WAR Iran/ US/mideast war thread - 2/28/26 Open Hostilities (Thread for Off Topic discussion started, see post #13,751, page 344)
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TheHippie
Veteran Member
US pushes back as Katz says IDF will not withdraw from security zone in southern Lebanon
After Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that the IDF "will not withdraw" from the security zone and ordered the military to prepare for a long-term presence, Washington clarified that "a permanent military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments" made under the understandings.However, an Israeli withdrawal would be contingent on the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantling of its infrastructure.
A senior US State Department official responded overnight on Thursday to remarks by Katz, who said during a visit to southern Lebanon that the IDF would not withdraw from the "security zone" and that he had instructed the military to prepare for a long-term presence in the area.
The official clarified that, from Washington's perspective, a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments made under the understandings.
"The United States expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the framework they agreed to," the official said. "Israel has clearly stated that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon."
Permanent military presence inconsistent with peace commitments
A permanent military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments made under the understandings, as well as with the long-term peace and security of both countries."The official further stressed that the United States "fully supports Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty." However, Washington clarified that the Israeli withdrawal is expected to proceed in accordance with progress in disarming Hezbollah and dismantling its infrastructure.
"The framework clearly includes a conditions-based path for a gradual withdrawal, tied to the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantling of its infrastructure," the official said.
According to the official, the Lebanese Armed Forces have already begun implementing the "initial pilot zones," and the United States will continue to support the full implementation of the process.
Katz: IDF does not intend to withdraw from currently held areas
The US response came after Katz said during a visit to IDF troops in Lebanon that Israel did not intend to withdraw from the areas it currently holds."As the prime minister and I have made unequivocally clear, we are not withdrawing from this security zone," Katz said.
"The IDF is here to protect the northern communities and its troops; we will clear this area and ensure the security of the residents of the North, and under no circumstances will we withdraw from the security zones: not in Lebanon, not in Syria and not in Gaza."
Katz added that he had instructed the IDF "to take all necessary measures to prepare for a long-term presence in the area," and presented the Israeli presence beyond the border as part of the lessons learned from the October 7 massacre.
"The lesson of October 7 is that we protect the residents by having the IDF here, in these places, protecting them from raids, from gunfire, and from all the other things. That is our policy; that is our approach," he said.
US rejects Israel's long-term plan for military presence in southern Lebanon | The Jerusalem Post
An official clarified that, from Washington's perspective, a permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments made under the understandings.
www.jpost.com
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Tehran's Houthi Proxies Attack Saudi Aramco Again, Crude Spikes, As Iran's Military Command To Be 'More Aggressive'
by Tyler DurdenZero Hedge
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - 11:40 AM
Summary
- Saudi Aramco attacked again: Houthi drone strikes on a Saudi refinery sent oil prices higher.
- Hormuz stalemate & standoff: US says it can sustain the Iranian port blockade indefinitely.
- Iran digs in: Tehran appears prepared for a prolonged war of attrition.
- Hard-liners rise: Iran reshuffled senior security leadership toward a more aggressive posture.
- Diplomacy dead-end: Iran says the U.S. has miscalculated, while talks remain deadlocked.
Attack on Saudi Aramco Facility Sees Crude Spike
Oil prices have spiked Thursday on emerging reports that the Houthis have freshly targeted an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia's Jizan with two drones, according to regional Saba News Agency.It seems this is part of Iran's 'counter-pressure' playing book against Washington and its Gulf allies, given the Houthis have long been a proxy arm of Iran. The Houthi group is in the midst of a 'siege for siege' war on Saudi shipping and energy.
The Hormuz stalemate is meanwhile continuing, given War Secretary Pete Hegseth now says that the US military can maintain a blockade on Iranian ports for as long as needed.
“Indefinitely the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth told reporters. But Iran is also vowing to outlast and keep up the military pressure, enforcing its own strait management protocol based on the Oman deal.
Attrition Game Outlasting US Politics
Top adviser to the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, has been signaling Iran's more aggressive stance in media appearances this week, also following a significant reshuffling of top military leadership."Look, we have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us, so we can live with security," Naqdi said in an interview with PBS. "One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition, so that if anyone else wants to attack Iran, they will know there is a cost."
Alluding to the recent military reorganization, he described: "Whenever the conditions are favorable and the order is issued, we must be able to take the operation into enemy territory" - while contrasting the approach with a pre-war doctrine "primarily based on defense and the preservation of the country."
via The Australian
https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/trumpiranay.jpg?itok=fiMU8b2s
Military.com underscores that "Iran has reorganized its military to be more aggressive abroad as talks on ending the war with the U.S. remain mired in stalemate, a sign that Tehran is preparing for a protracted era of regional conflict."
As a reminder, this is after Tehran's obvious pivot away from negotiations, and toward a more permanent state of military resistance. The Wall Street Journal previously pointed out: "Now, the new supreme leader, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, is putting his own stamp on the country’s national-security policy amid a confrontation with the U.S. that could last months or even years."
"Seasoned Hardliners" in Command
According to more of the analysis:And some fresh insight from Michael Stephens, a senior associate fellow at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI):
Iranian leadership continues boasting of squaring up against the much larger American foe...
Iran: US Has "Long Miscalculated"
In follow-up, and as if confirming all of the above, Iranian Brigadier General Rasoul Sanaei-Rad has on Thursday said Iran will act more aggressively in the future, the Fars news agency reported."We stood firm in the recent war and, God willing, we will stand firmer and more aggressively in a possible future war," said Sanaei-Rad, a political adviser in the office of the supreme leader. He noted that Iran’s "enemy" is seeking to fracture the country through economic pressure, but that its plan did not succeed.
Below: Mohsen Rezaei, one of the longest-serving figures in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has returned to the heart of Tehran’s national security establishment, after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed him secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mohsen Rezaei, via ReutersIran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also chimed on in on Thursday with a similar theme of Washington miscalculation. He asserted that the United States has "has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures," especially when launching its war on Iran.
American military actions in the Strait of Hormuz were "an even bigger miscalculation," Araghchi stated on X. "Worse than fake news is fake intelligence," the foreign minister said, perhaps in mockery of Trump.
Tehran's Houthi Proxies Attack Saudi Aramco Again, Crude Spikes, As Iran's Military Command To Be 'More Aggressive'<!-- --> | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
TheHippie
Veteran Member
US prepared to hold Strait of Hormuz 'indefinitely', Hegseth says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday the U.S. can hold the Strait of Hormuz "indefinitely."The comments come as the U.S. continues to urge Iran to make a deal for control of the strait.
While President Trump maintains that the U.S. controls the key waterway, Iran alleges that it is in control and is making public demands in order to open it.
The Trump administration has warned it continues to evaluate all options for dealing with Iran if the impasse continues.
A U.S. official told Scripps News Thursday while the president has said he prefers a diplomatic solution, he "continues to retain all options if Iran continues to engage in terrorism and refuses to make a deal."
The official noted the economic impact of sanctions and the ongoing naval blockade against Iran. They urged Iran to come to the table for a deal, stating "Otherwise they know what will happen."
In an interview Thursday, Vice President JD Vance put the standoff and the potential impacts to the U.S. in economic terms, saying the administration's goal was to keep domestic energy costs down.
"That’s goal number one: keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country," he said.
Vance said the second goal was to ensure Iran never obtained nuclear weapons.
The war would end, he predicted, with the strait “returned to a place where oil and gas prices are stable for the American people" — but he did not offer a timeline for ending the conflict.
US prepared to hold Strait of Hormuz 'indefinitely', Hegseth says
The Trump administration has warned it continues to evaluate all options for dealing with Iran if the impasse continues.
www.scrippsnews.com
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Iran lawmakers push back on regional monitoring of Hormuz
A dispute in Iran’s parliament over the terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz is threatening to complicate negotiations in Muscat, as lawmakers challenge a proposed role for Oman and Pakistan in monitoring shipping through the waterway.The dispute centers on plans for a three-country verification mechanism being discussed as Iranian, Omani and Pakistani technical committees work on the operational details of a temporary navigation arrangement.
Hardline lawmakers argue that the government cannot implement the proposed arrangement without parliamentary debate and a formal vote, raising a broader dispute over constitutional authority and military jurisdiction.
Their opposition is focused particularly on third-party verification. Hardliners argue that sharing vessel-tracking responsibilities with Pakistani or Omani personnel, even within a joint cell, would undermine the IRGC Navy’s authority over screening in the Persian Gulf.
Commentators aligned with this view have also warned that external verification channels could be exploited by Western intelligence, potentially giving NATO or US naval forces access to information about Iranian coastal movements under the guise of commercial monitoring.
Regional shield or security risk?
Reformist outlets Shargh and Etemad have argued that involving Pakistan and Oman would instead provide Tehran with a diplomatic shield by reducing pressure for direct US or NATO naval escorts inside the strait’s traffic lanes.
Writing in Shargh, Ahmad Zeidabadi warned that blocking regional verification “does not defend our sovereignty; it locks our economy into a suffocating siege,” adding that a functioning Muscat-Islamabad verification mechanism offered Iran a way to avert deeper economic damage.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, meanwhile, reaffirmed that any US or NATO military escorts within the strait’s traffic lanes remained prohibited under the draft terms, even as third-party verification continued to be considered in Muscat, according to IRNA.
Parliament pushes tougher terms
The dispute comes as lawmakers are also considering legislation that could further constrain Tehran’s room for compromise over Hormuz.
Iranian media reported that parliament held a closed-door session over the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission’s draft bill restricting the movement of vessels linked to countries Tehran considers hostile.
Hardline lawmakers have pushed for a mandatory transit charge of 5% to 7% on non-exempt commercial bulk cargo to fund coastal defense and infrastructure repairs, alongside tighter inspection requirements.
Pro-Pezeshkian lawmakers and National Security Committee spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi have argued that the proposed verification cell is a technical mechanism operating under the Supreme National Security Council framework rather than a new international treaty requiring lengthy parliamentary ratification.
Government representatives have also warned that imposing statutory tolls could undermine the Muscat negotiations and discourage foreign shipping lines from using Iranian ports.
The competing approaches reflect a wider struggle in Tehran over what Iran should seek to preserve from its wartime control of Hormuz: maximum control and economic leverage, or a regional mechanism that could restore shipping without opening the waterway to a greater US or NATO role.
The dispute could prove consequential for the Muscat talks, as any agreement requiring Omani or Pakistani participation in monitoring traffic would have to overcome objections from lawmakers, while tougher statutory restrictions on shipping could further narrow the government’s room to negotiate.
Iran lawmakers push back on regional monitoring of Hormuz
A dispute in Iran’s parliament over the terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz is threatening to complicate negotiations in Muscat, as lawmakers challenge a proposed role for Oman and Pakistan in monitoring shipping through the waterway.
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Bessent says US ‘to apply measures’ on Iran that ‘have never been seen in history’
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that the United States is going to apply measures that have “never been seen” on Iran.“Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country,” Bessent says in an interview on on Newsmax’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight” program.
“It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports,” Bessent says.
The full interview can with Bessent can be found at this link. I was unable to imbed.
TheHippie
Veteran Member
UAE accuses Iran of attacks on two ADNOC vessels in Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates has condemned Iran for attacking two ships linked to the UAE’s national oil company in the Strait of Hormuz.The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) confirmed that “two of its vessels were attacked while transiting” the waterway on Thursday evening, adding that the situation was “brought under control”, Emirati media reported.
“The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement in the early hours of Friday.
No injuries were reported from the attack, the ministry added.
Iran did not immediately comment on the attack or the UAE’s claims.
The attack comes just days after the UAE reported a similar attack on an ADNOC tanker on Saturday.
Iran is continuing to uphold an effective blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and wants to charge users for passage. The United States fiercely opposes this plan and has instituted its own blockade on Iranian shipping.
Iran is currently in talks with Oman over arrangements for the strait’s future management.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has previously threatened action against any vessels transiting the strait if they are linked to Tehran’s adversaries, or if they fail to comply with Iranian directives.
The Emirati Foreign Ministry said attempts by Iran to use the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion amount to “piracy”, and constitute a “direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and the global energy supply”.
UAE accuses Iran of attacks on two ADNOC vessels in Strait of Hormuz
No injuries were reported in the attack, which the UAE called 'piracy' and a threat to global energy security.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, known by its acronym ADNOC, is the state-owned oil company of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's 12th largest oil company by production.
Do we actually have any verifiable proof of life of Mojtaba?Tehran's Houthi Proxies Attack Saudi Aramco Again, Crude Spikes, As Iran's Military Command To Be 'More Aggressive'
by Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026 - 11:40 AM
Summary
* * *
- Saudi Aramco attacked again: Houthi drone strikes on a Saudi refinery sent oil prices higher.
- Hormuz stalemate & standoff: US says it can sustain the Iranian port blockade indefinitely.
- Iran digs in: Tehran appears prepared for a prolonged war of attrition.
- Hard-liners rise: Iran reshuffled senior security leadership toward a more aggressive posture.
- Diplomacy dead-end: Iran says the U.S. has miscalculated, while talks remain deadlocked.
Attack on Saudi Aramco Facility Sees Crude Spike
Oil prices have spiked Thursday on emerging reports that the Houthis have freshly targeted an Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia's Jizan with two drones, according to regional Saba News Agency.
It seems this is part of Iran's 'counter-pressure' playing book against Washington and its Gulf allies, given the Houthis have long been a proxy arm of Iran. The Houthi group is in the midst of a 'siege for siege' war on Saudi shipping and energy.
The Hormuz stalemate is meanwhile continuing, given War Secretary Pete Hegseth now says that the US military can maintain a blockade on Iranian ports for as long as needed.
“Indefinitely the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth told reporters. But Iran is also vowing to outlast and keep up the military pressure, enforcing its own strait management protocol based on the Oman deal.
Attrition Game Outlasting US Politics
Top adviser to the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, has been signaling Iran's more aggressive stance in media appearances this week, also following a significant reshuffling of top military leadership.
"Look, we have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us, so we can live with security," Naqdi said in an interview with PBS. "One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition, so that if anyone else wants to attack Iran, they will know there is a cost."
Alluding to the recent military reorganization, he described: "Whenever the conditions are favorable and the order is issued, we must be able to take the operation into enemy territory" - while contrasting the approach with a pre-war doctrine "primarily based on defense and the preservation of the country."
via The Australian
https://www.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/trumpiranay.jpg?itok=fiMU8b2s
Military.com underscores that "Iran has reorganized its military to be more aggressive abroad as talks on ending the war with the U.S. remain mired in stalemate, a sign that Tehran is preparing for a protracted era of regional conflict."
As a reminder, this is after Tehran's obvious pivot away from negotiations, and toward a more permanent state of military resistance. The Wall Street Journal previously pointed out: "Now, the new supreme leader, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, is putting his own stamp on the country’s national-security policy amid a confrontation with the U.S. that could last months or even years."
"Seasoned Hardliners" in Command
According to more of the analysis:
And some fresh insight from Michael Stephens, a senior associate fellow at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI):
Iranian leadership continues boasting of squaring up against the much larger American foe...
Iran: US Has "Long Miscalculated"
In follow-up, and as if confirming all of the above, Iranian Brigadier General Rasoul Sanaei-Rad has on Thursday said Iran will act more aggressively in the future, the Fars news agency reported.
"We stood firm in the recent war and, God willing, we will stand firmer and more aggressively in a possible future war," said Sanaei-Rad, a political adviser in the office of the supreme leader. He noted that Iran’s "enemy" is seeking to fracture the country through economic pressure, but that its plan did not succeed.
Below: Mohsen Rezaei, one of the longest-serving figures in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has returned to the heart of Tehran’s national security establishment, after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed him secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mohsen Rezaei, via Reuters
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also chimed on in on Thursday with a similar theme of Washington miscalculation. He asserted that the United States has "has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures," especially when launching its war on Iran.
American military actions in the Strait of Hormuz were "an even bigger miscalculation," Araghchi stated on X. "Worse than fake news is fake intelligence," the foreign minister said, perhaps in mockery of Trump.
Tehran's Houthi Proxies Attack Saudi Aramco Again, Crude Spikes, As Iran's Military Command To Be 'More Aggressive'<!-- --> | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
Summerthyme
day late
money? whats that?
To my knowledge, no.
TheHippie
Veteran Member
BREAKING: U.S. Central Command has directly rejected an Israeli Channel 13 report claiming its commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, is pushing for joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, per The Jerusalem Post.
A CENTCOM spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post the report was "an outright fabrication. It's not true at all." The denial comes after Israel's Channel 13 reported Cooper had told senior IDF commanders that attacking Iran's gas, oil, and electricity sites would "change the rules of the game" and that Israel may be needed for joint strikes.
View: http://twitter.com/HormuzReport/status/2088097427161297098?s=20
"Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," Bessent said in an interview on on Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight" program.
"It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports," Bessent said.
This came shortly after US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that "goal number one is to keep oil and gas cheap for the American people all across our country. Goal number two is to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon," emphasizing the importance of an economic approach to confronting Iran.
CENTCOM Commander Cooper visits Israel
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper visited Israel on Monday and spoke to senior IDF commanders about US-Israeli military relations and the war with Iran.
Cpt.Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM) told The Jerusalem Post that reports that Cooper said during his visit to Israel that he had pushed for renewed strikes against Iran were untrue.
Hawkins told the Post that claims that Cooper had pushed for a resumption of the conflict against Iran were "an outright fabrication. It's not true at all."
www.jpost.com
Israel’s Channel 13, citing unnamed informed political sources, said Adm. Brad Cooper presented the proposal during a visit to Israel last week.
Cooper attended a meeting of the Israeli military’s top operational forum alongside Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior commanders, the broadcaster said.
During the meeting, Cooper called for renewed fighting against Iran and attacks on national infrastructure, including facilities linked to the country’s gas, oil and electricity industries, according to the channel.
“Striking infrastructure in Iran will change the rules of the game, will hurt the Iranians badly, and in the current situation they will not change their positions,” Cooper was quoted as saying.
The CENTCOM chief reportedly told Israeli military officials that resuming the fighting could become the only option and that the US might need to conduct joint strikes with Israel against Iran.
According to the same sources, Cooper also presented his position to US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, while the proposal was conveyed to President Donald Trump.
The reported proposal comes despite US reports indicating that the likelihood of renewed conflict with Iran has decreased, and Washington has intensified efforts in recent days to end fighting in the region.
In a related development, CENTCOM announced Thursday the establishment of its first multinational attack-drone task force in cooperation with several Middle Eastern countries.
There was no immediate comment from the US on the Israeli broadcaster’s claims.
The US and Iran agreed to a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire in April and later signed a deal on June 17, launching negotiations toward a final agreement. But the talks later stalled over disagreements on security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic routes for global energy supplies and trade.
On July 8-24, the US and Iran exchanged more military strikes, with Washington launching attacks on targets inside Iran. Tehran responded by striking what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, including Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
www.middleeastmonitor.com
A CENTCOM spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post the report was "an outright fabrication. It's not true at all." The denial comes after Israel's Channel 13 reported Cooper had told senior IDF commanders that attacking Iran's gas, oil, and electricity sites would "change the rules of the game" and that Israel may be needed for joint strikes.
View: http://twitter.com/HormuzReport/status/2088097427161297098?s=20
US Treasury Secretary Bessent says US to apply measures 'never seen before' on Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that the United States is going to apply measures that have "never been seen" on Iran."Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," Bessent said in an interview on on Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight" program.
"It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports," Bessent said.
This came shortly after US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that "goal number one is to keep oil and gas cheap for the American people all across our country. Goal number two is to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon," emphasizing the importance of an economic approach to confronting Iran.
CENTCOM Commander Cooper visits Israel
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper visited Israel on Monday and spoke to senior IDF commanders about US-Israeli military relations and the war with Iran.
Cpt.Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM) told The Jerusalem Post that reports that Cooper said during his visit to Israel that he had pushed for renewed strikes against Iran were untrue.
Hawkins told the Post that claims that Cooper had pushed for a resumption of the conflict against Iran were "an outright fabrication. It's not true at all."
US Treasury Secretary Bessent says US to apply measures 'never before' on Iran | The Jerusalem Post
"It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out," Bessent said.
www.jpost.com
US CENTCOM chief pushing for renewed strikes on Iran, claims Israeli media
The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) is pushing for the resumption of attacks on Iran, including strikes on oil, gas and electricity facilities, to increase pressure on Tehran, Israeli media claimed Thursday.Israel’s Channel 13, citing unnamed informed political sources, said Adm. Brad Cooper presented the proposal during a visit to Israel last week.
Cooper attended a meeting of the Israeli military’s top operational forum alongside Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior commanders, the broadcaster said.
During the meeting, Cooper called for renewed fighting against Iran and attacks on national infrastructure, including facilities linked to the country’s gas, oil and electricity industries, according to the channel.
“Striking infrastructure in Iran will change the rules of the game, will hurt the Iranians badly, and in the current situation they will not change their positions,” Cooper was quoted as saying.
The CENTCOM chief reportedly told Israeli military officials that resuming the fighting could become the only option and that the US might need to conduct joint strikes with Israel against Iran.
According to the same sources, Cooper also presented his position to US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, while the proposal was conveyed to President Donald Trump.
The reported proposal comes despite US reports indicating that the likelihood of renewed conflict with Iran has decreased, and Washington has intensified efforts in recent days to end fighting in the region.
In a related development, CENTCOM announced Thursday the establishment of its first multinational attack-drone task force in cooperation with several Middle Eastern countries.
There was no immediate comment from the US on the Israeli broadcaster’s claims.
The US and Iran agreed to a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire in April and later signed a deal on June 17, launching negotiations toward a final agreement. But the talks later stalled over disagreements on security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic routes for global energy supplies and trade.
On July 8-24, the US and Iran exchanged more military strikes, with Washington launching attacks on targets inside Iran. Tehran responded by striking what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, including Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
US CENTCOM chief pushing for renewed strikes on Iran, claims Israeli media
The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) is pushing for the resumption of attacks on Iran, including strikes on oil, gas and electricity facilities, to increase pressure on Tehran, Israeli media cl…
www.middleeastmonitor.com
day late
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Iran’s regime can arrest protesters. It can’t outrun empty stomachs
Story by Ali Safavi, Washington Examiner
For years, Iran's rulers have relied on repression to project stability. Yet, beneath that façade, the country faces a widening crisis of legitimacy. Rising prices, declining living standards, political repression, and the absence of meaningful avenues for change have fueled a growing sense that the existing order can neither address the public's grievances nor command public confidence.
The protest data from the Iranian year 1405 (March 20, 2025, to March 20, 2026) offers a revealing measure of these pressures. During that period, Iran witnessed 4,229 recorded protest events nationwide. The demonstrations were not confined to a particular city, profession, or social class. Workers, retirees, truck drivers, bakers, students, farmers, teachers, doctors, nurses, and other groups all entered the protest landscape. Compared with the previous reporting period, when 3,902 protests were recorded, the total increased by 327 events, or roughly 8.4%.
The significance of these figures extends beyond their scale. Iran's protests are no longer isolated labor disputes or temporary reactions to unpaid wages. They increasingly reflect a deeper structural crisis. The regime faces not merely dissatisfaction, but a population strained by economic decline, corruption, repression, and the steady erosion of public trust.
The most striking development came between Dec. 22, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2026, when 1,839 protests were recorded. Of these, 1,767 were classified as part of a nationwide uprising. The surge marked a transition from recurring sectoral demonstrations to a broader national mobilization, illustrating how accumulated grievances can rapidly converge into a political challenge to the state.
For much of the year, protests followed familiar patterns. Workers demanded unpaid wages, retirees sought adequate pensions, truck drivers protested operating costs, bakers struggled with mounting pressures in the food supply chain, students challenged restrictions and insecurity, and farmers confronted water shortages and economic distress. Viewed separately, these disputes appear localized. Taken together, they reveal a society under mounting strain.
Workers accounted for 744 protests, the largest recurring category outside the nationwide uprising. Retirees followed with 597. Other groups accounted for 490 protests; truck drivers for 204; bakers for 104; university students for 103; farmers for 66; teachers for 36; and doctors and nurses for 29 each. The breadth of this distribution is politically significant. It demonstrates that social discontent has spread across nearly every layer of Iranian society.
The economic context explains why. Basic survival has become increasingly difficult for millions of families. Bread prices, perhaps the most politically sensitive indicator of household stress in Iran, increased by an average of nearly 97% during the reporting period, effectively doubling the cost of a staple food relied upon by millions. Chicken and cooking oil, two other essential items, also experienced substantial price increases.
Government cuts to fuel subsidies and increases in transportation costs added further pressure to already-strained household budgets. Nominal wage increases failed to offset the broader squeeze. The minimum wage rose by about 60%, reaching approximately $89 per month at prevailing market exchange rates. Yet, Iran’s year-on-year inflation has reached 87.9%. Independent estimates placed the poverty line for a family of four between approximately $187 and $241 per month in medium-sized cities and $268 to $321 per month in Tehran. By contrast, many working households earn only $118 to $134 per month, leaving millions unable to cover even their most basic living expenses.
Yet, economic hardship alone does not explain the full picture. Poverty can produce despair, but protest under a dictatorship requires something more: defiance. Iranians are not protesting in a vacuum. They are protesting under conditions of surveillance, arrests, checkpoints, armed deployments, intimidation, imprisonment, and executions. The persistence of protest is therefore politically significant in itself.
The regime understands this. Its response has not been reform but deterrence. Following the January 2026 uprising, authorities deployed sweeping security measures designed to prevent renewed mobilization. Police and Basij forces increased their presence in urban centers. Checkpoints multiplied. Public spaces became heavily securitized. The message was clear: The state fears not only protests themselves, but the possibility that separate grievances may once again converge into a nationwide movement.
This is where organized resistance becomes relevant. The activities of the Mujahedin-e Khalq-affiliated Resistance Units, while not captured in the protest data, contribute to a broader atmosphere of defiance and demonstrate that organized opposition persists despite severe repression. This does not mean that every labor, pension, or livelihood protest is directed by the organized resistance. Rather, social anger and organized resistance increasingly coexist in the same political environment, reinforcing the regime's inability to restore genuine stability.
The December-January uprising should therefore be understood not as an isolated eruption, but as a warning. It emerged from a year of accumulated pressure, sustained protest, economic decline, and continuing resistance. It demonstrated that beneath everyday grievances lies a much deeper crisis of legitimacy. Increasingly, many Iranians are not merely demanding economic relief. They are rejecting the political order responsible for their hardship.
Iran today is a society on the brink. The ruling theocracy may still command the instruments of repression, but it no longer commands public confidence. A year that produced more than 4,200 protests and culminated in a nationwide uprising points to a reality the regime cannot suppress indefinitely. The question is no longer whether discontent exists. It clearly does. The more consequential question is how long a system sustained primarily through coercion can contain a population that has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to rise.
Ali Safavi, a sociologist by career, is an official with the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran. He is on X @amsafavi
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Khamenei isn’t preparing for war with Israel. He’s preparing for war with Iran
Mojtaba Khamenei’s Revolutionary Guard reshuffle reveals a paranoid Iranian regime preparing for war against its own society.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Mojtaba Khamenei isn’t preparing for war with Israel. He’s preparing for war with Iran
By Erfan Fard
Published August 12, 2026 6:00am ET
There are moments in the life of a political order when appointments cease to be administrative acts and become confessions. The men a regime elevates in an hour of uncertainty disclose what it fears, what it remembers, and what it believes the future will demand. The reconstruction of Iran’s military and security hierarchy under Mojtaba Khamenei belongs to such a moment.
The names now rising to the summit of power tell a story darker than the announcements that accompany them. He is not assembling reformers, administrators, younger officers, or men whose careers suggest accommodation with a changing society. He is reaching backward into the deepest strata of the Islamic Republic’s institutional memory: the Revolutionary Guard, the intelligence services, the apparatus of ideological discipline, and the machinery through which the state has learned to defend itself not only from enemies abroad, but from the society over which it rules.
The reshuffle extends across the General Staff, the Guard, its naval arm, and the Basij. War, assassination, and the loss of senior commanders have created vacancies that any state would be compelled to fill. But necessity does not abolish choice. Regimes reveal themselves not merely through the institutions they create, but through the human beings to whom they entrust those institutions when the stakes are greatest. The pattern in Tehran is unmistakable. The Islamic Republic is not preparing for adaptation. It is preparing for endurance — at a time when it sees danger everywhere: from Israel and the United States abroad, from economic decline and public anger at home, and from the possibility that its own accumulated failures may become more dangerous than any adversary.
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TheHippie
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I got you.
Mojtaba Khamenei isn’t preparing for war with Israel. He’s preparing for war with Iran
There are moments in the life of a political order when appointments cease to be administrative acts and become confessions. The men a regime elevates in an hour of uncertainty disclose what it fears, what it remembers, and what it believes the future will demand. The reconstruction of Iran’s military and security hierarchy under Mojtaba Khamenei belongs to such a moment.The names now rising to the summit of power tell a story darker than the announcements that accompany them. He is not assembling reformers, administrators, younger officers, or men whose careers suggest accommodation with a changing society. He is reaching backward into the deepest strata of the Islamic Republic’s institutional memory: the Revolutionary Guard, the intelligence services, the apparatus of ideological discipline, and the machinery through which the state has learned to defend itself not only from enemies abroad, but from the society over which it rules.
The reshuffle extends across the General Staff, the Guard, its naval arm, and the Basij. War, assassination, and the loss of senior commanders have created vacancies that any state would be compelled to fill. But necessity does not abolish choice. Regimes reveal themselves not merely through the institutions they create, but through the human beings to whom they entrust those institutions when the stakes are greatest. The pattern in Tehran is unmistakable. The Islamic Republic is not preparing for adaptation. It is preparing for endurance — at a time when it sees danger everywhere: from Israel and the United States abroad, from economic decline and public anger at home, and from the possibility that its own accumulated failures may become more dangerous than any adversary.
Ali Abdollahi, appointed chief of the General Staff, belongs to the revolutionary-security generation that emerged with the Islamic Republic itself. His career began in the institutions created after 1979 and continued within the newly formed Revolutionary Guard. His elevation is neither a generational transition nor an attempt at military modernization. It restores to the pinnacle of power a man shaped by the political logic of the revolutionary-security state: an order in which loyalty was not merely a virtue, but the essential condition of survival.
Kiumars Heydari, the new deputy chief of the General Staff, exposes another dimension of that order. His description of the Army Ground Forces’ role in suppressing the November 2019 protests as a “proud” mission was not simply harsh. It was morally revelatory. When a military commander speaks of crushing a popular uprising as an institutional achievement, he discloses a profound alteration in the relationship between army and nation. His later dismissal of protesters as “flies” made the underlying doctrine still clearer. The nation is no longer merely the object of defense. It has become an object of suspicion. The distinction between defending Iran and defending the regime — never wholly secure after the revolution — has become dangerously faint.
Ahmad Vahidi’s appointment to command the Revolutionary Guard belongs to the same pattern, though his significance extends beyond Iran’s borders. His career passes through intelligence work, unconventional warfare, and the external operations apparatus that developed into the Quds Force. Argentine prosecutors have accused him of involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people were killed, and Interpol issued a Red Notice in connection with the investigation. These are accusations, not a criminal conviction. Yet the political meaning of his elevation is clear enough. Tehran has placed at the head of its most powerful revolutionary military institution a man formed in the shadow world of intelligence and extraterritorial security.
Mustafa Izadi’s rise within the Revolutionary Guard and Ali Azmaei’s succession to the command of its navy may reflect the ordinary continuity of an old institution replacing its losses. Hossein Taeb’s return to lead the Basij is more revealing. Taeb’s path through the Revolutionary Guard, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the upper reaches of the Guards’ intelligence apparatus traces the regime’s most persistent anxieties: fear of infiltration, fear of dissent, fear of independent thought, and fear that a people long commanded to obey may one day refuse. Sanctioned by the U.S. for serious human-rights abuses and subjected to European restrictive measures over alleged rights violations, Taeb has become inseparable from the coercive history of the Islamic Republic. His return matters above all because of the institution he has been chosen to command.
The Basij is not merely a reserve force. It is woven into the texture of Iranian life: universities and workplaces, neighborhoods and schools, public ritual and political unrest. It is an instrument of ideological mobilization, surveillance, recruitment, intimidation, and repression. To place an experienced intelligence operator at its head is to make a confession without words. It suggests that Tehran no longer regards the domestic sphere merely as the ground beneath the state. It regards it as a battlefield. A regime secure in the loyalty of its citizens does not need to entrust one of its most seasoned security men with an organization designed, in part, to watch those citizens most closely.
Taken together, these appointments constitute more than a military hierarchy. They form an architecture of apprehension. Abdollahi represents the original revolutionary-security establishment; Heydari reflects the absorption of the regular armed forces into the doctrine of regime preservation; Vahidi embodies intelligence and asymmetric warfare; Taeb represents the fusion of ideology, surveillance, and domestic coercion. What emerges is not a system looking confidently toward a future, but one looking inward toward its wounds, its fears, and its unfinished wars.
The Islamic Republic has always understood itself as a besieged order. Its mythology was born from revolution, its institutions matured through war, and its legitimacy has long depended on the presence of enemies. But there is a difference between a state that confronts danger and a state that becomes organized by fear. The first can still imagine a future beyond crisis. The second begins to inhabit crisis, reproduce it, and finally require it. Tehran appears to be approaching that condition. Foreign pressure exposes internal weakness. Military setbacks weaken the aura of invulnerability. Economic decline produces public anger. Public anger justifies repression; repression enlarges the distance between state and society.
The defining quality of this new hierarchy is therefore not youth, imagination, or professional renewal. It is the concentration of loyalty, institutional memory, intelligence experience, ideological reliability, and coercive capacity. The regime is selecting these men not because they promise to make Iran secure in the larger and nobler sense of national security, but because they promise to make the ruling order secure against the consequences of its own vulnerability.
There is a cruel paradox in this apparent strength. The Islamic Republic has shown resilience: It has endured military and intelligence shocks, replaced lost commanders, and preserved the outer form of command. But resilience is not vitality. Again and again, Tehran reaches back to the same aging revolutionary-security generation. It can fill empty chairs, but it fills them from a narrowing circle of men judged sufficiently loyal, sufficiently ideological, and sufficiently safe. A state confident in its future develops successors. A state uncertain of its future summons the guardians of its past.
For Iranians, this is the deepest tragedy. Iran is an ancient civilization of immense human talent, cultural depth, and moral endurance. Its people have repeatedly asked for dignity, accountability, opportunity, and a normal relationship with the world. Yet the ruling order continues to entrust the country’s future to men shaped by institutions of fear. The tragedy is not simply that Iran is governed by a security state. It is that the security state has come to regard Iran itself — its youth, its women, its intellectuals, its restless cities, and its demand for a life beyond fear — as the danger from which it must be defended.
Khamenei is repairing a command structure damaged by war. But he is doing more than replacing commanders. He is constructing the machinery of his own rule: an old guard around a new ruler, military force joined to intelligence, ideology joined to surveillance, and the defense of the state increasingly indistinguishable from the repression of the society beneath it. These appointments do not merely tell us who may command Iran’s next war. They reveal whom Khamenei trusts when war abroad and fear at home become one and the same struggle.
Khamenei isn’t preparing for war with Israel. He’s preparing for war with Iran
Mojtaba Khamenei’s Revolutionary Guard reshuffle reveals a paranoid Iranian regime preparing for war against its own society.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Tehran brings back cleric behind 2009 protest crackdown to head its Basij militia
Story by Euronews PersiaHossein Taeb, the cleric who commanded the Basij during the 2009 crackdown on the Green Movement and led the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence service for 13 years, has been reappointed as head of the IRGC's militia.
The decision to bring back one of the Islamic Republic's most senior internal security figures to a frontline position in the early months of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's rule is part of a recent reshuffle among the Islamic Republic's political, military and security elites.
The appointment signals that the Tehran regime's new leadership is preparing for possible unrest at home, amid the ongoing war with the US and mounting economic pressure from sanctions.
Who is Hossein Taeb?
Taeb joined the IRGC as a teenager and later served in the Ministry of Intelligence before returning to the Guards.He became Basij commander in July 2008, less than a year before Iran's disputed presidential election triggered the mass demonstrations of June 2009 known as the Green Movement.
The Basij played a central role in the crackdown that followed. The US sanctioned Taeb in 2010 over his command responsibility for the violence, with the EU following suit in 2011.
In late 2009, he was appointed the first head of the newly created IRGC Intelligence Organisation.
He held that position for roughly 13 years, during which the body became one of the country's most powerful security institutions, at times competing with and frequently overshadowing the civilian Ministry of Intelligence.
Under his tenure, the organisation expanded into cases involving political opponents, journalists, environmental activists and dual nationals.
The most prominent operation associated with his time as IRGC intelligence chief was the capture and extradition of Ruhollah Zam, an Iranian dissident living in France who ran the popular Telegram channel Amad News.
The IRGC brought Zam to Iran in 2019. He was executed in 2020.
Taeb was replaced in June 2022 by Mohammad Kazemi and moved to an advisory role under the IRGC commander.
His removal followed a period of significant intelligence failures, including operations attributed to Israel that exposed serious weaknesses in Iran's counter-intelligence.
These included alleged penetrations of sensitive sites and the killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020 outside Tehran.
Iranian authorities never publicly confirmed those failures as the reason for his departure.
Taeb was not expelled from the security establishment, but was instead moved directly into another senior position.
Taeb and Mojtaba Khamenei are reported to have longstanding ties dating back to the Iran-Iraq War, during which both were associated with the Habib battalion of the IRGC's 27th Mohammad Rasulollah Division.
Networks formed at the time later became significant pathways to institutional advancement within Iran's security structure for the most loyal cadre.
His return to the Basij under Mojtaba Khamenei's leadership, rather than his retirement after the 2022 setback, suggests those ties remain close.
Why the Basij matters
The Basij maintains a presence in neighbourhoods, places of worship, universities and government offices and has been used to monitor citizens and communities, mobilise regime support and suppress protests.The order appointing Taeb emphasised expanding the Basij's "popular intelligence network," improving training and integrating new technologies — language that points to Tehran's renewed interest in its domestic surveillance.
Placing a veteran intelligence official in charge of the Basij could allow the force to shift from a body deployed reactively after protests erupt to one embedded in a broader system that detects and contains dissent before it spreads.
The choice of Taeb — who has moved from one top position to another within the security apparatus over four decades without being permanently removed from the establishment's core — also indicates that the IRGC, an elite paramilitary corps that answers directly to the ayatollah, remains crucial to decision-making in Tehran.
Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly accused him in 2018 of fabricating cases against political opponents, in a rare public dispute over power between the presidency and the IRGC intelligence apparatus.
During Hassan Rouhani's presidency, the IRGC intelligence service under Taeb openly challenged the civilian Ministry of Intelligence in several high-profile cases, in another shift in security and political power toward institutions directly linked to the ayatollah.
TheHippie
Veteran Member
UAE accuses Iran of attacks on two ADNOC vessels in Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates has condemned Iran for attacking two ships linked to the UAE’s national oil company in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) confirmed that “two of its vessels were attacked while transiting” the waterway on Thursday evening, adding that the situation was “brought under control”, Emirati media reported.
“The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement in the early hours of Friday.
No injuries were reported from the attack, the ministry added.
Iran did not immediately comment on the attack or the UAE’s claims.
The attack comes just days after the UAE reported a similar attack on an ADNOC tanker on Saturday.
Iran is continuing to uphold an effective blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and wants to charge users for passage. The United States fiercely opposes this plan and has instituted its own blockade on Iranian shipping.
Iran is currently in talks with Oman over arrangements for the strait’s future management.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has previously threatened action against any vessels transiting the strait if they are linked to Tehran’s adversaries, or if they fail to comply with Iranian directives.
The Emirati Foreign Ministry said attempts by Iran to use the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion amount to “piracy”, and constitute a “direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and the global energy supply”.
UAE accuses Iran of attacks on two ADNOC vessels in Strait of Hormuz
No injuries were reported in the attack, which the UAE called 'piracy' and a threat to global energy security.www.aljazeera.com
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, known by its acronym ADNOC, is the state-owned oil company of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's 12th largest oil company by production.
BREAKING: For the first time in the war, Iran used underwater drones in the attack last night on 2 UAE ADNOC oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, "for refusing to abide by the Iranian navigational instructions," a senior Iranian source in Tehran familiar with the attack says.
View: http://twitter.com/HormuzLetter/status/2088302347403276451?s=20
UAE Blames Iran for Drone Strikes on Two ADNOC Tankers in Strait of Hormuz
Two tankers affiliated with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) were struck by drones while sailing outbound through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday evening, and the United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for the strikes.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued two separate attack warnings after receiving reports from military authorities that tankers had been struck by unmanned aerial vehicles while conducting outbound transits of the Strait, and both vessels suffered minor damage with crews reported safe and accounted for.
ADNOC confirmed Thursday evening that two of its vessels were attacked and said the situations had been brought under control, while the UAE Foreign Ministry described the targeting of commercial shipping and use of the Strait as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail as “acts of piracy” by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Reuters reported that crude oil futures climbed over $1 a barrel on Friday on tanker attacks and a lack of progress on a peace agreement between the Trump administration and Iran's leadership, with Brent futures settling at $88.52 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate at $82.40.
UAE Condemns, Iran Silent
The UAE Foreign Ministry said it had “strongly condemned and denounced the hostile Iranian attack that targeted two vessels affiliated with ADNOC as they transited the Strait of Hormuz,” and it called the targeting a “flagrant violation” of the United Nations’ principles of freedom of navigation.Hindustan Times reported that Tehran did not immediately respond to the allegations, while the UKMTO said two vessels suffered minor damage after being attacked by drones while transiting the strategic waterway.
Iran International reported that the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned the attack as an “unacceptable escalation” and a serious violation of international law, and it said repeated attacks on shipping, facilities and property threatened regional security.
In parallel, Reuters quoted Andrew Lipow saying, “We're getting a rally going into the weekend after new attacks on tankers and lack of progress on a cease-fire agreement,” linking the market move to the continued incidents and stalled talks.
UAE Blames Iran for Drone Strikes on Two ADNOC Tankers in Strait of Hormuz: how 15 outlets framed it | NewsCord
Al Jazeera foregrounds Iran charging for passage; gCaptain stresses Iran-controlled routing risk. Compared across 15 outlets including Al Jazeera and gCaptain.
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"Pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States."
President Trump floats a dramatic move involving the strategically critical waterway as he says Iran is being "very badly defeated."
View: http://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2088358818023366698?s=20
rt :20
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEUR9FXRRFc
rt 1:05:26
BREAKING: Iran directly rejects Trump's new claim "pretty soon I'll be declaring Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States", saying "the Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech" and that "Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power," Iran's Deputy FM Gharibabadi says.
Gharibabadi adds "once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian; this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's command."
Gharibabadi concludes "as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade."
View: http://twitter.com/HormuzLetter/status/2088377124914643196
"The Strait of Hormuz can neither be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by executive order, nor by election speech," Gharibabadi said in a social media post.
"Iran is neither afraid of threats nor intimidated by displays of force," he added.
Addressing Trump directly, Gharibabadi said the U.S. should acknowledge what he described as strategic and heavy defeats against Iran.
"The Strait of Hormuz belonged to Iran, belongs to Iran and will belong to Iran," he said.
He added that the strait would be opened or closed only on Iran's orders and said Tehran would continue what he described as a blockade until the U.S. accepted what he called its defeat and abandoned its claims.
A day earlier, Trump also said in a social media post that the U.S. had "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz and that Washington believed it could maintain that control.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said the strait will not reopen as long as the U.S. continues what Tehran describes as interference in Hormuz, a naval blockade and failure to fulfill requirements under the June 17 memorandum signed between Tehran and Washington.
Zolfaghari said no vessel could pass through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's permission and supervision.
www.turkiyetoday.com
President Trump floats a dramatic move involving the strategically critical waterway as he says Iran is being "very badly defeated."
View: http://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2088358818023366698?s=20
rt :20
FULL SPEECH: Trump says Strait of Hormuz will be declared U.S. Territory during New York event
rt 1:05:26
BREAKING: Iran directly rejects Trump's new claim "pretty soon I'll be declaring Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States", saying "the Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech" and that "Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power," Iran's Deputy FM Gharibabadi says.
Gharibabadi adds "once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian; this strait will only be closed and opened under Iran's command."
Gharibabadi concludes "as long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and cease your fanciful delusions, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade."
View: http://twitter.com/HormuzLetter/status/2088377124914643196
Iran rejects Trump’s Hormuz claim, vows blockade will continue
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory, saying the strategic waterway could not be seized through threats, military deployments or political declarations."The Strait of Hormuz can neither be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by executive order, nor by election speech," Gharibabadi said in a social media post.
"Iran is neither afraid of threats nor intimidated by displays of force," he added.
Addressing Trump directly, Gharibabadi said the U.S. should acknowledge what he described as strategic and heavy defeats against Iran.
"The Strait of Hormuz belonged to Iran, belongs to Iran and will belong to Iran," he said.
He added that the strait would be opened or closed only on Iran's orders and said Tehran would continue what he described as a blockade until the U.S. accepted what he called its defeat and abandoned its claims.
Trump says US controls Hormuz
Trump said Friday that the U.S. Navy was enforcing a full blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and claimed that he would declare the waterway U.S. territory after Iran was "completely defeated."A day earlier, Trump also said in a social media post that the U.S. had "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz and that Washington believed it could maintain that control.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said the strait will not reopen as long as the U.S. continues what Tehran describes as interference in Hormuz, a naval blockade and failure to fulfill requirements under the June 17 memorandum signed between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian military rejects US control claim
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's top military body coordinating the war, also rejected Trump's claim Friday.Zolfaghari said no vessel could pass through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's permission and supervision.
Türkiye’s licensed electricity generation rises 6.51% in June - Türkiye Today
Number of electricity consumers rose by 2.56% in June compared with same month last year, reaching 52.51 million
www.turkiyetoday.com
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Tousi started the report I’m watching talking about the Saudi’s are now going after the Houthi’s in Yemen. That led to a related matter in Iran. The fuel shortage. It is now being reported that the Basij and lower level IRGC members are going to be busier than ever. They are being assigned guard duty at gas stations, to prevent any “unrest”.
EDIT: Videos of gas lines that make what happened here back in the 70’s look like a picnic. In one, a guy is sleeping next to his car. He’s first in line at an empty (read unopened yet) station and has been since midnight. He is waiting for 10 liters of gas. The line behind him stretches out of sight. It appears to be somewhere around 8 AM. But that’s just a guess. According to Tousi the man heard speaking in the video is asking the gov. how they can let this happen to the Iranian people.
ADDITIONAL: Now speaking financial problems. A picture was shown of supposedly the average meal the military is now getting. 2 Eggs, 1/2 Potato and a chunk of bread. They also haven’t been paid in months. Not good for the family guys. The money has been going to Hamas et al. Their loyalty is starting to be called into question for some reason.
EDIT: Videos of gas lines that make what happened here back in the 70’s look like a picnic. In one, a guy is sleeping next to his car. He’s first in line at an empty (read unopened yet) station and has been since midnight. He is waiting for 10 liters of gas. The line behind him stretches out of sight. It appears to be somewhere around 8 AM. But that’s just a guess. According to Tousi the man heard speaking in the video is asking the gov. how they can let this happen to the Iranian people.
ADDITIONAL: Now speaking financial problems. A picture was shown of supposedly the average meal the military is now getting. 2 Eggs, 1/2 Potato and a chunk of bread. They also haven’t been paid in months. Not good for the family guys. The money has been going to Hamas et al. Their loyalty is starting to be called into question for some reason.
Last edited:
All4liberty
Veteran Member
Facts about the strait and its future.
4:32 min
4:32 min
TheHippie
Veteran Member
JUST IN: The U.S. Navy has been forced to move its entire Gulf supply network to Diego Garcia, more than 2,200 miles away, after Iranian strike completely destroyed its main logistics hubs in Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman during the first days of the war, per The NYT.
Within days of the war's start, Iranian missiles and drones struck the Navy's main logistics hub in Bahrain, destroying decades of infrastructure. The attack forced the Navy to relocate its supply point to Diego Garcia, a British-controlled island nearly 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) from the Gulf of Oman.
The longer supply route has directly contributed to the severe shortages aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln — food, hygiene items, and basic supplies have become scarce, adding to the strain on a crew that has spent over 250 days at sea without a single liberty port.
Iran also reportedly fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia on March 20 — a clear message that even the backup hub is also within reach.
View: http://twitter.com/HormuzReport/status/2088609319994704208?s=20
The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln’s supply problems began soon after the first day of the war, as Iranian missiles and attack drones fell on a Navy base in Bahrain.
The Iranian attack, retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli assault on Tehran, destroyed much of the base. And as it went up in smoke, so did a major logistics hub that the Navy has relied on for decades.
The Navy needed a Plan B to continue feeding the sailors working around the clock to keep warplanes flying strike missions, and later to maintain a blockade of Iran’s ports.
With the threat of Iranian attacks at other ports in the region, the Pentagon looked to a base under British command on the island of Diego Garcia as its supply hub, which is south of the Maldives and roughly 2,200 miles from where two aircraft carrier strike groups have been operating in the Gulf of Oman.
The loss of the hub in Bahrain has contributed to a host of reported problems on carriers supporting operations against Iran, as Democratic senators raise concerns about the Lincoln’s 5,000 sailors and their nearly nine-month deployment.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the reported problems included shortages of basic supplies and the deteriorating mental health of its crew members.
On Friday at a military air base in Maryland, Mr. Trump dismissed those concerns. “That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another, very similar, ship,” he said.
The Lincoln’s replacement is the Japan-based carrier U.S.S. George Washington, which earlier this week was heading west through the Strait of Malacca in Indonesian waters en route to the Middle East.
Another carrier, the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, has been operating in the Middle East for months since deploying from Norfolk on March 31.
When asked if the carrier deployments were too long, the president said, “No, no, no, not nearly long enough.”
Mr. Hegseth had a similar response on Thursday when a reporter asked how long the United States could maintain its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We can hold it as long as we need to, indefinitely,” he replied.
At the war’s outset, Keir Starmer, then the British prime minister, denied the Pentagon access to Diego Garcia for use in the operation against Iran. That decision drew Mr. Trump’s ire, and Mr. Starmer ultimately relented on March 1, granting the U.S. military access to the island for what he described as a “specific and limited defensive purpose.”
A U.S. military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive logistics, said the Navy began using Diego Garcia as the main shipment point shortly after the Navy’s base in Bahrain was heavily damaged.
The use of Diego Garcia as the Navy’s new logistics hub may explain why Iran fired two medium-range ballistic missiles at the island on March 20.
One of the missiles fell into the Indian Ocean short of its target. A Navy warship shot down the other.
The San Diego-based Lincoln has been at sea for nearly nine months without what the Navy calls a “liberty port” — where sailors can get off the ship for a few days.
Bahrain is one of the two ports where U.S. aircraft carriers in the region have typically moored so their crews can get some downtime. The other, the Emirati port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, is also well within the range of Iranian missiles.
The Trump administration relied on yet another carrier, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, in the Caribbean for its pressure campaign against Venezuela and later extended its deployment to the Middle East to launch airstrikes against Iran. So far the war has seen the commitment of a significant portion of the Navy’s fleet of aircraft carriers, which will go down to 10 with the expected retirement of U.S.S. Nimitz next year.
While six months is the typical length of a Navy deployment at sea in peacetime, some carriers have done far longer stretches following the Sept. 11 attacks. The Ford’s 326-day deployment, however, broke the record for the longest by a carrier since the Vietnam War.
But in that war, carriers assigned to Yankee Station, a section of the Pacific off the coast of Vietnam, would often head to the Navy base at Subic Bay, Philippines — a short two-day transit away — where sailors could take a break from running nonstop flight operations and the ship could load up on ordnance, food, fuel and other necessary supplies.
By tradition and Navy regulation, the commanding officer of a warship can request a “beer day” for their crews when they have been at sea for 45 straight days or longer. Given the Lincoln’s time at sea, the crew would have been eligible for five beer days already.
A spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which covers naval operations in region and would authorize beer days, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday about whether any of the ships participating in the Iran war had requested them.
In an interview, Representative Mike Levin, Democrat of California, said that his constituents included sailors aboard the Lincoln, and that their family members had reached out to express their concerns about the deployment.
“It gets back to that big picture, which is: What is the mission here?” Mr. Levin said. “That’s what the families want to know.”
According to the report, the US Navy initially used the Bahrain base for supply operations in its offensive against Iran but was forced to change strategies following Tehran’s attacks on the base.
The US Navy decided to move its supply operations to the UK naval base on the island of Diego Garcia, which the NYT noted sits over 3,500 kilometers from the two US carrier strike groups operating in the Gulf of Oman.
The NYT attributed the base change to a direct impact on the supply problems currently facing the USS Abraham Lincoln, which, according to US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), include shortages, water contamination, and several other issues that have arisen over the past months.
Blumenthal, a US Marine Corps Reserve veteran, sent a letter to Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday demanding a formal inquiry into the conditions aboard the US Abraham Lincoln.
“The Lincoln’s extended deployment raises broader questions about the navy’s ability to sustainably generate carrier forces while preserving service member well-being, maintenance, schedules, fleet readiness, and the capacity to respond to future contingencies,” Blumenthal wrote.
CENTCOM denies ship crew members attempted to jump off
Further concerns regard the ship’s crew amid reports that several have attempted to jump off the aircraft carrier, facing deteriorating mental health, as well as hygiene and safety issues, claims that US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied in an X/Twitter post on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump dismissed the concerns later on Friday, and the NYT quoted him as saying that the ship’s deployment length is “not nearly long enough.”
According to the NYT, a reporter asked Trump whether the crew’s families are concerned, and he replied, “No, they’re not,” adding that the carrier would soon be relieved by “another very similar ship.”
www.jpost.com
Within days of the war's start, Iranian missiles and drones struck the Navy's main logistics hub in Bahrain, destroying decades of infrastructure. The attack forced the Navy to relocate its supply point to Diego Garcia, a British-controlled island nearly 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) from the Gulf of Oman.
The longer supply route has directly contributed to the severe shortages aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln — food, hygiene items, and basic supplies have become scarce, adding to the strain on a crew that has spent over 250 days at sea without a single liberty port.
Iran also reportedly fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia on March 20 — a clear message that even the backup hub is also within reach.
View: http://twitter.com/HormuzReport/status/2088609319994704208?s=20
Navy Carrier’s Problems Are Tied to Attacks on U.S. Base Early in War
Diego Garcia, a tiny island 2,200 miles from the Gulf of Oman, took over as the Navy’s logistics hub after Iran damaged a base in Bahrain.The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln’s supply problems began soon after the first day of the war, as Iranian missiles and attack drones fell on a Navy base in Bahrain.
The Iranian attack, retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli assault on Tehran, destroyed much of the base. And as it went up in smoke, so did a major logistics hub that the Navy has relied on for decades.
The Navy needed a Plan B to continue feeding the sailors working around the clock to keep warplanes flying strike missions, and later to maintain a blockade of Iran’s ports.
With the threat of Iranian attacks at other ports in the region, the Pentagon looked to a base under British command on the island of Diego Garcia as its supply hub, which is south of the Maldives and roughly 2,200 miles from where two aircraft carrier strike groups have been operating in the Gulf of Oman.
The loss of the hub in Bahrain has contributed to a host of reported problems on carriers supporting operations against Iran, as Democratic senators raise concerns about the Lincoln’s 5,000 sailors and their nearly nine-month deployment.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the reported problems included shortages of basic supplies and the deteriorating mental health of its crew members.
On Friday at a military air base in Maryland, Mr. Trump dismissed those concerns. “That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another, very similar, ship,” he said.
The Lincoln’s replacement is the Japan-based carrier U.S.S. George Washington, which earlier this week was heading west through the Strait of Malacca in Indonesian waters en route to the Middle East.
Another carrier, the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, has been operating in the Middle East for months since deploying from Norfolk on March 31.
When asked if the carrier deployments were too long, the president said, “No, no, no, not nearly long enough.”
Mr. Hegseth had a similar response on Thursday when a reporter asked how long the United States could maintain its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We can hold it as long as we need to, indefinitely,” he replied.
At the war’s outset, Keir Starmer, then the British prime minister, denied the Pentagon access to Diego Garcia for use in the operation against Iran. That decision drew Mr. Trump’s ire, and Mr. Starmer ultimately relented on March 1, granting the U.S. military access to the island for what he described as a “specific and limited defensive purpose.”
A U.S. military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive logistics, said the Navy began using Diego Garcia as the main shipment point shortly after the Navy’s base in Bahrain was heavily damaged.
The use of Diego Garcia as the Navy’s new logistics hub may explain why Iran fired two medium-range ballistic missiles at the island on March 20.
One of the missiles fell into the Indian Ocean short of its target. A Navy warship shot down the other.
The San Diego-based Lincoln has been at sea for nearly nine months without what the Navy calls a “liberty port” — where sailors can get off the ship for a few days.
Bahrain is one of the two ports where U.S. aircraft carriers in the region have typically moored so their crews can get some downtime. The other, the Emirati port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, is also well within the range of Iranian missiles.
The Trump administration relied on yet another carrier, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, in the Caribbean for its pressure campaign against Venezuela and later extended its deployment to the Middle East to launch airstrikes against Iran. So far the war has seen the commitment of a significant portion of the Navy’s fleet of aircraft carriers, which will go down to 10 with the expected retirement of U.S.S. Nimitz next year.
While six months is the typical length of a Navy deployment at sea in peacetime, some carriers have done far longer stretches following the Sept. 11 attacks. The Ford’s 326-day deployment, however, broke the record for the longest by a carrier since the Vietnam War.
But in that war, carriers assigned to Yankee Station, a section of the Pacific off the coast of Vietnam, would often head to the Navy base at Subic Bay, Philippines — a short two-day transit away — where sailors could take a break from running nonstop flight operations and the ship could load up on ordnance, food, fuel and other necessary supplies.
By tradition and Navy regulation, the commanding officer of a warship can request a “beer day” for their crews when they have been at sea for 45 straight days or longer. Given the Lincoln’s time at sea, the crew would have been eligible for five beer days already.
A spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which covers naval operations in region and would authorize beer days, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday about whether any of the ships participating in the Iran war had requested them.
In an interview, Representative Mike Levin, Democrat of California, said that his constituents included sailors aboard the Lincoln, and that their family members had reached out to express their concerns about the deployment.
“It gets back to that big picture, which is: What is the mission here?” Mr. Levin said. “That’s what the families want to know.”
USS Abraham Lincoln's supply issues stem from Iran's Bahrain naval base attacks - report
The supply issues plaguing the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier stem from Iranian drone and missile attacks on a naval base in Bahrain early in the US-Iran war, The New York Times reported on Friday.According to the report, the US Navy initially used the Bahrain base for supply operations in its offensive against Iran but was forced to change strategies following Tehran’s attacks on the base.
The US Navy decided to move its supply operations to the UK naval base on the island of Diego Garcia, which the NYT noted sits over 3,500 kilometers from the two US carrier strike groups operating in the Gulf of Oman.
The NYT attributed the base change to a direct impact on the supply problems currently facing the USS Abraham Lincoln, which, according to US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), include shortages, water contamination, and several other issues that have arisen over the past months.
Blumenthal, a US Marine Corps Reserve veteran, sent a letter to Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday demanding a formal inquiry into the conditions aboard the US Abraham Lincoln.
“The Lincoln’s extended deployment raises broader questions about the navy’s ability to sustainably generate carrier forces while preserving service member well-being, maintenance, schedules, fleet readiness, and the capacity to respond to future contingencies,” Blumenthal wrote.
CENTCOM denies ship crew members attempted to jump off
Further concerns regard the ship’s crew amid reports that several have attempted to jump off the aircraft carrier, facing deteriorating mental health, as well as hygiene and safety issues, claims that US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied in an X/Twitter post on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump dismissed the concerns later on Friday, and the NYT quoted him as saying that the ship’s deployment length is “not nearly long enough.”
According to the NYT, a reporter asked Trump whether the crew’s families are concerned, and he replied, “No, they’re not,” adding that the carrier would soon be relieved by “another very similar ship.”
US carrier supply issues stem from Iran's missile, drone attacks on Bahrain base | The Jerusalem Post
Concerns regard the ship's crew amid reports that several have attempted to jump off the aircraft carrier, facing deteriorating mental health, as well as hygiene and safety issues.
www.jpost.com
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Iran Demands Release of Three Pilots Allegedly Captured by Qatar During US-Iran War
Iran has raised serious concerns regarding the fate of three Iranian pilots, alleging that they were captured by Qatar following an incident involving their fighter jets during a military operation at the beginning of the ongoing US-Iran war. In a formal communication to Mirjana Spoljaric, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Brigadier General Mohammad Bagherzadeh outlined that the pilots—identified as Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian—have reportedly been imprisoned for the past six months.The letter detailed a tragic incident that occurred on March 2, 2026, during which a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was killed, and his body was subsequently returned to Iran. General Bagherzadeh contended that the three surviving pilots were taken captive after ejecting from their aircraft during the operation at a Qatari military base. He accused Qatar of violating their rights as prisoners, asserting that such actions contravene international laws and regulations. Notably, he claimed that the pilots have been denied the opportunity to connect or communicate with their families.
In response to these allegations, Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Majed Mohammed Al Ansari, categorically denied Iran’s claims and expressed surprise at what he termed “misleading statements.” Al Ansari explained that contact had been established with the pilots after they allegedly crossed into Qatari airspace but noted that no response was received from them.
He reiterated that Qatar had adhered to international law while taking the necessary measures to defend its territory. Additionally, he highlighted that Qatar’s search and rescue teams performed their obligations thoroughly, diligently searching for the remains of the pilots. Al Ansari mentioned that Qatar had reached out to Iran to facilitate the handover of the remains of Kazemi and indicated that Tehran had not yet responded to proposals for reviewing the details surrounding the search and rescue operation.
This incident underscores the ongoing tensions in the region and reflects the complex dynamics between Qatar and Iran amid an atmosphere of military confrontation. As both nations present conflicting narratives, the international community continues to watch closely how this situation will evolve.
Iran Demands Release of Three Pilots Allegedly Captured by Qatar During US-Iran War - SSBCrack News
Iran has raised serious concerns regarding the fate of three Iranian pilots, alleging that they were captured by Qatar following an incident involving their
news.ssbcrack.com
Qatar denies capturing three Iranian pilots after downing fighter jets
Iran has called for the release of three Iranian pilots it said were captured by Qatar after two fighter jets were hit by air defences during a military operation at the start of the US-Iran war.In a letter to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Iran's Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh said the pilots - Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian - had been held captive for six months.
He said the body of a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was returned after he was killed in the same operation on 2 March 2026 - the third day of the war.
Qatar "categorically denied" Iran's claims and said it was "surprised by these misleading statements".
Gen Bagherzadeh said the three pilots had been captured by Qatar after they ejected from their jets during the combat mission on a Qatari military base.
In the letter to ICRC chief Mirjana Spoljaric, published by Iranian media, he accused Qatar of violating "the inalienable rights of these prisoners, contrary to all international laws and regulations".
The letter also claimed the three pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.
Qatar's foreign affairs spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said contact had been made with the pilots "after they violated Qatari airspace", but it did not receive a response.
"The necessary measures were taken to defend our territory in accordance with international law," he added in a statement on X.
Al Ansari said Qatar's search and rescue teams "carried out their duties to the fullest extent in searching for the pilots' remains".
He said Qatar contacted Iran to "co-ordinate the handover of the remains of one of the pilots that were recovered", and that Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of the search and rescue operation.
Qatar denies capturing three Iranian pilots after downing fighter jets
Iran claims they have been held since Qatar downed two fighter jets at the start of the US-Iran war.
www.bbc.com
day late
money? whats that?
With regards to the above. Tousi is currently pointing out that there is a difference between being captured BY Qatar and captured IN Qatar by other forces, such as the U.S.Iran Demands Release of Three Pilots Allegedly Captured by Qatar During US-Iran War
Iran has raised serious concerns regarding the fate of three Iranian pilots, alleging that they were captured by Qatar following an incident involving their fighter jets during a military operation at the beginning of the ongoing US-Iran war. In a formal communication to Mirjana Spoljaric, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Brigadier General Mohammad Bagherzadeh outlined that the pilots—identified as Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian—have reportedly been imprisoned for the past six months.
The letter detailed a tragic incident that occurred on March 2, 2026, during which a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was killed, and his body was subsequently returned to Iran. General Bagherzadeh contended that the three surviving pilots were taken captive after ejecting from their aircraft during the operation at a Qatari military base. He accused Qatar of violating their rights as prisoners, asserting that such actions contravene international laws and regulations. Notably, he claimed that the pilots have been denied the opportunity to connect or communicate with their families.
In response to these allegations, Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Majed Mohammed Al Ansari, categorically denied Iran’s claims and expressed surprise at what he termed “misleading statements.” Al Ansari explained that contact had been established with the pilots after they allegedly crossed into Qatari airspace but noted that no response was received from them.
He reiterated that Qatar had adhered to international law while taking the necessary measures to defend its territory. Additionally, he highlighted that Qatar’s search and rescue teams performed their obligations thoroughly, diligently searching for the remains of the pilots. Al Ansari mentioned that Qatar had reached out to Iran to facilitate the handover of the remains of Kazemi and indicated that Tehran had not yet responded to proposals for reviewing the details surrounding the search and rescue operation.
This incident underscores the ongoing tensions in the region and reflects the complex dynamics between Qatar and Iran amid an atmosphere of military confrontation. As both nations present conflicting narratives, the international community continues to watch closely how this situation will evolve.
Iran Demands Release of Three Pilots Allegedly Captured by Qatar During US-Iran War - SSBCrack News
Iran has raised serious concerns regarding the fate of three Iranian pilots, alleging that they were captured by Qatar following an incident involving their
Qatar denies capturing three Iranian pilots after downing fighter jets
Iran has called for the release of three Iranian pilots it said were captured by Qatar after two fighter jets were hit by air defences during a military operation at the start of the US-Iran war.
In a letter to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Iran's Brig Gen Mohammad Bagherzadeh said the pilots - Javad Salehi, Abdul Majid Dashtian, and Imran Behroshian - had been held captive for six months.
He said the body of a fourth pilot, Majid Kazemi, was returned after he was killed in the same operation on 2 March 2026 - the third day of the war.
Qatar "categorically denied" Iran's claims and said it was "surprised by these misleading statements".
Gen Bagherzadeh said the three pilots had been captured by Qatar after they ejected from their jets during the combat mission on a Qatari military base.
In the letter to ICRC chief Mirjana Spoljaric, published by Iranian media, he accused Qatar of violating "the inalienable rights of these prisoners, contrary to all international laws and regulations".
The letter also claimed the three pilots had not been allowed to meet or contact their families.
Qatar's foreign affairs spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al Ansari said contact had been made with the pilots "after they violated Qatari airspace", but it did not receive a response.
"The necessary measures were taken to defend our territory in accordance with international law," he added in a statement on X.
Al Ansari said Qatar's search and rescue teams "carried out their duties to the fullest extent in searching for the pilots' remains".
He said Qatar contacted Iran to "co-ordinate the handover of the remains of one of the pilots that were recovered", and that Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of the search and rescue operation.
Qatar denies capturing three Iranian pilots after downing fighter jets
Iran claims they have been held since Qatar downed two fighter jets at the start of the US-Iran war.
All4liberty
Veteran Member
Perhaps further confirmation that close to 9 million barrels of oil are coming through the strait along with the 5-7 million barrels coming through the pipelines for a total of over 15 million barrels a day. Iran is getting zero oil out through the strait.
For those interesting in truth U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is priced at $82.40 per barrel.
Javier Blas is a chief energy correspondent and opinion columnist for Bloomberg News, based in London. 3:16 minutes
Vicotoria Coates - former deputy National Security Advisor 58 minutes.
For those interesting in truth U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is priced at $82.40 per barrel.
Javier Blas is a chief energy correspondent and opinion columnist for Bloomberg News, based in London. 3:16 minutes
For Oil Markets, the Strait of Hormuz Isn’t Closed Says Blas
Vicotoria Coates - former deputy National Security Advisor 58 minutes.
All4liberty
Veteran Member
Wildweasel
F-4 Phantoms Phorever
It could also be the work of just one serviceman as well. Looks like a KC-135. I doubt any crew chief would be letting people scrawl those sorts of remarks on "their" plane. So either it was him (her) or someone who wrote the comments with the crew chief's approval.
I'll say that since this photo is published, there will be repercussions and a crew chief can kiss their ass goodbye or the entire flightline workforce is going to endure a witch hunt to find the perpetrator(s). In fact, there's a good chance the photo came out after being taken as part of such an investigation.
I have to wonder if a very irate crew chief blew the whistle on this or a pilot aghast at finding it on the plane he was supposed to fly?
Plain Jane
Just Plain Jane
Kushner sits with Netanyahu to talk Gaza after 2-hour meeting with Hamas
Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the premier rejected the U.S.-backed road map to move the truce deal forward in Gaza.
apnews.com
Kushner sits with Netanyahu to talk Gaza after 2-hour meeting with Hamas
By JULIA FRANKEL and SAMY MAGDY
Updated 4:48 AM EDT, August 17, 2026
Leer en español
3
JERUSALEM (AP) — Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was meeting Monday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the premier rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the truce deal forward in Gaza.In the latest round of meetings, the U.S. is angling for Israel’s approval of the road map. There is a lot at stake, including the lives of some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, the reconstruction of the demolished enclave and future control over the territory.
Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to sign on as well. But Israel, which under the road map must withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal will occur.
Israeli troops occupy about 60% of the strip and Netanyahu has previously threatened to advance.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov were also in the meeting with Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting.
Meeting follows Kushner conversation with Hamas
The meeting comes after Kushner spent over two hours meeting Sunday with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on disarmament, according to a regional official and a Hamas official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.Officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also were there.
The Hamas official also said the Hamas leader demanded Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” dividing the territory before beginning implementation.
The yellow line was never precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60% of Gaza. In May, Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.”
Regional neighbors increase pressure on Israel
Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map, saying, “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators.The foreign ministers’ statement called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. to take “immediate and concrete measures” to keep any party from obstructing the plan’s implementation.
Israel had no immediate response.
The White House referred questions about Kushner’s meetings to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute also did not comment.
Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. The committee has not yet entered Gaza.
But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state and the road map entails the creation of a “credible pathway toward achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” something Israel’s current government rejects.
Until the road map is agreed to, other elements of the ceasefire are on hold, including reconstruction and the deployment of international forces to separate Israeli forces from committee-controlled areas.
Netanyahu faces a challenging election on Oct. 27 as he tries to hold onto power with a coalition that includes ministers taking a harsh line on Gaza and it’s not clear whether he will take decisive steps on the ceasefire before then.
Also coming up is the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war.
___
Frankel reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo. Collin Binkley in Washington and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.
day late
money? whats that?
I'm no expert, but I'd say at least two. the letter Y is written in two different styles in two different places.
OK, guys...STOP the chatter and take it to the other thread!
Summerthyme
Summerthyme
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Kushner sits with Netanyahu to talk Gaza after 2-hour meeting with Hamas
Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the premier rejected the U.S.-backed road map to move the truce deal forward in Gaza.
Kushner sits with Netanyahu to talk Gaza after 2-hour meeting with Hamas
By JULIA FRANKEL and SAMY MAGDY
Updated 4:48 AM EDT, August 17, 2026
Leer en español
3
JERUSALEM (AP) — Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was meeting Monday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the premier rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the truce deal forward in Gaza.
In the latest round of meetings, the U.S. is angling for Israel’s approval of the road map. There is a lot at stake, including the lives of some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, the reconstruction of the demolished enclave and future control over the territory.
Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to sign on as well. But Israel, which under the road map must withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal will occur.
Israeli troops occupy about 60% of the strip and Netanyahu has previously threatened to advance.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov were also in the meeting with Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting.
Meeting follows Kushner conversation with Hamas
The meeting comes after Kushner spent over two hours meeting Sunday with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on disarmament, according to a regional official and a Hamas official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
Officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also were there.
The Hamas official also said the Hamas leader demanded Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” dividing the territory before beginning implementation.
The yellow line was never precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60% of Gaza. In May, Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.”
Regional neighbors increase pressure on Israel
Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map, saying, “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators.
The foreign ministers’ statement called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. to take “immediate and concrete measures” to keep any party from obstructing the plan’s implementation.
Israel had no immediate response.
The White House referred questions about Kushner’s meetings to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute also did not comment.
Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. The committee has not yet entered Gaza.
But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state and the road map entails the creation of a “credible pathway toward achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” something Israel’s current government rejects.
Until the road map is agreed to, other elements of the ceasefire are on hold, including reconstruction and the deployment of international forces to separate Israeli forces from committee-controlled areas.
Netanyahu faces a challenging election on Oct. 27 as he tries to hold onto power with a coalition that includes ministers taking a harsh line on Gaza and it’s not clear whether he will take decisive steps on the ceasefire before then.
Also coming up is the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war.
___
Frankel reported from Jerusalem and Magdy from Cairo. Collin Binkley in Washington and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.
Kushner, Blair, BoP head Mladenov meet Hamas delegation in Cairo over Gaza roadmap, sources say
US envoy Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and Gazan Board of Peace (BoP) Director-General Nikolay Mladenov met with a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the implementation of the BoP’s 15-point roadmap for the Gaza Strip, a source familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post.The source said that the objective of the meeting was to translate the steps outlined in Mladenov’s roadmap into concrete, verifiable actions aimed at maintaining the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and removing Hamas from power in Gaza.
The meeting also covered the transfer of all governing responsibilities in the Strip to the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), as well as the deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF).
According to the source, the US and Hamas delegations also discussed the decommissioning of Hamas weapons and terror infrastructure, IDF withdrawal, and reconstruction and humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.
The source told the Post that “there can be no ambiguity: Hamas must relinquish governing authority and all weapons and military infrastructure. And Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel.”
Kushner, Mladenov, Blair to meet with Netanyahu over Gaza future
Additionally, Kushner, Mladenov, and Blair will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials on Monday, with the aim of advancing Trump’s 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip.“The United States and Israel agree on the end state, which is a demilitarized Hamas. We will hear the concerns raised and discuss the next steps. What matters is that both sides agree on the desired outcome and are working to find ways to accelerate progress,” a BoP source told the Post.
The council maintains that there are “no significant gaps” between the BoP and Israel and that it is possible to reach a point where the process moves to the next stage of the plan, namely the disarmament of Hamas.
“Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point document on Gaza. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed,” Netanyahu said last week.
In recent days, Israel resumed targeted killings in the Gaza Strip after halting them for several days.
Israeli officials said that Hamas not only failed to use the period during which the targeted killings were suspended to prepare for the disarmament process but, instead, used it to further strengthen its military capabilities.
Kushner reportedly thanked Hamas for returning bodies, pushed back on complaints about strikes
The meeting between the parties was "very productive," Axios reported Sunday evening citing a source with direct knowledge.The Hamas delegation asked Kushner to tell Trump that the terrorist group remains committed to disarming, the report said.
"We thanked them for the commitment, but we want to see real efforts and not just words," the source added. "It was important for Kushner to lock them into this commitment in person."
Kushner also thanked Hamas leaders for cooperation in returning the bodies of dead hostages to Israel, and the Hamas leaders thanked the White House for its help in improving the Gaza Strip's humanitarian situation, Axios reported.
"Kushner stressed to Hamas leaders that the bar is high because the Israeli side doesn't trust them to actually disarm," Axios' source said. "Kushner told them there is no room for negotiations on the disarmament, but if they show real steps the US will do its best to make sure Israel takes steps of its own."
Furthermore, the source told Axios that Kushner pushed back on Hamas' complaints about continued Israeli strikes.
Trump announced Board of Peace agreement in July
Trump announced that the BoP had reached a “historic” agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza at the end of July.He added that the agreement marks a “critical step toward Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people.”
“At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”
According to Trump, the agreement will be carried out in “carefully structured phases.”
A Board of Peace official at the time had told the Post that while Hamas had many concerns regarding the deal, it and other Palestinian factions had agreed to the entire proposed outline for the first time.
About a week later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected the plan during a cabinet meeting, affirming that “the IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.”
Hamas meets Jared Kushner, Board of Peace delegation for Gaza talks in Cairo | The Jerusalem Post
Hamas, US, and Board of Peace delegations discuss disarmament, decommissioning of terror infrastructure • Talks also included IDF withdrawal and Gaza's reconstruction, source tells 'Post'
www.jpost.com
Isaac Herzog: Today, I met at the President's Residence in Jerusalem with the U.S. Special Envoy, Jared Kushner, with the CEO of the Peace Council, Nikolai Mladenov, and with their teams.
I am full of appreciation for U.S. President Trump, for Jared Kushner, for Nikolai Mladenov, and for their teams, who are working to advance the next stages in Gaza based on President Trump's 20-point plan.
I was impressed that Israel's security interest is an important and central component in the plan, and I emphasized that the next stages must ensure the security of the State of Israel and its citizens, and bring stability and a better future for all the peoples in the region.
I congratulated the teams on their work and encouraged them to continue acting for a better and safer future for the residents of Israel, the residents of Gaza, and the entire region.
View: http://twitter.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/2089360059532795945?s=20
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TheHippie
Veteran Member
Iran’s Secret Plan to Escalate the War
Aug. 16, 2026 9:00 pm ETIntercepted communications and other intelligence suggest a strategic shift by hard-line leaders to raise the costs for the U.S. and its regional allies
After President Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran in mid-June, administration officials fanned out to build support for an agreement they hoped would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and start winding down the war.
Iran’s hard-line leaders huddled in Tehran and came up with a different plan, according to Iranian and Arab officials. In their view the pact was likely just an attempt by the U.S. and Israel to take pressure off the global economy and buy time for a bigger attack down the road. Instead of putting faith in talks, they took the past two months to prepare for a bigger fight.
Their efforts include giving the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps more control of the country’s regular army, appointing hardened veterans of the war with Iraq and past internal crackdowns to key posts, expanding domestic counterintelligence operations and ramping up production of missiles and drones. The leadership quickly seized the initiative, attacking ships to tighten Iran’s grip on Hormuz and expanding the battlefield to the Red Sea, which Saudi Arabia has used to get around Iran’s chokehold on the Persian Gulf.
Arab intelligence officials have picked up evidence—including communications between Iran and militia allies in countries such as Yemen and Iraq—of a strategic shift inside the country’s hard-line leadership to get their forces ready to widen the war and raise the costs for the U.S., officials familiar with the findings say. Alarming weaker Gulf countries like Kuwait, Iran’s leaders are increasingly talking about offensive operations on enemy territory.
Their overriding goal is to inflict enough pain to ensure the kind of attacks Iran has endured with the 12-day war last year and the continuing conflict aren’t repeated.
“There is also a widespread view in Iran that the main war has not yet begun,” said Mohammad Hassan Sangtarash, a Tehran-based defense analyst close to the Iranian government. “What we have seen so far is increasingly interpreted through the lens of ‘salami-slicing’ tactics—limited, incremental escalation designed to weaken capabilities before a larger confrontation.”
The Iranian preparations point to an enormous gulf between how Washington and Tehran are perceiving this stage of the war. The divergence has driven a hard-line negotiating stance and reluctance to close deals by Iran’s leaders that has persistently flummoxed Trump, who has called them crazy and accused them of lying.
Iran’s readiness to fight also highlights a deep lack of trust that is likely to keep the two sides from reaching a durable deal to end the conflict any time soon.
Iran’s proclamations include plenty of bravado. The country’s military and economic base have been battered by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. More pragmatic members of the leadership including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have repeatedly warned Iran needs to negotiate a deal to end the war that brings sanctions relief or face the collapse of its economy.
But Iran is rebuilding its infrastructure and restoring access to missile bases much more quickly than expected, a concern to Israeli officials who are familiar with the progress. It also has successfully targeted U.S. bases and retains enough firepower to threaten ships and Gulf energy infrastructure. Arab officials are bracing for continued fighting and an extended disruption of energy supplies.
For the regime, “the baseline is war,” said Alan Eyre, a former senior U.S. diplomat and nuclear negotiator with Iran. “Iran will remain on a wartime footing, preparing for a subsequent attack.”
When Trump signed the memorandum of understanding with Iran on June 17 at the French palace of Versailles, it looked like the biggest hurdle would be convincing American critics that it wasn’t overly generous to Tehran.
The deal promised sanctions waivers to let Iran sell its oil, access to billions of dollars in frozen cash and the prospect of a $300 billion fund to rebuild the country. Iran’s main obligation was to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic and then negotiate in good faith on its nuclear program.
When Iran started shooting at ships the U.S. was guiding through the strait three weeks later in early July, it caught the U.S. by surprise.
“The very dangerous people from Iran, they’re sick,” said Trump, who also called Iran’s leaders scum. “There’s something wrong with them.”
In fact Iran was pursuing a two-track policy. While his diplomats pursued a peace deal with the U.S., Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei was taking steps to prepare the security apparatus for an expanded confrontation that may be initiated by Tehran itself.
The Revolutionary Guard used the calm created by the memorandum of understanding to lay the groundwork with allied militias around the region to step up attacks if needed, sending advisers to Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon to discuss the plans, the officials familiar with recent Arab intelligence findings said.
The intelligence including intercepted communications showed the Revolutionary Guard sending commanders to areas controlled by Yemen’s Houthis to plan for a stepped-up confrontation with Saudi Arabia in coordination with Iraqi militias that also are backed by Iran.
The Revolutionary Guard supervised deployments of missiles, naval weapons and drone launchers to positions overlooking the Red Sea. It also provided the Yemeni militants with intelligence, target lists including Saudi ports and energy facilities, and advice on sheltering from Saudi retaliation, the officials said.
The result was fighting that escalated through late July. The Houthis struck Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and declared the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that links the Red Sea to world markets closed to Saudi Arabia. The militant group has fired on Saudi ships, complicating the kingdom’s efforts to export its oil and raising the supply risks for global markets.
Around the same time, Saudi Arabia said Iran-backed militias in Iraq had launched drone attacks on its oil facilities.
The Revolutionary Guard threatened Gulf states that it would destroy their energy facilities if the U.S. were to hit similar sites in Iran—going as far as sending detailed lists of individual targets to its Arab counterparts, the officials said.
Iran also escalated its attacks on American troops. Tehran surprised the U.S. by firing five ballistic missiles at Jordan during a lull in the conflict. The attack came two weeks after another Iranian strike in Jordan killed three U.S. servicemembers.
Officials in the Gulf grew more alarmed as they watched the scope of attacks grow and Iranian missiles evade U.S. defenses and hit targets more precisely in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. The fighting spilled into August, with Iran striking six United Arab Emirates ships over the past two weeks as they tried to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
“We took full advantage of the ceasefire period,” Revolutionary Guard spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi said in an interview with the Guard-affiliated Tasnim news agency in July. “We enhanced our capabilities, accelerated our missile production rate and improved missile accuracy.”
Behind the scenes, Supreme Leader Khamenei was positioning his forces for a more aggressive fight, lining up seven key security leaders to run revamped military and repression institutions in a reorganization that was unveiled a week ago.
The appointments came with aggressive goals that included tightening the military chain of command, turning an ideological militia into a neighborhood intelligence agency and emphasizing an offensive approach.
Mohsen Rezaei, who led the Revolutionary Guard during the war with Iraq in the 1980s, was named secretary of Iran’s top decision-making body, the Supreme National Security Council, where he will be Khamenei’s representative. In the past week, the council squelched progress on a deal to gradually open Hormuz.
To step up internal security, Khamenei returned veteran Hossein Taeb, a close associate who led a deadly crackdown on protests in 2009, to the helm of the Basij. The supreme leader tasked him with pivoting the volunteer force into a “popular intelligence network” in the wake of two wars that showed how thoroughly Iran had been breached by Israeli intelligence.
Iranian government advisers see the next stage of the confrontation going beyond conventional warfare to include external attempts to foster domestic unrest. The government brutally suppressed protests over the country’s economic crisis in January and fears it’s only a matter of time before the continued deterioration under U.S. pressure brings demonstrators back to the street.
Khamenei also consolidated Revolutionary Guard influence over the regular army by unifying control of the two military arms under Brig. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, a veteran Revolutionary Guard senior commander and military leader who has aggressively advocated attacks on Arab states hosting U.S. bases around the Persian Gulf.
New Revolutionary Guard Commander in Chief Ahmad Vahidi—who has been unofficially on the job since March—was formally given the position and tasked with “powerful offensive operations against the enemy,” the decree appointing him said Monday. The next day, Gen. Mohammad Reza Naghdi, an adviser to Vahidi, said the paramilitary force must be prepared to take operations into enemy territory.
“Vahidi’s elevation is consistent with a leadership preparing the security establishment for a period of sustained confrontation rather than a return to normal peacetime politics,” said Saeid Golkar, an expert on Iran’s security services at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The Revolutionary Guard—an armed force nearly 200,000 strong—has devised new plans for further escalation including pre-emptive strikes, according to Iranian officials and public statements. Among the options: sabotaging internet cables in the Persian Gulf, creating political unrest in countries with Shia communities such as Kuwait and Bahrain, and potentially even ground operations in Kuwait.
Kuwait takes those risks seriously. In early May, the tiny Gulf sheikhdom said its security forces had intercepted six Revolutionary Guard troops that used a rented fishing boat to land on a Kuwaiti island separated from Iran only by a thin strip of Iraqi territory. Some Iranian political figures have suggested the Revolutionary Guard could launch ground raids via southern Iraq if the U.S. were to threaten Iranian territory like Kharg Island.
Some Gulf officials said Iran’s recent behavior is fueling uncertainty about relations with the much larger, newly more aggressive neighbor after the war. They say it remains difficult to assess the extent of the damage the U.S. and Israel did to the Revolutionary Guard’s capabilities. Still, it’s clear the organization hasn’t been defeated or deterred, and its hold on Hormuz has strengthened its regional position, they said.
That reality has helped push Gulf states to support even unfavorable deals that would acknowledge Iranian oversight of the strait if it stops further escalation. But regional leaders are also growing more frustrated by the lack of fundamental changes in Tehran’s behavior in response to diplomatic outreach.
Iran’s security-minded leadership, they said, appears to be growing more confident in its demands.
Mediators in the talks said Iranian diplomats agreed early in the month on a deal with Oman to set up and oversee routes through Hormuz that would lead to the gradual reopening of the strait. Those efforts were blocked by the Revolutionary Guard, which went back to attacking ships.
With negotiations blocked and Iran not backing away from escalating the fight, Trump has stepped back to see if the economic pressure from sanctions and the Navy’s blockade will soften Iran’s position, U.S. officials said.
But Iran’s leaders are deeply skeptical of Trump’s motives and are slipping into a survival economy aimed at holding out.
People close to Iran’s top negotiators have warned peace talks could be just an interlude before more conflict. Mehdi Mohammadi, a strategic adviser to chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, described the current stalemate Tuesday as the calm before the storm.
In an earlier social-media post, Mohammadi said the drivers of continued conflict include a “generational project for blood vengeance” for the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba’s father, in the opening strikes of the war.
“The Iranian nation still has much unfinished business with Trump,” said Mohammadi, who is also a member of Iran’s negotiating team. “Iran is prepared for the great confrontation.”
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
Vijay Prashad:IRAN Just Threatened to CUT the INTERNET,Who Is Really Making Iran’s War DECISIONS Now
Run time - 45:40
Aug 16, 2026
BREAKING: Iran's newly elevated security chief has quietly approved a plan to cut the undersea cables running through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb — a move that could plunge parts of Europe and the US into digital darkness if the Trump administration follows through on threats against Tehran.
In this urgent Transition Protocol dispatch, Zulfiqar Ali is joined by globally recognized analyst Vijay Prashad, live from Santiago, Chile, to break down why Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE are quietly building a new regional security order that cuts Washington out of the Gulf, why the UAE has reportedly moved two tons of gold and three billion dollars to Tehran, and why the United States may have no face-saving way to end this standoff.
Vijay Prashad is the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and a widely published analyst of global power shifts, multipolarity, and the Global South.
Zulfiqar Ali is the host of Transition Protocol, a source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis channel covering de-dollarization, BRICS, the multipolar world order, global finance, and great-power rivalry.
This reporting draws on privileged sourcing on developing matters and is clearly flagged throughout as CONFIRMED, DEVELOPING, or UNVERIFIED/SPECULATIVE — watch the full episode for the complete picture, timestamps, and sourcing context.
Transition Protocol / Power Shift is a serious, source-driven geopolitical and economic analysis channel focused on evidence-based reporting and high-signal breakdowns of global power shifts and their financial consequences. Subscribe and join the Substack (transitionprotocol.substack.com) for twice-weekly premium dispatches.
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Trump threatens Oman as it works with Iran on Strait of Hormuz deal and other Middle East news
President Donald Trump has again threatened Oman as Iran says it is working with its Middle East neighbor on a plan to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Fully reopening the waterway has been a key U.S. demand.Meanwhile, the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were at the start.
Iran says it is near finalizing deal with Oman
Iran said it has reached an agreement with Oman over a plan for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the countries, and the sides are now working to finalize details for a joint statement.Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”
He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman. Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during an interim period.
The U.S. has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump threatens Oman as it works with Iran on Strait of Hormuz deal and other Middle East news
Fully reopening the waterway to commercial shipping has been a key demand of the United States, but it remains unclear whether the deal will meet Washington’s criteria.
apnews.com
View: http://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/2089329513356317066?s=20
rt 1:05
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Iran offers up to $60K bounty on US troops
Iran is offering its citizens up to $60,000 to kill or capture American service members, as its army chief vows that U.S. bases in the Middle East will not be allowed to return to their prewar state.The bounty was announced Sunday by Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami, who said it was a result of Iranians’ expressions of eagerness to contribute to the war effort, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Hatami said the standard reward would be 5 billion tomans, equivalent to $30,000, although the bounty would be doubled if a woman carried out either of the actions.
It’s unclear where such an attack or capture could take place, as the U.S. has not maintained ground forces inside Iran during the nearly six-month war.
Hatami leads Iran’s conventional army, which is mainly responsible for defending Iranian territory. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force traditionally handles overseas operations and support for regional militias.
U.S. forces did enter the country in April to rescue two airmen after their F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iranian territory.
Iranian authorities offered a reward at the time for capturing the airmen alive, but both were recovered by U.S. forces in separate rescue operations.
More than 50,000 American service members are stationed in the Middle East. U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and elsewhere in the region have repeatedly come under Iranian attack during the conflict.
Three U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan last month, bringing to 18 the number of American war dead in the conflict, according to Pentagon figures. All of the deaths occurred outside Iran.
The Pentagon’s latest casualty accounting also shows that nearly 700 U.S. troops have been wounded during the war.
Iran began attacking U.S. installations across the region with missiles and drones after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 started the war. A number of senior Iranian leaders were killed in those initial strikes.
Hatami described the blows inflicted by Iran on the U.S. as “severe and devastating.”
“Everyone should know that under no circumstances can American bases return to their previous state,” Hatami was quoted as saying by IRNA.
His comments came two days after President Donald Trump threatened to declare the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory. Earlier in the week, Trump asserted that the U.S. had “total control” of the strait.
It has become a central point of contention during the war. Shipping through the vital commercial waterway has fallen sharply because of the fighting, contributing to higher oil and gasoline prices.
Trump acknowledged the effect on American consumers last week and said they should accept higher gasoline prices as the cost of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Iran offers up to $60K bounty on US troops
The bounty is for Iranian citizens who kill or capture American service members. The U.S. has not maintained ground forces inside Iran during the war.
Iran Offers $30,000 Bounty for Killing US Troops
Iran's military chief announced a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures a U.S. soldier.Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Amir Hatami announced the bounty amid the Islamic Republic's escalating threats against the United States, according to multiple reports.
"Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army," Hatami told Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.
Iran is offering twice as much, $60,000, if an Iranian woman carries out the act, Hatami said.
The Iranian commander claimed there had been a "large number of requests" to establish the bounties.
He also said weapons used to kill Americans would be purchased for twice their value, replaced with new weapons, and eventually displayed in a planned museum.
The inflammatory offer faces an obvious logistical problem: There are no U.S. ground forces deployed inside Iran.
Hatami provided no details about where or how Iranians would be expected to attack American personnel, the New York Post reported.
Hatami also demanded that U.S. forces leave the region, declaring that American troops should no longer be permitted to enter the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, or Strait of Hormuz.
His rhetoric comes as Iran remains under intense economic pressure amid its conflict with Washington.
The New York Post reported that Iran's rial has fallen to record lows and inflation has surged while President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that Tehran is struggling financially.
The threat against American service members also follows increasingly brazen Iranian rhetoric targeting Trump and other U.S. and Israeli leaders.
In May, Iranian lawmakers were considering legislation that would authorize a $58 million reward for killing Trump following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
The proposal also targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper.
Trump has warned Tehran against attacks on him or American interests, previously vowing overwhelming retaliation if Iran followed through on assassination threats.
The bounty adds to already heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and creates another obstacle to efforts to reach a negotiated settlement.
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Iran threatens to go on offensive in Strait of Hormuz if diplomacy with US fails
August 17, 20267:45 AM MDT- Summary
- Iran will escalate if interim peace deal is not implemented, says official
- Interim agreement struck in June quickly unravelled
- President Trump says he will bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way'
Progress towards peace talks and a resumption of oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt, with no sign that the warring parties are moving towards ending the conflict that the U.S. and Israel launched on February 28.
"Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions," the Iranian official said, adding that Tehran would conduct a "timely and precise" military attack to break the U.S. naval blockade if diplomacy failed.
There was no immediate response to those comments from Washington, but U.S. President Donald Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News on Monday that Iran "should put up the white flag of surrender".
Throughout the conflict, Trump has alternated between threats of escalation and assertions that a peace deal is imminent.
TRUMP THREATENS TO BOMB OMAN
Monday marked the day by which Iran and the United States were expected to reach a final deal under a memorandum of understanding agreed in June and aimed at ending the war.Signed on June 17, the MoU set out a 60-day timeframe, extendable by mutual consent, by which Washington and Tehran should reach a broader agreement on issues including limiting Tehran's nuclear programme and lifting U.S. sanctions.
That interim deal, which declared the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts", quickly unravelled, however, due to a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war.
Tehran said point 5 of the MoU gave it the right to manage the strait, which it shares with Oman, while Washington rejected that interpretation. Hostilities resumed as Tehran began firing on vessels it said were trying to sail through the waterway on an unapproved route.
Trump said on July 7 that the pact was "over". Tehran has repeatedly accused Washington of consistently violating its commitments.
"Within the short period of a few weeks set by Iran, all the agreement's provisions must be implemented by the U.S. This is a precondition for further negotiations with the U.S.," the Iranian official told Reuters, adding that mediators would share Tehran's deadline with Washington and regional states.
Tehran has separately been negotiating an agreement with Oman over management of the strait, seen as a key component of a wider deal, and says they are close to agreement, although progress has been slow.
"If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the shit out of them," Trump told Fox.
There was no immediate comment from Oman.
HOUTHI ATTACKS RAISE FEARS OF WIDER WAR
Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran at the end of February. Iran has struck U.S. assets and infrastructure in countries including Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.Both Iran and the United States have stepped up rhetoric over the past week.
Trump warned Americans in a speech at a rally on Friday to prepare for continued high fuel prices as a result of the war, while also saying that "after we finish defeating Iran ... pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States".
Earlier on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon", repeating one of his stated rationales for the war.
Benchmark Brent crude oil futures have surged since the start of the war in February, hitting a peak of $126 a barrel, roughly 75% above pre-war levels, with choppy trade reflecting concerns over disruptions to Gulf oil supplies and shifting signals on peace talks.
Brent crude rose slightly on Monday, to around $89 a barrel.
Attacks by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have also renewed concerns about a widening regional war and the economic fallout it could bring.
In the latest incident, the Houthis attacked what they called a Saudi military ship and four escort vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait with missiles, according to the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree on Telegram on Monday. The strait is a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and an important international shipping route.
There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.
TheHippie
Veteran Member
Trump threatens Oman as it works with Iran on Strait of Hormuz deal and other Middle East news
President Donald Trump has again threatened Oman as Iran says it is working with its Middle East neighbor on a plan to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Fully reopening the waterway has been a key U.S. demand.
Meanwhile, the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were at the start.
Iran says it is near finalizing deal with Oman
Iran said it has reached an agreement with Oman over a plan for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the countries, and the sides are now working to finalize details for a joint statement.
Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”
He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman. Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during an interim period.
The U.S. has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump threatens Oman as it works with Iran on Strait of Hormuz deal and other Middle East news
Fully reopening the waterway to commercial shipping has been a key demand of the United States, but it remains unclear whether the deal will meet Washington’s criteria.
View: http://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/2089329513356317066?s=20
rt 1:05
Iran says understanding reached with Oman over new Hormuz route map
Iran said on Monday that it had reached an understanding with Oman on a route map for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, as the two countries move closer to an agreement on managing traffic through the critical energy waterway.What happened: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.” Baghaei did not elaborate further, but previous reports have suggested that ships would enter through the route close to Iran and exit through a route close to Oman, with vessels initially transiting without tolls.
Currently, there are three routes in the Strait of Hormuz: one through Iran's territorial waters, the pre-war route in the middle of the strait and the International Maritime Organization route that traverses Oman's waters in the south of the strait. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has attacked vessels going through all three routes.
Negotiations between Iran and Oman on a separate, new route and management of the waterway began around three months ago, and throughout the process, Iran has emphasized that the bilateral agreement was independent of whether a deal was reached with the US to reopen the waterway.
Baghaei said the talks with the US to reopen the strait were “contingent upon the removal of the conditions” imposed by the US. Iran has also demanded that Washington lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports imposed in April and pay war reparations.
Baghaei conceded the talks had gone slowly, “but we had planned, and still plan, to finalize the understanding in the form of a package: the map plus a joint statement.”
Why it matters: It is unclear whether the agreement aligns with the full reopening Washington wants — where ships do not have to pay Iran tolls and can freely and safely navigate the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz — which before the war saw around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass through it — has been nearly completely closed since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war on Feb. 28, causing a global energy shock and sending crude prices spiking. International benchmark Brent crude prices peaked at nearly $115 per barrel in early May after hovering around $70 before the war.
Responding to the news that Iran and Oman had agreed on a Hormuz route on Monday, US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a potential deal between Washington and Tehran.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Fox News.
The Trump administration has said several times that it is close to striking a deal with Iran to reopen the strait, stop the fighting and curb Tehran’s nuclear program. Tehran has denied that it is negotiating with Washington.
Trump said Monday that informal talks are taking place with the IRGC but insisted the US is in no rush to make a deal.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” Trump added. “I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry.”
Comments by Baghaei and Trump came on the same day that the 60-day deadline expired for a 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war between Iran and the US. The memorandum calls for a cessation of hostilities, limits on Iran’s uranium enrichment and the full, toll-free reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei said Monday that the deadline was “irrelevant,” arguing that Washington had violated the agreement early on.
“We did not begin any negotiations because a few weeks after the signing, widespread violations of the agreement began, thereby rendering the 60-day provision irrelevant,” he said.
The memorandum did not end hostilities between Iran and the US, with both sides launching several missile strikes, including in the Strait of Hormuz.
Know more: Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a halt over the weekend with no signs of a ceasefire deal between Iran and the US. Only three ships passed through the waterway on Sunday, according to data from maritime analytics firm Kpler.
Iran says understanding reached with Oman over new Hormuz route map
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”
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Trump Hails Mecca Defense Pact As 'Big, Bold, Important First Step'<!-- --> | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
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Trump Hails Mecca Defense Pact As 'Big, Bold, Important First Step'
by Tyler DurdenMonday, Aug 17, 2026 - 11:40 AM
Since the signing of a defense pact earlier this month by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan - which is being touted as having NATO level protections akin to an Article 5 style 'attack on one is an attack on all' - there's been much speculation on whether Washington would embrace or reject it.
After all, it seems to put greater distance between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and thus lessens the potential for Riyadh ever agreeing to join the US-backed Abraham accords, especially given that Turkey is an avowed enemy and regional rival of Israel. But the United States broke its silence on the pact this weekend, as President Trump on Sunday hailed it as a good and promising development.
"Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Getty Images"It shows how the Middle East is coming together and how countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way," he added, further hailing the agreement a "BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP."
Israeli media has meanwhile been pointing out that the pact is widely seen as a sign of waning US influence in the region, and that its members states see it fundamentally as a rejection of Israeli regional hegemony.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry has it was "intended to strengthen collective deterrence" - and affirmed that an attack one one member country would be seen as an attack on all, after Turkey already stated the same.
As for Trump's backing, he has of course long lambasted allies for not spending enough on their own defense while over-relying on American military resources, so his messaging in support of the Mecca pact seems to spring from this theme.
One Saudi-based analyst has said that this does not necessarily signal a Washington retreat from the Mideast region, in the context of the ongoing Iran conflict and Hormuz crisis.
"The US will remain in the region, but perhaps in a manner where local partners increase their own contribution and align more closely to fill the gaps left by their near-total dependence on the US," Karim added.
Another key aspect to the new pact is that it further formalizes Pakistan's nuclear umbrella for Saudi Arabia, which lacks atomic weapons. Turkey does not have its own nukes either, but plays host to US nuclear weapons as part of NATO. Turkey maintains the second-largest military within the NATO alliance, behind the United States.
View: https://x.com/RT_com/status/2089097504998486217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2089097504998486217%7Ctwgr%5E9892a61910efb05b9d4d6a9fe38440710a7e4b04%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Ftrump-hails-mecca-defense-pact-big-bold-important-first-step
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia already have a bilateral defense pact, somewhat recently inked, which has lately seen Islamabad deploy 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets, and an air defense system to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi kingdom has lately been subject of sporadic 'retaliatory' attacks from Iran in the context of the war, and has earlier even responded by launching numerous unpublicized strikes on Iran.
danielboon
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EndGameWW3 @EndGameWW3 Iraqi media: Explosion at an oil tanker depot in Sulaymaniyah.