News
Turkey helps ISIL self-finance through oil sales: Analyst
Press TV has conducted an interview with Saeb Shaath, author and Middle East expert, Belfast about ISIL Takfiri group’s control over oil fields in Iraq and Syria and how some European countries are buying oil from this terrorist group.
The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.
video: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/09/16/378946/turkey-helps-isil-become-selfsufficient/
Press TV: It seems that the mystery of where this group came from and how it was founded, how it’s financed, how it continues to operate has essentially been solved?
Shaath: Yes, it has been solved. The Turkish tried this and it worked for them from the beginning of the American attacks on Iraq, they developed these kinds of routes in line with the northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
And we’ve seen that develop to even now pipelines going from the north of Iraq to Turkey illegal buying and selling of northern Iraq regional oil even against the will of the central government in Iraq.
The second thing was when stories developed of the stealing and looting of the factories in Aleppo at the beginning of the Syrian terror war on Syria, some ministers in Ankara were instructing the terror gangs which factories to dismantle and to bring to Turkey.
Things developed before that as early as last year, the oil in the Syria oil field had been smuggled in bits and pieces to Turkey.
All of that is not just for greed for the Western countries or Turkey as a NATO member, but as well to finance the terror gangs and to make them sufficient in running their area not subject to pressures even if supporting states changed their minds.
We can see the strategic plans for Turkey, NATO and that kind in case their puppets like Qatar and Saudi Arabia change their minds and stop financing al-Nusra or ISIL or any of the groups. They want to create independent finance channels for these groups by supporting them and occupying a resource-rich area of Syria… like Mosul and the areas around it in Iraq.That is the plan and the Turkish can take a cut from that.
A barrel of oil sold by ISIL reaches Turkey for ten dollars when we know the international price is over 100 dollars. So for less than one tenth of the price they buy it.
And we know who is making the rest of the money and how much this oil is sold in Western markets. The story all along is about looting the area, destroying the area and sucking its resources and dominating it, using ISIL using al-Nusra to destroy the area and deny it from its wealth.
Press TV: Certainly with these revelations and the Conference being held right now as we speak in Paris seems quite hypocritical, does it not?
Shaath: It is hypocritical, it is. These gangs from the very start are the creation of the Western imperialist powers.
Let’s not forget and I want to emphasize this point, Turkey is a major player and member of NATO. Turkey won’t dare to do anything without the permission of the United States of America and Western intelligence agencies. So, Turkey is part of this Western alliance in destroying the area. And Turkey is doing that with total coordination with the United States of America.
All the stories we are hearing today about the United States facing ISIL is hypocritical. ISIL is their tool in the area; is their bogeyman in the area to keep the West going and fighting and creating wars to dominate the area and to try to destroy Syria and the future Iraq. So it’s a bogeyman for them to steal and dominate the area.
SC/HMV
Featured
‘Saudis Arabia is not respecting its neighbours’: Commentator
Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression.
Commenting to PressTV on Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, author and commentator Saeb Shaath said ”Saudi Arabia’s actions destroy neighbours’ trust and destabilize the region”.
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry in Sana’a has condemned Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, saying that the strike marks the end of the truce and the beginning of a new phase of war.
In a statement on Monday, the Ministry declared that Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, warning that Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression.
Separately, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, stated that “the Saudi aggression will not go unpunished,” adding, “The Saudi enemy has ended the de-escalation phase, and must bear responsibility for all potential consequences.”
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport announced in a statement that “Saudi Arabia’s bombardment of Sana’a airport and violation of the Yemeni airspace signifies the Riyadh regime’s insistence, with Americans’ and Zionists’ push, to continue the siege.”
On March 26, 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies initiated a blockade on Yemen, marking the beginning of a comprehensive war, backed with military, political, and logistical assistance from the United States and other Western countries.
The war has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Yemen, while failing to achieve its primary goal of reinstating the previous government that was aligned with Riyadh.
Amid a power struggle, the government fled the country, leading Yemen’s popular resistance movement, Ansarullah, to take charge of state affairs.
After a delicate ceasefire brokered by the UN in 2022, multiple rounds of significant attacks were launched against Yemen by the United States, Britain, and the Israeli regime.
The assaults aimed to weaken Sana’a’s ability to conduct solidarity strikes against Israeli targets, which were being conducted in response to Tel Aviv’s genocidal actions in the Gaza Strip.
Culture & Arts
Over 43 million join funeral ceremonies for Martyr Leader Imam Ali Khamenei in Iran, Iraq
Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
Tens of millions of Iranians and devotees from across the world turned the funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, into the largest procession the world has ever witnessed, according to a report.
The six-day grand farewell and burial rites for the revered Leader were held across five cities — Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad — drawing massive, passionate crowds that defied all previous records, the Fars News Agency reported.
The ceremonies included three days in Tehran, two days of public mourning at the Grand Mosalla and one day of the main funeral procession, with each of the other cities hosting a full day of tributes. Many mourners traveled between cities, multiplying the scale of participation and creating a continuous wave of devotion.
Official estimates, compiled from multiple independent field and government sources, confirm that between 41 and 43 million people took part in the historic events.
These figures are based on a rigorous combination of data including public transport passenger records to and from ceremony sites, active mobile phone signals in key areas such as the Mosalla and main procession routes, average individual attendance duration of approximately two and a half hours, detailed crowd density calculations along Tehran’s procession paths, physical area measurements from Jamkaran Mosque to the Holy Shrine in Qom, and the route from the airport to the Imam Reza Holy Shrine in Mashhad.
The endless sea of mourners, who had gathered since early morning, accompanied the vehicle carrying the blessed bodies, transforming the streets of Mashhad into a scene of unparalleled grandeur and devotion.
The sheer scale of the gathering defied description. From the moment the funeral vehicle entered Imam Reza Street, it was completely surrounded by waves of mourners who had traveled from every corner of Iran, all united in grief and determination.
Their tear-streaked faces and fervent chants filled the air, creating an atmosphere that observers described as one of the most remarkable displays of national unity in recent history.
Iraqi authorities, through the Prime Minister’s Office, separately verified the presence of around 10 million mourners in Najaf and Karbala, providing an important independent pillar for the overall calculation.
Even when applying the most conservative methodologies, Iranian officials and relevant authorities emphasize that this monumental event has surpassed every comparable gathering of the past century.
It stands without doubt as the single largest funeral procession in recorded history, a powerful and everlasting testament to the deep love and unwavering allegiance of the Iranian people and the broader Islamic Ummah for their martyred Leader.
The Leader and members of his family were martyred in a terrorist attack on February 28, carried out by the United States and the Zionist regime against the leader’s residence.
Among those martyred were new Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, the late leader’s son-in-law; a daughter of the late leader and his 14-month-old granddaughter.
The funeral ceremonies began last Friday, with tributes from political officials from over 45 countries and scholars from more than 90 nations. This was followed by farewell ceremonies at Tehran’s Mosalla over the weekend, where millions paid their respects.
Watch Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei :
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNREVSqqW
Culture & Arts
Sha’ath: Resistance axis to grow stronger after Ayatollah Khamenei.
Resistance axis to grow stronger after Ayatollah Khamenei
Thursday, 09 July 2026
An interview with, West Asia political expert Saeb Shaath discusses why massive participation in funeral processions held in Iraq for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, goes beyond symbolic mourning, arguing that it reflects growing regional solidarity with Iran, shifting political dynamics in West Asia, and the enduring influence of Ayatollah Khamenei on the regional Axis of Resistance.
He also examines how Ayatollah Khamenei’s leadership helped unite diverse resistance movements around a common anti-imperialist agenda and what this legacy could mean for the future of the region.
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