[Hill] A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the Trump administration may keep swiftly deporting migrants to countries where they have no ties as a legal challenge unfolds.
The 2-1 vote on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit contained no explanation. The panel also expedited the schedule for the case’s next stage.
The Trump administration as part of its aggressive immigration crackdown has ramped up sending migrants to places other than their home countries, known as third country removals. It has struck deals with Cameroon, South Sudan and Eswatini, among other countries, to take in deportees.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has defended the practice by saying it is aimed at removing some of the most “barbaric” individuals living illegally in the U.S. In court, the Trump administration has mainly argued that federal judges have no authority to intervene.
The 1st Circuit majority comprised of Judge Jeffrey Howard, nominated by former President George W. Bush, and Judge Seth Aframe, nominated by former President Biden. Fellow Biden nominee Lara Montecalvo was the sole dissenter.
It lifts limits on the policy imposed by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, another Biden nominee who oversees a class action lawsuit filed by four noncitizens a year ago.
“While the order unfortunately delays implementation of the decision, we appreciate that the First Circuit ordered a swift resolution of the merits of the government’s appeal,” said Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, which represents the migrants.
Last year, the Trump administration went to the Supreme Court and won after Murphy limited third country removals at an earlier stage of the case. In his final ruling last month, Murphy said material differences had emerged and blocked the policy once again.
“It is not fine, nor is it legal,” Murphy wrote.
His ruling required the administration to first try to remove migrants to the normally designated country or where they have citizenship. If those fail, the judge said they have the right to a “meaningful opportunity” to contest their deportation once a third country is selected.
Murphy had delayed implementation until the 1st Circuit could weigh in. The new ruling keeps his order halted until the appeal is resolved.
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said its position has “once again been vindicated.”
“The Biden Administration allowed millions of illegal aliens to flood our country, and the Trump Administration has the authority to remove these criminal illegal aliens and clean up this national security nightmare,” the spokesperson said. “If these activists judges had their way, aliens who are so uniquely barbaric that their own countries won’t take them back, including convicted murderers, child rapists and drug traffickers, would walk free on American streets.”
[IsraelTimes] Investigation based on documents, dozens of interviews finds Ad Kan group championed resettlement of Palestinians and attempted to hide Israeli involvement
The plane carrying about 150 Paleostinians from 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... came as a surprise to everyone on the ground when it landed in South Africa in November.
It wasn’t the only one. Since May, at least three flights filled with Gaza residents who’d signed up to leave the war-torn enclave have landed in Indonesia and South Africa.
An Israeli group whose founder adamantly supported US President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... ’s proposal to resettle Paleostinians from Gaza is behind the flights, an AP investigation has found, raising further questions about the motives behind the evacuation of hundreds of people from the Strip.
At the time, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola called the flights a "clear agenda to cleanse out the Paleostinians out of Gaza and the West Bank."
Ad Kan, a right-wing Israeli organization founded by soldiers and former intelligence officers, worked via another company to distance links to Israel and organize the flights, according to a contract, passenger lists, text messages, financial statements, and interviews with more than two dozen Israelis, Paleostinians and other people involved with the trips.
Several of the passengers — who fled after more than two years of a devastating war — said they didn’t know who was behind the trip.
But they largely didn’t care, they said, as long as they could leave.
"There was famine, and we had no options. My children were almost killed," said a 37-year-old Paleostinian who arrived in South Africa in November and, like the other passengers, spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing possible punishment.
’SUPPORTING PALESTINIAN LIVES’
The evacuations were organized through a company called al-Majd, which describes itself on its website as a humanitarian organization "supporting Paleostinian lives" and providing aid for Moslem communities in conflict.
However,
women are made to be loved, not understood... a look at the history of Ad Kan and its founder, Gilad Ach, suggests the Israeli group may have been driven, at least in part, by a different agenda.
Ad Kan has for years worked covertly to infiltrate groups and expose what it calls antisemitic or anti-Israel activities.
After Trump floated his proposal last year to transfer 2 million Paleostinians out of Gaza, Ach — an Israeli combat reservist — published a report detailing how he’d implement the "voluntary exit."
Trump later abandoned his plan, which had drawn widespread international condemnation, and said Paleostinians could remain in Gaza.
GROUP FOUNDER SAYS THE FLIGHTS WERE HUMANITARIAN
After the war began in 2023, Ach founded a group called "The Israeli Reservists — Generation of Victory."
His group circulated ads on buses in Israel featuring a portrait of Trump beside the Hebrew words: "Victory = Voluntary migration ... This bus could be full of Gazooks. Listen to Trump, let them out!"
Ach declined to be interviewed and said in a text message to AP that he was proud to lead organizations voicing support for the rights of Paleostinians in Gaza who want to leave for safer parts of the world, free from Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... Ach denied South Africa’s allegation that the flights were meant to cleanse Gaza and the West Bank of Paleostinians. He said they were humanitarian flights and that those who left reached out for help, with some paying for part of the costs.
Critics say such emigration from Gaza is not voluntary, after the war left much of the Strip uninhabitable.
Rights groups also warn that people need to be allowed to return, and say Israel has a decades-long track record of making it difficult for Paleostinians to return to Gaza.
HOW THE FLIGHTS WORKED
AP spoke to six Paleostinians who left Gaza via the flights.
Some said they started hearing about a company transferring people out of Gaza in early 2025. Some saw ads online or on social media or were sent to al-Majd’s website through friends.
Months before the flight landed in Johannesburg last November, an earlier flight in May took nearly 60 Paleostinians from Israel via Hungary to Indonesia and a handful of other locations.
A second flight, in October, took some 170 people from Israel to South Africa via Kenya, according to people who helped organize the planes, flight-tracking information and Paleostinians who used the service.
The six Paleostinians who spoke to AP said they paid up to $2,000 per person through bank and cryptocurrency transfers.
They said the website indicated they’d be taken to South Africa, Indonesia, or Malaysia but didn’t give an option to choose.
American-Israeli businessman Moti Kahana signed a contract in August, shared with AP, to organize a flight for Ad Kan.
Kahana, who has drawn attention for leading audacious missions to extract thousands of Jews and other people in peril from Syria, Iraq, Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... , Afghanistan and Ukraine, said he was approached to help arrange a flight for more than 300 Paleostinians to Indonesia from Ramon airport, in southern Israel.
The contract stated that his company would provide a "flight rescue service" for a minimum payment of $750,000.
But during planning, the route was changed to South Africa, he said, and his participation ended.
Kahana said Ach told him about Ad Kan’s connection to al-Majd, describing it as run by both Arabs and Israelis in Israel but not wanting to promote its Israeli ties.
"It’s the same people, the same company, different names," Kahana said. "They have a group of Arab-speaking people that answer the phone, and they don’t want to show Israel involvement; they have like an Arab face to it."
Kahana said Ach’s team gave him a spreadsheet listing people who paid for the flights. The document — seen by AP — includes the names of at least 13 people whose families said they registered and paid through al-Majd and flew to South Africa.
GETTING OUT OF GAZA
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and COGAT, the Defense Ministry body that facilitates departures to Paleostinians leaving Gaza, declined to comment on the flights.
Netanyahu’s office, COGAT and Ach also wouldn’t answer AP’s questions about whether Paleostinians who fled would be allowed to return.
Families who flew to South Africa told AP they weren’t aware that Israelis were behind the flights but that in the end, it didn’t matter.
"All I cared about was getting my family out of Gaza and saving them," said a Paleostinian who used al-Majd to send his wife and son to South Africa.
France 🇫🇷 has now deployed around 8 000 men across the Middle East, including ~50 Rafale fighter jets and ~12-14 ships
🇫🇷 Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier (+/-26 Rafales, 3 E-2D Hawkeye + helicopters)
🇫🇷 2 amphibious helicopter carriers (Tonerre and Dixmude), total 30-35 helicopters
🇫🇷 ~8 destroyer (Forbin, Alsace, Courbet, Languedoc, Aconit, Chevalier Paul, Amiral Ronarc’h ?, Provence)
🇫🇷 ~1 auxiliary ship (Jacques Chevallier)
🇫🇷 ~1/2 nuclear submarines
🇫🇷 24 Rafale fighter in Jordan and UAE (usually 10)
🇫🇷 1 500 men in Djibouti
🇫🇷 900 men in the UAE
🇫🇷 1 200 men in Iraq (Chammal)
🇫🇷 800 men in Lebanon (United Nations)
🇫🇷 300 men in Jordan (Chammal)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] The conflict in the Middle East is expanding. In its early days, Iranian missiles and drone strikes primarily targeted Arab countries hosting US bases, but the war quickly spread to Turkey.
Despite three recorded instances in which the Turks had to shoot down Iranian missiles, presumably over their territory, Ankara is in no hurry to respond, although it allows itself to engage in threatening rhetoric.
BROTHERLY TIES
The first incident occurred in early March. The Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that NATO air defense and missile defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile over Gaziantep province. The debris fell in an empty field; no one was injured.
At first, it was claimed that the strike never occurred. Then doubts arose that the final target was on Turkish territory. But even after the "landing" had been established, the Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in no hurry to escalate the situation.
After speaking with Iranian diplomats, Minister Hakan Fidan stated the following: "If it was a missile that went off course, that's one thing." He then advised the Iranians "not to embark on an adventure."
Four days later, Turkey detected and shot down a second missile fired from Iran. It then became clear that the US bases were being targeted.
The rhetoric began to escalate. "The necessary warnings have been sent to Iran," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after an emergency government meeting.
Ankara, according to Erdoğan, had already warned Tehran several times, but it continued its "provocative steps." The Turkish president had made every effort to demonstrate his interest in avoiding his country's involvement in the war, and therefore softened his language at the end of his statement, calling on Iran not to tarnish "the millennia-old neighborly and fraternal ties."
Telephone conversations took place between the presidents and foreign ministers. Erdoğan told Masoud Pezeshkian that his country had suffered but was not a party to the conflict. Fidan called on his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to take action.
While Iran made no secret of its intentions in the Persian Gulf—to strike US bases and those assisting Washington—here, Tehran refused to take responsibility. Araghchi told Fidan that the missiles aimed at the Incirlik air base were not launched by Iran.
Be that as it may, on March 13, a third missile was destroyed in Turkish airspace.
On the one hand, when missile launches against Turkey become a pattern, Ankara needs to react. After the third incident, few doubts remain that the Iranians were behind it. On the other hand, there may be "mitigating circumstances" here, too.
Sources of the Turkiye newspaper believe that after the start of the US and Israeli aggression against Iran and the liquidation of part of the political and military command of the Islamic Republic, a so-called “mosaic defense” regime was launched there.
According to it, every general on the ground makes independent decisions. Furthermore, those made earlier automatically took effect.
That is, the Iranian Ministry of Defense does not coordinate every step of its military; they act according to pre-war instructions, where Türkiye, as a NATO country with US bases on its territory, is also designated as a target.
A STREAM OF INSULTS
On the other hand, Ankara is aware that its “friends” from NATO are trying in every possible way to draw it into the conflict.
The intelligence services told journalists that the country would adhere to a course of containment and a cold-blooded approach—Ankara “will not participate in any scenario that would lead to being drawn into war.”
Turkish military expert Cihat Yayci is still not at all certain that the missiles were launched on orders from official Tehran.
He believes such serious decisions are made at the highest level, and since Iran's political leadership was temporarily decapitated, the Mossad and the CIA have found openings to fill the gap. Yayci is inclined to believe that the attacks could be carried out from Iranian territory by troops paid by Israeli and American intelligence.
The Turkish President does not approve of the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and – contrary to NATO’s line – expressed condolences and “deep sadness” over the death of the spiritual leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
On the day of the third missile launch, Fidan, in a conversation with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, spoke out against fueling civil war in Iran and "ethnic and religious conflicts." Turkey "will not allow this," the minister emphasized.
He added that the US and Israeli attack on Iran occurred “without any reason” and is illegal, but Iran’s strikes on its neighbors are also unlawful.
In almost all statements, Turkey tries to use generalities and avoid mentioning Donald Trump. However, insults are sparing for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu : the speaker of the Turkish parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş, compared him to Hitler.
Unlike German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who says that Germany is “on the same side as the United States” and that the ayatollah regime is illegitimate, and the EU leadership, which is increasing sanctions against Iran, Ankara is unequivocally in favor of a ceasefire.
AVOIDING CONFLICT WITH TRUMP
Europe also has a lot to lose—no less than Turkey. Oil and gas prices have already created the risk of stagflation for the EU.
But Ankara is demonstrating that it has more sovereignty – Erdogan has risked conducting operations against Kurdish militias against the will of Washington.
Trump is a temporary friend of Ankara. Erdogan is pleased to hear praise, recognition of his influence in Syria and his role as a mediator in Gaza. But is this worth the long-term risks lurking behind the chaos in Iran?
Millions of Iranian refugees in addition to millions of Syrians. The possibility of a "second Afghanistan" emerging along a 560-kilometer-long border (after Syria, Turkey shares its longest border with Iran).
A failed state always poses the threat of terrorists. Residents of Ankara and Istanbul experienced ISIS attacks firsthand during the Syrian civil war, where Erdoğan supported Bashar al-Assad's opponents.
Iranian Kurdistan is a particular headache. Trump tried to use the Kurds to launch a campaign against Tehran, but the fighters of the Kurdistan Free Life Party are in no hurry to expose themselves.
Ankara is closely monitoring the activities of the Iranian Kurdish party. A statement from the Turkish Ministry of Defense, published by Clash Report, stated that Ankara "reserves the right to respond to hostile actions." The ministry is clearly hinting at a military operation.
The Turkish armed forces have similar experience in Iraq and Syria. The problem is that if Washington wants to push the Kurds against Tehran, Turkey's intervention would effectively ignite a conflict between Trump and Erdoğan. Clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) during Operation Peace Spring in Syria outraged Trump, prompting him to threaten to "destroy the Turkish economy."
The risk of the emergence of a new Kurdish state entity, capable of triggering a "domino effect" in Turkey itself, is hardly offset by the prospect of creating a "South Azerbaijan" with a 30 million Turkic-speaking population.
Trump is bogged down in Iran. He needs a combined attack from separatists (starting with the Kurds) and neighboring countries, including Turkey. Such a coalition could possibly inflict serious damage on the Islamic Republic's defenses.
However, there is no guarantee that Iran will collapse.
The US military operation will end sooner or later, but the Arabs and Turks will still have to live next door to the Persians. No one wants to make enemies for years to come. Given the likelihood of growing Kurdish separatism, Ankara will think twice before responding to the missiles.
Even if we imagine a scenario of a complete victory by a united coalition of the US, Turkey, and the Arab League over Iran—provided Washington does not encourage Kurdish separatism—Ankara is asking: what awaits the region afterward?
There are many risks and unknown variables here. What is certain is that Israel will strengthen its position.
Turkey, according to former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, is the next target. Iran has been diverting the Jewish state's forces and resources, and after its defeat, there will be no one to do so.
Moreover, the new Iran could become entirely pro-American, and Türkiye will no longer be able to rely on it in the event of disagreements with NATO.
Finally, the success of the operation to dismantle Iranian sovereignty will create another precedent, and Turkey, with its numerous disagreements with the West, will have something to think about.
[HotAir] Honest to God. The Canadians have no clue whether they're coming or going anymore.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has been 'We're in!,' 'We're out!,' 'We're in!' so many times in the past two weeks, it's tough to keep track of precisely which flip or flop he's on.
The best guess landed fish of the moment is, 'Out.'
BREAKING - Just days after an IRGC mullah was seen being given asylum in Toronto, Canadian PM Mark Carney announces Canada will not assist the United States in any of its operations against Iran. pic.twitter.com/nGy3K1uVsz
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) March 15, 2026
Melissa Lantsman is the Conservative Party co-deputy and a member of Canada's House of Commons.
🇨🇦🔫🇮🇷 : A clearly shaken up Melissa Lantsman explains that hundreds of IRGC terrorists are freely living it up in Canada. Terrorizing Iranian Canadians & Jewish Canadians, with impunity.
Elbows up Liberals could care less as shots ring out daily at Jewish communities and… pic.twitter.com/5Npdjq02UN
The Prime Minister is covering himself with...something. It's not glory.
Canadians are learning today (thanks to Conservatives) that Canadian Armed Forces were TARGETED by Iran on March 1st 🤯
Mark Carney and his team have deliberately withheld this information from Canadians. Liberals can not be trusted for another second pic.twitter.com/LXS4biC5DE
[USA Today] A top U.S. intelligence official resigned on Tuesday in protest over the Iran war, writing that "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation" in his resignation letter to President Donald Trump.
Joe Kent, a conservative politician and former CIA paramilitary officer, quit as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, alleging the United States went to war "due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby" and that Trump had been duped by a "misinformation campaign."
Trump later told reporters "it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said Iran was not a threat. Every country recognized Iran was a threat." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on social media that Kent's resignation letter was riddled with "false claims."
Kent is the first U.S. official to resign over the war, now in its 18th day.
Last chapter possibly not yet written on this one.
If he’s willing to disagree on policy, leaving is the right call for everyone.
#2
No wonder the CIA is nothing but traitors with morons like this who can't even understand we've been at war with Iran since 1979. Storming an embassy is an act of war and these fools ignore it and everything since.
#4
Neverminded the fact Iran is responsible for some 5,000 American deaths by funding terrorism cells in Iraq and Afghanistan, other places in the Middle East and some European attacks since 1979. Also they have declared war on the US since then. Also they have waged war on their Sunni neighbors.
#6
The Times of Israel has more. It sounds like he mixed sound and unsound ideas, and drew the wrong conclusions. A pity — he seems the kind of man I would love to admire.
#7
^Kent, who has previously faced scrutiny over his espousal of conspiracy theories and ties to white nationalists, said on social media that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
#8
Exemplary and heroic military career, full stop.
Political career, two failed congressional campaigns and a second wife (first was killed by Islamist bombing apparently) has a far more liberal reputation. Over at CTH they have a massive outpouring of commentary, suggesting leaking, isolation from Iran war planning and ops, and a lot of conversation about his conviction that Israel was instrumental in getting Trump "enmeshed" in this Iran attack to our detriment.
The very public resignation, and how he may subsequently be public about it in the MSM may well gauge how damaging a political act he intended this to be!
#10
Eleven combat tours. I'll just say that and leave it there. I know that's more than I had. At what point do we allow a man some credibility for his past actions to defend his country - and expressing doubts for the current course of action.
#11
I don't think anyone's disputing his service. His current judgement and competence? Yes.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/17/2026 18:29 Comments ||
Top||
#12
I don't think anyone's disputing his service. His current judgement and competence? Yes.
Yeah, that. Guy has been through a lot, done some heroic stuff, lost his wife in a suicide bombing. Wikipedia says he was born in 1980, so he probably missed that whole 1979 embassy takeover thing. Maybe thinks "Death to America" is performance art. A sad thing, another brain colonized by a mind virus.
#13
As he described himself, and was described, in the Israel Times article:
The outgoing official said that he could not support a war with Iran, as “a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel.”
His wife was killed in a 2019 suicide bombing during the Syrian civil war that erupted as part of the Arab Spring.
Losing a wife to war seems like it would be in some ways harder than losing a husband to war — wives are not supposed to die that way, and he has all my sympathy.
But what on Earth did Israel have to do with a suicide bombing in Syria in 2019? As I recall, that would have been the internecine fighting between ISIS, Hayat Tahrir al Shan/Al Nusra and/or the Assad army — Israel was just providing medical aid to those who presented themselves at the border fence, nothing more.
It does regularly happen that those who work on the Arab side of things — whether military, CIA, or diplomatic corps, absorb the Arab hatred of all things Israel/Jewish instead of seeing the situation accurately. It seems to me that the Arab culture is deliberately charming orienting toward cultivated relationships, whereas the Israeli culture is more brusque and businesslike, oriented toward extreme competence.
[israelTimes] US president says ‘numerous countries’ have said they’re joining, urges others to do so; stresses war will ‘be wrapped up soon,’ but likely not this week: ‘We’re going to have a much safer world’
US President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... on Monday accused allies of showing low "enthusiasm" for the coalition he proposed to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital route for oil tankers.
Trump also said he could wrap up the war this week but does not think he will, while defending the conflict as necessary to prevent 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... from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"It’ll be wrapped up soon," Trump told news hounds in the Oval Office. "We’re going to have a much safer world."
Shipping in the Persian Gulf waterway has come to a virtual halt after Tehran threatened to target vessels there in response to the bombing campaign that the US and Israel launched on Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize the regime and set back its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Trump on Saturday urged allied countries to help the US ensure safe passage through the strait, the closure of which has led to a sharp rise in oil prices. He has said Israel was helping the US secure the strait.
Speaking at an event at the White House on Monday, Trump said, "Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way."
"Some are very enthusiastic about it... and some aren’t," he said, without elaborating. "The level of enthusiasm matters to me."
"We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly, with great enthusiasm," he said, adding that one or two countries would likely decline to join the initiative.
He claimed skeptics of the initiative included countries that the US has helped for many years, and that securing the Strait of Hormuz would be more beneficial to other countries than to the US because the latter does not use the strait to import oil.
"We don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world," he said. "I’m almost doing [this initiative]... because I want to find out how [countries will] react. I’ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won’t be there."
Asked if he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron about the initiative to reopen Hormuz, Trump said he had and that "I think he’s going to help."
"On a scale of zero to 10, I’d say he’s been an eight," Trump said. "Not perfect, but it’s La Belle France."
Trump also said he thought the UK would join, even as he assailed the conduct of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has refused to send an aircraft carrier to the region.
"I was not happy with the UK. I think they’ll be involved, yeah, maybe. But they should be involved enthusiastically," Trump said, adding that he had said to Starmer: "You’re our oldest ally, and we spend a lot of money on, you know, NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... and all of these things to protect you."
Starmer said earlier that London was working with allies to craft a "viable" plan to reopen the strategic waterway, but ruled out a NATO mission.
In a meeting Monday, European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... foreign ministers showed "no appetite" to expand an EU naval mission in the Middle East to the Strait of Hormuz for the time being, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"There was in our discussions a clear wish to strengthen this operation, but for the time being, there was no appetite in changing the mandate of the operation," Kallas told news hounds after the meeting in Brussels.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told news hounds in Brussels that his country favors strengthening anti-piracy and defensive missions in the Red Sea, but said he did not believe in expanding their roles to the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan and Australia both said Monday that they had not been asked to help protect the strait and had no current plans to do so.
Trump, in his comments, also insisted that Iran itself was a "paper tiger" after two weeks of joint US-Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, adding that Washington was unclear whom it could negotiate with in Tehran.
"We don’t know... if he’s dead or not," Trump said when asked about the condition of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father and predecessor Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> was killed in the opening salvo of the US-Israeli bombing campaign.
"A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured. They’re saying that he lost his leg — one leg — and he’s, you know, been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he’s dead. Nobody’s saying he’s 100 percent healthy," he said.
"We don’t know who we’re dealing with" in Iran, Trump said. "We don’t know who their leader is."
The younger Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since being named supreme leader last week, purportedly called to use "the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz" in a statement read out by Iranian state media on Thursday.
Trump reiterated in his remarks on Monday that Iranian officials have expressed interest in reaching a diplomatic agreement with the US, but that he is not ready to do so.
"They want to make a deal. They’re talking to our people. I don’t know if they’re ready yet. They’re taking a pounding," Trump said, while emphasizing that "we don’t even know who their leaders are because the first group was all dead and the second group got knocked out."
"But we met with the next group, but we don’t know who their leader is," he continued. "We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are."
Trump was asked by a news hound about a call from his unofficial AI adviser David Sacks for the US to quickly declare victory against Iran or risk getting entangled in a dragged-out conflict where Israel could well use a nuclear weapon.
Trump said he had not heard about those comments from Sacks, but insisted that "Israel wouldn’t do that. Israel would never do that."
As for Iran, however, he said: "You can’t let the most violent mostly peaceful, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon, because the Middle East will be gone. Israel will go first without question,″ he added, "and they’ll certainly take a shot at us before we get our act together."
In later remarks to news hounds, Trump said, "If you believe that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, they should not have it, then you have to absolutely love what I’ve done," stressing his claim that the Islamic Theocratic Republic would have used an atomic bomb first against Israel and then the rest of the Middle East had he not struck the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s nuclear sites last year.
He also asserted that Iran "unexpectedly" decided to fire at its Arab neighbors in retaliation to the ongoing Israeli and US strikes. Iran had long warned — including days before the strikes began — that it would ensure any war launched against it would turn into a regional war.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/17/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1796 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
They only have palace guards, nothing really serious about a military.
#2
"Who will help me open the Straits of Hormuz?", asked the Little Red Hen.
I like how Trump is making this a group project. Skin in the game, baby. And it highlights the crux of the problem: Are you willing to let global trade be gated by the whims of a band of desert warlords? If not, what are you going to do about it?
Some random EU minister was whinging "If the mighty US Navy cannot handle the problem, what can us pitiful Europeans do?" (I'm paraphrasing. And it might have been Spain)
This is both wussified and untrue. Some EU countries have aircraft carriers. If you have a carrier, you also have destroyers and frigates for air defense. Otherwise, you will not have a carrier for long when push comes to shove. So send a frigate or two, at least for show. The Straits could use a bit more air defense nowadays.
#3
I think Trump is mostly making the point that most of the European countries are unwilling to use their militaries for things that definitely affect their countries and in many cases they aren't able to do anything because they are under funding their military spending.
[IsraelTimes] Supreme Court rejects prosecution to extend their remand, saying that while the allegations against them were ‘repulsive’, there was no indication they posed a public risk
The Supreme Court on Monday released to house arrest smuggling suspect Bezalel Zini, who is the brother of Shin Bet chief David Zini, as well as four others in the case, after rejecting a prosecution appeal to extend their remand, saying that while the allegations against them were "repulsive," there was no indication the suspects posed a public risk.
The State Attorney’s Office filed an appeal in the Supreme Court last week against the Beersheba District Court’s decision to release Zini and the other suspects implicated in a 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... smuggling ring, allegedly responsible for trafficking cigarettes and other prohibited goods into the enclave.
In order to keep a suspect in jug prior to conviction, a judge must find that there is a high probability that the individual poses a danger to others or is liable to obstruct legal proceedings if released.
Presiding Supreme Court judge Gila Canfy-Steinitz casts doubt in her ruling on the notion that Zini and the other suspects pose a public safety risk, saying there are flaws in prosecutors’ attempts to attribute to the defendants the offense of assisting the enemy during wartime.
Though noting that it is a "serious and repulsive affair" in which, as the country was under the burdens of war, the suspects sought to "make personal profits for themselves," Canfy-Steinitz noted that prosecutors have not accused the defendants of direct contact with Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... or provided evidence that the smuggled goods or their monetary value ever reached the Gaza-based terror group.
The goods themselves, she also pointed out, were not materials that can be used directly to manufacture weapons.
As such, she reasoned, prosecutors were stretching too far in accusing the suspects of offenses relating to aiding an enemy, or even of knowing that their actions could assist the terror group in its military campaign.
Zini, an IDF reservist who headed logistics for forces doing demolition work in Gaza, is suspected of abusing his access to the enclave to smuggle 14 crates of cigarettes from Israel into Gaza on three occasions, earning a total of NIS 365,000 ($117,400). He was indicted in February alongside two others, one of them a fellow reservist, on charges of assisting the enemy during wartime, fraud, and bribery.
Zini has reportedly denied knowing that the cash he received came from smuggling.
A day prior to Zini’s indictment, 12 others, allegedly part of the same larger smuggling network, were charged after supposedly trafficking goods into Gaza on 15 separate occasions.
With the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday, all suspects implicated in the smuggling ring are set to remain in house arrest until convicted.
[TWZ] The U.S. Navy Independence class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, which are configured for minesweeping duties, have appeared in port in Malaysia. Both of these ships were last known to be forward-deployed in the Middle East, having arrived in Bahrain in the past year or so to take the place of a group of now-decommissioned Avenger class mine hunters. Now, as Iranian attacks on commercial ships have caused a virtual halt to maritime traffic through the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz, these ships have emerged thousands of miles away. The extent to which Iran has seeded naval mines in the Strait already is unclear, but this remains a huge threat to the future security of the waterway and will have to be taken into account in any future effort to reopen this critical waterway.
A spotter in Malaysia posted pictures of the USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, which are said to have been taken today at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) in the Port of Penang. Mike Yeo, an Australia-based defense and aviation reporter, was among the first to call attention to the particular significance of the images. TWZ has reached out for more information.
USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara are among a select number of Independence class LCSs fitted with a mine countermeasures mission package, or “module.” In its current form, the package includes towed mine-hunting sonar for the ships, Common Unmanned Surface Vehicles (CUSV) with mine-sweeping gear, and mine detection and neutralization systems carried by embarked MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters. We will come back to this configuration later on.
A review of satellite imagery in Planet Labs’ commercial archive shows no evidence of any U.S. warships being in port in Manama since February 23. The United States and Israel launched their joint operation against Iran on February 28.
Moving U.S. warships out of port in Bahrain ahead of the current conflict was a prudent security measure. The Gulf state is well within range of Iranian missiles and long-range kamikaze drones, and U.S. military facilities in Manama did subsequently come under attack. The U.S. military’s own strikes on Iranian naval vessels in port have underscored the vulnerability of ships sitting pierside.
Why the decision was made to then send the USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara thousands of miles to the east is unknown. A host of factors may have come into play, including the availability of suitable friendly ports and diplomatic considerations.
Regardless, at least two-thirds of the warships intended to be available for tasking for mine countermeasures missions in the Middle East are presently in a completely different part of the world. As noted, USS Tulsa, USS Santa Barbara, and USS Canberra, were forward-deployed to the region in the first place explicitly to fill gaps left by the decommissioning of four Avenger class mine hunters last year. The former USS Devastator, USS Dextrous, USS Gladiator, and USS Sentry left the region for good aboard a heavy lift ship in January. There are only four Avenger class ships left in active Navy service, all of which are forward-deployed in Japan, and are also slated to be decommissioned in the coming years.
How many of the Navy’s Independence class LCSs, in total, have been configured for the mine-clearing mission to date is unknown. In addition to USS Tulsa, USS Santa Barbara, and the USS Canberra, the USS Kansas City was at least being fitted out with this mission module as of last year.
The Independence class LCS is a far more advanced ship than the Avenger class mine hunter, and does offer new standoff mine countermeasures capabilities, including aforementioned CUSV drone boats and helicopter-borne systems. Still, questions continue to be raised about whether metal-hulled LCSs with mine countermeasures packages are adequate replacements for ships purpose-built for this mission.
A bunch of no-doubt intelligible paragraphs about something terribly naval snipped, dear Reader, allowing us to reach the denouement:
UPDATE: 3/16/2026 —
U.S. Navy Commander Joe Hontz, a spokesperson for NAVCENT, has provided TWZ with the following statement:
“Tulsa and Santa Barbara are conducting brief logistical stops in Malaysia. U.S. forces routinely make port calls in Malaysia as part of our operations, reflecting the close and enduring military cooperation between the United States and Malaysia.”
#1
The Strait of Malacca is the OTHER critical oil chokepoint for China.
Close that with mines and the Chinese are really screwed.
Do it, Trump, do it!
Regime change in Teheran? We're on a roll, add Beijing to the list! Who's next? Havana!
#3
Conventional mines are not an issue as long as Iranian freighters are allowed to transit Hormuz. If you seize their freighters, they have little to lose.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/17/2026 6:01 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Why the decision was made to then send the USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara thousands of miles to the east is unknown.
"I was told to ask for Fat Leonard."
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/17/2026 8:41 Comments ||
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#6
Are we sure we have accounted for ALL of the Iranian Navy or there surface or subs still left that can lay mines in the choke points between the Pacific and Indian oceans?
#7
Perhaps the LCS ships, while having a great flight deck for helicopter-led mine-sweeping ops, as just too weakly armed and armored for duties that put them in relative proximity to Iranian drones, suicide/autonomous boats, and anti-ship missiles?
Hi, I'm Admiral Brad Cooper, the Commander of U.S. Central Command, here to provide another update on Operation Epic Fury. First, I want to remember and honor our fallen warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice in the KC-135 refueling aircraft incident last week. We hold their memories and their families, their friends and their teammates in our prayers.
Their selfless service and dedication hardens our resolve. For 16 days, we've delivered overwhelming firepower deep into Iran. This past Friday, U.S. forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Karg Island, destroying more than 90 Iranian military targets, including storage bunkers for naval mines and missiles and other military infrastructure.
To date, our Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aviators have collectively flown more than 6,000 combat flights, demonstrating the unmatched capability of America's joint force as we maintain air superiority over Iranian skies. We continue to remain centered on our military objectives. These are well-defined and include eliminating Iran's ballistic missiles, drones, and naval threats.
It's one thing to defend by striking launchers and intercepting missiles and drones, but it's another thing to eliminate the wider manufacturing apparatus behind them. And we are doing that today. We've talked about it in concept.
Here's what it looks like in reality. Let me show you, for the first time, a few examples of how we are dismantling Iran's defense industrial base, which will prevent threats to the region into the future. Here you see a photo from March 1st of a naval drone storage facility located near the Strait of Hormuz.
This is the same location, eight days later, completely destroyed. Next, here's a photo taken of an attack drone production factory in Tehran on March 5th. Here's that same factory six days later after a devastating barrage of U.S. airstrikes.
And finally, the Yazidi military depot, pictured here last month. These eight buildings are part of the IRGC's missile command infrastructure and are used to produce light and heavyweight.
Now, here's that same military depot just last week, or what's left of it. U.S. and partner strikes
…Israel…
are doing exactly what they are intended to do, deliver on very clear military objectives to eliminate Iran's ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors.
We're also zeroed in on dismantling Iran's decades-old threat to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz. Through a combination of air, land, and maritime capabilities, we have successfully destroyed over 100 Iranian naval vessels, and we aren't done.
We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Our progress remains steady, and we remain vigilant against the enemy. Now, a few thoughts about Iran. Over the last two weeks, they have launched attacks on Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain. In each of these countries, they are deliberately attacking innocent civilians. They have done this more than 300 times, which demonstrates their true nature as a global leader of terror.
In just the last few days, the Iranian regime launched a reckless attack against civilian neighborhoods in Tel Aviv with cluster bombs, an inherently indiscriminate type of munition.
We join countries across the region in condemning this aggression, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners in bolstering our own defenses. In sum, I will reinforce what I said before. Iran's capabilities are declining as our capabilities and advantages continue to build. And finally, I'd like to talk about the extraordinary 50,000 Americans who are deployed across the region executing this vital mission.
It's long been my belief that every success we have begins and ends with our people. And today, I'd like to recognize our unsung heroes, the sustainers enabling America's
4:044 minutes, 4 seconds joint force to unleash this devastating firepower 24-7. To be clear, there's no other military on earth that does logistics like the U.S. military, and our team is at the top of their game today.
They're managing distribution networks that span thousands of miles to ensure that munitions, fuel, and supplies reach warfighters on the front line, on time, every time.
To all our sustainers and logisticians, thank you and keep up the great work. And to the entire Operation Epic Fury team, keep pushing, remain steady, fight to win. Thanks so much and Godspeed.
[DM] Iran's Revolutionary Guards have threatened to target as many as 15 US companies across the Middle East calling on employees to evacuate the sites.
The IRGC warned that facilities related to those corporations could be in danger as the war between Iran and the United States and Israel continues into its third week.
'We warn the American regime to evacuate all American industries in the region. We ask people living near industrial factories in which Americans hold shares to leave those areas so they are not harmed,' said the Guards in a statement obtained by Drop Site News.
A graphic being circulated by the IRGC lists some of the companies that would be affected, including ExxonMobil, Boeing, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin and Amazon Web Services.
It comes as Iranian officials have allegedly tried to reestablish diplomatic contact with Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
The President, however, has no interest in negotiating with Tehran, senior White House officials told CNN.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied making any contact with Witkoff in a social media post.
'My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer's decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public,' Araghchi wrote.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.
An image of the list can be seen at the link, with some odd items on it.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
03/17/2026 00:35 ||
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[1827 views]
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#1
If Starbucks made the list, people will rise up against them.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
03/17/2026 5:55 Comments ||
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#2
Good morning to all! I would add that the largest concentrations of Americans in the area are in the ARAMCO camps at Dhahran, Abqaiq and Ras Tanura.
[IsraelTimes] Trump says ‘we don’t know’ if Mojtaba Khamenei ‘dead or not’; leaked audio from official suggests he narrowly survived airstrikes by stepping outside, was lightly wounded
A new statement was issued in the name of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, amid persistent questions about his whereabouts and health, as he has yet to make any public appearance since being appointed to the role.
The brief statement, carried by Iranian state media, simply said that all those previously appointed to government positions by his father, the late ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> , will remain in their posts and should "continue to carry on with their work."
Khamenei also appointed the former chief of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohsen Rezaei, as a military adviser, the Mehr news agency reported.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was chosen to replace his father, who was killed in the initial wave of US-Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on Iran that started the war. Last week, a statement was issued in his name, carried by state media, vowing to "avenge the blood" of Iranians killed in the strikes.
It marked the first ostensible public statement from the younger Khamenei since he became supreme leader. State TV offered no explanation for why those remarks were read out by a presenter rather than delivered in a video or audio address.
US President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... suggested Monday that it is unclear if the new Iranian leader is alive.
"We don’t know... if he’s dead or not," Trump told news hounds at the White House.
"A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured. They’re saying that he lost his leg — one leg — and he’s, you know, been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he’s dead. Nobody’s saying he’s 100 percent healthy. You know he hasn’t spoken," he said.
And then there’s the gay thing…
"We don’t know who we’re dealing with" in Iran, Trump added. "We don’t know who their leader is."
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that Khamenei "is in excellent health" and remains "in control of the situation, and present at his post."
Two days earlier, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted that Khamenei is "maimed and likely disfigured."
Iranian state media have said that Khamenei was maimed in the February 28 Israeli strike that killed his father, wife, son and brother-in-law.
Leaked audio obtained by The Telegraph and published on Monday asserted that Khamenei narrowly survived the airstrike after stepping outside his residence minutes before missiles hit the compound.
The recording purportedly features remarks by Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol in the office of Ali Khamenei, delivered to senior holy mans and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at a March 12 meeting in Tehran.
According to Hosseini, Mojtaba had stepped into the compound’s yard shortly before Israel struck the residence at 9:32 a.m. local time.
"God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return," Hosseini says in the recording, speaking in Persian. "He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile."
According to Hosseini, Mojtaba Khamenei sustained only "a minor injury to his leg" in the strike that killed many of his family members.
[IsraelTime] Shlomi Binder reportedly tells political leaders that Iranian forces are hiding from warplanes and unable to fire missiles in large numbers
Iran’s military apparatus is "in distress" and incapable of launching many missiles at Israel, while members of the country’s security forces stay inside for fear of Israeli and US warplanes, according to an assessment reportedly delivered by the IDF intelligence chief to politicians.
Despite Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder’s rosy assessment of the the US-Israeli bombing campaign’s operation successes, the closed-door meeting held by politicians was inconclusive as to whether those successes could be translated into regime change in Iran, Channel 12 news reported Monday.
During the meeting, which took place in recent days, Binder said that lately "the Iranians are starting to realize what happened to them," according to the unsourced report.
"They’re discovering how exposed their command structure is and the damage that has been caused" in the bombing campaign launched by the US and Israel on February 28, Binder said, according to the report.
The opening salvo of the bombing campaign killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> and some 40 other top Iranian officials.
Israeli and US officials have said the operation would last weeks and seeks to destabilize the Iranian regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. 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... has responded to the US-Israeli campaign with missile and dronezaps at Israel and the region.
"What they’re firing is what they’re capable of firing; it’s not economy of ammunition — they’re just incapable of any more than that," Binder reportedly said, adding that Iran’s underground missile bunkers were being "plugged up daily" by the US-Israeli bombings to ensure Iran can’t fire any more.
"They’re in distress," he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile,
...back at the cheese factory, all the pieces finally fell together in Fluffy's mind... members of Iran’s security forces were "afraid of going outside because of the presence of our and the Americans’ planes. Others are afraid to die or are insufficiently trained," Binder reportedly said.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit did not respond to a request for comment on the report, Channel 12 said.
Confirmed: for now, Iran cannot produce a single additional ballistic missile. A stunning achievement. Before the war, Tehran was producing up to 100 missiles a month and increasing. That pipeline is shut down. Important that Iran not be allowed to rebuild. https://t.co/Z9Xa5qraU5
The figures are rounded estimates compiled from multiple media reports, with a margin of error of about ±10% to 15%, via @MarioLeb79pic.twitter.com/4of7vNFQ52
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Shamil Kerashev
[REGNUM] According to the Iranian Ministry of Culture, military action in the country has damaged nearly sixty cultural heritage sites.
Judging by photos and videos posted on social media, the city of Isfahan was particularly hard hit. The blast wave also affected Chehel Sotun, the famous Palace of Forty Columns, built in the 17th century by order of Shah Abbas II for recreation and ceremonial receptions.
In reality, there are twenty columns, but opposite them, a rectangular pond has been dug, in which the reflections of the structures appear to be doubled. However, this unusual optical illusion is only part of what makes Chehel-Sotun famous.
Its main treasures are hidden in the interior, where you can see rich stucco work, ornamental wall paintings, and magnificent frescoes depicting historical events - from meetings between the shahs and the Bukharan khans to the Battle of Karnal, when the Persian ruler Nader of the Afsharid dynasty inflicted a crushing defeat on the army of the Mughal Empire.
Ensuring the complete preservation of these delicate drawings in the midst of intense armed conflict is hardly possible. But that's not all. In Isfahan, the area around the square housing the historic Ali Qapu Palace and the Sheikh Lotfallah Mosque was also damaged.
Both buildings, again, date back to the period of Iran's imperial glory. And nearby rise the minarets of Jami Mosque, one of the oldest congregational mosques, founded in the early Middle Ages. Naturally, seismic vibrations from the detonation of powerful American and Israeli munitions do not bode well for such ancient structures.
"The enemy is bombing Iranian historical monuments. It's only natural that a regime destined not to survive for another century hates countries with an ancient past," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said harshly.
"Isfahan is a museum without a roof. They are pointing the most modern weapons at the world's most ancient symbols of civilization," added Isfahan Governor Mehdi Jamalinejad.
A slightly less dramatic, but equally serious, situation has developed in Tehran. According to local media, the Golestan Palace was damaged in the strikes on the Iranian capital.
It appeared in the mid-16th century under the second Safavid Shah, but was rebuilt during the period of Kurdish rule of the Zands, and acquired its final appearance under the Qajar Turks, in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Each ruling family contributed something unique to the palace's composition and decoration, so Golestan is rightly called an architectural historical encyclopedia of Persia. It features elements of classical Islamic architecture, European Baroque details reminiscent of Versailles, and unique stained-glass windows with colorful patterns, some of which appear to have crumbled.
"This is an attack not only on a building, but also on cultural and national identity," said Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, Reza Salehi-Amiri.
A reputable international commission could provide an objective assessment of the damage and determine whether anything can be restored. But right now, its work in Iran is clearly unsustainable.
UNESCO's response was also delayed. While the first reports of the devastating consequences of the shelling came in early spring, and Tehran issued a call to "activate legal mechanisms for the protection of cultural heritage," the UN agency issued an official comment only on March 10.
And, characteristically, it did not condemn anyone: “UNESCO reminds all parties of their obligations to comply with international law, in particular the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, as well as the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.”
Could such a reminder cool the attacking coalition's ardor? Does the latter even care about cultural preservation? And will it continue to scrutinize maps for the coordinates of architectural monuments? No detailed answers have been forthcoming from the American side.
But the Israeli government didn't remain silent, nor did it express concern. Tel Aviv insists it did not directly strike cultural heritage sites. And, accordingly, it considers the damage to be purely collateral damage.
Let's assume this is true. Golestan itself is located right next to the government quarter of Tehran, which the participants of Operation Epic Fury clearly designated as a legitimate target. And in Isfahan, the damaged facilities could allegedly have adjoined military bases, drone control centers, and military equipment depots.
But Iran is such that modern infrastructure in its populated areas inevitably coexists with the tangible fabric of history. Under bombardment, this topographical congestion becomes a cultural death trap, forcing one to ask: where do "precision strikes" end and the deliberate infliction of "acceptable damage" begin?
It's worth noting that other states in the region are currently facing a similar problem. According to UN press releases, protected sites in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, and the UAE are under threat. And in Lebanon, the archaeological site of the Phoenician port of Tyre (modern-day Sur) may have been damaged.
However, a special place on this list is occupied by the sacred Iranian city of Qom, the city where the Islamic Revolution began, where the blows were not dealt tangentially, but rather in a very targeted manner.
The main target was allegedly the building of the Majlis-e Hebreghan, the Council of Experts—a sort of Shiite conclave that largely determines the country's spiritual rather than political course. Among other things, the assembly elects the rahbar and oversees the legitimacy of his decisions.
It's perhaps unnecessary to elaborate: from the perspective of devout Shiite Muslims, this is essentially an attack on the religious foundations of the Islamic Republic. Not to mention that Qom is home to the Mausoleum of Immaculate Fatima Masumeh, daughter of the seventh Imam Musa. Her tomb was built in the late 10th century and, over the centuries, was gradually decorated with tiles, exquisite mosaics, fine silver, chased grilles, and marble.
Today, the mausoleum remains an important shrine in the Shiite world, a place of pilgrimage—and simply one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the Middle East.
Even distant explosions pose a significant threat to the fragile, graceful structures of this architectural masterpiece. Furthermore, as far as we know, the ancient Jamkaran Mosque, where, according to legend, the hidden Imam Mahdi once prayed, is also at risk of sustaining some damage.
Regardless of one's political leanings, a disturbing conclusion emerges here. The arrival of Tomahawk cruise missiles and J-DAM bombs challenges history itself and our value system, not to mention entire civilizational strata.
International organizations, for their part, as has repeatedly happened, merely document the destruction, hesitating to openly identify those responsible. And, apparently, they have been left completely without any real leverage in influencing such situations.
It's all the more remarkable that, amidst these abstract expressions of concern, Russia is already extending a helping hand to Tehran. As Alexander Sedov, Director General of the State Museum of Oriental Art, pointed out, our restorers have ample experience in restoring cultural monuments from near-ruins.
In addition, according to Sedov, the State Hermitage Museum, the Institute of Archaeology, and the Grabar All-Russian Art Research and Restoration Center are ready to join the work.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/17/2026 00:00 ||
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#1
Teaching the world a lesson. Attack your own people and you get your entire culture erased. Can't stick to an old culture if it's GONE.
Was this IDF or USAF?
The US is party to a bunch of treaties that Israel was excluded from which is why IDF has a freer hand.
#3
When either side starts hitting the desalinization plants we are beginning the end game. And yeah I know the US already hit one Iranian plant once - but they didn't continue down that path (so far).
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Iran's armed forces will retaliate against the oil infrastructure of any country from which the US attacks the energy systems of Kharg Island. This statement was made on March 16 by Iranian armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi, as quoted by the Tasnim news agency.
"Iran's response will be decisive and forceful. Under these circumstances, all of the country's oil and gas facilities from which the attack on Kharg Island was launched will be attacked by the Iranian Armed Forces," Shekarchi emphasized.
An Iranian Armed Forces spokesman explained that the oil and gas facilities of the “aggressor country will turn to ashes.”
Posted by: badanov ||
03/17/2026 00:00 ||
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[1788 views]
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The cost of gasoline at the pump is made up of several key components, with **crude oil** being the largest factor, accounting for roughly **50% to 61%** of the total price. This cost is driven by global supply and demand, geopolitical events, and the pricing of benchmark crude oils like Brent and WTI.
**Refining costs** make up about **11% to 25%** of the price. This includes the expenses of converting crude oil into gasoline, which varies by season and region—especially during summer when refineries produce more expensive, low-evaporation blends to meet environmental regulations.
**Distribution and marketing** (transportation, storage, blending, and retail operations) contribute around **11%**. Gasoline is shipped via pipelines, trucks, or ships to terminals and then to gas stations, with costs influenced by distance, infrastructure, and station-level overhead like labor, real estate, and equipment.
**Taxes** account for approximately **14% to 34%**, depending on the state. The federal excise tax is **18.4 cents per gallon**, while state taxes vary widely—from **8.95 cents in Alaska** to **77.9 cents in California**, with some states adding additional environmental or operational fees.
Local factors such as **competition, branding, store location, and supplier contracts** also influence final prices, allowing for regional and even station-to-station differences.
No where in that do I find the cost of tanker transport.
#5
#3. The gas at the pump was first extracted over a month ago. So the 'real time' cost is not what's reflected at the pump. It's game that all the administrations and pols refuse to get involved in. I can take the argument its reflecting the daily bench price but when that price drops, it never ever drops as fast. That's the part that is nothing less than exploitation.
#7
US per its own admission has only neutralized military facilities on Kharg Island. Island industrial facilities to put oil on tankers has not been affected. USA should simply tell Iran: striking our oil & gas facilities will result in the total destruction of Kharg Island's industrial capabilities. The damage will be so severe it'll take 10 years to rebuild. Iran knows we can do that. Troops would not be needed. Iran desperately needs the Island to ship out its oil for Iran to have an income.
عـــــــــــــاجل 🔴سمحت إيران لأول سفينة نفطية بعبور مضيق هرمز بعد ان دفعت ثمن الشحنة باليوان الصيني. وعبرت ناقلة النفط "كراتشي" من طراز "أفراماكس"، التي تحمل خام "داس" من أبو ظبي، مضيق هرمز بأمان مع تفعيل نظام التعرف الآلي (AIS)، لتكون بذلك أول ناقلة نفط غير إيرانية تفعل ذلك… pic.twitter.com/koUTQdXfgH
🔴 Iran has allowed the first oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after the shipment's payment was made in Chinese yuan.
The "Karachi" Aframax-class tanker, carrying "Das" crude from Abu Dhabi, safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz with the Automatic Identification System (AIS) activated, making it the first non-Iranian oil tanker to do so that day without any incidents, and it is en route to Pakistan.
Jizya? Since when does Iran get to charge ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz?
Posted by: badanov ||
03/17/2026 00:00 ||
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Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] The stated goals of the war of the Epstein Coalition. Epstein Coalition? How very clever, to be sure.
1. Change the regime in Iran and put Pahlavi in Tehran.
2. Destroy Iran's nuclear program and seize enriched uranium.
3. Destroy Iran's missile program.
4. Seize complete air superiority over Iran.
5. Ensure free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
6. Completely destroy the Axis of Resistance network.
7. Seize southern Lebanon up to the Litani River and disarm Hezbollah.
8. Destroy the IRGC and Basij structures.
9. Establish control over Iranian oil.
10. Ensure US participation in the elections of any new government in Iran. 11. Assemble a broad coalition against Iran to invade Iran.
Iran.
1. Maintain control over processes in Iran and the continuity of power of the ayatollahs.
2. Achieve a complete withdrawal of American troops from all bases in the region.
3. Close the Strait of Hormuz to ships and vessels associated with the United States and Israel.
4. Achieve compensation and reparations from the United States.
5. Achieve the lifting of American sanctions against Iran.
6. Ensure the export of Iranian and non-Iranian oil from the Persian Gulf under the control of the IRGC.
7. Convert the oil trade in the Persian Gulf from dollars to yuan.
8. Destroy key US and Israeli assets in the region, both military and economic.
9. Ensure the survival of the Axis Resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
10. Achieve an agreement that will protect Iran from a new attack.
As of March 16, the parties are very far from most of their publicly stated goals.
Of course, there is also a secondary issue, related to US pressure on China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative,
Israel's plans to occupy new territories in Lebanon and Syria, China and Russia's possible plans to exploit Trump's miscalculations to weaken the US, globalists' plans related to the defeat of MAGA in the upcoming midterm elections in the US,
the desire of the US and Israel to push through the "Abrahamic Accords,"
the desire of the US and Israel to implement the Kurdish project at the expense of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey,
and the hopes of a number of countries in the region to use Iran's weakening to their own economic and territorial interests.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] "If the US attacks Kharg Island or its oil facilities, all oil and gas facilities of the country from which the attack originates will instantly turn to ashes." (c) Iranian General Staff.
Iran previously promised to destroy even its own oil infrastructure on Kharg Island if the Americans manage to capture it. This is in addition to the destruction of others'.
The main message is that the US will not be able to gain access to Iranian oil. Iran would rather destroy even its own oil transshipment facilities than allow the US to control them. Accordingly, any US operation aimed at seizing any part of the Iranian oil industry would most likely result in the destruction of the captured facility and the symmetrical destruction of refineries and oil storage facilities in the Gulf countries from which the landing operation was carried out.
In the case of Kharg Island, this would be either Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or the UAE. Iran is capable of inflicting enormous economic damage on any of these countries, with consequences that will be felt for years. Of course, Iran is capable of destroying the facilities on Kharg Island, which are extremely vulnerable from a military standpoint. It's difficult to imagine oil price spikes in a scenario where huge volumes of Iranian and Gulf oil begin to disappear from the market.
Overall, the concept of asymmetric warfare continues to be pursued, thereby compensating for the imbalance in conventional forces. Currently, this strategy is more than effective, which explains the US's serious strategic difficulties.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/17/2026 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
The Mullah's regime is most unlikely to survive long after Kharg Island and Iranian oil and gas facilities are destroyed, no matter who winds up doing that. Iranian regime must have that income to continue to exist.
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...
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