places like iraq, syria, lebanon and now yemen. even reached as far as afghanistan. so our concern is the expansionist policy of iran, is the hedge mondayic behavior of eye iran, and as a diplomat that represents a country that has three of it's lands occupied by iran, until today, since 1971, there is not theoretical. we see iranian footprints everywhere in the region. and if you are to map out 15 years ago where iran's influence, iran's footprint was and would you do the same math today, that area would be much, much larger. they have a much stronger influence in iraq. much stronger influence in syria and lebanon. and part of the reason we are in yemen is to prevent that from happening in yemen. we do not want to see iran replicate hezbollah in yemen. >> rose: what is our-- what do we plan to do in this government as far as you know about iran's behavior? >> so what i understand, yousef knows more than i do, is that we plan to challenge in specific places in the middle east iranian misbehavior. mostly behind the scenes. but we're going to take it on. and there is a significant change. f

, and now yemen. they have even reached afghanistan. our concern is the expansionist policy of iran, the hegemonic policy of iran. i am telling you this as a diplomat that represents a country that has three of its islands operated by iran until today this is not theoretical. , 1971. we see iranian footprints everywhere in the region. if you were to map out 15 years ago where iran's influence was and you would do the same map today, that area would be much larger. they have a much stronger influence in iraq, syria, and lebanon. part of the reason we're in yemen is to prevent that in yemen. we do not want to see iran replicate hezbollah. charlie: what are we planning to do as far as you know about iran's behavior? michael: what i understand, he knows more than i do, is we plan to challenge in specific places in the middle east on iranian this behavior. mostly behind the scenes, but we are going to take it on. this is a significant change for the united states. time,very long period of we ignored iranian misbehavior in the region, even when it was focused directly at us. the beirut em

in places like iraq, syria, lebanon, and now yemen. they have even reached afghanistan. the hegemonic policy of iran. this is not theoretical. we see iranian footprints everywhere in the region. if you were to map out 15 years ago where iran's influence was and you would do the same map today, that area would be much larger. they have a much stronger influence in iraq, syria, and lebanon. part of the region we are in yemen is to prevent that in yemen. we don't want to see you ron replicate -- iran replicate hezbollah. charlie: what are we planning to do as far as you know about iran's behavior? understand, he knows more than i do, is we plan to challenge in specific places in the middle east on iranian misbehavior, mostly behind the scenes, but we are going to take it on and this is a significant states.or the united for a very long metal of time, we ignored iranian -- a very long period of time we ignored iranian behavior even when it was directed at us her. in marine barracks bombing lebanon goes back to tehran, the united states did not respond. shia militia getting advanced ied's

protesters are calling for the mayor to resign as well. then to the crisis in yemen. quite this cholera scandal is w who arean-made leading, supply, fighting, perpetuating the fear and the fighting. amy:y: "an absolute e shame on humanity." that's hohow the international d organization care is describing the deepening humanitarian crisis in yemen. over 1800 people have died of a massive cholera a outbreak. we will go to sana'a for the latest. then we look at how the trump administration is looking at ways to withdraw from the iraniaian nuclear deal. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in the west bank and jerusalem, seven people -- four palestinians andnd three israels -- have been killed amid a wave of violence and protests over israel's refusal to remove metal detectors from the holy al-aqsa mosque. on friday, 18-year-old muhammad sharaf was killed by an israeli settler, while 17-year-old muhammad khalaf and 20-year-old muhammad ghanam were killed by israeli soldiers. on saturday, 21-year-old yousef abba

mission in yemen which has not gone very well, but nevertheless they point to as a maturation of the gcc and willingness of some of the states to work together militarily. >> as it relates to the gulf cooperation council, how much of this dramatic announced blockade was the saudis being emboldened are the president -- visit from the president? >> if you talk to officials in the gulf, they say this is something brewing for quite some time. they decided to take the action when they did because they did not want to do it before president trump visited saudi arabia. they felt they had to give him the opportunity to come and say may.he had to say in late but when that was over, they decided from their perspective there was an accumulation of ,hings the qataris had done that they had not adhered to a 2014 agreement concerning the muslim brotherhood, al jazeera, and other issues. thus, it was time to take this step. of course, they were very pleased with what president trump said in riyadh. and they do feel they have the president's support. if you look at the readout of phone calls the pre

take time. but we think that in places, that process has started. amy: in yemen, the united nations is reversing plans to begin a cholera vaccination program because the u.s.-backed, saudi-led bombing campaign has devastated yemen's health system and made it too dangerous for medical workers to carry out their mission. the disclosure came as the number of cholera cases in yemen topped 313,000, with more than 1700 deaths from the water-borne disease. at the u.n. security council wednesday, top u.n. officials blasted saudi arabia and its allies for yemen's humanitarian catastrophe. this is u.n. aid chief stephen o'brien. >> 7 million people, including 2.3 million malnourished children of whom 500,000 are severely malnourished under the age i, are on the cusp of famine. disease, at risk of a slow and painful death. mr. president, this cholera scandal is entirely man-made by the conflicting parties and those beyond yemen's borders who are leading, supplying, fighting, and perpetuating the here and the fighting. amy: meanwhile, rex tillerson held talks wednesday with members of the saudi

front, and you see that in their mission in yemen, which hasn't gone very well, but, nevertheless, they point to as a maturation of the g.c.c. and the willingness of some of the states within the gulf cooperation council to work together militarily. >> glor: as it relates to the gulf cooperation council how much of this blockade were the saidies emboldened by the visit from the president? >> if you talk to officials in the gulf, they say this is something that has been brewing for quite some time. they decided to take the action when they did because they did not want to do it before president trump visited saudi arabia. they felt that they had to give him the opportunity to come and say what he had to say in riyadh in late may, things that the emiratis and the saudis liked very much, but, once that was over, they decided that, from their perspective, there are an accumulation of things that the qataris had done, that the qataris had not adhered to a 2014 agreement that they had struck with them to -- concerning the muslim brotherhood, al-jazeera and other issues and, thus, it was time

operating in yemen and other countries.i don't for a second believe we are out of and -- forrisis isis. and -- for when you destroy saddam hussein, , and alloy the party the infrastructure, both military and civil and political around the leadership in iraq, and now the shia and iran are going to be much more in charge of everything but the kurdish region. charlie: i want to stay with the kurds and then go back to another point. with respect to the kurds, is there going to be an independent kurdish state? ian: i think there will in iraq. they have a referendum coming up. i think they are willing to wait because they know they have to, but they want a marker that says we are, in favor, we have voted. the turks cannot say they want -- charlie: but they are less resistant? ian: i think they are, because they have a state that some of the turks have been able to do business with. you have satisfied a level of kurdish independence without , as well asng kurdish separatism in turkey the problem is that. president already one can never say this publicly because of his challenges with the kurds in

against marriage equality and lgbtq rights. in yemen, the heads of the united nations' relief agencies pleaded wednesday for a massive increase in humanitarian aid, as the number of cases of cholera in yemen hit 400,000. u.n. leaders say the outbreak has increased ththe number off yemenis in need of assistance to nearly 21 million. this is peter maurer, head of the e international committee of the red cross. the overall situation is very dire and catastrophic with regard to certain areas that i have mentioned, health situation in particular. if the icrc, within two weeks, dedecideto double its program in yemen, it is an indicatation tht the situation is very bad. amy: the cholera outbreak comes as more than two years of u.s.-backed, saudi-led bombing in yemen has devastated the country's health, water and sanitation systems. meanwhile, reuters is reporting that u.n. investigators blame the u.s.-backed saudi-led military coalition for a deadly attack on a somali migrant boat off yemen in march that killed 42 people and injured 32 others. reuters cited a confidential u.n. report

arabia amid the devastating saudi-led bombing campaign in yemen. the group campaign against the arms trade had tried to block the sale of british-made bombs and fighter jets, arguing their use in the bombing campaign in yemen has violated international law. on monday speaking at the british parliament, british labor leader jeremy corbyn has called on prime minister theresa may to block the weapons sales. >> will she hold the moral arms sales as germany has done and back germany's call to in the bombing in yemen? amy: but on monday, the high case, jointsed the condemnation from human rights watch and other international groups. human rights watch has documented over 80 apparently unlawful saudi-led coalition attacks in yemen that have hit schools, markets, homes, hospitals. the bombing and saudi naval blockade has also devastated the -- yemen's health, water, and sanitation systems, sparking a massive cholera outbreak that has now infected 300,000 people, with an estimated 7000 new cases every single day. "the new yk times" is reporting eric grants of blkwater and billionaire stephen

still perpetuate violence. they are operating in southeast asia. they are operating in yemen and in other countries. so i don't for a second believe that we're out of the woods for isis. and i don't also for a second believe that we're out of the woods in temples of the sunni problem in iraq. when you destroy saddam hussein, you destroy the bawtist party and destroy all of the infrastructure military and civil and political around sunni leadership in iraq and now the shia and iran are going to be much more in charge of everything but the kurdish region, then the sunnies are going to feel on the back foot. >> rose: i want to stay with the kurds and go back and raise another point. with respect to the kurds. >> yeah. >> rose: is there going to be an independent kurdish state. >> i think there will be in iraq. well, they have a referendum coming up in the fall. and. >> rose: does he want it soon or are they willing to wait. >> i think they are willing to wait because they know they have toment but they want a mark thary says we have voted and we're completely in favor. that will give m

. operations to liberate kuwait from iran, the u.s. operation against iraq, to al qaeda, to isis, to yemen. let's concentrate. let's not be too ambitious. let's concentrate on this region which has been a hotbed of extremism, violence, and war and let's not be too ambitious. conflict. and let's deal with this. we are ready to deal with it. we are ready to resolve the problems. we are ready to engage in dialogue. we are ready to engage in confidence building measures. and we believe others should not look for an enemy. there is no need for an enemy. we don't need an enemy. we already have enough enemies. charlie: you don't see the united states as an enemy? dr. zarif: talking about our immediate neighborhood. the united states can define its relations with iran at this time and for some time, the united states has defined its relations with iran in terms of hostility. this is nothing new. it is not particular to this administration. unfortunately, the united states has followed a hostile policy towards iran and received a reciprocal reaction. charlie: what about president obama? dr. zarif:

, northeast nigeria and yemen isn't quite in africa, but the u.n. said it's the worst humanitarian catastrophe for 60 or 70 years, and what's interesting these familiarens are a product of political division and conflict. it's war producing the conditions that people don't have the access to food. they can't grow crops and there is a g20 initiative around them but if you compare to the scale of after the second world war there is no comparison, it taken engagement to turn into something powering forward. that's when i think people are asking the question around the world, in western europe, and also in china, india, where is america going to put its effort, is it only going to focus on its home front or does america first mean room for engagement abroad as well. >> frost: in your take as has the u.s. position changed in stark context since your boss left office? >> i think so, demonstrably. in my six months being home and trying to reacclimate, it's great to be home. i was in a self-imposed media blackout the first few weeks and went back and read great books and watched great docu

yemen, which is not quite in africa, but for the first time, the u.n. has said it is the worst catastrophe in 40 or 50 years. these famines are not because of lack of food but political division and conflict. war is producing the conditions that mean people do not have access to food and are not able to grow crops. humanitarians can't reach them. there was an important g20 initiative around support for africa. if you compare the scale to the marshall plan after the second world war there is no , comparison. it takes american engagement to turn what could be a marginal initiative into something that is really going to power forward. that is where i think people around the world are asking the question. they are asking and western, china, and india -- where is america going to put its effort? is it only going to focus on the americant, or does put first have there room for engagement abroad? wilfred: has the u.s. position on this issue changed since your boss left office? matthew: i think so, demonstrably. in my six months being home, it is great to be home, and i was in a little

iraq to isis and all of them, to yemen. so let's concentrate, let's not be too ambitious, that's concentrate on this region. >> rose: no israel now. >> no. which has been the hot bed of extremism, violence and war and conflict. and let's deal witness. we are ready to deal with it. we are ready to revolve the problem. we are ready to engage in dialogue and confidence building measures. and we believe that others should not look for an enemy. there is no need for an enemy. we don't need an enemy. we already have enough enemies. enemies from -- >> rose: so you don't see the united states as an enemy. >> i'm talking about our immediate neighbor. the united states can be fine its relations with iran. at this time and for some time the united states has defined its relations with iran in terms of hostility. this is nothing new. not particular to this administration. unfortunately the united states has followed the hostile policy towards iran and it has received a reciprocal -- >> rose: from president obama. >> president obama pursued hostility towards iran and then he came to the concl

and yemen, we are at war with pennsylvania where the gas comes from, where it was to be stored, and standing rock. it is time to name the disease. most people can put their name on the cause of it, but everyone perceives the threat. capitalism is a cancer. amy: james cromwell will begin a hunger fast in jail. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell unveiled a revised plan thursday to repeal and replace the affordable care act, and is once again facing opposition from within his own party. on thursday, senators susan collins of main and rand paul of kentucky said they would oppose even putting the new bill to a vote. the measure would gut medicaid by over $700 billion through 2026, while providing massive tax cuts to the wealthiest americans. republicans are facing sustained grassroots resistance to their plans. on thursday, 11 interfaith leaders, including north carolina naacp president reverend william barber, were arrested outside senate majority leader mitch mcconn

? of the violence of the saudi's making trade just with donald trump and then bombing yemen and is a kind of isis boboomerang of all of this? what is the violence on the streets of hamburg these days, a few burned cars, compared to the violence of 1 million and more people displaced in syria, iraq and afghanistan, and all the wars which are taking place still all around the world? i think we should deconstruct the notion of violence and what athappening here in hamburg the moment. amy: can you talk about the agenda of the g20? you have been participating in the alternative summit. what is what you are proposing and all of the people who have gathered to challenge the g20? yes, first, you have to understand what is actually the current g20. actually is the g20 doesn't exist anymore. when you look around me and you see the police and you see all of these world leaders are coming to hamburg, you might ask me somehow doesn't it exist if we can see with our eyes? i don't know if you watched the "youngv series called pope" were jude law is youngying a conservative pope who doesn't even bel

saudi military operations in yemen, which has devastated this country -- year old son. amy: the significance of this meeting that is big news in the united states today, the meeting of -- initiated apparently by donald trump junior, brought in paul manafort and jared kushner into this meeting with a russian kremlin-linked lawyer? >> yes, well, there are several things to think about. to me, one of the most interesting things about this meeting other than the kind of suspicions that it raises about dealmaking between the thelin-linked lawyer and trump administration, is whether who does not,jr., have a job in the white house, an been more of -- been made official of the trump administration does not have a obligation to reveal. for example, if jared kushner felt he did not need to reveal the meeting with natalia veselnitskaya on a security form -- which he failed to do but now has done -- if you not been present at this meeting, we would not know about this meeting. if he and paul manafort had not been invited by donald trump jr. , donald trump could've had this meeting with nata

the united states is not watching you anymore." in yemen, at least 20 civilians were killed tuesday as they attempted to flee u.s.-backed saudi-led airstrikes. witnesses said a warplane bombed a vehicle packed with families fleeing intense fighting near the city of taiz. the latest civilian deaths came amid a massive cholera epidemic brought on by the destruction of human sanitation, health care infrastructure after saudi-led airstrikes leveled hospitals and clinics across the country. since april, cholera has sickened a third of a million people and killed over 1700. meanwhile, the saudi-led military coalition prevented a united nations flight carrying aid workers from reaching the capital sana'a tuesday after grounding the flight in djibouti because three journalists were aboard. saudi authorities on tuesday arrested a woman seen in a widely-shared social media video wearing a miniskirt and crop-top as she walked through an archaeological site outside the capital riyadh. authorities with the committee for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice said they had arrested the w

with u.s. support in yemen. all ofof this coming together as president trump and jared kushner and others, rex tillerson as well, when to saudi arabia. and when they came out, president trump himself claiming credit for the isolating of qatar by the gulf countries. seemingly going against his own secretary of state, rex tillerson, who was bringing together the forces he said went back to saudi arabia and qatar, supposedly to bring these countries together. >> right. the go-between for all of this is the uae ambassador to the united states who was very close to kushner. who has beenody pushing a very hard line against qatar in washington, d.c., for years now. what the u.s. intelligence community has since leaked to "the washington post," is that the thing that the gulf countries used to launch this blockade, which were some comments posted online an attribute it to qatar, were put there by a uae hacking operation. immediately after these comments from the emir he was praising a little rough with the united states, the new service said, we were hacked, these are not real comments, we