Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at an exchange of words between the United States and Iran on an alleged prisoner swap, a think tank’s announcement on Russia’s campaign on Bakhmut, and protests against the Israeli government in Israel and in Washington.
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U.S. Denies Iran Prisoner Swap Deal
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian announced that a prisoner swap was imminent with the United States. But later that same day, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the claim a “cruel lie that only adds to the suffering of their families.”
“Unfortunately, Iranian officials will not hesitate to make things up, and the latest cruel claim will cause more heartache for the families of Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz,” according to a statement from the White House National Security Council. Iran has never made evidence against them public, or acknowledged that they hold both U.S. and Iranian citizenship.
The back and forth comes just days after Iran and Saudi Arabia announced that, aided by China, they were restoring ties. Some have taken this as a sign that China is on the rise in the region—and that the United States is being sidelined, while Israel, which has worked to isolate Iran, is suffering a setback.
On Twitter, Israel’s former military intelligence chief, Amos Yadlin, said, “The government’s focus on the judicial overhaul, which is tearing the nation apart and weakening Israel in all dimensions, reflects a deep disconnect between Netanyahu and international geopolitical trends.”
The World This Week
Monday, March 13: Ballot opens for Scotland’s Scottish National Party leadership elections.
Tuesday, March 14: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at “International Movement of Europhiles.”
Wednesday, March 15: U.S. Senate Hearing Committee on U.S.-Brazil relations
Thursday, March 16: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Ethiopia and Niger
Friday, March 17: Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar marks St. Patrick’s Day by delivering an address in Washington.
What We’re Following Today
Russian advances in Bakhmut stalled. The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington has said that Russia’s campaign to capture Bakhmut has stalled, and that there is no evidence they have made progress despite continued attacks. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary Wagner Group, posted on Telegram that the situation with respect to Bakhmut was “difficult, very difficult, with the enemy fighting for each meter.” This has been the longest ground battle of the war. The report contradicts earlier claims of Russian progress.
Protesters gather in Israel. For the tenth week in a row, Israeli protesters gathered to protest the Israeli government’s planned judicial reforms. Protest organizers claimed that half a million people were in attendance. Speaking at the main demonstration in Tel Aviv, former police chief Moshe Karadi said, “Israel is facing a danger it has not faced since the 1948 War of Independence.”
The next evening, in Washington, several American Jewish organizations held a protest of their own, this time against Israel’s finance minister, the far-right Bezalel Smotrich, a self-described “fascist homophobe,” who was speaking at the Israel Bonds’ national leadership summit at the Grand Hotel Hyatt.
No U.S. officials met with Smotrich, though critics noted that he was not denied a visa and was able to enter. For some, Smotrich himself was squarely the offense. But for others, the protest was broader. “This is not just about Smotrich. We are here to fight for democracy for ALL people,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs of T’Ruah, a pro-human rights rabbinical group. “We are here to fight for human rights for Israelis AND Palestinians.”
Keep an Eye On
Istanbul residents fear being buried alive by earthquake. Istanbul residents are reportedly increasingly fearful of a coming significant earthquake following two deadly quakes that recently hit elsewhere in the country. Experts predict that such a quake could hit the city by 2030, and the majority of buildings in Istanbul were built before 1999, when more rigorous standards went into effect, making them potentially unsafe. (Enforcement of those new standards was not always so rigorous, as the recent quakes demonstrated.) Residents of the city are now in a race against time to secure the city.
Record breaking year for Saudi’s Aramco oil company. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil company announced that it had a record breaking year for profits, bringing in $161.1 billion, a 46.5 percent increase for the company. Most of the profits will go to the Saudi government, which owns 95 percent of Aramco shares. Aramco said the profits were “underpinned by stronger crude oil prices, higher volumes sold and improved margins for refined products.”
Sunday’s Most Read
•Staring Down the Black Hole of Russia’s Future by Anastasia Edel
•The Road to Democracy in Russia Runs Through Chechnya by Botakoz Kassymbekova
•How the World Forgot About Russian Imperialism by FP Contributors
Odds and Ends
More Malbec? Argentina’s government is trying to increase experts and restock its central bank reserves. The delicious solution? Grant the country’s winemakers a “Malbec dollar” exchange rate beginning in April to try to help them deal with inflation and poor weather conditions. The government hopes the new exchange rate—which hasn’t yet been revealed—will help with export competitiveness.