UN Security Council condemns deadly Daesh terror attacks in Iraq

Above, bystanders look at a destroyed car in the southern Iraqi city of Basra after a motorcycle bombing on Dec. 7, 2021 which was claimed by Daesh. (AFP)
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Updated 09 December 2021
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UN Security Council condemns deadly Daesh terror attacks in Iraq

  • Two incidents in the past week, one in Basra and the other in the north of the country, left dozens of people dead or injured
  • Council members pledged their continued support to Iraq in its fight against terrorism, and in opposing Daesh in particular

The UN Security Council on Wednesday strongly condemned recent terrorist attacks in Iraq that killed or injured dozens of people. Daesh has claimed responsibility.

At least four people were killed and 20 injured in an explosion in Basra on Dec. 7, and at least 13 died in an attack in the north of the country on Dec. 3.

The members of the Security Council offered their condolences to the families of the dead and wished the injured a speedy recovery. They also reiterated their support for the “independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, democratic process and prosperity of Iraq.”

They urged all states to “actively” cooperate with Iraqi authorities to bring to justice the “perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism.” Such cooperation, they stressed, is in line with obligations under international law and Security Council resolutions.

Council members “reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.”

Pledging its continued support to Iraq in its fight against terrorism, and particularly Daesh, the council “reaffirmed the need for all states to combat by all means — in accordance with the charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law — threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.”


Iran Guards say will block oil exports as long as war continues

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Iran Guards say will block oil exports as long as war continues

  • Shipping traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20 percent of the world’s crude oil usually transits, has been severely disrupted
TEHRAN: Iranian forces will not allow the export of oil from the region to allies of the United States and Israel as long as the war continues, a Revolutionary Guards spokesman said Tuesday.
“The Iranian armed forces... will not allow the export of a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice,” said Ali Mohammad Naini, according to a report from Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
He said any change would take place based on the conditions of the conflict.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a war that has spread across the Middle East.
Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and US interests across the region.
Shipping traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20 percent of the world’s crude oil usually transits, has been severely disrupted.
Iranian forces have repeatedly targeted oil tankers passing through the strategic waterway since the war began.
Oil prices have since risen dramatically to over $100 per barrel — the highest since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — before reversing course Monday after US President Donald Trump said military operations would be ending soon.
“Their efforts to reduce and control the price of oil and gas will be temporary and fruitless,” IRGC spokesman Naini said. “Trade in war conditions is hinged on security.”
The Revolutionary Guards late on Monday urged countries to expel their US and Israeli ambassadors to gain passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Any Arab or European country that expels the Israeli and American ambassadors from its territory will have complete freedom and authority to pass through the Strait of Hormuz starting tomorrow,” the Guards said, as quoted by Iranian state TV.