[JustTheNews] In remarks posted to social media, Starmer said that while he continued to oppose the use of military force to achieve Western aims in Iran, he had granted access to British based for what he called “defensive strikes” against Iranian missile sites that could be used to attack U.K. allies in the region.
But the prime minister also said his country had “learned from the mistakes of Iraq,” where the U.K. played a leading role in toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein. He said British forces were not involved in the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes Saturday morning and had no plans to join the offensive against Tehran – amid decades of oppressive, authoritarian rule and pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
He can’t be thrown out soon enough. After refusing when it mattered, now he wants America to expend their treasure to defend the British forces in the area that he left hanging in the wind, who are without the means to properly defend themselves because he was busy spending it to give benefits to the masses of Muslim colonists he has for decades been coddling in order to use them to punish the native English population. And still he wants to hobble the American effort against the caliphate-mongers of Iran.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/02/2026 07:48 ||
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#3
The stutter step before acting like an ally merely confirms the continuing decline in the "special relationships". Stupid domestic posturing by Starmer et al, for little gain, but impact on alliance obvious.
Now, transactional exchanges, not presumed "alliance" status will close much of the Five Eyes trust system. As Islam increasingly infests the other Eyes, probably a necessary reality.
#2
Yes I believe, IRAN is in fact getting its A$$ handed to it.
But with that said, now we get to 4-way guess, everything.
IS IT
* Propaganda generated AI fake and/or suppressed News by any party/Nation/Elite Class side?
* MSM Fake and/or suppressed News?
* Power Elite / Political agenda created, steered and reported News,
* or it is even really happening at all, or to the degree reported?
BTW: As we already have seen, since the LSD's have supported MORE ISLAMIC Migration in the past. I wonder how they are going to try to and Blame Trump for eliminating a major source of Terrorist attacks around the world, and spin it for their benefit.
Give the Islamic Terrorist Shooting in Austin TX. how will they spin this?
Considering Austin, its Liberal leaning direction, support of Anti-ICE, and it's recited view of ISLAM as a peaceful religion that they can all get along with.
[Breitbart] The conflict between the United States, Israel and the Islamist regime in Iran could result in terror blowback across Europe, German security officials have warned.
The chairman of the Bundestag’s Parliamentary Control Committee (PKGr), which oversees Germany’s intelligence services, warned on Sunday in comments reported by Die Welt that “retaliatory measures” by pro-Iranian regime terrorists, including “sleeper cells in Europe”, could not be ruled out.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said, “The Iranian regime has repeatedly demonstrated in the past that it carries out its terror beyond its own borders.
Indeed.
“The federal and state security authorities… are highly vigilant and will adjust appropriate protective measures as needed.”
Berlin’s Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism, Felix Klein, said that in light of the conflict in Iran, it would be prudent to “assume an increased threat level for Jewish life in Germany.”
Following the outbreak of fighting, several German states said that they would review their security measures to protect Jewish or Israeli institutions, many of which have already been on high alert in the wake of the October 7th terror attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists in 2023
In neighbouring France, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called for regional governments to heighten security measures around Jewish places of worship.
“In light of the current international situation in the Middle East, I reiterate my instructions to remain vigilant and ask you to immediately implement enhanced security measures for Jewish places of worship and religious gatherings,” he said per Le Figaro.
Over the past decade, France and Germany have been primary targets for Islamic terror attacks in Europe. The two countries have also experienced a significant rise in antisemitic incidents following the October 7th attacks on the Jewish states.
HACK: ABC's Mary Bruce is big mad that Trump has said "without evidence" Iran is a dangerous regime and a threat to Americans, touts "Democrats sounding the alarm" about the dangers to the American people pic.twitter.com/7rajUkfsXJ
#2
I read Mona Charen's book from 2004 Useful Idiots... about how Liberals blame America first. That book is, of course, 22 years old, and it's as pertinent now as it was then. Things are probably even more extreme today.
[TheWashingtonStand] Three more House Republicans have joined the newly organized Sharia-Free America Caucus in the lower chamber of Congress, bringing the total membership to 43 after a mere two months since the legislative group’s formation was announced by GOP Representatives Keith Self and Chip Roy of Texas.
Rep. Michael Rulli (R) of Ohio, Rep. August Pfluger (R) of Texas, and Rep. Buddy Carter (R) of Georgia are the latest additions to the caucus that was first made public on Christmas Day 2025. Twenty-four House Republicans joined the caucus within its first month of existence, and it has continued adding members throughout the month of February.
Asked by The Washington Stand if he expects more House Members to join the new caucus, Self said, "Oh, absolutely. I haven’t even made a complete pitch. I’ve tried a couple of times, but things intervened. Just with the Texas delegation, we’ve got 25 Republicans, so I absolutely expect it to grow."
The caucus was formed in response to growing concerns in Congress and elsewhere about the recent surge in efforts by Moslem activists around the country to establish developments offered exclusively to followers of Islam and to replace America’s local, state, and federal laws with Sharia law.
Sharia law is the civil and religious commands prescribed by the Koran to regulate public and private life. Among much else, Sharia sanctions Moslem husbands treating wives as slaves, justifies Islamic men who rape non-Islamic women, requires the death penalty for those who identify as homosexual, death by stoning for adulterers, and forces non-Moslems to convert or face death by beheading.
"Under Sharia law, there is no freedom of speech, religion, or women’s rights. Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... should be a wake-up call to America, showing what the spread of Sharia law looks like. America’s immigration system must brace to take on this battle, not only to preserve our constitutional republic but to take charge in the spiritual warfare and defend our Judeo-Christian values," Roy declared recently.
In recent years, the Lone Star State has become a focal point for the growing Moslem presence. Developers of a massive Moslem-only combined residential and commercial complex near Dallas, initially known as EPIC City, recently opted to change the project’s name to "The Meadows" following public backlash in response to reports that Sharia law would exclusively govern residents there.
When asked by TWS why he joined the caucus, Carter replied, "Sharia law is a direct threat to freedom and the American way of life. This radical, Third-World ideology is poisonous and has no place in the United States. If we import the Third World, we become the Third World. Immigrants colonists who are welcomed into our country must assimilate, not bring their toxic and violent mostly peaceful beliefs with them. Georgians want to preserve our nation’s values, not destroy them."
Rep. Josh Brecheen (R) of Oklahoma, who was among the earliest members of the caucus, told TWS he joined because "we must not allow Oklahoma to be lulled to sleep by a people who, under the deceitful guise of peace and tolerance, have infiltrated our nation. Americans must be made aware that, in strict adherence to the Koran, its bully boy followers are directed to kill all infidels and apostates, meaning anyone who doesn’t believe as they do. In tandem, bully boy followers advocate for Sharia law to be implemented in our nation."
Brecheen added that he is "grateful to the group of Oklahoma state politicians who are introducing bills to ban Sharia at the state level and to curb foreign influence in our state. For my part, I am committed to preventing Sharia from being spread in our federal jurisdictions, as this code of law is inherently at odds with the American way of life."
Despite its short existence, the caucus has been unusually active since being announced. In addition to a February 5 news conference, Roy chaired a February 11 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government that heard from four witnesses explaining why "Political Islam and Sharia Law are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution."
One of the witnesses, Krista Shields, Texas State Director for the RAIR Foundation, told the hearing that the rapid growth today of efforts to establish Moslem-only communities in America, in which Sharia law takes precedence over every other legal system, is a direct result of planning by radical Islamic bully boy groups like the Moslem Brüderbund. Shields cited two documents as being of particular importance.
"First, a document titled ’Towards a Global Strategy for Islamic Policy,’ largely known as ’The Project,’ was a 12-point master plan detailing the ’westward expansion’ of the Moslem Brüderbund. The document was seized by Swiss authorities shortly after 9/11 as the ’formalized output’ of a 1977 meeting of exiled Moslem Brüderbund leaders. The document details a strategy of ’institutional action’ designed to ’penetrate’ social services and ’control’ local centers of power, explicitly rejecting assimilation in favor of a ’parallel’ existence governed by an ’Islamic Constitution’ and ’Islamic laws.’"
The second document cited by Shield was the 1991 Explanatory Memorandum, which she told the subcommittee was "entered [as] evidence in U.S. federal courts, [and] declares their mission in America: ’The process of settlement is a ’Civilization-Jihadist Process.’... The Ikhwan [Moslem Brüderbund] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ’sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.’ Groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and their many proxies — including those operating in America — aim to impose Sharia worldwide and establish a global Caliphate."
Another witness — veteran Islamic terrorism expert Robert Spencer — explained to subcommittee members that "immigration to a new land to bring Sharia to it is also an Islamic imperative. The Koran promises a reward from Allah to those who ’emigrate for the sake of Allah,’ which means for the purpose of bringing Sharia to a non-Moslem land. Thus, the conflict between Sharia and the U.S. Constitution will only grow as the Moslem population in the U.S. grows, for among that population will always be some Moslems who take these imperatives with the utmost seriousness."
Rep. Mary Scanlon (D-Pa.), the subcommittee’s ranking member, dismissed the hearing, accusing Roy and other Republicans of "stoking fear and suspicion of fellow Americans or anyone else on the explicit basis of their religious beliefs" and described GOP warnings about the suppression by Sharia law of all other beliefs as merely "hysterical rhetoric."
[Just The News] The FBI on Sunday indicted that the gunman in the Sunday morning mass shooting in Austin, Texas, possessed materials that could indicate a link to terrorism.
The shooting left 3 dead and 14 wounded. The gunman was killed on scene after police officers responded. A special agent with the San Antonio Field Office said in a press conference that the evidence recovered thus far indicated a "potential nexus to terrorism."
He asserted that it was too early to reach a final determination, but noted that materials in the gunman's vehicle and on his person suggested the link.
While the FBI did not identify the nature of possible terrorism, the attack comes amid ongoing U.S. strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks across the Middle East from that country's military.
The miscreant: Ndiaga Diagne, 53, of Senegal arrived in the US in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident (IR-6) when he married a US citizen in 2006, and got full citizenship in 2013 despite his growing rap sheet spanning New York and Texas that started in 2001. Law enforcement knew him as an emotionally disturbed person in both New York and Texas before Sunday’s bloody rampage, yet in 2016 he applied for asylum.
[Breitbart] Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Military Department to activate service members under Operation Fury Shield, launching expanded patrols at energy facilities, ports, and the southern border as state leaders brace for potential retaliation following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The deployment includes heightened cybersecurity operations and coordinated security efforts with DPS and federal partners, according to the governor’s announcement.
“Yesterday, I directed the Texas Military Department to activate service members under Operation Fury Shield to work alongside state and federal partners to safeguard our communities and critical infrastructure,” Abbott said in a written statement on Sunday. “Patrols have been increased at vital energy facilities, ports, and along our border. We have bolstered cybersecurity personnel and deployed unmanned aerial surveillance to monitor and protect critical infrastructure sites.”
The governor also ordered law enforcement and the Texas Military Department to increase patrols around potential targets for terrorists’ retaliation actions in the Lone Star State.
“I also directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard to intensify patrols and surveillance,” the governor stated. “Texas is relentlessly working with our federal partners to ensure every necessary resource is deployed to defend our communities.”
Abbott also responded to the apparent act of terrorism in Austin on Sunday, where a mass shooting incident left three people dead, including the shooter, and 17 people injured, as Breitbart Texas’s Randy Clark reported.
“Today, I directed the DPS to increase patrols and add law enforcement personnel in the 6th Street District in downtown Austin during weekends,” the governor added. “We must ensure enough boots on the ground to discourage criminal activity.”
Members of the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force team joined the investigation in Austin after reports surfaced of possible links to terrorism.
“Texans are strong,” Abbott stated. “We will not be intimidated, and we will not be terrorized. We will defend our state without hesitation.”
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/02/2026 00:00 ||
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#1
Abbot cannot be trusted.
It was under his watch islam got a foothold in Texas.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[RIA] US President Donald Trump stated that the American military operation against Iran could last four weeks or less.
"We expected this (the US operation against Iran - ed.) to take about four weeks. It was always said to be about a four-week process, so given the strength (of the country - ed.), it's a large country, it will take four weeks or less," Trump said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/02/2026 00:00 ||
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#1
Just break the military, hammer them when they are shown in any concentration, and the locals will resolve the issue.
[JustTheNews] The FBI is on high alert following the U.S.-Israeli coordinated strikes on Iran overnight.
FBI Director Kash Patel said that the FBI is “fully engaged on the situation overseas,” and he has directed the bureau’s counterterrorism and intelligence teams “to be on high alert and mobilize security assets needed.”
Patel said the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force across the country is working to “address and disrupt any potential threats to the homeland.”
The announcement from the FBI comes as the U.S. Secret Service issued a statement saying that it is “actively monitoring the situation in Iran and remains in close coordination” with federal and local partners.
Other law enforcement agencies across the country, including the New York Police Department and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, released similar statements.
“At this time, there are no known threats to D.C. We are prepared to increase our presence as needed,” according to a statement from MPD.
NYPD said it is also increasing patrols across the city in response to Operation Epic Fury.
“As is our protocol and out of an abundance of caution, we will be enhancing patrols to sensitive locations throughout the city, including diplomatic, cultural, religious and other relevant sites,” according to a NYPD post on X.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] The current US and Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is the culmination of the US-Iran conflict, which, oddly enough, began even before the Islamic Revolution and is associated with the growth of regional influence of Iran, which is independent in its foreign policy.
Contradictions accumulated despite periods of thaw and even, it would seem, “following progress” and common interests in certain periods.
But in any case, the war was bound to happen while Iran was pursuing the policy it is pursuing, if not strengthening, then defending its position in the region and rejecting American dictates and pressure.
THE PAHLAVI ERA AND THE BEGINNING OF RIVALRY
Contrary to popular belief, the proclamation of the Islamic Republic in Iran in 1979, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, was not a challenge or a surprise to Washington.
Moreover, the United States itself, in a sense, even contributed to the removal of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from power instead of trying to support the Shah’s regime, which is listed as one of its strategic allies.
Around the mid-1970s, the Shah of Iran ceased to be a satisfactory ally for the United States due to his excessive ambitions and claims to regional leadership. It's unclear how events would have unfolded had the revolution not occurred, but in one possible future, the Shah's Iran would also have become a dangerous competitor and rival for the United States in the region.
Pahlavi sought to replace the United States and Britain as the security guarantor for the Gulf states and the Arab world, leading Tehran to make efforts to strengthen its position.
For example, in 1972, Iranian troops were sent to Oman, where they played a key role in suppressing a communist rebellion in Dhofar. In many other areas, the Shah also continued to enjoy increasing autonomy and independence from the United States.
In particular, it was during his time that the Iranian nuclear program was launched (and its military component, according to some sources, in conjunction with South Africa), which continued in the IRI when the Islamic Republic acquired the necessary resources for this.
The Shah did this without Washington's knowledge and went even further, declaring his readiness to "stand united against the American conspiracy" aimed at disrupting the unity of OPEC and its "blood ties with the Third World countries."
American media immediately accused Pahlavi of "premeditated and hasty" actions. Several high-ranking US administration officials openly expressed their dissatisfaction with him. A powerful anti-Shah campaign began, involving the intelligence services of several Arab and European countries, as well as Israel.
During the revolution, Jimmy Carter's administration attempted to work with both sides—Pahlavi and his opponents—in an effort to maintain its influence in the country regardless of who won. But some steps by the American authorities could be interpreted as outright sabotage.
In particular, in early January 1979, on Carter's orders, American General Robert Huyser arrived in Iran without the Shah's consent . He was to hold talks with the hawkish Iranian generals who intended to suppress the anti-monarchist protests and dissuade them from this plan through "persuasion and threats."
The general successfully completed his task, and the introduction of armed forces into Iranian cities to suppress unrest was stopped.
The Americans also directly intervened to prevent the generals from attempting to establish military rule in the country after the Shah left the country for Egypt.
Ultimately, the White House's hopes for establishing a weak government of "any color" in Iran were not realized, and the Islamic regime that came to power in Iran began to pursue a much more anti-American policy than Washington had expected.
But this does not change the fact that the US and the Islamic Republic had many common interests that compelled both sides to prevent excessive escalation until a certain point.
Of course, the seizure of American hostages in Tehran was a "cold shower" for the Americans, and their unsuccessful release was not only a stain of shame, but also a triumph for the new Iranian authorities, who demonstrated to the entire world their banner of struggle against American imperialism, under which numerous supporters throughout the Islamic world began to rise.
In turn, attacks by Shiite groups created by the Islamic Republic in Lebanon on American Marines, with numerous casualties, further strengthened Iran's position as the leader of the anti-American and anti-Zionist resistance.
At the same time, these actions not only did not lead to the start of an American-Iranian war, but did not even interrupt limited cooperation where the interests of Tehran and Washington converged.
FROM CONFRONTATION TO MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
The Iran-Iraq War, which began in 1980, also benefited the United States. On the one hand, it weakened Iraq, which became bogged down in a protracted and futile war. During this period, Baghdad's military might began to pose a threat not only to Israel but also to the Gulf monarchies, but was now being ground down in battles with Iran.
On the other hand, the restoration of Iran's regional position after the revolution and the Iranian leadership's announced plans for its "export" also did not fit into the framework of American expectations regarding the course of the "ayatollah regime," as the Iranian government was called in the West.
Therefore, as the famous American journalist Bob Woodward wrote in his book “The CIA’s Secret Wars, 1981–1987,” the United States provided aid and information to both sides of the conflict, hoping to lead them into a dead end.
In particular, in 1981, the United States resumed limited arms supplies to Iran, and in 1985 launched the Iran-Contra program, under which Tehran received TOW anti-tank missile systems, spare parts for the missiles and the Hawk anti-aircraft missiles themselves, as well as other weapons and equipment.
Moreover, during the Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the United States and Iran found themselves on the same side, supporting Afghan rebels.
Thus, while the US supplied weapons to the Sunni "Peshawar Seven" through Pakistan, Iran provided military assistance not only to the so-called "Shiite Eight," but also to the Sunni field commander Ismail Khan , the "Lion of Herat," commander of the "Western United Group" of Afghan mujahideen.
Against this backdrop, Tehran's position during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 is particularly revealing. When the American coalition began expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait, Iran, contrary to the expectations of many, maintained neutrality, which was de facto favorable to Washington.
Despite all the rhetoric of hatred towards the "great Satan," Tehran not only failed to take any action in support of its recent enemy Saddam Hussein , but also used the situation to strengthen its own position.
The decline of Baghdad's influence opened a window of opportunity for Iran: in the following years, the country was able to significantly increase its arms purchases from Russia, North Korea, and even Poland (300 T-72s).
These deliveries occurred, if not with the tacit consent of the United States, then at least in the absence of any strong opposition. Washington, preoccupied with consolidating its presence in the region, chose to ignore Iran's rise, believing that a weakened Iraq no longer posed a threat and that a new regional balance could be adjusted later.
Iraq also became the culmination of situational and pragmatic cooperation between Iran and the United States.
After the overthrow of the Baathist regime in 2003, Washington, unable to cope with the Sunni guerrillas, placed its bets on the Shiite majority, allowing Nouri al-Maliki , a politician who returned from Iran and the leader of the Islamist Shiite Dawa Party, deeply integrated into pro-Iranian networks, to power.
Meanwhile, numerous pro-Iranian groups previously waged war against the American occupation forces. And many of them—Kataib Hezbollah, Hezbollah al-Nujaba, the Badr Organization, and others—have ended up on the American terrorist list.
American strategists believed they could control al-Maliki, who, in turn, controlled Iraqi Shiite forces, which would be used against Sunni insurgents. The American plan succeeded, but Tehran was also able to significantly strengthen its position in Iraq.
Under the cover of official Baghdad and without any US opposition, Iran was able to support numerous Shiite militias on Iraqi soil, which were formally subordinate to the government, but in fact to officers of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
However, the real paradox emerged in 2014, when ISIS (an organization designated as a terrorist organization in Russia) captured a third of Iraqi territory. American air power and Iranian proxy forces found themselves on the same side of the front line.
The situation looked like this: for example, the pro-Iranian Iraqi group Kataib Hezbollah, led by colonels and officers of the Iranian IRGC, which the State Department has listed as a terrorist organization, was receiving American Abrams tanks and M113 armored personnel carriers from the Iraqi army.
Under the cover of US Air Force A-10 attack aircraft, these Shiite militias, led by Iranian instructors, advanced on Mosul, driving out the "caliphate" militants. Washington and Tehran were de facto allies at the time, although each pursued its own goals: the US wanted to preserve its remaining influence in Iraq, while Iran wanted to turn the country into a permanent stronghold.
STRATEGIC CONTEXT OF THE CONFRONTATION
The common ground they found, despite their pragmatic nature, failed to reverse the underlying trend: strategically, the United States and Iran remained implacable enemies. And the main issue was not oil trade or other market interests, but their attitude toward the existence of the State of Israel.
For Iran, the destruction of Israel was never just a rhetorical slogan. It was also part of the religion, since, according to Shiite theology, the hidden Imam Mahdi will return to the world only after the Muslims' victory over the Yahuds (Jews).
Therefore, the fight against Israel remains a clearly stated goal of the Islamic Republic, the instrument for achieving which has become proxy forces along the entire perimeter of the Jewish state.
Back in the early 1980s, IRGC officers created Hezbollah in Lebanon—not just a party or a subversive cell, but a fully-fledged army, integrated into Lebanese society. It was Hezbollah that dealt the first crushing blow to the American presence in the region: the 1983 bombings of the US embassy in Beirut and the Marine barracks, which claimed the lives of hundreds of Americans, were the work of Iran's partners.
Washington then chose to retreat, but learned its lesson: behind every attack against American interests in the Middle East there is an Iranian trace.
The evolution of Hamas is no less revealing. Having emerged as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood (an organization designated as terrorist in Russia), it long engaged in preaching and charity work, while its military wing was armed with little more than stones and slingshots.
The situation changed radically when Iran took over. Tehran didn't just provide funding; it transformed the previously disparate Hamas factions into a 25,000-strong army with its own missile arsenal, engineering units, and combat tactics copied from Hezbollah.
Iranian instructors trained Palestinians to build tunnels, manufacture missiles, and operate drones. It was this work that transformed the Gaza Strip into an impenetrable fortress and Hamas into a force capable of challenging the Israel Defense Forces.
OCTOBER 7 FACTOR
October 7, 2023, marked the point of no return. Israeli leaders realized not only their country's vulnerability but also that time was working against them. If today Iran was capable of arming Hamas to the point of breaching Israel's "iron wall," then tomorrow Tehran would strike a blow from which Israel would be unable to recover. The question of survival outweighed any considerations of tactical expediency.
But even earlier, Israel began to realize its vulnerability when it became surrounded by networks of Iranian proxies, while Tehran's ballistic missiles were aimed at Tel Aviv.
Donald Trump's first tenure in the White House allowed Israel to begin acting in concert with the United States.
For Trump himself, this duality—situational cooperation in Iraq and irreconcilable hostility over Israel—predetermined the climax of the escalation he then embarked on. And precisely in Iraq.
The assassination of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, in January 2020 was not just another act of retaliation for undermining American interests, but a logical consequence of the very "Israeli factor," which by that point had already outweighed any talk of pragmatism.
By then, the Middle East Strategic Alliance—the US-Israeli coordination effort to contain Iran—had concluded that targeted strikes on Iraqi bases entrenched by pro-Iranian militias were no longer working.
By 2020, Soleimani had transformed himself from a commander instrumental in the fight against ISIS into a symbol and chief architect of the “Arab arc of resistance” that was supposed to close around Israel.
It was he who built the corridor from Tehran through Baghdad and Damascus to Beirut and the Gaza Strip. It was his logistics that allowed Hezbollah to accumulate a missile arsenal capable of overloading Israel's air defenses and opening the skies to Iranian ballistic missiles.
Trump, despite his professed anti-war stance and desire to withdraw troops from "endless Middle East adventures," found himself hostage to this logic. The Israeli lobby and the neoconservative wing of his own administration (like Mike Pompeo and John Bolton ) convinced the president that Soleimani was preparing an "imminent attack" on American targets, but more importantly, he was coordinating a massive strike against Israel through his Shiite proxies.
For Trump, who built his policy on rejecting Barack Obama's legacy and taking a hard line on Tehran (withdrawing from the JCPOA), this marked the point where the transactional approach gave way to a forceful gesture.
The assassination was intended not only to decapitate the IRGC, but also to demonstrate to Tehran that no amount of counterterrorism assistance or ad hoc alliances would protect Iran's commanders if they continued to build siege lines around Israel.
However, the paradox of Trump's strike was that, having cut one knot, he tightened another. Iran, having swallowed its grievance and limited itself to a symbolic response to the Ain al-Asad air base, drew its own conclusions: there were no longer any illusions about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Washington as long as Israel dictated the American agenda.
Soleimani became a martyr, and his cause—the accelerated development of deterrent weapons, including nuclear capability—was given carte blanche by the Iranian establishment. Trump, who sought peace through force, in fact hastened the very explosion he was trying to prevent.
Under different circumstances, the differences between the US and Iran could certainly have been resolved. The Trump administration, despite all the rhetoric, was rather anti-war in line with the MAGA (Make America Great Again) concept and was seeking the deal that Oman had so diligently pursued in the indirect talks in Geneva.
The economic benefits of stabilizing the Iranian market and returning to the nuclear deal were obvious. However, Israel, recognizing the existential threat, managed to reverse this trend during Trump's second term, capitalizing on the events of October 7 and the war in Gaza.
The current war the US is waging in the region is a war waged in Israel's interests. The blow to China's interests will be only a secondary, albeit welcome, benefit for some in Washington.
After all, Iran isn't just another player in the Middle East. It's a key supplier of cheap oil to China and a critical link in the grand Belt and Road infrastructure strategy.
A weakened Tehran will inevitably complicate Beijing's access to energy resources and call into question the security of land routes through Central Asia that bypass US-controlled sea lanes.
Thus, by fanning the flames around Iran, America is solving two problems: ensuring the security of its main ally, Israel, and harming its main geopolitical competitor, China.
But the geoeconomic context, significant as it may be, remains secondary. The primary motive is the blood and iron on the streets of Israeli cities on October 7.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/02/2026 00:00 ||
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This is a bit off the Rantburg Reservation, but does Rantburg know about City of London. Not London, but the financial-banker fiefdom inside London?
When we say Banker Wars, these are the bankers.
That said, does Rantburg know the history of British Petroleum and Iran?
Iran is basically a franchise of the City of London bankers. The Iranian Regime's access to international markets while under sanctions are through liaisons via City of London. Next to the Mullahs, City of London banking elites will be the next biggest losers if the regime falls.
[Jpost] The US military is using the new LUCAS attack drones in Operation Epic Fury (aka Operation Roaring Lion), US Central Command announced Saturday night on X/Twitter. This is the platform’s first operational use following its unveiling in late 2025.
“CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike – for the first time in history – is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury. These low-cost drones, modeled after Iran’s Shaheed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution," it said.
In December,CENTCOM announced that it had launched Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS) “four months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed acceleration of the acquisition and fielding of affordable drone technology.”
It explained that “TFSS is designed to quickly deliver low-cost and effective drone capabilities into the hands of warfighters” and that “the new task force has already formed a squadron of Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones currently based in the Middle East.”
The V‑shaped LUCAS drones, developed by SpektreWorks, are reverse engineered Shahed-136, Iranian drones which have been used extensively by Russia in Ukraine and by Iranian‑backed militias across the Middle East.
The American LUCAS platform, which can be launched by various mechanisms, such as catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, or mobile ground and vehicle systems, aims to be a low‑cost derivative designed for rapid production and deployment.
While the US has not disclosed the full capabilities of the LUCAS system, the combination of Task Force Scorpion Strike on land and Task Force 59 at sea indicates a coordinated effort to build a regional drone strike network in a heavily contested region.
According to CENTCOM, the drones are designed to operate autonomously at long ranges.
“This new task force sets the conditions for using innovation as a deterrent... equipping our skilled warfighters faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities showcases US military innovation and strength, which deters bad actors,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM at the time.
SpektreWorks is an engineering services company (Purchase or lease ours w/operators) based in Phoenix, AZ that specializes in unmanned systems development and production. Ownership information unavailable.
#3
@2 Or found the Chinese drone to be a decent base design and saved millions in R&D and saved time copying and improving what the Chinese developed. They certainly been doing the same to us.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Wealthy elites are fleeing to Saudi Arabia to evacuate the Gulf, as Iranian missiles and drones rained over Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, and Bahrain last weekend - regions inhabited by the rich and previously perceived to be safe countries.
Riyadh is becoming a key exit route for those looking for a safe route out of the Middle East, as the airport in the Saudi Arabia capital is one of few still operating.
But the journey is costly - private security companies are reportedly booking fleets of SUVs to transport people on the 10-hour drive to Riyadh from Dubai and then are chartering private planes.
Among those being evacuated are senior executives at global finance firms and high-net-worth individuals who were holidaying in the region or were there on a business trip, according to Semafor.
The sharp rise in demand for an emergency exit is pushing prices for SUVs and private jets up, as it has been reported that private jets from Riyadh to Europe now cost up to $350,000 (£260,000).
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/02/2026 09:32 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Vasily Fedorov
[REGNUM] On March 1, the tanker Skylight, a Palau-flagged vessel carrying oil from the Iraqi port of Basra, caught fire and began to sink in the waters off Oman's Musandam Peninsula. There were 20 people on board: 15 Indians and five Iranians. All were evacuated, but four were injured.
A few hours later, another oil tanker, the MKD Vyom, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was hit by a shell 80 km northwest of Muscat.
Until this day, strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz remained the stuff of analytical reports. Now, power outages are no longer hypothetical.
The situation around the strait was already alarming by this point. On February 28, immediately after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran began, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a brief VHF message: the passage was closed and all movement was prohibited. The US Navy responded by sending out its own warning, stating that it could not guarantee the safety of shipping.
By Sunday evening, at least 150 tankers were stranded on both sides of the strait. Major oil traders suspended shipments without announcing a resumption date.
THE BOTTLENECK OF GLOBAL ENERGY
The Strait of Hormuz is a strip of water just over 160 kilometers long. At its narrowest point, the distance between the shores is no more than 33 kilometers, and each shipping lane is approximately 3 kilometers wide. The strait is sandwiched between the Iranian coast and Oman's Musandam Peninsula—and a good fifth of the world's oil flows through this gap.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), approximately 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products were shipped through the strait daily in 2024, equivalent to approximately 20% of global consumption.
The analytics company Kpler estimates crude oil transit in 2025 at over 14 million barrels per day, while Bloomberg cites a figure of 16.7 million, including condensate. Approximately three-quarters of this volume is destined for China, India, Japan, and South Korea.
In addition to oil, gas also flows through the strait—up to 30% of global liquefied natural gas exports pass through this route. Qatar is the main supplier, accounting for a fifth of global LNG shipments. Qatari LNG carriers have no alternative routes.
What about the other Gulf countries? Saudi Arabia has a pipeline to a terminal on the Red Sea coast with a capacity of up to 5 million barrels per day. The UAE has built the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline to the Omani coast, with a capacity of 1.5 million barrels.
Iraq can transport oil through Turkey to the Mediterranean, but only from its northern fields. Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain have no alternatives at all.
In total, all bypass capacities cover no more than 16-17% of the daily transit through Hormuz. This means that with a complete blockade of the strait, it is physically impossible to replace the lost volumes with pipelines.
PRICE SCENARIOS: FROM NERVOUSNESS TO DISASTER
The market reaction to Saturday's events is still to come—regular trading on ICE Futures and Comex was not conducted on March 1. But experts are already vying to outline the range of possible consequences.
If shipping resumes within days, American analysts expect a rise of $3-5 per barrel—unpleasant, but tolerable. Petr Shcherbachenko of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation believes Brent will reach $100, and the dollar will surpass 77 rubles. Stanislav Lazovsky of the IMEMO RAS specifically points out that if Iran uses mines, it will take months to clear them, which alone will add $10-15 to the price.
Kpler senior analyst Muyu Xu calculated last summer that closing the strait for at least a day would push Brent into the $120–$150 range.
Rabobank expert Florence Schmitt predicts that even partial disruptions to shipping could cut transit oil traffic in half, while a complete shutdown for a week would cause a spike to $140 per barrel—a shock comparable to the energy crisis of early 2022.
Finally, the most alarmist scenario: a prolonged blockade could drive prices up to $250-300.
According to former White House energy adviser Bob McNally, a prolonged closure of the strait would inevitably trigger a global economic downturn.
Jorge Leon of Rystad Energy, a former OPEC secretariat official, warns that markets will remain tense until there is confidence in the security of regional shipping lanes.
The level of anxiety can also be gauged by insurers. The Financial Times reports that leading companies are canceling policies for transit through the Strait of Hormuz, while insurance costs for the few that do take the risk have skyrocketed.
BETWEEN DEFICIT AND DIPLOMACY
Against this backdrop, an emergency online meeting of eight OPEC+ countries—Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman—was held. The countries agreed that quotas would be increased by 206,000 barrels per day starting in April—significantly more than the 137,000 barrels per day considered before the Middle East escalation.
Formally, the participants explained the decision by citing stable macroeconomic prospects and low commercial oil reserves. The context, however, is clear: the alliance is preparing to offset potential shortfalls in Iranian exports and reduce the risk of a price shock.
Notably, according to Bloomberg, Saudi Arabia and the UAE had already increased shipments before Saturday's strikes, in anticipation of supply disruptions. The next G8 meeting is scheduled for April 5.
The situation around the Strait of Hormuz is changing literally by the hour. On the morning of March 1, General Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, announced that the strait was open to commercial tankers "until further notice," but immediately warned that American warships were legitimate targets.
By mid-day, the IRGC announced the start of the seventh and eighth waves of retaliatory operations. Tehran's ambivalent signals—"the strait is open, but we're shooting"—do not inspire confidence among shipowners.
India has already emphasized that its oil imports are sufficiently diversified. Japan, which receives approximately 75% of its imported oil through the Strait of Hormuz, has introduced subsidies for gas stations in case of a price collapse.
Beijing, the largest buyer of Iranian oil and an active user of its veto in the UN Security Council to protect Tehran from Western sanctions, has so far declined to comment.
For decades, the possibility of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz existed as a theoretical trump card in Iranian foreign policy – an argument of deterrence that many in the West dismissed as a bluff.
But what's happening now is no bluff. Two damaged tankers, 150 anchored vessels, soaring insurance rates, and emergency OPEC+ talks—all this demonstrates how quickly a narrow strip of water at the intersection of Iran, Oman, and the UAE can turn into a source of global economic turmoil.
Global markets open on Monday, and the scale of the alarm will become clear from the first quotes.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group have been redirected from the Baltic Sea to the Middle East. This was reported on March 1 by BFMTV.
It is noted that France's sole aircraft carrier had previously participated in NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea. Due to the escalating situation in the Middle East, the carrier was forced to abort the mission and redirected closer to Iran.
At the end of February, the French Army aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was deployed to NATO exercises. The ship was moored in the Swedish port of Malmö.
#1
A quick search shows it's 1648 nautical miles from Malmo, Sweden to Haifa, Israel. Presuming a constant cruising speed of 20 knots, the French will arrive at Haifa in 3.45 days. Given the limited number of planes (30) the French are going to be more of a hindrance than help
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
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
