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Recent Appearances... Rantburg
Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani Supreme National Security Council Iran 20030405  

Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iranian media reports that Iran’s Army Chief of Staff, General Abdulrahim Mousavi, has been assassinated UPDATE: RUMINT, darn it
2025-07-11
[X]


Note alternative spelling Abdolrahim Mousavi
Related:
Abdulrahim Mousavi 06/19/2025 Air raid alert declared in northern Israel
Related:
Abdolrahim Mousavi 07/02/2025 Two explosive drones downed over Sulaimani in day of security breaches
Abdolrahim Mousavi 06/29/2025 Khamenei adviser rumored killed by Israel makes first public appearance at funeral
Abdolrahim Mousavi 06/20/2025 Unconfirmed reports Abdolrahim Mousavi assassinated, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Force; top Khamenei advisor, Ali Shamkhani said not dead after all

Link


Iraq
Two explosive drones downed over Sulaimani in day of security breaches
2025-07-02
Could it be various Shiite militias on Iran’s payroll?
[Rudaw] Two explosive-laden drones were intercepted over Sulaimani province on Tuesday, officials confirmed to Rudaw, with one crashing in the province’s northwest.

Ahmed Latif, spokesperson for Unit 70 of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Forces, told Rudaw that both drones were brought down within Sulaimani’s borders. He specified that "one was intercepted in the Tasluja area," northwest of Sulaimani city, while the second was downed "outside the perimeter of Unit 70’s forces."

Latif confirmed that neither incident resulted in casualties or material damage.

Salam Abdulkhaliq, head of the Sulaimani-based Asayish (security forces) media team, corroborated the report, stating that "two drones fell in the Tasluja area within Sulaimani’s borders" on Tuesday evening. He added that the Kurdish security forces’ investigation teams were dispatched to the scene and have launched a probe.

Abdulkhaliq also confirmed no casualties were reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, a separate drone incident occurred in the Darkar camp, approximately 36 kilometers northwest of Duhok city. The drone, laden with explosives, caused material damage but no injuries, according to the Kurdistan Region’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD).

The Darkar camp shelters Yazidis displaced from the Shingal (Sinjar) district following the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
 (ISIS) assault in 2014.

"It is the first time our camp and subdistrict have experienced such an incident," Jawhar Mohammed, head of the Darkar subdistrict, told Rudaw on Tuesday, adding that the source of the drone remains unknown.

"It is the first time our camp and subdistrict have experienced such an incident," Jawhar Mohammed, head of the Darkar subdistrict, told Rudaw. He said the drone crashed near the camp’s school, igniting a fire that was quickly contained.

Civil defense teams from Duhok province’s Zakho city reported that three cabins at the camp caught fire as a result of the drone crash.

In a separate security incident the same day, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha reported that three Katyusha rockets struck the city overnight. One rocket hit a residential home, while two others landed between the civilian and military zones of Kirkuk International Airport.

According to airport administration officials, the rockets struck at around 11:30 pm local time, injuring one airport employee.
Related:
Sulaimani province: 2025-07-01 First batch of PKK fighters to disarm soon: Sources
Sulaimani province: 2025-06-22 Suspected Iranian drones, missile fragments fall in Kurdistan Region
Sulaimani province: 2025-06-20 Two Kurdish migrants allegedly killed in France’s Dunkirk jungle
Related:
Sulaimani city: 2025-06-20 Unconfirmed reports Abdolrahim Mousavi assassinated, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Force; top Khamenei advisor, Ali Shamkhani said not dead after all
Sulaimani city: 2022-11-15 IRGC strikes Kurdistan Region with Kamikaze drones, ballistic missiles as protests continue at home
Sulaimani city: 2022-10-21 Seven HDP members detained in Sulaimani: Official
Related:
Kirkuk: 2025-06-30 Kurdish, Iraqi forces eliminate ‘three terrorist’ in Kirkuk
Kirkuk: 2025-06-28 Iraqi army details anti-ISIS operation in Kirkuk
Kirkuk: 2025-06-27 Iraq arrests pro-Iran commentator who claimed radar struck by drone aided Israel
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Khamenei adviser rumored killed by Israel makes first public appearance at funeral
2025-06-29
If at first Israel doesn’t succeed…
[Rudaw] Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
, was severely injured in Israel’s first wave of strikes. On Saturday he made his first public appearance at a funeral for dozens of people killed in the war with Israel, and he described the moment the room he was in was hit.

Shamkhani said he was asleep in his room when it collapsed under an Israeli strike, leaving him trapped beneath the rubble for three hours. "My whole room collapsed, a lot of debris fell on me," he told state TV. "At first, I thought it was an earthquake."

With limited oxygen, Shamkhani began digging with his foot in an attempt to free himself. "I was taking small, sharp breaths. It wasn’t even a breath," he recalled.

Rescue workers searching for survivors heard him shouting and called out, "He’s here!"

"I wasn’t afraid for a moment. I said I was going to die... I’ve lived my life. Let’s see how long I live," he said.
"We're taking bets"
Shamkhani, a key figure in Iran’s military and political establishment, has held senior roles across both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regular army.

He served as defense minister from 1997 to 2005 and later as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2013 to 2023, where he oversaw national security and nuclear diplomacy. Known for bridging reformist and conservative camps, Shamkhani has played a lasting role in shaping Iran’s regional and strategic policies.

He was wrongly reported killed in Israel’s first strikes on Iranian military leadership and nuclear sites on June 13.

"They knew why they targeted me, and I know why they targeted me," Shamkhani said.

On June 21 he posted on social media that he had been injured.

In its operation against Iran, Israel targeted the top echelon of Iran’s military, killing many senior commanders including IRGC commander General Hossein Salami, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, head of IRGC’s main operational command General Gholam Ali Rashid, and head of the IRGC’s aerospace division General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

"These soldiers, my dear brothers, who were all martyred, were friends, comrades, and fellow soldiers," said Shamkhani. He described them as "the minds and pillars of Iran’s authority" with whom he used to plot strategy.

The commanders were all quickly replaced 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...
began a retaliation campaign that had been pre-planned as a contingency.

"We predicted that we would be attacked, so what happened next was based on the decisions of the Supreme Leader during these meetings. We knew what to do if this happened and we knew what our capabilities were," Shamkhani said.

His interview was done on the sidelines of a large, state funeral ceremony for around 60 people, including military personnel, scientists, and civilians killed in the war with Israel. The event grew massive crowds.

President Masoud Pezeshkian joined brass hats at the funeral, as did Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba.

The conflict brought an end to indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has ruled out the possibility of resuming the talks, though US President Donald Trump
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
 has said he expects they will meet.

Shamkhani said that the US was not negotiating with Iran with the goal of reaching a nuclear deal, but in order to "provoke the internal situation in the country and force them to protest."

Those behind the conflict believed "that with a single action, Iran’s internal situation will be ripe for an uprising," he said, but added that Iranians have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to national illusory sovereignty.

"Now it is our duty to resolve even the smallest disagreement [with the people]," he added.
Related:
Ali Shamkhani 06/27/2025 The 'Resurrection' of Iranian general Qaani: What Damage Israel Has Really Inflicted on Iran
Ali Shamkhani 06/24/2025 In leaked call, Israeli operative tells Iranian general: ‘You have 12 hours to escape’
Ali Shamkhani 06/20/2025 Unconfirmed reports Abdolrahim Mousavi assassinated, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Force; top Khamenei advisor, Ali Shamkhani said not dead after all

Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
The 'Resurrection' of Iranian general Qaani: What Damage Israel Has Really Inflicted on Iran
2025-06-27
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] Two weeks after the start of Israel's Operation Lion Force against Iran, the parties have put their guns away and are focusing on summing up the results. And everyone is coming up with different results.

The main controversy revolves around the first day of the clashes. The more time passes, the more the results of the operation declared by Tel Aviv diverge from reality.

And, paradoxically, the Israeli authorities have driven themselves into an image trap.

WITH AN EYE ON COLLAPSE
On June 13, almost simultaneously with the first air raids, Israeli intelligence services began a large-scale information game. The press and networks were filled with reports of the liquidation of key military and civilian officials of the Islamic Republic, the destruction of airfields and "missile cities", the death of leading nuclear physicists and fires at nuclear facilities.

Tel Aviv trumpeted: every second representative of the Iranian high command was killed.

The activity of Israeli agents sent into the country contributed to the escalation of panic. Mossad and military intelligence commandos approached headquarters and army facilities, adding to the statistics of targets hit.

The destabilization of Iranian society was carried out, among other things, from within. Mossad agents who spoke Persian called generals and representatives of the special services, threatening them and their family members with immediate liquidation if they refused to address the nation with calls to overthrow the regime.
The interesting thing being that they had the private phone numbers of such eminent persons, and apparently knew who answered the phone. Is Santa Claus a member of Mossad?
The operation was approached with intelligence: the agents managed to obtain not only the basic identification data of high-ranking officials, but also information about their dietary and daily habits, travel routes, and immediate circle of friends and acquaintances. It seemed that the highest ranks of Iran were visible to Tel Aviv as if in the palm of their hand.
They used to call people in Hezbollah, but it was easy enough to get the White Pages for that country before unlisted and cell phone numbers were a thing. In my ignorance, the current iteration suggests a thorough hacking of Iran’s phone system plus voice recognition.
The Israelis planned to release these videos to cause a government collapse in Iran.

ERROR IN CALCULATIONS
The operation to mislead the Iranian elite had every chance of success, especially in the first few hours of Lion Force, when the country's top leadership was in disarray and contact with some commanders was lost.

And the ongoing attacks on areas that were previously considered unreachable only increased the negative effect.

However, the Israelis were let down by their overconfidence.

They were convinced that videos of repentance from surviving Iranian commanders would follow one after another, and so they did not prepare alternative propaganda materials - for example, deepfakes designed for a mass audience.

By the time Tel Aviv realized that there would be no “repentance” from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian authorities had managed to recover from the initial shock and take measures to minimize information impacts. A special Internet governance regime was introduced in the country, and public statements by military personnel and officials were placed under strict control.

Moreover, in an effort to create a beautiful picture for the Western observer, the Israelis went for a substitution of concepts, putting an equal sign between the army structures and the IRGC.

As a result, it seemed that the Iranian army had indeed been left without command and control. This version was eagerly picked up by Western politicians, who vied with each other in predicting the end of the Islamic Republic.

At some point, Tel Aviv also began to believe in this state of affairs.

COLLISION WITH REALITY
As events unfolded, the Israelis, who had believed in the imminent collapse of Iranian statehood, began to encounter unpleasant surprises. The first clash with reality occurred on June 13, when Iran announced the launch of Operation True Promise 3.

Iran not only launched missiles (most of which, according to Tel Aviv, were destroyed in their silos) toward the Jewish state, but also created a constant burden on the enemy's air defense system. The strikes repeatedly hit their target.
The occasional strike did, not anywhere close to the number of missiles that took off.
This was in stark contrast to the Israelis' bravura announcement that their airspace was now "completely safe."

The second challenge was the sudden rise of patriotism in Iran for Tel Aviv. The hope of breaking the regime from within did not come true: ordinary citizens not only did not renounce the ayatollahs, but also joined in catching Israeli saboteurs operating on Iranian territory.

And the “depressed and detached” Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acted too decisively, without being distracted by the search for compromises with either the United States or Israel.

The final blow to the image came after the active fighting had ceased, when one after another the commanders whom Israel had included on the list of those to be liquidated began to appear in public.

Among the first to appear was the commander of the elite IRGC special forces unit Al-Quds, Ismail Qaani, who suddenly appeared in a Tehran square during the celebration of the victory over Israel.

And then came the news that the political adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Shamkhani, whose murder the Israelis called "an open message from Khamenei," was also almost unharmed by the raids. Moreover, during the days of the fighting, he was constantly with the leadership, helping to coordinate the response operation.

IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO SPLIT IT
Against the backdrop of the sudden "resurrection" of Iranian military leaders, protest voices have already been heard in Tel Aviv. Israeli "hawks" and oppositionists who previously supported the strike on Tehran are now asking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whether the game was worth the candle.
Monday morning quarterbacking is easy. Enduring the survival of the Jewish nation requires hard choices be made quickly with imperfect information. That they are nowsafeenough to carp should suggest to them that Bibi was not wrong, andthey need to get over themselves.
Moreover, he continues to talk about the Israeli army achieving all of its goals, although from the point of view of his opponents, the operation was “largely a failure” and the strikes were symbolic.
As they would say if God himself came down from the mountain in his burning bush to tell them that Bibi was following order from on high, because they define everything Bibi does or does not do, says or does not say, as wrong, such is their loathing of the man. Much like the NeverTrumpers on this side of the pond.
Of course, it is also inappropriate to say that Israel defeated Iran solely "on paper". Tel Aviv managed to eliminate at least half of the figures it had declared. Mainly nuclear physicists, who were a priority target for the Israelis.

On the other hand, the main goal – the division of Iran into warring camps according to the Libyan scenario – was never achieved.
The main goal was to end the nuclear threat, with a secondary goal of stripping Iran of Hezbollah and Hamas (with a stretch goal of the Houthis) as useable tools with which to surround Israel and annihilate her Thus far it appears that both goals have been adequately met, pushing Iran & Co between some years and a generation into the future as threat. Possibly longer — that remains to be seen.
It is not worth excluding the possibility that the Israeli authorities will soon appoint someone to blame for creating a false information picture that has created inflated expectations among the country's population.

And given the ongoing friction between Netanyahu's cabinet and the security forces, it won't take long to find a candidate.
Yeah, yeah. Bibi is a wily old operator, forever about to fall off the cliff he dances on so beautifully.

Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
In leaked call, Israeli operative tells Iranian general: ‘You have 12 hours to escape’
2025-06-24
”No shit, there I was on the phone…” The IDF has so many wonderful stories like this over the years.
[IsraelTimes] Audio recorded at the beginning of Israel’s attack on Iran and obtained by Washington Post was reportedly part of a broad intelligence operation

Leaked audio of a call shows how, on June 13, as Israel began bombing Iran’s nuclear sites and assassinating key officials, its intelligence agents embarked on a campaign to threaten lower-level Iranian military leaders.

In the recording, published Monday by the Washington Post, an anonymous intelligence operative can be heard telling an Iranian general in Persian that he has 12 hours to flee with his family before Israel kills him.

"I can advise you now, you have 12 hours to escape with your wife and child," says the intelligence operative, whose voice has been altered in the recording. "Otherwise, you’re on our list right now."

The Post did not identify the Iranian general, who it said is believed to still be alive, and muted his voice on the call. It reported that the call was one of a number made to senior Iranian officials at the outset of Israel’s strikes against Iran’s nuclear program and military infrastructure, with the aim of destabilizing the country’s regime and threatening second- and third-tier officials who would replace the assassinated leaders.

At the beginning of the call, the operative identifies himself as coming from a country that "sent Salami, Bagheri and Shamkhani to hell," referring to three senior Iranian leaders Israel killed at the beginning of the campaign. They are Hossein Salami, chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s military chief; and Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
, Iran’s supreme leader.

The call, which the Post said only that it had received from an "Israeli individual who obtained the material," appeared to have been part of the vast Israeli intelligence operation that accompanied the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The intelligence effort saw groups of agents and weapons covertly embedded in Iran. Along with assassinating military leaders, Israel also killed many of Iran’s top nuclear scientists. On Monday, a semi-official Iranian news agency said the country had executed someone arrested in 2023 for collaborating with Israel’s Mosssd
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
 intelligence agency.

The Prime Minister’s Office told The Times of Israel that it had no comment on the Washington Post report.

Later in the call, the operative tells the general to make a video denouncing the regime in Tehran, "saying we have walked away from this government, and we are unwilling to sacrifice our lives for people who destroyed our country for 46 years."

The operative told the general to send the video via the encrypted messaging platform Telegram. The general asks where to send the video, though it is unclear whether he made one or sent it.

In the call, the operative says that Israel could kill the general on a moment’s notice.

"We’re closer to you than your own neck vein," he said. "Put this in your head. May God protect you."
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Unconfirmed reports Abdolrahim Mousavi assassinated, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Force; top Khamenei advisor, Ali Shamkhani said not dead after all
2025-06-20
[X]

Iranian media claims top Khamenei adviser is actually alive, after reporting last week that he was killed by Israel

[IsraelTimes] Iranian state media claims that Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is alive and recovering from serious injuries in a hospital, despite reporting last week that he had been killed in an Israeli strike.

Several news outlets, including the IRGC-controlled Fars News Agency and the semi-official Mehr news agency, carry a statement attributed to Shamkhani. Last week, the same agencies reported that he had been killed in Israel’s initial wave of airstrikes on June 13.

“I am alive and ready to sacrifice myself,” reads the statement attributed to Shamkhani.
"I'm not dead yet. I feel haaappy"
The news outlets claim that he is recovering from serious wounds sustained in the Israeli strike and that he is in stable condition.

Related:
Abdolrahim Mousavi 06/19/2025 Iran armed forces urge evacuation of residents in major Israeli cities
Abdolrahim Mousavi 03/09/2023 Washington imposes the tenth round of designations targeting the Iranian regime
Abdolrahim Mousavi 07/16/2022 Iran unveils first drone carrier fleet

Related:
Mohammad Hossein Baqeri 06/14/2025 Israel has resumed its strikes on Iran, targeting the underground Fordow nuclear facility
Mohammad Hossein Baqeri 09/24/2019 Russia accuses US of transferring Daesh to northern Afghanistan
Mohammad Hossein Baqeri 09/13/2018 Gunmen open fire on Iranian Kurdish party office in Sulaimani city

Related:
Ali Shamkhani 06/13/2025 Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes
Ali Shamkhani 05/17/2025 Iranian FM: West unable to carry out Military Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Ali Shamkhani 05/15/2025 Trump says Lebanon has chance for future ''free from Hezbollah grip'', Iran says will agree to uranium enrichment cap

Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes
2025-06-13
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]




It's all about them, y'see...







Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iranian FM: West unable to carry out Military Strikes on Nuclear Sites
2025-05-17
So useful to have a conduit to the enemy’s private thoughts…
[KhaamaPress] Iran’s Foreign Minister stated that Western powers engage in talks because they lack the capability to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities militarily.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, recently stated that the primary reason Western nations engage in negotiations with the Islamic Theocratic Republic is their inability to employ military force against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Speaking on May 15, 2025, during the 36th Tehran International Book Fair, Araghchi emphasized that Iran’s defensive capabilities and missile prowess provide leverage in diplomatic discussions. He argued that if Western powers could neutralize Iran’s nuclear infrastructure militarily, there would be no necessity for dialogue. Instead, Iran’s negotiators approach talks with the confidence derived from their military strengths.

In recent developments, U.S. President Donald Trump
...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
 announced that the United States is nearing a nuclear agreement with Iran. During a visit to Doha, Trump indicated 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 Jews Zionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
had "sort of" agreed to the terms of a new deal, which includes halting uranium enrichment for up to three years. In exchange, Iran seeks the lifting of economic sanctions and guarantees against future U.S. withdrawal from the agreement. However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow...
 significant gaps remain, particularly concerning the extent and timeline of uranium reduction and the destination of the remaining stockpile.

The fourth round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States took place in Oman, with senior representatives from both sides participating. Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi expressed cautious optimism, stating that the talks were constructive and held in a calm and respectful environment. He noted that both sides are committed to reaching a fair and honorable agreement based on equality. The discussions focused solely on Iran’s nuclear program, with Iran insisting that its defense capabilities, including its missile program, were not on the agenda.

President Trump has emphasized that the central demand of the proposed agreement is that Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons. While expressing a preference for diplomatic solutions over military action, Trump has also warned that substantial gaps remain in the negotiations. Iran has expressed willingness to limit uranium enrichment and accept inspections in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Adviser Ali Shamkhani indicated Iran’s readiness to permanently renounce nuclear weapons and reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium to civilian-use levels. Nonetheless, disagreements persist on key issues, including the extent and timeline of uranium reduction and the destination of the remaining stockpile.

Despite the progress in negotiations, tensions remain high. Trump has threatened further sanctions and military action if diplomacy fails. Iran has warned that it could expel UN nuclear inspectors if the United States does not meet its demands. The situation remains complex, reflecting deep mistrust and Iran’s advancements in its nuclear capabilities since the U.S. exited the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States represent a critical juncture in international diplomacy concerning nuclear non-proliferation. While both sides have expressed a willingness to reach an agreement, significant challenges remain, particularly concerning Iran’s uranium enrichment program and the lifting of sanctions. The outcome of these talks will have profound implications for regional stability and global security.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Trump says Lebanon has chance for future ''free from Hezbollah grip'', Iran says will agree to uranium enrichment cap
2025-05-15
[NAHARNET] U.S. President Donald Trump
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
 said Wednesday at a meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists...
 in Riyadh that there is in Leb
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
 a new chance for peace and for a future "free from the grip of Hezbollah".

"In Lebanon there is a new chance for a future free from the grip of Hezbollah gunnies if the new president and PM can rebuild an effective Lebanese state," Trump said.

"This is a once in a generation opportunity to forge a Lebanon that is prosperous and at peace with its neighbors," he added.

Trump also told Gulf leaders that he urgently wants "to make a deal" 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...
to wind down its nuclear program but that Tehran must end its support of proxy groups throughout the region -- Hamas
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
 in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s in 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...
-- as part of any potential agreement.

(Iran) "must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars, and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons," Trump said.

The U.S. and Iran have engaged in four rounds of talks since early last month focused on Iran's nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly said that he believes brokering a deal is possible, but that the window is closing.

Trump remarks came after he met with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on the sidelines of the gathering, a day after announcing he was lifting sanctions on the war-battered country.

Hezbollah is severely weakened after its war last year with Israel in which much of its top leadership was killed, and after losing a key ally with the fall of former Syrian President Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Horror of Homs...
, a conduit for Iran to send arms.

What President Trump said in Saudi Arabia on the 13th:
Trump says he wants Iran deal, but Tehran must act fast or face crippling sanctions
[IsraelTime] US President Donald Trump says he wants to strike a deal with Iran amid ongoing nuclear talks, but will cripple Iran’s economy if the Islamic Republic “rejects this olive branch.”

“I want to make a deal with Iran. If I can make a deal with Iran, I’ll be very happy if we’re going to make your region and the world a safer place,” Trump says during a foreign policy speech in Riyadh.

“But if Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure [and] drive Iranian oil exports to zero like I did before,” he says.

“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. But with that said, Iran can have a much brighter future,” he adds.

“This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose… Things are happening at a very fast pace,” Trump says.

He calls Iran the “most destructive force” in the Middle East, and blames the regime for instability across the region.

Offering what he describes as both a final warning and a potential opening for diplomacy, he says Iran has a choice between continuing its “chaos and terror” or embracing a path toward peace.
Iran’s response to Trump’s threat:
Iranian official says Tehran will agree to deal that caps uranium enrichment
[IsraelTimes] Iran is willing to agree to a deal with the US in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions, an Iranian official tells NBC News in an interview published on Wednesday.

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, says Tehran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, getting rid of its stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, agree to only enrich uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian use, and allow international inspectors to supervise the process, NBC reported.

US officials have offered varying statements regarding whether they’ll accept a deal that allows Iran to maintain a limited enrichment program, though, more recently have asserted that they won’t.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Top Iranian officials told Khamenei to allow US nuke talks or risk fall of regime – NYT
2025-04-12
[IsraelTimes] In rare coordinated effort, officials said to have warned Iran’s supreme leader that military threats from US and Israel are real, and country faces massive unrest if it goes to war

In a rare intervention, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
 was urged by his brass hats to allow negotiations with the United States on the regime’s nuclear program or risk the fall of the Islamic Theocratic Republic, The New York Times

...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
 reported Friday.

The US 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...
are set to meet in Oman on Saturday for talks over Tehran’s rogue nuclear program.

According to The New York Times report, which cited two senior Iranian officials who are familiar with the details, Khamenei held a meeting last month attended by heads of the judiciary and parliament. Those officials, in what the sources described as an unusual, coordinated effort, pressured Khamenei into accepting talks with Washington, even direct ones.

They told Khamenei that the threat of military action by the US and Israel against its nuclear sites was serious.

"If Iran refused talks or if the negotiations failed, the officials told Mr. Khamenei, military strikes on Iran’s two main nuclear sites, Natanz and Fordow, would be inevitable," the sources said, as reported by the Times.

The country, already in economic shambles, would be forced to respond, but then would also likely be plunged into domestic unrest if it were to go to war, they said.

The combination of such events would amount to an existential threat to the Islamic Theocratic Republic, the officials reportedly told Khamenei.

The sources said that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, an ex-Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps chief and current conservative head of Parliament, told Khamenei that a war combined with a domestic economic implosion could quickly get out of control.

They also quoted President Masoud Pezeshkian as telling Khamenei that managing the country through its current crises was not tenable. The report points to power cuts that threaten to shutter factories and water shortages in the central city of Yazd, which saw schools and government offices closed this week.

Iran previously rejected talks but has since relented amid US President Donald Trump
...Oh, noze! Not him!...
’s threats.

Hossein Mousavian, a former diplomat who served on Iran’s nuclear negotiating team on a 2015 deal and is now a visiting fellow at Princeton University, told The New York Times that the change illustrated that preserving the regime was Khamenei’s main priority.
Hossein Mousavian, a former diplomat who served on Iran’s nuclear negotiating team on a 2015 deal and is now a visiting fellow at Princeton University?
Signing him on was a real triumph, donchaknow. Their NearEast history and international relations students will be getting the story straight from the horse’s mouth. Wasn’t it Yale who had a former Talib minister matriculate with a full scholarship, despite being illiterate in both Pashto and English? Such an opportunity for his fellow students, wherever he was!
"Mr. Khamenei’s turnaround demonstrates his long-held core principle that ’preserving the regime is the most necessary of the necessities,’" Mousavian said.

While Khamenei relented and agreed to talks, he also imposed his own conditions, the report said.

Citing three Iranian officials, the NYT said that Khamenei agreed to discuss strict monitoring for the nuclear program and a significant reduction of the enrichment of uranium. However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
 he has said that Iran’s missile program is off limits, regarding it as being part of Iran’s defenses. The sources said that was a "deal breaker."

However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
 the report also said that Iran was "open to discussing its regional policies" and support for its terror proxies like Hamas
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
, Hezbollah and the Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s in 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...
More from the Times of Israel:
Then, there are the expectations of the two sides. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintains the negotiations will begin as indirect talks, likely with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi passing messages between Tehran and US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. Trump has maintained the talks will be direct. While not a major roadblock, it signals the challenge the negotiations face — particularly after years of indirect talks during the Biden administration went nowhere.

And while the US side can offer sanctions relief for Iran’s beleaguered economy, it remains unclear just how much Iran will be willing to concede. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran could only maintain a small stockpile of uranium enriched to 3.67%. Today, Tehran’s stockpile could allow it to build multiple nuclear weapons if it so chooses, and it has some material enriched up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Judging from negotiations since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the deal in 2018, Iran will likely ask to keep enriching uranium up to at least 20%.

One thing it won’t do is give up its program entirely. That makes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal of a so-called Libyan solution — “you go in, blow up the facilities, dismantle all the equipment, under American supervision, American execution” — unworkable. Iran routinely threatens Israel with destruction and is the main backer of several proxy terror groups attacking Israel, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

Iranians, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have held up what ultimately happened to the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was killed with his own gun by rebels in the country’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising, as a warning about what can happen when you trust the United States.

Already, a top adviser for Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, has warned what could happen if the US continues to threaten Tehran, including Iran expelling inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency and ending cooperation with the UN watchdog.

“The transfer of enriched material to a secure location could also be considered,” he added, opening the door again to Iran having secret, undeclared nuclear sites as it did when the crisis over its program began over 20 years ago.

But Majid Takht-e Ravanch, a deputy Iranian foreign minister, offered a more positive note on Friday.

“If the American side refrains from raising unrelated issues and demands — and abandons threats and intimidation — there is a good opportunity to reach an agreement,” Takht-e Ravanch said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran demands trillion dollars from US
2024-11-18
That’s nice, dear. Go take your thumb for comfort as you continue sitting in your corner, plotting the demise of the Great Satan and the Small Satan. Allah ensured that you would run out of time.
[RT] The US owes Iran a trillion dollars for the decades of economic sanctions, a senior official in Tehran has said, while accusing Washington of supporting terrorism.

In a speech on Saturday, Ali Shamkhani, who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the US-led West – which he called the “Arrogant Front” – of trying “to use different tricks in the form of their own hybrid war” to undermine the country.

The official claimed that “the Americans themselves openly admit that they formed [the terrorist groups] ISIS and Al-Qaeda” in a bid to create a rift between Iran and its neighbors, as well as to protect its ally and Tehran’s arch foe, Israel.

Shamkhani went on to denounce US sanctions against Iran, which were first introduced after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “Americans should pay a trillion dollars in damages to Iran because they held back our country for 25 years,” he said.

Over the decades since the Islamic Revolution, the US has imposed several rounds of economic sanctions on Iran while designating it a “state sponsor of terrorism.” The only notable rapprochement between the countries took place in 2015, when Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for partial sanctions relief. In 2018, however, the administration of Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, reimposing sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry and finances.

In 2021, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claimed that US sanctions had inflicted $1 trillion worth of damage on Iran’s economy while demanding compensation from Washington as a prerequisite for a return to the nuclear deal.

Shamkhani’s comments come after an Iranian court ruled in December 2023 that the US government, including the US Department of Defense, President-elect Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the National Security Agency, and CIA, should pay nearly $50 billion in damages for the 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, as well as issue a public apology to the more than 3,000 Iranian citizens who filed the lawsuit.
Link


International-UN-NGOs
Iran informed the IAEA, one week after anti-Tehran resolution, it’s expanding nuclear program
2024-06-16
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The Times of Israel adds:
US slams Tehran for ‘expanding nuclear program in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose,’ threatens to respond ‘accordingly’; Khamenei adviser: Iran ‘won’t bow to pressure’

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...
has started up new cascades of advanced centrifuges and plans to install others in the coming weeks after facing criticism over its nuclear program, the United Nations
...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly...
’ atomic watchdog said Friday. The US called the moves "nuclear escalations."

Spinning up new centrifuges further advances Iran’s nuclear program, which already enriches uranium at near-weapons-grade levels and boasts a stockpile enough for several nuclear bombs if it chose to pursue them. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
 the acknowledgement from the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency did not include any suggestion Iran planned to go to higher enrichment levels amid wider tensions between Tehran and the West as the Israel-Hamas
..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
 war rages in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an 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...
 Strip.

The IAEA said its inspectors verified Monday that Iran had begun feeding uranium into three cascades of advanced IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to more quickly enrich the uranium.

So far, Iran has been enriching uranium in those cascades up to 2% purity. Iran already enriches uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Iran also plans to install 18 cascades of IR-2m centrifuges at Natanz and eight cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at its Fordo nuclear site. Each of these classes of centrifuges enrich uranium faster than Iran’s baseline IR-1 centrifuges, which remain the workhorse of the country’s atomic program.

Tehran did not immediately acknowledge the decision. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
 it comes after Iran threatened to take action following a vote earlier this month at the IAEA’s Board of Governors that censured Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency.

The decision immediately drew criticism from State Department front man Matthew Miller.

"Iran aims to continue expanding its nuclear program in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose," Miller said in a statement. "These planned actions further undermine Iran’s claims to the contrary. If Iran implements these plans, we will respond accordingly."

Miller did not elaborate on what steps the US and its allies might take. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
 Iran already faces grinding economic sanctions from Washington and others that have deeply cut into its economy and sent its rial currency tumbling over recent years.

Ali Shamkhani, a former top security official within Iran’s theocracy who still advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
, wrote on the social platform X that Tehran remains committed to nuclear safeguards though it "won’t bow to pressure."

"The US and some Western countries would dismantle Iran’s nuclear industry if they could," Shamkhani wrote.

Since the collapse of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers following the US’s unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018, it has pursued nuclear enrichment just below weapons-grade levels. Western powers say there is no credible civilian reason for that. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful but officials have recently said it could change its "nuclear doctrine" if it is attacked or its existence threatened by arch-foe Israel. That has prompted alarm at the IAEA and in Western capitals.

Iran, as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has pledged to allow the IAEA to visit its atomic sites to ensure its program is peaceful. Tehran also agreed to additional oversight from the IAEA as part of the 2015 nuclear deal. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
 for years it has curtailed inspectors’ access to sites while also not fully answering questions about other sites where nuclear material has been found in the past.

The IAEA’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, visited Iran in May in an effort to boost inspections, but there hasn’t been any major public change in Iran’s stance.

All this comes as the Islamic Theocratic Republic also appears to be trying to contain the risk it faces from the US after launching an unprecedented attack on Israel. The assault — a response to a suspected Israeli strike on April 1 which killed two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps generals and others in Damascus, Syria — further pushed a yearslong shadow war between Israel and Iran out into the open.
Link



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