VIF Information Alerts - 1 August 2019

US poised to formally abandon INF missile treaty
Published: The Economic Times

01 Aug 2019

The United States will officially withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on Friday, clearing the way for a new arms race with Russia -- and throwing China into the mix. The treaty -- concluded by then US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987 -- limited the Cold War powers' medium-range missiles, both conventional and nuclear.Click here to read... [2]

Hong Kong protests: China military breaks silence to warn unrest should not be tolerated
Published: The Guardian

01 Aug 2019

The head of the Chinese army in Hong Kong has spoken on the protests for the first time, saying the unrest has “seriously threatened the life and safety” of the people and should not be tolerated. The commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) garrison in Hong Kong warned it was “determined to protect national sovereignty, security, stability and the prosperity of Hong Kong”.Click here to read... [3]

Punishing Iran’s top diplomat, Donald Trump muddies a path to talks
Published: The Indian Express

01 Aug 2019

The Trump administration took the unusual step on Wednesday of placing sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, an American-educated diplomat who negotiated the 2015 nuclear agreement with the Obama administration. The move essentially cuts off the clearest avenue for the administration to open talks with Iran, which the White House has argued was its goal in withdrawing last year from the nuclear accord.Click here to read... [4]

Germany Says It Will Not Support U.S. Military in Gulf, Where Iran Is Ready for Talks with Saudi Arabia
Published: Newsweek

31 Jul 2019

Germany has officially declined to join a proposed U.S.-led mission in the Persian Gulf region, where Iran has said it was ready for talks with Saudi Arabia in order to calm mounting tensions in the Middle East. German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said Wednesday that Germany "will not take part in the sea mission presented and planned by the United States," which has sought to develop a "maritime security initiative" to counter Iran in the world's top oil chokepoint,Click here to read... [5]

Hamza bin Laden, Son of Qaeda Founder, Is Dead
Published: The New York Times

31 Jul 2019

Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden, who was viewed as an eventual heir to the leadership of Al Qaeda and had repeatedly threatened to attack the United States, is dead, according to two American officials.
Details of the strike that killed him were scarce, including when and where. The United States government played a role in the operation, but it was not clear how, according to the officials, who discussed his death on the condition of anonymity because it involved sensitive operations and intelligence gathering.Click here to read... [6]