US Homeland Security Adviser Says Trump Backs Demands of Iranian People

United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo
United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo
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US Homeland Security Adviser Says Trump Backs Demands of Iranian People

United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo
United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo

US Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert said on Thursday that Washington’s commander in chief is in full support of the demands made by the Iranian people against wasting national funds on an agenda focused on destabilizing the region.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Bossert confirmed that Iran’s behavior spurs deep concerns and destabilizes the region. He called on Tehran to stop supporting terrorism and wasting its money on destabilizing activities in other countries rather than paying attention to its citizens.

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bosset said that the Iranian people have taken to the streets against Tehran’s policies, and that Trump is siding with the people not the regime.

In another context, Bossert said in a press conference that he held meetings with officials from the Middle East and the West, and discussed the Turkish military operations in northwestern Syria.

Trump's homeland security adviser suggested that Turkish troops "remove themselves" from Afrin, saying Ankara "ought to be mindful of the potential for escalation” as its troops move into Syria and Afrin.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to send Turkish troops further east along the Syrian side of the Turkish border, targeting Kurdish-held areas where US personnel are stationed.

It would be a "terrible outcome" if Turkish troops clashed with "the proxy forces that we have all been relying on to defeat ISIS, especially if there are US advisers in the region," Bossert said.

"There could be grave consequences to any miscalculation and escalation," AP cited the White House staffer as saying. 



Russian Cargo Ship Sinks in Mediterranean with 2 Crew Missing

A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon,  July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Russian Cargo Ship Sinks in Mediterranean with 2 Crew Missing

A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon,  July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A Russian cargo ship called 'Ursa Major' sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ship went down after an explosion in its engine room and 14 of its 16 crew members have been rescued and brought to Spain, Reuters quoted the ministry as saying in a statement.
LSEG ship tracking data shows the vessel departed from the Russian port of Saint Petersburg on Dec. 11 and was last seen sending a signal at 2204 GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain.
On leaving Saint Petersburg it had indicated that its next port of call was the Russian port of Vladivostok, not the Syrian port of Tartous which it has called at previously.
The operator and owner is a company called SK-Yug, part of Oboronlogistics, according to LSEG data. Oboronlogistics and SK-Yug declined to comment on the ship's sinking.
Oboronlogistics said in a statement on Dec. 20 that the ship was carrying specialized port cranes due to be installed at the port of Vladivostok as well as parts for new ice-breakers.