[TheGuardian] Ratko Mladić, the infamous Serbian general who was serving a life sentence for genocide committed during the Bosnian war, has died in prison in The Hague.
Mladić had been one of the main architects of the policy of ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian war. He was convicted of genocide for orchestrating the 1995 killing of at least 8,000 Muslims in the UN-designated “safe area” Srebrenica, the worst massacre in Europe since the second world war.
Mladić, who was nicknamed the “Butcher of Bosnia”, had been in ill health after having a series of strokes.
A UN international tribunal confirmed Mladić’s death, saying he had died in hospital in The Hague earlier in the day.
"We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased," the department's website said.
Mladić spent the last ten years of his life in prison in The Hague, where he served a sentence imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that his rights, including his right to medical care, were violated during the trial.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this year alone, Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), has repeatedly denied the terminally ill Mladić's release on humanitarian grounds. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the most recent such decision was made several days ago.
The ministry added that the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) bears full responsibility for what happened to Mladić. In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia sentenced the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army to life imprisonment, including for the genocide in Srebrenica.
On August 27, former Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Movement of Socialists party, Aleksandar Vulin, stated that Mladić died in The Hague as a free man and deserved a burial with military honors. He also called for the general's memory to be preserved, noting that for Serbs, Mladić will not die.
Posted by: chris ||
08/28/2026 5:31 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Used to be horrified by this. Now with current events, it seems he didn't go far enough to get the sand humpers and goat rapists out of the country.
[KhaamaPress] More than 6 million Afghan migrants colonists have returned to Afghanistan over the past three years, and many more continue to return, the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) said on Thursday.
In a post on X, UN-Habitat said the large-scale return of Afghan migrants colonists has increased the need for housing and basic services across the country.
The agency described adequate shelter as the first step toward ensuring a life of dignity for returnees and called for greater support to help communities accommodate the growing number of people returning to Afghanistan.
The statement comes as Afghanistan continues to receive thousands of returning migrants colonists, particularly from neighboring countries, amid ongoing deportations and voluntary returns.
The latest warning follows a separate update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which said displaced people, returnees and communities affected by natural disasters face an urgent need for safe shelter.
OCHA said humanitarian agencies are facing a severe funding shortfall for shelter assistance. According to the UN agency, the shelter response has received only a small portion of the $160 million requested, leaving a funding gap of $153 million.
The funding shortage has limited the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide emergency shelter, repair damaged homes and support families returning to areas with limited infrastructure.
UN agencies have repeatedly warned that Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs remain among the world’s largest, with millions of people requiring assistance following years of conflict, economic hardship and recurring natural disasters.
[Rudaw] A high-level Saudi military and security delegation held talks in Baghdad on Thursday with the director of the office of Iraq's armed forces commander-in-chief, Abdul-Amir al-Shammari, and head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS), Hamid al-Shatri, along with senior Iraqi security officials, Baghdad’s Security Media Cell (SMC) said in a statement, noting that talks centered on border control and intelligence cooperation between the two countries.
“The office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces [Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi] received on Thursday a high-level security and military delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the SMC said, noting that the two sides held “an expanded meeting” attended by Shammari, Shatri, and “deputy directors and heads of [Iraqi] security and intelligence agencies.”
The Cell - the media arm of Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) - described the meeting as “a follow-up to previous talks and discussions held in Riyadh, and as a continuation of ongoing security coordination between Iraq and Saudi Arabia,” noting that discussions focusing on “strengthening joint border control measures and intensifying intelligence sharing, with the aim of elevating bilateral cooperation.”
Posted by: badanov ||
08/28/2026 00:00 ||
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[125 views]
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[The Hill] President Trump shrugged off questions Thursday about whether countries are taking the U.S.’s "economic D-Day" threats seriously after reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Iran’s president.
When asked if he would punish Putin if the country continues interacting with Iran, Trump said, "it depends."
"I think Russia has behaved quite well having to do with the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
"For everything they do, we do also," Trump added. "Somebody said what about China spying. We spy on them too. That’s the way it goes."
He also shot back at questions on why he won’t sanction Chinese banks that are still doing business with Iran.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
08/28/2026 00:00 ||
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[176 views]
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[IsraelTimes] Senior al-Qaeda figure accused of developing and directing plot to crash hijacked airliners; trial was previously scheduled in 2021 but later canceled, and could be delayed again
A US military judge on Wednesday set a summer 2028 trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three others accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The trial is scheduled to begin June 5, 2028, 18 months later than the January 2027 start that prosecutors had requested. The additional time is needed to resolve pretrial disputes, including disagreements about what evidence can be presented at trial, Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama wrote in his ruling.
The US military and successive administrations have struggled for more than two decades to bring to justice the man charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever on the United States.
The 2028 trial depends on the case meeting deadlines and milestones along the way and it could again be delayed. A trial was previously scheduled in 2021 but later canceled.
Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another of the hijacked planes flew into a field in Pennsylvania. He faces trial alongside three alleged accomplices: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
They are among the last of the detainees held at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A federal appeals court last year threw out an agreement that would have allowed Mohammed to plead guilty in a deal sparing him the risk of execution for al-Qaeda’s 2001 attacks.
That deal stipulated life sentences without parole for Mohammed and two of his co-defendants. It also would have obligated the men to answer any lingering questions that families of the victims have about the attacks. But after negotiating the deal for two years, former US president Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. We get to suffer the consequences... ’s administration repudiated it.
There is a major item missing from the news that a military judge has finally set a 2028 trial date for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants held at Guantanamo Bay.
Qatar harbored Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and let him escape arrest by The FBI. Can't believe Trump would accept a plane from them, they are openly our enemies and have been for a long time. pic.twitter.com/rM3FXSFWJ1https://t.co/axbytbhm3C
Qatar has so much money and institutional influence that it’s harboring 9/11’s funders who live in luxury!
Doha, the same city that hosts U.S. CENTCOM in the Middle East, also hosts the people CENTCOM’s war was supposed to isolate. That is current today, not history.
[North Press] The UK welcomed the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces into state structures on Thursday, while Syria called on Israel to withdraw from areas it entered after Dec. 8, 2024.
Speaking during a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Kate Foster described the SDF’s integration into central government structures as an important step toward a peaceful, stable and unified Syria.
“The United Kingdom fully supports Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Foster said, adding that London was ready to support the Syrian government as it strengthens its institutions.
Foster also welcomed direct Syria-Israel talks held earlier this week in Jordan, describing them as a positive step toward long-term peace. She urged both sides to continue dialogue to strengthen security in Syria and the wider region.
She warned that further Israeli strikes, including those in Idlib last week, risk undermining Syria’s progress at a pivotal moment.
Foster also welcomed the U.S. decision to remove Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, describing it as another important step toward prosperity and stability.
Despite the progress, she said, more than 15 million people in Syria require humanitarian assistance and more than seven million are acutely food insecure.
She warned that ongoing sectarian tensions, wider regional instability and violence could threaten Syria’s progress, calling on the international community to support the Syrian government in consolidating stability.
For his part, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi called on Israel to withdraw from the areas it entered after Dec. 8, 2024.
“While you commend what Syria is achieving, Israel continues to work in exactly the opposite direction,” Olabi said, accusing Israel of continuing military incursions into Syrian territory.
Olabi said Israel had carried out eight strikes on Abu al-Duhur Airport and continued incursions inside Syria.
[Rudaw] The United States has rejected a proposal by Iran-aligned Iraqi gangs to freeze their military activities for two years instead of fully disarming, several informed sources told Rudaw.
While some gangs have responded positively to a call by Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to lay down their weapons, five factions have refused, including Kata’ib Hezbollah, Sayyed ...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged... al-Shuhada, and Harakat al-Nujaba.
A well-informed source told Rudaw on Wednesday that the five Tehran-aligned groups proposed to "freeze their arms and fully halt military activities for two years, while remaining intact as distinct groups and military structures."
Two other Iraqi sources confirmed that the proposal had been submitted.
According to the three sources, Falih al-Fayyadh, head of the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC), and Qasim al-Araji, national security advisor to Zaidi, are acting as mediators between the government and the gangs.
The PMC serves as the official umbrella organization overseeing Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashed al-Shaabi).
Sources, including one briefed on the talks, said that after the proposal was delivered to the Iraqi government and relayed to Washington via the US Embassy in Baghdad, the US immediately rejected it, labeling it a "trick."
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disarming paramilitary factions and restricting weapons exclusively to state control is a cornerstone of Zaidi's cabinet agenda - an effort backed by US President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... .
The factions, who sided with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... in its latest war with the US, have repeatedly linked their disarmament to the presence of foreign troops. The Iraqi government's September 30 deadline for the groups to disarm coincides with the scheduled full withdrawal of foreign troops operating under the US-led global coalition battling the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group.
The three sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue and because they were not authorized to brief the media.
One source said the five groups had initially offered to integrate into the PMF on an individual basis, provided parliament passed a stalled bill regulating PMF service and pensions. The legislation seeks to standardize administrative, financial, and legal rights for PMF members to match those of the Iraqi military and federal police.
However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... the factions shifted their position to the two-year freeze earlier this month following visits to Iraq by senior Iranian officials, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Esmail Qaani and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
"The Iraqi government agreed to integrate the groups' fighters into the PMF following the passage of the PMF law, but the groups' sudden change to the proposal has stalled the process," said a source familiar with the negotiations.
Kurdistan Region has frequently been targeted by drone and rocket strikes launched from disputed areas. The attacks have struck critical energy infrastructure - including the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province - as well as military installations hosting coalition advisors, residential areas in Erbil, and bases belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.
Kurdish authorities have consistently condemned the strikes as violations of Iraqi illusory sovereignty and acts of economic sabotage, urging Baghdad to rein in rogue factions and secure regional boundaries to prevent the territory from becoming a proxy battleground.
The groups escalated cross-border operations during the recent US-Iran conflict, extending strikes to regional targets, including Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... . Riyadh carried out retaliatory strikes on PMF positions across Iraq late July in coordination with Washington.
The PMF, an umbrella organization grouping several Iran-aligned factions, announced Thursday that it plans to hold a week of celebrations leading up to the scheduled withdrawal of coalition forces, an exit the former paramilitary network has demanded for years.
In mid-August, the factions introduced new conditions for laying down their arms, demanding the withdrawal of Ottoman Turkish troops from northern Iraq and the disbandment of the autonomous Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces.
Erbil has repeatedly pushed back, stressing that the Peshmerga is an official, constitutionally recognized security force that does not fall under Zaidi's disarmament campaign.
[IsraelTimes] IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Thursday morning that he had ordered a major bolstering of troops in the West Bank in light of recent tensions in the territory, as well as demanding that the treasury supply the military with additional funds.
“Many challenges lie ahead of us. We are advancing battle procedures on all fronts, from Iran and Lebanon to Gaza, and are on high alert in the face of multi-front volatility,” he said during an assessment with the Israel Defense Forces’ top brass.
Zamir said that because of the tensions in the West Bank and the upcoming Jewish holiday period, he was ordering the headquarters of a standing army division to be put on standby to reinforce troops in the area if required. A standing army division normally has tens of thousands of troops.
Normally, the West Bank has two divisions — the Judea and Samaria Division responsible for most of the territory and the 96th “Gilad” Division, tasked with the Jordan border.
“Beyond that, preparations must be made for the immediate deployment of units and battalions to reinforce the area,” he said.
[IsraelTimes] PM’s envoy reportedly spoke with terror official Ghazi Hamad, unbeknownst to official negotiators
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly oversaw private direct negotiations with a senior Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... official during the 2014 Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... war, without the knowledge of Israeli security officials.
The Prime Minister’s Office denied the Thursday report from the Walla news site, which cited a former senior member of Israel’s National Security Council.
According to the report, Netanyahu was put in contact with Hamas official Ghazi Hamad by Netanyahu’s business associate, Shlomi Fogel, a figure previously said to be involved in Israel-blessed Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i cash transfers to Hamas, who has admitted speaking with the terror group in the past.
At the time, Hamad was a deputy minister in Hamas’s government in Gaza.
The communications between Netanyahu and Hamad took place at the same time as official negotiations were underway in Cairo to end the monthlong war, the report said, adding that the Cairo delegation was unaware of Netanyahu’s backchannel talks. Conversations were held by telephone between Fogel and Hamad, and the messages passed along were formulated by then-head of the National Security Council, Yossi Cohen, the report said.
At some point, defense officials became aware of the covert backchannel talks, and Fogel was twice questioned by security officials, but reportedly was able to show that he was acting on behalf of Netanyahu and Cohen.
The Prime Minister’s Office said no such talks ever took place, calling the claims "false briefings by political elements trying to harm the prime minister."
A statement on behalf of Fogel likewise denied the report, saying he was "never sent by the prime minister or national security adviser to carry out contacts with Ghazi Hamad or other Hamas entities. It is fake news."
Yashar chair and election frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot said in response to the report that "every day, the explanation for why Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his life to thwart the establishment of a state committee of inquiry... becomes clearer," referring to a top-level probe of the devastating Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.
"For the umpteenth time, we are exposed to the failures of the Netanyahu government," the former military chief said, accusing the premier of using "disorder, lies, and tactics of divide and conquer as a method of management."
Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman declared in response to the report that the prime minister is a "danger to Israel’s security."
"Netanyahu is the one who initiated the transfer of suitcases full of dollars to Hamas and personally offered immunity to terror leaders," said the hawkish politician. "Netanyahu corresponded with Yahya Sinwar. Netanyahu is a danger to Israel’s security."
He reiterated the opposition parties’ pledge to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 attack, if elected in October, when Israel is set to hold a Knesset election.
Former prime minister and current head of the B’Yachad party, Naftali Bennett, who was a cabinet minister under Netanyahu in 2014, posted to X that the prime minister is "no longer capable of taking care of our security and certainly not of overcoming the enemy."
Last year, business daily TheMarker reported that billionaire shipping magnate Fogel played a direct role in coordinating Qatari cash transfers to Hamas in Gaza in recent years, with Israel’s approval.
It came amid investigations into illegal ties between Qatar and several of Netanyahu’s aides, as well as accusations that the Israeli premier helped prop up Hamas while catastrophically miscalculating the terror group’s intentions.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from Qatar were delivered by hand to Gaza between 2018 and 2021, money approved by Israel in hopes of keeping a lid on simmering tensions in the Strip amid sky-high unemployment.
🇮🇱 KATZ WARNS GAZA KITES, BALLOONS WILL FACE FORCEFUL RESPONSE
Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Hamas that any kite or balloon launched from Gaza toward Israeli border communities will trigger an immediate response.
🇮🇱 KATZ WARNS GAZA KITES, BALLOONS WILL FACE FORCEFUL RESPONSE
Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Hamas that any kite or balloon launched from Gaza toward Israeli border communities will trigger an immediate response.
“From our perspective, every launch is an act of terrorism in every respect — and we will treat it as such.”
“From now on, every launch will be met with a forceful response against those responsible, the organizers and perpetrators, as well as against the launch sites and infrastructure used by them.”
Buncha drama queens blaming the Joooos instead of Hamas, whose abuse of kites and balloons led to the Israeli reaction.
[AnNahar] Some parents said children in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... are dismantling their kites after Israel threatened to ramp up strikes as the toys keep flying into southern Israel.
In the past, kites and balloons have been set aflame and launched across the Gaza border, igniting fields and property in Israeli communities. The Paleostinian holy warrior group Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... has downplayed the danger the kites pose.
In tents near the Mediterranean Sea in southern Gaza, kids dismantled the plastic, cloth and wood contraptions as adults looked on.
"They’ve lost their simple dreams, their education, their childhood, the simple things they used to enjoy," lamented resident Atiya Abu Samhan.
[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... has lost interest in renewing June’s interim agreement with Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and prefers to exert economic pressure to secure more favorable terms for ending the war, according to sources who spoke Thursday with The Times of Israel.
Trump himself told news hounds his new sanctions against Iran could extend to Chinese banks that do business with it, and said there were no talks at all between the US and Iran right now, even as Tehran’s top diplomat hosted his Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i counterpart, a key mediator, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.
Former Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... chief David Barnea, an architect of the US-Israeli war against Iran, meanwhile hailed Trump’s new sanctions but said there would be no choice but to "intensify the economic, diplomatic and operational actions" against the Iranian regime until it falls.
The sanctions, which US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented on Monday, target Iran’s digital assets and technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors. Potential secondary sanctions would affect entities in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... that transport Iranian oil.
A US official who spoke with The Times of Israel said Trump thinks sanctions will lead the Iranian regime to capitulate to more favorable terms on curbing its nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Confirming elements of an earlier Wall Street Journal report, a senior diplomat from one of the mediating countries also said Trump was no longer interested in reviving the June memorandum of understanding, which fell apart within days over disagreements about the strategic waterway.
While mediators Qatar and Pakistain have sought to restore the MOU or negotiate a similar agreement, Trump has informed them he was no longer prepared to accept those terms because the Iranians have "burned" him too many times at the last minute, the diplomat said.
The US would need to be willing to wait out Iran for an extended period for Trump’s plan to work, the diplomat added, expressing doubt in the administration’s ability to wait that long, given the war’s unpopularity among American citizens.
Speaking to news hounds in the Oval Office, Trump said of Iranian leaders: "We don’t want to speak to them. We’re not looking to meet or anything."
Asked if he would punish Russia for continuing to do business with Iran, Trump said, "It depends. So far, I think Russia’s behaved quite well, having to do with the Strait of Hormuz, and you have to understand: for everything they do, we do also."
Then, when asked if he would sanction Chinese banks for doing business with Iran, Trump said: "Who said I’m not? You don’t know if I’m doing it... I don’t have to announce everything, do I?"
#1
Then,when asked if he would sanction Chinese banks for doing business with Iran,
What would Gordan Chang say? Forfoksake! Somebody had better start listening to Gordan's warnings about China, and not just in relationship to current events in Iran.
Conflict with these SOB's is just on the horizon and it would appear few in Washington are taking note,
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/28/2026 11:10 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Iran claims US is unleashing 'economic terrorism'
Brave Lions of Islam or whiny-ass little bitches.
Potato/Tomato.
I think I have some understanding of how this is playing out. But I admit to a faint sense of disappointment that Tehran is not getting nuked. Does that make me a bad person?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] For several weeks now, the Syrian nuclear dossier has been in the spotlight: the country's new authorities have decided to allow the IAEA access to some unregistered sites with a dubious past.
Just to close as many disagreements with the international community as possible.
Syrian officials are serious about this and are positioning this step as a starting point for broader normalization of relations with their neighbors. However, not everyone believes Damascus is sincere.
And some are even looking for ways to force him to get rid of his reserves “on a voluntary-compulsory basis.”
DAD'S STASH
The Syrian nuclear program, which began under President Hafez al-Assad in the second half of the 1970s, has stirred public concern for decades.
Due to the uncertain status of a number of facilities and ambiguous scientific research, Damascus has repeatedly been accused of having clandestine nuclear production facilities and attempts to create a foundation for the production of nuclear weapons.
The peak of the crisis occurred in the early 2000s (during the reign of Bashar al-Assad), when the IAEA received information about Damascus’s secret construction of a nuclear facility near Deir ez-Zor (the Al-Kibar facility), which was allegedly intended to be used for plutonium production.
Defectors reported on the new president's attempts to "maximize his father's legacy" and create the basis for a full-fledged nuclear network in Syria—using a scheme similar to Iran's Amad project.
However, even after the facility—before it was fully operational—was destroyed in September 2007 as part of Israel's Operation Orchard, suspicions persisted. The IAEA repeatedly detected traces of man-made natural uranium in the province and also drew attention to several other closed sites that could have been part of the Al-Kibar ecosystem.
The civil war in Syria that began in 2011 forced IAEA inspectors to curtail their work in the country. For nearly 15 years, the history of the Syrian nuclear project was shrouded in mystery and speculation, including allegations that the Syrian government army possessed a small arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons.
After the conflict's peak, Assad attempted to reset dialogue with the IAEA in March 2024, promising to assist the inspectors. However, he was unable to systematize his efforts in this area—in December 2024, armed opposition forces launched a counteroffensive and quickly captured Damascus.
A GRAND GESTURE
After Assad's overthrow, talk of nuclear facilities ceased for a while again: there were plenty of other pressing issues in Syria that required a quick response.
The situation changed in the summer of 2026. The new Syrian authorities apparently believed that publicly rejecting their dangerous legacy would strengthen their image in the eyes of the international community. This was especially true since many former members of the armed opposition had built their careers on the idea of abandoning ambitions related to weapons of mass destruction and were unwilling to contradict themselves.
Therefore, on July 17, 2026, Damascus sent an official request to the IAEA, in which it reported the presence of unregistered nuclear material on the country's territory, located at an unregistered facility in the province of Deir ez-Zor, and its readiness to transfer it under international control.
The agency, apparently, was skeptical about the issue and did not make a global sensation out of the news, assuming that the secret reserves would be more symbolic.
But further preliminary inspections revealed otherwise. On August 18, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi , who personally arrived in Deir ez-Zor, announced the discovery of several tons of nuclear material that "could potentially be misused."
Behind this flexible wording, the head of the agency concealed references to traces of uranium concentrate (so-called "yellowcake"), without which it is impossible to produce highly enriched uranium. Traces of yellowcake had previously been discovered at the Marj al-Sultan site near Damascus, as reported separately by the IAEA.
THE DISSATISFIED REMAIN
Grossi and other IAEA representatives were clearly won over by the new authorities' desire to make the long-standing issue as transparent as possible.
Damascus not only brought officials to an area previously closed to inspection, but also organized accelerated excavations in the area where the remains of illegal materials were potentially located.
Imminent visits to other shadowy sites within Syria's nuclear perimeter were also announced. These visits should help the agency gain a full picture of the events and reach a verdict. Furthermore, Damascus states that, after the investigation is completed, it is prepared to sign safeguards agreements with the IAEA and develop its nuclear program exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Not everyone was pleased with these sweeping gestures. Israel, as expected, found itself in the dissenting camp. However, this time, it's conveying its discontent in a rather peculiar way.
Officially, Israel has adopted a neutral stance toward Syrian nuclear materials—a radical departure from the Jewish state's usual response to such incidents. Moreover, the country's representatives at the UN even welcomed the IAEA's decision to establish international oversight of unregistered Syrian facilities.
Behind the scenes, however, Israeli diplomats have used every lever available to them to pressure the US, its Arab allies, and individual IAEA officials not only to expedite the investigation but also to trace the origins of the components themselves.
It's also important to check whether the new authorities have revealed all the assets—or whether they've kept some under wraps. The military rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara creates a strong temptation to reveal only part of Assad's stash.
Israel is also concerned that Syria will attempt to use the nuclear dossier as a tool of political blackmail. Damascus quickly demonstrated this ploy by sharply escalating its rhetoric following the Israeli air raid on the abandoned Abu Duhur military airfield in Idlib province.
While the Syrian authorities initially agreed to the removal of nuclear stockpiles from the country, after the incident they announced their intention to keep the uranium (albeit under IAEA supervision) until better times.
THE ART OF PRESSURE
After attempts to quickly remove nuclear materials from Syria encountered resistance from Damascus, Israeli strategists began exploring various options for resolving the issue on their own—or, more precisely, using the military contingent deployed in the country.
The option of a land attack was ruled out almost immediately—the nearest potential nuclear facility was at least 55 kilometers from the Israeli control zone, and such an adventure would have guaranteed a large-scale military conflict. Nor would it have received approval from the US and other countries, nor the IAEA.
Instead, Israel appears to have opted for covert pressure: intelligence agencies, through proxies in Syria, spread rumors of a hunt for officers overseeing operations in Deir ez-Zor province, specifically the command of the 66th and 86th divisions.
And although not a single shot was fired in their direction, according to local reports, at least twenty people managed to receive the black mark, including the local military authority Abu Muhammad Shura .
The psychological effect of the shadow pressure was multiplied by the fact that a series of "accidental" accidents involving cars owned by Syrian activists swept through Deir ez-Zor (at this stage there were no casualties), while in the public sphere the Israelis - including the most notorious "hawks" - maintained neutrality and goodwill.
Damascus took the hint unambiguously and quickly arranged secret talks between Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaybani and Mossad chief Roman Hoffman . Jordan provided the venue.
Officially, the meeting was devoted solely to preventing incidents similar to the Abu Duhur attack. However, given that al-Shaybani's delegation included representatives of the Syrian intelligence services, the Ministry of Defense, and units deployed in Deir ez-Zor, the nuclear issue also became a focus.
The results are not being disclosed. Judging by the fact that the chain of targeted strikes against Syrian security forces ceased after this, the parties were able to agree on de-escalation.
Meanwhile, the effect of such steps is rather temporary. Israel continues to see Syria's nuclear stockpile as a threat to its security, although it doesn't officially acknowledge it. And it is trying to provoke Damascus to abandon this dangerous legacy.
Including reserving the right to move from intimidation to real action.
The United States, on whose assistance the Syrians have long relied, is watching the conflict unfold from the sidelines. But at the same time, it is sending messages to Damascus. At the end of August, the United States officially removed Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, lifting the accompanying sanctions.
This step significantly expanded Damascus's foreign policy options, paving the way for it to develop a peaceful nuclear energy program based on American technological solutions. However, with an important caveat: cooperation will only be possible if the new authorities convince their partners of the purity of their intentions.
As a result, for the Syrians, the nuclear stockpiles exposed to the IAEA suddenly turned into a suitcase without a handle, dangerous to keep because of Israeli displeasure, but also a pity to give them up—because doing so would mean sacrificing national interests and following the lead of someone else's policies.
And the option Damascus chooses will determine its regional position in the coming years.
[North Press] A voluntary return convoy carrying 156 displaced families left camps in northern Idlib countryside on Thursday for their home areas in Damascus, Damascus countryside, Latakia and Hama governorates.
On Wednesday, another convoy left camps in northern Syria for Hama countryside, carrying 236 families seeking to go back under the voluntary return program.
The convoy was organized under the supervision of Idlib Governorate and the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
I am shocked — the Hayat Tahrir al Sham/Al Nusra government, previously a branch of Al Qaeda in Syria, is pulling out all the stops to act like they aren’t radical Islamists.
[Rudaw] The Women's Protection Units (YPJ) could be integrated as a "distinct and organized force" under Damascus' interior ministry, the all-women force affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Thursday. This comes months after the integration of female Kurdish fighters emerged as a sticking point in the wider integration process. Communist, atheist fighting females in uniform with weapons, while in Afghanistan the analogous Taliban are not allowing girls to go to school beyond sixth grade or wander outside uncovered and unguarded by a male relative. You understand my perplexity, dear Reader — this is nothing like the female units of the Morals Police fielded by ISIS and Iran.
The YPJ said in a statement that its general command met with an official delegation from the Syrian interior ministry, where "issues of security and stability in Syria" and "cooperation and coordination between the two sides" were discussed extensively.
The future of the all-women units "was the main focus of the meeting," the statement added, noting that "it was emphasized that the YPJ could be integrated, as a distinct and organized force, into the structure of the Ministry of Interior."
The meeting was held in a "positive and constructive atmosphere" to advance "the integration process within the framework of the January 29, 2026 Agreement," the YPJ said, pointing to further "meetings and discussions" ahead.
The YPJ, an all-female force affiliated with the People's Protection Units (YPG), forms a core component of the SDF. It played a pivotal role in liberating the symbolic Kurdish city of Kobane in northeast Syria (Rojava) from the Islamic State (ISIS) in early 2015, with significant backing from the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
The YPJ's Thursday statement comes days after SDF chief Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday announced the dissolution of the forces he heads.
Abdi's announcement pertained to the January 29 accord with Damascus, under which the two sides agreed to integrate the Kurdish-led forces - along with the institutions of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), which governs Rojava - into Syrian state structures.
[Rudaw] Over 20,000 employees in northeast Syria (Rojava) have been integrated into Damascus' state structure, a senior member of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's team overseeing the integration process told Rudaw on Wednesday, further pointing to efforts to reopen key border crossings between Rojava, the Kurdistan Region and Turkey.
"The integration process is ongoing. It is happening, and employees [in Rojava] are being transferred into the state system," said Ahmad al-Hilali, who also serves as deputy governor of the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province, speaking to Rudaw's Solin Mohammedamin on the sidelines of the 64th Damascus International Fair.
Hilali further noted the completion of integration of 4,000 fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), adding that they have been on the government's payroll for the past three months.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday announced the disbanding of the force, declaring its mission complete. The announcement pertained to the landmark January 29 Agreement between Damascus and the SDF to integrate Rojava's civil and military institutions.
Under the accord, border crossings previously administered by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), which governs Rojava, were handed over to the Syrian state and incorporated into the national customs system.
Hilali on Wednesday pointed to "very good steps [that] have been taken" toward formalizing the Semalka border crossing between Rojava and the Kurdistan Region.
Semalka, known as Fishkhabur on the Iraqi side, is a critical transit point established in 2012-2013 that has served as the primary artery for civilian travel, medical evacuations, trade, and humanitarian aid into Rojava.
Hilali explained that formalizing the Semalka crossing is linked to the opening of a Syrian consulate in Erbil - "a step currently being studied by the Syrian foreign ministry," he said.
"When the consulate opens, the status of the Semalka crossing between us and the Kurdistan Region will certainly improve," he added.
The deputy governor of Hasaka further pointed to ongoing efforts to reopen the Nusaybin border crossing between Rojava and Turkey, which has been closed since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
Hilali attributed the delay in inauguration to the old structure being “too small. Now there is a larger area that engineers are studying. I expect it to be completed by the new year," he said.
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
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The YPJ's Thursday statement comes days after SDF chief Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday announced the dissolution of the forces he heads.
