#Iran counters the negative publicity today centered on #Israel revealing the location of secret Iranian base that trains proxy regional militias by making public this decision: granting visual access to IAEA to Iranian installations
Today's agreement between #Iran and the #IAEA meets the urgent requirement to service monitoring equipment at Iranian nuclear sites, but commitment to further cooperation remains vague:
#Pakistan was never a "hired gun" in any war, and it has entered many wars - near and far - for its interests, like any other nation. The narrative of a hired gun is a claptrap; earns political points, but is demeaning for the country, insulting, and self-defeating. /1
History is debatable, but #Pakistan smartly dragged the #US and the free world into a war against the Soviet Union in #Afghanistan; & rightly so. Pak benefited from the project, and also paid a heavy price. The actions of a smart nation that effectively defended its interests. /2
In #Dushanbe, PM @ImranKhanPTI met for the first time with #Iran's new President #Raisi, and encouraged him to seize the opportunity to help in ending the war in #Afghanistan, in a delicate attempt to overcome #Tehran's recent criticism of alleged Pak military role in #Kabul. /1
The quadrilateral meeting between #Russia#China#Pakistan#Iran on the sidelines of the #Dushanbe summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization #SCO provided another opportunity for Islamabad and Tehran to clear the air, with Russian & Chinese help. /2
] (incl on statements by Iranian MFA spox; ex-pres #Ahmadinejad in Indian media). This self-censorship is unusual; leads to questions like this journo to Minister: /2
#Iran's regional outlook, incl on #Afghanistan, needs better study in #Pakistan. The policy of self-censorship on discussing Iran on Pak media should end. Also, decouple Iran study/analysis from religion/sect; and decouple it from our #GCC relations. /3
#Pakistan foreign minister visits Chinese citizens injured in bus blast, with #China Amb, at military hospital. This #thread includes observations on China's keenness to get involved militarily in combating terrorism, its policy shortcomings, & FM+Amb statement. /1
After the blast, #China is emitting signals that it is exerting pressure for more antiterror action in #Pakistan, including possibly joint missions with Pakistani forces. /2
One example is how quickly #China recast the bus incident as a terrorist attack after #Pakistan initially downplayed the incident. And quickly floated Chinese security assistance "if #Islamabad has any need to combat terrorism." /3
After taking over the border crossing with #Pakistan, Taliban replace #Afghanistan’s flag with Islamic Emirate's. Pakistani diplomats struggle to distance the country from the militant group, but the nation has to cope with a bitter reality. Taliban way of life is also...
.. unacceptable to most Pakistanis. There is strong criticism of Taliban in Pakistan but it gets buried by a twisted national discourse hijacked by anti-West/anti-US/extremist elements jubilant over perceived US/international defeat. Hardly any serious discussion on how US exit..
..is detrimental to Pakistani strategic interests, precipitates a regional proxy war, and enhances Iran & India's influence in Afghanistan, with which Islamabad struggled in 1990s. Jubilation over perceived US defeat also wastes energies that could have been used in explaining..
Yesterday 25 June 2021 was the 25th anniversary of #Alkhobar bombing in #SaudiArabia that killed 19 #US servicemen, injured 500+ from several nationalities, incl #Saudis#Pakistanis#Egyptians. Marked a shift for #Iran#IRGC's ops inside #KSA; close to ARAMCO & a major mil base.
Crater is where a sewage tanker truck detonated nearly 14,000 Kg of explosives. Bomb was a mixture of petrol & explosive powder placed in the tank of the truck. The material was smuggled in exported fruit trucks from #Lebanon and hidden underground in #Qatif, near #Alkhboar.
That day, I was with a group of journalists in #Kuwait waiting for a #US heli to take us to a #Saudi base for a briefing related to the situation with #Iraq. We waited for half a day. After #Alkhobar, US military disconnected for the next 72 hours. [Pic: briefing; Kuwaiti desert]