WAR Main Persian Gulf Trouble thread

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February 22, 2022
Expert: Ukraine, Israel to Pay Price of West’s Weakness


west-eu-us.jpg
The price of Western weakness (Archive: Pixabay)
Ukraine and Israel will be paying the price of Western weakness, says a veteran national security analyst. As the West became addicted to soft diplomacy, it fails to contain aggressive actors such as Russia and Iran, wrote Doron Matza, a researcher at the INSS think tank.

Western policies, which aim to reduce friction by rewarding rogue regimes, are increasingly ineffective, Matza said. Without a credible military threat, this soft style is irrelevant for dealing with the hardliners in Moscow and Tehran, he wrote.
The result is that Ukraine is now paying the price for a weak international system, the analysis said. Israel will be paying it next, with a bad nuclear deal that will not curb Iran’s belligerent ambitions.

The evaluation echoes the latest Israeli criticism of US negotiation tactics on the Iran front. The Biden government turned diplomacy into a religion, senior Israeli officials said, warning that the emerging nuclear deal with Tehran will be meaningless.
Notably, Israeli analysts previously predicted that Tehran would exploit the West’s weakness to gain the upper hand in nuclear talks.

In the face of Western inaction, Israel now seeks US approval for covert ops against Iran’s ballistic missiles and nuclear weaponization, Channel 13 News reported. Jerusalem wants to secure full freedom to act, but it remains unclear whether US officials will agree, the report said.
Notably, earlier reports suggested that Israel is preparing plans for surprising moves against Iran.
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israelradar.com

Expert: Ukraine, Israel to Pay Price of West's Weakness

Ukraine and Israel will pay the price of Western weakness, says analyst, as West becomes addicted to soft diplomacy...
israelradar.com israelradar.com
 
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Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
2m

SANA confirms #Syria's air defenses are engaging targets above Damascus. Follows an Israeli strike last night using surface-to-surface missiles. But this operation appears to be an airstrike, so IDF is signaling that it will continue airstrikes despite recent Russian complaints.


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Aleph א
@no_itsmyturn
3m

SAA ADs engaging targets over #Damascus #Syria
Possible #IAF airstrikes

Damascus airstrikes have concluded. Will update the thread accordingly.
 
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Andrew @AndrewBritaniLocal says that Damascus International Airport was also struck, not sure if it was directly struck or around the vicinity.

It's possible that the explosions hard around Zakiyah and Kiswa were AD as there is sites there.5:47 PM · Feb 23, 2022·Twitter Web App

jward said:
Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
2m

SANA confirms #Syria's air defenses are engaging targets above Damascus. Follows an Israeli strike last night using surface-to-surface missiles. But this operation appears to be an airstrike, so IDF is signaling that it will continue airstrikes despite recent Russian complaints.


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Aleph א
@no_itsmyturn
3m

SAA ADs engaging targets over #Damascus #Syria
Possible #IAF airstrikes

Damascus airstrikes have concluded. Will update the thread accordingly.
Click to expand...
 
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Kian Sharifi
@KianSharifi

On a note unrelated to Ukraine's plight, Iran's atomic energy chief Eslami says Tehran "will continue to enrich uranium to 5% and 20% even after the lifting of sanctions". Iran's currently enriching uranium to 60% while the JCPOA limits it to 3.67%.
 
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Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
12h

#Russia-US tensions could limit IDF strikes in Syria if Moscow blocks military action in area, senior officers warn; no change for now, but Israel watching for potential rise in Iranian arms shipments (via@WallaNews )



Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
37m

Ukraine war lesson: Israel needs larger army for future conflicts, says military journalist @YehoshuaYosi; IDF significantly reduced infantry & armored units in past 2 decades, needs to boost size of ground forces for multi-front war.
 
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Dr. Jeffrey Lewis
@ArmsControlWonk

It does seem, as @DaveSchmerler noted earlier today, that Iran attempted another space launch that failed. There is a big burn mark at the site and the gantry may have been damaged. Possibly another Zuljanah SLV. Amazing shot by @Maxar.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1498799264046063617
View: https://twitter.com/ArmsControlWonk/status/1498799264046063617?s=20&t=RbVNPSOmeZ6iYJz4Cu9kNg



Dr. Jeffrey Lewis
@ArmsControlWonk
2h


We initially noticed the change using @planet's 3 m imagery. The pad looks normal on 24 and 25 February. The mark appears on 27 February.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1498799731606110208
View: https://twitter.com/ArmsControlWonk/status/1498799731606110208?s=20&t=RbVNPSOmeZ6iYJz4Cu9kNg
 
O

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Has No Life - Lives on TB
jward said:
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis
@ArmsControlWonk

It does seem, as @DaveSchmerler noted earlier today, that Iran attempted another space launch that failed. There is a big burn mark at the site and the gantry may have been damaged. Possibly another Zuljanah SLV. Amazing shot by @Maxar.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1498799264046063617
View: https://twitter.com/ArmsControlWonk/status/1498799264046063617?s=20&t=RbVNPSOmeZ6iYJz4Cu9kNg



Dr. Jeffrey Lewis
@ArmsControlWonk
2h


We initially noticed the change using @planet's 3 m imagery. The pad looks normal on 24 and 25 February. The mark appears on 27 February.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1498799731606110208
View: https://twitter.com/ArmsControlWonk/status/1498799731606110208?s=20&t=RbVNPSOmeZ6iYJz4Cu9kNg
Click to expand...

Let’s hope the assholes are into reruns…

OA
 
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Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
5m

From one of the countries most impacted by any #Iran nuclear deal out of Vienna: #Israel's prime minister Wednesday reiterated that he was watching "the talks in Vienna with concern." 1/2
"The possibility of them negotiating an agreement that will allow Iran to install centrifuges on a large scale within a few years is not acceptable to us," he said. 2/2
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1498990840529760257
View: https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1498990840529760257?s=20&t=RbVNPSOmeZ6iYJz4Cu9kNg
 
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I wonder if at some point these ongoing threats have a diminishing pay off
..been awhile since anything inexplicably went boomboom..







Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
6h

Defense Minister Gantz warns: Israel will do everything needed to prevent a nuclear Iran, any moves to stop Iranian nuke drive are legitimate (via @ynetalerts)
 
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Richard Goldberg
@rich_goldberg

*US SET TO LIFT TERRORISM SANCTIONS ON IRAN IN RUSSIAN-NEGOTIATED NUCLEAR DEAL
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1499036602844254213
View: https://twitter.com/rich_goldberg/status/1499036602844254213?s=20&t=5IlmMWxWJYZQZozFIgadEA


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Gabriel Noronha
@GLNoronha
· 10h

1. NEW: My former career @StateDept, NSC, and EU colleagues are so concerned with the concessions being made by @robmalley in Vienna that they’ve allowed me to publish some details of the coming deal in the hopes that Congress will act to stop the capitulation.

[Long thread]

2. “What’s happening in Vienna is a total disaster” one warned. The entire negotiations have been filtered and “essentially run” by Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov.

The concessions and other misguided policies have led three members of the U.S. negotiating team to leave. Image

3. This is a long and technical thread, but here’s what you should know: the deal being negotiated in Vienna is dangerous to our national security, it is illegal, it is illegitimate, and it in no way serves U.S. interests in either the short or long term.

4. Here’s why: Led by Rob Malley, the U.S. has promised to lift sanctions on some of the regime’s worst terrorists and torturers, leading officials in the regime’s WMD infrastructure, and is currently trying to lift sanctions on the IRGC itself. Let’s dive in.

5. First, Biden’s team is preparing to rescind the Supreme Leaders’ Office Executive Order (E.O. 13876) as soon as this coming Monday, and lift sanctions on nearly every one of the 112 people/entities sanctioned under it, even if they’re sanctioned under other legal authorities.

6. We sanctioned some of the worst people you can possibly imagine under this authority, like Mohsen Rezaei, who was involved in the 1994 AMIA bombing that killed 85 people in Argentina.

He’ll be able to live free of sanctions next week if Malley proceeds. Image

7.Also under this action, the U.S. will lift sanctions on IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, who led IRGC forces in Lebanon and Syria when Hezbollah bombed the Marine compound in Beirut and killed 241 U.S. servicemembers in 1983. Image

8. Who else? Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Khamenei, who was charged in Argentina for homicide for the 1994 AMIA bombing and as one of the "ideological masterminds" behind the attack.

He also helped prop up Assad’s brutality in Syria. Image

9. This would also lift sanctions on Khamenei’s personal slush funds known as “bonyads”, including Astan Quds Razavi and Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, which confiscated houses and billions from political dissidents and religious minorities to enrich Khamenei and his goons.

10.Sanctions also to be lifted on Bonyad Mostazafan, a massive conglomerate that systematically confiscated property from Jews and Bahai’s after 1979.

It is enmeshed with the IRGC and is a corruption network used to enrich top Iranian terrorists.


Reuters Investigates - Assets of the Ayatollah Reuters investigates Setad, the $95 billion economic empire behind Iran's Supreme Leader. Reuters Investigates - Assets of the Ayatollah
Click to expand...
 
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Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
7h

Iran could instigate Israeli-#Russian military friction within days, journalist Alex Fishman warns. Iran could cross red lines in Syria to trigger IDF strikes in the hopes of sparking Russian reaction, he says (via@YediotAhronot )






Israel Rada
@IsraelRadar_com
5h

IDF sets up multiple teams to track & study #UkraineWar lessons, including combat methods, logistics, cyber & electronic warfare; Israeli specialists gather info from social media videos,@Jerusalem_Post says. Insights may be used in future war vs. Hezbollah.
 
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Parisa Hafezi
@PHREUTERS
40m

RUSSIA'S LAVROV SAYS ON IRAN: RUSSIA WANTS WRITTEN GUARANTEES FROM UNITED STATES THAT SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA WILL NOT DAMAGE OUR COOPERATION WITH IRAN - Reuters News


Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
11m

Check this out: "We have asked for a written guarantee...that the process triggered by the US does not...damage our right to free & full trade, economic & investment cooperation and **military-technical cooperation** with the Islamic State." #Iran #Russia
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1500079451631149063
View: https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1500079451631149063?s=20&t=q7yCTCCEdJtCZkkUa_ivaA








Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
9m

My question is when #Russia refers to a guarantee comprising "military-technical cooperation" with #Iran, if it means one related to arms sales now that UN arms embargo has expired, it's highly problematic to say the least. Moscow may have its eye on Executive Order 13949.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1500087730205777923
View: https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1500087730205777923?s=20&t=q7yCTCCEdJtCZkkUa_ivaA
 
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Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com

#Russia tipped off Iran axis about Israeli strikes in Syria, @MaarivOnline reports. Timing of leaking this info is interesting, possibly setting the stage for tougher Israeli position vs. Russia
In parallel, more experts questioning wisdom of ongoing IDF bombing campaign in Syria. The logic: impact of strikes is limited, but Israel pays strategic price via closer ties & reliance on Russia, which could harm alliance with US, especially now.
 
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Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Posted for fair use.....
www.reuters.com

Russia's demand for US guarantees may hit nuclear talks, Iran official says

The demand that sanctions on Moscow would not harm Russian cooperation with Iran is "not constructive" for talks between Tehran and global powers to revive the deal, a senior Iranian official said.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com

March 5, 202212:36 PM PST
Last Updated a min ago
Russia's demand for US guarantees may hit nuclear talks, Iran official says

By Parisa Hafezi and Francois Murphy

VIENNA, March 5 (Reuters) - Russia's demand for written U.S. guarantees that sanctions on Moscow would not harm Russian cooperation with Iran is "not constructive" for talks between Tehran and global powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.

The announcement by Russia, which could torpedo months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington in Vienna, came shortly after Tehran said it had agreed a roadmap with the U.N. nuclear watchdog to resolve outstanding issues that could help secure the nuclear pact.

"Russians had put this demand on the table (at the Vienna talks) since two days ago. There is an understanding that by changing its position in Vienna talks Russia wants to secure its interests in other places. This move is not constructive for Vienna nuclear talks," said the Iranian official in Tehran, speaking to Reuters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that the Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine had become a stumbling block for the Iran nuclear deal, warning Russian national interests would have to be taken into account. read more

Lavrov said Russia wanted a written guarantee from the United States that Russia's trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran would not be hindered in any way by the sanctions.

New U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine should not have any impact on a potential revival of the Iran nuclear accord, the U.S. State Department said.

"The new Russia-related sanctions are unrelated to the JCPOA and should not have any impact on its potential implementation," a State Department spokesperson said, referring to the 2015 deal by its formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"We continue to engage with Russia on a return to full implementation of the JCPOA. Russia shares a common interest in ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. "

When asked whether Russia's demand would harm 11 months of talks between Tehran and world powers, including Russia, Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, Ali Vaez, said: "Not yet. But it’s impossible to segregate the two crises for much longer."

"The U.S. can issue waivers for the work related to the transfer of excess fissile material to Russia. But it’s a sign that the commingling of the two issues has started," Vaez said.

Two diplomats, one of them not directly involved in the talks, said China also has demanded written guarantees that its companies doing business in Iran wouldn't be affected by U.S. sanctions.

Such demands may complicate efforts to seal a nuclear deal at a time when an agreement looked likely. All parties involved in the Vienna talks had said on Friday they were close to reaching an agreement.

The 2015 agreement between Tehran and major powers eased sanctions on Tehran in return for limiting Iran's enrichment of uranium, making it harder for Tehran to develop material for nuclear weapons. The accord fell apart after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2018.

TIMETABLE FOR ANSWERS
Meanwhile, Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said they aimed to resolve a standoff over the origin of uranium particles found at old but undeclared sites by early June, aiming to remove an obstacle to reviving the 2015 deal.

The move was announced jointly by Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during a visit to Tehran by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who had arrived on Friday to discuss one of the last thorny issues blocking the relaunching of the pact.

Later, Grossi said it is hard to imagine any agreement to revive the Iran nuclear deal being implemented if the IAEA's efforts to resolve open issues in Iran by June fail.

"My impression is that it would be difficult to imagine you can have a cooperative relationship as if nothing had happened if the clarification of very important safeguards were to fail," Grossi told a news conference in Vienna.

According to a timeline in the statement, Iran will provide "written explanations including related supporting documents" to unanswered IAEA questions on three sites by March 20 before other exchanges, after which Grossi "will aim to report his conclusion by the June 2022 (IAEA) Board of Governors", which begins on June 6.

A major sticking point in the talks is that Tehran wants the question of the uranium particles to be closed. Western powers say that is a separate matter to the deal, which the IAEA is not a party to, several officials have told Reuters.

Grossi, who also held talks with Iran's foreign minister before returning to Vienna on Saturday, said, "there are still matters that need to be addressed by Iran". The IAEA has been seeking answers from Iran on how the uranium traces got there - a topic often referred to as "outstanding safeguards issues".

Grossi's trip had raised hopes an agreement with the IAEA will potentially clear the way to reviving the nuclear pact. When he pulled the United States out, Trump also reimposed far-reaching sanctions on Iran.

Since 2019, Tehran has breached the deal's nuclear limits and gone well beyond, rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output. Iran denies it has ever sought to acquire nuclear weapons.

Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge in London, John Irish in Paris and Arshad Mohammed in Saint Paul: Writing by Parisa Hafezi and Michael Georgy Editing by Catherine Evans, Louise Heavens, Frances Kerry, William Maclean
 
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Gabriel Noronha
@GLNoronha

New report from Iran on pending nuke deal: “The agreement will be implemented in six phases, with Iran having weeks to verify the lifting of U.S. sanctions without having to implement its commitments under the revived deal.” The more we hear about this deal, the worse it gets.

And then there’s this: “Iran will keep its advanced centrifuges nuclear materials inside the country…Iran will retain the ability to quickly resume 60 percent uranium enrichment.” What the actual hell??
1646613181398.png
5:09 PM · Mar 6, 2022·Twitter for iPhone
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
jward said:
Gabriel Noronha
@GLNoronha

New report from Iran on pending nuke deal: “The agreement will be implemented in six phases, with Iran having weeks to verify the lifting of U.S. sanctions without having to implement its commitments under the revived deal.” The more we hear about this deal, the worse it gets.

And then there’s this: “Iran will keep its advanced centrifuges nuclear materials inside the country…Iran will retain the ability to quickly resume 60 percent uranium enrichment.” What the actual hell??
View attachment 326005
5:09 PM · Mar 6, 2022·Twitter for iPhone
Click to expand...

Look for the Israelis and Saudis to "have their say" on the matter shortly, particularly since "special" warheads are very likely to be shipped to the Houthi and Hezbollah for their missiles in very short order.

The idiots in DC and those pulling the Biden Admin's strings keep forgetting that the wind knows now borders.....
 
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Saudi, Lockheed Martin in missile defence deal

AFP
March 7, 2022 11 hours ago

47015598021_c9de245796_b-990x617.jpg
Source: Flickr




Saudi Arabia announced a deal Monday with US firm Lockheed Martin to manufacture elements of the missile defences of the Gulf state, the target of frequent cross-border attacks by rebels in Yemen.
Its military industries authority, cited by state news agency SPA, approved two projects to produce launchers and other equipment used in the THAAD anti-missile defence system.

The announcement, which did not disclose the value of the deal, comes on the sidelines of an international arms show which opened Sunday in the Saudi capital.
The United States, the oil-rich kingdom’s top ally, deployed THAAD and Patriot defence systems in Saudi Arabia in October 2019 at a time of heightened tensions with Riyadh’s regional rival Tehran.
According to the US military, the system intercepted an air strike in January by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels on the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Huthi rebels.
According to the coalition, more than 850 explosive-laden drones and 400 ballistic missile attacks have killed 59 civilians in Saudi Arabia over the past seven years.

Saudi Arabia has set itself the target of manufacturing 50 percent of its defence needs by 2030, from an officially recorded level of 11.7 percent at the end of 2021.
insiderpaper.com

Saudi, Lockheed Martin in missile defence deal - Insider Paper

Saudi Arabia announced a deal Monday with US firm Lockheed Martin to manufacture elements of the missile defences of the Gulf state, the target of frequent cross-border attacks by rebels in Yemen. Its military industries authority, cited by state news agency SPA, approved two projects to produce...
insiderpaper.com insiderpaper.com
 
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Aurora Intel
@AuroraIntel

#Iran’s #IRGC have reportedly successfully put their satellite Noor-2 into space, at “an orbit of 500km”. Reportedly using a three stage rocket.

1:55 AM · Mar 8, 2022·Twitter for iPhone










Kian Sharifi
@KianSharifi

Iran's IRGC has reportedly launched its second military satellite into orbit, the official IRNA news agency reported this morning. The Nour-2 was carried by a Qased SLV and is operating at an altitude of 500km. No pics or video footage available yet.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1501104405453717506
View: https://twitter.com/KianSharifi/status/1501104405453717506?s=20&t=W2LoVtBIRbOLjwHGt_1E1A
 
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Turkish, Israeli presidents to meet for first time after fractious decade
By Tuvan Gumrukcu

Israeli President Herzog meets with Greek PM Mitsotakis in Athens

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visits Ukraine


1/2
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, Ukraine February 3, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
ANKARA, March 8 (Reuters) - Turkey and Israel will seek to overcome years of animosity and insults when their presidents meet for the first time in more than a decade this week, expanding a recent Turkish charm offensive with regional rivals.

The two countries have traded accusations over Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and Ankara's support for the militant Islamist group Hamas which governs Gaza. Diplomatic ties hit a low in 2018 when they expelled ambassadors. read more


Turkey's efforts to repair its frayed relations in the Middle East led President Tayyip Erdogan to announce in January that he had invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog for Wednesday's talks, which both sides say will explore ways to deepen cooperation. read more

Erdogan has said the visit will herald a "new era" and that the two countries could work together to carry Israeli natural gas to Europe, reviving an idea first discussed more than 20 years ago. read more


The head of the Israeli firm pumping gas from a giant field in the east Mediterranean said his company could supply Turkey if it provided infrastructure, though he did not comment on Erdogan's more ambitious idea to link it to Europe.

"Our position has always been clear. If you want gas, great. We are ready to give. You build the pipeline to us and we will supply gas," Yossi Abu, chief executive of NewMed Energy, told an investors conference two weeks ago.


Gas supplies from the Mediterranean could ease European dependence on Russian gas. Plans for a subsea pipeline from the east Mediterranean to Europe, excluding Turkey, have stalled after the United States expressed misgivings in January. read more

Turkey imports most of its energy but has announced a discovery of 540 billion cubic metres of natural gas in the Black Sea and hopes to extract it next year. read more

A TENSE DECADE

Although his post is largely ceremonial and any concrete steps towards rapprochement will require approval of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Herzog's visit marks a significant thaw in ties.

The last visit by an Israeli president to Turkey was in 2007 and the last trip by a prime minister came the following year. Erdogan and Bennett spoke in November, the first such call in years. read more

Relations cratered in 2010 when Israeli commandos enforcing a naval blockade of Gaza killed 10 Turkish activists during a raid on the Mavi Marmara boat, which was carrying aid to the enclave.

Through the years of animosity, the countries have maintained trade, which stood at $6.7 billion in 2021, up from $5 billion in 2019 and 2020, according to official data.

Turkey has hosted several senior officials from Hamas, which the United States and European Union have designated a terrorist organisation. Despite visibly toning down its criticism of Israel ahead of Herzog's visit, it has ruled out abandoning its commitment to supporting Palestinian statehood. read more

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas political official in Turkey, told Reuters that ties between the group and Ankara were "stable" and that media reports about Turkey pressuring Hamas to rein in its criticism of Israel were "unfounded and incorrect."

www.reuters.com

Turkish, Israeli presidents to meet for first time after fractious decade

Turkey and Israel will seek to overcome years of animosity and insults when their presidents meet for the first time in more than a decade this week, expanding a recent Turkish charm offensive with regional rivals.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
 
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Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky

Two noteworthy nuggets in the new @ODNIgov Worldwide Threat Assessment for 2022. "#Iran’s hardline officials deeply distrust Washington and do not believe the United States can deliver or sustain any benefits a renewed JCPOA might offer." 1/2 https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IG/IG
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And second, "If Tehran does not receive sanctions relief, Iranian officials probably will consider further enriching uranium up to 90 percent." 2/2
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Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky

#BREAKING: CBS News has obtained two persistent threat assessments submitted to Congress by @StateDept in January 2022 which cited a "serious and credible threat" on the lives of Mike Pompeo and former Trump administration #Iran envoy Brian Hook. 1/2
The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State also said he had determined on **at least three occasions that a specific threat to former envoy Hook required security,** most recently in November 2021. This is why #Iran's IRGC should remain an FTO. 2/2
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1501324211947814915
View: https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1501324211947814915?s=20&t=Aldin0MCUdmT8fIyN7h0Gg
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
jward said:
Aurora Intel
@AuroraIntel

#Iran’s #IRGC have reportedly successfully put their satellite Noor-2 into space, at “an orbit of 500km”. Reportedly using a three stage rocket.

1:55 AM · Mar 8, 2022·Twitter for iPhone





Kian Sharifi
@KianSharifi

Iran's IRGC has reportedly launched its second military satellite into orbit, the official IRNA news agency reported this morning. The Nour-2 was carried by a Qased SLV and is operating at an altitude of 500km. No pics or video footage available yet.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1501104405453717506
View: https://twitter.com/KianSharifi/status/1501104405453717506?s=20&t=W2LoVtBIRbOLjwHGt_1E1A
Click to expand...

Posted for fair use.....
www.reuters.com

Iran puts second military satellite into orbit - Tasnim

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully put a second military satellite, the Noor 2, into orbit, the state-media said on Tuesday.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com

March 8, 202210:44 AM PST
Last Updated 8 hours ago
Iran puts second military satellite into orbit - Tasnim
Reuters

G4PGUHJP6JIZBJ44JZY3C77L7I.jpg


March 8 (Reuters) - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully put a second military satellite, the Noor 2, into orbit, the state-media said on Tuesday.

The announcement came as talks held in Vienna to revive an agreement restraining Iran's nuclear program have reached a critical stage.

Noor 2 is orbiting at an altitude of 500 kilometres (311 miles). The first military satellite, launched by the Islamic Republic in April 2020, placed the Noor, or "light" in Persian, at an orbit of 425km (265 miles) above the earth’s surface.

Putting a second satellite in space would be a major advance for Iran’s military, raising concerns about the country's nuclear and missile programs.

Iran will send a series of military satellites into orbit over the coming years, Space Commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Aerospace Force Ali Jafarabadi said on Tuesday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"We will launch a series of Noor satellites in the coming years. The space program of the country, of which we are a part, is to stabilize various scientific, research and defence satellites in low-earth orbit and then reach orbit of 36,000 kilometers above land," Jafarabadi said.

The U.S. military says the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons, possibly including nuclear warheads.

Tehran denies U.S. assertions that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons.

"The IRGC successfully placed Iran's second military satellite, Noor 2, into orbit 500 kilometres from earth," the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.

The three-stage Qased, or "Messenger", carrier launched the Noor 2, from the Shahroud space port, it added. The same type of rockets, which use a combination of liquid and solid fuels, carried the first military satellite.

In December, Iran's space launch failed to put its three payloads into orbit after the rocket was unable to reach the required speed, a defence ministry spokesman said.

The attempted launch drew criticism from the United States, Germany and France.

Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, has suffered several failed satellite launches in recent years due to technical issues.

The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's civilian space agency and two research organisations in 2019, saying they were being used to advance Tehran's ballistic missile program.

Tehran denies that its space activity is a cover for ballistic missile development.

Reporting by Dubai newsroom, writing by Maher Chmaytelli, editing by Andrew Heavens and Ed Osmond
 
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