As Rabbi Hillel the Elder said, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"
[NYPost] A host of rabbis recently participated in a five-day "summer camp" featuring extensive firearms training as Jewish leaders from across the US prepared for the High Holidays.
The pilot program, run by Los Angeles-based Jewish security organization Magen Am USA, brought together 20 Chabad Hasidic rabbis from 12 states for an intensive crash course designed to help them respond to potential threats at their synagogues and in their communities.
The program, which also included emergency medicine and security training, took place in August in Los Angeles. It came as Jewish communities across Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, and the country grapple with heightened security concerns and rising fears about attacks on Jewish institutions.
For Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, the founder of Magen Am, the answer isn’t simply putting more guns in religious leaders’ hands.
"Lots of people, lots of guns, little training," Eilfort told the California Post. "That can be bad for the community."
Magen Am is a registered nonprofit and California-licensed security company whose stated mission is to train and empower Jewish communities to establish security teams within their own institutions.
The Anti-Defamation League recorded 6,274 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2025, including assaults, harassment and vandalism.
California ranked second in the country with 817 incidents, while the Los Angeles region recorded 419. Although the overall number of incidents in LA declined from 532 in 2024, assaults jumped 22% — the highest number ever recorded locally, according to the ADL.
Eilfort said the organization works with community members, government officials and law enforcement to build security programs, while also offering firearms education to members of the public.
The rabbi-specific program was created after Jewish religious leaders began approaching Eilfort for advice about firearms and security at their houses of worship.
"We’re visibly Jewish and we walk down the street and dozens of rabbis have people yell things at them," Eilfort said, adding that rabbis have increasingly been targeted with hate speech and protests.
A donor who asked to remain anonymous stepped forward to fund the pilot so participating rabbis would not have to pay for the training. The response was immediate.
Thirty-seven rabbis applied for just 20 spots, according to Magen Am.
Organizers prioritized applicants based on their security needs and the existing protections available to their communities. Some participants had never handled a gun before. Others already owned firearms but did not feel comfortable carrying them, while some were experienced gun owners looking for additional training and guidance.
The rabbis came from states including Alaska, Montana, Arizona, Florida, New York and Missouri, with California participants stretching from San Diego to Santa Barbara.
The five-day pilot ran from morning through evening, with Magen Am handling meals and hospitality as well as the training itself.
The curriculum included responsible firearm ownership, situational awareness, emergency medical procedures and coordination with law enforcement.
Eilfort declined to mention what specific law enforcement agency was involved in the training.
Participants also received instruction on suspicious-activity reports and how such reports are handled by fusion centers.
"It’s not all about the gun," Eilfort said. "It’s all about community safety."
The trainers themselves were members of the Jewish community, with some who had served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) . Eilfort, who has a background as a rabbi, is also a licensed and certified firearms instructor and a former MMA fighter.
"I’m not a security professional who found the Jewish community," he said. "I’m a Jewish community member who realized we need more security in our community."
For Eilfort, firearms provide only one layer of defense.
He emphasized safe storage, insurance, proficiency, licensing and compliance — and rejected the idea that the program was intended to encourage vigilante behavior.
"I’m not calling for vigilantism," he said. "I believe in doing things right."
The program also appears to have tapped in to a growing appetite among rabbis for this kind of preparation.
After the pilot ended, dozens more rabbis applied to join the program, with roughly 40 people placed on a waitlist, according to Eilfort.
Magen Am is now discussing additional funding and hopes to run another four to six programs next year, potentially expanding to as many as 10 to 12 programs the following year.
The organization has already begun expanding its broader security operations, including a new San Diego team.
Magen Am: A Los Angeles-based registered nonprofit and licensed security company founded by Rabbi Yossi Eilfort. It provides community-wide classes as well as intensive multi-day security and firearm training camps specifically designed for rabbis and Jewish leaders, covering responsible firearm ownership, situational awareness, and medical response.
Lox & Loaded: A national Jewish gun club and advocacy network co-founded by Gayle Pearlstein. It operates chapters across dozens of states to offer basic pistol instruction, self-defense, and firearm safety training to Jewish Americans. The organization has also collaborated with the National Rifle Association (NRA) for trainer access and range facilities.
Cherev Gidon: A tactical training facility in Pennsylvania run by Yonatan Stern that specializes in instructing Jewish individuals and has trained volunteer security teams for numerous synagogues nationwide.
Raziel Cohen’s Training Academy: Led by Rabbi Raziel Cohen (widely known online as "The Tactical Rabbi"), this initiative in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains offers courses on defensive rifle and handgun use, emergency response tactics, and institutional security for community members.
Secure Community Network (SCN): Operating as the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, SCN works alongside law enforcement and federations to shape security policies, though it focuses broadly on community-wide threat mitigation and institutional protection rather than direct partisan or individual gun-range instruction.
[Dawn] A US delegation that recently visited Kabul told Afghan Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... leaders that releasing American prisoners could pave the way for "some progress" in relations, which also includes the possibility of American investment in the country’s mineral resources.
But unlike past instances, where the Taliban regime had swiftly complied with such requests from Washington, this time around they seem to be seeking a quid pro quo.
Sources privy to discussions between Adam Boehler, the US president’s special envoy for hostage affairs, and senior Afghan Taliban officials told Dawn that although the US delegation was there to secure a prisoner release, the visit could be viewed as a diplomatic boost for Afghanistan’s rulers, who are desperately trying to seek international recognition.
So far, only Russia has accorded official recognition to the Taliban regime.
Mr Boehler’s visit, his second trip to Afghanistan in seven months, is also being viewed by many as signaling the Trump administration’s shift towards some level of engagement with the so-called Islamic Emirate.
An Afghan official described the visit as "a new beginning" for relations between the United States and the Taliban regime.
Boehler’s previous trip, in March, yielded the release of US citizen George Glezmann, who was detained in 2022 while visiting Kabul as a tourist.
This time around, the delegates met with Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome... these meetings did not yield the immediate release of the prisoner whose freedom they came to secure.
Sources privy to the meetings said that Mr Boehler had termed the issue of prisoners as being "very important to President Trump".
He even hinted that if this obstacle in relations could be resolved, the two countries could "move forward", sources quoted the envoy as saying.
This seems to be a reference to potential US investment in the minerals sector. The Taliban government has invited investors to look at opportunities for the exploration of mineral resources in parts of the country, mostly in the north.
After seizing Kabul in Aug 2021, the Taliban government signed several billions of dollars on mining contracts with local and foreign companies from China, Iran, Uzbekistan, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... and Britannia.
These contracts cover the extraction and processing of gold, copper, iron, lead and zinc in Takhar, Ghor, Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... , Panjshir and Pashtun-infested Logar, Badakhshan, Takhar, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul ...a city and eponymous province in northern Afghanistan, population about 500,000. Demographically it is majority Tadjik and Uzbek. There are small Pashtun, Arab, and Hazara communities, of which the Hazaras mostly don't bother anyone... , Kandahar, Oruzgan, Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. and Kunar, according to officials.
But the Taliban side also wants something else; the release of Mohammad Rahim, the lone Afghan still imprisoned at the infamous US detention centre in Guantanamo Bay.
Although the US had agreed, in principle, to release Rahim in March, it has not yet come to pass.
This time, however, the envoy apparently assured the Afghan Taliban that he would be freed and transferred to 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... . Washington wants some curbs on Rahim even after his release, and discussions on this issue are still ongoing, an official privy to the matter told Dawn.
Discussions between the two sides also included the issue provision of consular services for Afghan citizens residing in the US.
The issue is synonymous with concerns over limited diplomatic representation for Afghanistan in the US, following the Taliban’s return to power.
On this, Kabul maintains that it should be allowed to staff its consulate in the US to provide facilities to thousands of Afghans living in the United States. In addition,
There are indications that the Trump administration may allow the Taliban to have an envoy in New York, as was the case during the first Taliban regime in the 1990s. At the time, Abdul Hakim Mujahid served as the Taliban representative (or point of contact) for the UN.
KHALILZAD THE INTERLOCUTOR
Accompanying Mr Boehler on both his trips to Kabul was Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US special representative to Afghanistan, who was appointed to that post by none other than President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... , during his first stint in the White House.
However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome... Khalilzad’s allegiances are a matter of some debate; although he does not hold any official position in the US administration, he seems to be facilitating all American engagement with Kabul (and Kandahar, for that matter).
Dr Ubaidullah Burhani, an academic specialising in Middle Eastern and Afghan affairs, believes that Khalilzad’s latest visit was conducted "in an official capacity", as he was representing the US alongside Mr Boehler.
While addressing highly sensitive security and humanitarian issues, he also acted as a coordinator to maintain communication channels, particularly in light of Qatar’s ongoing and influential role as a regional mediator.
In this sense, Khalilzad functions as a dual channel — conveying Washington’s official position on the one hand, while simultaneously broadening engagement opportunities through his experience and regional connections, Dr Burhani said.
It may be recalled that Khalilzad was one of the main interlocutors between Kabul and Washington when both sides sat across the table from each other to negotiate the ’Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan’ — commonly known as the Doha accord — in Feb 2020.
According to some accounts, Khalilzad represents Qatari interests, and was brought on by Doha to facilitate talks between the US and the Afghan Taliban regime.
Indeed, the recent visit of the US delegation was also managed from Doha, which provided a special plane for delegates for travel to and from Afghanistan.
In addition, Khalilzad was also in Doha during the recent Arab summit, convened in the aftermath of Israel’s strike against Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... leaders living in Qatar. Officials in Kabul say they are happy to deal with Khalilzad, as he seems to understand both sides quite well.
[ToloNews] The World Bank says 51.4 billion afghani has been spent on the security sector out of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s total expenditures so far in fiscal year 2026.
According to the latest Afghanistan Economic Monitor report, the figure accounts for 45% of total government spending, while non-security expenditures reached 62.2 billion afghani.
Total government expenditures during the period stood at 113.6 billion afghani, up 7% compared with the same period last year.
The government’s budget deficit also reached 2.1 billion afghani, equivalent to nearly $32 million.
Education: 18.3 billion afghani
Social protection: 10.9 billion afghani
Governance: 10.8 billion afghani
Infrastructure and natural resources: 9.4 billion afghani
Economy and private sector: 8.1 billion afghani
Health, agriculture and other sectors: 4.7 billion afghani
Military affairs analyst Asadullah Nadim said regarding security spending: "Government officials should consider this issue. The military budget is also very important, and its funding sources must be secured. Major sources should be sought to develop and transform the economy so that Afghanistan’s economy can grow and finance its military expenditures."
Meanwhile,
...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck reached for the green sauce... Afghanistan’s total trade increased by 19% in August compared with the previous month, with exports reaching $145.6 million and imports totaling $1.19 billion.
However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... exports declined by 18% compared with August last year, while the trade deficit reached $1.05 billion.
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... accounted for 32.9% of Afghanistan’s imports, followed by China at 13.5% and the United Arab Emirates at 10.9%.
The report also said that 56.6% of trade flows passed through Iran and 38.9% through Central Asia.
The World Bank added that disruptions to trade routes and declining foreign aid, along with large-scale migrant returns, have put pressure on economic activity, the labor market and public services.
Economic affairs analyst Sair Quraishi said: "Afghanistan should not depend on only one or two trade routes. The more we use routes through Iran, Central Asia and Pakistain, as well as air corridors, the lower the risk of trade disruptions and the lower the costs."
Meanwhile,
...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck reached for the green sauce... the deputy minister of economy said the World Bank report reflects some of the realities in Afghanistan.
Abdul Latif Nazari, the ministry’s professional deputy, said: "Afghanistan currently has good economic ties with countries in the region, including Iran, China and Central Asian countries. Some trade challenges have also emerged as a result of the regional war. Nevertheless, inflation in the country has been brought under control and exports have also increased."
The World Bank also reported that annual inflation declined to 6.7% in August, while the afghani appreciated by 1.1% against the US dollar.
The World Bank said imports of capital goods declined by 40% compared with last year and accounted for only 8% of Afghanistan’s total imports.
[IsraelTimes] Group of Democratic senators tell Rubio that terms of agreement are ‘all but certain to allow Riyadh to acquire the means to enrich uranium’ and in turn potentially develop a nuke
Congress has reportedly received a classified assessment by the US intelligence community that 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... has not dismissed the possibility of developing a nuclear weapons program.
Washington and Riyadh confirmed in July they had reached an agreement that could potentially provide the kingdom with uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear program.
US politicians from both parties and Israeli officials have voiced deep concern over such a project due to fears Saudi Arabia could eventually convert it to develop nuclear weapons, though it doesn’t appear likely the Republican-controlled legislature will block its implementation.
According to a report in the Washington Post, a group of Democratic senators led by Massachusetts’ Ed Markey ...U.S. Representative-for-Life from Massachusetts, serving since 1976. He is a member of the Democratic Party, naturally.... and Jeff Merkley of Oregon sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... on Friday warning of the departure from precedent, which may spark a process "that is all but certain to allow Riyadh to acquire the means to enrich uranium and possibly develop nuclear weapons."
Merkley told the newspaper that the situation was "bogus as hell," arguing that Saudi demands suggested its intentions for a nuclear program go beyond civilian use.
"If they’ve given up the intent to develop a nuclear weapon, then they’d give up domestic enrichment and reprocessing power, right? They’d accept massive inspections from the IAEA," he said, using the initials of the UN’s atomic watchdog.
Markey meanwhile linked his concerns to the ongoing war with Iran, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists... having previously warned that Riyadh will seek a nuclear bomb if Tehran does.
"It is very clear that as this war in 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... continues to unfold, that the Iranians are going to fiercely defend their ability to develop a nuclear weapons program, and as a result, any action that we take in Saudi Arabia will only further accelerate a fallout nuclear arms race in the region," Markey said.
The letter from the Democratic senators also hit out at Trump administration officials who they said would benefit from the agreement.
"Jared Kushner, for example, accepted a $2 billion investment from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund after leaving the White House at the end of the first Trump Administration," it reportedly says.
"Westinghouse Electric, meanwhile, stands to make tens of billions of dollars if this agreement moves forward. Westinghouse’s majority owner is closely associated with Newmark, the real estate firm run and owned in part by the sons of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick."
Riyadh did not respond directly to the Washington Post’s questions, instead relaying an earlier statement from its energy minister insisting that their plan was "peaceful."
The US State Department said Washington "does not and will not support a Saudi nuclear weapon program," and defended the decision. The Washington Post said a State Department assessment included in the classified documents was much more optimistic about the deal’s safeguards and the Saudi government’s promises.
The CIA also declined to comment.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/26/2026 2026-09-26 02:15 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#1
Duh...
They funded Pakistan's nuclear program and in return if they need some nukes they will get them. And also guess who they signed a defense treaty with.
[IsraelTimes] Essa Suleiman, 45, appears for brief hearing at London court for April 29 attack in heavily Jewish neighborhood that left victims seriously injured; his trial is due to start in March
A 45-year-old man pleaded not guilty "Wudn't me." on Friday to attempting to murder two Jewish men who were stabbed in a knife attack in north London in April — an offense prosecutors said they were no longer treating as terrorism.
Essa Suleiman, a Brit who was born in Somalia, is alleged to have attacked the men in Golders Green on April 29, one of a spate of incidents targeting Jewish premises in the same area of London, which is home to a large Jewish population.
The attacks left Britannia’s 290,000 Jews fearing for their safety, and prompted the government to promise stronger action to protect them.
In March, a separate arson attack in the Golders Green neighborhood destroyed four ambulances owned by Hatzola, a Jewish rescue group, parked outside a synagogue. Four men pleaded guilty to the attack, including British nationals Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, 18, and British-Pak Saif Ali, 18.
The arsonists destroyed four ambulance vehicles, causing damage valued at £1 million ($1.4 million).
Suleiman appeared for a brief hearing at London’s Old Bailey court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder.
He also denied a third count of attempted murder, relating to an unconnected incident at the home of a former acquaintance earlier the same day, and possession of a bladed article.
Police had initially said the stabbings were being investigated as suspected terrorism.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer said on Friday, however, that the Crown Prosecution Service had concluded that following a review, there was insufficient evidence to say the stabbings had a terrorist connection.
Suleiman was remanded in jug and will next appear in court on January 15, with his trial due to start in March 2027.
London’s Metropolitan Police has announced the creation of a special unit to protect Jews following a spate of hate attacks amid growing antisemitism in the country.
[FoxNews] Vice President José Manuel Restrepo said US support means intelligence and technology, not boots on the ground
Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo said his country is embracing President Donald Trump’s push for a new security alliance across the Western Hemisphere, but drew a clear line on the role American forces would play inside Colombia, telling Fox News Digital that Colombian troops — not U.S. forces — will carry out operations against the country’s armed groups.
Restrepo spoke with Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview days after joining Trump and other regional leaders at a Shield of the Americas meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Trump called the initiative the "largest and most powerful alliance for economic and national security ever to convene in the Western Hemisphere."
Trump urged members to treat what he called "narco terrorists" as common threats and impose sanctions on U.S.-designated terrorist organizations.
The shift in Colombia comes amid a broader political realignment across Latin America, with De La Espriella’s June victory adding Colombia to a group of countries including Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama that have moved to the right, fueled in part by voter concerns over crime, economic weakness and political instability.
Restrepo said he personally discussed the region’s changing political and security landscape with Trump. The shift in Colombia comes amid a broader political realignment across Latin America, with De La Espriella’s June victory adding Colombia to a group of countries including Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama that have moved to the right, fueled in part by voter concerns over crime, economic weakness and political instability.
"There is a wave of freedom, a wave of democracy, a wave of free market. … There is a new momentum for the region and we have to take advantage of that momentum. That's what I said to President Trump," Restrepo told Fox News Digital. "If we want to keep and preserve democracy in the region, the Shield of the Americas is going to be the best opportunity to do it."
Asked what Trump told him, Restrepo said the president agreed and expressed respect for Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella.
"Colombia is a new partner. In my opinion, it's one of the most important partners for the United States in the region," Restrepo said.
That partnership is already being tested in the fight against drug trafficking and armed groups.
In August, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Colombia had authorized "joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks" and told reporters that Washington had discussed possible joint strikes against groups including the National Liberation Army, or ELN, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, and remnants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
"Designated terrorist organizations, with partnered governments, will be legitimate targets of the United States government," including in Colombia, Hegseth said when asked whether such operations were expected, according to Reuters.
But when pressed by Fox News Digital on whether joint U.S.-Colombian strikes remained an option, Restrepo appeared to narrow the scope of direct American involvement.
"The United States helps us on security, helps us information, helps us on technology, but the public forces of Colombia are those who are going to act in those places," he said.
Asked specifically whether Colombia would have the "boots on the ground," Restrepo replied: "We will have our group, our public forces on the ground."
The tougher posture comes as Colombia confronts renewed violence from armed and drug-trafficking groups. This week, De La Espriella ordered the military into Santa Marta after the Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada, an illegal armed group involved in drug trafficking, responded to the killing of one of its senior leaders with an "armed strike," threats, roadblocks and attacks that left businesses shuttered and public transportation disrupted. More than 500 soldiers and 600 police officers were deployed, according to the Colombian presidency.
The new government is also seeking to reverse former President Gustavo Petro’s "total peace" policy, which pursued negotiations with several armed organizations. Before taking office, De La Espriella announced that he would dismantle key elements of the policy and reactivate arrest warrants against members of illegal armed groups.
Restrepo went further, accusing the former government of creating "the idea of impunity" and saying the new administration instead intends to confront groups it considers terrorists.
He said that when the new government took office, "around 30%" of Colombia’s regions lacked effective territorial control — a figure Fox News Digital has not independently verified — and said the administration was seeking to regain those areas through stronger security forces, intelligence gathering, drug eradication and extraditions.
Restrepo also argued that the same security debate should extend to the United Nations, where Colombia used its General Assembly address this week to call for reforms and an international definition of terrorism. The UN has had a global counterterrorism strategy since 2006, but member states have for decades failed to agree on a comprehensive international convention defining terrorism.
Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday also announced that the country was suspending all diplomatic relations with Iran.
"This sovereign decision aligns with the pillars guiding the Government's foreign policy regarding national and hemispheric security, as well as the fight against transnational crime, taking into account alleged links between the Iranian government and international terrorist groups and other narcoterrorist groups that threaten the country's security," the Ministry wrote in a statement posted to X.
With Secretary-General António Guterres set to leave office at the end of the year, Restrepo said the transition could offer the institution an opportunity to change.
"I think that the UN has a new moment and the UN has to take advantage of that opportunity," he said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Ilya Maximov
[Regnum] On September 23, 781 migrants crossed the English Channel in 10 small boats and arrived in the UK, setting a record daily arrivals figure for 2026. This is just 22 fewer than last year's peak of 803 arrivals on December 20, 2025, and, tellingly, the new record was reached amidst the government's high-profile campaign to crack down on illegal immigration.
The Home Office insists that progress in this area is undeniable and that the number of arrivals has declined since the beginning of the year. However, these statements only make it clearer that Britain's fight against migrants has long since become a political spectacle, as more than 18,000 illegal immigrants have already arrived in the country this year.
Just the day before the incident, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered an emergency investigation after two boats carrying illegal immigrants reached the Kent coast within two days, evading interception. Frankly, the fact that the official, who comes from a family of Pakistani immigrants, is calling for a tougher crackdown only adds to the surreal nature of the situation.
This is especially true given that her own government colleagues are sabotaging her claims of strict border controls. Education Secretary Lucy Powell, for example, bluntly told The Independent that it's impossible to "stop everything forever."
Apparently, with her clumsy statement, she was trying to help the Interior Minister—she said there was no point in criticizing her for new migrant arrivals; it was impossible to keep track of them all. But even if she meant well, Powell's words were perceived by the opposition as a sign of the cabinet's unwillingness to tackle the problem seriously.
"Keir Starmer's promise to 'crush the gangs' was always a farce, and open-border advocate Andy Burnham has learned absolutely nothing from his predecessor. The only way to stop the crossings is to deport all illegal immigrants on arrival, and only the Conservatives have a plan to do that," said Chris Philp, a Conservative MP and shadow home secretary.
However, any statements from ministry leaders pale in comparison to reality. In the same week that the record number of illegal immigrants arrived, the Policy Exchange think tank published a report that caused a widespread stir.
It claims that the National Association of Muslim Police Officers (NAMP), which has been operating in the country since 2007 and boasts approximately two thousand members, is accused of undermining one of the founding principles of British policing—political impartiality. The organization's initial purpose was stated to be to remove barriers to mutual understanding and overcome negative stereotypes that could lead to fear of Muslims and Islam.
However, the result - taking into account the facts that have now come to light - has turned out to be rather the opposite at the moment.
One piece of evidence cited is a policy document written by the association's vice president, which describes Zionism as "one of the manifestations of anti-Muslim hatred" and the Israel Defense Forces as a "Zionist terrorist group." The document also casts doubt on reports of Israeli casualties in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Following a complaint from the Jewish Governing Council to the Minister of the Interior, the document was removed from the NAMP website. The association stated that it "does not reflect the organization's position," and its author left the police force. But the damage had already been done: the document, posted on the police association's website, was, in the public's fair opinion, initially received some institutional approval, which is precisely why it was made public.
The report also notes that NAMP consistently seeks to ban the term "Islamist." Members believe it fuels Islamophobia and creates an association between Islam and terrorism.
At the same time, any educated person knows perfectly well that Islam and Islamism are far from the same thing. Therefore, the essence of these efforts is clear: to eliminate the precise term describing a specific radical ideology and thereby blur the line between religion and extremism.
Curiously, even representatives of other similar police associations were quick to criticize their colleagues. "When networks of police officers publicly interfere in policy matters that are rightfully the preserve of elected governments and ministers, those networks and their leaders are overstepping their bounds," Chris Donaldson, a retired Metropolitan Police inspector and one of the founders of the National Association of Black Police, told The Telegraph.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, former chair of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission, warns: " If the public ceases to trust that the police always act according to the most fundamental principle, impartiality, we face risks to the rule of law."
Policy Exchange's recommendation, based on its findings, is to either abolish all such police associations or pass a law on police impartiality that severely restricts their activities.
Such incidents only heighten already significant concerns about immigrants. A recent YouGov poll found that 43% of Britons believe immigration over the past ten years has had a "mostly bad" impact on the country. In 2016, this figure was 33%. And more than half of respondents—66%—believe that the country has accepted too many migrants.
These sentiments are being echoed by British politicians, who accuse past and current governments of criminal inaction and call for radical measures. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, for example, proposed "turning the Royal Navy around and stopping the boats."
Following such advice, radicalized citizens of the country are taking to the sea themselves to prevent illegal immigrants from entering their country. On September 23, 37-year-old far-right activist Daniel Thomas broadcast live on social media as he slashed a knife through an inflatable migrant boat in the English Channel.
The footage shows a Briton shouting at a French lifeguard in an orange uniform who was accompanying the boat: "This is English territory, this is not France anymore."
Thomas was charged with property damage and taken into custody.
All of this, of course, seems farcical given that the authorities themselves constantly declare the need to combat illegal immigration and prevent boats from reaching British shores. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg, as European governments' actions have condemned far more people to death.
Data released on September 17 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that the number of irregular migrants arriving in Europe by sea in 2026 has decreased compared to the same period last year and currently stands at "only" 60,000 people, while the number of people killed or missing along the way has increased from 1,999 to 2,292.
IOM Director-General Amy Pope puts it bluntly: " Behind every number is a person, a family, a community." "Fewer people are arriving in Europe, but many still die and go missing trying to reach safety. Almost every death and disappearance at sea is preventable," she said.
The fact is that tightened controls and increased boat interceptions have not so much reduced the flow of migrants as complicated their routes. As a result, illegal immigrants spend more time at sea, trying to avoid heavily patrolled areas, increasing their chances of death.
The actual death toll is likely much higher than the reported figure, as many shipwrecks and disappearances go unreported in European countries and are therefore not confirmed or recorded.
In this crisis, European centrism is revealed for what it is. On the one hand, it is flirting with the left and migrants themselves, pontificating about their necessity and "inclusivity" and punishing those who oppose them. On the other hand, it is restricting access to those swayed by the sweet talk about life in Europe, in order to demonstrate its toughness to the right-wing electorate.
The fact that the price of this approach is human lives doesn't seriously bother anyone, because we're not talking about Europeans. And this proves once again that Europe has changed far less since colonialism than it seems.
[IsraelTimes] Officials say ex-Canadian soldier targeted Yom Kippur service and was equipped for potential mass killing; officer shot multiple times helped keep him out
A former Canadian soldier who opened fire on a police officer outside an Ontario synagogue during Yom Kippur shouted "You’re going to die for the Jews" moments before shooting, police said Thursday, declaring the attack was motivated by hate. "His motive is, as yet, unknown"
Of course. Is it rightwing “Nazi” hate, leftwing “Commie” hate, religious jihadi or Christian hate… it could even be something personal, and he just shouted about Jews to scare his target. So many possibilities, such a complete lack of information.
Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd disclosed the alleged words of 29-year-old Sean Ward as police for the first time publicly identified a motive for Sunday’s attack outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue.
"Make no mistake, this was a liquidation against the Jewish community," Rodd said. "The suspect had the means, the motive and the mechanisms to cause a mass casualty."
Police at a news conference Thursday played audio that they said captured Ward shouting the antisemitic threat before he opened fire on Const. Jeff Smith, who was stationed outside the synagogue.
Rodd said Smith was shot before even getting out of his vehicle but still confronted the attacker, remaining engaged in the shootout for nearly three minutes despite suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body. A second officer, Const. Michael McCurdy, arrived and joined the exchange of fire.
Rodd said the two officers were the only thing that prevented Ward from entering the synagogue and carrying out what police described as a potential mass killing. He said Ward had multiple weapons, a significant amount of ammunition and gasoline available to him.
Video has surfaced of the shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville on Yom Kippur.
About two dozen people were inside the synagogue marking the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. None were maimed.
Gunman Ward was critically maimed and died the following day. Smith, a 13-year veteran of the Belleville Police Service, faces multiple surgeries and a lengthy recovery from gunshot wounds, fractures and shrapnel injuries, Rodd said.
The Department of National Defense said that Ward served as an infantry soldier with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry before leaving the Canadian Armed Forces in 2022 as a corporal. He did not deploy during his service.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press indicate Ward had joined a lawsuit challenging the military’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, claiming financial losses after he refused vaccination on religious grounds and was released from service.
Investigators are also assessing materials found in Ward’s vehicle, including extra gasoline, to determine how much damage he may have intended to cause, Rodd said.
The province’s police watchdog previously said as many as 30 shots were fired and nearby vehicles and homes were struck.
Synagogue president Norman Weddum said Thursday he believed Ward had the means to kill those inside and possibly destroy the synagogue. He said the congregation plans to reopen soon.
The attack comes amid heightened concern about antisemitism in Canada.
Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, the province’s public safety minister, said the attack struck him personally as a Jewish Canadian. He praised the community’s response, noting that leaders from a nearby mosque brought flowers to the Sons of Jacob Synagogue to express sorrow and solidarity.
"We will never normalize antisemitism or hate of any kind," Kerzner said.
He wouldn’t, it seems, but the Carney government is a horse of a different colour.
[PJMedia] The afternoon of Sept. 17, 2024, marked the culmination of one of the most interesting, layered, and ingenious anti-terrorist operations in history. At around 3:30 p.m. local time on that late summer day, thousands of Hezbollah members received a message on their pagers, and what a message it was.
The message was simple: a beep followed by a kaboom. But it was effective. The exploding pagers killed dozens of murderous Moslems and maimed thousands more in their faces, eyes, and hands. A similar operation involving walkie-talkies took place the following day.
The head-scratching aspect for millions of Westerners who saw the news — and those of us who covered it — was: PAGERS? What was this, 1994? Thirty years after the peak year for pager use, Israel had turned pagers into effective weapons in its war against terror.
You see, Hezbollah leaders realized that even the most basic cell phones were subject to tracing, so they needed an untraceable way to communicate with their members. Voilà, pagers. It really does sound laughable, but what Israel did with the pagers is mind-blowing.
Hezbollah ordered thousands of pagers from a Taiwanese company called Gold Apollo, and Israel inserted explosives into the pagers. It was innovative and daring, and it paid off.
Israel National News reported shortly after the operation that Israel had been working on it for a decade and a half:
Israel had a hand in the manufacturing of pagers that went kaboom! on Hezbollah murderous Moslems this week, with this type of "supply chain interdiction" operation having been planned for at least 15 years, a US intelligence source told ABC News on Thursday.
The CIA has long been reluctant to employ this tactic because the risk to innocents was too high, the source said.
Planning for the attack involved shell companies, with multiple layers of Israeli intelligence officers and their assets fronting a legitimate company that produced the pagers, the source confirmed to ABC News, with at least some of those doing the work unaware of who they were actually working for.
Filmmaker Justin Folk has a new documentary about the operation entitled Paging Hezbollah, which comes to theaters next month.
Clocking in at just over an hour and a half, Paging Hezbollah details the operation and its execution, including interviews with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, General David Petraeus, former Director of Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... David Barnea, and Sarit Zehavi, a former member of the IDF’s intelligence division.
Paging Hezbollah makes its way into theaters on October 30. Learn more about it at the documentary’s website.
While waiting for that, Run Hide Fight: Infidel is now streaming on the Daily Wire website, following in the footsteps of their 2021 feature film Run Hide Fight, about an attack in an American high school. Be aware that it’s paywalled.
A standalone sequel to Run Hide Fight—Daily Wire's first feature film—and its second collaboration with writer-director Kyle Rankin.
SYNOPSIS
When radical Islamic terrorists hijack a liberal college's pro-Palestine encampment, a ragtag band of red-blooded students, a security guard, and a Delta Force vet must arm up to save their clueless peers.
[Dawn] Security forces have killed 33 bully boyz in counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... since Sept 21, the military’s media affairs wing said in a statement on Friday.
Terrorists from Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan were targeted in the operations, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The state uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij for the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... Pakistain (TTP) and refers to designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al-Hindustan to highlight India’s role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistain.
Detailing the operations, the ISPR said that on Sept 24, as part of the ongoing Operation Shaban, security forces busted additional terrorist hideouts, and after an intense fire exchange, five "India-sponsored terrorists" were killed. This took the tally of killed bully boyz to 22, it added.
"Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from khawarij locations. The clearance operation will continue till the complete neutralisation of threat from the area," the statement said.
In another engagement on Sept 25, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Noshki district.
"During the conduct of [the] operation, [our] own troops effectively engaged [the] terrorists’ hideout and after an intense fire exchange, 11 bully boyz were sent to hell," the ISPR stated.
"[The] relentless counter-terrorism campaign under the vision ’Azm-e-Istehkam’ (as approved by [the] Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistain will continue at full pace to wipe out [the] menace of foreign-sponsored and -supported terrorism from the country," the military’s media wing added.
LEADERSHIP LAUDS ACTION
President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in... and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces for the successful operations against Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.
"The nefarious designs of Indian-backed terrorist elements will be thwarted at all costs," a statement issued from the Presidency quoted President Zardari as saying.
In a statement issued by the PM Office, the premier said the complete eradication of foreign-sponsored terrorism, including Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan, was the government’s top priority.
Balochistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks in recent weeks, prompting security forces to intensify counter-terrorism operations.
The number of terrorist attacks in the province increased by seven per cent from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to a monthly assessment by the Pakistain Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
[Dawn] Federal Minister for Broadcasting and Information Attaullah Tarar on Friday blamed the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for facilitating terrorists, describing its approach to maintain law and order as "evasive".
Addressing a presser, the minister stressed that 2,456 terror attacks had taken place in KP so far this year — an average of around 10 a day. He said 472 police, army, Rangers and FC personnel had been martyred and more than 1,500 people injured.
Yet the KP government not only avoided taking steps to maintain law and order across the province, but also provided "full facilitation" to terrorists, Mr Tarar alleged.
The reason the KP government did not want to improve the law and order situation was to maintain a "political-terror-crime nexus" and facilitate illegal trade and mining activities through which holy warriors were funded, he alleged. "A provincial government which doesn’t want to stop terrorism and fix law and order, and countless citizens lose their lives — this cannot be justified in any part of the world," he said.
Referring to attacks on politicians, Mr Tarar said, "In one way or another, holy warriors have attacked all political parties in KP. But the PTI is held in high regard by terrorists. And not only do they [PTI] avoid condemning terrorists, but they also refrain from taking any sort of action against them. Facilitating holy warriors is part of PTI’s policy."
Calling the PTI-led government the TTP’s "B-team" and the Tehrik-e-Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... Afghanistan’s (TTA) "C-team", he accused the party of facilitating the TTP while also "representing" the TTA.
The federal minister also rebuked KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying he looked less like a chief minister and "more like a TTP commander, in both his words and actions". "When drones are fired at Kohat from Afghanistan, and the Pakistain Army and Air Force very skilfully take them down, you will not see any sort of condemnation or statement from the KP government," Mr Tarar reasoned.
The federal minister said, "When there is firing from Afghanistan in Kurram ... you will never see them [the PTI-led KP government] go to Kurram and say, ’We have come here, we stand with our forces, and we will not tolerate such firing under any circumstances’."
He termed this a sign of cowardice on part of CM Afridi, his cabinet and the entire KP government, adding that this was also the reason they were "running away" from protests.
He said they "are not even prepared. I’ve just come from KP. They have not made any preparations. Come and protest, if you have the courage."
Earlier, in a statement on X, the minister dared PTI supporters to proceed with their planned Islamabad march, saying: "Himmat hai to aao, long march karo."
[IsraelTimes] Israeli pesticide maker ADAMA, real estate investment holding company Alony Hetz and Spain’s Salvat Logistica among companies added to database that could be used for boycotts
The United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... office on Friday issued a list adding 61 more companies operating in West Bank settlements, which the global body considers illegal.
The database is highly sensitive as firms could be targeted for boycotts or divestment to pressure Israel over settler expansion in the territory that is home to over 3 million Paleostinians.
The database, first released in 2020, now includes 214 firms, mostly from Israel, but also from 10 other countries including La Belle France, Germany, China and the US.
Newly added firms included Israeli pesticide maker ADAMA, part of Chinese-owned Syngenta Group, Israel-based real estate investment holding company Alony Hetz and Spain’s Salvat Logistica.
They have not responded to a request for comment on their inclusion in the UN database.
They joined companies such as travel agency Expedia and home-rental company Airbnb already on the list.
Israel, which views the West Bank as disputed rather than occupied, has previously said the list unfairly vilifies companies working legally.
"This is a distorted mechanism — created by a deeply flawed body with an automatic majority against Israel," Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva said on Friday, alleging that the database was established to "persecute" the Jewish state.
The UN rights office assessed companies active in a group of sectors including energy, food, hospitality, transport and agriculture, based on confidential submissions to the UN rights office.
Another 60 or so companies were assessed but not included since they did not meet the UN criteria of involvement in activities that violate the Paleostinian right to self-determination.
Examples include supplying demolition equipment to destroy Paleostinian buildings, provision of surveillance for settlements, and other services like transport that help maintain their existence, according to the UN website.
Other companies, such as British-registered online travel company Opodo and Spanish-domiciled online travel agent eDreams, have been dropped from the original list after submitting a reassessment request.
The UN found that there were reasonable grounds to believe they were no longer involved in the activities that previously justified their inclusion.
eDreams said last year it had withdrawn and would continue to block listings of accommodation in Israeli settlements, saying that some had appeared on its website automatically after owners uploaded them.
Travel firm Expedia has previously said that the listings in what it called "disputed areas" were clearly labeled, complied with international laws and sanctions, and underwent enhanced due diligence guided by UN standards.
Paleostinians want the West Bank to be part of a future independent homeland.
But Netanyahu’s government has largely backed settlers, with building ramped up since terror group Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... ’s attack on Israel in October 2023, which sparked a years-long war 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... There has been a surge in settler attacks against Paleostinians as government-backed outposts mushroom across the West Bank, prompting Britannia, La Belle France and Canada to block imports from settlements this month.
However,
Switzerland makes more than cheese... a British official has said the scope of the UK’s latest sanctions on West Bank settlements could expand or narrow based on the actions of Israel’s next government.
Over 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, which Paleostinians claim, along with East Jerusalem and Gaza, as the basis of a future independent state.
Israel has said it has no intention of dismantling any of its West Bank settlements, and Netanyahu has ruled out an independent Paleostinian state.
#1
Boycotting Isreal is punishable by law in 38 states.
https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/anti-bds-legislation
The main objection to such laws was that they might violate the First Amendment. The Supreme Court, however, effectively rejected this argument when it refused to hear a challenge to an appeals court ruling that the anti-boycott law in Arkansas was not unconstitutional.
Outside the US there are no "free speech" considerations whatsoever. It's pure Jew hatred to boycott Israel.
🚨 UN SECURITY COUNCIL UNITES TO CONDEMN HOUTHI ATTACKS ON SAUDI ARABIA
In a rare show of consensus, the UN Security Council condemned escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
“The members of the Security Council condemned, in the strongest terms, continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” including strikes impacting civilian and energy infrastructure.
The Council demanded the Houthis immediately halt their military escalation and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, affirming the Kingdom’s right to self-defense under international law.
If only anyone connected to the Mad Mullahs could be trusted.
[Rudaw] Tehran will comply with international law regarding uranium enrichment regulations, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview early Friday, expressly denying ambitions to attain a nuclear bomb.
Asked if 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... would "give up" 60 percent enriched uranium in an interview with Fox News, Pezeshkian responded in the affirmative, stating, "Whatever we are supposed to adhere to, we will" within "the framework of international law based on the non-proliferation treaty."
Pezeshkian’s remarks come two days after he addressed world leaders at the 81st United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... General Assembly in New York City, in which he expressed readiness to resume stalled negotiations with the US without "the language of force."
It also comes as Iran in mid-September was elected to the General Committee of the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference - the UN’s nuclear watchdog - despite US bids to prevent the election, according to Iran’s state-run Mehr news agency.
In a statement shortly after its election, the Iranian mission denounced Washington’s "violation" of international law for "carrying out military attacks against Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities."
Just one week prior, the IAEA condemned Iran for noncompliance in its nuclear program. IAEA director called on Iran to resume cooperation with the agency and provide the necessary information and access for verifying the status of Tehran’s declared nuclear material and facilities, framing the agency’s lack of information as a "matter of serious proliferation concern" that required "the utmost urgency."
The IAEA estimated that Iran accumulated 440.9 kg of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity, figures it said it hadn’t verified since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025, during which Israel attacked several Iranian nuclear facilities and the US later struck the Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow sites.
Following the attacks, the IAEA halted its verification activities in Iran and withdrew its inspectors for safety reasons, after which Iran then enacted a law in July 2025 suspending cooperation with the agency.
Discussions regarding limits on Iran’s nuclear proliferation, which faces intense international scrutiny, remains a key point of diplomatic contention. Provisions in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June left a 60-day window for negotiations which never came to fruition.
Asked why Iran holds 60 percent enriched uranium "buried deep under a mountain," a likely reference to a complex at least 80 meters deep inside Pickaxe mountain, Pezeshkian instead retorted that Iran "has never sought nuclear weapons" and that Tehran was "willing to thin-out the material to a great extent" and "submit ourselves to verification."
Pezeshkian denied that uranium was being diverted into secret weapons programs and further stated that Iran does not wish to attain a nuclear bomb "at all," saying a religious decree prohibits the accumulation of weapons of mass destruction as "unholy" and "religiously illegal."
Pezeshkian in his interview reiterated Iran’s conditions for negotiations and urged a return to the MoU which include a lift blockade, sanctions, release of frozen assets, and recognizing Iran and Oman control shipping lanes.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of UNGA, in what marked the first diplomatic encounter between the two adversaries since June, reiterated the same points.
Asked to what extent American elections affect Iranian decisions, Pezeshkian said that Iran "does not consider" their impact but hoped to reach an agreement, whether "before the elections or after the elections - what difference does it make for us."
[Rudaw] Syria has officially begun work on a new border crossing linking its northeastern city of Qamishli (Rojava) with southeastern The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... ’s Nusaybin, a project authorities say will "facilitate passenger movement" and expand trade and transit between the two countries.
"Work has officially begun on establishing the Qamishli-Nusaybin border crossing," Qutayba al-Badawi, head of Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and Customs, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The crossing will be the seventh border crossing between Syria and Turkey, according to the authority, and is intended to facilitate passenger travel, increase commercial exchange and "opens new horizons for transit movement through Syrian territory," Badawi said.
Work is currently underway on the Syrian side, where technical teams and machinery have begun clearing mines, cleaning the site, conducting engineering surveys and paving areas for the customs and administrative infrastructure needed to operate the crossing.
The announcement followed a meeting chaired by Badawi to review the authority’s work plans and discuss its 2027 budget, including spending priorities for infrastructure projects at border crossings and measures to improve services.
Preparations for the crossing have been underway for months.
In late July, Hasaka Deputy Governor Ahmad al-Hilali and Simalka Crossing (Iraqi-Syrian) director Hamoud al-Hamoud described the project as strategically important for Hasaka, saying it could boost trade, transport and transit between Turkey and Iraq through Syrian territory.
On the Ottoman Turkish side, infrastructure and construction work at the Nusaybin crossing, opposite Qamishli, has already been completed, according to Syrian state news agency SANA, citing Ottoman Turkish preparations in mid-August.
Ottoman Turkish Minister of Trade Omer Bolat announced in July that the crossing is targeted to open by the end of the year, according to Ottoman Turkish state-run Andalou Agency.
Turkey has also been expanding or upgrading several other crossings along its border with Syria, including Yayladagi, Akcakale, Oncupinar, Cobanbey and Karkamis, as Ankara prepares for increased trade and transport activity linked to Syria’s recovery and reconstruction.
Separately, the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and Customs said on Wednesday on X that the Simalka border crossing between the Kurdistan Region and Hasaka will begin operating around the clock, seven days a week, starting in October.
[Rudaw] Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is preparing to mobilize 40,000 motorcyclists through Tehran on Friday under its expanding "Janfada-ye Iran" campaign, the latest large-scale show of force by the Islamic Theocratic Republic as authorities seek to project unity abroad and maintain control at home at a time of great economic hardship.
Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Greater Tehran Corps, announced that the "40,000 Motorcyclists of Janfada-ye Iran" exercise would be held during Iran’s Sacred Defense Week which commemorates the 1980-1988 war against Iraq, according to Iran's state-run Islamic Theocratic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The event follows last week’s IRGC-organized Janfada mobilization in Tehran, which authorities described as a march of 313,000 people. Participants included Basij members and other government supporters, some carrying weapons, marched through the streets of Tehran intended to send a strong message to those who may contemplate challenging the state’s authority. Pictures of a large number of children carrying guns were published by IRGC affiliated channels.
Janfada - roughly translated as "those who sacrifice their lives" - has developed into a major mobilization project of the Basij, the volunteer arm of the IRGC that acts as an intelligence, security and military arm of the state. It is now headed by Hossein Taeb, appointed Basij commander in August after previously running the IRGC Intelligence Organization from 2009 to 2022.
Taeb is a notorious figure who is closely associated with the new supreme leader Mojataba Khamenei and is sanctioned by the US, the EU and the United Kingdom for serious human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. violations during his tenure as the head of the IRGC Intelligence.
The campaign has an internal-security dimension as well as its stated role in national defense. Since March, armed Basij members, police and other security forces have maintained checkpoints and a visible presence in squares and neighborhoods across the country.
Government supporters have also held repeated nighttime gatherings and motorcades since March. Iranian officials say the deployments are intended to maintain security during the war; residents and rights groups have described them as an effort to deter renewed anti-government protests.
That concern is rooted in the January uprising, when security forces spearheaded by the IRGC and Basij used lethal force against nationwide demonstrations.
Norway-based 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... Human Rights says it has documented more than 4,200 deaths from the protests, with at least 3,356 people killed on January 8 and 9 alone. The organization said evidence it reviewed showed widespread use of direct fire by government forces.
The mobilization is taking place as Tehran simultaneously explores renewed diplomacy with Washington.
Iranian officials have used the UN General Assembly in New York to communicate conditions for reopening negotiations, while Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei has said Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz or enter talks unless its demands are met.
The diplomatic outreach comes under mounting economic pressure.
A US naval blockade since mid-July has constrained Iranian trade, while new American measures threaten companies providing fuel and ground services to sanctioned Iranian airlines.
Flights have already been disrupted in several neighboring countries, although Iranian carriers continue to receive services in some destinations, including Russia, China and parts of the Gulf.
#2
Gas is rationed for the individual, but government can pull a stunt like this (IF it comes off). Things like that tend to irritate people, even Iranians. NOT a good idea, but then, when have the "mullahs" ever had a good idea?
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2026 5:36 Comments ||
Top||
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Iran has submitted a seven-day plan to the United States for opening the Strait of Hormuz, noting that it is committed to safe navigation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi toldreporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 25.
"Iran has communicated a specific seven-day plan to the United States through Qatar. If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal shipping restored within seven days," Araghchi said.
The diplomat emphasized that Iran remains committed to safe navigation through Hormuz, but military action and coercion will not help ensure maritime security.
It was previously reported that Iranian authorities could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States complies with conditions, including easing military pressure and lifting the blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran has already conveyed its demands to Washington, but there has been no clear response.
On September 19, Iran communicated to the United States the terms for ending the military conflict. A new escalation in the Middle East began after the US resumed military operations against Iran on July 10. Four days later, Washington announced a complete naval blockade of Iranian ports and carried out several series of strikes against Iranian targets. In response to the US actions, Iranian forces again began striking American bases in the region.
Posted by: badanov ||
09/26/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[100 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and told aides he expects to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.
The officials say that Trump is reluctant to resume major combat operations however, with the scope of the envision strikes unclear, while noting his views could change and that he could also end up being swayed by the midterm results.
With Early voting already in use in some areas. Something had better happen and result in seriously lower fuel prices, at least 10 days prior to elections.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
...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 
...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...
[PJMedia] The afternoon of Sept. 17, 2024, marked the culmination of one of the most interesting, layered, and ingenious anti-terrorist operations in history. At around 3:30 p.m. local time on that late summer day, thousands of Hezbollah members received a message on their 
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
...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 
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
...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 
