[HodhodYemenNews] New Saudi military reinforcements, including dozens of military vehicles belonging to the "Emergency" forces from Hadhramaut governorate, arrived in Aden on Thursday.
The deployment comes in anticipation of an escalation and potential festivities with the militias and supporters of the "dissolved" Southern Transitional Council (STC) loyal to the UAE.
These reinforcements are part of an ongoing influx of hundreds of military vehicles since the decision to dissolve the UAE-backed STC last January, dismantle its factions, and sideline its president, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who reportedly fled to Abu Dhabi via Somalia. This field mobilization coincides with Saudi diplomatic efforts through the UN to blacklist al-Zubaidi and key officials, freeze the council’s assets, and potentially designate it as a "terrorist organization."
In response, the STC has called on its supporters to stage a protest this Saturday at al-Aroudh Square under the slogan "Rejecting Saudi Tutelage and Resisting Occupation," raising fears of imminent armed festivities.
These military developments coincide with a second consecutive week of popular protests in Aden, driven by the collapse of the power grid, unpaid salaries, and skyrocketing commodity prices, alongside an unprecedented health crisis fueled by scorching summer temperatures and spreading disease amid public outcry over the silence of the Saudi-backed government.
[OilPrice] High Tanker Rates Disrupt Persian Gulf Oil Shipments to Asia
The biggest state-owned refiners in China and India have failed to procure supertankers to load crude from the Persian Gulf later in June as tanker rates are too high and guarantees on safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz lacking, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting company and shipping sources.
In the past few days, energy giant PetroChina has received six offers in a tender to procure a very large crude carrier (VLCC) to load Basrah crude from Iraq. PetroChina did not like any of the offers as freight prices were triple compared to the rates from before the war, shipping sources told Reuters.
PetroChina was hoping to lift Basrah crude between June 25 and 30, but high freight rates are complicating the search for vessels.
“There are tankers available, but the problem is it's too expensive and there is no guarantee you can exit the strait,” an executive at PetroChina told Reuters.
Moving crude supply out of the Persian Gulf will likely remain complicated in the near term, one of the shipping sources said.
“It'll be still difficult to fix a vessel due to the rate, and I assume that both parties need to agree to some special clause” on conditions to transit the Strait, the source told Reuters.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), meanwhile, didn’t receive any offers for tankers to load Iraq crude from Basrah early next week, and had to eventually declare force majeure on the cargo, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The U.S.-Iran deal has raised hopes that the oil supply disruption in the Middle East could be nearing its end, but the biggest international tanker operators aren’t rushing to return to the Strait of Hormuz.
“Given the experiences in the last couple of months, I think it’s reasonable to assume that it may take at least a couple of weeks or if not a month,” Jotaro Tamura, chief executive officer at Mitsui OSK Lines, the world’s largest tanker operator, told the Financial Times in a recent interview.
Posted by: Dopey Photch2701 ||
06/20/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1811 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Maybe no one trusts Iran and its collection of terrorist groups to honor the peace even a week. Plus the mined waters need clearing.
#2
/\ Yes. Little things like these. Trust the IRGC not to be nuts. Trust mines not to still be present. Little things like those.
I don't think I can hate them enough.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
06/20/2026 6:14 Comments ||
Top||
#3
May not be a big line in the Strait of Hormuz right now.
But, China currently has 9,388 Tanker ships deployed world wide at this minute. An given its sources of Oil are getting smaller everyday. (All thanks to Trump). It will get even more interesting for China in the next few months as its emergency supplies are tapped more and more.
#5
China in the next few months as its emergency supplies are tapped more and more.
Ah.. if the generals had actually bought emergency supplies and not filled the emergency supply storage sites with "actual shit"..
Xi has a crooked generals problem..
#12
They can’t use coal for petrol vehicles: motorbikes, automobiles, buses, auto rickshaws, aircraft. And that’s just the civilian side. Without fuel their military is dead in the water.
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
06/20/2026 18:49 Comments ||
Top||
[BB] Data released by Destatis ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20 shows that a record 4 million people are living in Germany after immigrating as refugees since the Second World War.
The statistician found that 3.3 million people immigrated to Germany since 1950 as refugees, while around 713,000 foreign survivors of World War II remain alive and within the country.
According to the data, 832,000 of the 3.3 million post-1950 refugees are Ukrainian nationals, or 25 per cent. Meanwhile, over one in five (22 per cent) hailed from Syria, meaning that the two countries account for nearly half of all displaced people living in Germany since 1950.
Other significant groups included 316,000 people from Afghanistan, 186,000 from Iraq, 146,000 from Turkey, 120,000 from Poland, and 117,000 from Iran.
The report found that 1.2 million refugees arrived between 2014 and 2021 in the wake of the Syrian civil war, and a further 1.1 million arrived between 2022 and 2025 following the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
However, in an apparent contradiction of the notion that refugees should be temporary and return home after conflicts conclude, Destatis found that some 476,000 people currently living in Germany arrived between 1990 and 2000, in part as a result of the wars in the now dissolved Yugoslavia.
The official statistician also found that the average age of a refugee living in Germany in 2025 was 39. The majority of refugees were male at 55 per cent, compared to 45 per cent who were women.
At issue is legislation Germany advanced in April to curb the rising cost of its public health system, which has come under strain after years of weak economic growth amid an unprecedented flood of migration that has seen over a million foreigners arriving to live in Germany each year for over a decade. The plan would require drugmakers to grant bigger discounts to the country’s insurance funds.
German officials have said the changes are needed to close a funding gap. The proposal has drawn warnings from the pharmaceutical industry, with several large drugmakers saying they could delay or withhold new medicines from the German market.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Malek Dudakov
[REGNUM] A quiet, almost unnoticed revolution has taken place in Washington. The Donald Trump administration's conflict with Congress has led to the non-renewal of Section 702 of the FISA Act.
This law, passed back in 1978, allows the US intelligence community to spy on foreign activity on domestic soil. It has now become a stumbling block in domestic political warfare, with many opponents of FISA pointing to its obvious unconstitutionality. But only now have they succeeded in blocking the law at the legislative level.
Back in the mid-2000s, revelations emerged about a large-scale spying campaign on Americans, carried out by US intelligence agencies under the guise of searching for foreign agents. At the time, amid the war on terrorism, members of Congress were hesitant to stop it. Instead, the intelligence community was given the official authority to spy without a warrant on anyone found to have ties to other countries.
A significant milestone came with Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013, when he revealed the scale of NSA surveillance of millions of Americans. Their emails were read, their social media accounts hacked, and their phone calls monitored. The intelligence agencies reveled in their impunity and spied on everyone, regardless of the law.
Since then, numerous attempts have been made to restrict the intelligence community's activities, but each time to no avail. The situation reached a boiling point after Trump's reelection. Democrats and some Republicans successfully blocked the extension of the FISA Act, which suddenly removed any legal basis for extrajudicial surveillance of Americans and foreigners within the United States.
Moreover, the FISA decision was the interim outcome of a protracted political battle, the outcome of which remains undecided. A veritable tangle of contradictions had already formed. It all began with the chaotic resignation of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. She had long been feeling out of place. Gabbard opposed the war in Iran and clashed with the hawks, especially CIA Director John Ratcliffe, one of Washington's power brokers.
Gabbard resigned with a bang. She published numerous revelations, including those about the activities of American biolabs in Ukraine. Immediately after her resignation, the president announced the next head of national intelligence: financier and developer Bill Pult. He previously oversaw the mortgage market.
Pulte is a complete Trump loyalist, ready to create any problems for White House opponents. In his previous post, he launched investigations into prominent Democrats, attempting to convict them of mortgage fraud. However, the cases always fell apart. Pulte's appointment caused a real scandal in Congress, with many lawmakers flatly refusing to support his candidacy.
A little later, the president changed his appointee and chose another candidate, lawyer and prosecutor Jay Clayton. However, at the very last minute, the White House suddenly canceled his congressional hearings. The president is demanding an extension of the powers of the intelligence agencies and, at the same time, the passage of his electoral reform bill, which would tighten controls over mail-in voting.
Otherwise, Pult will ultimately become acting President, and Democrats fear he'll immediately begin spying on opponents of Trump's team. The Iran deal is also in limbo, as it theoretically should have been ratified by Congress. But given the current intensity of political warfare, that won't be easy.
The situation seems virtually hopeless. Meanwhile, perhaps the key provision of the FISA Act is no longer in effect. American intelligence agencies have found themselves plunged into a genuine constitutional crisis. Now, any practice of extrajudicial surveillance could easily be declared illegal.
Email services, telephone companies, and social media are no longer obligated to share information with the US intelligence community without a court order. And automated data exchange channels have long been established, and there's clearly no intention of shutting them down. If the conflict between the White House chief and Congress drags on, we'll certainly see the first serious lawsuits against the unruly US intelligence agencies.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates the activities of all 17 American intelligence agencies, has effectively ceased to function. Purges continue within the FBI, as have the Pentagon. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been starved of funds for months due to Democrats' reluctance to fund the immigration police, which conducts raids across America. Congress eventually granted them funding, but only after months of endless battles.
That leaves the NSA and the CIA. The latter is currently incredibly active, especially in Latin America. It's no wonder the agency's director personally visited Cuba in hopes of provoking a split in the island's elite and a smooth transition of power. Although he failed, Ratcliffe tried to distance himself from both the war with Iran and the deal, not wanting to be associated with the administration's difficulties.
Trump's team has long accused the intelligence agencies of abuse of power and politicization of their work. And they had every reason to do so—just recall the infamous "Russiagate" scandal of 2016, when, under Barack Obama's orders, the FBI spied on a rival's campaign, attempting to find fictitious ties to Russia. Nor have they forgotten the scandals of the Joe Biden era, which exposed the scale of censorship on social media. Moreover, this censorship was carried out by intelligence officers embedded within US tech giants.
The White House has failed to effectively implement a serious reform of the intelligence community. And it's unlikely to succeed before the upcoming congressional elections, after which the president's powers will be limited. But he has been quite successful in undermining the potential of American intelligence agencies and simply throwing them into chaos. The next two and a half years will be even more challenging.
However, there are also obvious risks for the authorities: Trump will be held personally responsible for any intelligence oversight, such as a missed terrorist attack. Not to mention all the unpleasant consequences if it does occur. For example, news recently emerged of an attempted drone attack during a UFC boxing match on the White House lawn. A terrorist attack was narrowly averted, but it could have easily resulted in mass casualties.
Ultimately, the intelligence agencies' powers to spy on Americans will likely be extended, albeit with some difficulty. However, even such basic measures that were automatically passed in Congress ten years ago are now provoking powerful resistance. This is yet another manifestation of the divisions within the US political system, which will only worsen as the new election cycle approaches.
And there, America is unlikely to avoid further scandals related to the politicization of the intelligence community and attempts to spy on certain candidates. Gavin Newsom is already outraged. The California governor and one of the leading Democrats in the next presidential race accuses Trump's team of spying on his family and pressuring prosecutors.
Thus, American intelligence agencies are seriously and permanently becoming an arena for political confrontation, which will inevitably reduce the effectiveness of their work.
[IsraelTimes] Cells’ covert establishment, posing a challenge to new Iraqi PM’s balancing act between DC and Tehran, may have been spurred by other local pro-Iran factions’ readiness to disarm
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has set up secretive new cells in Iraq to carry out attacks on Gulf countries that host American forces, bypassing established militia networks to avoid detection, eight Iraqi sources told Rooters.
Three or four cells, each comprising about 10 elite Iraqi Shi’ite Moslem fighters, launched at least seven drone attacks from desert locations near the southern cities of Basra and Samawa against sites in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... and the United Arab Emirates between April 20 and May 17, three of the sources said.
A number of their members were drawn from the Islamic Resistance® in Iraq, an umbrella group of hardline Shi’ite factions with thousands of fighters. But the new groups operate outside its command structure, reporting directly to the IRGC, according to the sources, who include two Iraqi military officials, another security official and five local militia commanders.
The establishment of the new Iraqi cells, which has not previously been reported, reflects a shift in IRGC tactics aimed at preserving Iran’s ability to project force across the region at a time when its armed proxy groups are greatly diminished, in part following years of fighting with Israel, and its own military and economic resources are depleted following the US-Israeli war with Iran, the five militia commanders said. The IRGC is a US-designated terrorist organization.
Iraq, a Shi’ite-majority country, has a host of militias, many of which maintain close ties to Tehran. They form a key pillar of Iran’s regional "Axis of Resistance®," which stretches 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... and Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel... to 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... and Iraq.
Groups acting under the banner of Islamic Resistance® in Iraq have grabbed credit for dozens of drone and rocket attacks against American assets in the country, drawing deadly retaliatory Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s, since the US and Israel began the war with 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... on February 28. But there has been no mass mobilization of Iran’s proxies inside Iraq’s borders.
Several powerful Shi’ite factions there have been signaling since last year that they are ready to disarm and focus on domestic politics to avert an escalating conflict with the administration of US President Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election. Then he beat Kamala while dodging bullets... . That development may have spurred the IRGC to set up groups under its direct control, according to Jasim al-Bahadli, a retired Iraqi army general, and two politicians from the Shi’ite governing alliance.
Two of these factions, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Brigades, announced this month that they would begin surrendering their weapons to state authorities following repeated US warnings to Iraq’s government to disband gangs operating on its soil.
"The newer groups established by the IRGC appear smaller, more ideologically hardened and more tightly controlled, reflecting Iran’s need to conserve resources amid economic strain," said Bahadli, who is an expert on Shi’ite gangs.
US-IRAN DEAL DOES NOT ADDRESS TEHRAN’S SUPPORT FOR PROXIES
The US and Iranian presidents signed an interim agreement this week to end the war, with negotiations to follow on difficult issues like the future of Tehran’s nuclear program. But Iranian officials have said Tehran’s support for "resistance groups" — including terror groups that have waged war against Israel, and that, like Iran, overtly seek Israel’s demise — is not up for discussion, and the agreement does not address the issue.
Iran’s foreign ministry and its missions to the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... in New York and Geneva did not immediately respond to detailed questions for this article.
The US State Department reiterated "expectations that the Iraqi government takes immediate measures to dismantle all the tools of Iran’s destabilizing activities in Iraq, to include the IRGC and Iran-aligned terrorist militias in Iraq."
At a meeting on Monday, Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, and US envoy Tom Barrack, who is also the ambassador to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , discussed Iraqi plans to ensure "the complete disarmament and disbandment of all gangs" operating outside Iraqi state control and to ensure "Iraqi territory cannot be used by any side to threaten regional peace," according to a joint statement.
Zaidi’s military front man, Sabah al-Numan, declined to comment for this article.
Kuwait’s information ministry, the Saudi government communications office and the UAE foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
The war in Iran has battered the world’s most important energy-producing region, disrupting supplies and sending inflation surging.
Tehran responded to the US-Israeli bombing campaign with missile and dronezaps across the region and by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas. The US responded by blockading Iran, though both blockades were to be lifted after the signing of the MOU.
New groups that emerged in Iraq during the conflict, often operating under unfamiliar names and with minimal public profiles, carried out at least three drone attacks targeting Kuwait, two targeting Saudi Arabia and two aimed at the UAE, the three Iraqi security sources said, citing a combination of human intelligence, intercepted communications and evidence gathered from launch sites.
Targets included Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base, where US forces are deployed, and a military terminal at the country’s international airport, the sources said without elaborating. The attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia and the UAE were intercepted, according to the sources, who could not confirm the intended targets.
Rooters could not independently verify their accounts.
AN EARLY TEST FOR IRAQ’S NEW PRIME MINISTER
Iraqi officials said the IRGC turned to the new cells to maintain plausible deniability, deflect blame from the country’s main Iran-backed groups and reduce US pressure on Baghdad to disarm them.
The Iraqi security forces have limited information about the groups but are working to uncover their chains of command to help prevent future attacks, the officials said. The groups include elite fighters with expertise in drone operations and communications, they added.
Tehran spent decades and billions of dollars building up its network of regional alliances, which has been severely weakened since Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251, while committing widespread atrocities and mass sexual assault, sparking a multifront war.
Israel has hammered Hamas in Gaza and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, which began attacking Israel following the October 7 attack. The Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... terror group in Yemen, also backed by Iran, likewise fired missiles and drones at Israel, and has been targeted by US, Israeli and British airstrikes. Syrian President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... , an ally of Iran, was toppled in December 2024, cutting off an important supply route for Iraqi militias and further isolating the Islamic Theocratic RepublicRather than maintain a broad network of well-funded groups in Iraq, Iran now appears to be relying on a limited number of "more radicalized cadres willing to operate with leaner financial support, prioritizing loyalty, deniability and operational impact over mass recruitment," said Bahadli, the militia expert.
The new groups pose an early test for Iraq’s Zaidi, who took office last month following US pressure on the dominant alliance of Shi’ite political blocs to prevent the return of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has close ties to Iran. Baghdad has long walked a tightrope between its two closest allies, Washington and Tehran, a balancing act that became more difficult during the war.
Attacks emanating from Iraq also risk unraveling Baghdad’s painstaking efforts to rebuild ties with wealthy Gulf neighbors, which have been strained since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990 but had started to thaw in recent years.
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE summoned Iraq’s envoys in April to protest the strikes.
Iraqi authorities are investigating whether the strikes include a May 17 drone attack that caused a fire at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, security officials said. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted three drones that entered its airspace from Iraq the same day, an attack the Iraqi officials said was carried out by a new group.
Zaidi condemned the two attacks, describing them as criminal acts, and promised a joint inquiry with both Gulf countries to verify whether Iraqi territory was used to target them. Numan, Zaidi’s front man, did not answer questions about the status of the investigation.
[IsraelTimes] US President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... on Friday praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an apparent attempt to calm tensions after repeatedly criticizing the Israeli leader in recent days over the IDF’s conduct in Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... "We fought very well with Israel, and we’ve had a great relationship with Israel," Trump said in remarks at the unveiling of a new Air Force One plane that was gifted to the United States by Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... Reviewing the recent war against Iran, Trump touted Washington’s Gulf allies for "fighting with us" as well as "warrior prime minister" Netanyahu.
"They should give him credit," Trump said of Netanyahu. "We really fought hard with Israel."
The US agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding with 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... this week to permanently end the war between them and launch 60 days of talks — an agreement that has sparked alarm in Jerusalem.
The deal mandates a ceasefire in Lebanon, and Iran has demanded that Israel withdraw, but Israel has vowed to keep its troops in a buffer zone in the country’s south to protect border towns from Hezbollah rocket and drone fire. Israel has insisted that it is not beholden to the MOU and that it will not pull its troops out of southern Lebanon, a stance Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Friday, arguing that the buffer zone is necessary to protect citizens in the north from Hezbollah attacks.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday afternoon, after another flare-up in southern Lebanon. But the renewed truce appeared as fragile as ever.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter wrote on X. "If Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases its hostilities, they will be met with quiet."
It’s unclear if or for how long Iran will accept the deal, given that the issue wasn’t just Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah but also the IDF’s presence in southern Lebanon that Tehran has argued violates the MOU, which stipulates "an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."
Trump says he’s prepared to resume bombing Iran if the talks don’t advance, but in the same breath admits that he’d rather not restart the war because that would lead Tehran to again close the Strait of Hormuz.
"We have an agreement... and it’s 60 days. They have to make a deal, otherwise we will do things that won’t make them happy," Trump said Friday.
"I don’t think it’s going to get to that. I think it’s going to be very good. Remember, if we do [bomb Iran], then all of a sudden you’re not going to have the oil flowing out of the strait too quickly," Trump continued. "Because people that own billion dollar ships don’t love missiles flying over them, don’t love mines all over the water."
The Washington Post reported Friday that a US intelligence analysis has warned that Netanyahu is expected to take actions in Lebanon that will undermine the Trump administration’s push for a lasting peace with Iran. Citing current and former US officials, the report said US intelligence agencies assess that Israel seems determined to continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, while the deal signed this between Iran and the administration calls for a cessation of military operations.
The analysis reportedly states that ahead of Knesset elections in the fall, Netanyahu’s political fate depends on him maintaining Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, and that he wants to ramp up Israeli attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Meanwhile,
...back at the Alamo, Davy was wondering if Buck was okay. He suspected he wasn't... an administration official told the Post anonymously that Israel’s insistence on maintaining troops in Lebanon "is a recipe for disaster."
"Without a full Israeli withdrawal, the likelihood of resumed hostilities between the [Israeli military] and Hezbollah is all but certain," he said.
Sure, but with a full Israeli withdrawal the likelihood is 100%.
At the same time, Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu has invited his close confidante and former top aide, Ron Dermer, to recent consultations in an effort to calm ministers pushing for intensive military action against Hezbollah.
"This is a real emergency," Dermer, a former Israeli ambassador to the US who has worked to forge close ties between Netanyahu and the Trump administration, was quoted as saying. "The situation isn’t easy; we cannot make it worse. Trump can’t perceive Israel as being responsible for efforts to reach a final deal with Iran failing."
The network also cited an unnamed minister lashing out at the US president, referring to him as "the ginger" while calling for tougher action after four soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, saying that if Israel doesn’t act now, "we won’t succeed [in doing so] later."
"This is the time to formulate the rules of the game, before they are ultimately formulated for us."
Channel 12 also reported that some officials in the Trump administration are working to establish informal channels of communication with Israel’s opposition, including the leading contenders to replace Netanyahu in the upcoming election, former prime minister Naftali Bennett and former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot.
Way to make Bibi less willing to work with you, guys.
The report said the figures, including some with close ties to the Israeli leader, have increasingly been sending out feelers to build relations. it cited growing concern over hard-right members of the Netanyahu government seen as holy warriors; frustration with the inability to advance various diplomatic agendas with the current government, which has been stained internationally due to its conduct in the war in 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...
In what way stained? No army in history has waged such a careful war as Israel, as is widely acknowledged. The fact is that the haters will hate regardless, and the only act of Israel’s that would appease them would be if Israel were to lay down her arms and surrender to being killed, which will never happen...
and an acknowledgment that Netanyahu could very well lose the coming election, which is to take place in October at the latest.
We’ve seen this kind of thing before. It hits the Paleostinians and Israeli Arabs working for those companies much harder than it does the Israelis they hope to wound. But y’all continue posturing instead of accomplishing your stated goal, while Israel will no doubt see the same result here as they just did when their booth was sequestered in its own little ghetto at the Gay Paree arms expo: heavy traffic nonetheless, because Israeli products are just that good. Though possibly it won’t be Norwegians enjoying paying for them, or at least Norwegian shops won’t be the ones profiting from those sales.
[IsraelTimes] Legislation will be subject to consultations for three months before vote is held; FM: These ’colonies undermine the very foundations of the Paleostinian state’
The Norwegian government said on Friday it planned to ban all trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as Jewish neighborhoods in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.
"Norwegian people and Norwegian companies should not contribute to sustaining illegal settlements. The policy of colonization undermines the possibility of achieving a two-state solution," the foreign ministry in Oslo said in a statement.
Specifically, the government said it wants to ban trade in goods produced in Israeli settlements in 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... — none of which currently exist — and the West Bank as well as areas of Jerusalem that most in the international community consider to be occupied.
Israel has controlled the West Bank since capturing the territory from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War, a conflict that also saw Israel take the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Israel annexed East Jerusalem — a move not recognized by most of the international community — while the West Bank has remained under varying forms of Israeli military and civil control ever since.
There have not been any Jewish settlements inside Gaza since the 2005 Disengagement. While some far-right elements of the government have called for such settlements to be reestablished in the Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly reassured allies that Israel would not do so.
Oslo also plans to outlaw "the purchase of property in the settlements, the provision of services relating to the construction, renovation, purchase or sale of property in these areas, and the acquisition of commercial enterprises whose head office and production facilities are located in the settlements," the ministry said.
The government has drafted a bill to this effect, which will be subject to consultations for three months, until September 19.
"We want to ban all commercial activity with these illegal settlements," Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in the statement.
The bill stresses that Norway will continue trade and other ties with legitimate Paleostinian activities on Paleostinian land, as well as the provision of humanitarian aid.
"The colonies undermine the very foundations of the Paleostinian state," Barth Eide said.
Norway, which is not a member of the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , recognized the state of Paleostine in 2024, at the same time as EU members Ireland and Spain did, a move which angered Israel.
Ireland is pushing for the 27-nation EU to ban all trade with Israeli settlements in Paleostinian territories.
The bloc said last week it would look at options for "restricting" trade with settlements. But there remains no consensus among the bloc’s member states to take further steps against Israel, such as ending the EU-Israel preferential trade agreement.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Less than a few days have passed since Major General Guy Marchisano was appointed as the new military secretary to the Israeli Prime Minister, and clouds are already gathering over his figure.
Despite Marchisano's impressive track record and good reputation among the troops, not everyone welcomed this appointment, and some even began to spread rumors about his incompetence.
Nevertheless, Marchisano found a patron—far from the first in his career, but certainly the most extraordinary. It was Sara Netanyahu, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister, who has her own vested interest in the intrigues within the security bloc.
UNSINKABLE FRAME
Gai Marchisano spent most of his career in the ground forces, rising from battery commander to chief of staff of the Northern Military District and commander of a combined artillery army. He also held nearly every key staff position at various times, including heading the ground forces planning department at the General Staff.
At the beginning of 2023, he transferred to the office of Defense Minister Yoav Galant, becoming his military secretary, where he remained until the chief’s resignation in the fall of 2024.
Interestingly, Galant initially didn't seriously consider Marchisano's candidacy, preferring members of the already established team. However, his opinion was changed by a recommendation from General Herzi Halevi (then Chief of the General Staff).
After Halevy and Galant fell out of favor, Marchisano seemed to be facing the threat of dismissal – both of his high-ranking patrons had lost not only their posts, but also the favor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the new appointees were determined to completely dismantle the old teams.
However, the opposite turned out to be true. Marchisano quickly found common ground with Netanyahu's key confidantes in the military and became one of the trusted confidants of current Defense Minister Israel Katz, making him immune from possible purges.
UNEXPECTED DISCORD
Despite his rapprochement with Katz, Marchisano was unable to reach an agreement with all of Netanyahu's security officials.
His opponents included the current Chief of the General Staff, Eyal Zamir. Zamir was angry with Marchisano for managing to lose his service phone, which had access to secure channels, on the beach in the fall of 2025. According to one theory, the phone was stolen when the officer went swimming.
The military had to urgently clear its tracks and deactivate the device remotely to prevent the special equipment from falling into the hands of foreign intelligence or Hamas collaborators.
The impulsive Zamir, who has the telling nickname General Tank, did not let the incident slide, as Marchisano's carelessness could have resulted in other soldiers being harmed.
And although the case was quickly hushed up under pressure from the Knesset (parliament), due to the oversight with the special equipment, Marchisano did not become a military attaché in Washington, and this is the most pleasant option for a “military-political pension.”
And although the conflict, according to Zamir, was resolved at this point, the real confrontation between the officers continued.
THE RACE FOR THE POST OF SECRETARY OF WAR
For a while, it seemed Marchisano had reached his career ceiling and would eventually be written off entirely. His position in the Ministry of Defense weakened proportionally to Katz's weakening, and attempts to forge friendships with the most active security officials and opposition figures—such as Galant—were fruitless.
The situation began to improve after Netanyahu decided to appoint his military secretary, Roman Hoffman, as director of the Mossad intelligence agency. The transfer vacated a position that was safe from potential personnel purges and allowed him to get as close to the prime minister as possible. Therefore, Marchisano decided to seize this opportunity.
However, here too, Zamir managed to throw a spanner in the works. Marchisano's opponent in the final stages of the selection process was the commander of the 99th Infantry Division "Ha-Bazak," Brigadier General Barak Hiram. The latter not only enjoyed the favor of the Chief of the General Staff, but had also distinguished himself during the Gaza conflict, commanding troops on the front lines. This should have added to his public profile.
For a long time, Hiram was indeed considered the front-runner in the race—including by media observers close to the ruling Likud party. The general was called "a man who understands the problem from the inside," and was talked about as "a new addition to the team of decisive people." This created the impression that his nomination was almost a done deal. Marchisano's previous patrons, including Katz, preferred to remain out of the matter, awaiting the prime minister's decision, which was another negative sign for the candidate.
Help suddenly arrived from Sara Netanyahu. In early June 2026, she invited Marchisano to a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, where she was joined by Ido Norden, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and a well-known figure as the Prime Minister's "consigliere." However, the Prime Minister himself, for some reason, was not present at the meeting.
The conversation was presented as a small talk and had no official bearing on the outcome of the candidate review, but it played a decisive role. A few days after this "interview," Marchisano was suddenly confirmed as Netanyahu's military secretary.
At the same time, the public atmosphere surrounding the personnel race changed dramatically: public resources began vying with each other to recall the "controversial steps" of the alternative candidate.
For example, it suddenly emerged that in 2024, General Hiram, without any real operational need, ordered the bombing of the Al-Israa University building in Gaza, instead of keeping it under army control, thereby “causing reputational damage” to the Israeli authorities.
And in October 2023, on the first day of fighting with Hamas in Kibbutz Be'eri, General Hiram ordered a tank attack on a building where Palestinian militants and the Israelis they were holding were hiding. As a result, most of the hostages perished under the rubble.
The public's reaction to the image of an unprincipled tough guy created by these publications was predictably negative, unwilling to see such a controversial figure in a responsible position. And Marchisano's appointment no longer raised such serious questions.
LOOKING FOR A WOMAN
This is far from the first time that Sara Netanyahu has interfered in political processes.
Prior to this, for example, she secured the replacement of the head of Israel's National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, in October 2025, and later directly participated in the selection of candidates for key positions in the chancery, lobbying for the appointment of the odious Ziv Agmon to the post of civilian press secretary.
Furthermore, the prime minister's wife is accused of leading a secret network of political and online activists for the ruling Likud party for many years. She allegedly used this network to eliminate undesirable individuals and influence the public ratings of opposing parties.
And although the Israeli Prime Minister himself calls these statements an urban legend, the National Prosecutor's Office has reason to believe that Sara is indeed involved in key government decisions without an official mandate to do so.
Marchisano's strengthening position could play into the prime minister's wife's hands, although at first glance, she doesn't appear to be benefiting from his career advancement. Moreover, until recently, Sara has tried to refrain from directly choosing favorites within the security bloc, relying on a careful selection of civilian officials.
However, Marchisano seems to her a safer figure compared to Zamir's protégé: through him, she will be able to control the Chief of the General Staff's influence on military information disseminated to the masses, thereby avoiding the possible disclosure of inconvenient truths about the Jewish state's military campaigns.
At the same time, the risk that Marchisano will reach an agreement with Zamir behind the Netanyahu couple’s back is minimal: the officers maintain mutual hostility and are unlikely to agree to cooperate for the sake of ephemeral benefits.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] Modern Wars Begin Before the Fighting Begins.
The IDF's Portuguese-Speaking Intelligence Unit
…why would they have a special unit for Portuguese? And why would that particular unit opine on the digital propaganda space? I’m very confused…
warns of the sophistication of digital disinformation and its impact on the perception of complex conflicts. Major Rafael Rosenshine, the IDF's Portuguese-Speaking Spokesman, presented an analysis of how modern wars are waged long before combat begins on the battlefield. The central thesis is simple yet alarming: real conflicts no longer compete merely with alternative versions of reality—they compete for reality itself.
In a narrative-saturated virtual environment, those who control the algorithm often suppress those who hold the truth. "Today, a 15-second animated video can cross borders, shape public opinion, and have more influence than an official report with carefully analyzed facts and data."
Modern disinformation doesn't disguise itself as propaganda. It masquerades as memes, flashy animations, and short videos with simplified plots. The perfect villain. The perfect victim. Ready to go viral. Coordinated disinformation campaigns exploit emotional appeal, not universal authority.
The difference between disinformation two decades ago and today is scale. It's not just a matter of technology, but also of operations: videos, audio, and video, carefully crafted to influence public opinion through emotional appeal and the appearance of truth, are now produced on an industrial scale.
Once, it was about persuasion. Now, it's about information flow. When everything seems plausible, doubt becomes the rule. And when people doubt everything, they prefer to believe what confirms their emotions. This highlights a larger dilemma: truth requires context, time, and complexity. Lies offer instant clarity and emotional comfort.
This reflection stems, in part, from the lost information war against Iran, when the Iranians were able to flood the Western segment with their narratives, including through the mass sowing of memes, short videos, neuroslopes of varying quality, etc. And all the efforts of the enormous Israeli propaganda machine and the Israeli lobby were unable to overcome this wave. Indeed, modern information warfare is not about arguing about facts or the facts themselves, but about flooding the entire information space with a variety of content representing your narratives.
Hence the growing importance of controlling your own information field and information dissemination channels. If you don't control them, someone else will.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on June 19 that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed again until Israel withdraws its troops from Lebanon.
"Since the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the complete lifting of the naval blockade, and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region are the main conditions of the agreement between Iran and the United States, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these conditions are met," the IRGC statement said.
Ships are advised not to approach the strait, and any ship, civilian or military, that violates this condition will be attacked, the IRGC also stated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stated that the country would not withdraw troops from southern Lebanon. On the night of June 19, the Israeli army launched new air strikes against Lebanon. During the day, media reported that Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement had reached a ceasefire agreement, but it was violated within minutes.
On June 15, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum ending the conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that after Tehran and Washington signed the memorandum, negotiations on a basic agreement would begin and last 60 days. The United States lifted the blockade of Iranian ports. It was expected that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would be restored. However, Iran had previously repeatedly stated that hostilities should cease throughout the region, including in Lebanon.
"The official representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry called the information of some media outlets about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz groundless," said a statement, the text of which was reported by the local news agency Tasnim.
The department emphasized that the Iranian armed forces have taken all necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. These actions are being carried out within the framework of the US-Iran memorandum regulating the security of navigation in the region.
Shortly before this, Bild, citing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Israel completes its withdrawal from Lebanon. As a result, shipping companies were advised to avoid the area. According to these reports, the IRGC warned that any civilian or military vessels violating this requirement could be subject to attack.
On June 15, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum ending the conflict. He noted that the American side had succeeded in establishing good relations with Iran. The White House chief also explained that the Strait of Hormuz would be fully reopened to shipping on June 19.
“To avoid delays at the entrance or exit of the Strait of Hormuz, it is essential that transit requests, complete with all the required information, are submitted at least 48 hours prior to arriving at the strait area,” the Persian Gulf Strait Authority says on X.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/20/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1849 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#3
Sort of agree, #2 'Seeking...' This "MOU" is for the birds. Iran's IRGC seems full of nutters. I am unclear as to your second sentence however. I think reading between the lines helps, but please restate if you can.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
06/20/2026 6:09 Comments ||
Top||
#4
That's what happen when it's way past my bed time and I forget to proofread beforehand!
It should read "I would just give the money to..."
Posted by: Chris ||
06/20/2026 14:07 Comments ||
Top||
#7
"Now it is not good for the Christian's health to hustle the Aryan brown,
For the Christian riles, and the Aryan smiles and he weareth the Christian down;
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white with the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear: A Fool lies here who tried to hustle the East.”
Rudyard Kipling, from Kipling's 1892 novel/libretto The Naulahka. It serves as a warning about the futility of rushing, forcing, or imposing Western timelines on Eastern cultures.
This is worrying for many of us who just see success seemingly being squandered, and public perception being political reality, wonder if defeat is being snatched from the jaws of victory in the eyes of the public, both at home and abroad.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei commented on the agreement concluded with the United States.
As you are likely already aware, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the presidents of Iran and the United States. To reach this point, the officials responsible expended considerable effort with care and good intentions, while the US President acted out of desperation and used every possible leverage to achieve this goal. In principle, my opinion was different, but due to the commitment made by the esteemed President—as Chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, on his behalf and on behalf of the other members—to protect the rights of the Iranian people and the resistance front, and with an emphasis on their responsibility for this, I gave my consent.
The President also emphasized that if the American side attempts to make excessive demands, they will not give in to them. From now on, you and your humble servant will await the fulfillment of the agreed conditions. It goes without saying that future direct negotiations do not mean accepting the enemy's position.
I don't think he has any trust in those who killed his family members. Quite the contrary, this will long-term cement the approach to negotiations with the US from a position of strength. More can be achieved this way. The US understands only strength. Meanwhile, in the US, the Iran agreement is being called a US capitulation to Iran, a military-political fiasco for Trump, the most shameful and inept war ever, and so on and so forth.
Naturally, the US Democratic Party is actively exploiting this, essentially parroting the official Iranian assessments in its assessments of the war's outcome. Of course. It's what all tyrants do. Even our domestic enemies.
Posted by: badanov ||
06/20/2026 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[1757 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[AmericanRhetoric] It is a really, really long one.He made the point several times that the Gulf Arabs like this MOU but didn't like the 2015 Obama JCPOA because,
- Iran's military and military.industrial capacity has been crippled
- This time Iran only gets reconstruction for performance (except of some initial projects) and the reconstruction is monitored by the agencies lending Iran the funds (also the Gulf Arabs). FWIW, I didn't understand where the MOU said that.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
06/20/2026 00:00 AM ||
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[1767 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
He looks like a TV preacher - missed his calling?
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.
[BB] Data released by Destatis ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20 shows that a record 4 million people are living in Germany after immigrating as refugees since the Second World War.
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade....
