Latest news with #AliHosseiniKhamenei
India Today
14 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
Dollars all the way: How the US has ‘financed' Israel over the years
The United States stands behind Israel as the nation exchanges strikes with Iran. Donald Trump has demanded Iran's unconditional surrender ( and has even explicitly threatened Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( is in line with the US backing Israel for years, both economically and militarily. According to the US Foreign Assistance database, Israel has been receiving American aid since 1951. In the initial years, the aid was entirely 1951, Israel received just $0.96 million in economic obligations from the US. This assistance continued throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, averaging between $0.4 and $0.6 billion annually. Military aid remained absent or negligible during this period. A shift began in the early 1970s. In 1971, military aid rose sharply to $3.20 billion, while economic assistance stood at $0.33 billion. By 1974, following the Yom Kippur War, military aid spiked to $12.45 billion, overtaking economic assistance, which remained at $0.26 billion. This marked the beginning of a long-term trend in which military assistance became the dominant form of US support to Israel. advertisement After 2008, economic assistance was nearly phased out. In contrast, military support remained stable, $3.29 billion in 2009, $3.83 billion in 2010, and continuing at over $3 billion annually through the 2024, military assistance reached $6.64 billion, while economic aid was just $0.01 billion. Cumulatively, between 1951 and 2024, Israel has received $305.5 billion in total from the US, of which $221.68 billion was military funding and $83.8 billion was economic support. Military assistance accounts for over 72 per cent of the total aid given to THIS THE SAME FOR OTHER COUNTRIES?Among the countries that have received significant US foreign assistance, several of them show a clear tilt toward military funding. Egypt and Afghanistan, for instance, have received high volumes of military aid — $93.93 billion and $109.88 billion, a major share of their total assistance. Vietnam, Ukraine, and Iraq also fall into this category, with military aid constituting more than half of their total US support. However, countries like India and Bangladesh have primarily received economic assistance. India has received $86.1 billion in total aid, of which only $1.18 billion was military, while Bangladesh has received $21.8 billion, with just $0.35 billion in military MILITARY RELATIONSadvertisementAccording to the Council on Foreign Relations ( a large share of Israel's military aid from the United States comes through the Foreign Military Financing programme, under which Israel receives approximately $3.3 billion annually in of October 2023, the Joe Biden administration reported that Israel had nearly six hundred active Foreign Military Financing cases, with a combined value of approximately $24 billion. Arms sales data from the US Department of Defence shows that from 1950 to 2022, Israel purchased a total of $53 billion in US weapons, making it one of the top recipients globally, second only to Saudi Arabia, which received $164 billion over the same InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Israel#Iran
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Who is Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and what is the Axis of Resistance
Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on June 18, rejected US President Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender, and said that Israel had made a huge mistake in attacking Iran. The Americans 'should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage, Khamenei said in a recorded speech played on state TV. 'Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender.' This is not the first time Khamenei has warned the US or underscored Iran's strained relationship with the global power. Having been the Supreme Leader of Iran since the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, 86-year-old Khamenei has spent the majority of his life defending the principles of the Iranian revolution. His rule has weathered the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq War, the rise of the 1997 reformist movement initiated by President Mohammad Khatami, the public uprisings of 1999, economic sanctions by the international community, pre-emptive military strikes by Israel and the United States as well as domestic turbulence. In his time, 'The Islamic Republic of Iran has demonstrated a strength and political viability few believed possible,' notes Middle East scholar Yvette Hovsepian-Bearce in The Political Ideology of Ayatollah Khamenei: Out of the Mouth of the Supreme Leader of Iran (2015). But how did a seminary-trained cleric like Khamenei claim and consolidate his position as the Supreme Leader of Iran? Khamenei was born in Mashhad, Iran, in 1939 as one of eight children to a poor religious scholar. While studying religion in the city of Qom, aged 23, he became part of Khomeini's revolutionary movement. Alongside, he interacted with secular opposition intellectuals and enjoyed poetry, music, and reading. A revolutionary, he was influenced by Third Worldism (an ideology that rejects the global capitalist order, and aims to generate unity among countries that do not wish to side with either the US/Russia). During the 1960s and 1970s, Khamenei was arrested six times by the Reza Shah Pahlavi's secret police, SAVAK, tortured, and spent several years in prison. The revolutionary ideals of azadi, esteghlal, jomhuri-ye Islami (freedom, independence, and Islamic Republic) fuelled his perseverance. After the overthrow of the Shah's regime, Khamenei became the deputy minister of defence and supervisor of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). After becoming the second Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei maintained his predecessor's isolationist policy of resisting colonisation, oppression, domination, and ostracisation by foreign powers. Khamenei did not possess the qualifications needed to be the Leader of the Islamic Republic. According to the constitution, the Leader of the Islamic Republic should be a marja-e taqlid (a religious source of emulation) or a grand ayatollah. However, Khamenei was not an ayatollah; he only held the middle-rank title of hojjat ol-eslam. For this reason, an amendment to the Iranian constitution was made when he took charge as the second Supreme Leader of Iran. The path was not rosy, for Khamenei lacked his predecessor's charm, popular support, and authority among the revolutionary elite. The situation worsened when, in 1997, under the rule of President Mohammad Khatami, there was a push for reform and a republican regime. 'To put it succinctly, Khamenei faced the task of establishing his (revolutionary) authority at a time when revolutionary slogans were beginning to lose appeal,' notes political scientist Kjetil Selvik in Dictators and Autocrats: Securing Power across Global Politics (2021). Khamenei's survival strategy involved drawing from the range of powers bestowed on the Supreme Leader — the right to determine the general policies of the Islamic Republic, command the armed forces, declare war and peace, and appoint/dismiss officeholders. His office also had vast economic resources at its disposal. However, the keystone of his strategy was the combination of anti-imperialism and religious propagation. Like Khomeini, Khamenei has been an opponent of the US and Israel and enforced Islam in every aspect of life. He portrays submission to the Leader as a step towards defending Islam. Not only does he preach this to the officials and masses, but his words 'are amplified through a battery of media channels…his websites, and social media accounts,' opines Selvik. He adds, 'Propagandists in mosques, the religious seminaries, the judicial system, the Basij force, and the information arms of the IRGC also parrot him.' Further, Khamenei transformed the education system and financial infrastructure of Iran in ways that massively increased the clergy's dependence on the state. Emphasising on culture, he says the Islamic Revolution aims to liberate the Muslim society from the oppression of the West, and this 'cultural jihad' must never stop. The cornerstone of authoritarian regimes, in the words of Selvik, is the ability to repress dissent. For this, Khamenei relies on the police, vigilantes, intelligence bodies, judiciary, detention centres, the Courts of the Clergy, and the Islamic Revolutionary Courts. 'Khamenei instrumentalises outside threats against Iran to discredit the internal opposition against him and enable him to deal with these forces as a security matter,' says Selvik. His core revolutionary ideology, according to Bearce, 'includes the supremacy of Islam, the isolationist policy of 'Neither East, Nor West,' and enmity with the US and Israel.' In the Middle East, Khamenei has fostered deeper ties with Bashar al-Assad in Syria and non-state armed groups in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. Iran's relations with the small yet influential Shi'a resistance group in Lebanon, Hezbollah, for instance, were procured by nurturing religious bonds. In Axis of Resistance: Towards an Independent Middle East (2019), Australian academic Tim Anderson notes Iran's efforts in helping Palestine resist ethnic cleansing, in helping the Lebanese expel Israeli occupation, and its efforts backing both Iraq and Syria in their victories over sectarian terrorism generated by the Gulf monarchies. 'Khamenei formed the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution (Shura-ye Aali-ye Enqelab-i Islami) in Iraq and the Muslim Unity Party (Hezb-i Vahdat-i Islami) in Afghanistan,' notes Bearce. She adds, 'His guiding foreign policies entail the liberation of Palestine, the spread of the ideals of Iran's Islamic Revolution, and the creation of a unified global Islamic power.' In the process, writes historian Phillip Thomas Tucker in The Bloody Hand of Soleimani (2024), the Iranian leadership forged 'a dangerous new alliance,' trained and equipped with sophisticated drones and cruise missiles. This coalition, spanning six countries across the Middle East, included Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and anti-American groups in Iraq, Bahrain, and Syria. This 'Axis of Resistance,' as per Tucker, is 'a clever orchestration of a strategic master plan to [fight] both Israel and America.' Khamenei has frequently said that Iran will challenge and defeat US hegemony, which has ruled the world since the Second World War. On multiple occasions, the Supreme Leader has asserted that the global community is moving forward, building alliances in different parts of the world. As examples, he cites the European Union, the United Nations, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. 'Khamenei, [as a counter initiative], calls for a united Muslim alliance in which Muslim countries, despite doctrinal differences and competing political ambitions, can join forces and create a united Islamic front,' remarks Bearce. Nikita writes for the Research Section of focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport. For suggestions, feedback, or an insider's guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at ... Read More
India.com
3 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Muslim countries across the world are not supporting Iran due to .., Turkey and Saudi Arabia have only..., Pakistan has...
(File) Iran vs Israel: At a time when Israel has almost started a full-blown war against Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, under the leadership of Ali Hosseini Khamenei finds itself largely isolated on the global stage despite having long-standing ties with many allies across the world. Despite the massive infrastructural damage and civilian evacuations, Iran has received minimal diplomatic or military support from its old allies of Islamic world or even countries like Pakistan or Turkey, who call themselves the leaders of the Islamic world. In this article we will analyse the reasons which have damaged the long-standing support for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Readers should know that the Islamic countries around the world have although issued statements opposing the Israeli attack, the traditional allies of Iran like China, Russia, and fellow Muslim-majority countries—have maintained a striking silence on supporting Iran militarily. Reason behind Iran's dwindling support As per experts, the reason behind the dwindling support for Iran has been its long-standing groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Houthi rebels. The allegations against Iran that it promotes global instability and terror played a key role in the loss of support it is receiving today. While China, Turkey, Pakistan and Russia have been diplomatically supportive, they have refused to offer anything other statements. Additionally, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, and Oman have not only refused to aid Iran but have tacitly supported Israeli actions by keeping their airspace open reportedly due to the Shia-Sunni divide in the region. Readers must note that Iran has long been accused of supporting and funding terrorist organizations, affecting global and regional security. More notably, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is considered the main center of these activities. G7 labels Iran as source of terror, backs Israel's right to defend Amid the raging conflict between Israel and Iran, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations reaffirmed their support for peace and stability in the Middle East while explicitly backing Israel's right to self-defence. More notably, the G7 leaders described Iran as the 'principal source' of regional instability and terror in a joint statement issued from their summit in Canada, as per a report by IANS news agency. (With inputs from agencies)
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Israeli strikes in Iran: Like Ukraine's attack on Russian bases, drones add new dimension & upend established battlefield strategies
The Israeli precision strikes on Iran, especially attacks that decapitated key Iranian military strike corps early into the current military engagement, has similarities to Ukraine's drone strike against the Russian air bases earlier this month. For one, it showcases the ability to strike in depth, really deep inside enemy territory on specific targets through strategic attacks that were planned well ahead in advance. Israeli military officials have said that their Mossad intelligence agents smuggled precision weapons and drones into Iran in the days just ahead of this attack. They achieved targeted killings of key Iranian military officers and nuclear scientists, just weeks after Ukraine deployed a similar strategy as it struck key military targets in Russia with drones that were smuggled inside Russia and traversed via trucks deep into the latter's territory. This new drone warfare is reshaping the battlefield construct, while also challenging the general view of military theorists that a conventional conflict typically entails a linear escalation. The idea that the adversary's military or intelligence ressources would go into another country, in peace time as in Israel's case, and really prepare the battlefield in depth to ensure that its forces could strike key military personnel with actual kinetic effect at a time of its choosing, is what is stark. That's what the Ukrainians did earlier in Russia. And this is likely to be an enduring pattern in new battlefield engagements, given how important drones are turning out. Israel has decapitated some of Iran's key military agencies, including a key Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei aide, and assassinated Iran's senior nuclear scientists early into the conflict. One person in particular, Ali Shamkhani was a close aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and has been cited as arguably Iran's top strategist, who was often thought of as someone who could play a major leadership role inside Iran after the Supreme Leader abdicates or passes. Others neutralised by Israel include Major General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite military force, who reported directly to Khamenei and was the highest ranking official killed in the attacks. Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who served as the chief of Iran's Armed Forces General Staff since June 2016 when he was appointed to the position and Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, a veteran IRGC leader. Iran has now told mediators Oman and Qatar that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications was quoted by Reuters on Sunday. As Iran and Israel launched fresh attacks and raised fears of a wider conflict, what is beginning to get clear is that Iran has a very weak hand at the moment. Iran's top leadership had been gearing up for a potential Israeli attack if nuclear talks with the US failed, but made a misjudgment in not anticipating Israel to strike before the next round of talks that was scheduled for Sunday in Oman, The New York Times said citing officials close to Iran's leadership. The country is now led by an 85-year old supreme leader who perhaps does not have the cognitive bandwidth to deal with an escalating crisis of this sort, and Israel's move to decapitate Iran's key military agencies has further impacted Tehran's ability to strategise and strike back. Historically in these situations, Iran would threaten to unleash its proxies, Lebanese Hezbollah or Hamas in the Palestinian territories. But over the last six months, Israel has decimated these proxies. So in the regional context, Iran has a very weak hand at this point in time. Which is one reason why it was unable to stop some of these debilitating attacks by Israel, including on its Natanz nuclear facility In an audacious attack that was planned for over a year and half, Ukraine carried out large scale drone attacks on multiple Russian air bases, including one in Siberia that was some 4,000 km away from the frontlines earlier this month. Under its Operation Spider's Web, a swarm of Ukrainian drones were unleashed on June 1 that attacked at least five military airbases deep inside Russia's borders and left some 41 bomber aircraft in flames. Specialised drones called FPV drones were smuggled into Russia, along with mobile wooden cabins. The cabins were carried by trucks with the drones hidden inside. The cabin roofs opened remotely – and then the drones took off, zoned in on the nearby bases to precisely mount the attacks. Ukraine claimed the attack caused $7 billion in damage, with multiple combat planes destroyed in the attack. The Russian defence ministry on Sunday said Ukraine launched FPV drone attacks on five air bases across the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions, adding that all strikes on the Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur airfields were successfully repelled. It was one of significant raiding actions in modern warfare, given that the mission was planned for 18 months. This differed from the sort of attacks Ukraine had mounted so far – larger fixed-wing drones attacking at night, closer to areas adjoining Russia's border with Ukraine. This upended that pattern entirely, given that small drones were used this time during the day, and this was done far away from the front lines and deep into Russian territory. In Irkutsk province in eastern Siberia, thousands of kilometres away from Ukraine, locals posted footage of small quadcopter drones emerging from the roof of trucks and then flying toward a nearby airfield, followed by the smoke after impact. The attacks at these Russian airfields are said to have destroyed 41 aircraft, including A-50 early-warning planes and Tu-22M3 and Tu-95 strategic bombers, most of which are now out of production and extremely difficult to replace. Russia is estimated to have less than 100 strategic bombers, and around a third of that fleet is impacted with this attack. Commentators on X aligned to Ukraine's security services indicated that over a 100 quadcopter FPV drones with bombs were smuggled into Russia for the operations. These were then meticulously housed in specially-built wooden cabins, loaded on top of lorries and then released after the roofs of the cabins were retracted remotely. FPV or first-person view drones are smaller in size and have cameras built in on the front, which sends live video to the operator. This enables precise flying and manoeuvrability by the operator from a remote location, almost like an aircraft. The Economist reported that these drones used Russian mobile-telephone networks to relay their footage back to Ukraine, much of which then shared on social media. It is entirely possible that the drivers of the trucks did not know what they were carrying. In that respect, analysts said this operation was similar to the 2022 attack on Kerch bridge, where a bomb concealed in a lorry destroyed part of the bridge linking Crimea with the Russian mainland. Anil Sasi is National Business Editor with the Indian Express and writes on business and finance issues. He has worked with The Hindu Business Line and Business Standard and is an alumnus of Delhi University. ... Read More
