Obama Left Increasingly Isolated as Anger Builds among Key US Allies

THE GUARDIAN: Merkel the latest to rebuke Washington over NSA spying while US relationships in the Middle East are also unravelling

International anger over US government surveillance has combined with a backlash against its current Middle East policy to leave President Obama increasingly isolated from many of his key foreign allies, according to diplomats in Washington.

The furious call that German chancellor Angela Merkel made to the White House on Wednesday to ask if her phone had been tapped was the latest in a string of diplomatic rebukes by allies including France, Brazil and Mexico, all of which have distanced themselves from the US following revelations of spying by the National Security Agency.

But the collapse in trust of the US among its European and South American partners has been matched by an equally rapid deterioration in its relationships with key allies in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia this week joined Israel, Jordan and United Arab Emirates in signalling a shift in its relations with the US over its unhappiness at a perceived policy of rapprochement toward Iran and Syria.

Though the issues are largely unrelated, they have led to a flurry of diplomatic activity from Washington, which is anxious to avoid a more permanent rift in the network of alliances that has been central to its foreign policy since the second world war.

Secretary of state John Kerry has been meeting with Saudi and Israeli leaders in an effort to keep them involved in Middle East peace talks about Palestine and Syria, Obama met Wednesday with Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif to reassure him over separate anxiety over US drone attacks, and the White House has been privately trying to mend fences with world leaders on the surveillance issue.

"The [NSA] revelations have clearly caused tension in our relationships with some countries and we are dealing with that through diplomatic channels," said White House spokesman Jay Carney on Thursday.

"These are very important relations both economically and for our security, and we will work to maintain the closest possible ties."

But the Guardian has spoken with several diplomats and foreign government officials – all of whom agreed to talk only on the condition of anonymity – who say the White House is still underestimating the anger felt over recent disclosures. » | Dan Roberts and Paul Lewis in Washington | Thursday, October 24, 2013

World Leaders 'Had Their Phones Monitored by US Spies'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: At least 35 world leaders had their phones monitored by US spies, it has been claimed, an escalating diplomatic row between Europe and America

Hours after Angela Merkel confronted President Barack Obama over allegations that her personal mobile had been tapped, new documents showed that US surveillance extended to dozens of other heads of government.

The National Security Agency (NSA) encouraged other US government departments to share their "rolodexes" of foreign contacts which were then targeted.

"Such 'rolodexes' may contain contact information for foreign political or military leaders, to include direct line, fax, residence and cellular numbers," according to one document given to The Guardian by Edward Snowden, the fugitive leaker.

The White House told The Telegraph the US had never monitored David Cameron's communications but would not give the same assurance about other leaders.

"We are not going to comment publicly on every specific alleged intelligence activity," said Caitlin Hayden, a White House spokeswoman. » | Raf Sanchez | Thursday, October 24, 2013

Germany Summons US Ambassador Over Claim NSA Bugged Merkel's Phone

Guido Westerwelle, Germany's Foreign Minister

THE GUARDIAN: Allegations that US spying has reached highest level of government met with outrage and disappointment in Germany

Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, has called the US ambassador to a personal meeting to discuss allegations that US secret services bugged Angela Merkel's mobile phone.

The decision to call in John B Emerson, who has only been the US representative in Berlin since mid-August, is an unusually drastic measure. During previous upheavals in relations, such as over the Syrian crisis, conversations have taken place between diplomats.

Allegations that the US government's spying had reached the highest level were met with outrage and disappointment in Germany on Thursday. The country's defence minister, Thomas de Maiziere, told ARD television that it would be "really bad" if the reports turned out to be true. Washington and Berlin could not return to "business as usual", he said.

Suddeütsche Zeitung conveyed a strong sense of the depth of disillusionment with the US president in Germany when it wrote that "Barack Obama is not a Nobel peace prize winner, he is a troublemaker".

In a comment piece in the German broadsheet, Robert Rossmann wrote that during his last visit to Germany, "the American president had flamboyantly promised more trusting collaboration between the countries. Even Merkel seems to have lost faith in that promise by now. One doesn't dare imagine how Obama's secret services deal with enemy states, when we see how they treat their closest allies." » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Thursday, October 24, 2013

Angela Merkel's Phone 'May Have Been Tapped by US'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal mobile phone may have been monitored by the US, a German government spokesman has said

Germany has received information that US intelligence may be spying on the mobile phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called President Barack Obama to protest, her spokesman said.

"The chancellor today telephoned President Obama" and "made clear that she unequivocally disapproves of such practices, should they be confirmed, and regards them as completely unacceptable," spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement released on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama sought to assure Mrs Merkel that the US is not monitoring her communications after the Chancellor raised the issue.

Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said that the allegations that they had intentionally tapped her phone were untrue.

"Today President Obama and Chancellor Merkel spoke by telephone regarding the allegations that the US National Security Agency intercepted the communications of the German chancellor. » | Josie Ensor, and Raf Sanchez in Washington | Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Against All Enemies: Interview: Jens Karney (2003)

Erstmals durfte Jens Karney am 24.6.2003 im deutschen Fernsehen über seine illegale Entführung als deutscher Staatsbürger am 21.4.1991 aus Berlin Friedrichshain durch Agenten eines US Geheimdienstes berichten. Aber auch damals konnte er nicht alles erzählen. Dies macht er jetzt in seinem Buch "Against alle Enemies". Nach einem langwierigen Procedere der Prüfung/Zensur des Manuskriptes durch Pentagon, NSA und die US Air Force liegt es nun - leider noch mit sehr umfangreichen Streichungen - vor und ist ab 12.8.2013 erhältlich.

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Code Name 'Kid': American Stasi Spy Tells His Story: One of East Germany's top spies was actually an American soldier. Jeff Carney defected to the Communist state in 1983 and fed the notorious Stasi with reams of valuable information. He has now written a book about his experiences. » | Wednesday, August 14, 2013

EU Confronts U.S. over Reports It Spies on European Allies
REUTERS.COM: The European Union has demanded that the United States explain a report in a German magazine that Washington is spying on the group, using unusually strong language to confront its closest trading partner over its alleged surveillance activities.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission said on Sunday the EU contacted U.S. authorities in Washington and Brussels about a report in Der Spiegel magazine that the U.S. secret service had tapped EU offices in Washington, Brussels and at the United Nations.

"We have immediately been in contact with the U.S. authorities in Washington D.C. and in Brussels and have confronted them with the press reports," the spokeswoman said.

"They have told us they are checking on the accuracy of the information released yesterday and will come back to us," she said in a statement.

France also asked for an explanation.

"These acts, if confirmed, would be completely unacceptable," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. » | Ben Deighton and Annika Breidthardt | Brussels/Berlin | Sunday, June 30, 2013

Snowden Saga: US Charges Whistleblower, Demands Extradition
The US has filed criminal charges against Edward Snowden, the man who exposed to the world the extent of the secret global surveillance network run by the NSA. Reports say Washington will now attempt to extradite the 30-year old from Hong Kong, where the ex-CIA employee turned whistleblower has been sheltering ever since exposing the American spy machine. RT's Gayane Chichakyan reports.

US Files Criminal Charges Against NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden
THE GUARDIAN: Charges include theft of government property and unauthorised communication of national defence information

The US has filed espionage charges against the NSA whistleblowerEdward Snowden and reports say authorities have requested that Hong Kong detain him for extradition. Legislators in Hong Kong responded by calling for mainland China to intervene in the case.

Snowden, 29, is charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorised person, according to court documents.

Snowden is reported to be in hiding in Hong Kong. The Washington Post said the US had asked the autonomous Chinese territory to detain the former NSA contractor on a provisional arrest warrent, while other reports cited US officials as saying preparations were being made to seek his extradition.

One Hong Kong legislator, Leung Kwok-hung, said Beijing should instruct Hong Kong to protect Snowden from extradition before the case was dragged through the court system. Leung also urged the people of Hong Kong to "take to the streets to protect Snowden". Another lawmaker, Cyd Ho, vice-chair of the pro-democracy Labour party, said China "should now make its stance clear to the Hong Kong SAR [special administrative region] government". » | Agencies in Washington DC | Saturday, June 22, 2013

NSA Leaks: US Spied On Former President Medvedev at 2009 G20 Summit
As Britain readies to host the G8 summit, the documents uncovered by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have revealed that back in 2009 US spies intercepted top-secret communications of then Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, during his visit to London.

Iran Overturns Death Sentence for ‘CIA Spy’ Hekmati

BBC: Iran's Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence given to an Iranian-American national accused of spying for the CIA and ordered a retrial.

Judges had found the verdict against Amir Mirzai Hekmati was "not complete" and referred his case to an affiliate court, a judiciary spokesman said.

In January, Mr Hekmati was convicted of "co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism".

The US has urged Iran to release him.

It has repeatedly insisted the allegations that Mr Hekmati either worked for, or was sent to Iran by the CIA, are "simply untrue".

Mr Hekmati's family, who live in Arizona, have also said the charges are fabricated and that he was in Iran last year to visit his grandmothers. » | Monday, March 05, 2012

TAGES ANZEIGER: Angeblicher US-Spion entgeht der Todesstrafe: In Iran hat das Oberste Gericht das Todesurteil gegen einen amerikanisch-iranischen Doppelbürger aufgehoben. Der 28-Jährige hat eine illustre Vergangenheit. » | ami/AFP | Montag, 05. März 2012

Iran Facing Condemnation after Sentencing US 'Spy' to Death
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran faced worldwide censure after a court in Tehran sentenced an American former marine of Iranian descent to death on spying charges.


Amir Mirzai Hekmati was found guilty of "spreading corruption on earth and waging war against God", a formulation routinely used against those to be considered enemies of the state and which carries a mandatory death sentence.

Hekmati, who is 28, was "sentenced to death for co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate in terrorism," a judge ruled.

The former marine received espionage training at US bases in Afghanistan and Iran, prosecutors said. Hekmati, who worked as a translator for the US army, was shown on state television last month confessing his crimes.

He also admitted to working for a CIA-backed company that produced computer games manipulating users into holding pro-American views. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, January 09, 2012

Related »

Iran Sentences US Citizen to Death 'for Spying'
An Iranian court has convicted a US man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported.

Iran says that Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, a former US military translator, received special training and served at US military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission.

The radio report on Monday did not say when the verdict was issued. Under Iranian law, Hekmati has 20 days to appeal.

Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports.


Related »

Iran Sentences American to Death for Spying
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An American ex-Marine, who also holds Iranian citizenship, has been sentenced to death by an Iran judge for spying for the CIA, the Fars news agency reported on Monday.

Amir Mirzai Hekmati, 28, was "sentenced to death for co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism," the verdict said, according to Fars.

Hekmati, who was born in the United States to an Iranian immigrant family, was shown on Iranian state television in mid-December saying in fluent Farsi and English that he was a Central Intelligence Agency operative sent to infiltrate the Iranian intelligence ministry.

He had been arrested months earlier. » | Monday, January 09, 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Iranian court sentences 'CIA agent' to death: • Father of Amir Hekmati says he was just visiting family • Iranian media says country has started enriching uranium ¶ Iran has sentenced an American citizen to death and reports have emerged that the country has started enriching uranium underground in a show of defiance of western sanctions. ¶ The man, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, an Iranian-American born in Arizona in 1983, was shown on Iranian television in December confessing to being a CIA agent, sent to gain the trust of the Iranian government by pretending to offer US state secrets. Hekmati's father said he had gone to Iran to visit his grandmother. » | Julian Borger, diplomatic editor | Monday, January 09, 2012

Iran Arrests 30 People Suspected of Spying for the U.S.
HAARETZ: Washington has had no diplomatic presence in Iran since the 1979 revolution; arrests come two days after Obama made a speech reiterating that the U.S. views Tehran as a sponsor of terrorism.

Iran has arrested 30 people it said were spying for the United States, official media reported on Saturday.

"The Intelligence Ministry's active and pious forces, in their ardent confrontations with the agents of the CIA ... arrested 30 people who were spies for America," state television's lunchtime news announced.

According to the semi-official Fars news agency, the suspects had passed information to U.S. officials at embassies and consulates in third countries, including Malaysia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. » | Reuters | Saturday, May 21, 2011

Revealed: US Spy Operation that Manipulates Social Media
THE GUARDIAN: Military's 'sock puppet' software creates fake online identities to spread pro-American propaganda

The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media using fake online personas designed to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda.

A Californian corporation has been awarded a contract with the US Central Command (Centcom) to develop what is described as an "online persona management service" that will allow one serviceman or woman to control up to 10 separate identities at once.

The contract stipulates each persona must have a convincing background, history and supporting details, and that up to 50 controllers must be able to operate false identities from their workstations "without fear of being discovered by sophisticated adversaries".

The project has been likened by web experts to China's attempts to control and restrict free speech on the internet. » | Nick Fielding and Ian Cobain | Thursday, March 17, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: America's absurd stab at systematising sock puppetry: The US has a chance to move on from a history of clandestine foreign policy – instead it acts like a clumsy spammer » | Jeff Jarvis | Thursday, March 17, 2011

Iran 'Arrests' US Woman on Spy Charges
THE GUARDIAN: Hall Talayan, 55, arrested in north-west Iran near the border with Armenia

The woman is the fourth American Iran has arrested and accused of spying in less than two years. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal (seen above) were arrested in July 2009. Photograph: The Guardian
Iran has arrested an American woman on charges of spying after she illegally entered the country on foot, reports from the country said today.

According to the Iran newspaper, the US national, named as Hall Talayan, had spying equipment hidden on her body when customs authorities held her in the border town of Nordouz, 370 miles (600km) north-west of Tehran.

Khabaronline, a conservative news website, also named Talayan, saying she had a small microphone hidden between her teeth. The woman reportedly crossed by land from Armenia, and did not have a visa. >>> Peter Walker and agencies | Thursday, January 06, 2011

Iranian Nuclear Scientist 'Tortured on Suspicion of Revealing State Secrets'
THE GUARDIAN: Shahram Amiri, who claimed he was abducted by CIA, has not been seen since return from US last year

After being welcomed home as a hero last year, Shahram Amiri (pictured holding son Amir Hossein) has been held and tortured in Iran, according to a US-based website. Photograph: The Guardian
An Iranian nuclear scientist who claimed to have been abducted by the CIA and who returned to a hero's welcome in Tehran last July, has since been imprisoned and tortured on suspicion of giving away state secrets, according to an opposition website.

Iranbriefing.net - run by a US-based group which normally reports on political prisoners and the activities of Iran's revolutionary guard - said the scientist, Shahram Amiri, had been interrogated intensively for three months in Tehran and then spent two months in solitary confinement, where his treatment had left him hospitalised for a week.

The Tehran authorities would not confirm or deny the account.

Amiri has not been seen in public in the six months since his much-publicised homecoming from America, where he claimed to have been held against his will. State media portrayed him at the time as a daring patriot who had escaped from his alleged CIA captors with critical information about US covert operations against Iran.

US officials, surprised by Amiri's unexpected return to Iran, insisted he had gone to the US willingly. There was concern in US intelligence circles however that his original "defection" in Saudi Arabia in 2009 could have been a trap to embarrass the CIA and trick its officials into revealing how much the US knows about the Iranian nuclear programme. >>> Julian Borger and Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Related >>>

WikiLeaks: U.S. Spied on Gay British Official
THE ADVOCATE: As fallout from the WikiLeaks disclosure of U.S. diplomatic cables rolls throughout the international community, the documents indicate that Alan Duncan, the gay international development minister from Britain, was among the many foreign officials Americans spied on.

According to the Daily Mail the U.S. inquired about Duncan, a Tory, when he was his party’s prisons spokesman. He once shared a flat in London with William Hague, the foreign secretary who this year admitted sharing a hotel room with his younger male aide but denied any impropriety. >>> Julie Bolcer | Tuesday, November 29, 2010

Iran Charges Two German Journalists With Spying Over Ashtiani Case
THE GUARDIAN: Pair 'confess' on state TV after interviewing son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman sentenced to death by stoning

Two German journalists have been charged with spying against Iran after interviewing the family of the woman sentenced to death by stoning, an Iranian judicial official said today.

The two women, who were identified only as a reporter and a photographer, were arrested in the city of Tabriz last month after interviewing the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.

Malekajdar Sharifi, the head of the judiciary in East Azerbaijan province, said today that spying charges have been formally lodged against them.

The semi-official Fars News Agency quoted him as saying: "The espionage charge for the two German citizens who came to Iran to stage propaganda and spying has been approved."

According to Iran's English-language broadcaster, Press TV, he added: "These two women are certainly spies and their case will be addressed [in a court of law]." >>> Matthew Weaver and agencies | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Interview Amiri im iranischen TV (Farsi, engl. Untertitel)
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Der iranische Physiker Shahram Amiri, behauptet, dass die USA wollten, dass er aussagt ein iranischer Spion zu sein. So sollte Amiri Teil eines Austauschs von Spionen mit Teheran werden. Amiri bekräftigte in einem Interview zudem seine Aussagen, dass er im Juni 2009 in Saudi-Arabien von US-Geheimdienstmitarbeitern entführt wurde.



Schahram Amiri schildert die Entführung
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Der iranische Atomforscher Schahram Amiri ist auf dem Weg nach Hause in den Iran, wohl via ein Drittland. Der Forscher war vor einem Jahr verschwunden und am Dienstag überraschend in der pakistanischen Botschaft in Washington wieder aufgetaucht. Nun will Amiri im iranischen Fernsehen bekannt geben, wie es zu seiner Befreiung kam. Teheran wirft den USA die Entführung des Atomphysikers vor.



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