[NYPOST] The Pennsylvania man accused of firebombing Gov. Josh Shapiro's mansion was out on bail when he allegedly carried out the arson, The Post can reveal.
Cody Balmer's mother, meanwhile, said she desperately tried to get police to lock up her son prior to the attack.
Off his meds, Mom said yesterday. Will he turn out to be bipolar or schizophrenic?
Balmer, 38, pulled sick faces as he was hauled back into a Harrisburg courtroom for his arraignment Monday, where he was hit with eight charges including terrorism, aggravated arson, criminal homicide and prowling at night.
The former mechanic, who said he is now jobless, penniless and lives with his parents, was free after making bail for a 2023 simple assault charge, courts spokesperson Stacey Witalec told The Post.
In that case, he was accused of stomping on his 10-year-old son's broken leg and battering his wife, according to a police report.
A man who US authorities say scaled an iron security fence early Sunday morning, eluded police, and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion where he set a fire told police he had planned to beat Governor Josh Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he found him, according to court documents.
Cody Balmer had walked an hour from his home to the governor’s residence, and during a police interview, “Balmer admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” according to a police affidavit, but it did not explain why. Balmer faces charges including attempted homicide, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault, authorities said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2025 00:59 ||
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Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under: Nut Jobs
#1
Cody Balmer is bipolar schizophrenia w/o Med's.
He has avoided Court trial regarding his 2023 arrest, 10x's over the last 2 years. That arrest was for physically harming his wife, slugging his 10 & 13 y/o Kids, and stomping on one of his kid's already broken leg in 2023.
How locking up these violent Mentally Ill, nut jobs?
Because obviously the liberal idea of deinstitutionalization is not working
BTW: some say it started in 1967 when the California Legislature passed the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act. This act made involuntary hospitalization of mentally ill people extremely difficult. The results, 1 year after that CAL. law went into effect, the number of mentally ill people in the CAL. Criminal-justice system doubled.
OBTW: Where, in the Hell, was Gov. Shapiro's Security Detail?
#3
Story I heard was the security detail knew there was a breach and were searching for the bad guy.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/15/2025 11:21 Comments ||
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#4
The fact that the PA state security detail failed a Democrat governor as badly as a Republican Presidential candidate, fills my heart with hope of a new bipartisan incompetence.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
04/15/2025 16:04 Comments ||
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Balmer previously worked as a welder and mechanic. But he was unemployed by the time of the incident and lived with his parents. The suspect served eight years as an Army reservist. He has an extensive criminal history, pleading guilty to forgery and theft in 2015 and 2016.
The suspect also has an ongoing assault charge from 2023.
About the assault :
In late Jan. 2023, local police were called to a home in the Harrisburg area for what was characterized in court documents as an "active physical domestic" incident.
"A child caller advised his stepfather was beating his mother," the responding officer's affidavit said. The officer responded and outside the home met Balmer's then-wife "in an elevated state, yelling and crying about her husband, Cody Balmer, having assaulted her."
"Cody was still inside the residence," the officer said.
Balmer told the officer "that he had taken a bottle full of pills in an attempt to kill himself," the affidavit said. "An argument ensued between Cody and [his wife] to a point that his 13-year-old son" had "stepped in between them. Cody then admitted to shoving his son and that a fight ensued between all parties. Cody showcased injuries to his face."
Balmer had hit his 10-year-old son "in the chest and stepped on his broken leg in the midst of a scuffle with the victim and two others," and had hit his 13-year-old son and his wife "with closed fists, and bit his wife causing a puncture wound on her hand," according to the criminal complaint.
[FoxNews] Robert Vieira was accused of espionage by Tunisian officials
An American missionary who was detained in Tunisia for over a year was released on Sunday.
Officials gained the release of U.S. citizen Robert Vieira on Sunday afternoon, according to a Reuters report citing U.S. special envoy Adam Boehler.
Boehler told the outlet that Vieira was doing missionary work when he was detained by Tunisian authorities 13 months ago.
Officials reportedly suspected Vieira of espionage.
Tunisia, a North African country bordered by Algeria and Libya, was amenable to Vieira's release after Boehler worked closely with its foreign minister, Mohamed Ali Nafti.
After being released on Sunday, Vieira flew back home to the U.S. alongside his family.
"We appreciate the government of Tunisia’s decision to resolve this case and allow Mr. Vieira to reunite with his family after more than 13 months of pre-trial detention," Boehler said.
Boehler credited his collaboration with Nafti for securing the detainee's release.
[FoxNews] Noboa carrying nearly 56% of the vote with over 90% of ballots counted
Daniel Noboa, the tough-on-crime firebrand president of Ecuador, was re-elected in Sunday's runoff.
Noboa, running under the right-wing National Democratic Action party label, handily defeated Luisa González of the leftist Citizen Revolution Movement – the party of influential former President Rafael Correa.
According to the National Electoral Council, Noboa received about 55.8% of the vote to González's 44%.
Over 90% of ballots have been tabulated, according to The Associated Press. Over 13 million people were eligible to vote – and in Ecuador, voting is compulsory.
A Miami-born heir to a large banana trade fortune, the largely politically-inexperienced Noboa emerged as the surprise winner of a 16-month presidency following a 2023 snap election to succeed former President Guillermo Lasso.
[The Tucker Carlson Show] After twenty years in congress, Curt Weldon was about to become chairman of the House Armed Services Committee when he publicly questioned the accuracy of the 9-11 report. In retaliation, the Bush administration sent federal agents to his daughter’s house and ended his political career. At 77, Weldon has decided to tell the truth about what actually happened on September 11, 2001.
#3
3 were from the Al Ghamdi family. They have a compound out on its own in the desert, up the Gulf of Rumsfeld coast. The coordinates should be on file.
#5
An hour and 27 minutes to get the questions? Can somebody summarize, for those of us with a short attention span?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/15/2025 9:05 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Grok summarizes for me: Rep. Curt Weldon claimed that Able Danger, a military intelligence program, identified 9/11 hijackers, including Mohamed Atta, as early as 2000. He alleged the 9/11 Commission ignored or suppressed this evidence, pointing to a cover-up. Weldon said Pentagon lawyers blocked Able Danger from sharing data with the FBI, potentially missing a chance to prevent the attacks. He faced pushback and claimed retaliation for raising these issues.
Deep state silos. Now, where's my shocked face?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/15/2025 9:19 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Intelligence Community Source Recruitmuent is a deadly business.
Let's set aside discussions about physical standards or the absence of certain portraits in her headquarters. Pretend it's not all messed up for a minute. Let's instead focus our attention on the colonel's public statement.
… Instead of addressing mission readiness, combat effectiveness, or the welfare of her troops, she focused on being the "first" in terms of gender and ethnicity. This emphasis on identity over duty reflects a troubling shift in leadership priorities.
More concerning is that she successfully navigated the Army's Command Assessment Program (CAP), designed to select competent leaders. While CAP aims to provide a holistic view of an officer's capabilities, there's growing concern that it may inadvertently favor those who align with prevailing DEI narratives over those with proven leadership skills.
The previous Secretary of the Army solidified CAP's status as a permanent fixture right before she left office. It's imperative for the current administration to reassess its efficacy and ensure it truly identifies leaders based on merit and readiness.
Leadership should be about mission focus and troop welfare, not personal identity milestones. If our selection processes prioritize the latter, we risk compromising the very essence of military leadership.
Remember this and remember it well: CAP approved this woman for command. Take a look below and see who it did NOT approve. And keep in mind, this happens all the time. We've got awesome recruiting numbers now, great. Who's gonna lead them though?👇
Posted by: Fred ||
04/15/2025 00:00 ||
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[Townhall] An ISIS recruiter residing in New York was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison.
According to the New York Post, this sentence came after she received a "shockingly low" 48-month sentence that was tossed out by an appeals court.
Now, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, 30, will be imprisoned for 19 years. The sentence was set by Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto.
"With today’s sentence, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, an unrepentant ISIS recruiter, will be incarcerated for a significant period of time to protect Americans here and abroad from her violent mostly peaceful mostly peaceful extremism," United States Attorney John Durham said in a statement.
"Even after pleading guilty to providing material support to ISIS, the defendant continued to support terrorists, obstructed justice and fled from prosecution. This Office, together with the FBI, the NYPD, and all the members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, work tirelessly to pursue and hold accountable all those who support terrorism," he added.
The late Judge Jack Weinstein sentenced Ceasar in 2019 to four years in prison. Reportedly, he argued that she needed education and mental health treatment to "save her as a human being" from her terrorism ties, the Post reported (via NYP):
Ceasar — whose war name "Umm Nutella" translates to "Mother of Nutella" — was out for 13 months when the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s decision in August 2021, calling it a "shockingly low" penalty — and ordered that Ceasar be re-sentenced.
But Ceaser tried to make a run for it, blowing off a court-ordered appearance on Aug. 25, 2021, after the appeals decision — slicing off her ankle monitoring bracelet in an attempt to flee to Russia to avoid going back to prison, federal prosecutors have said.
She was captured days later while hiding out at an auto body shop in New Mexico.
Federal prosecutors said she had a desire to travel and join the terror group and "die as a martyr" — which she proved by going as far as trying to marry ISIS wannabe Fareed Mumuni, who is serving a 25-year sentence for planning to attack an FBI agent.
The Department of Justice noted that between January 2016 and November 2016, Ceasar used social media accounts to praise and promote ISIS. She recruited individuals in the United States to leave and fight for ISIS. She was regularly in contact with members of the terrorist organization. She helped at least five people from the US join ISIS.
[FOXNEWS] The Trump administration is overhauling the Coast Guard in an attempt to crack down on illegal migrant crossings and drug interdictions.
This month, the Coast Guard unveiled its new Force Design 2028 plan to overhaul its organizational structure, personnel, acquisitions, contracting and technology—fulfilling directives from President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The proposal seeks to bolster the Coast Guard’s force, which currently consists of roughly 43,000 active-duty personnel, and assess which specialties need reinforcement to expand training, responding to Trump administration calls to ramp up efforts against illegal immigration and drug smuggling, according to a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the plan.
"This is focusing our efforts on where do we need to make investments in our current training centers and even look at opening new training centers to support growth in the service," the official told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
The Coast Guard is the only military service that falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. However, the blueprint’s restructuring plans seek to adapt certain standards for the Coast Guard to better align with the military branches that fall under the Department of Defense.
For example, the proposal calls for following the Department of Defense’s standards for physical fitness, body composition, and grooming standards. Unlike other military services, the Coast Guard did not enforce fitness standards unless personnel were attached to boat crews of law enforcement teams.
However, the Department of Homeland Security is coordinating with the Pentagon to change that. The Coast Guard is still determining whether this initiative will involve an annual fitness test, but the proposal directs the Coast Guard to adhere to Department of Defense physical fitness standards as closely as possible.
"We've definitely put an increased focus on what are the physical fitness requirements for the Coast Guard to be most successful in its missions for the nation," the official said.
Likewise, the blueprint also calls for organizational changes, including installing a secretary for the service, as well as creating a Coast Guard headquarters director of staff to enhance decision-making and other functions at a high operational level.
The blueprint aligns with legislation introduced in the Senate that would establish a civilian secretary for the Coast Guard, akin to the structure of the Navy, Army and Air Force. Currently, the Coast Guard only has an active duty commandant that oversees the service.
Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia introduced the measure on April 1 in an attempt to enhance the Coast Guard’s ability to adapt to its mission.
"The establishment of a Secretary of the Coast Guard is an important step in ensuring our nation’s maritime security is led with the strength and efficiency it deserves to ensure it can fulfill its mission and adapt to any challenges," Scott said in a statement on April 1.
[KhaamaPress] Over 860,000 Afghan migrants colonists have been deported from Pakistain since September 2023, with the majority returning via Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Since September 2023, over 860,000 Afghan citizens have left Pakistain. Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicates that more than half a million of these individuals crossed the border into Afghanistan through the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region. This mass return of migrants colonists has been closely monitored by both Pak authorities and international organizations.
The return of Afghan migrants colonists occurred in two main phases. The first phase, which involved undocumented Afghan migrants colonists, was marked by forced deportation. According to reports from the Pak newspaper Dawn on April 13, 2025, this was followed by the second phase, which started in early 2025. This phase affected Afghan citizens holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ECC), who were given a deadline to leave Pakistain by April 1, 2025.
On April 11, 2025, a significant number of Afghan citizens were deported from Pakistain, with 4,908 individuals expelled. Among these, 2,475 held legal documents (ECC), with over 2,000 departing voluntarily. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... around 350 individuals were forcibly sent back via the Torkham border. Additionally, 2,433 undocumented individuals were also expelled, with 1,900 departing voluntarily and 520 being forcibly removed through Torkham.
According to IOM data, from September 15, 2023, to April 5, 2025, a total of 861,763 Afghan migrants colonists returned to Afghanistan. This large-scale return highlights the ongoing migration trend, with significant movement across multiple border crossings, primarily through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s two border posts, which accounted for the majority of the returnees.
From the beginning of April 2025, the rate of deportations has escalated. A total of 16,242 Afghan citizens holding ECC cards were deported. Of these, 9,439 were voluntary departures, while 6,803 individuals were forcibly expelled. This increase aligns with the approaching deadline for Afghan citizens in Pakistain to leave the country, further intensifying the deportation efforts.
UNHCR and IOM reported a rise in returns between March 1 and April 5, 2025, with 19,334 Afghans returning via various border crossings including Torkham, Chaman, and others. The return flow reached unprecedented levels in early April, with over 2,000 people being registered daily. This surge in returns has been attributed to the looming deadlines and the intensified pressure on Afghan migrants colonists to leave Pakistain.
In addition to border crossings, many Afghan migrants colonists from Islamabad and Punjab ...1. Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2. A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3. A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots
.... have been transferred to transit camps in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire... and Landi Kotal. These migrants colonists undergo a registration process before being sent back to Afghanistan. This step ensures that the return process is orderly, although it further highlights the growing logistical challenges faced by both the migrants colonists and authorities involved in the repatriation process.
[MSN-DPA] Israel early on Monday criticized the German Foreign Office for a social media post questioning the Israeli military's recent airstrike on a hospital building in northern Gaza, saying the statement lacked key facts.
In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Ministry said the attack was a "precise strike" on a single building used by Palestinian militant group Hamas as a command and control centre, and not a general assault on hospital grounds.
It responded to a post shared Sunday by Germany's Foreign Office and outgoing Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, which said: "The cruel Hamas terror must be fought. But international humanitarian law applies — with a special obligation to protect civilian sites. How is a hospital supposed to be evacuated in under 20 minutes?"
Israel's Foreign Ministry pushed back, saying it expected "a clear and strong condemnation of Hamas's use of hospitals" and "not rhetoric that encourages Hamas's continued abuse of civilian infrastructure."
The ministry added that the German statement lacked "important facts," including that the Israeli military had issued a prior warning and that no civilians were killed in the strike.
The World Health Organization (WHO), however, said the hospital sustained serious damage. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X that, according to the hospital director, a child died after being unable to receive care during the evacuation.
Witnesses told dpa that hospital staff had been instructed to evacuate before the strike, with the Palestinian news agency WAFA reporting that they were given just 18 minutes to do so.
[IsraelTimes] The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... will increase its financial support for the Paleostinian Authority with a three-year package worth around 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion), the European Commissioner responsible for the Middle East tells Rooters in an interview.
Dubravka Suica, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, says the financial support would go hand in hand with reforms of the Paleostinian Authority, which has been accused by critics of corruption and bad governance.
#2
Again I raise the question.
Why do we still support an EU, that even funds the Palestinian Authority and has a Long and Bragged about history of supporting ISLAMIC Terrorists?
The EU's Open Borders agenda have let in the very Islamic terrorist supporters in large numbers?
EU Populations like:
France 7.5%
Netherlands 6%
Belgium 5.9%
Germany 5.8%
and others?
BTW:
Given the USA is the largest contributor to NATO at $967.7 Billion, shouldn't we be rethinking that support?
#5
Maybe the EU doesn't have a 'focal point' organization, like USAID?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/15/2025 8:59 Comments ||
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#6
If they support terrorists, they ARE terrorists. Put the EU and all it's staff on the terror watchlist and point out they just became legitimate military targets. Oh and any member nation of Nato who fails to kick them out, gets booted out of Nato.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Over the past few days, the Israeli government has been forced to find a way to approach its own army. An overly harsh reaction to an open letter from retired military pilots dissatisfied with the protracted war in Gaza has provoked similar letters from other units and even the intelligence services.
And although the escalation is taking place mainly “on paper,” without spilling over into street protests and sabotage, for the Israeli government, the wavering army poses a much greater threat than it seems at first glance.
LETTER FROM THE PILOTS
The first sign of the image crisis was an open letter from veterans and reservists of the Israeli Air Force, published on one of the national Internet portals. The letter was signed by more than 950 soldiers and officers - mostly retirees, but among them there were also reservists and contract soldiers.
The signatories lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu's government, saying the protracted war in Gaza serves the political and personal interests of the Israeli establishment rather than the security interests of the Jewish state.
Moreover, the escalating Operation Power and Sword in the enclave, which the Israeli government is trying to present as the final stage of defeating Hamas, is seen by the retirees as a “deferred military catastrophe.” It puts the hostages still in Gaza on the brink of death, depletes the military reserves, and increases Israel’s vulnerability to external enemies.
The Israeli leadership reacted unexpectedly sharply to the attack against it.
Less than a day after the letter was published, Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar announced at a joint briefing that all "troublemakers" had been dismissed from military service and the reserves. Moreover, according to Bar, the Air Force command "managed to bring to their senses" at least two dozen servicemen, and they withdrew their signatures.
Netanyahu himself completed the public rout of the military pilots. Commenting on the scandal, he called the authors of the letter "an anarchic group of pensioners" that is financed from abroad and undermines domestic stability.
WORKSHOP SOLIDARITY
Although the authorities' harsh response should, in theory, have nipped unrest in the army in the bud, the overly emotional attacks of senior army officials produced the opposite effect.
Within a few days, the appeal of military pilots was supported by representatives of all key branches of the armed forces. The total number of signatories of open letters exceeded three thousand people.
The IDF has roughly 169,500 active duty soldiers and 465,000 reserves at the moment, totalling 634,500. Three thousand is less than 1/2 of a per cent, a tiny fraction of the total…
The most numerous were representatives of the airborne and infantry units (about a thousand people), combat divers from Shayetet 13 (about 170 people), missilemen from the Moran special forces unit (120 people), and special forces from the Shaldag group (50 people). The remaining signatories expressed their position anonymously, without mentioning their assigned units.
In addition, at least 250 Mossad employees (mostly under pseudonyms), about 150 military doctors and several dozen electronic intelligence officers from Unit 8200 have signed the already published appeals “out of count”.
Despite the fact that many military personnel expressed their civic position as private individuals, the totality of their open letters can well be considered a manifesto of the security bloc and the first sign of the army’s dissatisfaction with the government’s policies.
EVEN THE PRIME MINISTER'S COLLEAGUES ARE UNHAPPy
Of course, the outraged retirees are only a small part of the active reserve of the Israeli armed forces, the total size of which exceeds 500 thousand people. Nevertheless, their discontent can greatly affect the situation inside the country, as well as on the external contour.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's critics point out that the purges of the reserves initiated by him and his protégé in the General Staff weaken the national air force before a hypothetical conflict with Iran.
Official Tel Aviv does not have much faith in the success of American-Iranian negotiations around the nuclear program and is preparing to eliminate the “Iranian dossier” by force, relying on an airstrike on key nuclear infrastructure facilities.
However, skeptics point out that after the scandal with the dismissal of pilots, the Air Force reserve has weakened and, if the operation suddenly goes wrong, the personnel available for operational use may simply not be enough.
The change in mood in the ranks of elite units like the Sayeret Matkal counter-terrorism unit, in whose ranks Netanyahu himself once fought, is also alarming. About twenty commandos, including former colleagues of the prime minister, signed the open letter.
In small Israeli special forces units, the idea of military brotherhood is strongly developed, and any attempts to put pressure on individual soldiers “from above” are perceived as a challenge to the unit as a whole.
And although the Netanyahu government is certainly not at risk of a “palace coup” in the spirit of the Egyptian “Free Officers,” unrest in the army ranks is fraught with the weakening of electoral support for the ruling coalition.
BATTLE FOR SUPPORT
Opposition figures in uniform are rushing to take advantage of the weakening of contacts between the authorities and the army: former Defense Minister Benny Gantz (leader of the parliamentary opposition), former Chief of the General Staff Gadi Eisenkot (State-minded Camp), and retired commander of the IDF's elite units Yair Golan (Democrats Alliance), whose tactical alliance is called the "generals' opposition."
They had previously criticized Netanyahu for his mistakes in the fight for the hostages, and now they have the opportunity to link their own criticism to the position of the “lower ranks of the army” and to enlist their support. Some military pilots who were fired after the scandal have already received an offer from the opposition to join their party actions in support of the hostages and even to become their face.
The opposition has a reason to rush to involve the wounded army men. The planned elections in Israel are scheduled for October 2026, but they may be held early - the coalition has already teetered on the brink of losing legitimacy several times.
Moreover, public opinion polls provide contradictory information.
According to estimates by the conservative Channel 14, in a hypothetical election, the ruling Likud party would still be in the lead and would even show a slight increase in mandates (controlling up to a quarter of the Knesset), while the military-led Statist Camp and Democrats parties would be at the bottom of the list and could, at best, count on a dozen seats in the overall standings.
The weekly newspaper Maariv paints a different picture. In its polls, Netanyahu's party receives at best two dozen mandates, and the gap with the opposition is reduced to a minimum. Moreover, the "generals' opposition", having joined forces, is quite capable of bypassing Likud.
Given the gradual drift of the army towards rejection of the policies of the current government, the likelihood of such an outcome increases significantly.
(Investors) Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has finalized the sale of an artificial intelligence-enabled warfare fighting system to NATO, the U.S.-Europe mutual defense alliance. Palantir stock climbed on Monday amid the news.
In a news release, the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) said Allied Command Operations has purchased the Palantir Maven Smart System for deployment at its military headquarters. The agreement was finalized on March 25, said the NCIA.
On the stock market today, Palantir stock rose more than 8% to 96.25 in early trading. In 2025, Palantir stock had climbed 17% as of Friday's market close.
However, shares are down over 30% from an all-time high of 125.41 on Feb. 19.
Palantir stock has forged a 98.17 entry point from a double-bottom base.
[KhaamaPress] An Iranian official announced that the border wall with Afghanistan has been equipped with advanced weapons to enhance security.
Iran’s Army Ground Force Commander, Amir Kiomars Heydari, recently discussed the country’s plan to secure its eastern borders with Afghanistan. The project aims to utilize advanced global technologies to prevent illegal crossings, security threats, and drug trafficking. The plan, which spans four years, is expected to be completed within three years, strengthening the nation’s border defenses.
According to Heydari, the border security project involves more than just constructing a four-meter high wall. This initiative is part of a larger strategy to control and monitor the 900-kilometer-long border shared by 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 Afghanistan. The approach is sophisticated and technology-driven, which includes modern surveillance systems, barriers, and reinforced border patrols.
In a related development, Major General Hossein Mousavi, head of the Iranian Armed Forces Engineering Directorate, revealed that 30 kilometers of the border wall have already been erected, with another 50 kilometers nearing completion. Mousavi emphasized that the project was aimed at curbing the influx of "terrorists" and drug smugglers, two significant challenges facing both nations.
Mousavi also highlighted that this would be the first time Iran has actively undertaken such a large-scale border closure project. The focus is on preventing the illegal movement of individuals and materials between Iran and Afghanistan. The Iranian government’s commitment to enhancing border security is seen as a response to the growing threats posed by gunnies and narcotics trafficking.
The task has been entrusted to the Iranian Army Ground Force, particularly the forces stationed in the Razavi Khorasan province, which shares a significant portion of the border with Afghanistan. By deploying advanced technologies and reinforcing its border defenses, Iran aims to protect its illusory sovereignty and limit cross-border threats.
This large-scale operation reflects Iran’s growing concerns over regional security and its determination to control its borders. With continued progress and collaboration among military forces, the border closure will likely play a critical role in stabilizing the region and preventing illegal activities.
Given that Iran cheats, always, what benefit is there to that?
[IsraelTimes] US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff appears to use a key component of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal signed during the Obama administration as a reference point for the current talks he’s holding with Tehran.
That deal, which US President Donald Trump abandoned in 2015 and has long criticized, barred Iran from enriching its uranium beyond 3.67%.
Iran “do[es] not need to enrich past 3.67%. In some circumstances. They’re at 60%, in other circumstances 20%. That cannot be,” Witkoff tells Fox News. “You do not need to run — as they claim — a civil nuclear program where you’re enriching past 3.67%.”
The comments indicate that the US is looking to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment rather than dismantle its nuclear program altogether as Israel has demanded.
Witkoff says the next round of talks with Iran will focus on “verification on the enrichment program and then ultimately verification on weaponization.”
“That includes missiles — the type of missiles that they have stockpiled there. And it includes the trigger for a bomb,” he adds.
“We’re here to see if we can solve this situation diplomatically and with dialogue. The first meeting was positive, constructive, compelling,” Witkoff says.
Pressed on whether US inspectors — rather than ones from the UN — would be the one to verify that Iran is adhering to any deal that is reached, Witkoff declines to answer directly.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 ||
04/15/2025 01:49 ||
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[11123 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] On April 12, delegations from the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the United States, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, concluded the first round of talks in Muscat, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman.
The parties assessed the results of the first meeting with cautious optimism. However, against the backdrop of mostly pessimistic expert forecasts preceding the event, one can even speak of a certain success.
US President Donald Trump also described the talks as successful. "I think things are going well, the situation with Iran, I think, is pretty good," he said.
DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE US AND INDIRECT ONES FOR IRAN
In general, the current meeting in Oman can be characterized as "negotiations about negotiations" - the parties are only trying to feel out each other's positions and moods, as well as compare topics that can be discussed. First of all, it is necessary to decide what exactly should be on the negotiating table and what should be negotiated, since all previous statements and comments showed a wide range of what the US and Iran can declare and even present to each other.
In particular, Araghchi, after leaving Muscat, said: “Today we came very close to the basis of the negotiations” and made it clear that the upcoming session, scheduled to be held in a week, will focus on discussing the agenda of the negotiations with an appropriate schedule.
It is also significant that the US and Iranian delegations gathered at the same hotel in Muscat but were in separate rooms while Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi relayed messages between them.
As Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media, a total of four rounds of exchange of opinions took place over the course of two and a half hours.
This format of the negotiators' placement allowed each side to maintain its own opinion on the format of the meeting. From the Americans' point of view, these were direct contacts. The Iranians still considered them indirect.
It was essential for Iran to show that Tehran still views the Trump administration's unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal during his last term and the imposition of new rounds of illegal sanctions as a treacherous and hostile act against the Islamic Republic.
Therefore, for direct negotiations to be possible, the Iranian side had to be convinced of Washington’s constructive approach and its rejection of the language of ultimatums and demands for unilateral concessions from Iran.
Now, as the Iranian Mehr News writes, the American delegation demonstrated that same “constructive” approach, and the negotiations took place in a “positive atmosphere” and will therefore continue next week.
In turn, it was important for the US to declare these contacts direct. The Trump administration urgently needs to demonstrate at least some successes in its “100 days,” and in this case, direct negotiations with Iran can be presented as such.
What added significance to this American point of view was the fact that as the two sides were leaving the hotel, they met face to face. Abbas Araghchi personally exchanged pleasantries with his American counterpart Steve Witkoff in the presence of Badr bin Hamad. At the same time, the Iranian minister stressed that the “meeting at the door” was “accidental.”
JUST THE NUCLEAR DOSSIER AND NOTHING MORE
The topic of what the next rounds of negotiations might be about takes us back to Whitkoff's statements on March 21.
At the time, the special envoy stated bluntly that the United States was seeking a “verification program” to ensure that Iran’s nuclear energy program was not being used for military purposes. Tehran had also expressed readiness for such an agreement.
However, Whitkoff's position was later contradicted by other US administration officials, who called for dismantling Iran's nuclear infrastructure, as happened in Libya.
Naturally, such a scenario was considered humiliating and unacceptable for the Islamic Republic. After that, threats of force rained down on Tehran.
At the same time, the current relatively successful outcome of the first round of consultations suggests that Witkoff, with the support of Vice President J.D. Vance (who are considered the main “pragmatists” regarding Iran), managed to overcome the resistance of the “hawks” and the pro-Israel lobby and convince Donald Trump to accept their approach.
Therefore, the exchanges of messages in Muscat concerned exclusively the “nuclear dossier”.
It should be especially emphasized that the US delegation did not put forward demands regarding Iran’s missile program and the end of support for the “axis of resistance” groups, which had been voiced earlier.
The United States has already made some concessions to begin negotiations, and Trump is willing to sign a short-term, interim nuclear deal based on "good faith" with "virtually no formal monitoring mechanisms," CNN reports.
This was also perceived by the Iranian side as a "constructive approach", so it cannot be ruled out that at the next stage Iran and the US will agree to direct negotiations. They can take place either in Oman or in one of the European countries. Perhaps the US and Iran want to see how the Europeans would gradually begin to join the process of developing a new deal.
Regarding its possible parameters, the announced Iranian proposals included: easing sanctions, including pressure on Chinese companies that buy Iranian oil; unblocking access to Iranian billions of dollars frozen abroad, as well as Iran retaining the ability to work on a peaceful nuclear program.
In exchange, Iran is willing to return to the terms of the 2015 deal, which Trump abandoned during his first term, regarding uranium enrichment levels.
According to other sources, in addition to the above positions, Iran has proposed to the United States the concept of a nuclear-free Middle East, which should include a corresponding renunciation by Israel of nuclear weapons and related research.
ISRAEL VS.
For Iran, it was also important in the current negotiations to achieve respectful attitude of the United States towards the Islamic Republic. This is a matter of international prestige of the IRI.
Iran is extremely negative about the refusal of the UN Security Council and leading states to condemn Trump for unilaterally withdrawing from the deal and moving towards a policy of confrontation with Iran, the most obvious example of which was the assassination of one of the leading military commanders of the IRGC, Qasem Soleimani.
Therefore, although Tehran was ready for dialogue with Washington, it was only on an equal footing.
At the same time, despite this, not everyone in Iran believes in the sincerity of the US desire to conclude a new deal.
As a well-informed Iranian source, who wished to remain anonymous, told Regnum, "experience shows that the Americans do not want an agreement" and the "hawks" will be able to convince Trump of their rightness again. Also, according to the Iranian official, Israel's position is causing concern in Tehran.
It is clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not accept a deal pushed by American pragmatists that would leave Iran with its ballistic missiles as a threat to Israel. For the radical Zionist government, only a massive strike capable of disabling all Iranian weapons systems aimed at Tel Aviv would be considered acceptable.
Therefore, Iran expects any provocations from Israel.
It is also clear from the comments of Israeli analysts and experts that the current situation in the Middle East is starting to turn against Israel. And President Trump has apparently found the strength to rein in Netanyahu, accept the US-Iran negotiations as a given, and come to terms with it.
This was most likely what was discussed during the negotiations between the US President and the Israeli Prime Minister during the latter’s visit to Washington on April 8, but the delicate nature of this dialogue forced it to be left outside the announced information agenda.
In particular, Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said that Israel believes that the time has come to act. Especially after Iran carried out a series of direct strikes on Israel in 2024. "Israel does not see any more room for negotiations,” Diker told The Media Line.
In his opinion, the current diplomatic track with the Islamic Republic of Iran is a continuation of the long-standing war of deception waged by Iran.
The Israeli believes the Iranians are too happy to drive a wedge between Israel and the United States, as they did under Obama.
"Israelis are deeply skeptical that diplomacy can succeed, especially if the outcome is similar to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal," said Danny Cytrynovich, a research fellow in the Iran program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
He stressed that Israel could be cornered if the new deal does not substantially dismantle Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
In this regard, a representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who wished to remain anonymous, drew the attention of the Regnum news agency to the fact that in these conditions the position of Russia and China takes on a special role.
Their job is to continue to convince the Americans that now is a good time to restore the deal and lift sanctions, in defiance of pressure from Israel, which is sure to continue.
" Iran's policy on the nuclear program is clear. We have given and can give guarantees that our program is peaceful and will be peaceful, and we are confident that there is no reason to think otherwise," the Iranian emphasized.
***
If the Trump administration has indeed adopted a solutions-oriented approach to limiting and more closely monitoring Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities, then significant progress is likely to be possible in the future.
At the moment, the risk of a military clash between Iran and the US has significantly decreased, although Israeli provocations are still possible. But for now, it seems that Tel Aviv has no leverage to turn the situation in its favor. Unilateral strikes on Iran could enrage Trump personally, from whom any unpredictable consequences can be expected, and this is an extremely high risk for Netanyahu.
In a letter the US president sent to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month, Trump set a clear two-month deadline to reach an understanding. It is unclear what will happen if the parties fail to reach an agreement in two months, and whether the US position will change from benevolent to confrontational again.
Moreover, we do not yet know what proposals the Americans will make regarding Iran’s nuclear program and how much they will differ from the Iranian ones.
On the other hand, many observers interpret the two-month stance to mean that the US is not necessarily pushing for an immediate comprehensive agreement that would end the decades-long dispute, but would potentially open the way to temporary measures that could buy time for further diplomacy.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/15/2025 00:00 ||
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