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Terrorist State of Turkey rejects demands to close its military base in Qatar

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Turkey military base in QatarTurkey has rejected the demands of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to close the Turkish military base in Qatar. Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik noted that he had not seen the call, but made it clear that Ankara did not intend to revise the agreement with Qatar, which led to the creation of the base, Reuters reported.

His comments followed after four Arab states send Doha a list of 13 demands, including the closure of the Turkish base.

“If there is such a demand, it will mean interference in bilateral ties,” Isik said, suggesting instead that Turkey might continue to bolster its presence in Qatar.

According to him, the presence of Turkey in Qatar should be considered as an advantage for the entire Persian Gulf.

Turkey spends $2.6 Million to Hire Two New Lobbying and PR Firms

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Photo by GagrulenetBy

Last week, I wrote about a dozen public relations and lobbying companies the Turkish government had already hired. In recent weeks, the Republic of Turkey added two new such firms: Ballard Partners and Burson-Marsteller.
Turkish officials don’t seem to realize that having more than a dozen lobbying firms not only is a waste of money due to unnecessary duplication, it is also a waste of the valuable time of several Turkish Embassy officials in Washington, D.C., spending a lot of their time on a daily basis to give detailed instructions to these lobbying firms, read their reports, comment on them, meet with them, forward their reports to the Foreign Ministry with lengthy explanations, and take corrective action based on Ankara’s reaction. Unless such an intense and elaborate effort is made in working with so many lobbying firms, Turkish officials are simply wasting their country’s money!
I am happy that the Turkish government has decided to waste more of its money by agreeing to pay Brian Ballard’s firm, Ballard Partners, $1.5 million from May 15, 2017 to May 14, 2018. According to Ballard’s registration with the Justice Department, the firm will provide the Turkish government “with advocacy services relative to US-Turkey bilateral relations.” The lobbying activities include “advising, counseling, and assisting [Turkey] in communications with US Government officials. Maintaining US relations with this important NATO partner.”
Brian Ballard is the longtime lobbyist for Pres. Donald Trump as the representative of the Trump Organization in Tallahassee, Florida. He raised $16 million for Trump’s presidential campaign while serving as his state finance chairman and later as vice chairman of the President’s inaugural committee. Ballard issued a statement asserting that he “still speaks to Trump on occasion.” Susie Wiles, who was introduced by Ballard to Trump during the campaign, served as Trump’s Florida campaign manager. She is now working for Ballard Partners. Ballard also hired former Congressman Robert Wexler (Democrat-Florida) to be in charge of the Turkish lobbying account. As co-chair of the Congressional Turkey Caucus, Cong. Wexler actively lobbied and voted against a proposed House Armenian Genocide resolution on Oct. 10, 2007. His new job is his reward for staunchly supporting Turkey in Congress for years!
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Ballard’s first interaction with Trump occurred several years ago when he wrote a letter to Trump after reading his book, Art of the Deal, and Trump answered. Ballard wrote back stating: “if you ever have any issues in Florida, please don’t hesitate to call.” Trump called him after purchasing Mar-a-Largo in 1985, and paid Ballard at least $460,000 from 2013 to 2015 for lobbying work. Trump personally called Ballard asking for his help when he launched his presidential campaign. Ballard is now organizing a fundraising banquet for Trump on June 28. The cost is $35,000 per person and $100,000 to join the host committee.
Ballard makes no secret of his special connections with Pres. Trump. “I would imagine if Hillary Clinton were elected I wouldn’t be here,” he told the Tampa Bay Times. Ballard said “he doesn’t discuss how he works or his contacts with the president. He’s been spotted at the White House, however, and Trump maintains phone relationships with allies.”
In addition, the Turkish Embassy in Washington D.C., signed a contract with Burson-Marsteller for $1.1 million for the period May 1-Dec. 31, 2017. Ironically, from 2012 to 2015, Burson-Marsteller was doing lobbying work for the Alliance for Shared Values, a group tied to the Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen whom Erdogan opposes and seeks his extradition from the US to Turkey. The Turkish government reportedly threatened Burson-Marsteller’s operations in Turkey if the firm continued to lobby for Gulen.
Burson-Marsteller is supposed to provide “integrated public relations services to support the [Turkish] Embassy’s communications objectives in the United States. Activities include media outreach, monitoring and analysis; event support; stakeholder engagement; social media counsel; and support for Turkish consulates in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.”
It is noteworthy that despite the millions of dollars spent by Turkey on more than a dozen high-powered lobbying and public relations firms, they could not counter the large number of news articles and TV coverage critical of the Turkish government for the attack on peaceful protesters by Pres. Erdogan’s bodyguards in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C., on May 16. This fact reinforces my firm belief that Turkey is wasting millions of dollars annually trying to cleanse its image in the U.S., which is further tarnished by the Turkish government’s brutal policies both at home and abroad!

Turkey: opposition opens a long march for justice

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Turkey: opposition opens a long march for justiceyThousands of people began in Ankara, on appeal from the main opposition group, a long march to Istanbul, a distance of 400 km, in protest at the incarceration of a member of the party .

Enis Berberoglu, of the People’s Republican Party (CHP), was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison for providing the opposition daily Cumhuriyet with confidential information.

This is the first time that a member of the CHP, a party founded by modern Turkey’s father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has been imprisoned since the lifting of parliamentary immunity last year.

The CHP immediately objected to this decision, several members calling it “political”. The party leader, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, decided in protest to travel on foot the 400 km stretch that separates Ankara from Istanbul where the deputy is imprisoned. “If there is a price to pay, I will pay it first,” Kiliçdaroglu said. “I’m going to Istanbul. And we will continue our march until there is justice in Turkey. “He also called on all those who want to defend justice to support his approach.

Several thousand people walked with him from downtown Ankara, waving signs bearing the word “Justice”, according to an AFP journalist on the spot. “Do not stay silent. If you are silent, your turn will come, “they chanted, as well as” side by side against fascism. “

A gathering was also organized in Istanbul, where several hundred people gathered, chanting “we will win through the resistance,” said another journalist of the AFP.

Enis Berberoglu is accused of providing the opposition daily Cumhuriyet with a video claiming the interception of trucks belonging to the Turkish secret service (MIT) and carrying arms in Syria in January 2014 at the Syrian border.

The case had caused scandal and provoked the fury of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who promised Cumhuriyet editor of the time, Can Dündar, that he would “pay the price”.

Berberoglu, who was appearing on Wednesday, was imprisoned immediately after the verdict was announced by the court. The lawyer of the deputy has appealed this decision as early as Thursday morning, reported the private agency Dogan.

Monday, June 19, 2017,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Turkey: 731 soldiers hospitalized after food poisoning in western Turkey

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turkey soldiers food poisoningMore than 700 soldiers have fallen sick in a mass outbreak of food poisoning at a military barracks in the western Turkish province of Manisa.

Manisa Chief Prosecutor Akif Celahattain Simsek announced in a statement on Sunday that none of the soldiers are displaying life-threatening conditions after 731 troopers at the Manisa First Infantry Training Brigade Command complained about nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

They were rushed to hospital with stomach pains and dizziness.

The soldiers at the barracks had eaten a meal of soup, rice, chicken and yogurt for Iftar, a meal with which Muslims break their dawn-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

Police have detained 21 employees, including executives, of the catering company that provides food to the military compound in connection with the incident.

This is the second time in less than a month that soldiers at the Manisa First Infantry Training Brigade Command have been struck by food poisoning.

One soldier died in the May food poisoning incident, which was caused by salmonella bacteria.

Local opposition lawmaker Tur Yildiz Bicer posted pictures on Twitter of soldiers slumped on benches in the hospital, and others on a drip.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik visited the sick soldiers in hospital overnight, saying they were all set to make a full recovery.

“We don’t see a significant problem; just some of our soldiers are being kept in for observation. No one is in intensive care or has their life in danger,” he pointed out.

Turkish foreign ministry summons US ambassador over arrest warrants for Erdoğan’s bodyguards

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Turkish foreign ministry summons US ambassador over arrest warrants for Erdoğan’s bodyguards Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador to Ankara John Bass after Washington issued an arrest warrant for 12 bodyguards of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over a brawl outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington.

As reported earlier, Washington D.C. Police Department named 18 individuals who have been charged or are facing charges in the attack on peaceful protesters in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in the US capital city. Nine of them are security officers, and three—Turkish police.

In addition, D.C. Police Chief Newsham acknowledged that investigators are looking into the role of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the May 16 attack, but indicated that, despite the available video and other evidence, there is not yet sufficient probable cause to seek his arrest.

Qatar crisis opens gates of anti-Trumpism in Turkey

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Qatar crisis opens gates of anti-Trumpism

US President Donald Trump listens to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they give statements to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Washington, May 16, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

By Pinar Tremblay,

The election of US President Donald Trump was neither a surprise nor an unpleasant event for Islamists in Turkey. To the contrary, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were making extra efforts to cheer for their newly elected American colleague. Erdogan’s 22-minute March meeting with Trump, despite being a fiasco on multiple fronts, was portrayed as the beginning of an affectionate personal relationship. Pro-AKP media refrained from using negative language against Trump.

However, the tide took a stark turn with the Qatar crisis. As several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, Erdogan decided Turkey would stand with Qatar. Pro-AKP trolls took social media by storm with their #TurkiyeKatarKardestir (Turkey and Qatar Are Brothers) hashtag.

As AKP trolls and newspapers were trying to figure out how best to rally public support for Turkish deployment of troops in defense of Qatar, their mobilized reactions provide us clues about Erdogan’s future plans.

A crucial common point in Erdogan’s speeches and pro-AKP columnists and social media trolls is to refrain from directly criticizing Saudi Arabia. If you follow the Qatar crisis exclusively on pro-AKP media outlets, you may not even be aware of the fact that Saudi Arabia is the main interlocutor in all this. Rather, you are made to believe the problem is the United States — more specifically, Trump.

At the start of the Qatar crisis, the government-paid troll army and media immediately branded the crisis as a US attack on the Muslim Brotherhood. Gates of anti-Trumpism in Turkey are now open, and Trump-bashing is increasingly becoming popular. Not only Islamists but also leftist groups find comfort and joy in blaming the United States for all things wrong in the Middle East. Here are some examples from the media:

On June 6, Trump’s tweets on Saudi Arabia’s and other Arab states’ decision to target Qatar made the waves on Turkish social media. Milliyet reported these tweets by saying, “Now it is revealed who pressed the button. Trump targeted Qatar.”

Several examples of anti-Trump statements dominated the media on June 9.

For instance, a headline from the pro-AKP daily Takvim read, “Trump’s scandal declaration about Qatar.” The story continued with anti-American statements, such as “The United States, known well for its support of terrorism, continues its two-faced declarations.”

The Star Daily, whose owner is now a member of the AKP’s top decision-making unit, had on its first page Trump’s notorious globe photo with the Saudi king and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The title said, “We cracked that globe.” The subtitle read, “Erdogan broke the siege of Qatar through intense phone diplomacy, opposition to the sanctions, accepting the visit of the Iranian minister, passing the legislation to send troops to Qatar and sending food aid.”

Yusuf Kaplan, a provocative Yeni Safak columnist, listed earth-shattering US goals such as getting Muslims to destroy each other, cutting off communication between different Islamist movements and replacing Muslim states with city-states. Kaplan concluded that to defend Islam, one cannot stay silent against the attack on Qatar.

On June 11, Ferhat Unlu, a columnist for Sabah Daily, titled his piece “Trump’s sword dance with the deep state.” Unlu claimed the United States is controlling the Gulen movement and that the new director of the FBI would be pro-Gulen.

One of Yeni Akit’s prominent writers, Ali Karahasanoglu, urged the government to cut off all relations with the United States because it was providing weapons to the Kurdish groups in northern Syria. The piece was published almost a month after Trump’s announcement to arm the Kurds and a few days after the Qatar crisis.

Yeni Safak on June 14 referred to the United States as the “Gangster United States.” The columnist, Tamer Kormaz, referred to Trump as “the enemy of Islam,” which is posted in bold letters. On June 6, the same columnist penned a piece titled the “US is not our ally, but our enemy,” and throughout the piece the United States is referred to as the “engineer of terror” with the “US flag symbolizing terrorism.” It reads, “Behind the July 15 Gulen coup attempt is NATO and the US.”

There were dozens of tweets about Trump’s invitation extended to the Qatari emir as being a setup or a trap, congratulating the emir for his refusal to go. The common theme in all of these columns, reports and social media posts was that the United States is the culprit of all the troubles in the Muslim world, and that it supports terror and cannot be trusted. Several tweets alleged that the purpose of the United States was not to end terror but to get money from Qatar.

Why is the crisis between Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) being presented in such a light while any direct criticism or even mention of Saudi Arabia is so diligently omitted? One of the reasons is the possibility that Erdogan could flip-flop on his promise in his savvy way, as he has done with other cases. Whomever Erdogan calls his brother could potentially become a threat — Fethullah Gulen and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are prime examples. Knowing well that Saudis will not tolerate any sort of demeaning and belittling allegations, Erdogan — who is ever so fluent in anger — is now urging Saudi Arabia to act as an older brother. Trying and failing utterly to act as the mediator, Erdogan has referred the crisis to the Saudi king and asked him to act as the peacemaker, referring to him as the “elder of the Gulf.”

Another possible reason is that Turks really do not know the differences between the GCC states. For example, although protests are banned under emergency law, a group of pro-AKP protesters marched in Taksim Square at the heart of Istanbul with bright, red-colored Bahraini flags in solidarity with Qatar. Yet they were under the assumption that they were displaying the Qatari flag, which is burgundy and white. Although Turkey has developed rather complex relations with Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia due to the lack of transparency, the Turkish public is not aware of how the UAE and Saudi Arabia have become challenges for Turkey over the last couple of years. Now, slowly, the Turkish media are portraying Qatar as a friend who stood by Erdogan during the July 15 coup attempt, while the UAE is likely to be one of the forces behind the attempt against Erdogan. Yet Turkey refrains from targeting the Saudis.

At this point, the United States presents itself as the easy target. With already skyrocketing levels of anti-Americanism in Turkey, it is not difficult to put all the blame on the United States to rally the public. The interesting observation here is how fast pro-AKP figures went from applauding and cheering Trump to scapegoating him. Trump-bashing is seen as a lower-cost activity than criticizing the Saudi king in Turkey. Yet the unknown here rests with Trump: Will he tolerate the increasing Turkish hatred and wild criticism?

Correction: (June 15, 2017): An earlier version of this article misstated Ali Karahasanoglu’s affiliation. He writes for Yeni Akit, not Yeni Safak.

Tremblay is a columnist for Al-Monitor’s Turkey Pulse and a visiting scholar of political science at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is a columnist for Turkish news outlet T24. Her articles have appeared in Time, New

News and Update from Terrorist State of Turkey, Thousands march opposition MP & jail sentence to UN judge Adif Sedaf Akay

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Turkey protest,Turkey protests: Thousands march after court convicts opposition MP

Thousands of Turkish demonstrators have marched through Ankara to protest against the jailing of an opposition lawmaker. Enis Berberoglu was this week sentenced to 25 years in prison on spying charges.

Supporters of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) packed into a park in central Ankara on Thursday, waving Turkish flags and banners emblazoned with the word “Justice.”

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (pictured above, center) called the protest on Wednesday after a court found one of the party’s deputies, Enis Berberoglu, guilty of leaking a video that purportedly showed Turkey smuggling weapons to Syrian rebels. Berberoglu was given a 25-year prison sentence.

Kilicdaroglu described the decision as lawless and politically motivated. Holding a sign reading “Adalet,” meaning justice in Turkish, he vowed to march the 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Ankara to the Istanbul prison where Berberoglu is being held.

Thousands of protesters joined CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu as he began his long walk to Istanbul

“If there is a price to pay then I will be the first to pay it,” he said. “I am going to walk and I am going to walk all the way to Istanbul. And we will continue this march until there is justice in Turkey.”

Party officials said they expect the walk could take the 68-year-old politician at least 20 days. A number of CHP members tweeted images from the protest.

Ongoing post-coup crackdown 

During Berberoglu’s trial, prosecutors argued the lawmaker had passed on information to the Cumhuriyet newspaper that suggested Turkish intelligence services were shipping weapons and ammunition across the Syrian border to Islamist rebels. The paper published the story in 2015.

Berberoglu is the first lawmaker from the main secular opposition CHP to be jailed since the government crackdown that followed last year’s failed coup. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested or fired from their jobs in the wake of the July 15 putsch attempt. Among the detained are 11 lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) – the third-largest party in parliament.

Turkey hands jail sentence to UN judge Adif Sedaf Akay

A Turkish court has sentenced top UN judge Adif Sedaf Akay to more than seven years in jail over alleged ties to a group blamed for a failed coup attempt. The UN war crimes court in The Hague says the move is illegal.

An Ankara court hearing the case on Thursday sentenced Akay, who is attached to the UN’s Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), to seven years and six months in prison.

The judge was charged with “membership in an armed terror group” over his alleged links to the organization of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based preacher that Turkey has blamed for the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

As repression deepens, Turkish artists and intellectuals fear the worst

Dismissed Turkish professor says ongoing crackdown ‘a political purge’

The court found Akay guilty of using Bylock, a communications service that Ankara claims was especially created for Gulen supporters.

Akay has strongly denied the allegations, which have caused uproar in the international community.

After the sentence was passed, Akay – who was arrested at his family home last September – was released under judicial supervision pending confirmation of the verdict by Turkey’s top appeals court, the Yargitay. The court placed an international travel ban on Akay, meaning he will not be able to resume his work at MICT.

Work on Rwanda genocide

Akay had been working with the UN international court trying suspects over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. His detention has paralyzed proceedings at an appeal hearing of former Rwandan minister Augustin Ngirabatware.

In a statement from MICT, president Judge Theodor Meron said he “deeply regrets this action of the Turkish authorities, in further breach of Judge Akay’s protected status under the international legal framework.”

The judge’s arrest in September last year, his detention since then, and a legal case against him “are inconsistent with the assertion of his diplomatic immunity by the United Nations,” the MICT said. In March, The Hague referred Turkey to the UN Security Council in relation to the affair.

US congressmen issue letter opposing handgun sale to Turkey

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U.S. handgun, turkeyCongressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Dave Trott (R-NJ) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) have issued a letter urging the Secretary of State to block a proposed sale of US handguns to Turkey, Marchtojustice.org reports.
Congress was first alerted about the impending gun sale on the eve of the May 16th brutal beating of peaceful US protesters by Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s armed bodyguards.  Ironically, the 1600 semi-automatic pistols, valued at $1.2 million, are targeted to be sold to the Department of Security of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey – the very same department whose officers committed the May 16th crimes.  That assault was unanimously condemned by the US House of Representatives with the June 6th passage of H.Res.354 by a vote of 397-0.

To encourage your Representative to co-sign Trott-Pallone letter to stop the gun sale to Turkey, simply fill out your name, address, email and phone and click “Load Message.”  You can then review and revise your letter to Secretary of State Tillerson and click “Send Message” to take action.

Report: UAE paid $3bn to finance coup attempt in Turkey:

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UAE turkey coupThe United Arab Emirates financed a high-profile coup attempt last year in Turkey and paid about three billion dollars to the putschists, a columnist in a Turkish daily has claimed.

Mehmet Acet, a columnist for Yeni Safak daily, said on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meant the United Arab Emirates when he recently hinted at a Muslim country that spent billions to topple the Turkish government in the coup in July 2016.

Cavusoglu said in recent remarks that a foreign country funneled money to the putschists while making efforts to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“We know that a country provided $3 billion in financial support for the coup attempt in Turkey and exerted efforts to topple the government in illegal ways. On top of that, it is a Muslim country,” said the Turkish foreign minister, as quoted by Acet.

Acet elaborated on his claims in an interview to the Turkish media, saying sources in the Turkish Foreign Ministry had confirmed that the country behind the coup was indeed the United Arab Emirates.

“The minister did not name the country. However, sources from the foreign ministry have confirmed that it was the UAE,” Acet told Daily Sabah newspaper.

Other sources have also claimed that a media magnet close to the government in Abu Dhabi had indeed transferred money to Turkey weeks before the coup was carried out. They said the money had been funneled to elements loyal to Fethullah Gulen, a cleric based in the United States who is accused by Ankara of masterminding the coup attempt.

Right after the coup was declared over on July 16 last year, Turkey launched a massive crackdown to hunt the plotters. The widening action then led to more than 40,000 arrests. More than 100,000 people have also been discharged from their jobs.

Turkey has not directly accused a country of having a role in the coup, which killed over 250 people. However, Cavusoglu’s remarks come amid a widening diplomatic standoff in the Persian Gulf region. Turkey has been defending Qatar against allegations of terrorism by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates while it has repeatedly endorsed Qatar’s support for senior officials from the Muslim Brotherhood, a popular party outlawed in Egypt since three years ago under pressure from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Ankara and Abu Dhabi are also at odds over the situation in Libya, where the two countries support different sides of the conflict.

Source: http://presstv.com/Detail/2017/06/13/525164/Turkey-coup-UAE

Iran official urges pressure on Turkey, “dust storms” draining Tigris and Euphrates rivers over building dams

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Iran turkey dust stormsAn Iranian official has urged active diplomacy with Turkey towards tackling the problem of dust storms, which chronically blight regional states as a result of Ankara’s massive dam building projects.

As part of its Southeastern Anatolia Project known as GAP, Turkey has built 22 dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which also run across Syria, Iraq and Iran.

The project has reportedly reduced water flow in the rivers’ basin by 34 percent and caused 94 percent of the Mesopotamia to dry up, kicking up dust storms in Syria and Iraq which head to Iran and cripple life in its southwestern and western provinces.

Hedayat Fahmi of Iran’s Energy Ministry said on Sunday Turkey was exacerbating the situation by continuing to build more dams, leaving more parched river basins which become new breeding grounds for dust storms.

This becomes more palpable if we consider that the dams hold back as much as 100 billion cubic meters of water, half of which is harnessed in the country’s Ataturk Dam.

The project, which is executed by US, German and Israeli firms among others, is due to provide water for up to two million hectares of arable lands in Turkey and boost the country’s electricity production by 7,500 megawatts.

‘Water wars likely’

Expert projections, Fahmi said, hold that the Middle East would be losing as much as 10 percent of its water resources by 2045. Over the same period, the demand for water in the region would increase by 60 percent, he said, adding this could even lead to regional wars.

“To tackle the problem of fine particles in the country, the four countries are needed to interact and engage in water diplomacy toward ensuring their entitlement to joint water resources,” Fahmi said.

The official said given that Iraq and Syria are faced with security and social predicaments, Iran should take a more active role in diplomatic efforts.

Regional cooperation on the matter stalled in 2011 when terrorism and conflicts began to blight the two Arab countries.

Back in March, Iran sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, calling for the creation of a regional task force to address the pressing issue of dust storms in the region.

​In February, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Khuzestan after the province was hit by dust storms and power blackouts.

Social networks were filled with images of the suffering along the Iraqi border, prompting Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamanei to say that “what has happened in Khuzestan province has caused heartache for any human being”.