[FOX] Nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, a Smithsonian affiliate in Michigan continues to use its 9/11 exhibits and anniversary programming to focus on discrimination and government actions in the attacks' aftermath, while giving less attention to the nearly 3,000 people killed that day, Fox News Digital found.
The Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, Michigan, features an exhibit arguing that Arab Americans "suffered two-fold as a result of the tragic events of September 11th," both from the attacks themselves and from what the museum describes as unfair treatment by the U.S. government afterward. Since its founding, the museum has repeatedly hosted programs examining what it describes as discriminatory consequences of the U.S. response to 9/11.
There nearly three million Arabs in America, 63% Christian of various sorts versus 24% Moslem, ie. 720,000 Arab Moslems. Contrast that to the nearly 4.5 million Moslem-Americans of any linked nationality — about 1.3% of the U.S. population, only 16% of them of Arab descent if I got the right. The Jewish population went up while I wasn’t looking — reportedly 2.4% of Americans, now somewhat over 7.1 million…
Fox News Digital visited the museum earlier this month, reviewed its exhibits and gift shop, and examined years of anniversary programming and federal funding records.
The AANM has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is also an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian has been under intense scrutiny from conservative lawmakers in recent months for allegedly allowing political bias to influence its presentation of history.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] While all attention is focused on the actions of Yemen's Houthis and their attempts to completely block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on the opposite shore of the Red Sea, a forgotten threat has reared its head: Somali pirates.
African profiteers, largely inactive since the early 2010s, have returned to daring boardings, stealing more ships in a few months in 2026 than in the entire previous decade.
And although they are still far from the records of the mid-2000s, the changing tactics of naval raiders, coupled with the ignoring of the problem by the powers that be, are greatly troubling the international community.
A REASON TO RETURN
In the early 2000s, pirates posed a serious threat to shipping in the Horn of Africa, and during their golden age (2005 to 2010),
…Pappy brought this to our attention, back in the day. I miss him dreadfully…
they were capable of carrying out up to several hundred attacks on passing vessels. Although only one in fifteen raids resulted in a full-scale capture, passage through these waters significantly increased the cost of travel.
However, over time, the emergence of major powers' naval bases in the region (with the subsequent creation of joint anti-piracy forces), as well as increased protection for civilian vessels, made raids too expensive and dangerous.
Moreover, by the early 2010s, Somalia's central authorities had firmly clamped down on the pirates' activities. The army destroyed the pirates' largest bases and arrested most of the influential chieftains.
On the contrary, ordinary sea raiders (mostly from the poorest strata of society) were granted numerous legislative concessions, allowing them to engage in fishing under preferential terms in exchange for abandoning their maritime voyages. Consequently, threats from Somali pirates have been unheard of in the region for almost a decade and a half.
The situation changed radically in 2026, when, amid the Gulf War, US and European naval forces, previously focused on combating African pirates, were redirected to containing Iran and its regional allies, while wealthy Arabian monarchies were forced to redirect supplies to Red Sea ports due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the Horn of Africa increased exponentially, and there was insufficient military escort for all of them.
Moreover, in response to the Houthi threats, many ship owners tried to be cunning and, when passing by Yemen, kept as close as possible to the shores of Somalia, where the coastal batteries of Iran's allies could not reach.
Over time, this maneuver became popular, especially given the growing belief that local pirates were a thing of the past. However, as subsequent events showed, this was a misconception.
THE HUNT BEGINS
The first hijacking of vessels by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa this year occurred on March 24, just three weeks after the start of the second US-Israeli campaign against Iran. A group of armed pirates boarded the Iranian fishing vessel Al Waseemi 786 approximately 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.
Given the distance from the Somali coast, it's unlikely the pirates intended to escort the vessel. It's far more likely that they planned to use the dhow as a floating fortress and, under cover of peaceful fishermen, approach larger vessels outside "pirate waters."
However, the appearance of the European Union Navy flotilla, led by French destroyers, forced the raiders to abandon their loot. The dhow was returned to its owners.
The action was considered accidental at the time and received little attention. Moreover, Europe had no intention of expressing compassion for the Iranian victims. Therefore, the maritime incident was quickly forgotten.
However, in the second half of April, the pirates made their presence known again. And this time, in a big way: they seized the Pakistani-owned oil tanker Honour 25, and just five days later, the bulk carrier Sward, which was transporting fertilizer from Egypt to Kenya. In both cases, the ships were towed to Somalia, and the crew was taken into custody.
Interestingly, European naval forces tracked the location of the hijacked vessels almost immediately. However, they did not risk attacking the pirates or sending special forces to storm them for fear of triggering a major man-made disaster.
Instead, Brussels, at the request of foreign shipowners, chose to enter into negotiations with the Somalis. However, the pirates demanded a price that European officials considered too high. The negotiations reached an impasse.
The pirates, sensing impunity, expanded their maritime operations. Over the next month and a half, they seized the tankers Eureka and Asana off the coast of Yemen, as well as several Iranian fishing vessels similar in design to the Al Waseemi 786. The latter, however, were quickly purchased by Yemeni intermediaries for a whopping $20,000 each and returned to Tehran via circuitous routes.
By the end of July, Somali pirates had four large vessels and approximately 70 crew members in their impound lot. The total potential ransom for them, according to the pirates, is at least $15 million, and the "exchange rate" is rising daily.
NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION
In 2026, pirates abandoned their typical tactics and stopped swarming the targeted vessels. Instead, they relied on cunning maneuvers and bluffs, which allowed them to capture several vessels with a small force.
For example, in April, after boarding the Sward, the Somalis brought on board a certain "civilian specialist" who introduced himself as the "ship's escort" and promised to safely guide the crew through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
When the deception was exposed, the same "civilian specialist" acted as a negotiator and convinced the sailors not to resist. Thanks to this ploy, the pirates were able to seize a large vessel with no more than a dozen hijackers. Sward was subsequently converted into a temporary naval base, which the pirates used for remote raids until July 2026.
The attackers were no less cunning when they hijacked the tanker Eureka, anchored near a port in Shabwa province. The robbers disguised themselves as local law enforcement officers and boarded the ship unhindered, ostensibly to investigate reports of smuggling.
After confirming there were no other armed men on board, they declared the vessel seized and forced it to head toward Somali territorial waters. Somewhere midway through the voyage, the sailors managed to send out a signal, but there was no response. EUNAVFOR forces merely monitored the pirates from the air but did not intervene.
CROSS THE LINE
A new round of escalation occurred on August 17, when pirates suddenly seized a LUTUF cargo ship just four miles off the coast of Somalia. It was carrying weapons, ammunition, and communications equipment for a security forces training center in Mogadishu. The Turkish-owned vessel was taken to the autonomous region of Puntland, where it was moored.
The incident infuriated Ankara, in part because the EUNAVFOR standby ships, despite their obvious superiority in speed and equipment, made no attempt to recapture the valuable cargo.
Then the Turks took the initiative. They dispatched helicopters and UAVs, hastily scrambled from bases in Somalia, in pursuit. A little later, two Turkish destroyers approached the area to demonstrate their resolve. The LUTUF took aim, hoping to spook the pirates and cause them to abandon their loot, but they made no sign.
The next day, a small fishing boat approached the ship, presumably carrying several of the attackers. Turkish drones hovering in the air tracked it to shore and transmitted its coordinates to aircraft, after which the area was struck.
As a result, four people were killed and two more were injured. However, this peculiar "warning shot" did nothing to advance the negotiations: the ship remains under pirate control, and the fate of the cargo remains unknown. This further heightens the anxiety in Ankara, whose forces remain in the area and have not yet received reinforcements from EUNAVFOR.
However, it's also unlikely that the Turks will find help from their regional ally, Somalia. Currently, Mogadishu's forces are almost entirely focused on preventing the country from collapsing and descending into a new civil war.
Following Somaliland's declaration of independence with Israeli support, Puntland, where the growing influence of pirate clans is particularly felt, has also set its sights on independence. However, the central authorities are hesitant to directly pressure these regions, fearing the opposite effect.
Somali pirates, meanwhile, are actively exploiting the emerging security threat and expanding their attack range. For example, on August 20, they demonstratively hijacked the tanker SIBU 1 from the Gulf of Aden, presumably belonging to an Iranian shadow fleet. The hijackers used the same method they used to hijack EUREKA—posing as Houthi controllers.
Naturally, such overt attacks against Tehran and other powerful regional players will inevitably provoke a harsh response and cost the pirates dearly. However, while the Horn of Africa is in turmoil, most simply have no time to pay attention to the growing pirate presence.
Which, apparently, they will continue to actively use in the future.
[HodhodYemenNews] Informed Southern sources have revealed intensive Saudi efforts to recruit a second batch of leaders and operatives from the terrorist "Al-Qaeda organization," assigning them leadership roles within the Riyadh-funded "Emergency" and "Dera al-Watan" factions.
The sources confirmed that the Saudi forces command recruited this second batch of terrorist elements, who were stationed in the al-Samdah area of the Wadi Abidah district, last Friday in coordination with the ’Moslem Brüderbund’ (Islah Party) in Ma’rib city.
Riyadh has been working to enlist these terrorist leaders and operatives into the "Emergency" and "Dera al-Watan" factions to deploy them to the Ma’rib front, the sources added. This move follows the integration of several al-Qaeda leaders and krazed killer ’Salafi’ groups in Hadhramaut Governorate into these same factions over the past months.
According to the reports, the Saudi command stationed at the al-Ruwik camp, east of Ma’rib city, has expressed its readiness to provide these terrorist leaders with equipment, munitions, logistical backing, and financial privileges in foreign currency. In exchange, they are tasked with fighting the 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... i forces under sectarian pretexts.
These developments follow recent missile and dronezaps on Saudi-affiliated camps in Marib and Hadhramaut over the past few days, which resulted in heavy human and material casualties. This coincides with the continued refusal of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) leaders and citizens in the southern governorates to send their sons into "Saudi death incinerators" against Yemeni forces affiliated with the Sana’a government.
Saudi forces had previously failed to drag these STC-aligned factions into their ranks, despite conducting dronezaps targeting STC camps and positions in restive Lahj ... a Yemeni governate located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the stomping grounds on the southern secessionist al-Harak movement , Shabwah, Dhalea, and other areas over the past weeks, while allegedly claiming the strikes were carried out by Yemeni forces loyal to Sana’a.
It seems counterproductive, if controlling Iran’s efforts toward Shiite hegemony over the Ummah is the point. On the other hand, if submission to Iran to achieve “peace” is actually the intent, this makes perfect sense.
[AlMayadeen] Iran's reported invitation to join the Mecca Defense Agreement has raised concerns over the pact's impact on US influence and regional alliances.
Israeli officials and analysts have expressed alarm over Iran being invited to join a regional defense pact, warning that Tehran's entry would fundamentally shift the balance of the alliance and undermine US standing in West Asia.
Mehdi Rahimi, the head of the Iranian parliament's official news agency, told Al Mayadeen that Iran received an invitation to join the "Mecca Defense Agreement", raising concerns in "Israel", according to reports.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the potential inclusion of Iran in the alliance has caused alarm, with analysts suggesting it would fundamentally alter the coalition's nature.
IRAN JOINING PACT REPRESENTS FUNDAMENTAL TRANSFORMATION
Ksenia Svetlova, director of the "Israel"-Middle East Relations Program at the Mitvim Institute and a researcher at the Atlantic Council, stated that Iran's accession to the agreement, if it materializes, would represent "a fundamental transformation" in the nature of the alliance, Haaretz reported.
According to Svetlova, US President Donald Trump is "furious" because he cannot change the equation that emerged after the war.
Svetlova further stated that Iran's accession would harm "US prestige", adding that neither the United States, nor "Israel", nor the United Arab Emirates, nor others would accept such a development.
Haaretz reported that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have repeatedly stressed that the alliance is not directed against Iran, but have referred to "Israel" in the context of framing the agreement as an aggressive and threatening regional entity that requires unified forces to confront.
PAKISTAN SAYS IT'S OPEN TO IRAN JOINING MECCA DEFENSE PACT
Previously, Pakistan stated it has no objection to Iran and Egypt joining a mutual defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the country's ambassador to Moscow said on August 12.
Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi told Al Mayadeen that the agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey "is not a hostile pact directed against any country, but rather an effort to establish a regional security architecture."
He stressed that "Pakistan welcomes the participation of other countries in the region that are committed to achieving peace and stability." "No development can be achieved without the participation of influential regional actors," he stressed.
Posted by: Dopey Photch2701 ||
08/25/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[306 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
If Iran joined the pact and then attacked Saudi Arabia, Iran would be bound to defend Saudi Arabia from Iran after Iran attacked Saudi Arabia.
Almost as good as the Cretan who says "All Cretans are liars"
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
08/25/2026 8:53 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Correct me if I'm wrong , but isn't Iran and Saudi natural enemies over their bullshit "religion"?
Posted by: chris ||
08/25/2026 9:49 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Correct, chris, until the point where they together turn against their common enemy, the Unbelievers.
Iran has been harbouring one of the Al Qaeda Shura councils since Tora Bora — the other, if I recall correctly, fled to Pakistan at that point— and at least one Osama bin Laden wife and some of his children. And very Sunni Hamas happily accepts Iranian money, arms and training for their joint war against Israel and the Jews, so clearly the intra-Islam hatred is situational.
#5
Who are the Iranian leaders being contacted for the pact?
Posted by: Regular joe ||
08/25/2026 12:41 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Is there confirmation from someone other than the IRGC? The religious differences have already been mentioned. I question why the other three countries would sign a pact with Iran that obligated them to the defense of the crazies currently running Iran.
[KhaamaPress] Personal information belonging to Afghan nationals who worked with British forces has been exposed in the latest data breach involving people awaiting relocation to Britannia, raising renewed concerns over the security of sensitive information and the potential risks facing Afghan applicants and their families.
The latest breach was reported on Sunday, August 23, 2026, involving Afghan applicants who had been waiting in Pakistain to travel to Britannia. According to British media reports, the incident is the 50th data breach involving Afghan applicants and allies in the past five years.
The latest incident involved the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which handles cases of Afghan applicants and their family members who have been approved for relocation by the UK Ministry of Defence’s Afghan relocation programme. The information is used to arrange flights, collect biometric data and conduct medical checks.
The IOM confirmed the incident and said immediate corrective measures had been taken and internal controls strengthened. A UK government spokesperson described the breach as limited and said the risk to those affected had been assessed as low. The affected individuals were notified and, according to British media reports, have since reached the United Kingdom.
The latest incident comes after the UK government previously confirmed 49 separate data breaches involving Afghan applicants between 2021 and 2025. Seven of those incidents were considered serious enough to be reported to Britannia’s data protection regulator.
One of the most serious breaches occurred in February 2022, when a UK Ministry of Defence employee sent a file containing information about Afghan applicants to a trusted organization. The file appeared to contain information on about 150 people, but it actually contained the details of more than 18,500 applicants.
The breach was discovered in August 2023. The British government subsequently obtained a confidential court order preventing publication of details of the incident for almost two years. The reporting restriction was lifted in July 2025.
A UK parliamentary defence committee later described the major 2022 breach as a "foreseeable systemic failure," citing inadequate tools and procedures, insufficient training and weaknesses in the culture surrounding information security.
The repeated breaches have raised concerns among Afghan applicants and former interpreters and other personnel who worked alongside British forces. Some have warned that the exposure of their personal information could put them and their relatives at risk, particularly for those who remain in Afghanistan or neighbouring countries.
The issue is particularly sensitive because the Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... continues to target or threaten some Afghans associated with foreign governments and military forces. Many eligible applicants have also faced prolonged delays in leaving Afghanistan and reaching Britannia.
[Hot Air] The next major action in the war with Iran will not come from sorties over Tehran, an invasion of Kharg Island, or targeted hits on IRGC leadership. The US will launch its "economic D-Day" today to force the IRGC into capitulation from a podium. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will announce punitive sanctions on all countries still doing business with Iran at a press conference at 1 pm ET, essentially completing the economic blockade the US Navy has imposed since mid-April.
What will Bessent unveil today that will intensify an extant and comprehensive sanctions regime on the IRGC? Quite simply, Treasury will target the financial institutions that allow for black- and gray-market trade with the Iranian regime:
Posted by: Besoeker ||
08/25/2026 01:39 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[241 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Oil prices drop.
But when will our fuel prices reflect it?
Because Big Oil sure is raking in Mega profits.
[FoxNews] Mette Frederiksen has long pushed strict migration rules and recently warned about Islamic extremism on the continent
From the left? I am shocked.
Denmark's left-wing prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has sent shock waves throughout the European left after recent comments about the Scandinavian nation's — and the continent's — failure to deal with radical Islam among migrant communities.
Her comments come after the mass migration chaos in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, when Frederiksen criticized the actions of Spain's leftist leader, Pedro Sánchez, during a special session on Ceuta in the Danish Parliament.
Responding to a question from a far-left legislator on Denmark’s apparent lack of "solidarity" with Spain against "anti-democratic forces" pressuring Europe, Frederiksen said, "If we talk about undemocratic forces, then Russia is our biggest enemy. The problem is that a big enemy has started to grow from within, and it is foreigners who have come to Europe," according to an English translation.
Frederiksen came to power in Denmark’s 2019 elections on what Reuters called a "platform of radical reforms to reach climate targets, lowering the pension age for manual workers - and stricter migration policies."
While not singling out Denmark's integrated immigrant population, she continued, "It is Hamas supporters. It is people who commit terror against European societies. It is people who do not recognize our fundamental European values. It is people who sympathize with some of the darkest forces in this world. So, Europe is threatened. The problem is that we are threatened both from outside and now from within, but it is not because of a disagreement between the Danish and Spanish governments, but because of people with an Islamic background who do not want the open, free European society, unfortunately."
Sweden-based foreign policy expert and author Daniel Schatz told Fox News Digital, "What is striking is not that a conservative politician is talking about illegal immigration, failed integration and Islamist extremism, it is that one of Europe’s leading center-left prime ministers is saying it in such blunt terms. That tells you how far the European immigration debate has shifted."
Frederiksen came to power in Denmark’s 2019 elections on what Reuters called a "platform of radical reforms to reach climate targets, lowering the pension age for manual workers - and stricter migration policies." Denmark already had some of the strongest asylum laws in Europe before 2019, including a 2018 law targeting "parallel societies." That law allowed the government to "demolish or sell off social housing areas where more than half of residents are from a ‘non-Western’ background," if certain criteria were met, and refugees in those areas are not eligible for family reunion.
In 2021, Frederiksen introduced a new deportation law allowing for refugees to be returned to their country of origin, if Denmark deemed it safe, even if Denmark had no diplomatic relations with that country, and even as the European Commission deemed Danish legislation on transferring asylum seekers to third countries while their claims were processed "incompatible with EU law."
Since June, Frederiksen has been a leading voice in opposition to the immigration policies of Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, telling Parliament, "It is no secret that I and the Spanish Prime Minister deeply disagree on immigration policy… I and we will not accept that Danish society has to pay the price for decisions in Spain that we fundamentally disagree with."
On Aug. 1, Frederiksen joined conservative Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and 20 other EU government leaders in a letter saying the EU "cannot allow mass crossings, the instrumentalization of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible."
The two, currently the only female heads of government in the EU, followed that letter with an Aug. 10 joint statement saying they "are both proud of Europe’s Christian cultural heritage and we want to protect it. We expect that those who arrive in our countries and choose to make Europe their home respect our values and do not try to impose ways of life that we do not share. We believe that this is the right path to protect Europe and our common values. And we believe that millions of Europeans share this conviction."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Viktor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] Sweden has passed a package of laws that dramatically tighten national migration policy and create mechanisms for deporting migrants. Good. Now to enforce it…
The "Good Conduct Law" empowered the government to revoke or deny existing residence permits based on "improper lifestyle." This could include debt, tax evasion, undocumented employment, ties to extremist organizations, and criminal offenses.
However, there are doubts that the authorities of the Scandinavian kingdom will expel criminals from Asia and Africa with the same zeal with which they deport white residents of European countries.
Don’t be stupid, guys.
THEY WOKE UP BEFORE THE ELECTIONS
But first, let's talk about the new norms.
The law obliges government employees to report to the police any person they suspect of being in the kingdom illegally. Following a wave of criticism from the liberal public, teachers, doctors, and social workers were exempted from the law—they are not required to report.
Another significant change was the abolition of permanent residence permits for refugees. Now, individuals who have received asylum or temporary protection status can no longer apply for permanent residence; their temporary permits will be extended. This change does not affect those who have already received such a residence permit.
The Swedish police and the Swedish Migration Agency have been given expanded powers to enforce deportation orders. The government plans to increase the number of annual deportations from the current 500 to 3,000.
Golly.
New rules for the deportation of foreign criminals will be introduced on September 1. Previously, deportation was only applicable for crimes punishable by a prison sentence of six months or more. Now, deportation will be mandatory for any crime punishable by a fine or more.
Previously, the decision was often left to the discretion of the prosecutor or the court. Now, prosecutors will be required to request deportation in all cases involving imprisonment. Previously, there were stricter requirements for deportation decisions for foreigners who arrived in Sweden before the age of 15. These requirements are now being abolished.
Courts will place less emphasis on a criminal's personal connection to Sweden, making the assessment criteria more stringent. The periods for which deportees are prohibited from returning to Sweden will be extended. The ban may even become permanent.
If mandatory and all the rest, deportation numbers should climb much higher than 3000 annually.
Parliamentary elections will be held in the country on September 13.
For the past few years, the country has been governed by a moderately conservative coalition, which came to power in 2022 on promises to end ethnic crime and restore order in the migration sphere.
However, all these years the ruling class has limited itself to only rare, timid half-measures and only in recent months have they begun to stir, rushing to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of the voters.
The new regulations have sparked heated debate in Swedish society. Opposition liberals, having done everything in their power to derail the legislation, criticize the laws for their "vague wording" that creates "legal uncertainty." Liberals worry that this could lead to "arbitrariness" and "racial segregation."
It's far from certain that this belated measure will help the current coalition—the opposition maintains its lead in the polls. And if they gain power, they could significantly soften the new laws, or even repeal them altogether.
REPRISALS AGAINST THE ELDERLY
It's impossible not to note the peculiar approach of Swedish government agencies to the issue of deportation—they are happy to expel people, but often those who pose no threat to the state.
In 2021–2022, Sweden expelled around 1,100 British citizens, due to the expiration of the post-Brexit transition period and the tightening of immigration regulations due to the pandemic.
The case of 74-year-old British woman Kathleen Poole, which became a symbol of bureaucratic cruelty, was particularly high-profile. Kathleen moved to Sweden in 2004 to be closer to her only son, his Swedish wife, and four grandchildren.
At the age of 63, she developed Alzheimer's disease and spent the last ten years of her life in a nursing home, completely bedridden. She was unable to feed, bathe, or speak independently.
Problems began after the UK left the EU. Kathleen, who had a permanent residence permit, had to reapply for permanent residency. Her family did so within the required deadline, but the application was rejected.
The reason was the lack of a valid British passport. The family explained that Kathleen was unable to renew her document due to illness, but immigration officials proved adamant. The situation culminated in the police appearing at the nursing home in January 2023.
The case sparked outrage in the UK and abroad. British media called the Swedish authorities' decision cruel. Several members of the British Parliament demanded an immediate halt to the deportation. The European Commission and the British Foreign Office became involved in the case.
On April 4, 2023, the Swedish Migration Agency announced a stay of deportation. This did not reverse the decision, but merely paused the process until a medical assessment of the woman's condition could be conducted. Katherine died during this assessment.
Another victim was 74-year-old British man Horace Mason, who had lived in Sweden for 25 years. He suffers from severe vascular dementia and Parkinson's disease and is wheelchair-bound, requiring round-the-clock care. Unsurprisingly, he spent his final years in a nursing home.
In November 2025, the Migration Agency ordered his deportation. In July 2026, the Migration Court of Appeal upheld the decision, ruling that the need to "regulate immigration" outweighed the needs of a disabled person. He was ordered to leave the country.
His son, Karl, who is his guardian, called the decision inhumane. He noted that Horace's move to Britain was life-threatening. Mason, who considers Sweden his home, was confused and frightened. He kept asking his son if the police would knock on the door.
At the same time, the case of 78-year-old British woman Joyce Thomas came to light. She lived in Sweden for 21 years, moving there because of her husband, who greatly admired the Scandinavian kingdom.
During a trip to the UK in 2022, they learned that due to stricter immigration rules after Brexit, they would need to submit a special application for residency. Gwyn Thomas died of cancer in 2023, without completing the process. After his death, Joyce submitted an application, but it was rejected as late.
She still lives in her home in Hammarö, near her son and grandchildren, not far from her husband's grave. In November 2025, she was given four weeks to leave Sweden, but she appealed.
Thomas called the situation "incredible," emphasizing that she has no criminal record and has always lived independently. She fears that after deportation, she will be unable to see her son and grandchildren or visit her husband's grave. The administrative court rejected her appeal and upheld the deportation decision.
Joyce is awaiting a letter from the immigration agency, which will give her about a month to leave, otherwise she will be forcibly deported. Furthermore, the court ruled that if deported, she could be banned from entering the Schengen area.
Thomas told The Guardian in an interview that she was in terrible pain and couldn't believe they wanted to deport her after so many years of living a respectable life in Sweden. She pleaded, "I want to die in Sweden and be buried next to my husband."
INEXPLICABLE SOFTNESS
At the same time, Swedish immigration officials have a whole series of scandals of a different kind to their credit – they stubbornly refused to deport hardened criminals among Third World migrants.
In October 2025, a Swedish court refused to deport 18-year-old Eritrean refugee Yazid Mohamed, who was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl in a pedestrian tunnel.
Mohamed was sentenced to three years in prison. The prosecutor insisted on deportation after serving his sentence, but the appeals court rejected the request.
The court ruled that deportation of a refugee is only possible for an "exceptionally serious" crime. This case was not deemed as such because it "was not of sufficient duration."
The decision sparked outrage in Sweden and abroad. Even the US president's son, Donald Trump Jr., called the verdict absurd. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also expressed dissatisfaction, vowing to introduce "the toughest deportation laws in Northern Europe."
Another egregious case occurred in July 2025. A court overturned the deportation of 27-year-old Eritrean refugee Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed, despite his lengthy criminal history. Ahmed arrived in Sweden in 2018. Since then, he has been convicted of numerous crimes, including assault, threats, harassment, and attacks on police officers and prison guards. Specifically, he repeatedly threw urine and feces at officers.
In total, he served six prison sentences and was involved in at least 196 incidents. Staff at the maximum-security prison in Kumla claimed he attacked them almost every time he was taken out of his cell.
The trial court ordered Akhmed's deportation, finding him a danger to society. However, the appellate court overturned the decision, also finding the crimes not "exceptionally serious."
Until recently, Swedish law permitted the deportation of refugees only for "exceptionally serious" crimes. Judicial practice interpreted this term extremely narrowly, allowing even hardened criminals to remain in the country.
The problem is compounded by the fact that some prisoners refuse to cooperate and do not provide documents for deportation, and many countries (Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan) either refuse to accept their citizens or cannot confirm their identity.
Therefore, at the beginning of 2026, approximately 430 people remained in Sweden who had served their sentences but were not deported. Some of them were released, where they could commit new crimes.
Against this backdrop, the hasty legislative decisions before the elections are unlikely to help improve the crime situation on the streets of Swedish cities.
German nurse on how security in the ERs has changed due to mass-immigration:
“If 2 Arab boys need to be taken care of, I’m not sending two girls in. As soon as certain surnames come up, we bring in the police.”
[IsraelAlma] The sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on August 20 against ten individuals exposed an infrastructure that operated to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in cash to Hezbollah. According to OFAC’s announcement, the network used couriers traveling on commercial flights between Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon, thereby enabling Hezbollah to obtain foreign currency outside the banking system and circumvent sanctions.
It is important to emphasize that the use of cash couriers to transfer Iranian funding to Hezbollah is not a new phenomenon, but a longstanding method of operation that has been known for years. In our assessment, the scale of this activity has declined recently following the disruption of transfer networks and increased oversight. However, the route has not been closed and continues to serve Iran and Hezbollah.
According to the United States, the network was centered around Turkish businessman Yunus Alper Yilmaz. He managed the courier operation, used Turkey’s currency-exchange infrastructure as a front for his activities, and provided shell companies and bank accounts for transfers linked to the Quds Force. Three of his associates collected the funds and coordinated the logistical activity, while six additional couriers carried the cash on flights to Lebanon.
The exposure reinforces a pattern we have previously identified: following the disruption of direct transfer routes from Iran and the overland corridor through Syria, Turkey became a convenient alternative hub for Iran’s smuggling network. It offers extensive commercial air traffic, a broad currency-exchange infrastructure, and companies and accounts through which the origin and destination of the funds can be concealed. In January 2025, we also identified unusual activity by Mahan Air, which is affiliated with the Quds Force, along a route to Beirut through Turkish airspace.
Based on the commercial flight routes operating in the region, possible transfer routes include flights from Iran to Turkey and then to Lebanon; from Iran to the United Arab Emirates and then to Lebanon; and from Iran to Iraq, from where couriers can continue on a direct flight to Beirut or travel via Turkey and then to Lebanon. This does not establish that all these routes were used by the exposed network. However, the variety of routes and the possibility of traveling through several countries provide the courier network with flexibility, allow it to switch routes, and make it more difficult to identify the origin of the funds and track their movement.
Alongside the international transfer routes, Hezbollah also relies on local infrastructure that enables the receipt of funds and other materiel in Lebanon. As we previously reported, Hussein Ali Nasr, also known as “Abu Ali Hassan,” the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, was responsible for smuggling weapons and funds into Lebanon as part of the organization’s reconstruction and military buildup efforts. Nasr, who was eliminated in an airstrike on April 20, 2025, worked in cooperation with the Quds Force, including through contacts with employees at Beirut International Airport who secretly assisted the smuggling activity. Around 30 airport employees, including cargo-handling personnel, were subsequently suspended on suspicion of assisting Hezbollah. This case demonstrates that commercial flights constitute only one part of the route: completing the transfer also requires local reception infrastructure inside the airport.
[SDUT] The State Department documents suggest screening of current B1 and B2 visa holders began after receiving information about asylum requests from the Citizen and Immigration Service.
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States. If it happens, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history and would likely face legal challenges.
Unless challenged or revised, the State Department is expected to announce in the coming weeks the revocation of so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two U.S. officials. The action will be taken in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
"We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently," said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.
He declined to comment on the number of visas that might be revoked, saying "as the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis."
The revocations would not necessarily result in their immediate deportation, the officials said. Most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be recategorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the revocations are not final yet.
Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term last year, his administration has steadily ramped up restrictions on visa applicants — demanding more information about their social media histories, requiring the posting of expensive bonds for the processing of visas, and outright banning the issuance of visas to citizens of certain countries.
In a social media post on Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called out people who he said try to use tourist and business visas to get into the United States and then apply for asylum.
"People in the US and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims," Landau wrote on X. "Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law." Landau cited the case of a Colombian citizen who came to the U.S. in 2015 on a tourist visa and then applied for asylum.
B1 visas are generally issued for business trips and B2 visas are generally issued for tourism, family visits or medical care. It was not immediately clear from the documents or the officials how many of these visa holders are seeking or have sought asylum in the United States and would be affected by the revocations.
Current applicants for B1 and B2 visas are asked to affirm that they will not apply for asylum in the United States and prove that they intend to return to their home countries.
In the past 18 months, the State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas for people who have been convicted or accused of crimes ranging from drunken driving to rape and robbery, as well as for people who have spoken out publicly against U.S. policies, particularly in the Middle East.
The administration has also moved to crack down on so-called birth tourism, a practice the administration claims is used by foreign pregnant women to come to the United States to give birth so that their child will benefit from birthright citizenship. Trump has tried several times to end birthright citizenship, but those challenges have been rejected by courts, including the Supreme Court.
The State Department documents obtained by the AP suggest screening of current B1 and B2 visa holders began after the State Department received information about asylum requests from the Citizen and Immigration Service.
[IsraelTimes] AVROTROS says it will sit out 2027 contest since event no longer ‘considered neutral’; decision now returns to umbrella broadcaster NPO, which has yet to make a final ruling.
[Rudaw] Iraq’s average daily oil production has recovered to more than three million barrels, with exports exceeding two million barrels per day, the country’s oil ministry said on Monday.
The increase could help ease the economic hardship facing Iraq following a dramatic drop in oil production and exports caused by the US-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... war.
"The average level of oil production in Iraq has reached more than three million barrels," Salim al-Rukabi, spokesperson for the Iraqi Oil Ministry, told Rudaw’s Hastyar Qadir.
Iraq’s oil production and exports fell sharply after the US and Israel launched their six-week war against Iran on February 28. Before the conflict, Iraq produced more than 4.5 million barrels per day.
The drop has rendered Iraq unable to pay its civil servants on time.
Rukabi said exports through Iraq’s southern ports were averaging between two million and 2.2 million barrels per day, while exports through the Kurdistan Region to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... ’s Ceyhan port stood at between 150,000 and 180,000 barrels per day.
The latest figures mark a significant recovery from July, when Iraq exported about 49 million barrels of crude, averaging nearly 1.6 million barrels per day, according to previous statements by oil ministry officials.
Iraq and Turkey signed a one-year oil transit agreement earlier this month after their previous deal expired in late July. Rukabi described the new arrangement as a "temporary agreement," with exports expected to increase gradually until reaching the agreed capacity.
Under the deal, Iraq is required to export at least 750,000 barrels of oil per day, but current volumes remain well below that level. Production in the Kurdistan Region has been largely suspended following attacks by Iran and its proxies in Iraq on oil fields, with companies citing security concerns.
The Iraqi oil production recovery comes as Baghdad seeks to restore exports disrupted by the regional conflict and reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, through which at least 94 percent of Iraq’s seaborne crude exports historically passed.
Before the crisis, Iraq exported around 100 million barrels of crude per month. Exports fell to 18.6 million barrels in March, generating about $1.96 billion in revenue, compared with more than 99 million barrels and $6.8 billion in February.
Iraqi Oil Minister Bassim Khudair last week stressed the need to develop alternative export routes to protect the country’s economy from future disruptions, saying Iraq’s oil fields have the capacity to restore production and exports to pre-war levels.
[IsraelTimes] Senior official says original Sept. 30 disarmament deadline was actually date for departure of US forces, does not provide updated timeline for arms handover.
A senior Iraqi official on Sunday pushed back a September 30 deadline for pro-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... armed factions to hand over their weapons, without offering an explanation for the move or providing a new date.
Iraq has come under pressure from the United States to rein in armed factions, particularly those close to Iran.
The US and Iran have been at war since February 28, drawing in other countries in the region as well as non-state groups backed by the Islamic Theocratic Republic, many of whom are located in Iraq and draw support from the country’s Shiite majority.
For several months, Iraq’s government has stood by its deadline, but on Sunday, the security adviser to the prime minister, Qasim al-Araji, told state media the process would only begin at the end of next month.
"September 30 is the date for the international coalition to depart, not the deadline to hand over weapons," Araji told the Al Iraqiya broadcaster, referring to the coalition of US-led forces.
Government front man Haidar al-Aboudi had made a similar announcement to local media on Friday, despite announcing in June that factions had until the end of September to disarm.
September 30, he said, was "the date for the international coalition to end its presence, not the deadline for armed factions... Perhaps people are confusing the two."
Since taking office in May, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has pledged to ensure the armed factions that emerged in the years that followed the US-led invasion hand over their weapons to the state.
While some factions have in recent weeks said they would join state institutions, others, in particular those closer to Iran, are refusing.
"The situation is extremely complicated," a government official told AFP, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.
"The government is insisting on closing the weapons file; but faction leaders are determined to hold onto their weapons because they believe disarming would serve Israel and the United States."
The most powerful armed factions in Iraq include Kataeb Hezbollah, a part of Iran’s so-called "Axis of Resistance®" against the US and Israel.
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... , a close ally of the US, has also accused gangs in Iraq of launching attacks against it.
Another Iraqi source told AFP that Iran views its proxies in the region, "especially in Iraq, as a source of strength it refuses to give up."
[NYP] A US ally in the Middle East has finally cut off Iran — and it could be one of the biggest threats to the regime yet.
The United Arab Emirates, which serves as Tehran’s largest supplier of goods, suspended all trade with the Iran over the weekend — nixing $6 billion in cash that went to the regime from exports, as well as access to vital supplies from the outside world.
Dubai — the UAE’s thriving commercial pub — is by far Iran’s largest supplier of goods. The Emirati government finally got fed up with Iran following repeated missile attacks that triggered evacuations for the first time during the war.
The move not only threatens the $21.3 billion trade relations between the two nations, it also leaves Iran without its primary way to collect US dollars, Mark Kimmitt, a retired US general and former assistant secretary of state, told The Post.
[Rudaw] The US officially revoked Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and delisted Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else ...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State... (HTS), fulfilling President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... 's pledge to provide sanctions relief to the post-Assad government.
"In line with President Trump's promise to deliver sanctions relief to Syria, the U.S. Department of State today removed Syria's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism," the Treasury Department stated in an amended decision.
"Accordingly, Syria is no longer subject to prohibitions" under the relevant government designations, the US Treasury stated, noting the removal of the HTS from the "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" (SDGT) list as well as the "Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List."
Interim Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa served as the leader of the Sunni-led HTS, which spearheaded a sweeping campaign toward Damascus in late 2024 that led to the ouster of the Syrian dictator Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... . Sharaa dissolved the group in January 2025, when he announced the interim government with him at its helm.
"As a result, Syria General License (GL) 25, which authorized certain transactions that could otherwise have been prohibited due to the role of HTS in the Syrian government, is no longer necessary," the Treasury Department stated.
Hailing the decision, Safwat Raslan, the governor of Syria's central bank, said that "it is a historic step that restores the country to its natural place in the global economic system."
The central bank was "working to build a modern and reliable financial system," he added in a post on X.
The decision came after Sharaa received a signed letter from Trump in early January stating that he had informed the US Congress regarding his decision to remove Syria from its state-sponsor of terrorism designation, a list Syria has been on since 1979 as one of the initial countries when the directory was first assembled by the US State Department.
The US has put significant support to Sharaa and his government, removing primary and secondary sanctions against them.
In May 2025, Trump announced plans to lift broad, economy-wide sanctions on Syria. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which administers sanctions, issued General License 25 to authorize previously prohibited transactions.
In late June in the same year, Trump signed an executive order revoking six prior orders that formed the sanctions framework, effective July 1. Accordingly, OFAC removed 518 individuals and entities, including the Central Bank of Syria, from the Specially Designated Nationals List.
Of note, he repealed the Caesar Act and its sweeping secondary sanctions in late 2025. The restrictions of the act had heavily penalized non-US companies, individuals and international banks for conducting business in Syria.
[IsraelTimes] The Strait of Hormuz has been the main focus of the six-month war between Iran and the US and Israel, with many commercial vessels targeted in the vital conduit for oil and gas shipments.
In total, 68 incidents have been confirmed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the Gulf and neighboring bodies of water, the equivalent of one every 2.6 days.
Across all incidents, at least 20 seafarers or port workers were reported killed, 35 wounded and one missing, the UN maritime agency says.
About half of the incidents have involved tankers, 20 percent container ships and 15 percent bulk carriers.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) classifies 47 of the incidents as attacks.
Liberia-flagged vessels have been most affected, being involved in 13 incidents, followed by 10 vessels each from Panama and the Marshall Islands.
Iran-flagged vessels were reported as being involved in four incidents.
[IsraelTimes] Iran says it has blacklisted 45 tankers that had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and would take action against any vessels transferring loads with them, escalating its threats over the key waterway six months into the war.
The named vessels could be fined, detained and have their cargoes confiscated, according to an X post from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a new body set up by Iran to manage the strait.
The restricted list includes very large crude carriers, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas tankers, and clean product vessels, among others.
Some of the named ships are owned by the United Arab Emirates’ ADNOC Logistics and Shipping, ADNOC’s subsidiary Navig8 Tankers, and Saudi Arabia’s national shipping carrier Bahri. Ships owned by Klaveness Ship Management, Stolt Tankers and South Korea’s Sinokor are also included on the blacklist.
The US has coordinated efforts to shuttle tankers quietly through the Strait of Hormuz to fill supertankers waiting just outside it.
Any vessels involved in ship-to-ship transfers with the named vessels could be added to the blacklist, Iran says.
The post does not spell out what is meant by Iran’s rules, but Tehran has in the past said ship-owners should get its clearance to transit the strait and said ships should pay for security and other services.
[Rudaw] The US Treasury Department on Monday unleashed sweeping economic sanctions in what it described as an "unprecedented" economic campaign against Iran, dubbed Operation Economic Outcast.
"Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, according to a US Treasury blurb.
The US Treasury mapped the networks, controllers, and financial channels that 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... uses to smuggle oil, evade sanctions, and fund terror in "uncompromising" resolve to target "any source of the regime’s illicit revenue."
Monday’s announcement expands secondary sanctions exposure for those who continue doing business with the Iranian government spanning five critical sectors: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels in multiple jurisdictions, including "illicit nuclear and missile technology procurement, cyber operations, and oil‑revenue generation networks."
OFAC suspended several general licenses that previously authorized certain remittance payments to Iran and Iranian access to the US "cultural and academic system, and issued additional guidance on the sanctions risks of bowing to Iranian demands related to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."
The 60 Iran-linked entities include a network of brokers, companies, and shadow fleet vessels operating across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... , Europa ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... and other regions to transport Iranian oil and channel revenue to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) elite Quds force, its external arm, and other regime elements.
The US Treasury also moved to designate several international companies that operate within Iran’s petroleum sector and enable the deceptive movement and sale of Iranian crude and petroleum products.
Sanctions extended to disruptions in Iran’s Global Procurement Network for Sensitive Nuclear and Missile Technology to target a network of "more than 20 entities and individuals spanning the Middle East and East Asia that financially and logistically support the Iranian regime’s procurement of critical technology for nuclear research and missile development."
In addition, the Treasury announced action against "multiple shadow fleet vessels responsible for the unauthorized transport of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products," identifying them as "an essential lifeline to the Iranian regime, which relies on the sale of oil and other petroleum products to provide vital revenue to fund its military, among other necessities."
You're gonna see a lot of weird shit go down over the next 2 weeks.
Some of these 60+ entities will REFUSE to stop the money laundering. They can't. If they do, financial drug/human/sex/arms/dark web networks they've spent DECADES building and expanding will start collapsing.… https://t.co/LNWe6x1kbr
— Brian Cates - Political Columnist & Pundit (@drawandstrike) August 24, 2026
… collapsing.
They're in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation now.
Gird your loins...the strong ripples of this are gonna show up in some really strange places in Europe.
Iranian oil shipments to Asia have nearly dried up as US pressure on Tehran disrupts supplies. Chinese refiners are facing tighter availability, with Iranian crude prices shifting from a discount to a premium of around $4 a barrel.
… the shortage is the impact of US efforts to block Iranian oil shipments. Loaded Iranian tankers have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf, while empty vessels remain stranded outside the region.
The rial drops to 2.02 million to the US dollar as trading opens on informal currency markets. Iran’s official Central Bank rate stands at around 1.5 million rial to the dollar, but the informal rate is what most Iranians pay.
The currency had already been under pressure before the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with double-digit inflation and negative growth, but has been hitting new record lows as nearly six months of war have taken an even greater toll.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/25/2026 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[216 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Something to look forward to …later. After the war is over and the Mullahs aren’t in charge.
[IsraelTimes] Islamic Republic’s oil minister predicts the field could produce 1 billion cubic feet of gas a day for 15 years, though any new production will likely take some time to materialize
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... said on Sunday it had discovered more than 200 billion cubic meters (7.5 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, months into the Middle East war that has hit the country’s energy infrastructure and production.
"New gas reserves were discovered in the south of Fars province," Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad told state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
, adding that over 160 billion cubic meters (5,700 billion cubic feet) could be extracted from the field, which he predicted could be in operation for 15 years producing over 280 million cubic meters (around 1 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per day — a fraction of the country’s estimated daily natural gas consumption.
He described it as sweet natural gas, which has very little of the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide, resulting in lower operating and development costs.
According to Bloomberg, any new production from the site would likely be years away.
Iran’s energy sector has taken a hit since joint US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Theocratic Republic launched the Middle East war in late February.
The countries have struck Iran’s energy infrastructure such as gas production facilities or oil depots, as well as transport routes.
In July, a senior government official said Iran expected to restore about 100 million cubic meters per day of natural gas production capacity "within the coming months," after strikes cut output by about 230 million cubic meters per day since the war started in late February.
But Tehran, which has been carrying out repairs to its damaged energy infrastructure, now faces planned US sanctions that could put further strain on its economy, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent due to hold a presser at 2 p.m. on Monday after threatening "the toughest sanctions in history" on Iran.
Iran is capping wells. You have to redrill those and usually only western nations have the skillset to do so.
Iran is out of storage. No ships have loaded crude and they are only pumping enough they can refine for domestic production.
Iran can't stop tankers. The flow of tankers in and out of the gulf, while well below normal, is ticking up towards normal and will be by the end of the year at this rate.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/25/2026 00:00 ||
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[137 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] High-ranking delegations from Syria and Israel held talks with US mediation and the participation of Jordan. This was reported on August 23 by the state news agency SANA.
"The meeting took place following recent Israeli strikes on Syrian territory and rising tensions in southern Syria," the agency reported, citing a diplomatic source.
The parties discussed practical mechanisms for ending Israeli attacks, arrests, and punitive operations, as well as resuming negotiations to reach a security agreement. This could later serve as the basis for a more comprehensive agreement.
The Syrian side emphasized the republic's right to rebuild and develop its national army, as well as to enter into alliances and partnerships in accordance with its national interests. Damascus rejected agreements and mechanisms that could limit these rights.
On July 10, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, emphasized the need to create security zones on Israel's borders with Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, The Times of Israel reported that Israel could begin withdrawing troops from parts of southern Lebanon in the coming days as part of a US-brokered agreement.
Posted by: badanov ||
08/25/2026 00:00 ||
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[194 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria/HTS
From #Tehran: Reza Talaei-Nik, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, said the ministry has deliberately reduced public weapons unveilings and military exhibitions as part of an effort to protect sensitive defense information and preserve an… pic.twitter.com/itWbyrdogK
From #Tehran: Reza Talaei-Nik, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, said the ministry has deliberately reduced public weapons unveilings and military exhibitions as part of an effort to protect sensitive defense information and preserve an element of surprise.
Talaei-Nik said the policy began last year and has continued amid recent conflicts. “To surprise the enemy and to safeguard the country’s classified defense information,” he said, the ministry has stopped many of the weapons and equipment unveilings that had previously taken place on a regular basis.
He stressed that fewer public announcements do not mean that weapons development or production has slowed. According to Talaei-Nik, senior military commanders remain “fully informed about all aspects of the production and upgrading of weapons and equipment,” including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones and various defensive systems required by the armed forces.
Public disclosure, however, is being handled differently. Talaei-Nik said the ministry has reservations about presenting these capabilities to the public because limiting such information is “in the interest of the country’s national security.”
He said the Defense Ministry is working on two tracks. It continues to meet the armed forces’ immediate requirements while also restructuring and developing the ministry to provide stronger capabilities in the future.
Talaei-Nik described Iran’s defense structure as a “geometry of power,” with national defense leadership at the top. He said the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the General Staff of the Armed Forces and senior commanders operate under the commander-in-chief in directing the country’s broader defense strategy.
He said the combat structure of the armed forces, including the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces, rests on two main forms of support. One comes from public and Basij participation in the country’s defense system. The other consists of logistical, supply, weapons and equipment support, much of which is provided through the government and the Defense Ministry.
Talaei-Nik said the ministry’s responsibilities extend beyond weapons production. They include defense technology, research, scientific development, production of military equipment, supplying essential items to the armed forces, defense exports, defense engineering, coordination among the government, parliament and defense institutions, and defense diplomacy.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining weapons production and supply during a conflict. He referred to “sustainability of supply, sustainability of production, and sustainability of equipment and armaments,” which he said is supported through cooperation among the armed forces, the Defense Ministry, networks of scientists, private companies, and scientific and research institutions.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
08/25/2026 00:00 ||
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[156 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
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.
...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
[SDUT] The State Department documents suggest screening of current B1 and 
...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 
...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...
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
...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 
