Sanzioni per l’Iran e Patriot per l’Ucraina🗞️ Rassegna del 19/04/2024

Israele

(Associated Press) US and UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel

• The U.S. and U.K. on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East.
• The sanctions are meant to hold Iran accountable for its weekend attack and to deter further such activity. But the practical impact is likely to be limited because many of the targeted companies already were subject to U.S. sanctions and the individuals singled out for new sanctions are unlikely to have assets in U.S. jurisdictions.
• Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted 16 people and two entities in Iran that produce engines that power the drones used in the April 13 attack on Israel. OFAC also sanctioned five firms involved in steel production and three subsidiaries of Iranian automaker Bahman Group — which is accused of materially supporting Iran’s military and other sanctioned groups. A representative from Bahman was not immediately available for comment.
• Additionally, the U.K. targeted several Iranian military branches and individuals involved in Iran’s drone and ballistic missile industries.

Ucraina

(REUTERS) NATO working on more air defences for Ukraine, Stoltenberg says

• NATO is working to send more air defence systems to Ukraine, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, adding that delays in providing such aid were harming Kyiv's efforts to resist Russia's attacks.
• "We have compiled data about the different air defence systems we have in NATO and focused on the Patriot systems. And we are working with allies to ensure that they redeploy some of their systems to Ukraine," he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Italy.
• "We are working at the possibility of more Patriot batteries to Ukraine. We are in dialogue with some specific countries," Stoltenberg said, calling supply of the Patriot "critical" as it is the most advanced defence system the alliance can count on.

Europa

Germania

(REUTERS) Germany arrests two for alleged military sabotage plot on behalf of Russia

• Two German-Russian nationals have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting sabotage attacks, including on U.S. military facilities, in what officials called a serious effort to undermine military support for Ukraine.
• Authorities have searched the homes and workplaces of the two suspects who stand accused of working for a foreign secret service. One of them, identified as Dieter S., had since October 2023 discussed possible plots with a person linked to the Russian secret service, prosecutors said on Thursday.
• Germany has become one of Kyiv's biggest suppliers of military aid since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and is a major target for Russian spying operations, authorities have said.
• "The suspicion that Putin is recruiting agents from us to carry out attacks on German soil is extremely serious. We will not allow Putin to bring his terror to Germany," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.Germany summoned the Russian ambassador over the arrests. Earlier, the Kremlin said it had no information about the issue.

Europa - Cina

(Associated Press) Europe wants two things from China. It may not get far on either of them

• Europe wants two things from China: First, a shift in its relatively pro-Russia position on the war in Ukraine. Second, a reduction in the trade imbalance — Chinese goods exports to the EU exceeded its imports from the 27-nation bloc by 291 billion euros ($310 billion) last year. It’s not clear if it will get very far on either front.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz became the latest European leader to leave China with promises to talk but little more. The Chinese statements on his meetings in Beijing this week didn’t appear to give ground on the issues that divide the EU and China. There is some reason for hope in Europe. China badly wants foreign investment to boost its sluggish economy. And China has made efforts to mend its relationships from Europe to the United States and Australia, despite its differences with them.
• But those considerations may not outweigh the larger strategic reasons China has for aligning itself with Russia as it seeks an alternative to the U.S.-led global order and for promoting its green energy companies as it tries to build the nation into a technology leader.
• China has agreed to talks on production capacity with the U.S. but remained steadfast in defending its exports of green energy products. They have “not only enriched global supply and eased global inflationary pressure, but also made an important contribution to the global response to climate change and the green and low-carbon transition,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Scholz.
• [Related to Ukraine-Russia War] The problem is that Europe and China have fundamentally different starting points. Europe, together with the United States, says Russia is in the wrong and should pull its forces back and leave Ukraine. China doesn’t blame Russia, and says any peace settlement would need to address Russia’s concerns as well as those of Ukraine and the West.

Politica internazionale

Asia e Pacifico

India

(Associated Press) Once a fringe Indian ideology, Hindu nationalism is now mainstream, thanks to Modi’s decade in power

• Hindu nationalism, once a fringe ideology in India, is now mainstream. Nobody has done more to advance this cause than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of India’s most beloved and polarizing political leaders. And no entity has had more influence on his political philosophy and ambitions than a paramilitary, right-wing group founded nearly a century ago and known as the RSS.
• Modi’s spiritual and political upbringing from the RSS is the driving force, experts say, in everything he’s done as prime minister over the past 10 years, a period that has seen India become a global power and the world’s fifth-largest economy.
• At the same time, his rule has seen brazen attacks against minorities — particularly Muslims — from hate speech to lynchings. India’s democracy, critics say, is faltering as the press, political opponents and courts face growing threats. And Modi has increasingly blurred the line between religion and state.
• At 73, Modi is campaigning for a third term in a general election, which starts Friday. He and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party are expected to win. He’s challenged by a broad but divided alliance of regional parties.

Solomon Islands

(REUTERS) Solomon Islands election count underway, China critic Suidani regains seat

• A prominent Solomon Islands critic of China, the ousted former governor of Malaita province Daniel Suidani, has been reelected, local media reported on Friday, as counting continues in an election being closely watched by China, the U.S. and Australia.
• The first results in national and provincial elections held in the Solomon Islands are expected to be announced on Friday, as counting continues over the weekend.
• As governor he had banned Chinese companies from Malaita, the Solomon Islands' most populous province, and accepted U.S. development aid before being ousted in a no confidence vote last year.
• China sent its top envoy for the South Pacific to Malaita province this month to sign a memorandum of understanding with the new governor.

Myanmar

(REUTERS) In a rebel-held Myanmar town, fragile unity pushes junta to the brink

• Myawaddy, a critical trading post in Myanmar that rebel forces seized from the ruling junta last week, offers a glimpse of dynamics playing out across the Southeast Asian country as its vaunted military reels from battlefield losses.
• At the border town's outskirts, the site of the most intense fighting, abandoned homes sat next to buildings pockmarked with bullet holes, gas stations damaged by blasts and structures flattened by airstrikes, Reuters reporters saw on a visit this week.
• The fall of Myawaddy means that Myanmar's two most important land border crossings are in resistance hands, after the rebels last year claimed control of Muse, near the Chinese border.

Pakistan:
(Al Jazeera)Pakistan says it blocked social media platform X over ‘national security’

• Pakistan blocked access to social media platform X around the time of elections in February, the interior ministry said, citing national security concerns.
• Users had reported problems using the platform, formerly known as Twitter, since mid-February, when jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party called for protests against a government official’s admission of vote manipulation.
• At the time, both the government and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the state regulatory body, refused to comment on the outages that were also widely reported by internet watchdog groups.
• On Wednesday, the Ministry of Interior mentioned the shutdown in a written court submission.
• “It is very pertinent to mention here that the failure of Twitter/X to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan and address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform necessitated the imposition of a ban,” said the report, seen by the Reuters news agency, which confirmed the long-suspected shutdown.