Iran could get nuclear weapon within two years, intel assessments find

(Worthy News) – Iran is capable of producing a nuclear weapon within two years, if it steps up work on its nuclear program and violates the 2015 deal with the West, according to a recent Israeli intelligence assessment.

The assessment was released as the controversial US-led summit against Iran opened in Warsaw, where Israel is expected to pressure the European Union against trying to prop up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action following the American withdrawal last May.

In the Polish capital, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke openly about the possibility of war with Iran, and the possibility of a new alliance of Arab states with Israel, in the event of such hostilities. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

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Iran Claims to Have Formula for Nuclear Bomb

(Worthy News) – A senior Iranian official said over the weekend that the Islamic Republic has the chemical and technical know-how to produce a nuclear weapon, according to Farsi language remarks independently translated for the Washington Free Beacon.

Ahmad Khatami, a senior member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which enjoys close ties with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, claimed in recent comments that having a nuclear missile “is vital for Iran to confront the U.S. and its allies,” according to Farsi language comments made over the weekend.

“Having missile[s] and nuclear authority is vital for Iran to confront the U.S. and its allies.” Khatami was quoted as saying in remarks in which he also referred to the United States as a thug. [ Source: Washington Free Beacon (Read More…) ]

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Netanyahu Again Confirms Syria Strike, Contrary to Position of Top Brass

(Worthy News) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Tuesday evening that Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Syria the previous day. The confirmation runs contrary to the position of the Israeli defense establishment, as senior defense officials refrained from addressing the incident on the Syrian Golan Heights.

“We operate every day, including yesterday, against Iran and its attempts to entrench itself in the region,” Netanyahu said as he set out to attend an international conference on the Middle East in Warsaw.

Syrian state media reported on Monday that Israeli tank shells hit a demolished hospital and an observation post in Syria’s southern Quneitra province near the border with Israel. [ Source: Ha’aretz (Read More…) ]

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IDF believes Iran pulling forces in Syria away from Israel border due to strikes

(Worthy News) – Israel’s campaign of airstrikes in Syria has driven Iran to change tack in the country, moving the bulk of its troops and bases away from the Israeli border and toward what it sees as a safer location closer to Iraq, according to Military Intelligence assessments released Wednesday.

At the same time, the report said Iran appears to be adopting a more aggressive stance toward Israel, as evident by its launch of a missile into the northern Golan Heights last month, in response to a reported strike by the Israel Defense Forces. While most troops are being moved away, some pro-Iranian forces remain on the border with Israel and have established observation posts from which they can monitor Israeli military activities.

The intelligence report said Iran’s inclination to retaliate against Israeli airstrikes appears to be buoyed by the Syrian military’s recent acquisition of advanced Russian S-300 air defense batteries. The IDF does not believe Syrian troops have yet been fully trained to operate the powerful anti-aircraft system, but the military is prepared to destroy it the first time an S-300 battery fires at Israeli aircraft — despite the potential diplomatic blowback from Moscow, which gave Damascus the system. [ Source: Times of Israsel (Read More…) ]

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US said to widen ‘secret program’ to sabotage Iran’s missiles

(Worthy News) – The US has escalated a clandestine program to sabotage Iranian missiles and rockets as part of an attempt to weaken the Islamic Republic’s military and cause economic damage, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Current and former administration officials told the newspaper that it was difficult to quantify the success of the program. However, in the past two months Iran has on two occasions attempted to launch satellites in failed tests.

The US says that Iran’s plans for sending satellites into orbit demonstrate the country’s defiance of a UN Security Council resolution that calls on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

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Israel and Iran both set to join Russia-led free trade zone

(Worthy News) – Israel is set to sign a free-trade agreement with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union in the near future, according to officials in Moscow and Jerusalem.

Incidentally, Iran is also in advanced talks about creating a free trade zone with the union, known as EAEU. However, each country would sign its own free-trade agreement (FTA) with the union, which would mean that Jerusalem would not be able to trade freely with Tehran, or other states signing similar agreements.

“The negotiations with the EAEU were launched in Moscow in April 2018, following positive results of a comprehensive Joint Feasibility Study conducted by the parties,” a spokesperson for the Economy Ministry told The Times of Israel on Monday. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

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U.S.-Libya forces raid al Qaeda site in Libyan city of Ubari -Libyan official

(Worthy News) – Joint U.S.-Libyan forces raided an al Qaeda site in the Libyan city of Ubari on Wednesday, according to a statement by a Libyan official.

The spokesperson for Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Presidency Council of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord of Libya, said in a statement late on Wednesday that a site with a number of al Qaeda members in Ubari was “raided” but gave no details.

“This joint work between the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord and the US Government coincided with the meeting of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Minister Mohamed Sayala at the Global Coalition To Defeat Islamic State meeting last week”, spokesperson Mohamed El Sallak said in the statement. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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House Democrats planning expansive Trump probes, even after Mueller report

(Worthy News) – No matter when and how Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe ends, House Democrats are planning to aggressively ramp up their own Trump-related investigations that will include a network of committees and high-profile public hearings likely to last well into the 2020 election year.

It is unclear at this point when the special counsel’s investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign associates will be complete, though several officials have said the probe is nearing its end.

But the Mueller report will not mark the end of Russia investigations. House Democrats have ramped up their own efforts to investigate the president on matters related to Russia, his personal finances, his relationships and communications with foreign officials, and more. [ Source: Fox News (Read More…) ]

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China, US start trade talks ahead of March tariff deadline

(Worthy News) – U.S. and Chinese negotiators began trade talks Thursday that President Donald Trump says will help decide whether he escalates a fight over Beijing’s technology ambitions by raising tariffs on $200 billion of imports from China.

Businesspeople and economists say the two days of talks are unlikely to resolve the battle that threatens to drag on weakening global economic growth. They say Chinese negotiators are trying to persuade Trump they are making enough progress to postpone a March 2 deadline for the duty increase.

The chief American envoy, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and his Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier Liu He, shook hands at the start of the meeting at a government guesthouse but said nothing to reporters. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

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Pompeo says ‘confronting Iran’ key to Mideast peace

(Worthy News) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday at a security conference in Warsaw that Iran is the top threat in the Middle East and confronting the country is key to reaching peace in the entire region.

Pompeo met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the opening session at the conference and said “pushing back” against Iran was central to dealing with all the region’s other problems.

“You can’t achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran. It’s just not possible,” Pompeo said alongside Netanyahu. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

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