Today Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in his speech at the National Press Club that the USA had offered a top reward, of $7 million dollars for anyone who has knowlege of the whereabouts that lead to the location or identification of Ahmed Abdi Aw Mohamed, Shabaab’s senior leader and co-founder. Mohamed, better known as Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr and Godane, was in direct contact with Osama bin Laden before his death, and brokered Shabaab’s official merger with al Qaeda in February.
The Trump administration has offered top rewards in the millions for alQaeda leaders since they have taken office and is not relenting in their efforts to dismantle the terrorist organization. The Trump administration has been committed to ending terrorism that has been extremely organized and is no embedded within the Iranian government.
Obama’s funding of billions to the Iranian regime under conditions that offered no real safeguards has allowed them to encamp alQaeda into their borders with access to weapons of greater destruction than those they had while hiding in the caves in Afghanistan.
Iran and alQaeda pose a threat to the newly formed Abraham Accords in the middle east between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (the Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement) and Bahrain, respectively (the Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement) and Sudan.
In December 2020 the United States designated Hasan Irlu, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officer Iran to Sana’a Yemen to serve as the group’s liaison to the Houthi Movement. The United States also designated Al-Mustafa International University, an Iranian university with over 50 international branches which provide a platform for the IRGC-QF’s operations, and Yousef Ali Muraj, who has supported IRGC-QF recruitment operations in the Middle East and United States. These individuals were designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended.
The IRGC-QF is the Iranian regime’s primary tool to sow chaos and destruction across the Middle East. The United States will continue to take action against the IRGC-QF to disrupt its facilitation networks and cut off resources that support the terrorist group’s activities. Read more here: The United States Sanctions IRGC Facilitators in Iran and an IRGC Official in Yemen – United States Department of State
alQaeda leader Ahmed Abdi Aw Mohamed, has been on the wanted list for some time, but now with serious tensions rising with the Iran and China military relations, it presents a greater threat to the Middle East peace Agreement, the Abraham Accord.
Over the past few decades, China and Iran have developed a broad and deep partnership centered on China’s energy needs and Iran’s abundant resources as well as significant non-energy economic ties, arms sales and defense cooperation in a new geo strategic balancing against the United States. This partnership presents a unique challenge to U.S. interests and objectives. China’s policies have already hampered U.S. and international efforts to curb Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability.
THE US HAS MAJOR CONCERNS OVER IRAN AND CHINA PARTNERSHIP
Top geo strategic balance excerpts from article in RAND – OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS. EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS.
Chinese-Iranian Economic and Energy Cooperation
- Over the past several years, China has become Iran’s number one oil customer and trading partner.
- China has provided Iran with the technological know-how to develop its energy resources. Chinese engineers have also built bridges, dams, railroads, and tunnels throughout Iran.
Chinese-Iranian Strategic and Defense Cooperation
- China has aided Iran’s efforts to modernize its military hardware and doctrine through the transfer of military technology and sales of small arms and tactical ballistic and antiship cruise missiles.
- China has assisted in the development of Iran’s nuclear program via the transfer of technology and machinery.
- China’s economic ties to Iran have shielded the Iranian regime from the effects of international sanctions.
The Nature of the Chinese-Iranian Relationship
- Chinese-Iranian relations are rooted in both countries’ having authoritarian regimes and historical narratives that characterize the international system as unjust and dominated by Western powers.
- The Iranian regime views China as a potential ally against the United States, and Beijing views Iran as a potential partner for limiting U.S. influence in the Middle East.
- The foundations of the economic partnership between Iran and China are Iran’s abundant energy resources and China’s growing energy needs, but China is not overwhelmingly dependent on the Islamic Republic for its energy needs; in contrast, the Iranian regime now depends on China as its chief diplomatic protector.
- Despite their energy cooperation, trade, and shared geopolitical interests, Iran and China have potentially divergent interests on a number of issues.
Read full article here: China and Iran: Economic, Political, and Military Relations | RAND
Dianne Marshall
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