade both the Jewish entity and America from attacking it.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince is Taking the Kingdom Back to the Dark Ages
Since Saudi Arabia’s current regime was established in the 1930s, a chain of kings and crown princes has either promised or attempted to implement some sort of democratic mechanisms. However, the current crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman (or MBS, as he is commonly referred to), who is positioned as the kingdom’s leader among the royal family’s newest generation, seems intent upon taking the kingdom back to the norms of pre-modern Saudi Arabia. He has endorsed absolute monarchy more firmly and vociferously than any of his predecessors. In an interview with the Atlantic, MBS stated that “absolute monarchy is not a threat to any country.” He added: “If it were not for absolute monarchy, you wouldn’t have the United States. The absolute monarchy in France helped the creation of the United States by giving it support. Absolute monarchy is not an enemy of the United States. It’s an ally for a very long time.” Thirty-two-year-old MBS has promised nothing but a long reign of absolute monarchy and a firmer grip on power. While ironically promising a bright economic future embodied by his initiative for a 21st-century city, Neom, he has also promised religious regression, all the way back to the conditions that resulted in the country’s most infamous terrorist attack in 1979. Previous kings and crown princes were not eager to embrace democracy either and may not have moved honestly toward it, but their maneuver of accepting democracy as an end allowed for some healthy interaction between the people and the kings to take place. With such interactions, there was always a great chance to establish a meaningful social contract between the people and the royal family for a foundation for a more stable and democratic future. The change of mind-set with MBS toward embracing eternal absolute power marks a dramatic shift from past democratic promises that offered some hope for the future, even though none of them were ever fulfilled. The new Saudi administration has gained positive press for its futuristic rhetoric, including talk of a robotically manned city, and for allowing women to drive. But make no mistake: We are witnessing a return to Saudi Arabia’s past. In abandoning the promise of democracy, the crown prince may actually be on his way to making Saudi Arabia more medieval than ever.[Source: Washington Post]
Since its inception the Saudi family has kept Arabia in the dark ages by suppressing all forms of political Islam. The House of Saud has used the wealth of the country to enrich their own pockets and enslave the people. Only the re-establishment of the rightly guided Khilafah (Caliphate) can liberate the Saudi people from the likes of MBS and his cronies.
US used Pakistan as Hired Gun, says Imran Khan
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said on Friday that the United States of America used Pakistan as a hired gun and the bilateral relations have remained always one-sided. Speaking in an interview to Russian TV, the party chief rebuffed the US claim that terrorists have safe havens in Pakistan. When asked what would be his first directive after taking oath as prime minister, Imran said that he will think about his first move after being certain of the win. The PTI chief said that his party has a plan for the first 100 days of government, adding that institutional reforms will be the priority for the party. Imran reiterated that he will strengthen NAB, FBR and other institutions to curb corruption and to increase revenues so that the people’s money taken from taxes is spent on them. He said that it is in the interest of Pakistan to have better relations with the USA but he would prevent the country to be dependent on the foreign donations. The PTI chairman said that he would like to keep the relations with the United States which is in the interests of both the sides. Imran said that US should be assisted to bring peace and prosperity in Afghanistan, he remarked that the war in the neighboring country can only be resolved through a political dialogue, adding that the Pakistan should use its influence on Taliban for a peaceful dialogue with Afghan leadership. The US must take take lesson from Soviet Union that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, he said. [Source: Geo TV].
Imran Khan expresses the obvious sentiment that every Pakistani feels, yet he provides no details about how he would exert full independence from the US. Ironically, he wishes for good relations with the US should he become Prime Minister. Is there any difference between Imran, Nawaz, Bilal, Zadari and others?