[WSMV] $5K reward offered after four military drones stolen from Fort Campbell: U.S. Army Fort Campbell said between November 21 and 24, two unknown people unlawfully gained access to building 6955 and took them.
Kwitcher bitchin’ — you lot are getting off cheap. Where would you have been once the Mad Mullahs got their eleven nukes, as they intended? Were America and Israel not involved, Iran would have gone directly after you, to turn the Ummah Shiite again, like at the time of the Fatimids and to get tour oil. And what price did you pay for the last round after we drove back Al Qaeda and ISIS, both of whose expansions you’d funded in the hope of replacing the Arab Socialist governments with a bunch of oil-poor Saudi Arabias? You owe us, and Israel, big time.
[Reuters] The U.S. may have pulled the trigger on the Iran war, but it is the oil-producing Gulf that will pay the price, Gulf sources and analysts say, signalling unease in ties between a region under Iranian attack and the superpower it relies on for protection.
Behind the scenes, resentment is mounting in Gulf Arab capitals at being drawn into a war they neither initiated nor endorsed but are now paying for economically and militarily, with airports, hotels, ports and military and oil installations hit by Iranian strikes, said three regional sources, who declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak publicly.
"It is not our war. We did not want this conflict, yet we are paying the price in our security and our economy," Ebtesam Al-Ketbi, President of the Emirates Policy Center, told Reuters.
That doesn't mean Iran is "innocent", she said. Gulf governments had assured Tehran they would not allow their territories or airspace to be used by Washington in the war. Yet Iran has unleashed waves of drone and missile strikes across the region despite those assurances, denting business confidence in the process.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/11/2026 08:09 ||
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[BBC] HMS Dragon has begun its journey to the eastern Mediterranean to join the UK's defensive operations in the region.
The Type 45 destroyer left its dock in Portsmouth on Tuesday afternoon, having only recently come out of maintenance. It will be the UK's first and only warship in the region when it arrives in about a week.
It comes hours after the government placed a naval support ship, the RFA Lyme Bay, on "heightened readiness" to be sent to support British nationals in the Middle East if needed.
HMS Dragon's primary role will be protecting RAF Akrotiri, which was hit with an Iranian-made drone earlier this month.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Over the past 20 years, Russian intelligence agencies have prevented over 1,000 terrorist attacks and eliminated over 2,500 militants. This was announced by Alexander Bortnikov, Chairman of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) and Director of the FSB, at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) on March 10.
"In just two decades, as a result of the coordinated actions of law enforcement agencies in the Russian Federation, more than 1,000 terrorist attacks have been prevented, over 2,500 bandits have been eliminated, and 17,000 of their accomplices have been detained," the head of the department explained in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Anti-Terrorism Committee.
In addition, Bortnikov added, approximately 18,000 weapons, 71,000 rounds of ammunition, 25 tons of explosives, and more than 5,000 improvised explosive devices were seized from illegal circulation.
Bortnikov previously reported that 79 terrorist cells were disrupted in Russia in 2025, with 27 terrorists killed while offering armed resistance. Attempts to use homemade bombs and firearms on public transport in dense passenger traffic, as well as the bombing of an apartment building, were also thwarted. Furthermore, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Agency (NAC) added that the security measures taken prevented several further attempted attacks on the Crimean Bridge.
The FSB Public Relations Center reported that, as of September 1, 2025, the Federal Security Service (FSB) blocked over 100 communication channels used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies to recruit Russians for sabotage and remote fraud. The blocked channels were also used to widely disseminate false terrorist threats.
[ZeroHedge] Update: A top Pentagon official sees little chance of resuming negotiations with Anthropic over military use of its AI tools after the company launched their lawsuit.
On Monday, under secretary of defense for research and engineering said that the lawsuit was an 'expected reaction' and that the company's move wouldn't alter the pentagon's decision.
"I don’t think there’s a scenario where this gets resolved in that way," he told Bloomberg.
A former Uber Technologies Inc. executive now overseeing a Pentagon effort to accelerate AI adoption, Michael had held weeks of tense negotiations with Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei over terms for using the firm’s AI tools. Talks broke down roughly two weeks ago, after the company demanded assurances that its AI wouldn’t be used for mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous weapons deployment.
That prompted the Pentagon to declare San Francisco-based Anthropic a supply-chain risk, a move normally reserved for companies from adversarial nations. Until recently, Anthropic had provided the only AI system that could operate in the Pentagon’s classified cloud, and its Claude Gov tool has become a favored option among defense personnel for its ease of use.
Meanwhile, Axios reports that the White House is preparing an executive order that will formally instruct the federal government to disentangle Anthropic from operations.
A White House official said "any policy announcement will come directly from" the president and that "discussion about potential executive orders is speculation."
Various agencies such as the Treasury Department have already begun to offboard Anthropic.
Also meanwhile, Anthropic says that the Pentagon feud could cost it billions.
Wait, so the most idealistic, effectively altruistic and woke chatbot ever created was pegging its future on the most ruthless and pragmatic entity in human history?
[WSJ] Russsian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t been shy about gloating over the upside of the Iran conflict for Russia, as oil prices surge and the U.S. reevaluates its punitive measures on Russian crude.
#1
According to estimates released in January by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russian forces have suffered, on average, more than 26,000 monthly casualties — including dead, wounded and missing soldiers — or 1.2 million total casualties since 2022.
A "gloating" Putin? A "gloating" Putin is it? A new definition of insanity appears to have been discovered.
#4
I think the key to Trump's approach is leaving Putin with a way out.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/11/2026 8:48 Comments ||
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#5
The Wall Street Journal turned into the New York Times gradually, then suddenly. What's the point of it?
Posted by: Matt ||
03/11/2026 8:50 Comments ||
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#6
For a brief moment, now prices are dropping fast with new insurance and transport routes that have re-stabilized the market. Putin is still in the same spot as he was before the strikes.
[Reuters] The International Energy Agency (IEA) is to recommend the release of 400 million barrels of oil, the largest such move in IEA history, three sources said on Wednesday, to try to restrain soaring crude prices amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
One of the sources said the release would be spaced over at least two months, while Spain's energy minister said countries would have up to 90 days to release that volume.
Three sources said the Paris-based IEA would publish its recommendation at 1300 GMT on Wednesday, ahead of a 1400 GMT meeting of G7 leaders chaired by France.
The IEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Pam Bondi has moved into a secure military base due to an increase in threats over the Jeffrey Epstein case and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The attorney general became the latest member of the Trump administration to move from a private residence in Washington to a military facility.
Bondi left her apartment in Washington DC to an unknown military base in the region within the past month, The New York Times reported.
A spokesperson for Bondi confirmed the arrangement but asked the media not to publish her location. A senior official said threats from drug cartels and criticism of her job performance led her to make the decision.
Bondi joins a whole host of Trump administration officials who have moved into military housing during his second term.
Stephen Miller, Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio all currently live in government facilities, in addition to departing homeland security chief Kristi Noem.
Government officials living in military accommodations was extremely rare until recently.
Jolani’s Army Eyes Lebanon: Rumors are mounting that Syria, under Jolani, may move against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Preparations have been months in the making, fueled by Sunni grievances and a desire for revenge.
… both Sunni support and regional tensions. Hezbollah artillery and troop movements hint at a brewing confrontation.
Shiite militias from Iraq threaten to intervene if Syria attacks Hezbollah, raising the risk of a broader Sunni-Shiite clash that could indirectly draw in Israel.
Israel faces a tricky calculus: Sunni-Shiite fighting diverts attention, but militia entrenchment in Syria could threaten Israeli security.
Jolani’s ambitions and ideology suggest this could escalate quickly, creating multiple potential flashpoints in the region.
… I’m going home too,” he says. “It seems like the regime is finished and we should surrender. I just hope the people don’t take revenge on us.”
I hope you get street justice
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2026 00:00 ||
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#1
Not sure what his incentive would be. Seems like this may be faked.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/11/2026 5:49 Comments ||
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#2
OR...this video might be his "please don't kill me! I've repented!" ticket?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/11/2026 6:03 Comments ||
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#3
Could be but he is blurred. Basij members seem like villains from central casting. I hope he continues to post content that lets us get to know him as a person. What’s his favorite color? Who is his favorite victim that he brutalized?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/11/2026 6:19 Comments ||
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#5
It could be real. It could be a psyop to try to show that the regime is crumbling for external watchers. The internet is down in Iran so this won’t have a large impact internally. I am unsure of what this truly is. Maybe, I have seen too much Palestinian propaganda over the years so I trust nothing.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/11/2026 8:43 Comments ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] "At first it was really scary, even to go outside. Then you get used to it, and it becomes somehow unimportant. One evening, we went to an observation deck with a beautiful view of Tehran. We watched as mushroom clouds of explosions appeared here and there." For Hassan, a resident of the Iranian capital, like many of his friends and neighbors, the war has become a routine threat.
For over a week, the US and Israel have been striking dozens of Iranian cities. The Islamic Republic is counterattacking American bases and allied countries. The humanitarian aspect of the war is being lost in the military and political upheavals.
The information space is oversaturated with fake news from both sides. It's extremely difficult to imagine the situation "from within" Iran. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Islamic Republic's authorities have shut down the internet. It's common to see a message on a friend's messenger account saying, "Was online at 10:14 AM on February 28."
But people are finding ways to stay in touch. Regnum News Agency managed to speak with residents of Tehran, Isfahan, and Yazd.
To avoid putting our interlocutors at risk, we will not disclose their real names.
KESMAT AND RESPONSIVENESS
"If you find the videos circulating online scary, you can multiply your feelings a hundredfold. But when you can't do anything about it, you just get used to it," says Hassan.
He said his first reaction to the attacks was fear of the unknown. Unlike Israel, where citizen warning systems took decades to develop, in Iran people often know nothing about an approaching threat.
Mosque attendants on duty at the minarets are responsible for issuing missile alerts. If an explosion erupts somewhere on the horizon, they alert people through the speakers used for the adhan—the call to prayer. Someone sounds a siren, someone else shouts, "The city is under attack! People, take cover!" But no one knows when or where the attack will occur, so death always comes unexpectedly.
At first, people tried to stay away from government buildings, police stations, and military bases, Hassan notes. But now our interviewee and those he speaks with agree: the American-Israeli attacks seem to be happening without a pattern.
Any building could be hit, so trying to build a safe route is essentially pointless.
But there were no cases of panic in Tehran. Our interlocutors believe that people view the current situation with a certain fatalism—"what will be, will be." There's an Arabic word, "kesmat," meaning fate, destiny, or destiny; this concept has entered the languages of other Muslim countries. It's precisely this "kesmat" that now prevails in Tehran, Hassan believes.
Many people (the press doesn't report how many, but conversations mention "tens, if not hundreds of thousands") left the big cities and went to villages; some were even able to leave the country through the border with Turkey or Iraq.
But millions of people remain in the megacities with nowhere to go. Rents in the provinces have risen sharply, forcing residents of Tehran and other major cities to return home.
Some people go to work out of habit, others leave their family-run shops and stores open simply to avoid being looted or because they have nowhere else to go.
They tell a remarkable story: after the building was hit, officials, with typical Iranian composure, retrieved their desks from the rubble, set them up around the building, and continued working. Fatalism is at work here, too.
"Sometimes, watching another news report on TV, you want to blink and wait for it to disappear," says Goli, a resident of Isfahan. But "it" doesn't disappear, and people adapt.
City buses—both in Tehran and Isfahan—continue to operate. However, the heroes, not those who simply work as if nothing has happened, are considered to be the professionals (Red Crescent doctors, rescuers) and volunteers who respond to emergencies.
"These are probably the bravest guys I know. There have already been cases where a building is bombed, it collapses, rescuers arrive—and then a second strike occurs. But they still work, and they are joined by volunteers, for example, student teams who help clear the rubble and rescue people. There are probably teams like that in every city by now," said Iranian Parsa.
When communication is disrupted—and this is becoming increasingly common—volunteers, primarily on mopeds, travel around the city and, at people's request, find out whether their friend or relative is alive.
FASTING DURING WAR
Cities come to life more or less as night falls. And the reasons aren't just the war and bombings. Muslims around the world continue to observe the month of Ramadan, and Iranians are no exception.
Although Islamic law allows for the practice of not fasting in certain crisis situations, many Iranians still try to observe the prescribed rules. People rise shortly before dawn to eat for the day, and after sunset, they gather for the evening meal—iftar.
"This was a big event before, when tables were set up in the courtyard or on the street and anyone could join in. But now it's especially important because some people may be struggling with food or money. It's crucial to feel like we're all facing this together and supporting each other," says Parsa.
At markets, fruit and vegetable vendors hang signs reading, "In honor of the war, I'm ready to give this away for free to those who need it," and "Take it now—we'll settle accounts after the war." However, there are sometimes temporary shortages of bread due to the lack of a supply chain.
Bakers, like millions of other Iranians, wake up in the morning to light the oven. If flour is scarce, it may appear later, meaning bread needs to be baked. As Parsa explained, "Buying bread is a symbol that life still goes on, and the lines at the bakery continue to form, just as before."
"ROAMING POLICE" AND VILLAGE SELF-DEFENSE
At the same time, no one knows exactly how much certain goods, especially imported ones, might cost.
By March, the exchange rate of the rial, the Iranian currency, had fallen to astronomical levels: more than 1.5 million rials per dollar.
Although paying with foreign currencies is strictly prohibited, the country has long had a black market. Here, you can buy things unavailable in stores, and only for dollars or, say, UAE dirhams.
In Tehran and other major cities, authorities have restricted fuel sales to individuals. Even more noticeable are the reductions in water supplies to homes and shortages of some medications in pharmacies.
However, there is no threat of famine or shortages of essential medications. Markets and stores still have food and essential goods.
But there's no "iron order" on the streets either. Since the attacks began, groups of looters have appeared, rushing to be the first to get into destroyed buildings to steal anything valuable. The city's usual criminal underworld has also become more active.
It's now common to see not only permanent but also "roving" police posts in cities. Law enforcement officers block roads and check cars.
In villages, local residents themselves create something like public patrols, check strangers and inspect cars.
Some are on the lookout for potential spies and saboteurs, while others fear looters and robbers. Similar squads are organized in city neighborhoods, maintaining vigil day and night.
WAITING FOR NOWRUZ
Almost all of our interviewees note that the most frightening and difficult thing about the current situation is the uncertainty, which isn't always manageable with fatalism. No one knows what needs to happen for life, if not to return to normal, then at least to become more predictable.
While Iranians who disagreed with the government's course initially believed that life would improve after the war, after a week of fighting, their hopes turned to disappointment.
Following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba was elected to replace him. By order of the authorities, posters honoring the new Supreme Leader are being hung on the streets and oaths of allegiance are being held.
At the same time, according to our interviewees, those of their acquaintances who had some hopes for help "abroad" were even more disappointed. It turns out that government propaganda wasn't lying when it claimed the US and Israel wished ill upon every Iranian personally.
On the other hand, many Iranians who were previously loyal to the authorities are expressing their disappointment.
"Far worse than the enemies who are somewhere far away are the people who are now dividing up power, divvying up the last resources among themselves. They've forgotten our problems, " says Goli. " If it weren't for the volunteers, the doctors, the blood donors, things would be much worse. We've been called upon to be resilient for years, and we have proven ourselves resilient. But the good we've learned in these days has happened despite, not because of, those who were supposed to protect us."
“If it weren’t for the doctors, it would have been much worse…”
No one is thinking about what Donald Trump just said about which American bases were damaged by retaliatory strikes—people don't know how they'll pay rent next month, with major businesses closed and no one getting paid. The country's economy, already in crisis, has suffered serious damage.
However, Iranians say, in the periods between the blows, one still wants to believe in something good. That spring will come, and after it, Nowruz, the New Year celebration according to the astronomical solar calendar. The holiday's name literally translates as "new day."
People would like to believe that some lessons will be learned from what happened, even if the war lasts another day, week, or year.
In conclusion, here are some official figures.
Iranian Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian reported that 1,255 people have been killed in the US-Israeli attacks across the country, including at least 200 children and 11 medical workers. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, 13,700 civilian structures were damaged, including more than 11,000 homes and 65 schools.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Iran has warned Donald Trump to 'be careful not to be eliminated' after the US President said he did not believe the regime's new Supreme Leader can 'live in peace'.
Mr Trump told Iran to brace for 'death, fire and fury' for keeping the Strait of Hormuz shut before threatening its new leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
He told Fox the new Supreme Leader will be unable to ‘live in peace’ and he was ‘not happy with the appointment’, having warned Iran he would have the final say over their leader.
But the regime's security chief Ali Larijani dismissed Mr Trump's comments, claiming Iran 'is not afraid of your empty threats'.
He added: 'Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!'
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/11/2026 00:00 ||
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Mojtaba, described as a 'wounded veteran' of the war by Iranian state TV, suffered injuries to his legs and is currently in hospital.
'He was also there and he was injured in that bombardment,' Alireza Salarian, Iran's ambassador to Cyprus, told the Guardian.
'I have heard that he was injured in his legs and hand and arm... I think he is in the hospital because he is injured.'
Mojtaba's injuries are behind his mysterious absence from the public eye, the ambassador said, adding he also wants to avoid the glare of Israel and the US.
#6
If you make Trump your highest ayatollah, this strategy may work.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/11/2026 13:25 Comments ||
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#7
Ace of Spades today: "You might have seen the amazing video of Iran welcoming its new Supreme Leader.
The actual Supreme Leader was not present. (Tousi TV says there are legitimate reports that he was hit during the early rounds of bombing and lost his leg and is currently in a coma.)
So to welcome the totally-alive New Supreme Leader, they brought out -- and this is not a joke, this happened -- a cardboard cut-out of a human silhouette with a photograph of the totally-alive Mojtada Khamenei's head on top of it."
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.
