April
13, 2023
The
top diplomats from Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan attended a conference
Thursday that focused on ensuring regional security in light of the situation
in Afghanistan.
The
foreign ministers of the four countries met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and
discussed the need to cooperate with Afghan authorities to maintain political
stability and to prevent a humanitarian crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry
said.
The
ministers also talked about the coordination of efforts to “counter the threats
of terrorism and drug trafficking from the Afghan territory.”
Russia
and China are among a few countries that have kept their diplomatic missions in
Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, since the Taliban took power in August 2021.
Moscow
worked for years to establish contacts with the Taliban, even though it
designated the group a terror organization in 2003 and never took it off the
list. It hosted several rounds of talks on Afghanistan that involved senior
representatives of the Taliban and neighboring countries.
Beijing
has taken a higher profile on regional issues related to Afghanistan as part of
China’s efforts to extend its global clout.
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held
separate talks on the sidelines of Thursday’s meeting to discuss a range of
issues, including the situation in Ukraine, according to the Russian Foreign
Ministry.
In
a statement preceding the Uzbekistan conference, the Chinese Foreign Ministry
said Beijing was ready to work more closely with Afghanistan’s neighbors and
the international community for stability, security, prosperity, and
development in both the country and wider region.
The
statement reaffirmed China’s pledge to respect the independence, sovereignty,
and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, as well as the choices made by its
people. It called on the international community to firmly support Afghanistan
to combat terrorism, and urged the United States to live up to its commitment
to the country.
Beijing
also expressed hope that Afghanistan’s interim government would continue
working actively to meet its people’s interests and the international
community’s expectations for an open and inclusive political structure.
“We
hope the Afghan interim government will protect the basic rights and interests
of all Afghan people, including women, children and all ethnic groups,” the
statement said.
Girls
currently cannot attend school beyond sixth grade, and women are not allowed at
universities in Afghanistan. Authorities present the education restrictions as
a temporary suspension and not a ban, but universities and schools reopened in
March without their female students.
Women
also are barred from public spaces, including parks, and most forms of
employment.
The
policies have raised fierce international objections, increasing the country’s
isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed and worsened a humanitarian
crisis.
No
country has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Saudi readies Arab talks on Syria as Mideast diplomacy shifts
April
13, 2023
Saudi
Arabia was preparing Thursday to host an Arab regional meeting on ending
Syria's isolation at a time of dizzying diplomatic shifts following its deal to
resume relations with rival Iran.
Friday's
nine-nation talks in Jeddah, the Red Sea gateway to Mecca, come after Syria's
foreign minister arrived on a previously unannounced visit -- the first since
the outbreak of the country's civil war in 2011.
It
was one in a flurry of events that were nearly unthinkable before Saudi Arabia
and Iran's landmark, Chinese-brokered announcement on March 10 that they would
resume ties, seven years after an acrimonious split.
On
Wednesday, an Iranian delegation landed in Saudi Arabia to pave the way for
reopening diplomatic missions, following a trip by a Saudi team in the opposite
direction.
The
Saudi ambassador to Yemen has held talks with Iran-backed Huthi rebels this
week aimed at ending the devastating civil war that has raged since a Saudi-led
military intervention started in 2015.
Earlier
this month, the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers pledged to work together to
bring "security and stability" to the troubled region during a
meeting in Beijing.
And
late on Wednesday, gas-rich Qatar and its tiny Gulf neighbour Bahrain agreed to
re-establish relations, putting aside a long-running diplomatic feud.
Sunni-ruled
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and Shiite theocracy Iran have
long been vying for influence around the region, with Yemen a major
battleground.
But
analysts say Saudi Arabia is now trying to calm the region to allow it to focus
on domestic projects aimed at diversifying its energy-dependent economy.
-
Bloody crackdown -
On
Friday, ministers and top officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council
countries -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates -- along with Egypt, Iraq and Jordan will meet in Jeddah.
On
the table is Syria's suspension from the Arab League, in place since President
Bashar al-Assad's government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy
protests in 2011.
Assad
is backed by Iran and Russia but has been shunned by many Middle Eastern
countries and is regarded as a pariah in the West over the brutal civil war.
However,
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart have discussed
"the necessary steps" to end Damascus's isolation, according to a
Saudi statement on Wednesday.
Although
the 22-nation Arab League, which meets next month in Saudi Arabia, takes
decisions by consensus, unanimous agreement is unlikely, a Riyadh-based
diplomat told AFP.
"The
meeting aims to overcome the Gulf differences over Syria as much as
possible," the diplomat said, singling out Qatar -- an outspoken critic of
the Assad government.
"I
will not say taking a unified position because this will not happen, but the
Saudis are trying at least to ensure that Qatar does not object to Syria's
return to the Arab League if the issue is put to any vote," the diplomat
added.
It
was possible that Foreign Minister Mekdad would attend the meeting "to
present the Syrian point of view", another diplomat said.
Ahead
of the talks, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
flew to Cairo for talks with Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Unlike
some other Arab governments, Cairo never fully severed ties with Damascus after
the war, but relations were downgraded.
The
UAE has led the charge to bring Syria back into the Arab fold, with Sheikh
Mohamed saying last month that "the time has come" for Damascus to be
reintegrated into the wider region.
Iran’s ‘Stealth Fighter’ Is a Sad Joke
April
13, 2023
In
late February, Iran’s defense ministry revealed that the country was ready to
convert its “fifth-generation” stealth fighter into an unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV). The televised announcement was made by Brigadier General Afshin
Khajefard, who said the Qaher platform had reached full technological maturity.
Iran’s announcement follows a series of lethal drone shipments it has sent
Russia over the last six months or so.
While
Tehran has emerged as quite the prolific drone manufacturer, the country has
lagged behind in terms of airplane capabilities. The Iranian Air Force still
flies a version of the aging F-14 Tomcat, suggesting that the Qaher’s purported
abilities are exaggerated at best.
A
brief history of Iran’s homegrown “stealth” fighter:
The
first mockup of the Qaher-313 fighter was first revealed in 2013 as the
regime’s first fully indigenous stealth platform. According to the defense
ministry, the Qaher was developed and designed fully by the Iran Aviation
Industries Organization, a division of the Ministry of Defense.
The
first jet prototype was revealed almost four years later. Iranian officials
boasted that the Qaher could sport a 2,000 kilogram bomb or at a minimum six
air-to-air-missiles. Additionally, Tehran’s former defense minister claimed
that the platform had a small radar-cross section, is capable of flying at very
low altitudes and can carry a litany of homegrown munitions.
Aviation
buffs consider the Qaher to be a joke
For
many reasons, industry experts and aviation buffs widely dismissed Iran’s
dubious claims. At this time, Iran released some footage and photographs of its
new premiere fighter. Perhaps laughably, in one video an Iranian pilot is seen
crouched down in the cockpit of the jet, which is clearly way too small to
actually fly a human being.
Without
space for a pilot, the Qaher definitely can’t carry the internal payload as
Iranian officials have claimed. Iran also did not possess the analytical and
sensor technologies required to develop the capabilities the fighter was
purported to have.
Initial
analyses of the available footage of the Qaher highlighted the airframe’s sharp
edges, angles and twin tail form, similar to the American-made F-22 Raptor and
F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation platforms. As observed by The Aviationist
editor David Cenciotti, “The aircraft sports fixed canards and air intakes a
bit too small to feed a modern jet plane’s engine; air intakes resemble those
used by modern designs,” adding that “They are located above the wing meaning
that at high AoA — angle of attack—the intakes would get turbulent or no air at
all for the engine.”
Another
serious design flaw appeared to be the nose section of the Qaher. The nose was
so tiny that hardly any radar could fit inside it. Additionally, the airframe
did not possess a nozzle, which would result in the melting of the entire
fighter by the engine’s afterburners.
Could
the Qaher become an exportable UAV?
While
the Qaher certainly didn’t make the cut as an actual fifth-generation stealth
fighter jet, the plane could be revived as a new UAV flown by Iran. Tehran’s
drone arsenal has become an increasingly lethal enterprise for the regime. In
fact, Iran has steadily ramped up its UAV development alongside the expansion
of its ballistic missile program. Over the last decade or so, Iran has mastered
the development and shipment of cheap, less advanced but deadly drones to its
region-wide proxy groups. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilization Units
(PMU) in Iraq, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and sporadic Iranian-aligned groups
in Syria all receive consistent deliveries of these combat UAVs.
Most
recently, Iran has provided Russian Forces with a variety of lethal drones,
including the Shahed family. Due to Tehran’s deliveries, Moscow has been able
to carry out a litany of barrages targeting a range of residential buildings,
critical infrastructure and personnel in Ukraine.
Drone
warfare has arguably monopolized Russia’s ongoing military intervention in
Ukraine, fueling Iran’s ambition to become a UAV manufacturing powerhouse.
Weakened economically by sanctions, Tehran has been turning to its sale of
drones to fund its military apparatus. If successful, the future drone-turned
Qaher could be another cash cow for the Iranian regime.
Maya
Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for
Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel.
She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest,
Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
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