Syria, Middle East politics, and Mediterranean security at @FOIresearch. Fellow at @UIsweden and occasional freelance writer.
aron.lund.syria/gmail
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Macron says he has agreed with Saudi Arabia to dispatch French “soldiers, radars, defensive systems” to protect the Yanbu oil terminal on the Saudi Red Sea coast, which was recently hit by Iran-allied groups. tf1info.fr/politique/crise-d…
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I mean, maybe they do, but WSJ’s framing just isn’t backed up by the evidence provided in the article.
On Chinese support for Iran’s drone and missile programs. It’s clear that Iran sources a lot of stuff from Chinese companies, but, as before, the evidence of a deliberate Chinese state effort to arm Iran or help it kill US troops feels underwhelming.
@WSJ: wsj.com/politics/china-iran-…
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On Chinese support for Iran’s drone and missile programs. It’s clear that Iran sources a lot of stuff from Chinese companies, but, as before, the evidence of a deliberate Chinese state effort to arm Iran or help it kill US troops feels underwhelming.
@WSJ: wsj.com/politics/china-iran-…
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Iraq and Turkey agree to a gradual handover of Turkey’s Bashiqa base to the Baghdad government, which, in turn, promises to ensure that PKK-aligned factions cannot operate out of Sinjar. alsumaria.tv/news/politics/5…
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Refai is Syria’s top religious official, chief representative of traditionalist Sunni Islam, and surely the country’s most influential political/social leader outside Sharaa’s Salafi circuit—and seems to be on the defensive. Might tell us something about current power relations?
Osama Refai continues to defend himself against what he calls “a very severe campaign.” Says he only used the word “Wahhabi” because its how Indonesians refer to Salafism, stresses past Salafi-Sufi clerical ties & claims ex-regime wants to stir up trouble. piped.video/watch?v=7Yxi1NfJ…
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Osama Refai continues to defend himself against what he calls “a very severe campaign.” Says he only used the word “Wahhabi” because its how Indonesians refer to Salafism, stresses past Salafi-Sufi clerical ties & claims ex-regime wants to stir up trouble. piped.video/watch?v=7Yxi1NfJ…
Leaked comments by Syrian Grand Mufti Osama al-Refai about HTS and what he refers to as its “Wahhabi” and “Takfiri” past has angered some Syrian Salafis, prompting Refai to issue a statement to clarify that he was talking about the pre-2024 period.
syria.tv/%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-…
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The downside with trying to wage economic warfare against Iran is that they tend to respond with non-economic warfare. reuters.com/world/middle-eas…
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A senior Houthi official tells @APNews’s @sammymagdy increased support from Iran enabled their offensive along the eastern shore of Bab al-Mandab. apnews.com/article/yemen-hou…
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Podcast version: foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/…
Informative @ForeignAffairs article on why energy prices did not rise even more after Iran’s decision to block the Strait of Hormuz, by @OSullivanMeghan and @JasonBordoff, who warn that there are still plenty of reasons to worry. foreignaffairs.com/iran/long…
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Trump says he wants to stop U.S. diesel export, which “would hit developing countries hard and send shockwaves across Europe”.
@JamieSmythF & @mylesmccormick_, @FT: ft.com/content/22d1154b-8bea…
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Iran, US hint at revival of talks
– @phreuters & @samianakhoul, @reuters. reuters.com/world/middle-eas…
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Intressant av @FredrikMeiton och Lisa Boström om hur Röda havets stökiga säkerhetspolitik påverkar Europa. dn.se/debatt/roda-havet-ar-s… (Ompostat med rätt författare!)
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Very good @ForeignAffairs podcast interview by @dankurtzphelan with @LawDavF, on the changing nature of military conflict, with plenty of examples from Ukraine and the Persian Gulf. foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/…
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"Iran must 'end its arming of and support' for the Houthis in Yemen, the foreign ministers of G7 nations have said in a joint statement"
If the Iranians won't comply, this may escalate out of control—potentially even to an EU expression of grave concern.
bbc.com/news/articles/cwm2qp…
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UNIFIL tells @NadaOHomsi there is now a total of 28 Israeli military positions inside Lebanon. @TheNationalNews: thenationalnews.com/news/men…
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Syria’s new leaders have successfully navigated daunting political risks, but their haphazard economic policymaking may end up wrecking the post-Assad transition, warns @AbuJamajem in @ForeignAffairs. foreignaffairs.com/syria/syr…
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Aron Lund retweeted
Think this really hits the sweet spot where it's simultaneously small enough to be insulting/trivial for Gulf states (given the scale of their losses) yet big enough to remind angry Americans just how much this war is costing them
NEW: The Trump administration has proposed investing $5 billion in a new fund that would help Middle East countries rebuild energy infrastructure battered in the Iran war and reduce their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, Ud Middle East officials said, plus docs WSJ reviewed
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Houthi/Ansarallah political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukheiti:
"We confirmed that we are not targeting the United States, or any other nation, in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy"
@sammymagdy, @apnews: apnews.com/article/yemen-hou…
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