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Pezeshkian Calls from Basra for ‘Unity’ in West Asia

A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows President Masoud Pezeshkian receives a traditional robe as he attends a community ceremony during his visit to the Iraqi city of Basra on September 13, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / AFP)
A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows President Masoud Pezeshkian receives a traditional robe as he attends a community ceremony during his visit to the Iraqi city of Basra on September 13, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / AFP)
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Pezeshkian Calls from Basra for ‘Unity’ in West Asia

A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows President Masoud Pezeshkian receives a traditional robe as he attends a community ceremony during his visit to the Iraqi city of Basra on September 13, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / AFP)
A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows President Masoud Pezeshkian receives a traditional robe as he attends a community ceremony during his visit to the Iraqi city of Basra on September 13, 2024. (Photo by Iranian Presidency / AFP)

On the final day of his visit to Iraq, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for “union” among West Asian countries to protect their interests, similar to the European Union.

Pezeshkian concluded his three-day tour of Iraq on Friday with a visit to Basra, the oil-rich southern province. He was received at Basra International Airport by local officials, including Governor Asaad Al-Eidani and Provincial Council President Khalaf Al-Badran.

Addressing tribal leaders and politicians at the Oil Cultural Center in Basra, the Iranian president said: “We have always been together, and we must unite again to ensure our scientific and economic progress.”

“We see how European citizens can travel seamlessly across France and other European countries. Why can’t we in this region travel easily between West Asian countries?”

Pezeshkian stressed the importance of advancing the Shalamcheh-Basra railway project, as a key step toward strengthening bilateral relations.

The president arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday and signed 14 MoUs with the federal government covering trade, training, labor, and religious tourism.

Meanwhile, a government official has denied reports that Iraq and Iran discussed a new mechanism for settling Iraq’s debt to Iran.

However, diplomatic sources revealed on Friday that Iraq had informed Iran of its commitment to repaying the debt without breaching US sanctions on Tehran.

Iraq compensates Iran for the gas it imports for electricity generation by depositing funds in non-Iraqi banks, with transactions monitored by US authorities. According to the sources, the Iraqi government “did not respond to Iranian proposals to alter this payment mechanism.”

Local and regional media reported that Iraq rejected an Iranian proposal during Pezeshkian’s visit to settle the debts using either the Iraqi Dinar or the Iranian Rial.

Sources noted that this Iranian proposal is not new and is often dismissed due to US sanctions. One source explained: “The matter is highly complex and sensitive, and the restrictions cannot be bypassed.”

Iraq relies on Iranian gas imports to meet its energy needs. However, paying off the debt has been challenging due to sanctions, leading to substantial arrears.

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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.