[IsraelTimes] President Donald Trump's newly appointed chief immigration judge said that as many as 25 million to 30 million people are in the United States illegally, far exceeding official estimates.
He said that's important as the administration accelerates efforts to reduce a 3.6 million-case backlog in immigration courts.
"The reality is, we will never have enough judges to handle currently 3.6-plus million cases, and I believe 25 to 30 million people ... are here in the United States illegally," Executive Office for Immigration Review Director Daren Margolin told Axios.
Margolin, a retired Marine Corps colonel, officially took leadership of the organization, the Justice Department office that oversees the immigration court system, in October.
He told Axios he retired as an immigration judge in early 2024 because of his opposition to the Biden administration's handling of the surge at the southern border.
"Personally, I felt like a co-conspirator in treason," Margolin said.
The next phase of the administration's mass deportation effort is expected to focus on immigration courts, where an estimated 3.6 million cases remain pending.
Speeding court rulings could allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out more deportations, since most cases end in final removal orders.
According to data shared with Axios, the backlog declined by 341,006 cases between Trump's inauguration last year and Jan. 30.
One factor was a decline in new cases tied to lower border crossings during Trump's first year back in office.
Margolin is also seeking to limit the appeals process for removal orders, a step that could increase the number of people eligible for expedited deportation.
The office has received about 1,700 applications after a public recruitment campaign for new immigration judges. Margolin declined to say how many applicants have been hired but said the first group will begin work within days.
He has also brought on roughly 50 temporary military attorneys, known as Judge Advocate General officers, who undergo the same six to eight weeks of training as other hires.
Before leading EOIR, Margolin served from 2020-24 as an assistant chief immigration judge in California and previously worked as an assistant chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Adelanto, California.
He spent more than two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a military judge, a prosecutor, an appellate prosecutor, a defense counsel, and a staff judge advocate for multiple Marine commands, according to his Justice Department profile.
Official estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population, including Department of Homeland Security data from 2022 and Pew Research Center analysis from 2023, place the figure at roughly half of Margolin's estimate.
⭕️Tajik Prosecutor General Links Deadly Attack to Afghan Soil
In a strong statement, Tajikistan’s Prosecutor General, Habibullah Wahidzada, confirmed that the deadly assault in the Shamsuddin Shohin and Darvoz districts which claimed the lives of five Chinese nationals was… pic.twitter.com/sk7c19MrvX
⭕️Tajik Prosecutor General Links Deadly Attack to Afghan Soil
In a strong statement, Tajikistan’s Prosecutor General, Habibullah Wahidzada, confirmed that the deadly assault in the Shamsuddin Shohin and Darvoz districts which claimed the lives of five Chinese nationals was carried out by militants who crossed in from Afghan territory.
Dismissing claims that the attackers were local, he stated that investigations, testimonies and material evidence point toward operatives arriving from Afghanistan under the current Taliban administration.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Ol'ga Kuznetsova
[REGNUM] As a result of the operation to capture (which ultimately resulted in the liquidation) of the leader of the Mexican cartel "Jalisco New Generation" Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known in the criminal world under the nickname El Mencho, more than sixty people have already died.
This account remains unresolved, as car fires, shootings, and explosives are still being planted near government buildings in the states of Jalisco and Michoacán. Michoacán, where El Mencho is said to have been born, is particularly interesting in this regard. Such places already hold cult status for certain individuals, and after death, their importance increases even more—organized crime groups have a penchant for everyday symbolism.
Some of the militants demand that federal authorities return El Mencho's body to the cartel, others want to release him, not believing he is dead, and others want revenge. But all of the above categories, as seen from the outside, are acting within the framework of their pre-assigned roles.
EVIDENCE OF DEATH
Most media outlets—especially outside Mexico—have interpreted the events in Jalisco and the surrounding area as some form of armed cartel rebellion, a demonstration of defiance against the federal government. However, the details of the special operation suggest a somewhat different story.
Mexico's military and security leadership has now officially confirmed the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, backing up this assertion with a genetic test, and also described how a key part of the operation went.
As it turned out, the drug lord's location was traced because intelligence spotted one of his mistresses, who arrived at the ranch in Tapalpa where El Mencho was hiding on February 20th and left on the 21st. Using her coordinates, Mexican security forces began urgently planning an operation—and arrived in Tapalpa on February 22nd.
El Mencho actively resisted, leaving four gunmen to fend off law enforcement officers and attempting to escape into the woods with two guards. They were caught, wounded, and never reached the hospital. In total, there were seven or eight cartel members at the ill-fated ranch.
The fact that the operation actually had to be planned less than a day in advance suggests that Mexico's leadership wasn't entirely prepared for this turn of events. Of course, they were searching for El Mencho, but they were doing so in a relatively leisurely manner, without any unnecessary interference from the governor of Jalisco, who was forced to maintain certain ties with the cartel (without them, for example, it would have been difficult to qualify for the organization of matches for the upcoming soccer championship and the construction of sports facilities).
The authorities' weak preparedness for what was happening is also demonstrated by the lack of a prompt response to the mobilization of cartel cells across almost the entire country and the blocking of federal highways—all while claiming that "the situation is under complete control."
The huge number of videos and comments on social media, in which ordinary citizens from Mexico, the United States, and Canada report being unable to leave planes or depart from airports in the state of Jalisco, is also telling. Some are fleeing the airport at full speed, panicked by the sounds of gunfire.
What was Mexico City's response to this? That all reports of attacks on airports were false. Later, however, there were clarifications that flights were being suspended in some places, and resumed in others. Perhaps there was no organized attack on the airports, and the shooting was carried out in nearby areas, or perhaps even by the police, but the lack of coordination is clear.
It's worth noting that Mexican leaders thanked the United States for assisting them with the intelligence needed to capture El Mencho. The Americans, led by Donald Trump, displayed remarkable modesty, giving virtually all the credit to their Mexico City counterparts and declaring their full support for their actions.
As it turns out, in addition to US Northern Command, Interpol, Europol, and other organizations were also involved, but they forgot to mention the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the CIA (without the latter two agencies, such events are almost impossible). Why is that?
Another possibility is that all the aforementioned individuals played a minimal role in the events and are present only for one purpose: to confirm Mexico's readiness to independently combat drug trafficking on its own territory. This is more likely to strengthen the influence of the ruling MORENA party, which rose to prominence on the rhetoric of preserving sovereignty and an equal partnership with its northern neighbor, rather than to address specific issues.
So, it turns out that the Mexican security forces planned everything in haste, with targeted assistance from the Americans, and unexpectedly achieved success, expertly eliminating not only El Mencho himself, but also his entire inner circle?
It looks dubious and frankly smacks of “Shakespearean” betrayal.
FAMILY ISSUE
In recent years, El Mencho's successor has been identified as his stepson, Juan Carlos Valencia González — El 03.
Not before encountered in the Rantburg archives, so now he’s added.
He is the son of a woman named Rosalinda González Valencia, who comes from an influential family that oversees the Los Quinis organization, which built the entire financial system of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
It was El 03 who in recent years became increasingly involved in the cartel's affairs, gaining the opportunity to place his people in key positions in the organized crime group's security apparatus.
Moreover, regional drug traffickers have repeatedly urged El Mencho to place as little trust as possible in his stepson, who clearly has no intention of being satisfied with what he has and will move on.
And here, interesting details emerge again—for example, a Mexican organized crime researcher from the Russian-language Telegram channel LCN latinoscrime notes that the mother of the cartel's new de facto leader—the same Rosalinda—was unexpectedly released from prison several months ago and was not included on the list of drug traffickers extradited to the US. Last year and the year before, two of El 03's uncles were also released. All from the same family.
Aren't these too many coincidences? Considering that this man is now being called the leader of the Jalisco New Generation, it's highly likely that he was the one who turned in his stepfather.
And he did it when the opportunity arose.
DEMONSTRATION OF POWER
The question arises: why then create such a mess throughout the country?
The answer is obvious: to demonstrate that the cartel is in full operational readiness and intends to repel anyone who attempts to enter the war for El Mencho's legacy. The looting of stores and state-owned banks, the blocking of federal highways, and the riots were largely aimed at creating localized chaos and preventing outside agencies from intervening.
However, there was no mass looting, murders of civilians and tourists, violent seizures of infrastructure, or even bank robberies (albeit ransacked). Had this been genuine cartel revenge against the center, these actions would likely have been unavoidable.
Meanwhile, the current Mexican leadership only benefits from the current state of affairs—the operation killed mostly fighters from regional structures, while security forces loyal to the center were more intact. Furthermore, the murdered El Mencho was a personal enemy of Mexico's Minister of Public Security, and the two sides clearly could not have cooperated.
At the same time, President Claudia Sheinbaum has something to show the White House, as Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes has long been on the top of the US's most wanted criminals and fits perfectly into Donald Trump's list of "achievements," who will attribute his murder to his successes in the fight against drug trafficking.
It's unclear how this will impact the World Cup playoff matches scheduled for Mexico in March, but if they do go ahead and the conflict ultimately resolves itself into localized brawls, it would be safe to say that the transition of power within Jalisco New Generation went smoothly.
[Townhall] Mexican authorities have announced that they have killed a man known as ’El Tuli,’ the right-hand man of cartel boss ’El Mencho,' in a subsequent operation after cartel-led violence swept across Mexico.
El Tuli had reportedly criminal masterminded the CJNG response to the operation that killed the head of their cartel. El Tuli is said to have placed a bounty on the heads of government authorities, paying his criminal henchmen around $1200 per government soldier killed during the outbreak of violence.
Newsweek reported that the cartel underboss was killed while attempting to escape authorities in Jalisco. The Mexican government managed to seize nearly a million dollars of CJNG funds, arms, and El Tuli’s escape vehicle.
[IsraelTimes] JPPI says Beijing’s escalating rivalry with the US, alignment with Muslim nations, and adoption of anti-Western narratives is changing its previously positive attitude to Jews
So much for all those who studied the Talmud to learn how the Jews became so successful. On the other hand, the nation is teetering between short term success and long term collapse, so one can understand their resentment.
Antisemitism is rising in China, a country previously considered almost free of anti-Jewish hatred, according to a new research report by the Jewish People Policy Institute.
Anti-Jewish tropes have moved from marginal online spaces into official media, academia, and state-sanctioned discourse, often through a deliberate and complete blurring of distinctions between Israel, Jews, and Judaism, the study found.
Using a comprehensive analysis of Chinese media publications, statements by influencers and academics and social media activity, senior JPPI fellow Shalom Wald identified an "antisemitic wave" that had intensified following the 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... conflicts in 2021 and 2023,.
This phenomenon has wide potential ramifications given China’s global influence, noted JPPI, an independent Israeli think tank.
"When the nation with the second-largest population in the world and one of the principal architects of the global information environment permits the dissemination of antisemitic ideas, fuels them, or tolerates them, its conduct resonates far beyond its borders," said JPPI president Yedidia Stern.
Antisemitism in China is developing without a historical background of Jewish persecution and without a significant Jewish presence in the country — a fact that makes the phenomenon particularly unique and troubling, the report found.
About 2,500 to 3,500 Jews are believed to live in mainland China, along with another 3,500 to 5,000 in Hong Kong, according to estimates.
The current trend is not "homegrown" but driven by strategic geopolitical shifts, the report said. These include China’s escalating rivalry with the United States, its growing alignment with Arab and Moslem-majority nations, and a broader adoption of anti-Western narratives.
A search for scapegoats for internal problems may also be partially to blame, it added.
China perceives Jews as having significant influence over American policy, so hostility toward the US is frequently translated into anti-Jewish rhetoric, the report said. This has led to the adoption of Western-style antisemitic tropes, such as claims of global economic control and comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany.
The Chinese embassy in Israel did not immediately respond to a query about the report or the country’s attitudes toward Jews.
According to JPPI, universities in China are "influential incubators" for anti-Jewish sentiment, with leading Chinese lecturers and students increasingly adopting extreme anti-Israel positions that cross into explicit antisemitism. This is particularly concerning because they are training the next generation of Chinese decision-makers, the report warned.
Chinese social media platforms have also become fertile ground for propaganda, as popular influencers, some with millions of followers, publish overtly anti-Jewish content.
Because China maintains strict control over digital and other media, this may suggest that these ideas are "officially sanctioned" or at least tolerated by authorities, the report suggested.
Wald noted the case of a blogger with 15 million followers who quoted from "Mein Kampf" and "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," and told readers to identify Jews by their "long nose." Another online influencer cited in the report declared after October 7 that "Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... acted too softly."
Antisemitism has historically been absent from China’s political landscape and the country had long celebrated the role of Shanghai as a sanctuary for more than 20,000 Jewish refugees during World War II, JPPI said.
Wald himself previously wrote in 2004 that the Chinese reflect little or none of the traditional forms of antisemitism, although he warned then of the risk of a resurgence of "the old canard of a Jewish world conspiracy" in the country.
"Many Chinese often tend to see the Jews as a mirror of their own history, they admire Jewish wealth and successes, they respect the great contributions that Jews have made to Western civilization, and they perceive themselves and the Jews as representing the ’two oldest living civilizations,'" the JPPI report from 2004 said.
Since Israel and China first established formal diplomatic relations in 1992, China’s mainstream discourse about Israel has been overwhelmingly positive, analysts say.
A 2014 survey by the Anti-Defamation League found that 20% of Chinese agreed with negative stereotypes of Jews, placing relatively low compared to other countries.
However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... government officials have recently begun to "uproot" the positive memories from the previous century, the new report indicated.
In 2024, a nonpolitical musical about the Shanghai refugees was canceled in Beijing.
In the city of Harbin, memorial plaques were removed from buildings once belonging to the Jewish community, including the former synagogue, and a small Jewish museum was closed.
"Inevitably, the Nazi practice of eliminating all traces of Jewish contributions to Germany comes to mind," the report said.
While in the past, Chinese nationalists often commended Jewish perseverance, stereotypes of Jewish power and wealth have been reinterpreted as evidence of a malevolent force undermining the global order, the report found.
"Philosemitism and antisemitism are two sides of the same coin in China," the report said, suggesting that the same generalizations used to praise Jews are now used to vilify them.
The report recommended Israel push against the trend by preserving diplomatic ties with China while setting clear red lines and boundaries against antisemitic expressions. It also suggests increasing ongoing monitoring of Chinese discourse, and strengthening academic and cultural cooperation where possible.
"We must view the phenomenon with clear eyes," Stern wrote. "The diplomatic consequences are practical and immediate. Israel must continue to maintain its invaluable relationship with the United States while preserving room for constructive engagement with China. It must mobilize Jewish communities worldwide and join forces with governments — especially in Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... — that consistently condemn antisemitic speech and actions, and impose penalties for such conduct."
#1
Jairong dear, you might be interested in this young man, who since 10/8/2023 has reached 200 million people, he says, refuting anti-Zionist Jew haters. The Facebook Reel.
#2
China has always admired Jewish people. Shanghai was one of the world's only open ports in the 1930s so a substantial number of Jews fled there and were sheltered, something I don't think has ever been acknowledged by anyone. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's bodyguard was Two-Gun Cohen, a real interesting character who invented tactical police training with a funhouse and such. Previous to that the Shanghai cops lost gunfight after gunfight in the famous gangland days.
#3
Moreover China utterly crushed the Turkestan separatists who kept committing terrorist attacks. They know how to deal with violent Muslims.
Naturally the CIA called it the "Uighur genocide" because that was before the term lost its sting from overuse.
#4
Shanghai was one of the world's only open ports in the 1930s so a substantial number of Jews fled there and were sheltered,
Yes! Not many know about that. Despite having read fairly widely on the subject as a gir, i only learnt about Shanghai because I had a college roommate whose Austrian-Jewish father survived the war there.
Is it wrong this made me laugh?
A woman who said she was at the Minnesota church protest led by Don Lemon last month is suing Lemon and other so-called protesters. She said it caused her emotional distress.
In court documents obtained by TMZ, Ann Doucette claims she was attending a worship service at The Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18. She said Lemon and the other protesters interfered with her ability to ‘freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship.”
The screaming, threatening fanatics wanted to intimidate the pastor, David Easterwood, who they heard worked with ICE.
Doucette is suing for an unspecified amount, claiming she suffered “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” as a result of the protesters’ conduct.
Doucette claims Don Lemon acted with the group of protesters and that one protester admitted on social media to assisting Don with “logistics and local contacts in support of the operation.”
According to the papers, Don Lemon “appeared to take satisfaction in the disruption” as he livestreamed portions of the event.
He continued the aggressive gotcha questions as people fled the church. Radicals were screaming at the children that their parents were “evil” and going to “Hell.”
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford experienced problems with its sewage system while deployed off the coast of Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the publication, the ship is equipped with approximately 650 vacuum toilets, and at least one malfunctions daily while the carrier group is in the region. A US Navy spokesperson told the newspaper that the situation is gradually improving and does not affect combat missions.
The ship's captain, David Scarossi, said that difficulties with the sanitary system have become one of the causes of discontent among the sailors. He added that some of the crew are struggling with the extended deployment in the Persian Gulf, causing them to miss family events and uncertain when they will return home.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship of the newest class of American aircraft carriers and is considered the most expensive in the history of the US Navy. The ship has repeatedly deployed to the Middle East as part of the US military's bolstered presence in the region.
#2
This isn't a "malfunction."
It's sabotage. Every sailor who participated needs to be brought up on charges.
They're calling it "Mutiny on the battle ship Poop-tempkin
Sailors on the USS Gerald Ford are intentionally clogging the sewage system with t-shirts and socks because they don’t want to fight and die for Israel. https://t.co/AxTC4cVHVJ
#3
Just watch. They're going to claim some kind of situation where the sanitary conditions on board (1) are unsuitable and the sailors can't just poop over the side or (2) some kind of disease breaks out on board and Trump will be ever-so-reluctantly forced to call off removing the Mullahs from power and stabilizing the entire region.
#6
I was in charge of sewage on a navy ship in the 90’s. The systems clog, in part, because the flushing water is sea water. Flushing a bunch of wrong stuff has always happened. I think people enjoy watching the misery of the folks that are forced to clean up the mess. It’s revolting and juvenile but not a mutiny. I doubt the vacuum system was designed to flush a tee shirt, new paper or rack curtains. I have seen this brown sloshing brown broth plenty of times. This is not new.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/25/2026 6:05 Comments ||
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#7
In no particular order; three things military personal value highly and will generally fight to keep:
[IsraelTimes] Israeli officials reportedly believe US attack is ‘unavoidable’; Iran said to okay counterproposal for next round of nuclear talks on Thursday as IRGC holds drills on Iran’s coast
American F-22 stealth fighter jets were deployed at an Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel on Tuesday, as part of the United States’s massive buildup of military forces in the Middle East, The Times of Israel has learned.
I’ve read that their purpose is not bombing runs or fighting against other airplanes, but taking out ground-based defense systems, but I have no idea if that’s true.
The jets were stationed at an airbase in the United Kingdom in recent days, according to open-source flight tracking data and aircraft spotters, and were seen taking off earlier on Tuesday.
Their arrival in Israel is another step in the amassing of American aircraft in the region as tensions between 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 the US threaten to erupt into war.
Negotiations between the two countries over the Iranian nuclear program are ongoing, and the sides are due to meet on Thursday in Geneva. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reportedly gotten the green light for a counterproposal to submit to the American negotiating team.
But US President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... has repeatedly threatened that he will attack Iran if those talks fail. Iran has vowed to strike Israel and US targets in the region in response.
Israeli officials are said to believe that a US strike is inevitable, and top military brass from the two countries have reportedly been in contact. One official quoted by Channel 12 news on Tuesday said that a diplomatic resolution to the conflict would be the "surprise of the year."
AIRCRAFT GATHER IN ISRAEL; WHITE HOUSE THREATENS ’LETHAL FORCE’
Against that backdrop, a total of 12 F-22s were seen taking off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England, although one reportedly returned to the airbase due to a technical issue.
The stealth fighters had arrived at Lakenheath last week and remained there for several days, reportedly due to issues with their accompanying refuelers.
The F-22, operated exclusively by the US Air Force, is the world’s most advanced air-superiority fighter, built for unmatched speed, maneuverability, and stealth in air-to-air combat.
The deployment of US fighter jets at Israeli airbases for operational activities — rather than for joint training with the IAF — is extremely rare.
In total, dozens of fighter jets — including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s, and F-16s — have been spotted heading to the Middle East in recent days by the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity.
The team says it’s also tracked dozens of accompanying fuel tankers, as well as hundreds of cargo flights, heading into the region since mid-February. On Monday, American refueler and cargo planes were spotted at Ben Gurion Airport.
The jets are part of a historic gathering of US forces reported to be the largest in the region since the US invaded Iraq in 2003. On Monday, Trump denied that his top general, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, had expressed reservations about a strike.
"General Caine, like all of us, would like not to see War but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won," Trump wrote.
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told news hounds that Trump’s "first option is always diplomacy," but added: "As he has shown, he is willing to use the lethal force of the United States military if necessary."
She stressed that Trump will be the one who decides what course of action to take against Iran. Recent reports have suggested that Trump is considering an initial limited strike on Iran, though he is also said to be frustrated by the assessments of what a US strike could achieve.
"I’ve seen a lot of sensationalist reporting over the past day that is just completely untrue," Leavitt said. "And anyone speculating to the media, hiding behind an anonymous source, pretending to know what President Trump is thinking or a decision he will make with respect to action against Iran, has no idea what they’re talking about."
Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, Tremulus continued with his speech against Varius and his cohorts, watching as his colleagues dropped off to sleep one by one... as protests have sprung up again in Iran, the CIA published a video in Persian explaining how Iranian dissidents can securely contact the US intelligence agency. The video walks viewers through several steps that should be taken to ensure that any contact with the CIA from within Iran will be kept private and to ensure that the identity of the dissident cannot be found out. It suggests that anyone wishing to contact the CIA should do so from a burner device and using the most up-to-date version of their internet browser of choice.
IRAN HOLDS DRILL AS ITS OFFICIALS STRESS COMMITMENT TO TALKS
One of the main impasses in the talks concerns Iran’s nuclear enrichment. Trump is demanding that Iran cease all enrichment, while the Iranians are insisting on their right to continue.
On Tuesday, Iranian officials stressed their commitment to diplomacy. In a series of social media posts, Foreign Minister Araghchi said that "a deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given a priority."
"Pillared on the understandings forged in the previous round, Iran will resume talks with the US in Geneva with a determination to achieve a fair and equitable deal—in the shortest possible time," Araghchi wrote, reiterating that while Iran "will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon," it refuses to give up its rights to "peaceful nuclear technology."
Channel 12 reported that Araghchi has received approval from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> on a draft counterproposal ahead of Thursday’s talks. The US reportedly views those talks as a final chance at harnessing diplomatic momentum instead of choosing to confront Iran militarily. The draft has reportedly not been seen yet by the US team.
Iran, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction, has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons but enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. The US struck Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, at the end of the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
Alongside the pledges to continue diplomacy, the ground forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held military drills on the country’s southern coast, state TV reported. Iran has stepped up its military drills in the area in recent days, and footage broadcast by the Fars outlet showed troops using drones, mortars and missiles to attack ships off the coast and targets on the shore, while amphibious vehicles carried out drills in the surf.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told state media on Tuesday that the Islamic Theocratic Republic "will do whatever it takes" for talks to succeed. But he added: "If there is an attack or aggression against Iran, we will respond according to our defense plans... A US attack on Iran is a real gamble."
ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY US STRIKE ’UNAVOIDABLE’ — REPORT
Israeli political and military officials do not appear to be putting much stock in the talks, and believe a US strike on Iran is "unavoidable," according to Channel 12. The report said they are warning American counterparts against allowing the talks with Iran to drag on or result in a poor deal.
"It will be the surprise of the year if Iran agrees to a real diplomatic solution," one senior Israeli official was quoted by the Hebrew network as saying, adding that "if [Iran] will submit to US demands [in the nuclear talks] it will go against the entire spirit of this regime. But it will be no less surprising if the Americans agree to a stalling and deceptive deal."
In conversations over recent days between IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and US Joint Chiefs of Staff head Caine, Zamir presented a range of military options from Israel’s perspective, warning that "any agreement [with Iran] will be an insurance policy for the Iranian regime."
Senior Israeli officials are pushing to carry out a forceful attack that will make Iran cautious or incapable of retaliating harshly against the US or Israel, Channel 12 reported.
In a potential sign of preparations for such a strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Shin Bet intelligence agency leadership that Israel is working to create its own regional alliance to oppose axes led by Iran and the Moslem Brüderbund.
The emerging alliance "includes many countries," Netanyahu told a conference of the intelligence agency’s leadership. "Some visit us, even these days. Some — we visit them. I am talking about an entire circle that encompasses the Middle East."
#3
No country has the ability to get close enough to attack CONUS with conventional weapons without us knowing.
Any attack resulting from us attacking Iran will be unconventional and likely limited in nature so that it will be a law enforcement responsibility to react and handle.
The various intelligence and law enforcement agencies do a much better job of protecting the US then they get credit for.
#5
No country has the ability to get close enough to attack CONUS with conventional weapons without us knowing.
If I were me, I'd do it using missiles with EMP warheads launched from standard shipping containers on a cargo ship. You can do a similar thing with drone swarms and conventional munitions, as the Ukrainians have demonstrated.
A tanker allegedly carrying Russian fuel en route to Cuba is using deceptive "dark fleet" tactics, including signal manipulation and offshore ship-to-ship transfers, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.
According to MarineTraffic, the vessel, called Sea Horse, was located Tuesday on the U.S. East Coast with its signal, noted as "roaming."
This seems malicious. How would the anonymous Israeli know? And how could it possibly benefit Israel to share this information to the Brits, who are currently hostile to both Israel and the Trump government?
[IsraelTimes] An Israeli intelligence official tells the UK’s Financial Times that Israel believes that, despite assembling a massive military force in the region, including two aircraft carriers, the US only has the capacity to sustain four or five days of intense aerial assault on Iran.
The official says the force could maintain a week of lower-intensity strikes.
Israel is said to be fearful that limited US strikes on Iran could only embolden the regime.
As the Trump administration weighs an attack on Iran, the Pentagon’s top general has cautioned President Donald Trump and other officials that shortfalls in critical munitions and a lack of support from allies will add significant risk to the operation and to U.S. personnel, according to people familiar with internal discussions.
could be a very short intense assault followed up with lighter assault on a few targets
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
02/25/2026 18:30 Comments ||
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#6
Ackshually, if we were really Great and Little Satans, about 1 hr would be all that's necessary
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/25/2026 18:40 Comments ||
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#7
Mike we do need a lot more. Anything we use on Iran won’t be available for Taiwan.
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
02/25/2026 21:10 Comments ||
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#8
Mark Levin says Iran has nuclear missiles “aimed at” New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles with a mission to blow the United States off the face of the earth.
Levin says Iran is part of a new alliance that includes China, Russia, and North Korea.
[Rudaw] More than 20 of the thousands of Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) prisoners recently transferred from Syria to Iraq are Iranian nationals, including Kurds, three senior Iraqi security and intelligence sources told Rudaw on Tuesday.
Iraq transferred 5,700 ISIS prisoners from Kurdish-held jails in northeast Syria (Rojava) in a 23-day process coordinated with the United States earlier this year. The number includes at least 23 individuals from 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 the Kurdish region in western Iran (Rojhelat), the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered... The transfer followed the rapid advance of the Syrian army and affiliated armed forces toward areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Of the total number, 460 are Iraqis, but the figure does not include anyone from the Kurdistan Region, the sources added.
An official from the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, which is affiliated with Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, told Rudaw that statements have so far been taken from more than 500 krazed killers, and the process is ongoing on a daily basis.
According to the official, it will take "four to six" months to complete the process of taking statements and conducting investigations.
Regarding the possibility of handing over foreign Lions of Islam to their home countries, the official said that any krazed killer who has committed crimes against Iraqis will not be extradited and will instead be tried in Iraq.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Monday that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... has agreed to repatriate its nationals.
Lama Fadel, head of the Investigation and Research Unit at the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, told Rudaw on Thursday that "foreign suspects are being charged under Iraq’s amended Penal Code No. 111 of 1969."
She pointed out that under Article 6 of the law, Iraqi courts have jurisdiction to try foreigners who committed crimes outside Iraq, provided their crimes harmed Iraq’s national security, such as terrorist offenses.
[Rudaw] Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Monday that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... has agreed to repatriate its nationals among thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) prisoners recently transferred from Syria to Iraq.
Hussein made the remarks after receiving US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack in Baghdad.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/25/2026 2026-02-25 02:49 ||
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IAF instructs soldiers serving near the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv not to order food directly to the base, to avoid leaks ahead of potential attack
Posted by: Skidmark ||
02/25/2026 07:15 ||
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[1765 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
You needn’t accept it, sirrah. Nonetheless, Hamas must.
[IsraelTimes] PLO secretary general claims Hamas isn’t a terror group, should have a role in governing postwar Gaza; dismisses as ‘impossible’ expected reforms of Palestinian Authority
The Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO) does not consider Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... a terror group, rejects demands to disarm it, and will let it run in the Paleostinian Authority’s municipal elections in April, PLO Secretary General Azzam al-Ahmed said this week.
"All talk of disarming Hamas and their being a terrorist organization is unacceptable to us," Ahmed told Egyptian outlet Shorouk News in an interview published Monday.
Oh well. Anyway…
His remarks ran contrary to the insistence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... that the terror group give up its weapons in the near future as part of the second phase of the 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... ceasefire. Trump has repeatedly asserted that Hamas "promised" to lay down its arms, and has threatened the terror group over the issu However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome... at least publicly, Hamas has not agreed to disarm.
"We’ve never regarded them as a terrorist organization," Ahmed said. "They are part of the Paleostinian national fabric."
For a similar reason, the PLO also rejects the demand in Trump’s Gaza peace plan that Hamas play no part in governing the Strip, said Ahmed.
Ahmed claims that the Trump administration rejects any role for Paleostinians in governing the Strip.
"They don’t want Paleostinians generally," Ahmed said, pointing to the demand that Hamas play no role in Gaza and to the absence of Paleostinian members on the US-led Board of Peace, which is supposed to facilitate Gaza’s reconstruction.
As for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza — the group of independent Paleostinian technocrats meant to oversee the Strip’s reconstruction — Ahmed said it’s clear the US, with Israel’s support, wants to "take control" of the mission, given Washington’s "empty talk" of rebuilding Gaza as a "riviera" dotted by skyscrapers — a plan Trump championed early last year but which he hasn’t mentioned recently.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that he expects Hamas to be given an ultimatum on its disarmament "in the coming days." He noted the ultimatum would be "not very long" in duration, and that it would be made by Washington, not Israel.
Last week, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, a senior adviser to Netanyahu, said that Hamas will have a 60-day period to disarm, a condition given by the White House, and "we are respecting that."
In his Monday interview, Ahmed assailed as a "false pretense" the peace plan’s stipulation that the Paleostinian Authority must reform itself before it can take control of Gaza.
The reforms that the US is demanding — including changes to the PA’s anti-Israel school curriculum and a complete halt to monthly stipends to prisoners, including terrorists, and to families of slain attackers, dubbed "pay-to-slay" — are "impossible" to implement, said Ahmed. He claimed that the requested changes to the school curriculum include the removal of the Paleostinian flag and the word "Paleostine" from textbooks.
"We believe the primary goal of these demands is to waste time," said Ahmed.
He added that the PLO believes that the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, "was a strategic error that inflicted immense damage on Gaza." Ahmed rejected the claim that the attack breathed new life into the Paleostinian issue. The October 7 invasion of southern Israel killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and triggered the Gaza war, which was halted by the US-brokered ceasefire in October 2025.
Separately, Ahmed said the PLO is "in constant national talks with [Hamas] on fulfilling the requirements to join the organization."
Under the Paleostinian Authority’s recently unveiled provisional constitution, the PLO is the sole legitimate representative of the Paleostinian people, and the PA adheres to the PLO’s commitments, which include recognition of Israel.
The PLO recognized Israel as part of the 1993 Oslo Accords, which established the PA as a body to administer Paleostinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and which Hamas and numerous other Paleostinian factions have rejected.
In a move seen as preventing Hamas and other non-PLO factions from running in future elections — including municipal elections slated for April — PA President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....> in January signed a decree requiring candidates to sign a statement accepting the PLO’s "national program."
Speaking to Shorouk, Ahmed said "there was an error in the law," adding that it was agreed that even parties opposed to the PLO could run in the April municipal elections, because those elections were about "providing services, not political work." But the requirement would still hold for legislative elections, whose date is still not set, he said.
A senior Paleostinian official told The Times of Israel that despite Ahmed’s senior position in the PLO, his comments do not reflect the stances of the umbrella Paleostinian political body nor the PA.
The official noted that PA President Mahmoud Abbas has long called for Hamas to disarm and accused Ahmed of "electioneering" ahead of the Fatah central committee election in May.
The US-brokered ceasefire plan reached in October foresees the demilitarization of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas, along with a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip. However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome... implementation of the plan has remained unclear, with Israeli officials increasingly believing that stripping Hamas of its weapons will be impossible without the Israel Defense Forces taking action.
In the meantime, the Israeli military is drawing up plans for a renewed offensive in the Gaza Strip to disarm the terror group by force.
I would have expected something like this to be passed after the first Intifada. Shows what I know.
[IsraelTimes] Knesset lawmakers vote 21-7 overnight to pass a law allowing a prospective employer, with the written consent of a job candidate, to request that police disclose whether the applicant had a criminal record for terror offenses.
The law, sponsored by Likud MK Nissim Vaturi, only allows the employer to be given confirmation of such a record but does not allow for the sharing of information about any offenses.
It also only applies to offenses committed as an adult and that have not passed the statute of limitations. The employer is required to allow the applicant to provide context regarding such a record before making a final hiring decision and is prohibited from sharing any information received.
According to the law’s explanatory notes, it “allows private employers to find out whether job candidates have a criminal record for terrorist offenses.”
[IsraelTimes] Israel is working to create its own regional alliance to oppose Iranian and Muslim Brotherhood axes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells a leadership conference of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency.
The emerging alliance “includes many countries,” says Netanyahu. “Some visit us, even these days. Some — we visit them. I am talking about an entire circle that encompasses the Middle East.”
In the 1950s and 1960s, Israel pursued a strategy of making alliances with non-Arab states and entities on the perimeter of the Middle East, including Turkey, Iran, Ethiopia, and the Kurds.
Turning to Gaza, Netanyahu reiterates that Hamas must be disarmed, and that “it will happen the easy way, or it will happen the hard way, but it will happen.”
Netanyahu addresses the outbreak of near-daily murders in Arab communities inside Israel, saying the stockpile of illegal weapons “must be reduced, it must be taken, because a stormy day may come.” He hints that a terror threat could emerge from these communities, saying that “we always talk about guns being turned inward.”
“We want a country with law, and not a Wild West, and not a wild south, and not a wild north,” he says.
[IsraelTimes] The Palestinian Islamic Jihad confirms that one of its high-ranking operatives, named by Doctors Without Borders as a staffer, was killed by Israel in 2024.
The medical organization — known by its French acronym MSF — has repeatedly denied that it employed anyone “involved in military activities,” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
After the killing of MSF staffer Fadi al-Wadiya in June 2024, the IDF published a photograph of him wearing a Palestinian Islamic Jihad uniform and identified him as a rocket expert.
In a series of posts today, Islamic Jihad names several top commanders killed by Israel during the war.
One of them is al-Wadiya, whom Islamic Jihad identifies as the deputy head of its military manufacturing unit.
Also listed is Mahdi al-Mamluk, deputy head of the terror group’s communications unit, who was also listed by the Committee to Protect Journalists as a broadcast engineer for the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al-Quds Al-Youm TV.
UPDATING THREAD: Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has released a sizable list of high-ranking commanders killed during the war, particularly second-in-commands of many key units. Notable IDs, including journalists, doctors, and others below.🧵 pic.twitter.com/iZUlY9d0NZ
Fadi Jihad Mohammed al-Wadiyya (ID# 802854323, age 33) , a physiotherapist working for Doctors Without Borders, was ID'd by the IDF as a PIJ member shortly after he was killed in a June 2024 airstrike. Today, PIJ confirmed that al-Wadiyya was the deputy head of their military… pic.twitter.com/cAeBGVtgeG
[IsraelTimes] The former leader of the UK’s Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, is facing accusations of engaging in blood libel after he claimed in a recent video that the IDF has been opening up the bodies of women killed in Gaza and removing their organs.
Corbyn, an independent member of Parliament, claims in the video that he spoke last week with the director of Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital, who he says told him that the hospital had received a delivery from the IDF of “a large number of boxes, 60 or 70 boxes.”
“They opened the boxes,” Corbyn says, “and each one contained the skull of a Palestinian who had been killed.”
Continuing, he says that the hospital also received a “delivery of bodies of dead women in Gaza that had been opened and some of the organs removed.”
“That is what is happening to the people of Palestine,” Corbyn asserts. “This is the cause of our age.”
The Corbyn video was first published on Instagram by Wear the Peace, a self-described ethical clothing brand that donates a portion of its profits to various humanitarian causes.
Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, is on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line, meaning IDF troops withdrew from the area in October 2025. While the bodies of Palestinians held by Israel have been returned to Shifa ahead of burial since then, the handovers are facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the last one was on January 29.
In response to Corbyn, IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani inquires on X as to “what happened to fact checking before spreading a wild blood libel?”
Pointing out that “IDF soldiers haven’t been anywhere near the Shifa hospital in months,” Shoshani says that “the ’cause of our generation’ is double checking claims and not believing journalists who spread crazy baseless stories.”
“The IDF operates in accordance with international law and strict internal directives that prohibit such conduct,” he adds of the claims. “The return of bodies to Gaza is carried out through international coordination and with the assistance of the Red Cross.”
There are some who maybe still claim Jeremy Corbyn isn’t an antisemite. But he is one of a number of openly antisemitic Jew haters sitting as MPs. That is frightening. Here he is spreading horrendous lies about Israel - lies of murder and organ removal. These lies are already… pic.twitter.com/ZJduHGbKjP
The height of a pyramid built from 70 boxes depends on how the boxes are arranged. If arranged in a standard pyramidal structure where each layer has one fewer box than the layer below (starting with `n` boxes on the bottom), the maximum height is determined by the largest `n` such that the sum of the first `n` natural numbers is ≤ 70.
Using the formula for the sum of the first `n` integers:
**n(n + 1)/2 ≤ 70**
[IsraelTimes] Talks aim to free over 60 civilians from Druze-majority Sweida, where sectarian clashes broke out last year, prompting Israeli intervention, in exchange for 30 government personnel
The US is leading negotiations between a prominent Druze leader and the Syrian government to secure an exchange of prisoners held since sectarian festivities in the Druze-majority province of Sweida last year, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP Tuesday.
Thousands are estimated to have been killed when festivities erupted in July between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Sweida.
The Syrian government in Damascus said its forces intervened to stop the festivities, but witnesses and monitors accused them of siding with the Bedouin against the Druze.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-aligned body, claimed the fighting in Sweida left more than 2,000 people dead, including 789 Druze civilians who were "summarily executed by Defense and Interior Ministry personnel."
Israel bombed Syria during the violence, striking the Syrian army headquarters and near the presidential palace, saying it was acting to defend the Druze, who have communities in Israel.
While a ceasefire was reached later in July, the situation has remained tense, and the province has remained difficult to access.
The Druze source, who requested anonymity, told AFP that "there are currently negotiations mediated by the United States between Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri," a prominent Druze leader, "and the Damascus government."
The talks, said the source, aim to "get the authorities to release 61 civilians from Sweida who have been detained... since the events of July, in exchange for 30 personnel of the Interior and Defense Ministries" held by the National Guard, the gang that operates under Hijri.
Residents accuse Syrian authorities of imposing a siege on Sweida, which Damascus denies, and tens of thousands of people remain displaced from the violence.
Aid trucks have entered the province several times since July.
In August, dozens of small factions in Sweida announced they would join the National Guard, seeking to unify military efforts under Hijri, who is considered the Druze figure most hostile to Damascus.
Hijri has since demanded the creation of a separate region for his minority community, and has formed a de facto authority in Sweida city and its surrounding areas outside of the central government’s grasp.
And in September, Rooters reported that Israel was working to unite splintered Druze factions in Syria’s Sweida area, providing them with arms and paying salaries of militia members.
Two senior Syrian Druze figures, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said at the time that since July’s deadly fighting in Sweida, Israel had been helping to unify splintered Druze factions and had delivered military supplies, including guns and ammunition, to them.
The two Druze commanders and a Western intelligence source said that Israel was also paying salaries for many of the roughly 3,000 Druze militia fighters.
Rooters was not able to independently confirm the munitions supplies or the payments at the time. The offices of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer likewise did not respond to Rooters’ questions on support for the Druze militia.
The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria for more than a year, since the fall of the Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... regime in December 2024. They are mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries. Two posts are on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers (nine miles) inside Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of "hostile forces."
[IsraelTimes] Deal for purchase of CM‑302 missiles, with range of 180 miles, is nearing completion, though delivery date and quantity unclear; expert says they are ‘very difficult to intercept’
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... is close to a deal with China to purchase anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, just as the United States deploys a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
The deal for the Chinese‑made CM‑302 missiles is near completion, though no delivery date has been set, the people said. The supersonic missiles have a range of about 290 kilometers (180 miles) and are designed to evade shipborne defenses by flying low and fast. Their deployment would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to US naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said.
Negotiations with China to buy the missile weapons systems, which began at least two years ago, accelerated sharply after the 12‑day war between Israel and Iran in June, according to the six people with knowledge of the talks, including three officials who were briefed by the Iranian government as well as three security officials.
As talks entered their final stages last summer, senior Iranian military and government officials traveled to China, including Massoud Oraei, Iran’s deputy defense minister, according to two of the security officials. Oraei’s visit has not been previously reported.
"It’s a complete game-changer if Iran has supersonic capability to attack ships in the area," said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer and now senior Iran researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies think tank. "These missiles are very difficult to intercept."
Rooters could not determine how many missiles were involved in the potential deal, how much Iran had agreed to pay, or whether China would go through with the agreement now given heightened tensions in the region.
"Iran has military and security agreements with its allies, and now is an appropriate time to make use of these agreements," an Iranian foreign ministry official told Rooters.
The Chinese delegation to the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... directed Rooters to seek comment from the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. The foreign and defense ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
The White House did not directly address the negotiations between Iran and China over the missile system when asked by Rooters. US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... has been clear that "either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," a White House official said, referring to the current standoff with Iran.
The missiles would be among the most advanced military hardware to be transferred to Iran by China and defy a United Nations weapons embargo that was first imposed in 2006. The sanctions were suspended in 2015 as part of a nuclear deal with the US and allies, and then reimposed last September.
NAVAL THREATS
The potential sale would underscore deepening military ties between China and Iran at a moment of heightened regional tension, complicating US efforts to contain Iran’s missile program and curb its nuclear activities. It would also signal China’s growing willingness to assert itself in a region long dominated by US military might.
China, Iran and Russia hold annual joint naval exercises, and last year the US Treasury Department sanctioned several Chinese entities for supplying chemical precursors to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in its ballistic missile program. China rejected those allegations, saying it was unaware of the cases cited in the sanctions and that it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use products.
While hosting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for a military parade in Beijing in September, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Iranian leader that "China supports Iran in safeguarding illusory sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity."
China joined Russia and Iran in a joint letter on October 18 to say they believed the decision to reimpose sanctions was flawed.
"Iran has become a battlefield between the US" on one side and Russia and China on the other, said one of the officials who was briefed by Iran’s government on the missile negotiations.
The deal comes as the US assembles an armada within striking distance of Iran, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group. The USS Gerald R. Ford and its escorts are also heading to the region. The two ships together can carry more than 5,000 personnel and 150 aircraft.
"China does not want to see a pro-Western regime in Iran," said Citrinowicz, the Israeli specialist on Iran. "That would be a threat to their interests. They are hoping that this regime will stay."
Trump said on February 19 he was giving Iran 10 days to reach an agreement over its nuclear program or face military action. The US is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if Trump orders an attack, Rooters reported on February 13.
Pedestrians walk past a billboard depicting a US aircraft carrier with damaged fighter jets on its deck and a sign in Farsi and English reading, "If you sow the wind, you’ll reap the whirlwind," at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Depleted arsenal
The CM-302 purchase would be a significant improvement in an Iranian arsenal depleted by last year’s war, said Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China’s state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) markets the CM-302 as the world’s best anti-ship missile, capable of sinking an aircraft carrier or destroyer. The weapons system can be mounted on ships, aircraft or mobile ground vehicles. It can also take out targets on land.
CASIC did not respond to a request for comment.
Iran is also in discussions to acquire Chinese surface‑to‑air missile systems, so-called MANPADS, anti‑ballistic weapons, and anti-satellite weapons, the six people said.
China was a major arms supplier to Iran in the 1980s, but large‑scale weapons transfers dwindled by the late 1990s under international pressure. In recent years, US officials have accused Chinese companies of providing missile-related materials to Iran but have not publicly accused it of supplying complete missile systems.
🇮🇷 The IRGC Ground Forces demonstrated a show of power with controlled fire drills, using weapon-range precision and modern multi-layered tactics. The large-scale exercise, centered at Madinah Headquarters, covered southern coasts and Iranian islands. pic.twitter.com/1RyCAKJOxw
The ground forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards held military drills on the country’s southern coast, state TV reports, as the United States weighs possible airstrikes against the Islamic Republic.
Iran has stepped up its military drills in the area in recent days as negotiations over its nuclear program near an end and amid a massive buildup of US military power in the area.
Footage broadcast by Fars shows troops using drones, mortars, and missiles to attack ships off the coast and targets on the shore, while amphibious vehicles carried out drills in the surf.
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.
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
...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 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
Horror of Homs...
...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 
