Western Canada rumbled by earthquakes Thursday morning

Story by Stephanie Swensrude • Yesterday 

Parts of Alberta and B.C. were shaken by multiple earthquakes Thursday morning, according to Earthquakes Canada.


A magnitude 5 earthquake was recorded 30 kilometres east northeast of Reno, Alta., Thursday March 16, 2023.© Earthquakes Canada

The first two quakes were recorded at 8:46 a.m.: a 4.5-magnitude earthquake, which was recorded 39 kilometres east northeast of Reno, Alta., and a 4.2-magnitude earthquake in the Peace River region.

Earthquakes Canada had originally recorded the earthquake near Reno as being 5.0-magnitude but later downgraded the rating.


Reno, a tiny rural hamlet about 40 kilometres southeast of Peace River, was shaken again just before 9 a.m. by another 4.6-magnitude earthquake recorded 35 kilometres east-northeast of the hamlet. Meanwhile, a 4.2-magnitude event was recorded in the Dawson Creek, B.C., region.

At 9:07 a.m., another earthquake of magnitude 3.8 came from the same region near Reno, according to Earthquakes Canada.

Related video: Multiple earthquakes reported in Alberta, details here (The Weather Network)

Areas. Just E southeast of Peace River in Alberta,

Duration 0:43

The Weather Network

Multiple earthquakes reported in Alberta, details here

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Social media users reported feeling the quakes in various parts of Alberta, including Fort McMurray, Slave Lake and the Edmonton region.

Earthquakes Canada said there were no reported injuries or damages as a result of the quakes.

The region that Thursday’s earthquakes came from has been no stranger to tremors in the past several months.

“The Peace River area, Fort St. John, has been known to have earthquakes,” said Mirko van der Baan, a physics professor at the University of Alberta.

The largest earthquake ever recorded in Alberta happened on Nov. 29, 2022. A 5.2-magnitude earthquake originated from the region about 30 kilometres northeast of Reno, followed by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake an hour later.

On Dec. 28, 2022, there was a 4.2-magnitude earthquake recorded about 70 kilometres south of Grande Prairie.

“The second-largest earthquake (in Alberta) was in the early 2000s, also east of Dawson Creek,” said van der Baan.

100,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russian invasion - report

Russia and Ukraine both suffered severe casualties in the year of fighting, with the fiercest battle currently raging over Bakhmut in Donetsk.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Published: MARCH 17, 2023 

A Ukrainian serviceman looks out of a tank at a position near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine March 16, 2023.
(photo credit: STRINGER/ REUTERS)

Around 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the year-long battle against Russia's invasion, Politico reported, citing unnamed US officials.

This comes amid a grueling struggle since February 24, 2022, with a constantly shifting front line throughout Ukraine's eastern oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv.

This also includes Russian missile and artillery strikes on other areas of the country, including the central oblasts of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro and Odesa, even as far west as Lviv.

For its part, Russia has also reportedly suffered heavy casualties in the war.

According to recent information from the Ukrainian military, Russia has so far lost:
163,320 soldiers
305 aircraft
290 helicopters
2,145 drones
265 air defense systems
2,552 artillery systems
504 multiple rocket launch systems
18 ships
3,506 tanks
6,823 armored combat vehicles
5,401 fuel tankers and other vehicles

It should be noted that these death tolls, both from Russian and Ukrainian sources, are difficult to verify.

A Ukrainian serviceman reacts during a firing towards Russian positions, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the front line city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 25, 2023.

 (credit: RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY/SERHII NUZHNENKO VIA REUTERS)

Ukraine-Russia War: The fierce fighting around Bakhmut

Currently, the fiercest battleground in the ongoing war is around the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk Oblast.

Russian forces, alongside mercenaries from the Wagner Group, have been laying siege to the city for several months and have destroyed much of the city, though Ukrainian forces have consistently managed to hold onto some ground.

According to the BBC, between 20,000-30,000 Russian soldiers have been either killed or wounded in and around Bakhmut, and earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 1,100 Russian troops were killed in the area in the preceeding days. NATO figures also put the ratio at five dead Russian soldiers for every one Ukrainian, though these figures are questionable and are always changing.

What's more is that it is unclear what the strategic value for the city may be for either side, though both Russia and Ukraine have stressed the city's importance.

According to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Bakhmut's importance is more symbolic than strategic.

Another major concern for the US is Ukrainian supplies.

While Russia has long been reported to be suffering from a severe supply shortage, with production issues due to sanctions forcing them to rely on old and out-of-date equipment, Ukraine's situation isn't perfect either.

Numerous news outlets have reported on Ukraine's dwindling supply of ammunition, air defense and experienced soldiers.

Ukraine's allies are now under pressure to boost their own arms production, with a proposal by Estonia having been made to have Europe increase its artillery shell production from 240,000-300,000 per year to 2.1 million per year, NBC News reported. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has also previously stated that delivering ammunition to Ukraine could determine the outcome of the war.

However, according to experts cited by NBC, a major problem is European bureaucracy, with the West's defense industry having long been preparing for a hi-tech war with advanced technology rather than an artillery-centric land war.

Meanwhile, artillery shells remain among the most requested items by Ukraine from its Western allies.

Young Sudanese inventor utilizes electronic waste to build robots

Moatasem Jibril relies on electronic waste to build robots since basic components exceed his financial ability

Bahrab Abdelmonem |17.03.2023 


KHARTOUM, Sudan

Moatasem Jibril, a young man from Sudan, is realizing his dream of conducting technological experiments to manufacture robots by using recycled electronic waste.

Despite modest capabilities and living in a mud house in the city of Omdurman, west of the capital Khartoum, Jibril did not give up on his dream of making a robot even after having to quit university due to the deteriorating economic conditions of his family.

For about ten years, Jibril has been trying to create robots in a narrow space inside his family house, and he challenges poverty by working daily in the market to earn money to purchase the materials he needs for his project. He hopes that his dream will be funded by any businessman or institution.

Sudan is suffering from many crises, starting with a shortage of basic and imported commodities, as well as the depreciation of the local currency, in addition to the government's measures to lift fuel subsidies at the request of the International Monetary Fund in 2021.

Childhood dream

Jibril's dream of making robots arose from his childhood, inspired by cartoons.

"Making robots is a dream that has been in my mind since childhood, and I try hard to turn my dream into reality," he said.

He started making robots nine years ago after watching many movies that talk about inventors.

The young man mainly relies on the electronic waste that he obtains at a low price from local markets to build his robots since the basic components exceed his financial ability.

He is searching continuously and painstakingly in electronic markets on the internet for any electronic parts offered for sale that are suitable for his industry to buy them at reasonable prices.

Sudan is witnessing fluctuations in the abundance of foreign exchange, which raises the cost of imports and bears the final consumer the exchange rate differences, in addition to the rise in global prices, especially fuel and food.

Economic conditions

"In the initial stages, I moved more freely after studying and saving some money from my daily allowance," Jibril said.

He was studying electronics engineering at the International University of Sudan. He often worked while studying to save money to pay tuition fees and sit for exams. However, due to financial weakness of his parents, he missed many exams and eventually found himself dismissed from the university.

Jibril did not pay attention to the ridicule of his school and neighborhood friends and continued to implement his idea day and night.

"I still suffer from the mockery of colleagues and friends at the university when I begin to explain my project related to the manufacture of robots," he said. "They consider it mere triviality despite my continuous explanation of the idea of the project using engineering methods and three-dimensional designs."

Jibril hopes that his economic conditions will improve, so he can return to the university to complete his academic studies in engineering and software fields.

He aspires to complete a project in building robots on a scientific basis and then start selling them.

As for his big dream, it is to go beyond the robotics industry and reach the stage of manufacturing micro-precision missiles and apply his motto that says: "Everything is possible with determination and persistence."

He is looking forward to the future by completing his academic studies and hopes to find sponsorship from local or international institutions that will adopt his project to crown his success story and reach the world.


*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat

TURKIYE

Labor and Freedom Alliance votes to enter the election as a coalition

The Labor and Freedom Alliance decided to enter the election with the same name. "We will share our common stance on the presidential election as soon as possible," the Alliance said.

ANF
ANKARA
Friday, 17 Mar 2023, 11:59

The Labor and Freedom Alliance published its final declaration after a meeting on Thursday.

The statement said: "The components of the Labor and Freedom Alliance are the Labor Movement Party (EHP), the Labor Party (EMEP), the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Socialist Assemblies Federation (SMF), the Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP) and the Social Freedom Party (TOP). As co-chairs, presidents and spokespersons, we met in Ankara to discuss the topics on the agenda, including earthquake and flood disasters, deepening crises, presidential and parliamentary elections.

The government's anti-people policies based on corruption and plunder threaten the present and future of society by causing crises. The destruction, loss of life and property in the Maraş Pazarcık-centered earthquakes of 6 February and the floods in the Urfa and Adıyaman on 15 March were the most obvious and tragic indicators of these policies. We totally reject the evaluation of the disaster as a "natural disaster or destiny plan". As the Labor and Freedom Alliance, we are committed to changing this government that is hostile to the people and nature and the order that paved the way for disasters, to hold those responsible accountable and to build a new life worthy of human dignity.”

The statement continued: “We are on the eve of an election that will change Turkey. With the awareness of our historical and political responsibility that will turn the expectations of society into hope and build a democratic and free future, we say that:

-A will has emerged to expand the process that we started as a struggle alliance into an electoral alliance. We have therefore decided to enter the election as the Labor and Freedom Alliance. Technical work will be based on the ways and methods that will protect and develop the gains of all the powers that are components of the alliance, especially the HDP.

-We had a wide-ranging discussion about the presidential election. After the earthquake, we decided to re-evaluate the presidential candidate selection process. We have decided to share our common stance, which emerged as a result of the discussion we had on Thursday, with the public at a press conference to be held in a very near future.

- In an atmosphere where political bans and lawsuits, violence and oppression continue to increase, we continue our joint efforts with all segments of society to guarantee a safe election process and ballot box security.

We will fill the squares on Newroz and 1 May with the strength we derive from the struggle of the women who turned the streets purple on 8 March. Together with all the forces of democracy, we will win. We will end the one-man regime.”

Socialist Alliance of Australia expresses solidarity with the HDP

The Socialist Alliance of Australia joined the global calls for an end to the repression of the HDP.

ANF
NEWS DESK
Thursday, 16 Mar 2023, 09:54

The Erdoğan government in Turkey has used a corrupted judiciary to carry out a sustained campaign of persecution against the HDP over many years.

The Socialist Alliance of Australia joined the global calls for an end to the repression of the HDP.

In a previous statement, the Socialist Alliance said: "The anti-democratic and hate-mongering regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is determined to suppress the HDP and all other expressions of popular democracy in Turkey and has used a corrupted judiciary to carry out a sustained campaign of repression against the HDP and its allies over many years.

The HDP's leaders, parliamentarians, mayors and other local government representatives have been removed from office and imprisoned after they were democratically elected.

Even more rank and file activists of the HDP have been brutally assaulted and imprisoned.

The Erdoğan regime seeks to criminalise the HDP for standing up for peace, democracy and justice – and particularly for speaking up for the rights of the Kurdish people."

Solidarity with Kurdistan event in Slovenia

In Maribor, the second biggest city in Slovenia, a public event took place, talking about the achievement of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement.

ANF
MARIBOR
Friday, 17 Mar 2023

In Maribor, the second biggest city in Slovenia, a public event took place to talk about the achievement of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement.

It was not the first time internationalists came to talk about the achievements of the revolution in this city of former Yugoslavia.

The event was held in the framework of Defend Kurdistan's call for action days to protest the use of chemical weapons by the Turkish State in Kurdistan. As the event took place on the anniversary of the massacre of Halabja in South Kurdistan in 1988 it was also intended to be a commemoration of the victims of chemical warfare in Kurdistan.

The main part of the presentation was about the liberation paradigm of Abdullah Öcalan and the struggle of the Kurdish people. As was highlighted during the event, the continuous attacks by Turkey, Iran and its international collaborators are mainly aiming at destroying the hope that the revolution, based on the paradigm of Democratic Modernity in Kurdistan and beyond, has given to anti-system forces all over the world.

Last Tuesday a similar event took place in the Mediterranean city Koper. The solidarity group Rojava kliče! that organised the event, underlined the difficult situation in Kurdistan in the wake of continuous attacks by the Turkish and Iranian states against the people's will for freedom and the devastating earthquake. And also distributed books with Öcalan's thoughts and collected donations for Heyva Sor a Kurdistan.

 

Pacific Island Nations Commit To A Fossil Free Pacific And A Path To 100% Renewables

Friday, 17 March 2023
Press Release: 350.org

Port Vila, Vanuatu – Today, Pacific Island governments committed to create a “Fossil Fuel Free Pacific” and agreed on new Pacific-tailored development pathways based on 100% renewable energy.

Vanuatu and Tuvalu hosted the 2nd Pacific Ministerial Dialogue on Pathways for the Global Just Transition from Fossil Fuels in Port-Vila, Vanuatu, during a state of emergency after the country was hit by two severe cyclones and an earthquake in 48 hours.

Six Pacific countries – Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji, Niue, and the Solomon Islands – agreed on the “Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific” which cements the region’s leadership in the global phase out of fossil fuels, and exemplifies Pacific innovation in making the just transition to accessible renewable energy.

Joseph Sikulu, 350.org Pacific Managing Director says,

“We welcome the Pacific leaders’ decision to commit to a Fossil Free Pacific and dramatically scale up the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency. There is no pathway to 1.5 degrees that doesn’t dramatically power down fossil fuels and power up just, equitable and renewable energy. Our people need global leaders to now follow the leadership and innovation of Pacific representatives at the Pacific Ministerial Dialogue in dramatically phasing out fossil fuels. But our people also need energy to power their homes, their fishing boats and their schools, which is where we are ready to work with governments in their commitment to progress the development and implementation of fossil free development pathways at the grassroots level.”

The Pacific region has consistently led the world in climate ambition and the political will to transition away from climate-destroying fossil fuels. This includes Vanuatu’s push for an advisory opinion on climate change from the International Court of Justice, the development of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and Tuvalu’s recent joining of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance as a core member. All of this is despite almost no historical responsibility for the climate crisis and a constant battle on the frontlines of increasingly devastating climate impacts.

Brianna Fruean, Samoan Pacific Climate Warrior says,

"International climate negotiations are failing us. This dialogue of Pacific Ministers is stepping outside of the box and acknowledging that we must try new ways to save ourselves – and that is going to require a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. While the guilty continue to reap profit off the expansion of fossil fuels behind our backs, the meeting is bringing renewed energy to Pacific leadership that will not just echo across our islands but drive action with our allies globally.”

But in order to make the transition swiftly and in a just and equitable manner, the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition also calls for expanded public and private finance for the just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy at the scale required, with innovative, simplified mechanisms and reforms of existing financial institutions.

Cansin Leylim, 350.org Associate Director of Global Campaigns says:

"Pacific Island nations are once again showing immense leadership in the fight against the climate crisis, a crisis they had no part in creating, yet are suffering the worst impacts. Pacific leaders have told us time and again – in order to stay below 1.5 degrees, the historically responsible countries need to immediately commit to a fossil fuel free future without loopholes. This means ensuring adequate and grant-based climate finance is swiftly mobilised to both adapt to the crisis and limit the heating to survival limits, ensuring energy independence and resource resilience with renewable energy."

© Scoop Media

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Lebanon central bank head attends corruption hearing - sources

A view shows the exterior of Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon March 21, 2022. 

REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Central bank head's brother also investigated

Laila Bassam and Timour Azhari, Reuters News

March 16, 2023LEBANON

Lebanon's central bank governor Riad Salameh attended a court hearing in Beirut on Thursday which was also witnessed by European investigators looking into whether he embezzled vast sums of dollars in public funds, two judicial sources said.

The 72-year-old Salameh, whose 30-year tenure at the bank is to end this summer, had missed a session on Wednesday after his lawyer objected to the French and German officials' presence.

But the presiding judge dismissed that.

Salameh is being investigated alongside his brother in Lebanon and at least five European countries over accusations of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars.

He denies wrongdoing and says the accusations are part of an attempt to scapegoat him for Lebanon's financial meltdown.

His brother Raja, who also denies wrongdoing, is meant to appear in front of a Lebanese judge on Friday, also with European investigators present.

Lebanon is also trying to freeze the pair's assets.

Last year, prosecutors in Germany said Salameh was a suspect in a case that led to the freezing of some 120 million euros($132 million) of Lebanese assets abroad.

Salameh's intention to leave the bank at the end of his sixth term in July would mark a milestone in a national financial crisis resulting from decades of profligate spending, corruption and unsustainable policies by Lebanon's leaders.

Salameh's support among Lebanon's elite is starting to erode. (Reporting by Laila Al Bassam and Timour Azhari; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

CAPITALI$M IS GLOBALISM

TCS, Infosys have highest exposure to US regional banks: J P Morgan

Top Indian information technology firms Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys have the highest exposure to regional banks in the US that are gripped by a financial turmoil, analysts at JP Morgan said.

By: Reuters
Updated: March 17, 2023 

Regional banks in the US account for 2-3% of their revenue, JP Morgan said, adding that the exposure to the recently collapsed Silicon Valley Bank could be 10-20 basis points for TCS, Infosys and LTIMindtree. (File image)

Top Indian information technology firms Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys have the highest exposure to regional banks in the United States that are gripped by a financial turmoil, analysts at J.P.Morgan said on Friday.

Regional banks in the United States account for 2-3% of their revenue, J.P. Morgan said in a note, adding that the exposure to the recently collapsed Silicon Valley Bank could be 10-20 basis points for TCS, Infosys and smaller rival LTIMindtree, with the Tata group company in the lead.

All three companies might need to set aside provisions in the fourth quarter due to their exposure to SVB, J.P. Morgan said in a note.

“The collapse of SVB, Signature Bank and concerns of liquidity across U.S. and the European Union can further soften tech spends by banks over the short term in a year with slowing growth in bank tech budgets,” J.P. Morgan, which has an “underweight” rating on the sector, said.

India’s IT industry is already facing a challenging macroeconomic environment in its key markets of Europe and the United States, where technology spending is contracting amid delays in decision-making on long-term deals as the pandemic-led surge in demand faded.

The banking crisis could delay deal ramp-ups, impacting revenue conversions over the next two quarters, and push back new order closures that could hurt revenue over the next four quarters, J.P. Morgan said.

Indian IT firms draw the bulk of their revenue from the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector.

Within BFSI, their exposure to the U.S. banks is on average 62% and Europe 23%, J.P. Morgan said.

LTIMindtree this week said it had negligible exposure to U.S. regional banks, including SVB.

TCS chief Rajesh Gopinathan quits; K Krithivasan to take over

 

Delhi Capitals partners with Satya Nadella to buy stake in Seattle franchise

The Capitals already owns teams in men’s T20 leagues in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates as well as in the Women’s Premier League in India

• Chandrashekar Bhat
 
• 17 March, 2023

Satya Nadella (Photo: Getty Images)

Delhi capitals have bought a stake in the Seattle franchise of a new Twenty20 tournament in the United States as Indian Premier League (IPL) teams continue to expand their global footprint.

Delhi Capitals co-owner GMR Group has partnered with a group of investors that includes Microsoft Corp’s India-born CEO Satya Nadella to run Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket (MLC), which begins in July.

The Capitals already owns teams in men’s T20 leagues in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates as well as in the Women’s Premier League in India.

“We see America as the new frontier for cricket’s growth globally, and the Pacific Northwest provides an incredible opportunity for us to bring the resources of GMR Sports to the region …” Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Managing Director and CEO of GMR Group, said in a statement on Thursday (16).

Delhi’s IPL rivals Kolkata Knight Riders, one of the early investors in MLC, own the Los Angeles franchise and are also building a 10,000-capacity stadium in southern California.

Mumbai Indians have bought the MLC’s New York franchise while Chennai Super Kings have teamed up with a local investor to acquire the Texas franchise, ESPNcricinfo website reported.

The inaugural edition of the six-team MLC tournament will be played between July 13-30 in Dallas.

(Reuters)

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Mozambicans march to honor protest rapper after his death

Mozambicans are planning marches across the country to honor Azagaia, a popular protest rapper and fierce government critic, who died last week

Tom Gould


Mozambique Protest Rapper
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Mozambicans are planning marches across the country to honor Azagaia, a popular protest rapper and fierce government critic, who died last week.

Memorial marches are planned in every major city on Saturday for the musician who died after an epileptic seizure at the age of 38.

The nationwide demonstrations follow Azagaia’s funeral procession on Wednesday, in which thousands marched through the streets of Maputo, the capital, chanting protest slogans such as “resistance” and “power to the people.”

Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd as it tried to carry Azagaia’s coffin past Ponta Vermelha, the official residence of the president.

Such mass demonstrations critical of President Filipe Nyusi's government are rare in Mozambique.

“Azagaia was a hero of the people. More of a hero than the president, that is why we are taking him to the president’s house,” said Walter, a demonstrator who refused to give his last name for his safety. Speaking before the procession was dispersed, he said: “Nothing like this (march) has ever happened before.”

Azagaia, whose real name was Edson da Luz, was known for openly condemning government corruption in his music and garnered a large following, particularly among young people.

Commemorative marches are planned on Saturday in all of Mozambique’s 11 provinces, with tens of thousands expected to attend. However, police have refused to authorize a demonstration in the northern province of Cabo Delgado where the government has been fighting an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2017.

Authorities have told organizers in Cabo Delgado's cities of Montepuez and Pemba that marches may be allowed on another day when public emotions have calmed down.

Mozambique has sometimes seen protests over the prices of fuel and bread but such mass demonstrations celebrating opposition activists are unusual.

The day after Azagaia died, a vigil was held in Maputo where hundreds came to hear tributes, many of which explicitly criticised the ruling party Frelimo.

”(Azagaia) never sided with any political party because he was the voice of the people,” Tirso Sitoe, an organiser of the vigil, told The Associated Press. “He showed us that things have not changed since independence (in 1975). The only thing that has changed is the colour of (the rulers’) skin.”

Azagaia achieved a passionate following, and notoriety, with songs such as “Povo no Poder” ("Power to the People") which was released in 2008 during protests over rising fuel prices. The rapper accused politicians of stealing from ordinary people to fund their lives of luxury. It has since become an anthem of opposition to the government. Other songs commented on issues such as police brutality and drug trafficking.

In recognition of his popularity, Mozambican officials paid tribute to Azagaia.

“Mozambican music and culture are in mourning,” Mozambique’s minister of culture, Eldevina Materula, said.

Nonetheless, while he was alive Azagaia was often treated with hostility by the government. His songs were generally censored on state media and the Attorney General’s Office accused him of inciting violence following the release of “Povo no Poder.”

Iran has agreed to halt weapons shipment to Houthis, says WSJ

Anwar Iqbal Published March 17, 2023 

In this July 8, 2020 photo, Houthi fighters man a machine gun mounted on a military truck as they parade during a gathering of Houthi loyalists on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen. — Reuters/File

WASHINGTON: Iran has agreed to halt covert weapons shipments to its Houthi allies in Yemen as part of a China-brokered deal to re-establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

This “move could inject new momentum into efforts to end one of the region’s longest-running civil wars”, said the newspaper while commenting on the development.

For years, Saudi Arabia and Iran have backed opposing sides in the Yemen conflict, fueling a war that has had disastrous humanitarian consequences and spilled beyond the country’s borders.

US and Saudi officials, who spoke to WSJ, said if Tehran stopped arming the Houthis, it “could put pressure on the militant group to reach a deal to end the conflict”.

A spokesman for the Iranian delegation to the United Nations declined to comment when WSJ asked whether Tehran would suspend arms shipments. Tehran publicly denies that it supplies the Houthis with weapons.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a China-backed agreement to re-establish diplomatic ties seven years after they were severed. This prompted speculations that Iran would now press the Houthis to end attacks on Saudi Arabia.

One Saudi official told WSJ that the kingdom expects Iran to respect a UN arms embargo meant to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis. “A cutoff of weapons supplies could make it harder for the militants to strike the kingdom and seize more ground in Yemen,” WSJ commented.

Hans Grundberg, the special UN envoy for Yemen, flew to Tehran earlier this week to discuss Iran’s role in ending the war, and then on to Riyadh. Tim Lenderking, the special US envoy for Yemen, met Saudi officials in Riyadh on Wednesday to make another attempt to reinvigorate stalled peace talks.

The top priority is to extend a cease-fire that has held in Yemen for nearly a year. The formal truce expired in October, but the rival factions have continued to largely honour the cease-fire. Diplomats want a new deal on extending the cease-fire before the start of Ramadan next week.

More than 150,000 people have died as a direct result of the war. Airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition killed thousands of Yemeni civilians, fueling calls for the US and its allies to cut off military support to Riyadh.

In the past three months, the US military and its allies have claimed seizing four ships off the Yemen coast carrying more than 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition, dozens of antitank missiles, and fertilizer, which can be used to make explosives.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023

After the Saudi-Iran deal, will Tehran force the Houthis to peace talks?

It is clear that the Houthis have a relationship with the Islamic Republic and that the Saudi-Iran deal could change the course of the conflict in Yemen, expert says.

By MOHAMMED SAYERS/THE MEDIA LINE
Published: MARCH 17, 2023 

Newly recruited Houthi soldiers march during the funeral of Houthi fighters killed during recent fighting against government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen, December 6, 2021.
(photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)


UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Sunday as part of his efforts to put an end to Yemen’s nearly decade-old civil war. Grundberg met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian for consultations over the situation in Yemen, including the latest prospects for peace, a possible prisoner exchange and the country’s humanitarian crisis. During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic backs any negotiations which would help establish peace and stability in Yemen.

The visit to Tehran came just days after Saudi Arabia and Iran signed an agreement ending the years-long diplomatic rift between the two countries.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations also reaffirmed that Amir-Abdollahian promised UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to host talks that would put an end to the crisis in Yemen

Iran's links to Yemen's Houthis

Many analysts and observers see a strong relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Ansar Allah movement, the armed wing of the de facto authority in Yemen (DFA) - which rules the north of the country, known collectively as the Houthis.

This relationship is seen in speeches by Houthi officials, including the leader of the movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. It is also evidenced by attempts to smuggle weapons from Iran into Yemen, as well as the presence of Iranian military experts in Yemen.

Houthi police troopers sit atop an armored personnel carrier securing a rally held to mark the Ghadeer day, in Sana'a, Yemen on July 17, 2022 

(credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

Many observers believe that the Saudi-Iran agreement will have an effect on the decisions and actions of the DFA, and that it will compel the Houthis to agree to enter into peace negotiations.

Wedad al-Qadi, a lecturer at Sanaa University who specializes in political sociology, told the Media Line that it is clear that the Houthis have a relationship with Iran and that the Saudi-Iran deal could change the course of the conflict in Yemen.

“The Houthis implicitly admitted the existence of a relationship with Iran, just like the Lebanese Hezbollah group did.”Wedad al-Qadi

“The Houthis implicitly admitted the existence of a relationship with Iran, just like the Lebanese Hezbollah group did,” she said.

Qadi says that any change in Iran’s policy in the region will be implemented by its proxies, including Ansar Allah, Hezbollah and the Popular Mobilization Forces.

“The same applies to the members of the internationally recognized government (of Yemen) – their polices will match those of Saudi Arabia’s new policies toward the Houthis; if the conflict between them is over, then so will the conflict between their proxies,” she concluded.

There also appears to be a connection between the changes in Yemen’s civil war and the Saudi-Iran deal.

First, there was the truce between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, followed by the Oman-sponsored talks between the internationally recognized government of Yemen (IRG) and the Houthis. After that, the Saudi-Iran agreement became public and, around the same time, the ongoing negotiations in Geneva between the Houthis and the IRG began to resolve some thorny issues including the issue of prisoners of war on both sides.

Houthi officials have denied the existence of any relationship or influence of the Saudi-Iran deal on the Houthi’s decision to participate in the talks. “That decision depends on sovereign conditions stipulated by Ansar Allah,” according to Sharaf al-Mahdi, a DFA supervisor in the Council of Ministers in Sanaa.

Mahdi told The Media Line that “the recent negotiations between the Ansar Allah group and the IRG aims mainly at concluding the prisoners issue.” He added that “any future talks regarding political settlement is conditioned on the Gulf state’s exit from Yemen,” referring to Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition of Arab countries in support of the internationally recognized government of Yemen.

“This is too far-fetched; we are an independent state with full sovereignty. The Saudi-Iran deal has no impact on Ansar Allah’s vision for Yemen’s crisis. The Yemeni issue is not Iran’s issue.”Sharaf al-Mahdi

When confronted with the idea that the war in Yemen is tied to the Saudi-Iran deal, Mahdi vehemently rejected the premise. “This is too far-fetched; we are an independent state with full sovereignty. The Saudi-Iran deal has no impact on Ansar Allah’s vision for Yemen’s crisis. The Yemeni issue is not Iran’s issue,” Mahdi said.

Official Houthi spokesperson Mohamed Abdel Salam tweeted praise for the Saudi-Iran normalization, saying that it is time for the resumption of normal relationships in the region and the Iranian “scarecrow” used to provoke the war on Yemen is no longer valid.

The meetings between the IRG and the Houthis are still in progress in Geneva within the framework of negotiations aimed at concluding an agreement on an exchange of prisoners of war, setting up a mechanism for paying public sector employees’ salaries, and resolving economic issues before entering into a comprehensive political settlement.

Yemenis hope that this round of negotiations will bring peace to the war-torn country which has been described by the UN as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.