Moscow, Oct 02: President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reiterated Moscow’s long-held position that Russia is not planning to attack European countries but will respond to aggression with “all weapons” in its arsenal.

In remarks at a foreign policy forum, Putin accused the West and Europe of escalating tensions by talking about preparing for a war with Moscow in the coming years, conducting military drills in the Baltic Sea, and seizing Russian vessels.

His remarks followed Moscow’s warning to NATO that it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons to defend Kaliningrad should any members of the military alliance try to cut off the Baltic exclave from the rest of Russia.

Several Russian embassies in Europe this week issued statements that said Moscow has “information that NATO is preparing (an) air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and (the) Kaliningrad region.”

They accused European leaders of “playing a dangerous game” by saying Russia might attack another country or ramp up a campaign of destabilizing attacks with drones and sabotage. Moscow has called the allegations absurd.

“There should be no mistake — Russia would be ready to use all its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory if NATO countries try to isolate (the) Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country,” the Russian Embassy in Ireland said in its statement on Tuesday.

Asked at the Valdai Club forum Thursday whether Russia was on the cusp of a war with NATO or whether both were trying to intimidate each other, Putin said: “It’s not intimidation, it’s a response to an attempt to intimidate us.”

Putin said that “everything is written correctly” in the earlier warning to NATO.

“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case we mean Kaliningrad, or maybe some other territories — of course, inevitably and immediately the question of Russian Federation using all weapons at the disposal of our country will appear on the agenda,” he said.

Putin didn’t specify whether Moscow would use nuclear weapons but said it has arms that “no one else has” and would determine which to use in case of an attack.

NATO pushed back against Russian nuclear rhetoric

NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed Wednesday that Russia had sent a written message to the U.S.-led military alliance. “We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,” she said in a statement.

Hart insisted NATO is not targeting Kaliningrad and had sent a reply noting that “NATO is a defensive alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday the bloc’s response to the message was “short and concise.”

“Basically what we said is, Hey, listen, we are defensive alliance, and stop the nuclear threat. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful,’” Rutte told Euronews.

NATO’s response also urged Russia to stop its “unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” now in its fifth year.

The Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad sits between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. It is home to Russia’s main Baltic navy base and other military assets, and nuclear-capable Iskander missiles are deployed there.

Western military officers have said that key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever attack any NATO ally.

NATO allies have conducted military exercises in the Baltic Sea region in recent months. More are planned in October. It launched Operation Baltic Sentry there last year to protect communication cables and pipelines.

On August 18, NATO held an exercise over northern Poland and the Baltic region involving several aircraft, including an EA-37B Compass Call — a sophisticated American plane that can jam communications and radar, the US Air Forces in Europe said.

Defense analysts believe the unannounced, large-scale exercise would not have been welcomed by the Kremlin.

Rutte urges continued focus on supporting Ukraine

European leaders and intelligence services have warned that Russia could be ready to strike at another country within a few years, especially if it wins its war on Ukraine.

Rutte told Euronews that Russia is trying “to divide us and lose the focus” on defending Ukraine.

“We will not,” he said, adding that the best way to respond is to provide Kyiv with more support.

“That’s the message. Calm, carry on, keep the support for Ukraine going. That’s how we deal with it,” Rutte said.

Washington, Oct 02: The US military is dispatching roughly 9,000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a US official said Thursday. The bolstering of the American military presence comes as President Donald Trump warned that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon.

The troop movement, which includes a third aircraft carrier, underscores the rapidly evolving dynamic of Trump’s war against Iran as he ponders his next move, with midterm elections in the United States looming large and new signs that the nature of the conflict may be becoming more complex.

Trump has threatened that a post-midterm election escalation — despite his initial promises to Americans of a campaign that would last a matter of weeks — remains a viable option. Further complicating matters, Trump told reporters Thursday that early indications suggest that Iran is linked to the FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain and tried to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.

In an exchange with reporters at the White House, Trump raised the connection when asked by a reporter if there were any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran.

“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes,’ but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said, without offering details.

Trump added that if the link to Iran is established, the United States would retaliate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a Fox News interview earlier Thursday that investigators believe the FlyDubai suspect underwent “Islamist, radical indoctrination” but did not provide further details.

“Oh, they’ll be hit very hard, don’t worry,” Trump said. “You just ask them. They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”

Thousands of US sailors and Marines head to the Middle East

Meanwhile, the group of ships now en route to the Middle East together carry over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines.

It includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which recently deployed with the cruiser USS Chosin, and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group, which includes the USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage amphibious landing ships.

It could mean that three carriers are in the region as early as the end of October, according to the US official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

Given the personnel already in place in the Middle East, the move would bring the US naval presence to an unusually high number of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines as well as hundreds of aircraft. The Navy previously had three carrier strike groups in the Middle East in April for the first time since 2003.

The carriers USS George HW Bush and the USS George Washington are in the region now, along with the USS Boxer amphibious readiness group. The Washington is typically deployed to the Pacific Ocean, but it was moved to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose arduous deployment resulted in the crew being at sea for more than 260 days straight.

Trump explains why he rejected Iran’s latest truce proposal

Trump, in a Time magazine interview published Thursday, also raised the prospects of new strikes, saying it is “possible” that he will ramp up bombing in Iran after the Nov. 3 elections in the United States.

When pressed, Trump said he could not go into further detail about his strategy.

“I can’t tell you that because look, you know, you’re asking, where are you going to bomb?” Trump said.

He said in the interview, conducted Monday, that he rejected the latest ceasefire proposal from Iran because “things that I wouldn’t have approved a year ago I wouldn’t have today.”

Trump cited as an example an offer from Iran to “open up” the Strait of Hormuz, the key energy shipping corridor, but said the overall proposal was “not good enough.”

The war shows signs of getting more complicated

Asked if the increasingly unpopular war would threaten Republican Party chances in November, Trump at first responded, “It’s possible.” But then he added, “It should help, because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

The president said “100 per cent of the people” oppose Iran having nuclear attack capabilities “including worldwide.”

“So, when you say it that way, it would help,” Trump added. “If you don’t say that, it could hurt.”

Yet, there’s also growing concern that Tehran might be turning to asymmetrical tactics following the FlyDubai attack and another suspicious incident in the UK.

Authorities believe that Iran might be looking to shift strategy just as the U.S. finds greater success in loosening Iran’s grip over the Strait of Hormuz and getting Gulf allies’ oil to market, while a Navy blockade is shutting down Iran’s own oil exports.

Srinagar, Oct 1: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday the militant group had attacked a power distribution station in Medina this week, putting one transformer out of service but without affecting the electricity network.

The coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack. It said the station supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news ⁠agency, denied the accusation, calling it a “lie” and saying it was intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia’s failure to substantiate its earlier accusation that the Houthis targeted the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the city. The coalition described that incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017, while the Houthis denied ⁠targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.

The coalition said the Medina attack was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and “provoke” Muslims worldwide. It said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites ⁠and pilgrims.

The latest escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022. Hostilities resumed this ⁠year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Houthi forces also made major ⁠territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to push back the Houthis. 

Meanwhile, the President of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Prof. Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, condemned the continued targeting of Makkah and Madinah by the terrorist Houthi group.

In a statement issued, he emphasized that these criminal acts constitute a blatant assault on the sanctity of the holy sites and a flagrant violation of Islamic teachings, which prohibit aggression and corruption on earth and require the veneration of the sacred sites and the preservation of their security.

He further stressed that targeting civilians, facilities, and holy sites is a religiously prohibited crime, condemned on humanitarian grounds, and contrary to international treaties and norms. He affirmed that these attacks will not undermine the Kingdom’s security and stability, but will only strengthen its leadership and people’s resolve and determination to protect its holy sites, safeguard the security of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, and confront anything that threatens the nation’s security and the safety of those who visit the holy sites. (With inputs from Reuters)