IRAN’S SURPRISE: WITHDRAWING ITS FORCES FROM YEMEN AND ABANDONING THE HOUTHIS, 10 APRIL

 IRAN’S SURPRISE: WITHDRAWING ITS FORCES FROM YEMEN AND ABANDONING THE HOUTHIS

Iran has ordered the withdrawal of its military personnel from Yemen, abandoning its Houthi allies , as the United States escalates its campaign of airstrikes against the rebel group.

A senior Iranian official told the British newspaper The Telegraph that this move aims to avoid a direct confrontation with the United States if an Iranian soldier is killed.

Iran’s main concern

The official added that Iran is also scaling back its strategy of supporting a network of regional proxies in order to focus on direct threats from the United States. The source said that Tehran’s primary concern is US President Donald Trump and how to deal with him. 

He added, “All meetings are dominated by discussions about him, and we no longer discuss any of the regional groups we previously supported.” Since chat messages from senior Trump administration officials were leaked to the media last month, the United States has launched near-daily attacks on the Houthis.

Donald Trump described the strikes as “incredibly successful,” destroying important military targets and killing field commanders.

A Pentagon spokesman said more warplanes would be sent to the region, without providing specific details.

However, the US Air Force’s 124th Fighter Wing announced late last month that it would send “several” A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft and 300 aircrew to the Middle East.

A Russian military expert in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, is also believed to be advising the Houthis on how to carry out their attacks while avoiding targeting Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom has bombed Houthi forces in Yemen since intervening in the civil war in 2015, and hosted high-level talks between the United States and Russia on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.

The Houthis announced that they were attacking US warships in the Red Sea, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which is leading efforts to strike the rebel group.

No ships have been hit so far, but the US Navy said the Houthi fire was the heaviest its sailors had encountered since World War II. The US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, currently stationed in Asia, is heading to the Middle East to support the Truman.

They won’t be able to stay.”

An Iranian regime source said: “The view here is that the Houthis will not be able to survive and are living out their last months or even days, so there is no point in keeping them within our network.” 

He added: “They were part of a chain that relied on Nasrallah [former Hezbollah Secretary-General] and Assad, and keeping only one part of that chain makes no sense in the future.” 

Trump has intensified pressure on Iran to come to the negotiating table to discuss limiting its nuclear program. Last week, he moved B-2 stealth bombers to the US-UK military base of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands.

The US position on Iran and the Middle East has changed radically since Trump took office.

Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, said the escalation of US strikes on Yemen represents an attempt by the Trump administration to distinguish itself from its predecessor.

Former US President Joe Biden removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations in 2021—a decision that Trump reversed last January.

“Trump is trying to prove that he is more effective in ending and resolving conflicts than the Biden administration,” Vakil said. She added that the strikes “are linked to his maximum pressure campaign, while simultaneously sending a message to Iran and the axis of resistance that his administration will take a more aggressive approach to destabilizing regional activities.” 

Mahmoud Shahra, a former Yemeni diplomat and current fellow at Chatham House, said the United States had pursued a “defensive strategy” against the Houthis during Biden’s term.

“Previous miscalculations regarding the Houthis in the US have led Trump to launch heavier strikes against them now, and [the US] has begun targeting key individuals and influencers within their ranks,” he told The Telegraph from Amman, the Jordanian capital. 

He explained that the Houthis’ weapons are more advanced, making them more powerful than other Iranian-backed non-state groups in the region.

“After the collapse of Hezbollah and the Assad regime, the Houthis are now on the front line, and they have carried out very intensive attacks. They are escalating and taking risks because, according to their own calculations, it prolongs their political life in Yemen,” Shahra added. 

“They are receiving missiles and drones from Iran and rebranding them with Houthi names because they don’t want to show their connection to Iran due to internal propaganda,” he said. Israel’s success against Hamas and Hezbollah—two key elements of Iran’s proxy network—has provided an opportunity to weaken the Islamic regime’s influence.

Analysts also believe that Iran’s failure to carry out effective missile strikes on Israel last year has undermined its ability to provide credible deterrence against external attacks and has weakened the morale of its allies.

The Israeli military destroyed most of Hamas’s infrastructure in Gaza and inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah. Iran also failed to protect Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian president and a key ally, from a surprise rebel offensive that led to his ouster in December. 

As Hezbollah’s influence declined, the Houthis attempted to take its place in leading the fight against Israel.

“They are not like Hezbollah”

Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, the Houthis have improved their tactics and missile capabilities, building a strong public image.

The newspaper says, “They control Sana’a, print money, collect taxes, divert aid, smuggle drugs, sell weapons to terrorist groups in Africa, and disrupt international shipping routes in the Red Sea.” 

They also enjoy a geographical advantage; Yemen’s mountainous terrain, similar to Afghanistan, helps them hide missile and drone stores in caves and underground.

“They don’t have the same experience as Hezbollah, but they are more aggressive and dangerous at the same time – Abdul-Malik al-Houthi aspires to lead the axis of resistance,” Shahra said. 

“The streets of Yemen are filled with anger. The Houthis are not paying salaries and are imposing absolute taxes without representation. Therefore, their social base is not strong, and that is why they are relying on the Gaza war,” he added.

BRUCE HIGHLIGHTS, 10 APRIL

 Tues. 8 April 2025 Bruce

• Last week 2,500 of 50 billion$ each tranches came through to be there for our exchanges.

• The QFS is still running in parallel with SWIFT transfers until the new USN is announced.

• The DOGE payments (from $200 trillion in savings by the audits) were supposed to start by direct deposit in the third week of April and be done by Easter Sunday.

• R&R payments will be in your Quantum Account at your exchange.

• The new Dong rate was just under $11 on Friday .

• The Farm Claims have been paid. The CMKX was likely paid in the last two days. Fines and penalties and adjudicated payments were lined up and about to be paid two days ago.

• Redemption Center staff are to be at work tomorrow Wed. 9 April.

• Bruce guesses we will be notified tomorrow Wed. 9 April with exchanges starting on Thurs. 10 April.

• The green light to pay out will start overnight tonight for emails to set appointments before noon Wed. 9 April.

• Banks do not have the higher Contract Rate on the Dinar and cannot exchange Zim.

Private Banker: “This next week should be the Big One" ‪@DINARREVALUATION‬ #iraq #iraqidinar

 

CALLS FOR “LIBERATING IRAQ” IN WASHINGTON: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S VISION AND ESCALATION WITH IRAN, 10 APRIL

 CALLS FOR “LIBERATING IRAQ” IN WASHINGTON: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S VISION AND ESCALATION WITH IRAN

Former Iraqi diplomat Ghazi Faisal confirmed on Saturday (April 5, 2025) that calls for the “liberation of Iraq” issued by US officials in Washington reflect the vision of the administration of US President Donald Trump for dealing with the situation in Iraq. 

Faisal explained in a statement to Baghdad Today that “Republican Representative Wilson’s statements regarding the ‘liberation of Iraq’ project do not come out of nowhere, but rather represent the Trump administration’s strategy toward Iran, which the United States considers a ‘terrorist state’ and the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism.”

He added, “The armed factions loyal to Iran have transformed into a parallel force to the official state in Iraq, strategically allied with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”

He pointed out that “calls to ‘liberate Iraq’ could be a prelude to decisions and actions that Washington may take in the coming period, given the ongoing escalation between the United States and Iran, as all options remain open.”

The “liberation of Iraq” project being promoted in Washington reflects American concerns about Iran’s influence in the region. Some US officials are calling for more decisive steps to counter this influence, reflecting an escalation in positions that could lead to changes in US policies toward Iraq and the region as a whole. 

EXCERPTS FROM MARKZ, 10 APRIL

 EXCERPTS FROM MARKZ

Member: Just realized today is the 8th, Iraq was supposed to get loaded cards today???

Member: I’m wondering if any bond holders were liquid yet?

Member: Wish we were liquid. 

MZ: I had one person go into a meeting. That was over 2 hours ago…no response yet. I was hoping to have an update by now. Maybe I will hear the results before we wrap up tonight. 

MZ: I have another one who went into a meeting about 8 minutes ago. They are expecting their final contracts and 1% payment at those meetings. I know a couple more with appointments tomorrow as well. 

DINAR EXCHANGE : They must ReConsider the value of their currency!1 ‪@DINARREVALUATION‬ #iraqidinar

 

FACTIONS ENTER “ULTIMATUM C” AFTER THE “LIBERATION OF IRAQ” PROJECT FROM IRAN, 10 APRIL

FACTIONS ENTER “ULTIMATUM C” AFTER THE “LIBERATION OF IRAQ” PROJECT FROM IRAN

Following news of an “emergency government,” Al-Sudani speaks of conspiracies.

A “C-Warning” was issued to armed factions and groups in Iraq as tensions escalated between Tehran and Washington.
These groups have been conducting “evacuations” for months, according to informed sources, while their leaders have disappeared, even down to the third line.

The “factions” had completely halted their activities at the end of last November, with the truce between Israel and Hezbollah taking effect.
With the Pentagon sending additional reinforcements to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier and a squadron of fighter jets, and the continued strikes on the Houthis and the threat to Iran, informed sources told Al-Mada that “the factions took the highest precautions in five years, following the killing of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces.”

The sources close to the armed groups added that the latter “took security measures for fear of being targeted in conjunction with expected strikes on Tehran.”

The sources explained that “first, second, and even third-line leaders took refuge in unknown locations as a precautionary measure.”
These groups, which are called the “Iraqi resistance,” have been adhering to “unprecedented” security measures since the “Pager” incident, which revealed Israel’s penetration of the Lebanese Hezbollah party before the killing of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, last September.

Outside the flock, the Friday Imam of Najaf, Sadr al-Din al-Qabanji , threatened to target American bases in Iraq, against the backdrop of the recent escalation with Iran.

Al-Qabanji said in his Friday sermon: “We advise Trump not to rush into war or threaten war. We are ready to defend our religion and are certain that the gates of heaven have been opened to us.”
He added that “the American bases in Iraq are within range of Iranian artillery; indeed, they are within reach of the fists of Iraq’s youth, and no one can prevent them from doing so.”

About two months ago, the government began “faltering” negotiations with “four factions” that still do not comply with the instructions of the Popular Mobilization Authority, while Parliament is considering a law to “restructure the Popular Mobilization Forces” to prevent these groups from returning and dragging the country into war.

According to statements by the leader of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, “the armed factions are committed to not escalating against Washington to avoid embarrassing the government led by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.”
Some unknown armed groups appeared last month, following events in Syria and Yemen, such as the “Abbas Shield Forces Martyrdom” group, but quickly disappeared.

Factions or the Popular Mobilization Forces?!

A debate is raging in Iraq over the fate of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Mithal al-Alusi, a former parliamentarian, believes that “there is no such thing as ‘factions’ in Washington,” and that Washington wants to “dissolve the PMF.”

However, Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization, said that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani “personally” denied to him circulating reports about the United States demanding the dissolution or integration of the PMF.

He added in his statements that “talk about the resistance and the PMF carries many allegations and lies,” considering that “the PMF is Iraq’s safety valve, and it is everyone’s duty to confront the lies.”

Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammed Kazem Al-Sadiq, had previously said that US President Donald Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included a request to “dissolve the PMF and the armed factions.”

In response, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani responded to the Iranian ambassador’s statements by confirming that there was no US request to dissolve the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Subsequently, the Iranian ambassador retracted his statements, denying knowledge of the message’s content and saying he had analyzed the signals coming from Washington.

Liberate Iraq!
The US Senate is considering a bill introduced by Republican Senator Joe Wilson, which calls for the so-called “liberation of Iraq from Iran.” No Iraqi party has yet commented on the US proposal.
The provisions of the new bill are reminiscent of the previous “liberation of Iraq” from Saddam’s regime law, which was introduced in the Senate in 1998.
The text of the new law includes proposals and provisions requiring the US State Department and the US Treasury to develop a comprehensive 180-day strategy to reduce Iran’s influence in Iraq.

The provisions include proposals to dissolve the factions and the Popular Mobilization Forces and classify them as “terrorist organizations,” as well as the prosecution of major Iraqi political figures.

The bill imposes sanctions against 11 factions, in addition to 12 Iraqi political figures’ and includes a halt to US security assistance to Iraq until “the factions and those close to Iran are removed from state institutions.”

Crisis and Openness
These developments come amid reports circulating in political circles about the formation of a “crisis cell” or an “emergency government.” The government has not yet officially commented on this information.

In what appeared to be an indirect response to this news, Al-Sudani said during a meeting with a group of tribal sheikhs: “There are those who thrive on the rhetoric of sedition, crisis, and conspiracies, and we must pay attention to this matter, especially with the upcoming elections.”
He added, “Some emotional an” hasty voices wanted Iraq to go to war and conflict,” explaining that “the region witnessed exceptional circumstances, and the government’s biggest test was in how to deal with the crisis.”

Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law coalition, had spoken of “a danger surrounding the electoral process,” but said he would speak about it later.
In a video address regarding the elections, al-Maliki called on Iraqis “not to listen to anyone trying to dissuade them from participating in the upcoming elections.”

Al-Maliki spoke of “a danger surrounding the elections,” but said he would “address it later, and citizens must adhere to an agreement and contract to protect the electoral process and reject cases of manipulation and the spending of money to spoil it.
“ Contrary to the tensions between Baghdad and Washington, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s advisor for foreign affairs, Farhad Alaaldin, emphasized the existence of a “unique opportunity” for the two countries to deepen their strategic partnership.
This partnership, according to Alaaldin’s vision, expressed in an article published by the British newspaper The National, is no longer limited to traditional security cooperation, but rather extends to broader horizons of economic integration and the strengthening of regional security and long-term stability.

Alaaldin’s statements are supported by the upcoming visit of a large delegation of American companies to the Iraqi capital in the coming days.

This visit is expected to result in the signing of several memoranda of understanding and agreements between American companies and their Iraqi counterparts, which will enhance the volume of trade exchange and joint investments.