Excerpts: Iranian hacked US dam system. Obama: No Mideast peace deal before
term ends. Saudi to produce civil and military airplanes.U.S. indicts 7
Iranians with hacking American banks.Russia to support Jordan re Euraision
Economic Union March 24, 2016

+++SOURCE:AlArabiya News 24 Mar.’16:”Iranian Hamid Firoozi hacked US dam
system”, by Reuters
SUBJECT:Iranian hacked US dam system
QUOTE:” Iranian hackers reportedly coordinated a campaign of cyber attacks
in 2012 and 2013 on several US banks and a New York dam. (Reuters)”

One of seven Iranian suspects indicted by the US government and linked to
the Iranian government hacked into the system controlling an American dam in
2013, prosecutors announced Thursday[24 Mar].

Hamid Firoozi repeatedly hacked into the system which controlled Bowman Dam
in Rye, New York between August and September 2013, allowing him to obtain
information about the status and operation of the facility, the indictment
said.

The news came after the Obama administration was expected to blame Iranian
hackers as soon as Thursday[24 Mar.] for a coordinated campaign of cyber
attacks in 2012 and 2013 on several US banks and a New York dam, sources
familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

The Justice Department has prepared an indictment against about a half-dozen
Iranians, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the
sensitivity of the matter. It is one of the highest-profile US indictments
against a foreign nation on hacking charges.

It follows a landmark 2014 case in which a grand jury charged five members
of the Chinese military with hacking into American computer networks and
engaging in cyber espionage on behalf of a foreign government.

The charges, related to unlawful access to computers and other alleged
crimes, were expected to be announced publicly by US officials as soon as
Thursday[24 Mar.] morning at a news conference in Washington, the sources
said.

The indictment was expected to directly link the hacking campaign to the
Iranian government, one source said. The banks will not be identified in the
indictment due to fear of retaliation, the source said.

Though a planned indictment for the breach of back-office computer systems
at the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, New York, has been reported, it was
only part of a hacking campaign that was broader than previously known, as
the indictment will show, the sources said.

The dam breach coincided roughly with a spate of distributed denial of
service attacks in 2012 that hit more than a half dozen US financial
institutions and the two episodes were long suspected of being connected.
Cyber security experts have said these, too, were perpetrated by Iranian
hackers against Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, PNC Financial
Services and SunTrust Bank.

In the intrusion of the dam computers, the hackers did not gain operational
control of the floodgates, and investigators believe they were attempting to
test their capabilities.

The hackers who were expected to be named in the indictment all reside in
Iran, one source said.

The Justice Department declined to comment.




+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 24 Mar.’16:”No Mideast peace deal before my term
ends:Obama”,by Reuters
SUBJECT:Obama:No Mideast peace deal before term ends

QUOTE:”Obama said he expected to continue working on Middle East peace after
he leaves office next January

:US President Barack Obama said on Wednesday[23 Mar.] he did not expect a
breakthrough on Middle East peace before he leaves office and reiterated his
support for a two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians could
live peacefully side by side.

Speaking to students and teachers in Argentina, Obama said he expected to
continue working on Middle East peace after he leaves office next January.

The president’s comments came amid reports that his administration was
considering a renewed push on the issue.

Obama conceded that despite his and others’ efforts, the decades-long
dispute had not come closer to being resolved during his presidency.

“This is not something I was able to get done,” he said. “I am not that
hopeful that it’s going to happen in the next nine months. It’s been 60
years; it’s not going to happen in the next nine months.”

Having twice failed to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace, the Obama
administration is discussing ways to help preserve the prospect of an
increasingly threatened two-state solution, US officials said earlier this
month.

Despite his skepticism about progress anytime soon, Obama reinforced his
commitment to that prospect.

“There’s been talk about a one-state solution or sort of a divided
government. It’s hard for me to envision that being stable, there’s such
deep distrust between the two peoples right now,” he said. “And the
neighborhood is in such a mess that I continue to believe that a two-state
solution is the best way. Now, over time that could evolve.”




+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 24 Mar.’16:”5 local firms to produce civil and
military airplanes”
Okaz/Saudi Gazette report SUBJECT:Saudi to produce civil and military
airplanes

FULL TEXT:RIYADH — King Abdulaziz City for Sciences and Technology (KACST)
announced that five national companies have been established for the local
production of military and civil airplanes.

“The Kingdom is encouraging national production in all fields and it is
focusing lately on the military field. The Kingdom’s human resources are
capable of state-of-the-art technologies and industrial inventions,” said
KASCT President Prince Turki Bin Saud.

He said the Kingdom is focusing on its national industrial production as
part of its five-year strategic development plan.

The Kingdom has made many achievements in the field of industrial technology
during the past decade. It has one of the highest number of patents for
novel inventions in the regional and international market, said Prince
Turki.

He added that the Kingdom has benchmarked its advancement and achievements
in the field to international standards. “The Kingdom will be the leading
country for industrial technology in 30 years. It has been focusing on the
field of industrial technology since 2007 as part of its five-year strategic
development plan,” he said




+++SOURCE: Naharnet(Lebanon)24 Mar.’16:”U.S. Indicts Seven Iranians with
Hacking
American Banks” By AgenceFrance Presse
SUBJECT:U.S.indicts 7 Iranians with hacking American banks

The United States on Thursday[24 Mar.] unsealed an indictment against seven
Iranians working for firms linked to the Iranian government on charges of
hacking American banks, causing losses of tens of millions of dollars.

"Today we have unsealed an indictment against seven alleged experienced
hackers employed by computer security companies working on behalf of the
Iranian government, including the Revolutionary Guard Corps," Attorney
General Loretta Lynch told a news conference.

The Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of several entities within the Iranian
government responsible for Iranian intelligence, the indictment said.

The hack attacks began in December 2011 and escalated in September 2012,
then occurring on a near weekly basis until May 2013, the indictment said.
Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citibank and HSBC were among those
affected, it added.

A grand jury in Manhattan found that the seven defendants conducted a series
of cyber attacks against civilian targets in the financial world, costing
the victims tens of millions of dollars, Lynch said.

She said the "relentless, systematic and widespread" attacks threatened the
well-being of the United States and undermined national security.



+++SOURCE: Jordan Times24 Mar.’16: “jordan rRussia to support Jordan’s bid
for
free trade deal with Eurasian Economic Union,’”Dana Al Eman,JT

SUBJECT : Russia to support Jordan re Euraision Economic Union

QUOTE:Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury holds a
joint press conference with Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachyov
in Amman on Wednesday [23 Mar.]

FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Russia will support Jordan’s request to join the free
trade agreement of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, under a
cooperation protocol the Jordanian-Russian ministerial committee signed
Wednesday.[23 Mar.]

This move seeks to boost Jordan’s commercial, economic and industrial
cooperation with member states — Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan — and is aimed at attracting investments and projects to Jordan.

Signed by Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and
Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachyov, who is chairing the Russian
delegation, the protocol seeks to enhance cooperation in 10 different
sectors.

It is the outcome of the committee’s third meeting, which took place in
Amman on Monday and Tuesday[21-22 Mar. and was attended by several senior
officials and representatives of the private sector in the two countries.

Speaking to the press, Fakhoury highlighted the “effective” participation of
the private sector in the meetings, stressing the need to sustain committee
meetings in order to further enhance cooperation in the future.

The protocol will facilitate technical cooperation between the Russian Fund
for Direct Investments and the Jordan Investment Commission.

Fakhoury added that the protocol looked into enhancing Russia’s humanitarian
support to Jordan in addressing the needs of Syrian refugees and host
communities through financial and technical assistance.

The two sides agreed to consider providing liquefied gas to Jordan at
preferred prices, as well as carrying on with cooperation to build the
Kingdom’s nuclear reactor and providing the needed support.

Customs departments in the two countries will be electronically connected,
which will facilitate the entry of Jordan’s agricultural exports into
Russia.

The protocol suggests creating opportunities in the field of education and
vocational training, including the possibility of establishing a joint
high-tech centre.

It also addresses enhancing cooperation in healthcare and water resource
management.
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Sue Lerner - Assocaite, IMRA