Regional
Syria’s Sharaa declared president for transition, consolidating his power
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared president for a transitional phase on Wednesday, tightening his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad.
Sharaa was also empowered to form a temporary legislative council for a transitional period and the Syrian constitution was suspended, according to an announcement made by the military command which led the offensive against Assad, Reuters reported.
The decisions emerged from a meeting of military commanders who took part in the assault, a campaign spearheaded by Sharaa’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group – a former al Qaeda affiliate.
Addressing the conference, Sharaa said the first priority in Syria was to fill a vacuum in government “in a legitimate and legal way”.
He also said civil peace must be preserved through transitional justice and preventing displays of revenge, that state institutions – foremost among them military and security forces – be rebuilt, and that economic infrastructure be developed.
Sharaa has pledged to embark on a political transition including a national conference, an inclusive government, and eventual elections, which he has said could take up to four years to hold.
Wednesday’s announcement did not say when the new legislative body might be picked, or provide any new details for a timeline for the transition.
Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, said the declaration had “formalized his status as the strongman ruler”. “My take is that HTS and Sharaa intend to consolidate single-party Islamist rule.”
HTS emerged from the Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the Syrian civil war, until it cut ties in 2016
QATAR WELCOMES STEPS
The declaration announced that “Sharaa has assumed the presidency of the country in the transitional phase” and would “carry out the duties of the presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic, and represent it in international forums”.
The new legislative council would carry out its tasks until a new constitution is adopted. The parliament elected under Assad last year was formally dissolved.
The declaration also reiterated previous steps dissolving Assad’s Baath Party and his state security apparatus, and said that rebel groups which fought him during 13 years of war were to be dissolved and merged into the state.
The announcements came at a meeting declared “The Conference for Announcing the Victory of the Syrian Revolution”. It was attended by ministers from the interim government appointed by HTS in December, and was not publicly announced ahead of time.
Qatar, which is backs the new administration, issued a statement after the declaration welcoming “moves to restructure the Syrian state and boost consensus and unity among all its parties”.
Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center said the announcement was a raw translation of Sharaa’s newfound power and military control of great parts of Syria including the capital”.
It “does not reflect the political, religious and ethnic diversity of Syria”, he added.
Apparent celebratory gunfire could be heard in central Damascus soon after the announcements.
Regional
Trump backs down on strikes on Iran’s power network, says US and Tehran holding talks
Iranian attacks have effectively closed the Strait, which carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
President Donald Trump backed down on targeting Iran’s power network on Monday, saying the U.S. and Iran have held constructive talks and that he would postpone any strikes on power plants and energy infrastructure, Reuters reported.
Trump’s statement came after Iran threatened to attack Israel’s power plants and those supplying U.S. bases across the Gulf region if the U.S. targets Iran’s power network.
The dollar plunged and stocks surged following Trump’s post.
The United States and Iran “have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”
On Saturday, Trump warned that Iranian power plants would be destroyed if Tehran failed to “fully open” the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping within 48 hours. Trump set a deadline of around 7:44 p.m. EDT (2344 GMT) on Monday.
Iranian attacks have effectively closed the Strait, which carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, read the report.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in the war the U.S. and Israel launched on February 28, which has upended markets, driven up fuel costs, fuelled global inflation fears and convulsed the postwar Western alliance.
Regional
Iran says coastal attack will lead to full Gulf closure and mine-laying
An attack on Iran’s southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines, the country’s Defence Council said on Monday according to state media, Reuters reported.
The U.S. is considering plans to occupy, opens new tab or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios.
“Any attempt to attack Iran’s coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf (…) to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast,” the statement read.
“In this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz for a long time (…) One should not forget the failure of more than 100 minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines.”
The Defence Council recalled that non-belligerent states can only pass through the Strait of Hormuz by coordinating passage with Iran.
Regional
Iran says Hormuz open to all but ‘enemy-linked’ ships
The threat of Iranian attacks during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has kept most ships from getting through the narrow strait, the conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, threatening a global energy shock.
The Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies”, Iranian media reports published on Sunday quoted Iran’s representative to the U.N. maritime agency as saying.
Ali Mousavi’s comments came from an interview published on Friday by Chinese news agency Xinhua, before U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to target Iranian power plants if the strait was not “fully open” within 48 hours.
The threat of Iranian attacks during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has kept most ships from getting through the narrow strait, the conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, threatening a global energy shock.
Mousavi, who is also Iran’s ambassador to the UK, was also quoted as saying that Tehran would continue to cooperate with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to improve maritime safety and protect seafarers in the Gulf, adding that ships not belonging to “Iran’s enemies” could pass the strait by coordinating security and safety arrangements with Tehran.
“Diplomacy remains Iran’s priority. However, a complete cessation of aggression as well as mutual trust and confidence are more important,” Mousavi said, adding that Israeli and U.S. attacks against Iran were at the “root of the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz”.
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