[Breitbart] A South Carolina man will spend more than 25 years in a U.S. federal prison for his role as the leader of a gun smuggling operation that provided the terrorist organization Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) with .50 caliber and .30 caliber machine guns. The leader of the conspiracy ran the operation from behind bars in South Carolina, where he was serving time for multiple state-level drug trafficking crimes. The gun running was allegedly linked to a drug debt that he needed to pay.
Court documents in the criminal case against Shawn Bisnauth revealed that from March 2022, he worked with at least six other people from South Carolina to have them purchase high-value rifles that fired .50 caliber and .30 caliber rounds. Those weapons were the semi-automatic variations of the machine guns known as Ma-Deuce and Browning .30 cals that gunsmiths in Mexico could then turn into fully automatic machine guns.
Bisnauth pleaded guilty to the charges on May 7. Last week, a federal judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
According to federal prosecutors, Bisnauth coordinated the purchase of the rifles from behind bars at a prison in South Carolina. The inmate used smuggled cell phones to orchestrate the purchases and deliveries of the weapons. Bisnauth used people with clean backgrounds to buy the weapons and lie on federal forms claiming that they were the buyers of the weapons, when in reality they were to be delivered to cartel gun runners in Houston, Texas.
From Houston, the guns were moved to the Texas border town of McAllen. Smugglers would then move them across the Anzalduas port of entry into Reynosa, Tamaulipas, and into the hands of CJNG. Breibart Texas reported extensively on how the city of Reynosa is controlled by a faction of the Gulf Cartel known as the Metros, which is aligned with CJNG.
Documents in the case revealed that at the time of the conspiracy, Bisnauth would talk to a CJNG operator who claimed he needed the weapons because CJNG was in a turf war with the rival terrorist organization La Familia Michoacana.
More oil for you, more oil for you, more oil for you! And less control for the Mad Mullahs.
[ShabelleMedia] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... is accelerating plans to expand the overseas operations of its state energy company Ottoman Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), with Somalia, Iraq, Libya and Oman emerging as key destinations in Ankara’s drive to boost oil and gas production.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said TPAO aims to raise its combined domestic and overseas oil and gas output to the equivalent of nearly 600,000 barrels per day by 2028, up from around 330,000 barrels currently.
Ankara has also set a longer-term target of one million barrels of oil equivalent per day for TPAO.
Turkey is accelerating plans to expand the overseas operations of its state energy company Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), with Somalia, Iraq, Libya and Oman emerging as key destinations in Ankara’s drive to boost oil and gas production.
A significant share of the expected increase is projected to come from the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea. But TPAO is also expanding abroad, turning previous cooperation agreements into investment stakes, production-sharing contracts and direct drilling operations.
Somalia has emerged as a major part of the company’s overseas strategy. TPAO began offshore exploration after the seismic research vessel Oruc Reis spent 234 days surveying three offshore blocks, collecting 3D seismic data covering about 4,464 square kilometres.
The data is now being used to guide Turkey’s next phase of exploration in Somalia. TPAO’s drilling vessel Cagri Bey is currently carrying out operations at the Curad-1 well off the Somali coast.
Bayraktar has described the project as Turkey’s first deepwater oil drilling operation outside its borders.
The Curad-1 well is located about 372 kilometres off the coast of Mogadishu, in waters reaching nearly 3,500 metres deep. The well is planned to reach a total depth of around 7,500 metres below the seabed.
The outcome of the Curad-1 drilling could determine the scale of TPAO’s future operations in Somalia. A successful result would potentially make Somalia one of the company’s most important sources of oil and gas production outside Turkey.
Or as we call it here at Rantburg.com, Sunday
[Regnum] The migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta could create conditions for recruitment into terrorist groups, Corriere della Sera reported on August 9.
"The terrorist threat alert from Ceuta is a confirmation, not a surprise. This threat existed long before the current state of emergency," the article wrote.
Italian intelligence agencies have received information about a possible new attempt at a mass infiltration of migrants into Ceuta.
Another one? Will this also be directed by the Moroccan police?
Chats and social media are discussing the possibility of moving the previously announced date of the new crossing from August 15 to an earlier date. Italian authorities are not ruling out the possibility that an unspecified agency, whose members have not yet been identified, is behind the social media mobilization campaign.
Ceuta's geographic location makes it a convenient transportation hub between Europe and Africa. Furthermore, the region remains a drug trafficking route, which, according to the authors of the article, further complicates the security situation, the newspaper added.
A serious migrant crisis in Ceuta, an autonomous city in Spain on the northern coast of Africa, began on the night of July 31. Up to 60,000 migrants, mostly from Morocco, but also from Algeria and sub-Saharan Africa, attempted to enter the city en masse. A crush ensued, and people began drowning.
… many trampled by stronger swimmers in the uncaring, invading mob...
Spanish authorities deployed ground troops to Ceuta and installed a floating barrier approximately 500 meters long in the sea. A mass deportation began: most were returned to Morocco, either voluntarily or under the supervision of security forces.
But several thousand remained, succored by Spanish money and Spanish care while they awaited a chance to travel to even better treatment and future citizenship on the Spanish mainland.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that the situation in Ceuta highlights the problems in the EU's migration policy.
Agreed, though some countries are tightening their laws.
The Russian diplomat also noted that the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe concerns everyone.
[LibyaReview] Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo is pursuing several parallel tracks aimed at addressing the root causes of Libya’s prolonged crisis, ending political and institutional divisions, unifying state institutions and supporting simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections.
Abdelatty said Egypt also maintains that all foreign forces, mercenaries and foreign fighters must leave Libyan territory within a defined timetable, in accordance with international resolutions.
He said Egypt’s approach to Libya is based on the close historical, social and economic ties between the two countries, as well as their shared security interests. Cairo, he added, remains committed to Libya’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity while continuing to expand bilateral cooperation.
The Foreign Minister pointed to the frequency of contacts and visits between Egyptian and Libyan officials, including the July 27, 2026 meeting in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Head of the outgoing Government of National Unity.
…internationally recognized since 2021, it’s the one in Libya’s capitol, Tripoli, successor to the internationally recognized interim Government of National Accord signed into being in 2015. Turkey is their patron, supplier of mercenaries from Syria — that they sometimes bother to pay — in exchange for Moammar Khadaffy’s gold. Ukraine has appeared there recently as well. The Government of National Stability, supported by Khalifa Haftar ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly... ’s Libya National Army, controls the oil rich eastern half of the country. Their allies include Egypt, the UAE, Russia in the background and, some claim, Mossad... I think. I haven’t been keeping track, and have managed to get myself completely confused about the current situation…
Abdelatty said Egypt is seeking to address the causes of the Libyan crisis rather than merely manage its consequences. Cairo has intensified contacts with different Libyan parties and is encouraging progress towards simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections as a way to end the country’s political and institutional divisions.
Egypt is also supporting efforts to unify Libya’s institutions and ensure representation for the country’s eastern, western and southern regions. Cairo has hosted meetings and consultations involving Libyan institutions and political actors in an effort to narrow differences and build consensus.
So noble of them. But like Turkey’s President Erdogan, Egypt’s President Al Sisi fancies himself pivotal on the world stage, and likewise regularly inserts Egypt into the proceedings.
[ZERO] Intelligence officials are warning that a group of Republican extremists in Ireland, known as the New IRA, is preparing a campaign of violence to drive migrants out of the country, complete with talk of civil war and 24-hour ultimatums.
The claims, amplified across major outlets this weekend, arrive at a moment when frustration with mass migration and the crimes linked to it has reached boiling point on both sides of the border.
Whether the threat is as advanced as portrayed, or whether the timing serves to tar ordinary opposition to open borders with the brush of terrorism, remains an open question.
New IRA terrorists plan to drive migrants out of Ireland with campaign of violence, intelligence officials reveal https://t.co/EJsYzQtnfb
#6
The New IRA are terrorists, being the remnant of the old IRA that refused to sign the peace deal. They pop up from time to time when they do something terroristic. I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that the government blames them instead of dealing with the high level of grassroot fury at the shenanigans of the government-invited Moslem invasion and government abetting thereof.
[SDUT] The administration also offered $100 million for other leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Might not be enough $. Better to offer it for the arrest/conviction of Mexican Officials who are involved. They're cheaper, and more plentiful
The U.S. government on Wednesday offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Juan Carlos Valencia González, or “Pelón,” scaling up pressure on a U.S. citizen who has emerged as the figurehead of Mexico’s most powerful cartel.
The reward was bumped up from $5 million. The Trump administration offered a total of $100 million in rewards for various leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and restricted the visas of family members and business associates of cartel members.
#3
^ Dead or Alive (*snicker*). Or a limb/appendage with identifiable DNA...like a head
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/10/2026 11:21 Comments ||
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#4
Rather than ineffective rewards, why not just hire someone to remove the miscreant from the board? Even with per diem and expenses, that has to be way less than 25 million.
[IsraelTimes]. Israeli defense giant will own a majority stake in the joint venture with Serbia’s state-owned arms company to produce drones for short- and long-range missions.
[FOX] A U.S.-based pro-China media outlet subpoenaed in a Congressional probe of communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham's funding network mounted its public defense on Democracy Now!, a progressive news outlet that once paid millions of dollars to a software company Singham founded.
BreakThrough News, one of three organizations subpoenaed by the powerful House Ways and Means Committee last month, used Democracy Now! to portray the investigation as an attack on journalism rather than what the committee said is a probe into its funding and alleged foreign influence.
During an interview with Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, BreakThrough News presenter Rania Khalek slammed the subpoenas as a McCarthy-style attack on free speech and independent journalism. She also warned investigators could eventually target Democracy Now! itself and encouraged viewers to financially support BreakThrough News as it fights the subpoenas.
In which the Muslim Brotherhood’s man in Michigan deploys taqiyya.
[Breitbart] Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Michigan Democratic Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed said he cared about reaching far-left streamer Hasan Piker’s audience, not his controversial comments.
Host Kristen Welker said, “You’ve faced scrutiny for campaigning with Socialist streamer Hasan Piker,
…who is another evil piece of work…
who has made a series of inflammatory comments, as you well know, including saying America deserved 9/11, describing Hamas as a lesser evil than Israel. Do you plan to continue to campaign with Hasan Piker in the general election campaign?”
El-Sayed said, “Look, I’m less concerned now with who I’m campaigning with and a lot more concerned about who I’m campaigning to. We’ve got a lot of work to do to continue to build the coalition that’s going to beat Mike Rogers.”
Welker asked, “Would you welcome him, though, on the campaign trail with you?”
El-Sayed said, “Like I said, I’m a lot more focused on who I’m campaigning to. I think we have this notion sometimes on shows like this that we cannot or should not talk to certain groups of people.”And I’ll tell you that the three million people who listen to Hasan are people I want to make sure understand that there’s a pathway into our politics around getting money out of politics so we can get money back in pockets and pass Medicare for All. And so I’m going to continue to have the conversations with those folks who we desperately need to reach out.”
Welker asked, “When asked about Hasan Piker’s comments on 9/11, Senator Bernie Sanders called it a dumb statement. Do you agree? Do you disavow those comments that America deserved 9/11?”
El-Sayed said, “Of course, of course. It was a dumb statement. And, of course, I think Hasan himself would say that was a dumb statement. He disavowed it. So yes. America didn’t deserve 9/11. But, you know, to sit here and play gotcha politics with a dumb thing somebody said out of context, that they disavowed themselves, to say, ‘Oh, well, what does that mean about what you think?’ I want to be held accountable for what I say and what I do rather than this idea that we’re so stuck in cancel culture that all of us agreed was a bad idea back in 2020, but we seem to want to bring back.”
#2
The comment section on Zero Hedge still seems to blame the Jews for this.
Posted by: Penguin of the Best Desert ||
08/10/2026 9:01 Comments ||
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#3
^ I've never bothered with their comments section. The ZH articles themselves are sometimes so stupid it hurts.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/10/2026 9:26 Comments ||
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#4
El-Sayed: I Care About Hasan Piker's Audience Not His Comments
"I just care about the votes."
Zero Hedge is a mixed bad. Some of their articles are quite insightful. Others land wide of the mark, and some are just bat-shit crazy. For which, I blame the Juice.
/me ducks
#5
I don't care about Hasan's comments. I care about the fans that love those comments.
I suppose Abdul thinks he's slick saying that. Probably does seem slick to the 70 IQ crowd.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
08/10/2026 14:12 Comments ||
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#6
In this particular case, I'd like for MSM outlets like NBC to continue giving Mr. El-Sayed all the publicity he wants . That way people can see for themselves just how evil and disgusting he is.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
08/10/2026 16:06 Comments ||
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[DM] President Donald Trump has hit back at Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, insisting Iran must first compensate the United States for decades of regime-backed attacks.
Tehran wants US forces out of the region and a compensation check for the damage, terms Washington has consistently ruled out
Trump responded by demanding Iran pay compensation for decades of attacks, citing deaths from roadside bombs and conflicts.
'Additionally, compensation should be paid to the families of the hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters that Iran has killed over the last 50 years, not to mention the 52,000 that have been killed in the last five months,' he wrote on Truth Social.
'I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.
The President's comments come after US spy agencies have blamed Iran for cyber attacks across more than a dozen states over the last month.
In late July, Iranian regime hackers hit a water utility in western Arkansas as part of the wider campaign, US intelligence officials believe, according to the Washington Post.
Suspected Iran-linked cyberattacks have also struck water systems in at least a dozen states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and South Dakota, sources told CBS News, with more than 30 community systems breached in Minnesota alone.
[Rudaw] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , 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 Pakistain are uniting under a new collective defence pact at a time when Iran, whose regional security policy since the 1979 revolution has relied heavily on projecting influence beyond its borders, is grappling with deepening political divisions, economic crisis amidst high tension with the US and Israel.
Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed on Saturday that the three signatories to the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement do not pursue expansionist foreign policies.
"Saudi Arabia, Pakistain and Turkey, when you look at their foreign policy positions, are not countries that have expansionist policies," Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the state-owned Anadolu Agency. "They are countries concerned with their own borders, their own problems and their development."
Saudi Arabia may not be interested in expansion, and Pakistan only wants India and the near part of Afghanistan for strategic depth in case things go bad with India, but Turkey wants to reconstitute the Ottoman empire. So kinda definitely expansionist.
He described the emerging alliance as defensive rather than offensive and insisted that it was not directed against Iran. He stressed that the discussion about the current pact emerged three years before the current war between Tehran and Washington.
The alliance emerged at a critical time for Riyadh which had been targeted dozens of times by one-way attack drones and missiles from Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and its regional proxies in Iraq and 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... Tehran has stayed defiant even as its negotiators are currently drawing up a roadmap with their Omani counterparts for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz which is backed by the US.
Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on Saturday sought to draw a clear distinction between those negotiations and any broader reopening of the Strait.
"The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has no connection whatsoever to the negotiations between Iran and Oman," Mohebbi said, adding that the issue depended on Washington accepting conditions set by Tehran.
"The manner and timing of the reopening directly depend on the extent to which the United States accepts our conditions," he added. Iranian state media reported that Mohebbi described Hormuz as no longer merely an economic passage but an "instrument of power and war."
IRAN’S DEEPENING INTERNAL DIVISIONS
But Tehran is suffering from deepening internal division which could undermine its position vis-a-vis the regional powers and the US in the long term.
President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday publicly acknowledged "disagreements" after reports that Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr had submitted his resignation.
"There are a number of disagreements that we are trying to resolve," Pezeshkian said, without explaining their nature. Iranian media subsequently reported that he had rejected Zolghadr’s resignation and asked him to remain in office.
While President Pezeshkian has increasingly emphasised negotiations and the need to reduce pressure on the country, hardline security officials have continued to issue sweeping conditions for concessions on Hormuz and other aspects of the conflict.
The reported dispute is particularly significant because the Supreme National Security Council sits at the centre of Iranian decision-making on the war, negotiations with Washington and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s political system has long been divided between the elected government and powerful unelected institutions, particularly the IRGC, which has played a central role in Tehran’s regional strategy since the revolution.
While Pezeshkian has increasingly emphasised negotiations and the need to reduce pressure on the country, hardline security officials have continued to issue sweeping conditions for concessions on Hormuz and other aspects of the conflict.
Zolghadr posted on X on Saturday and outlined conditions that Washington must agree with before the reopening of the Strait. The conditions included ending attacks on Iran and its regional allies, lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions, withdrawing US military forces from around Iran, paying compensation for the two wars, and releasing frozen Iranian assets.
Iran has repeatedly said that if it comes under attack again, it will target the US bases in the region, including in Saudi Arabia. It is not clear how the Mecca Alliance will react if that scenario were to happen.
Fidan said the agreement is technically comparable to NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... ’s Article 5 collective defence principle. Members will be able to request intelligence, logistics, ammunition or even military units in the event of an attack. A joint political and military committee and permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia are also planned.
He said Turkey eventually wants the grouping to expand beyond its three founding members, describing it as a potential foundation for a broader regional security architecture. Egypt appears to be the next member to join the alliance.
"Egypt is already our natural partner on all issues. I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance. We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members. There are a few technical issues. Once these are implemented, there is no reason for Egypt not to be part of it," he said.
#1
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed on Saturday that the three signatories to the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement do not pursue expansionist foreign policies.
Could have fooled me. Kurds, Indians and Afghans too.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
08/10/2026 16:09 Comments ||
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[Rudaw] Rehabilitation and inspection works have been completed on the pipeline transporting oil from southern fields in Basra to the Peshkhabur pipeline in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq’s oil minister said on Sunday, as the country seeks to diversify its export routes following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline forms part of a network connecting Iraq to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... ’s Ceyhan port.
Basim Mohammed Khudair confirmed to state-owned al-Sabah newspaper the "upcoming restart of the Strategic Pipeline extending from Basra in the south to Haditha [in Anbar province]" and the Kurdistan Region.
"This is alongside bringing the Kurdistan Region pipeline into service as part of an integrated package of measures aimed at diversifying northern export outlets and boosting their export capacity," he added.
Both pipeline networks feed into the major Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP).
Baghdad and Ankara signed an interim agreement earlier this month to renew their 1973 oil export treaty, which expired in late July. Khudair at the time pointed to "an ambitious plan" to route part of Basra’s oil through the pipeline, with the aim of achieving export volumes exceeding 700,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Khudair noted on Sunday that the ITP agreement brings together Ottoman Turkish state-owned company BOTAS and the Iraqi oil ministry’s subsidiary Oil Projects Company "to conduct technical inspection and rehabilitation of the northern export system," paving the way for pumping between 500,000 and 750,000 bpd to the ITP’s end destination - Ceyhan port.
He also highlighted contracts with Erbil-based KAR Group to transport 200,000 barrels of oil per day - "and another contract for 100,000 barrels " - as "rapid solutions to boost pumping toward Ceyhan" via trucks.
However,
there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... the Iraqi oil minister said export capacity depends on "the availability of required quantities, particularly in light of declining oil production in the Kurdistan Region due to regional developments" as well as "stability of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."
Caught in the crossfire of the regional conflict that erupted in late February amid renewed and fluctuating hostilities between Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and the US, the Region has been repeatedly targeted by Iran and its aligned gangs in Iraq.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the Region has been attacked 1,000 times. The attacks have killed 32 people and injuring around 150 others, according to Rudaw’s data.
The strikes have also targeted international oil firms, forcing them to reduce or suspend production.
The Iraqi oil minister said a return to national production levels of around 4 million barrels per day is contingent on stable navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the availability of sufficient storage capacity.
The strategic waterway has been at the center of tensions between the US and Iran, with Washington imposing a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports and Tehran threatening passing ships, imposing unofficial fees and firing projectiles. The tit-for-tat restrictions have effectively disrupted commercial shipping through the waterway.
The regional war and the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz have dealt a major blow to the Iraqi oil sector and broader economy, with crude production falling from approximately 4.14 million bpd before the crisis to 1.49 million bpd at the height of the blockade.
[IsraelTimes] Nickolay Mladenov tells Channel 12 disarmament plan is ‘not built on trust,’ but complete verification of progress; White House said not worried about Netanyahu’s refusal to agree
Nickolay Mladenov, the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... envoy of the US-backed Board of Peace, sought to dispel skepticism in Israel about the board’s roadmap for the disarmament of Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... in the Strip, arguing that the plan’s full implementation is Israel’s only "guarantee" of preventing a repeat of the October 7, 2023, massacre, and that it will be based on verifiable steps, rather than trust of the terror group.
Mladenov’s interview with Channel 12 on Sunday was broadcast just a few hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he categorically rejected the 15-point plan, and, in a U-turn, reportedly halted a small IDF pullout from certain areas in southern Gaza that he had previously approved.
The White House brushed aside those comments as campaign rhetoric ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, while a key Paleostinian mediator slammed them.
The roadmap’s goal is "to make sure that Gaza is never again a threat to Israeli security — that what happened before October 7 never happens again," Mladenov told Channel12, referring to the 2023 Hamas-led onslaught in southern Israel that sparked the war.
"What happened on October 7 will never ever be allowed to happen, as long as we have a full implementation of the Board of Peace’s plan... The option that we are offering today is the only way that we move forward that guarantees that this tragedy will not occur again," he said.
Mladenov stressed that Israel is not expected to withdraw IDF forces from their current positions until there are tangible steps reflecting Hamas’s disarmament under the roadmap, which the terror group approved last week. The plan would see Hamas hand over control to a Paleostinian technocratic body operating under the Board of Peace, called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG.
"Nobody is required to do anything — last of all Israel — before we actually have verified steps on the ground," Mladenov said. "If there is verified decommissioning of weapons, that they are taken away from the factions, and stored, and ultimately rendered unusable, Israel then withdraws from Gaza."
He specified that the plan does not require an IDF withdrawal from the Yellow Line, which divided Gaza roughly evenly between zones of Israeli and Hamas control under the October 2025 ceasefire. Israel has since taken control of territory beyond the Yellow Line and now controls more than 60 percent of Gaza.
It was unclear if Mladenov was calling on Israel to withdraw to the original Yellow Line, or to remain at the positions it currently holds.
"What we are asking is that the IDF do not position troops further [inside Gaza] from the Yellow Line, because the Yellow Line was agreed under the comprehensive plan," he added, referring to the October 2025 ceasefire. "So we would like them to stay at those positions, and to make sure that they do not shoot across at people unless they are a real threat to Israeli soldiers..."
"The yellow line, obviously, will move further back once there is decommissioning in Gaza," he continued. "Once each [geographical] sector is decommissioned, and the weapons are certified — that they have been taken over and stored by the NCAG, the Board of Peace, and rendered unusable — then Israel is required to move back progressively, step by step, in stages, ultimately to the [border] fence in Gaza."
Mladenov further stressed that Israel will not be restricted in its military responses to "imminent" threats under the Gaza roadmap. "None of the plan that we are preparing limits Israel’s options to react to a threat if it’s imminent and if it’s really endangering its troops."
Noting that it will take "more than a decade" to destroy all of Hamas’s extensive tunnel network in the Strip, Mladenov argued that working through the Board of Peace could accelerate that process. "With the Board of Peace, together, it can be done much quicker and much more effectively," he said.
MLADENOV STRESSES VERIFICATION, NOT TRUST
Mladenov also praised The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... and 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... — states that have been adversarial to Israel and have hosted Hamas leaders — for their role mediating the talks over the roadmap. Concern has grown in Israel that Turkey and Qatar will be part of the International Stabilization Force tasked with securing the enclave during its transitional period.
"My experience over the last eight months is that if it wasn’t for Egypt and for the other mediators, Turkey and Qatar, we would have not been able to get to a position in which Hamas would agree to the roadmap. Their contribution has really, really been critical to this," he said, adding that there will be a "verification mechanism" to ensure all parties are complying with the roadmap and that the entire process will stop if commitments are not honored.
Mladenov acknowledged the risks involved in implementing the plan, but said its provisions are built around verification rather than trust between the parties.
Asked about widespread mistrust in Israel regarding the entire plan, Mladenov said that many in Israel "think that we have based this whole plan on trust. But the only way that we do this is if we all agree that nothing happens on trust and everything needs to be verified, and everything needs to be done on a step-by-step approach."
"I’m not building any of this on the basis of trust, and none of us are, and we’re very clear-eyed about the risks going forward," Mladenov said. "We’re building it on verification, and this is pretty much the basic premise — which I would like both sides to really trust — that because of the verification process, we actually have a chance."
PM NIXED SMALL PULLOUT FROM RAFAH AT LAST MINUTE — SOURCES
Also on Sunday, just after Netanyahu rejected the Board of Peace plan, Channel 12 reported that the premier personally approved a pilot IDF withdrawal from three small areas close to Rafah in southern Gaza, before apparently changing his mind over the past 24 hours and telling the cabinet Sunday that Israel will not withdraw from any part of Gaza unless or until Hamas gives up all its weapons.
The IDF and the security establishment reportedly only learned of Netanyahu’s reversal from the media today, the report said, quoting sources in the security establishment.
The withdrawals in the Rafah area were discussed in consultations in the past week attended by Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and were approved by the IDF, by Netanyahu and by the United States.
The deliberations dealt with the specifics of where exactly the IDF would withdraw from, where the forces would redeploy, and how they would coordinate with the intended incoming troops from the International Stabilization Force.
Netanyahu’s announcement that he was rejecting the Board of Peace’s plan and would not agree to any IDF withdrawal from Gaza before Hamas completely disarms came as "a major shock" to the security establishment, Channel 12 reported.
It quoted an unnamed security official saying: "The shift in the prime minister’s position occurred in the past day. We learned of it today only through the media. In the discussions before today, the prime minister gave his personal approval to this plan and to the withdrawal from the points in the Rafah area."
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately comment on the report.
WHITE HOUSE NOT WORRIED ABOUT NETANYAHU’S STANCE — REPORT
After Netanyahu’s declared refusal to go along with the US-backed plan, White House officials reportedly said that they were not troubled by the premier’s stance, which they regard as a case of campaign rhetoric.
The officials also noted that Israel has in fact halted strikes in Gaza for the past five days.
"We are not troubled by those comments from Netanyahu," a senior US source told Channel 12 news. "We understand his political needs [in this election period]. We have no problem with that, as long as he continues to do what we ask — especially as regards reining in the strikes in Gaza."
According to the Channel 12 report, Netanyahu spoke last week to Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner and, contrary to his public remarks, told him that he did not believe Hamas would agree to disarm, but that he was prepared to give the 15-point plan a chance.
The officials quoted in the report said that the US has been watching Gaza very closely, and Netanyahu has thus far kept his word.
DAHLAN: NETANYAHU’S REFUSAL IS ’DECEPTION’ OF TRUMP
But despite the comments from the White House, a senior Paleostinian figure said Sunday that the premier’s announcement is a "challenge, disdain, and deception toward the American administration and President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and whatever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th and 47th President of the United States... ’s team."
Mediators "now recognize Netanyahu as the obstacle to achieving security and stability," said Mohammad Dahlan, a former official of Fatah, the party that controls the West Bank-based Paleostinian Authority. Dahlan has served as a key go-between in negotiations involving Paleostinians.
Dahlan has become a close adviser to United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed, and Kushner has also closely consulted with him while advancing his plan for the postwar management of Gaza.
Dahlan has preferred to largely remain behind the scenes, but one of his aides confirmed his involvement in the Hamas disarmament talks for the first time last month.
#2
This is something I really don't want to read on Rantburg. Seriously.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/10/2026 5:06 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I have supported Israel all my life and I will continue to do so.
Israel doesn't do the things you propose it should. Talking about giving ammunition to the enemy.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/10/2026 5:25 Comments ||
Top||
Posted by: chris ||
08/10/2026 10:42 Comments ||
Top||
#8
We have almost 80 years of the same game plan: Israel fights its murderous Muslim neighbours to a standstill, gains territory, and is just about to administer the coup de gras when the world steps in to protect the murderous Muslims, patting itself on the back for its humanitarianism. The pattern is clearly visible. And this time, between Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel has suffered almost 26,000 casualties, not including the foreigners among them.
How would you teach the people who refuse to allow Israel in the negotiating room, including the members of the Board of Peace, to prevent instead of abet the next round of Muslims trying to kill all the Jews, European Conservative? And in this particular case they are allowing Hamas to kill Gazans in order to maintain control of the Gaza Strip as well. What should the price be of so blithely getting it so deadly wrong?
#10
You sure do protect that bitch ass Euros feelings! LOL Breitbart JR!
Posted by: chris ||
08/10/2026 12:33 Comments ||
Top||
#11
You're the type that is the problem with the world today, you're so goddamn worried about someones feelings getting hurt that you go total YouTube or disqus. Bitch ass bullshit!
Posted by: chris ||
08/10/2026 12:37 Comments ||
Top||
#12
NYT of Israel Reports: BoP proposed deal would leave Israel vulnerable to Hamas re-armament, expert says.
#13
The duplicity of terrorist liars. Our hubris is we elected a Deal Maker and that is what he does. To the detriment, at times, of the future.
JPost: Hamas distributing personal weapons to operatives to avoid total disarmament amid BoP deal - report
A Palestinian source said Hamas is distributing rifles to individuals under the guise of personal firearms, while insisting it will not disarm despite the Board of Peace agreement.
#14
@trailing wife
Just in case there's a misunderstanding: I wasn't referring to the article you posted but to the comment of Grom, which has since been deleted.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/10/2026 13:48 Comments ||
Top||
#15
No confusion at all, European Conservative. I understand both your frustration and his. His words were over the top, but the problem remains and needs to be fixed. Covering up what he said does not fix it.
#16
Then why do you keep covering up what ppl say? You're protecting that Euro mf'ers feelings! I've had three fucking comments that were deleted and that seems to always happen when it comes to Euros feelings being hurt! Fuck that mf'er!
Posted by: chris ||
08/10/2026 16:21 Comments ||
Top||
#21
I’m sure your mother is lovely, chris, and quite possibly tougher than I, given that she reared you to appreciate this place. Nonetheless, they made me senior moderator when Dr. Steve stepped down during Covid, so the buck stops here.
[FoxNews] The Dolphin-class submarine, built by Germany's ThyssenKrupp, is the largest sub built in Germany since WWII
Israel has taken delivery of its most advanced and expensive submarine from Germany, expanding its fleet amid escalating regional threats, according to reports.
The handover of the INS Drakon is expected to significantly bolster Israel's underwater strike and reconnaissance capabilities, The Algemeiner reported. The warship had been scheduled to be delivered in 2025.
A statement following the submarine's naming ceremony in Kiel in 2024 said the INS Drakon is of the Dolphin AIP class and "equipped with unique systems, including groundbreaking technologies that expand the range of the IDF's capabilities across various arenas."
Built specifically for the Israeli Navy by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the submarine is said to provide a vital sea-based layer of "deterrence and retribution," amid the war with Iran, defense analysts say.
Dr. Ehud Eilam, an Israeli national security expert and former researcher for Israel’s Ministry of Defense, told Fox News Digital that maintaining a continuous undersea presence is paramount for the nation's national survival.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
08/10/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[308 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Wow!!! how things have changed in just a couple of generations.
[DM] The provocative installation displays a detailed caricature of Trump, his features clearly recognizable, centered under a large, blood-red painted 'bullseye' scope.
Below the image of the targeted President, in large crimson English capital letters, is the chilling phrase: 'Never will be blood.'
The unmissable public display, a piece of state-sanctioned propaganda, has sparked genuine concern among local residents.
In messages sent to the Daily Mail, Iranians described the banner as a significant and frightening escalation, even for a regime famous for its 'Death to America' rhetoric.
'They never do this,' one anxious resident told the Daily Mail, referring to such a direct, publicly viewable graphical threat against a President in such a high-traffic area.
'They rarely put up banners like this, but at night during events in this same square, they often make verbal threats against him... They [the people] are very angry about what the regime has turned this place into. They have disrupted everyday city life with all this loud and unpleasant noise.'
Posted by: Skidmark ||
08/10/2026 14:42 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[152 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[IsraelTimes] Damascus says Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval base will become ‘joint training’ centers, heralding ‘new phase’ in ties between new Syrian regime and former Assad-backer, Moscow
Russian forces in Syria will give up control of two strategic bases on the Mediterranean coast, which will be used as joint Russia-Syrian training centers under a new agreement between the two countries, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
Russia was the top political and military ally of Syria’s ousted President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... during the Syrian civil war between 2011 and 2024. Assad was ousted in December 2024 by Islamist bully boyz led by current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and has since fled into exile in Russia.
Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base were key Russian military outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.
Under the new agreement between Damascus and Moscow, Syria will take control of the Hmeimim air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become "joint training" centers, the Foreign Ministry said.
The new arrangements represent a "reorganizing of the Russian presence" along Syria’s coast, the ministry said.
"This move marks the most significant development since negotiations began approximately a year and a half ago, paving the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations," the statement read.
Russia did not immediately comment on the agreement.
Moscow did not interfere during the lightning insurgency that led to Assad’s overthrow, but it provided the longtime Syrian leader and his family asylum. After Assad’s ouster, Russian troops remaining in Syria gradually left the country except for those stationed at the bases.
Syria’s new leadership has aimed to maintain strong bilateral ties with Moscow. al-Sharaa has visited Russian President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... in Moscow twice since taking power, with the two Mediterranean bases being key points of discussion.
Since Assad’s ouster, Syria has also bolstered its ties with the United States, Europe, and neighboring Arab countries that had cut ties with Damascus during Assad’s crackdown on protests.
Washington has lifted most of its crippling sanctions on the country, and French President Emmanuel Macron made a visit to Syria in July during which he announced that the two countries would appoint respective ambassadors for the first time in 14 years.
[IsraelTimes] Washington is ‘just watching Iran with its huge inflation,’ insufficient funds to pay troops, US president tells reporter; Khamenei’s office claims he met Pezeshkian
US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... said Sunday that Washington was "low-keying" its approach to Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and only "semi-negotiating" with the Islamic Theocratic Republic, as it suffers in dire economic straits.
The remarks, made in a brief phone interview with Barak Ravid of Channel 12 and Axios, signaled Trump was forgoing a military strike on Iran and instead preparing to let the mounting economic pressure take its toll.
Trump’s comments came after Iran on Saturday laid out drastic new conditions for lifting the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-fifth of the world’s commercial oil shipments until the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28.
A separate report on Sunday said Trump was preparing to declare victory in the war as long as the strait reopens, even without a deal to secure the end of Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!... Tehran doubled down on its demands, and denied holding any direct talks with the US.
Iran’s new demands stymied mediators’ hopes last week that Iran, Oman, and the US would announce a deal to reopen the key waterway, Ravid reported. Trump himself had threatened massive military strikes on Iran only to backtrack at the start of last week, citing a breakthrough in talks.
Nonetheless, according to Ravid, Trump in the phone interview did not threaten Iran or rail against it for holding up the deal, which would give Iran unprecedented control over maritime traffic in the strait.
Speaking to Ravid, Trump said, "We are low-keying it," in the talks with Tehran.
"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," he said. "It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game."
Trump claimed Iran’s regime was "in very bad shape" financially, with insufficient funds to pay soldiers, and that the US naval blockade on Iran-linked shipping made the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s economic crisis even worse, according to Ravid.
On the other hand, Trump noted that oil prices, which hiked to over $100 a barrel after Iran shut Hormuz early in the war, have since dropped to about $75, easing the weight of the war on US consumers.
US officials cited in the report said Trump had been convinced since last week to de-escalate the war, with one official saying the halt in the fighting forces Iran to confront its domestic economic crisis.
As has been reported elsewhere, the officials cited disagreements within Iran between a camp led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, which supports a deal to avoid economic collapse, and a camp led by Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi, which opposes concessions to the US.
Both sides claim the support of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since reportedly being maimed in the strike that killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> , at the start of the war.
On Sunday, Mojtaba Khamenei’s office claimed he recently met with Pezeshkian "at the start of his third year in the presidency" and the two "discussed in detail the country’s issues and problems," including the "current military situation and future prospects."
Pezeshkian, who took office in July 2024, had said in early May that he met with Khamenei, also without specifying the date, but the supreme leader’s office did not issue any statements at the time.
The president had said on Wednesday that communication with Khamenei was "very difficult at the moment," amid speculation about the supreme leader’s health.
Mojtaba Khamenei has remained in hiding since becoming supreme leader after his father’s death. To avoid being targeted, he reportedly communicates with other senior regime figures via a slow array of intermediaries. Khamenei has produced no recordings, though Iranian state media has published written statements attributed to him.
On Sunday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency cited an IRGC general as saying images of Khamenei among people and in meetings would be published "in the future." The general did not offer a timeline.
…who may or may not be, but probably has been dead for months…
on Sunday appointed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) veteran commander Mohsen Rezaee as his representative to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), replacing Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, whom he reassigned as his political advisor.
Khamenei appointed Mohsen Rezaee, who commanded the IRGC from 1981 until 1997 and has served as his military advisor since March, as his representative on the Supreme National Security Council, lauding him as "one of the pioneers of the glorious eight-year period of sacred defense," in reference to the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).
Concurrently, President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Rezaee as the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), following Zolghadr’s resignation from the post, according to state-run IRNA.
In a separate statement from IRNA, Khamanei announced the appointment of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as his political advisor, who held the SNSC secretary position since March 2026 following the liquidation of former secretary Ali Larijani in a joint US-Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... The Supreme National Security Council functions as Iran’s top decision-making body regarding defense and intelligence, and of late, negotiations with Washington and the Strait of Hormuz.
Senior political appointments come amid divisions in Iran’s political system between the elected government and powerful unelected institutions, particularly the IRGC, which has played a central role in Tehran’s regional strategy since the 1979 revolution.
The appointments of both Zolghadr, who previously served eight years (1989 -1997) as chief of the IRGC joint staff under Rezaee and eight years as deputy commander-in-chief of the Guard (1997 - 2005), and Razaee, who has served as Khamenei’s military advisor since March 2026 and whose tenure spans the founding of the IRGC, cement the regime’s consolidation of power by hardline military figures.
President Pezeshkian on Saturday acknowledged "disagreements" that the government was seeking to resolve following reports of Zolghadr’s resignation, highlighting Tehran’s internal differences over its response to the conflict with the US and Israel.
Zolghadr, who has taken a firm position on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, posted on X on Saturday the conditions for reopening the strategic waterway, including an end to attacks on Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and its regional allies, the lifting of sanctions and the maritime blockade, the withdrawal of US forces from around Iran, compensation for the two wars and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
In addition to previously leading the elite IRGC paramilitary, Rezaei, 71, is wanted on an international arrest warrant for his alleged role in one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks of recent decades, the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1994.
Rezaei is the second person tapped to head Iran’s Supreme National Security Council since Israel assassinated the powerful Iranian official Ali Larijani in mid-March, just weeks into the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic. Israel’s military said, upon killing Larijani, that he had served as the “de facto leader” of Iran following the killing of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the war’s first day.
Rezaei earlier this month said Iran will never allow an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, which was considered an international waterway and a key pathway for the global oil supply before Tehran began obstructing it at the start of the war.
He declared in July that control of the Strait was “more important than dozens of atomic bombs,” a reference to the Iranian nuclear program, which is also one of the war’s central issues.
WANTED BY INTERPOL FOR ALLEGED ROLE IN AMIA ATTACK
Rezaei led the IRGC from 1981 to 1997 — a tenure that included almost all of the Iran-Iraq war — before going on to occupy several high-ranking political posts. He recently served as the younger Khamenei’s military adviser.
During his tenure as head of the IRGC, he was allegedly involved in the AMIA attack. The bombing, according to an Argentine court ruling, was carried out by Hezbollah terrorists and funded by Iran. It killed 85 people and injured hundreds more.
Rezaei has long been wanted by Interpol for his suspected role in the bombing. The global police organization has had a “Red Notice” out for his arrest since 2007, along with seeking the arrests of five other Iranians and a Lebanese national.
In 2022, Argentina asked Qatar to arrest Rezaei when he was in the Gulf state, but Qatar did not do so.
“The accusation made against him arises from his proven participation at the meeting in which carrying out the attack on AMIA’s headquarters was decided,” said Argentine federal judge Daniel Rafecas in an official letter to Qatar at the time.
Earlier that year, a public appearance by Rezaei at the investiture of Nicaragua’s president angered Argentina and drew a harsh response from its Foreign Ministry, which called Rezaei’s presence “an affront to Argentine justice and to the victims of the brutal terrorist attack″ in the Argentine capital.
[ToloNews] Chabahar Port, one of Afghanistan's key transit routes for access to open waters, is facing uncertainty over its future operations following the expiration of the US sanctions waiver for activities related to the port.
In recent years, the port has served as an alternative route for transporting Afghan goods to India and other regional markets. Any restrictions on its operations could increase costs and disrupt Afghanistan's trade.
[North Press] Hussam Luka, a former senior Syrian intelligence official accused of overseeing torture and other abuses under Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... , has been traced to Moscow after fleeing Syria following the fall of Assad’s government in December 2024, The Telegraph reported on Saturday.
Luka, who headed Syria’s General Security Directorate, was known as “The Spider” for his extensive network of informants and was linked to some of the country’s most notorious detention facilities.
According to the BBC and reported by The Telegraph, fighters who entered Luka’s abandoned residence in Damascus found a notebook containing 155 handwritten contacts. One of the contacts reportedly helped investigators identify a Russian phone number linked to Luka, leading to his location in a Moscow suburb.
Luka previously served as a security commander in Homs during the early years of the Syrian conflict. Syrian activists accused him of selecting targets for airstrikes that killed 28 people, including 17 children, in the al-Waer neighborhood during Eid al-Adha in 2015.
He later rose to head the General Security Directorate and oversee security and detention policies, including at Saydnaya prison, where thousands of detainees disappeared under Assad’s rule.
#1
Please spare me the shocked face. Assad ended up in RU did he not ?
If my memory is correct, truckloads of Saddam's chem program were reported to have been transported to Syria before his fall. The RU linkage and friendship appears to span several decades.
[IsraelAlma] De facto, Hezbollah operatives are present and active within Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh (the pilot zone) under the auspices of the Lebanese Armed Forces, establishing a civilian foothold that will enable renewed military entrenchment at the next stage.
After identifying the entry of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization into Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh under the auspices of the Lebanese Armed Forces, which deployed in the village (see our July 27 publication), in recent days we have also identified the entry into Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh of Hezbollah-affiliated “Cooperate with One Another” Association—“Wataawanou” Association Charity (جمعية “وتعاونوا” الخيرية).
Goody.
As with the Islamic Health Organization, the association’s entry into Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh is also taking place under the auspices of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The association, which defines itself as “a charitable organization engaged in collecting donations and assisting those in need” is, in effect, one of Hezbollah’s civilian arms for creating social and economic influence and dependency among Lebanon’s population—not only among Shiites, but also in Sunni strongholds—which will enable Hezbollah to operate freely within its sphere of influence, in both civilian and terrorist-military domains.
Based on an analysis of open-source materials, it appears that the association entered the pilot zone in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh as early as July 29 and established a temporary center for the village council and a service center “to support the residents’ return.” The association placed a structure in the central square for use by the local council. In addition, it placed a structure to provide food and daily meals to residents who had returned to the village and began mapping their basic needs.
On August 5, the association organized a mourning rally in the village in honor of Arbaeen, commemorating the death of Imam Hussein.
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.
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly...
...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...
...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 
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
...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 
...
