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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Witkoff: Iran must dismantle uranium enrichment facilities, ship material ‘far away’

2025-05-10

Prediction: Whatever Iran might agree to, in the real world they will never give up their nuclear weapon program. The DoD needs to refill their logistics alongside upgrading their war fighting ethos in preparation.

[IsraelTimes] US special envoy says Tehran can expand civilian nuclear activities but must get hate rid of all centrifuges, as talks set to resume in Oman on Sunday

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who is set to resume nuclear talks with Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
on Sunday, has said the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s uranium enrichment facilities "have to be dismantled" for Washington to take it at its word that it does not want nuclear arms.

"They cannot have centrifuges. They have to downblend all of their fuel that they have there and send it to a far-away place," Witkoff said in an interview with right-wing US news outlet Breitbart on Thursday. "An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That’s our red line."

"I just believe they have no choice" but to accept the position of US President Donald Trump
...Oh, noze! Not him!...
against enrichment, said Witkoff. "Obviously, they can say no, and they can test President Trump, but I think that would be an unwise thing to do."

The comments came after Witkoff last month said the US would seek only to cap Iran’s uranium enrichment, but not end it altogether, contrary to the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Witkoff quickly backtracked, saying any nuclear deal with Iran "must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program."

Speaking to Breitbart, Witkoff said Iran would have to dismantle its three known enrichment facilities in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. On the other hand, he said, the Iranians could hold onto their nuclear reactor in Bushehr, where "they have no ability to enrich, they have no ability to have centrifuges there, they can only use that facility for civilian purposes — making of electricity and things of that sort of civilian purposes.

"If that is what they choose to do, if they believe in that program, they ought to expand it if they want to," said Witkoff, adding that his goal in the nuclear talks was to get Tehran to "voluntarily shift away from an enrichment program."

"If we can get them to voluntarily do that, that is the most permanent way to make sure that they never get a weapon," he said.

Iran, whose leaders are sworn to destroy Israel, says it opposes nuclear weapons. However,
those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things...
the Islamic Theocratic Republic is enriching uranium to 60% — far higher than necessary for civilian uses, and a short step away from weapons-grade.

Iran also funds a regional network of anti-Israel proxies, including 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...
’s Hamas
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
, Leb
...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
’s Hezbollah 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...
’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s. Getting Iran to stop arming those groups is a "secondary discussion," Witkoff told Breitbart.

"We don’t want to confuse the nuclear discussion because that to us is the existential issue," said Witkoff. "That’s the issue that needs to be solved today and quickly."

Witkoff is set to travel to Oman on Sunday for the fourth round of Omani-mediated talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a source familiar with the matter said, as Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news cited an Iranian negotiator as saying Tehran had agreed to resume talks.

The fourth round of negotiations, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, was postponed, with mediator Oman citing "logistical reasons."

Witkoff told Breitbart that the fourth round had been delayed because "we didn’t think that the talks last week were going to be productive, because we needed to get to certain understandings with them, and hopefully this Sunday they will be productive."

Witkoff was reportedly engaged over the past week in talks with Omani and Houthi officials that resulted in a US ceasefire in Yemen, announced by Trump on Tuesday. Sources cited by CNN
...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for...
said the US-Houthi truce talks aimed to provide momentum for the Iran nuclear talks.

The truce did not include a commitment by the Yemeni rebels to stop attacking Israel, and apparently caught Jerusalem by surprise — much like Trump’s announcement of the Iran nuclear talks last month.

Trump in his first term scrapped the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which had promised Iran sanctions relief in exchange for greater oversight over its nuclear program. Netanyahu had railed against that deal, arguing that it kept in place Iran’s capacity to produce nuclear arms.

Witkoff told Breitbart that "we’re never doing a JCPOA deal," saying the agreement had a "mismatched procedure."

"We believe that they cannot have enrichment, they cannot have centrifuges, they cannot have anything that allows them to build a weapon. We believe in all of that. That was not JCPOA," said Witkoff.

"JCPOA had sunset provisions that burned off the obligations and burned off the sanctions relief at inappropriate times. It’s never going to happen in this deal," he said.

Witkoff stressed that Trump, who is expected to visit the Middle East next week, prefers a diplomatic rather than military solution to the Iranian nuclear threat.

Witkoff said critics of his diplomacy included a "neocon element" that "believes war is the only way to solve things."

"Neocon," or neo-conservative, refers in US political parlance to politicians who support intervention in foreign conflicts. The term is often used derisively by Trump’s isolationist supporters.

Witkoff’s comment came after Trump last week fired US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, in part, reportedly, over the latter’s hawkish views on Iran and intense coordination with Netanyahu on a potential military strike there.

Witkoff said his neo-conservative critics "give no consideration whatsoever on what the consequences are" for military action, and are certain that Iran will manipulate Witkoff if it is not handled with force.

"They may attempt to manipulate me. I don’t think they’re going to be able to manipulate me," said Witkoff. "If the Iranians make the mistake of thinking they can procrastinate at the table, then they won’t see that much of me.

"The alternative, as the president says, will be a bad alternative for them," he said. Trump "believes that his force of personality... can bend people to do things in a better way in the interests of the United States government," said Witkoff, adding: "I believe in that too."

ARAGHCHI TO CONSULT WITH SAUDI COUNTERPARTS
Araghchi, Witkoff’s interlocutor in the nuclear talks, is set to visit 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 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...
on Saturday, a day before the fourth round of negotiations and days before Trump is expected to visit those countries, Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.

Araghchi is due to hold talks with senior Saudi officials in Riyadh before heading to Doha for a conference on Arab-Iranian dialogue, the ministry said. The Iranian top diplomat later said meetings in Saudi Arabia would cover the latest on the nuclear talks with Washington.

In a video carried by Iranian media, Araghchi said Tehran believes "the sustainability of any possible agreement depends to a large extent on taking into account the considerations and concerns of the countries of the region in the nuclear field," and those countries’ common interests with Iran.

Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16 on his first major Middle East trip of his second term. The president is not expected to visit Israel on the trip.

Trump provoked Araghchi’s ire earlier this week by indicating that the US would decide how to call the Persian Gulf, following reports that Washington could officially rename it the Gulf of Arabia. Araghchi condemned the decision as showing "hostile intent toward Iran and its people."

Ahead of the trip, Trump had predicted that Saudi-Israel normalization would happen "very quickly." However,
those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things...
sources cited by Rooters this week said Trump had dropped the demand that Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel as a condition for progress on a civil nuclear program.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran claims to have repelled ‘one of the most extensive and complex’ cyberattacks on infrastructure

2025-04-28

[IsraelTimes] One of the most widespread and complex cyber attacks against Iran’s infrastructure was repelled yesterday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quotes the head of Iran’s Infrastructure Communications Company as saying.

“One of the most widespread and complex cyber attacks against the country’s infrastructure was identified and preventive measures were taken,” Behzad Akbari says according to semi-official Tasnim news agency, without giving more detail.

In recent years, Iran has seen a series of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, including its ports. Surveillance cameras in government buildings, including prisons, have also been hacked in the past.

The country disconnected much of its government infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer virus — widely believed to be a joint US-Israeli creation — disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges in the country’s nuclear sites in the late 2000s.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Day 3: Death toll from Iranian port blast rises to 40, MP blames Israel

2025-04-28

Day 1 can be seen here, Day 2 can be seen here.

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The death toll from the explosion in the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee, located near the city of Bandar Abbas, has increased to 40. This was reported on April 27 by the governor of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, Mohammad Ashouri Taziani.

Previously, 36 deaths were reported.

“The number of people who have died from injuries sustained in the explosion has now reached 40,” Mehr news agency quotes Taziani as saying.

On the afternoon of April 27, members of the Iranian parliament reported that many of the dead had not yet been identified. Media sources also suggested that there were other bodies of the dead under the rubble.

As reported by Regnum news agency, the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port occurred on April 26. According to eyewitnesses, the sound was so loud that it was heard within a radius of 20 km from the scene. Local media reported that the explosion occurred at a warehouse for hazardous goods, but the head of the terminal, Pazhman Behzadpur, denied this information. An investigation has been launched into the explosion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the country's President Masoud Pezeshkian. The head of state expressed his readiness to provide the necessary assistance in eliminating the consequences of the disaster. Later, on Putin's orders, two amphibious aircraft Be-200ChS and Il-76 of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were sent to Iran.

There were 1,205 reported casualties from the explosion. Most of them have already been discharged from hospitals. As of 16:00 Moscow time on April 27, 190 people remain in hospitals, including 20 in intensive care units.

The Russian Embassy in Tehran reported that no information about injured Russian citizens had been received. Russian foreign missions in Iran are operating as usual.

More from regnum.ru
Iran's MoD confirms there were no military goods in Shahid Rajaee port

Not a lie that it was said, but the claim is definitely taqqiya. Do go on…

[Regnum] There were no military goods in the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee near the city of Bandar Abbas, where an explosion occurred the day before. This was stated on April 27 by the official representative of the Iranian Defense Ministry, Reza Telai-Nik.

“During the investigation, it was found that there were no imported or exported military cargoes in the area of the fire,” Iranian state television channel IRIB quotes him as saying.

A powerful explosion rocked the Iranian port of Shahid Rajaee on April 26. According to eyewitnesses, the sound of the explosion was so loud that it was heard within a radius of 20 km from the scene. One of the buildings collapsed, and port operations were suspended.

According to the latest data, 1,139 people were injured in the explosion. The total number of deaths at the moment is 25 people. As the head of the judicial power of Hormozgan province Mojtaba Ghahremani noted, 21 bodies have already been handed over to the forensic medical examination. The bodies of ten victims have been identified, including two women and eight men.

Several media outlets reported that the explosion occurred at a hazardous cargo warehouse. Terminal head Pazhman Behzadpour later denied this information, stating that the explosion was not related to hazardous cargo. An investigation has been launched into the incident. The Russian embassy in Tehran reported that no information about Russian citizens being injured has been received.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and the President of the IRI Masoud Pezeshkian in connection with the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port. In his telegram, the Russian leader also expressed his readiness to provide the necessary assistance in eliminating the consequences of the disaster.

Courtesy of Fred, Hodhod Yemen News adds:

It is worth noting that the Iranian Crisis Management Organization blamed the incident on ''unsafe storage of chemicals in containers at the Shahid Rajaee Port,'' according to the organization's front man, Hossein Zafri, who told the Iranian ILNA news agency, ''The cause of the earth-shattering kaboom was the chemicals inside the containers.''

The Times of Israel adds:

Fires still burning a day later; person connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps tells NYT that sodium perchlorate ignited.

An individual tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly confirmed the earth-shattering kaboom occurred in a shipment from China of a chemical used to produce missile fuel.

Fires continued to break out in different areas of Shahid Rajaei port as of Sunday night, according to state media, with helicopters and firefighters continuing efforts to extinguish them.

Iran’s health ministry urged residents of Hormozgan province, where the port is located, to avoid going outside "until further notice" and to use protective masks.

Authorities declared three days of public mourning across the province, and state TV reported all schools in offices in the bucolic provincial capital of Bandar Abbas, near the port, were ordered closed to allow authorities to focus on the emergency effort.

The port’s customs office said in a statement carried by state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
that the earth-shattering kaboom probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. A regional emergency official said several containers had went kaboom!.

The New York Times

...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
quoted an individual with ties to Iran’s IRGC, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
to discuss security matters, who said that sodium perchlorate had went kaboom!. The compound is a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.

The port had taken in a shipment of the chemical in March, the private security firm Ambrey said a day earlier. The fuel was part of a shipment from China by two vessels to Iran, first reported in January by the Financial Times.

BLAST HEARD 50 KILOMETERS AWAY, FIRE ’STILL NOT OUT’
Live footage from the port on Sunday showed thick smoke still visible at the scene of the earth-shattering kaboom.

"The fire is under control but still not out," a state TV correspondent reported from the site around 20 hours after the blast.

The explosion was so powerful that it was felt and heard about 50 kilometers (30 miles) away, Fars news agency reported.

Speaking Sunday at the scene, Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said that "the situation has stabilized in the main areas" of the port. He told state TV that workers had resumed loading containers and customs clearance.

Images from news agency IRNA on Saturday showed rescuers and survivors walking along a wide boulevard carpeted with debris after the blast at Shahid Rajaee, more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) south of Tehran.

Flames could be seen engulfing a truck trailer and blood stained the side of a crushed car, while a helicopter dropped water on massive black smoke clouds billowing from behind stacked shipping containers.

"The shockwave was so strong that most of the port buildings were severely damaged," Tasnim news agency reported.

Saturday is the start of the working week in Iran, meaning the port was busy with employees.

Three Chinese nationals were "lightly injured," China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing its Bandar Abbas consulate.

Iranian MP accuses Israel of involvement in port blast, as fires continue to smolder
[IsraelTimes] Though authorities are still working to determine the cause of the blast, an Iranian parliament member claimed that Israel was responsible, saying that explosive devices were planted in the shipping containers that caused it.

“Israel was involved in the explosion,” MP Mohammad Siraj told the Rokna news agency on Sunday. “It was not accidental. Clear evidence points to Israeli involvement.”

“There were explosives planted in the container, either in their country of origin or along the transportation route,” Siraj claimed. “We do not rule out the involvement of internal factors in planting the explosives in the containers. The explosion occurred at four different locations.”

Siraj did nor provide evidence to back up his claim, and an Israeli official was quoted by Hebrew media Saturday as saying Israel had no part in the blast at the port.

Iran’s Defense Ministry denied the reports that the blast may have been caused by the mishandling of solid fuel used for missiles, with a spokesman telling state TV that the reports were “aligned with enemy psyops,” and that the blast-hit area did not contain any military cargo.

In a first reaction on Sunday, spokesman Gen. Reza Talaeinik denied that missile fuel had been imported through the port.

“No sort of imported and exporting consignment for fuel or military application was (or) is in the site of the port,” he told state television by telephone.

He called foreign reports on the missile fuel baseless — but offered no explanation for what material detonated with such incredible force at the site. Talaeinik promised authorities would offer more information later.

Social media footage of the explosion on Saturday at Shahid Rajaei saw reddish-hued smoke rising from the fire just before the detonation. That suggested a chemical compound being involved in the blast, as in the Beirut explosion.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

WATCH: Explosion rocks Iran's Bandar Abbas port near IRGC base, ~~195 516~~ 700+ injured, 5 dead — was it mis-stored missile fuel?

2025-04-26

[Jpost] The explosion reportedly occurred near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base, Army Radio reported.

A large explosion rocked Shahid Rajaee port in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

At least 516 people were injured and rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, and it is unclear whether there are fatalities, Reuters reported.

The explosion reportedly occurred near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval base, Army Radio reported.

The IDF has denied any involvement in the explosion, Maariv reported, citing sources within the military.

“Wudn’t us. Musta been Allah. Again.”

Footage online shows large mushroom clouds emerging from the site of the explosion.

"The source of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area. We are currently evacuating and transferring the injured to medical centers," a local crisis management official told state TV.

Reuters said that efforts were ongoing to extinguish a significant fire, with the port's customs saying that trucks were being evacuated from the area and that the container yard where the explosion occurred likely contained "dangerous goods and chemicals."

It is unclear why Iran would not have moved the [solid ballistic missile fuel] from the port, particularly after the Beirut port blast in 2020, in which more than 200 people were killed in a chemical explosion.

State TV said "negligence in handling flammable materials was a contributing factor" in the explosion.

Oil facilities were not affected by the blast as the National Iranian Petroleum Refining and Distribution Company issued a statement saying, "The explosion and fire in Shahid Rajaee Port have no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes, and oil pipelines related to this company."

The large blast shattered windows within a radius of several kilometers, Iranian media said, with footage shared online showing a mushroom cloud forming following the explosion.

Update at 1:10 p.m. ET:

At least five were killed and more than 700 people were wounded and rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, and it is unclear whether there are fatalities, Reuters reported.

The Times of Israel adds something interesting — the same information as in Skidmark’s Daily Mail article in comments, below:

The blast was purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant.

The customs office at the port said in a statement carried by state TV that the blast probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazmat and chemical materials storage depot.

“The cause of the explosion was the chemicals inside the containers,” Hossein Zafari, a spokesperson for Iran’s crisis management organization, told Iran’s ILNA news agency.

In March, the port took in a shipment of “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel,” the private security firm Ambrey said. The fuel is part of a shipment from China by two vessels to Iran, first reported in January by the Financial Times. The fuel was going to be used to replenish Iran’s missile stocks, which had been depleted by its direct attacks on Israel during the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The fire was reportedly the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles,” Ambrey said.

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press put one of the vessels believed to be carrying the chemical in the vicinity in March, as Ambrey said. Iran hasn’t acknowledged taking the shipment. The Iranian mission to the United Nations didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

It is unclear why Iran would not have moved the chemicals from the port, particularly after the Beirut port blast in 2020, in which more than 200 people were killed in a chemical explosion. However, Israel has targeted Iranian missile sites where Tehran uses industrial mixers to create solid fuel, including during its response to a massive Iranian missile barrage launched at Israel last October.

There were no immediate allegations of blame issued by Iran against external actors.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran's water crisis at tipping point in threat to Islamic regime's stability

2025-03-31

[Jpost] Iran expert Dr. Sharona Mazalian Levi says prolonged water outages, empty reservoirs, and crop failures may be a recipe for social unrest.

"Iran is drying up," Dr. Sharona Mazalian Levi from The Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University affirmed, painting a grim picture of what she described as one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the Islamic Republic today.

"Iran is facing an unprecedented water crisis that threatens the nation’s stability," Mazalian Levi said. She explained that multiple factors have converged to create this critical situation, with several major provinces now reaching what she deemed "a tipping point."

According to Mazalian Levi, the Iranian Energy Ministry declared last week that the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Razavi Khorasan, and Yazd are facing a severe water crisis. She highlighted the alarming state of the Karaj Dam, which supplies water to millions in Tehran and the surrounding areas.

"The Karaj Dam is now at only 6% of its capacity," she noted, referencing reports from Tasnim news agency that 94% of the reservoir is empty. "This isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a potential catalyst for civil unrest and disorder that could lead to national instability."

Two of the main catalysts for the crisis are what Mazalian Levi named "poor management of the water sector," as well as a population growth of more than 250% in only 50 years. "This includes over-extraction from natural water sources and aquifers to the point of depletion," she added.

However, Mazalian Levi traced the origins of the crisis further back in history. According to the researcher, following the 1979 revolution, Iran found itself internationally isolated and was forced to develop an autarkic economic system. Religious leaders, including then-supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, encouraged citizens to embrace farming and agriculture as a way of life, drawing from texts regarding the Prophet Muhammad himself.

"This agricultural push significantly increased water usage at a time when the country was still relying on outdated and inefficient irrigation technologies," she explained. "Simultaneously, Iran experienced tremendous population growth, from approximately 37 million on the eve of the revolution to around 90 million today."

Mazalian Levi also pointed out that the influx of millions of undocumented Afghani migrants has further strained resources, creating an exponential rise in demand for water. Urban migration has compounded the problem, with rural residents moving to major cities like Tehran, Mashhad, and Karaj, placing even greater pressure on urban water supplies.

"The most important river in Afghanistan, the Helmand, flows into Iran," Mazalian Levi explained.

"According to a 1973 agreement, the Afghans pledged to transfer around 820 million cubic meters of water to neighboring Iran yearly (with an option to lower the quantities in case of water scarcity). However, recently, the Afghan government violated the agreement and blocked the flow to the Islamic Republic, which intensified the already tense relations between the Shi’ite and Sunni neighbors," the Iran expert added.

No doubt the Talibs considered that agreement a kind of hudna, or else it was something the previous government agreed to, to which the Talibs could not possibly consider themselves bound… at any rate, as the clearly superior variety of the Master Religion, they necessarily do whatever they think to get away with.

...The consequences of these developments are being felt across Iranian society. Mazalian Levi described a dire situation where authorities deliberately cut off water supply lines, often for extended periods and without prior notice.

"People are left with murky water and even mud coming out of their taps," she said, citing video evidence from the city of Ahvaz. "Water tankers are being dispatched across the country, medical teams find themselves preparing for surgery without water, and household activities are disrupted without warning."

...The agricultural sector has been hit particularly hard. Farmers are being forced to abandon water-intensive crops like wheat and rice in favor of varieties more suited to drought conditions. Many are giving up farming altogether and migrating to cities in search of alternative employment.

"Crop variety is shrinking, and the country’s food security is being undermined," Mazalian Levi warned. "There are real shortages of fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and oils, leading to rising food prices and increased dependence on imported food."

This dependence is especially problematic given the hyperinflation Iran has experienced in recent years, making imported food prices increasingly volatile and unaffordable for many Iranians.
In short. Iran's rulers are desperate - which makes them very dangerous.

Link

International-UN-NGOs

Iran, Russia and China to hold joint naval exercises this week

2025-03-10

Something to watch closely, taking copious notes.

[IsraelTimes] Drills in northern Indian Ocean meant to boost cooperation between the three countries; South Africa, UAE, Qatar and Pakistan among countries to send observers

The navies of Iran, Russia and China will hold military drills off the coast of 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 ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
this week in a bid to boost cooperation, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

The three countries, which share a common desire to counter what they characterize as US hegemony, have held similar exercises in the region in recent years.

The drills "will begin on Tuesday in the port of Chabahar," located in southeast Iran on the Gulf of Oman, the Tasnim news agency said, without specifying their duration.

"Warships and combat and support vessels of the Chinese and Russian naval forces, as well as the warships of Iran’s naval forces of the army and the Revolutionary Guards" are expected to participate, according to Tasnim.

The exercises will take place "in the northern Indian Ocean" and aim to "strengthen security in the region and expand multilateral cooperation between participating countries," Tasnim said.

Azerbaijan, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistain, 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...
, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka will attend as observers.

China will deploy "a destroyer and a supply ship," the Chinese Defense Ministry said on the WeChat social media network.

The Iranian army conducted drills in the same area in February to "strengthen defense capabilities against any threat."

China played a key role in rekindling diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Khamenei names Qassem as Lebanon ''representative''

2025-02-07

[NAHARNET] Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
has named Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem

... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies...
as his "representative" in Leb
...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration....
, Iranian media reported Wednesday.

"The leader of the revolution in a decree introduced Sheikh Naim Qassem, secretary general of Hezbollah, as his representative in Lebanon," Tasnim news agency said.

Tasnim carried a copy of the official decree which said Qassem will represent Khamenei in handling "non-litigious matters" and "managing religious affairs" in Lebanon.

The news agency recalled that Qassem's predecessor Sayyed
Sayyed

...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged...
His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...>
-- who was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs in September 27 -- had held the same title.

Hezbollah is part of the "axis of resistance", an alliance of Iran-backed gangs opposed to Israel and its U.S. ally.

Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran, has representatives in all of Iran's provinces with a mandate to collect religious funds and perform other duties.

Qassem was named Hezbollah leader in October after heir apparent Sayyed Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli strike shortly after Nasrallah's death.

Hezbollah is to hold a public funeral for both Nasrallah and Safieddine on February 23. It had put off public commemorations for safety reasons until after a fragile ceasefire with Israel took hold on November 27.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards transform ship into country’s first drone carrier

2025-02-06

[IsraelTimes] Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have taken delivery of the country’s first ship capable of launching drones and helicopters at sea, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.

Amid military exercises lasting from early January to early March, Iran’s armed forces have unveiled new weaponry as Tehran braces for more friction with Israel and the United States under US President Donald Trump.

“The Revolutionary Guards took action to transform a commercial ship… into a mobile naval platform capable of carrying out drone and helicopter missions in the oceans,” says Navy Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Alireza Tangsiri.
"Or as a reef"
The Shahid Beheshti, a former container ship, is equipped with a 180-meter (590-ft) runway and can operate without refueling for up to one year, Tasnim said.

The ship is different from previous Revolutionary Guards warships because it can launch and retrieve larger drones such as the Qaher and Mohajer-6.

“The addition of this ship into our fleet is an important step in increasing the defense and deterrence capability of Iran in distant waters and in maintaining our national security interests,” Tangsiri adds.

Last month, Iran’s navy received its first signals intelligence ship.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran’s Khamenei names Hezbollah leader as his ‘representative’ in Lebanon

2025-02-06

[IsraelTimes] Supreme leader’s announcement comes 5 months after Nasrallah assassinated in Israeli airstrike, replaced by current head Naim Qassem

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
has named Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem

... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies...
as his "representative" in Leb
Leb

...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?...
, Iranian media reported Wednesday.

"The leader of the revolution in a decree introduced Sheikh Naim Qassem, secretary general of Hezbollah, as his representative in Lebanon," Tasnim news agency said.

Tasnim carried a copy of the official decree, which said Qassem will represent Khamenei in handling "non-litigious matters" and "managing religious affairs" in Lebanon.

The news agency recalled that Qassem’s predecessor His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
...The late, lamented satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...>
— who was killed in an Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
on south Beirut in September 27 — had held the same title.

Hezbollah is part of the "axis of resistance," an alliance of Iran-backed gangs opposed to Israel and its US ally.

Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran, has representatives in all of Iran’s provinces with a mandate to collect religious funds and perform other duties.

Qassem was named Hezbollah leader in October after heir apparent Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli strike shortly after Nasrallah’s death.

Hezbollah is to hold a public funeral for both Nasrallah and Safieddine on February 23. It had put off public commemorations for safety reasons until after a fragile ceasefire with Israel took hold on November 27.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria expected to join ‘resistance front’ soon: Iranian official

2025-01-23

[Rudaw] Syria is expected to join the Iranian-led "resistance front" soon, a member of the Expediency Council said on Wednesday, despite the ousting of key Tehran ally Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
The Scourge of Hama...
"The Syrian nation will join the resistance front very soon and 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 ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
is also seeking the independence and illusory sovereignty of Syria. In Syria, an inclusive government should be formed, consisting of all groups in Syria," Mohsen Rezai, a member of the Expediency Council, said, as cited by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Expediency Discernment Council of Iran is a top body established by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
that adjudicates on differences between the parliament and the hardline Guardian Council, which can block legislation.

Iran was a staunch supporter of Assad’s Syrian regime, which was toppled by a coalition of rebel groups spearheaded by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else

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) on December 8.

Rezai criticized the interference of external powers in Syria and emphasized its detrimental impact on the country.

" The Americans have strengthened their base in eastern Syria, and ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
is present in the north and Israel in the south of Syria," he said.

But Tehran also faced regular accusations of interference in Syria’s internal affairs during Assad’s reign, when it stationed military advisors around the country and established cultural centers aligned to its agenda during the brutal civil war.

Assadist Syria was a key component of Iran’s so-called "Axis of Resistance®," a network of influence in the Middle East to expand Iran’s hegemony and counter Western interests.

Iran last month blamed the US and Israel for being behind the recent developments in Syria since the fall of Assad and accused them of having a "master plan" for the Middle East after a Washington official said there would be no place for Iran in the new Syria.

The new Syrian authorities subsequently warned Iran against "spreading chaos" in their country and called on Tehran to respect the will of the Syrian people.

Syria has also warned Iran against "spreading chaos" in their country and called on Tehran to respect the will of the Syrian people.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

IRGC takes delivery of 1,000 new drones

2025-01-14

[Jpost] A thousand new drones were delivered to Iran’s army on Monday, the state-run Tasnim news agency reported, as the country braces for more friction with arch-enemy Israel and the United States under incoming US president Donald Trump.

A tiny fraction of what the IDF destroyed in this war that Iran caused to be started, but it is a beginning. And it gives the IDF a new target when they were perhaps starting to become.

The drones were delivered to various locations throughout Iran and are said to have high stealth and anti-fortification abilities, according to Tasnim.

“The drones’ unique features, including a range of over 2,000 km., high destructive power, the ability to pass through defense layers with a low radar cross-section, and autonomous flight, not only increase the depth of reconnaissance and border monitoring but also boost the combat capability of the army’s drone fleet in confronting distant targets,” the news agency added.

The drones were also manufactured within Iran by the Iranian military, scientists, and “innovators,” according to the news agency.

This comes after Iran’s defense industry revealed a new suicide drone – the Razvan – last week.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Swiss national commits suicide in Iranian prison, Tasnim news agency says

2025-01-10

[IsraelTimes] Swiss national arrested in Iran and accused of spying committed suicide in prison, the chief justice of Iran’s Semnan province is quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Link

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