Persian Gulf update 02/15/2021..Yemeni forces launch drone strikes against Abha airport in Saudi Arabia

Yemeni forces launch drone strikes against Abha airport in Saudi Arabia

Heavy clashes rage in central Yemen, dozens killed

Joe Biden’s Shift on Yemen

Iran criticized U.S. president Joe Biden for keeping sanctions imposed by Trump

Tehran will halt snap IAEA inspections if JCPOA terms not met – FM spox

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced that the country would stop snap inspections by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as early as February 21, if other parties to the 2015 nuclear accord do not fulfil their commitments by that date, during a press conference in Tehran on Monday.

“Iran will certainly be required to suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, following parliamentary law, if the parties’ commitments have not been fulfilled by that date,” said spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh.

Khatibzadeh stressed that the action would not completely block all IAEA inspections in Iran and that it would also be a ‘reversible’ decision “provided that the other parties fulfil their obligations.”

“Iran’s nuclear activities has always been peaceful and would remain peaceful,” emphasised Khatibzadeh.

While former US president Donald Trump abandoned the nuclear deal in 2018, the Biden administration has said it intends to return to the deal.

In the deal, Iran pledged to limit its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

However, Iran started violating some of the deal limitations when the US withdrew from the accord and reinstated sanctions.

Washington and Tehran are currently deadlocked over the deal with Iran saying that the US must lift sanctions first before it will return to compliance, while the Biden administration insists Iran stop breaching its commitments before the US will return to the deal and lift sanctions.

Khatibzadeh also touched on the arrest last week of an Iranian citizen in Turkey, who was reported to be an Iranian diplomat by multiple sources, including Reuters, in relation to the alleged killing of an opponent of the Iranian government in Istanbul in 2019.

“No consulate staff were arrested. Basically, this cannot happen because it is against procedures and protocols. What happened is the arrest of an Iranian citizen upon arrival. We are in contact with the Turkish government and I will tell you the result,” said the spokesperson.

Iran, Russia set to stage joint naval drill in Indian Ocean on Tuesday

It’s officially Biden versus MBS and Netanyahu

The United Arab Emirates has sentenced a Jordanian resident to 10 years in prison for Facebook posts criticising the Jordanian royal family.

Several small-scale demonstrations took place in Bahrain to mark 10 years since the country’s 2011 anti-government uprising, which was later crushed by the authorities in a deadly crackdown.