Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

ISIS suicide bombers arrested in Iran

2025-06-05

[KhaamaPress] Iranian security forces arrested a network of ISIS-linked jacket wallahs planning attacks during the anniversary of Ruhollah Khomeini’s death.

Iranian media have reported the arrest of members of a terrorist and suicide kaboom network linked to ISIS, coinciding with the anniversary of the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Theocratic Republic.

According to Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the group was planning terrorist operations on Iranian soil. The announcement was made on Wednesday, June 4, citing a spokesperson from Iran’s Law Enforcement Command.

Security forces stated that the network intended to carry out sabotage and kabooms during the commemorative events marking Khomeini’s death anniversary. The operation to dismantle the group was described as complex and conducted by Iran’s counter-terrorism units.

The arrests were carried out in a coordinated effort involving law enforcement agencies in Tehran, as well as the provinces of Isfahan, Qom, and Alborz. According to the police spokesperson, 13 members of the group were detained, including the leader, operational commanders, and suicide bombers.

Authorities also seized dangerous equipment such as explosive vests and backpacks from the suspects. Iranian officials did not disclose further details about the identities of the detainees or their exact targets.

This arrest comes amid ongoing Iranian efforts to prevent ISIS attacks, especially during public ceremonies and important national events. Similar foiled plots have been reported in recent years, reflecting Tehran’s heightened security measures against krazed killer threats.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

US ‘can’t do a damn thing’ about Iran’s nuclear program: Khamenei

2025-06-05

[Rudaw] Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
on Wednesday doubled down on rejecting the United States’ "no uranium enrichment" precondition for a nuclear deal, accusing Washington of trying to obstruct Tehran’s nuclear development and declaring, "They can't do a damn thing about it."

Speaking at the 36th anniversary of the passing of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Theocratic Republic, Khamenei said, "The first thing the US insists on is 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...
should not have a nuclear industry, so that we would be dependent on [the United States of] America."

"Our response to the US's nonsense is clear: they cannot do a damn thing about it," he stressed.

Khamenei further criticized Washington’s opposition to Tehran’s uranium enrichment capabilities, asserting that the issue is a sovereign right and not subject to foreign interference. "National independence means that the country should not wait for the green or red light from the United States and its ilk," he said, adding that "a key element of national independence is the principle of ’we can.’"

"In the nuclear dossier, the US’s plan is 100 percent contradictory to the ’we can' [principle]," he added.

Indirect, Oman-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington have been ongoing since April 12, with the fifth and most recent round held on May 23.

The talks mark the most significant engagement since 2018, when US President Donald Trump
...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
, during his first term in office, withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under the deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the US withdrawal and reimposition of sweeping sanctions, Tehran gradually reduced its compliance.

Importantly, a key roadblock in the revived talks has been the issue of uranium enrichment. While US negotiators are pushing for "zero enrichment" by Iran, Tehran maintains that this condition is a nonstarter.

US President Trump on Tuesday insisted that "Under our [new] potential Agreement - WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!" In a statement he posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump added that "the AUTOPEN should have stopped Iran a long time ago from ’enriching’."

Trump’s remarks notably contradicted media reports circulating in recent days that suggested the US might allow limited low-level uranium enrichment on Iranian soil for a to-be-determined period of time.

In a seeming response to the US president, Iran’s supreme leader reiterated on Wednesday that "uranium enrichment is the key to the nuclear issue, and the enemies have also put their fingers on enrichment."

Addressing Washington, Khamenei asked, "Whether Iran has enrichment or not, what does it matter to you? Who are you?" adding that Iran has achieved a complete nuclear fuel cycle with great efforts and that the nuclear industry is not just for energy.

Khamenei’s remarks also came shortly after the White House confirmed on Saturday that the US had sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was in Tehran’s "best interest to accept" the "detailed and acceptable" proposal, emphasizing that "President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday acknowledged that a US proposal for a new nuclear agreement had been delivered through Omani mediation. However,
Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried...
the Iranian diplomat criticized that the proposal contains "many ambiguities and questions" and that many parts of it "are unclear."

The developments also follow a recent report by the United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
’s nuclear watchdog, the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which noted that it is "of serious concern" that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60 percent has reached an estimated 408.6 kilograms as of May 17 - an increase of 133.8 kilograms since February.

Iran on Saturday condemned the IAEA’s report as relying on "unreliable and misleading information" from Israel and repeating "biased and baseless accusations."

Tehran further warned that if certain countries exploit its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog or use the latest IAEA report to undermine its transparency, it will take "appropriate measures" to defend its legitimate rights and hold those countries "fully responsible for the consequences."

Iran’s Khamenei rejects US nuclear deal proposal, vows to keep enriching uranium

[IsraelTimes] Senior Iranian official say Iran-based enrichment consortium ‘may warrant consideration,’ but anything outside borders ‘doomed to fail’; report suggests more talks this weekend.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Saudis warned Iran to reach agreement with US or risk war with Israel – Gulf sources

2025-05-31

Israel is the bad cop; everyone else plays the good one.

[IsraelTimes] Saudi prince told Tehran the region can’t bear more escalation; response was that Iran wants nuke deal but won’t end enrichment; WSJ says US prepping ‘term sheet’ that includes enrichment ban

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...
’s defense minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials in Tehran last month: Take US President Donald Trump
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
’s offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously, because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel.

Alarmed at the prospect of further instability in the region, Saudi Arabia’s 89-year-old King Salman
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians...
bin Abdulaziz dispatched his son Prince Khalid bin Salman with the warning destined for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
, according to two Gulf sources close to government circles and two Iranian officials.

Present at the closed-door meeting in Tehran, which took place on April 17 in the presidential compound, were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the sources said.

Prince Khalid, who was Saudi ambassador to Washington during Trump’s first term, warned Iranian officials that the US leader has little patience for drawn-out negotiations, according to the four sources.

Trump had unexpectedly announced just over a week earlier, in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that direct talks were taking place with Tehran, aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

While the media covered the 37-year-old prince’s visit, the content of King Salman’s covert message has not been previously clarified.

In Tehran, Prince Khalid told the group of senior Iranian officials that Trump’s team would want to reach a deal quickly, and the window for diplomacy would close fast, according to the four sources.

The Saudi minister said it would be better to reach a deal with the US than face the possibility of an Israeli attack if the talks broke down, according to the two Gulf sources.

He argued that the region, riven by the war sparked by the Hamas
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
terror group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, could not withstand a further escalation in tensions, according to the two Gulf sources and one senior foreign diplomat familiar with the discussions.

On Thursday, it was reported that during Trump’s trip to the Gulf earlier this month, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, 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...
, and the United Arab Emirates told the American leader they oppose a military strike on Iran’s nuclear program.

Rooters was unable to determine the impact of the prince’s message on Iran’s leadership.

In the meeting, Pezeshkian responded 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...
wanted a deal to ease economic pressure through the lifting of Western sanctions, the four sources said.

IRAN TOLD SAUDIS IT WON’T STOP ENRICHMENT
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
the Iranian officials, the sources added, expressed concerns over the Trump administration’s "unpredictable" approach to negotiations — which have veered from allowing limited uranium enrichment to demanding the complete dismantling of Tehran’s enrichment program.

Trump also has threatened to use military force if diplomacy fails to rein in the holy manal establishment’s nuclear ambitions.

One of the Iranian sources said that Pezeshkian emphasized Tehran’s eagerness to reach a deal but that Iran was not willing to sacrifice its enrichment program just because Trump wanted an agreement.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel did not respond to Rooters’ requests for comment. The White House did not directly address Rooters’ questions about whether it was aware of the Saudi warning to Iran.

"President Trump has made it clear: make a deal, or face grave consequences, and the whole world is clearly taking him seriously, as they should," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Iran, which avowedly seeks Israel’s destruction, has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
it has been enriching uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and has expanded its ballistic missile capabilities, while several officials have increasingly warned that they could pursue the bomb.

The ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran have already been through five rounds to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, but multiple stumbling blocks remain, including the key issue of enrichment.

WSJ: US PREPARING ’TERM SHEET’ INCLUDING BAN ON ENRICHMENT
The Wall Street Journal reported early Friday that Israel is worried the US will drop its demand that Iran fully stop enrichment.

Confirming that the two countries aren’t seeing eye-to-eye as to the best way to approach a new nuclear agreement, an unnamed senior US official told the news outlet that there are "some disagreements with Israel over how to approach this right now."

The official seemingly indicated, however, that the US could eventually back Israel’s pursuit of military action, "if they [Iran] don’t want to make a deal."

The report also said the US is preparing a "term sheet" as part of an interim framework for a deal, as talks progress, and that the sheet will include a total ban on enrichment.

The senior US official told the newspaper: "If they don’t accept these terms, it’s not going to be a good day for the Iranians."

That report also noted that, with negotiations ongoing, Iran has been digging beneath its main Natanz enrichment plant.

Citing people with knowledge of Iran’s nuclear program, the report said the work "is far from complete, but eventually it could allow Iran to produce fuel for nuclear weapons out of reach of ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s," noting this could sway Israel in the direction of an attack, even with talks still ongoing.

Trump said on Wednesday that he had warned Netanyahu last week not to take any actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran, and said the two sides were "very close to a solution now."

According to American officials, the US hopes an interim framework will address Israel’s concerns and stave off any imminent attack.

"No one in the Trump administration has the patience for a years (sic) of drawn-out negotiations, particularly with the risk of Israeli strikes on Iran," the Journal reported.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

'The Shadow of Al-Nemr': Prominent Iranian Ayatollah Arrested in Saudi Arabia, deported as Tehran disavows remarks

2025-05-30

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] Iran-Saudi détente has come under attack after prominent Shiite cleric and TV presenter Gholamreza Qasimiyan was arrested by Saudi authorities while on the Hajj pilgrimage.

The reason for his arrest was his criticism of the “two-faced reforms” in Saudi Arabia, a country that in recent years has sought to become the “Switzerland of the Middle East.”

Given Kasimian's influence on his flock (both in Iran and in neighboring countries), the arrest of a preacher of this caliber cannot go unnoticed by official Tehran.

However, judging by the latest statements, Iranian officials are more concerned about the fate of relations with Riyadh than about supporting their compatriot.

SHADOW HAWK
In Iran, Qasimiyan is considered a fairly important figure. Despite his relatively young age (52), he is part of the inner circle of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and has protégés in the government and security forces.

His connections are especially strong in the national parliament, where one of his friendly figures is the speaker himself, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Kasimiyan holds conservative views in the spirit of the teachings of the first leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, and vehemently rejects the concept of a “liberal Iran,” considering freedom of morals the first step towards the collapse of the country.

The theologian was among those who for a long time torpedoed the reform of the Iranian “morality police” (Gasht-i-Ershad), and later supported the street protests of conservatives.

Although Kasimiyan has until recently tried not to publicly go against the course of the country's top leadership and has not criticized the rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, he has remained the unofficial ideologist of the most conservative (albeit small) part of the Iranian elite. The one that continues to see Riyadh as an "American-Israeli servant" and a potential enemy.

EPHEMERAL LIBERALISM
Kasimiyan fell into the hands of Saudi law enforcement immediately after he recorded a video during the pilgrimage criticizing the country's authorities.

In an address to his flock, the theologian obstructed the current “corrupt” course of Saudi Arabia and called on his compatriots “not to trust the diplomatic tricks” of their Arabian neighbor.

At first glance, the attacks are motivated by the preacher's ultra-conservative views and his dissatisfaction with the fact that the traditionalist kingdom has made a serious drift over the past decade towards expanding internal freedoms, aiming to become a "Middle Eastern Switzerland" - with gambling, specific types of tourism and an active nightlife.

For a long time, Kasimian frightened his compatriots with such “decomposition”.

On the other hand, the picture created by the Saudi authorities is still far from reality. Clubs and casinos in the country are located next to "houses of correction" under the control of the morality police, and the theological community controls the contours of both domestic and foreign policy. "Liberal" Saudi Arabia is still ephemeral.

It is precisely this dualism that Kasimiyan emphasized, suggesting that the Arabs are similarly deceiving other countries (and especially Iran) on the diplomatic track.

Of course, he had criticized the Saudis before, but this time the theologian crossed the line - he staged a political action during the pilgrimage, thereby insulting the royal house. Riyadh considered it unacceptable to ignore his attacks.

COURSE ON CRITICISM
Despite the fact that Kasimian was arrested on Monday, the information was not made public for a long time until Shiites, concerned about the disappearance of the preacher, themselves raised the alarm and achieved coverage of the topic in regional media.

However, the royal court continued to remain silent. Comments from the Foreign and Interior Ministries were extremely general. They emphasized that the Saudi side had not yet brought any charges, and that the detention of a public figure "has no political overtones."

The reaction of the Iranian authorities, who were apparently taken by surprise by the news of the arrest of a high-ranking cleric, was much more varied. Representatives of various ministries and departments of the country sometimes expressed conflicting assessments.

For example, the head of the delegation of Iranian pilgrims, Seyed Abdul-Fatah Navab, noted that it is not worth projecting the statements of the arrested ayatollah onto all of Iran, since his position “reflects personal views.”

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref made similar points, adding that the “unfortunate incident” does not harm Saudi-Iranian relations.

Other Iranian officials have gone further and proposed extraditing Kasimian to Iran to face charges under national law.

However, there were also those in high offices who supported the arrested man.

For example, Iranian judicial official Asghar Jahangir called the arrest “unjustified and illegal,” calling on “relevant authorities to look into the matter.” Several members of parliament and senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also called for pressure on Riyadh.

However, the more time passes since the arrest, the quieter the voices of the "ultra-conservative party" become. Many - including the all-powerful speaker Ghalibaf - prefer not to comment on what is happening at all. At the official level, the course towards criticizing Kasimian confidently outweighs.

The head of the ideological and political department of Khamenei's office, Ali Saeedi, put an end to the story : he characterized his compatriot's statements as "damaging to Iran's reputation" and emphasized their "detachment from reality." By doing so, he de facto expressed not only his own position, but also that of Iran's highest authorities.

Official Tehran's attempt to distance itself from the controversial theologian is not without foundation. Kasimiyan's voice is listened to not only by Iranian ultra-conservatives, but also by Saudi Shiites, whose share in the kingdom is, according to various estimates, between 10 and 15%.

Previously, this minority has repeatedly acted as the "engine" of protests and anti-government demonstrations, which has formed a firm conviction among the Saudi authorities that local Shiites are almost entirely agents of Tehran. The Iranian establishment does not want to support this thesis.

RELATIONSHIP CHECK
The Qasimiyan affair is a good test of the strength of the new Saudi-Iranian relations. If the parties can resolve the conflict in a legal framework and without mutual recriminations, this will have a more convincing effect on the populations of both countries than numerous exhortations and bravura speeches by officials.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have had a hard time overcoming the consequences of the “small cold war” that began in 2016 after the Saudis executed influential Shiite cleric Nemr al-Nemr, and are unlikely to want to return to the confrontation phase.

Moreover, the resumption of confrontation will hit the image of both powers and weaken their ties with China, which has made considerable efforts to reconcile its Middle Eastern counterparts.

The investigation is being conducted in a "gentlemanly manner." Thus, after the incident with Qasimiyan, Saudi Arabia suspended "until further notice" the issuance of visas for Iranian participants in the Hajj, but Tehran chose not to respond to this attack.

As a sign of gratitude, Riyadh did not emphasize the arrested preacher’s closeness to the highest authorities: not a single Saudi publication wrote about the connections between Qasimiyan and Khamenei, and not a single blogger spoke about them.

There is a high probability that the parties will avoid direct accusations against each other until the very end, so that the “shadow of al-Nemr” does not hang over them even more.

Iranian cleric deported from Saudi as Tehran disavows his fiery remarks

[Rudaw] Senior Iranian holy man Gholamreza Qassemian has been deported to Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
from Saudi Arabia

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

New US intel suggests Israel readying to strike Iranian nuclear facilities; crude oil prices up on rumour

2025-05-21

Brilliant insight that anyone paying the least bit of attention has known for at least a decade. But what can Iran do about it if they do? Israel destroyed their anti-aircraft system last year, and there’s no word Russia sold them a replacement — though if they did, Israel can just destroy it again in a single night’s work.

[IsraelTimes] CNN says it’s unclear whether Israeli leaders have made a final decision to attack, though one source says likelihood they will do so ‘has gone up significantly in recent months’

New intelligence obtained by the United States suggests that Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, CNN
...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for...
reported on Tuesday, citing multiple US officials familiar with the intelligence.

It was not clear whether Israeli leaders have made a final decision and there was disagreement within the US government about whether they would ultimately decide to carry out strikes, CNN added, citing the officials.

The report could not immediately be confirmed. The National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond, nor did the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, which was contacted after hours.

One source familiar with the intelligence told CNN the likelihood of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facility "has gone up significantly in recent months."

The person added that the chance of a strike would be more likely if the US reached 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...
that did not remove all of the country’s uranium, CNN added.

US President Donald Trump
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
’s administration has been conducting negotiations with Iran aimed at achieving a diplomatic deal over its nuclear program, and the CNN report quoted US officials as saying that an Israeli strike would mark a major break with Trump.

The new intelligence was based on the public and private communications from senior Israeli officials as well as intercepted Israeli communications and observations of Israeli military movements that could suggest an imminent strike, CNN reported.

CNN cited two sources saying that among the military preparations the US had observed were the movement of air munitions and the completion of an air exercise, though the report noted the moves could be part of an Israeli pressure campaign against Iran rather than an indicator of a possible strike.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
said US demands that Tehran stop enriching uranium are "excessive and outrageous," state media reported, voicing doubts over whether talks on a new nuclear deal will succeed.

With the negotiations ongoing, a source that CNN described as familiar with the Trump administration’s thinking said the US is unlikely to assist Israel in striking Iran’s nuclear program right now, while an American official said intelligence efforts were ramping up to help if Israeli leaders decide to attack.

The report also cited a source familiar with the matter saying that Israel does not have the means to take out Iran’s nuclear program without US help, though an Israeli source said Israel was ready to act alone if Washington negotiates a "bad deal" with Tehran that is unacceptable to Jerusalem.

"I think it’s more likely they strike to try and get the deal to fall apart if they think Trump is going to settle for a ’bad deal,’" a person familiar with US intelligence told CNN. "The Israelis have not been shy about signaling that to us... both publicly and privately."

CNN’s reporting follows a report in The New York Times

...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
last month on how Trump "waved off" a planned Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program that would require US military support.

While backing nuclear diplomacy, he has also warned of potential military action if it fails. Iran and the United States so far have held four rounds of Omani-mediated talks since April 12, the highest-level contact between the two foes since Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear accord during his first term in office..

They had confirmed plans to hold another round of discussions during their last meeting on May 11, which Iran described as "difficult but useful," while a US official said Washington was "encouraged."

Trump has said he presented Iran’s leadership with an "olive branch," adding that it was an offer that would not last forever.

He further threatened to impose "massive maximum pressure," including driving Iranian oil exports to zero if talks failed.

Trump later doubled down on his warning, saying that "something bad is going to happen" unless the Iranians "move quickly" toward a deal. CNN reported that s senior Western diplomat who met with Trump said the US president indicated he would give the talks weeks before turning to a military option if no diplomatic breakthrough is reached.

Oil prices surge following report Israel prepping strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities

[IsraelTimes] Crude prices surge following a report that US intelligence suggested Israel is planning a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, which would send geopolitical tensions into overdrive and fuel regional conflict fears.

While safe haven gold pushes almost two percent higher, the news from CNN appears to be having little detrimental effect on Asian equities in early trade, with most extending the previous day’s rally.

Both main crude contracts jump almost two percent after CNN reported multiple US officials as saying the government had received intelligence indicating Israel was preparing to target Iranian atomic facilities.

There are fears that such a sharp escalation could tip the Middle East into a war.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran’s Khamenei says nuclear talks with US unlikely to ‘lead to any outcome’

2025-05-21

[IsraelTimes] Ayatollah says American negotiators should ‘refrain from speaking nonsense’ after Witkoff says Tehran will not be allowed to enrich uranium

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
said Tuesday that nuclear talks with the United States were unlikely to yield any results, amid a diplomatic standoff over the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s enrichment activities.

"We don’t think it will lead to any outcome. We don’t know what will happen," said Khamenei during a speech, adding that denying Iran’s right to enrich uranium was "a big mistake."

Iran
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...
and the United States have held four rounds of Omani-mediated nuclear talks since April 12, the highest-level contact between the two foes since Washington abandoned the 2015 nuclear accord.

They had confirmed plans to hold another round of discussions during their last meeting on May 11, which Iran described as "difficult but useful," while a US official said Washington was "encouraged."

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67% limit set in the 2015 deal and a technical step away from the 90% needed for a nuclear warhead. Western countries, including the United States and Israel, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Iran has repeatedly insisted its right to maintain uranium enrichment was "nonnegotiable," while chief US negotiator Steve Witkoff has called it a "red line."

On Sunday, Witkoff reiterated that the United States "cannot allow even one percent of an enrichment capability."

Khamenei said Tuesday that "the American side involved in these indirect negotiations should refrain from speaking nonsense."

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi said "enrichment in Iran, however, will continue with or without a deal."

"If the US is interested in ensuring that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, a deal is within reach, and we are ready for a serious conversation to achieve a solution that will forever ensure that outcome," he wrote in a post on X.

Iranian diplomats have said Tehran would be open to temporary restrictions on how much uranium it enriches and to what level.

Since returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump
...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down...
has revived his "maximum pressure" approach against Iran. While backing nuclear diplomacy, he also warned of potential military action if it fails.

Trump has said he presented Iran’s leadership with an "olive branch," adding that it was an offer that would not last forever. He further threatened to impose "massive maximum pressure," including driving Iranian oil exports to zero if talks failed.

Trump later doubled down on his warning, saying that "something bad is going to happen" unless the Iranians "move quickly" toward a deal.

Iranian officials, however, criticized what they described as "contradictory" positions by US officials along with the continued imposition of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry and nuclear program despite the talks.

On Sunday, Araghchi said Iran has been observing "dissonance... between what our US interlocutors say in public and in private."

On Friday, Iran held parallel talks with the Britannia, La Belle France, and Germany — all parties to the 2015 deal. They are currently weighing the reimposition of UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance. The option to trigger the sanctions mechanism expires in October.

Araghchi said Iran was willing to "begin a new chapter" with Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
and urged it to play a role in the nuclear negotiations.

Link

Home Front: WoT

Assailant who stabbed author Salman Rushdie sentenced to 25 years

2025-05-17

[IsraelTimes] The man who stabbed and partially blinded novelist Salman Rushdie onstage at a Western New York arts institute in 2022 was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday for an attack that also maimed a second man, the district attorney says.

Rushdie, 77, has faced death threats since the 1988 publication of his novel "The Satanic Verses," which Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Iran’s supreme leader, denounced as blasphemous, leading to a call for Rushdie’s death, an edict known as a fatwa.

Hadi Matar, 27, a US citizen from Fairview, New Jersey, was found guilty in February of attacking the author in the Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, New York. He faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge.

Video that captured the assault shows Matar rushing the Chautauqua Institution’s stage as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience for a talk about keeping writers safe from harm. Some of the video was shown to the jury during the seven days of testimony.

"He’s traumatized. He has nightmares about what he experienced," Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt says after the sentencing hearing, referring to what Rushdie suffered.

"Obviously this is a major setback for an individual who was starting to emerge in his very later years of life into society after going into hiding after the fatwa."

Also hurt in the attack was Henry Reese, co-founder of Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, a nonprofit that helps exiled writers. He was conducting the talk with Rushdie that morning.

Schmidt said Matar was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the second degree attempted murder charge stemming from the attack against Rushdie and seven years for a second degree assault charged for the stabbing of Reese. The sentences will run concurrently.

Rushdie, an atheist born into a Moslem Kashmiri family in India, was stabbed with a knife multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand. The attack blinded his right eye and damaged his liver and intestines, requiring emergency surgery and months of recovery.

Matar did not testify at his trial. His defense lawyers told jurors that the prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the necessary criminal intent to kill needed for a conviction of attempted murder, and argued that he should have been charged with assault.

Matar’s attorney Nathaniel Barone said his client will file an appeal.

"I know if he had the opportunity, he would not be sitting where he’s sitting today. And if he could change things, he would," Barone said.

Matar also faces federal charges brought by prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Western New York, accusing him of attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors accuse him of providing material support to Leb
Leb

...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
’s bully boy Hezbollah group, which the US. has designated as a terrorist organization.

Matar is due to face those charges at a separate trial in Buffalo.

More from the Times of Israel:

Hadi Matar, 27, stood quietly as the judge pronounced the sentence. He did not deny attacking Rushdie, and when he was invited to address the court before being sentenced, Matar got in a few last insults at the writer. He said he believed in freedom of speech but called Rushdie “a hypocrite.”

“Salman Rushdie wants to disrespect other people,” said Matar, clad in white-striped jail clothing and wearing handcuffs. “He wants to be a bully, he wants to bully other people. I don’t agree with that.”

Video of the assault, captured by the venue’s cameras and played at trial, shows Matar approaching the seated Rushdie from behind and reaching around him to stab at his torso with a knife. As the audience gasps and screams, Rushdie is seen raising his arms and rising from his seat, walking and stumbling for a few steps with Matar hanging on, swinging and stabbing until they both fall and are surrounded by onlookers who rush in to separate them.

A jury found Matar guilty of attempted murder and assault in February after deliberating for less than two hours.

Judge David Foley told Matar that he thought it was notable that he had chosen to try and kill Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution, a summer retreat that prides itself on the free exchange of ideas.

“We all have the right to have our own ideals; we all have the right to carry them,” Foley said. “But when you interfere with someone else’s ability to do that by committing a violent act, in the United States of America, that has to be an answerable crime.”

Matar’s lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, had asked the judge for a sentence of around 12 years, citing his lack of a previous criminal record.

Matar next faces a US federal trial on terrorism-related charges. While the first, state-level trial focused mostly on the details of the knife attack itself, the next one is expected to delve into the more complicated issue of motive. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted of the federal charges, Matar faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Authorities said Matar, a dual American-Lebanese citizen, was attempting to carry out a decades-old fatwa, or Islamic legal ruling, when he traveled from his home in Fairview, New Jersey, to target Rushdie at the summer retreat about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Buffalo.

Matar believed the fatwa that called for Rushdie’s death, first issued by Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, was backed by Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah and endorsed in a 2006 speech by the group’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah, according to US federal prosecutors.

Khomeini had issued the fatwa after the publication of Rushdie’s novel, “The Satanic Verses,” which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Rushdie spent years in hiding, but after Iran announced it would not enforce the decree, he traveled freely over the past quarter century.

Link

-Obits-

Failed Iran Hostage Rescue Continues to Teach Lessons 45 Years Later

2025-04-27

[DoD] Following Operation Eagle Claw, the 1980 Iran hostage rescue attempt, significant lessons were learned, including the need for the creation of a U.S. Special Operations Command and improved joint training, planning and execution.

Today, 45 years after Operation Eagle Claw, those lessons, as well as the professionalism and dedication of the service members involved in the ill-fated mission, were remembered during a ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery.

OPERATION LEAD-UP
On Jan. 16, 1979, the pro-American Iranian government under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi abdicated. In the weeks that followed, the U.S. evacuated about 54,000 military and civilians from Iran as Islamic fundamentalists, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, fomented anti-American demonstrations.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Trump: I wouldn’t say I waved off Israeli plan to attack Iran, but I’m not in a rush

2025-04-18

[IsraelTimes] PM touts ‘countless’ actions against nuke program, but doesn’t deny US president blocked strike; security officials fume at leak of IDF’s plans; US still supplying bunker-buster bombs

US President Donald Trump
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
said Thursday he was in no rush to greenlight strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the day after a New York Times

...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
story revealed he had quashed an Israeli proposal for a joint attack next month.

Trump’s partial confirmation of the Times report came as Iranian and allied officials prepared for a second round of talks with the US on Saturday aimed at reaching a diplomatic agreement surrounding the Iranian nuclear program. Oman confirmed on Thursday that the talks would take place in Rome, putting to bed earlier Iranian claims that the talks would again be held in Muscat.

Asked about the report that he had "waved off" an Israeli plan to attack the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s nuclear sites next month, Trump said, "I wouldn’t say ’waved off.’"

But then he added, "I’m not in a rush to do it," indicating a degree of confirmation of the report.

Speaking to news hounds in the Oval Office alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trump said, "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 a chance to have a great country, and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that. That’s my first option."

"If there’s a second option," he went on, "I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they’re wanting to talk. It’s going to be very good for them if they do. Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s pretty simple."

The Islamic Theocratic Republic, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, but it enriches uranium to levels far beyond any civilian use and obstructs inspectors from visiting its nuclear sites.

PM TOUTS ’COUNTLESS’ ACTS AGAINST IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
In his response to the Times story, earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted his "countless" actions against Iran’s nuclear program, but did not deny that Trump had blocked a strike.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu has led, for more than a decade, the global campaign against Iran’s nuclear program, including when some people downplayed the threat or called it a ’political spin,’ or the prime minister ’paranoid’," his office said in a statement.

"The prime minister has led countless actions, overt and covert, in the campaign against Iran’s nuclear program — and only because of [those actions], Iran does not have a nuclear weapon in its arsenal today."

"These actions have delayed Iran’s nuclear program by about a decade, thanks to the determination of the prime minister to stand up to major opposition, at home and abroad, to his aggressive policy toward Iran," the statement said.

"As the prime minister has said more than once: Israel will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon," the statement concluded.

HEART OF THE SECRET
Channel 12 on Thursday night quoted a senior Israeli security official as bristling at the leak to The New York Times, which included details on the planned attack and its timing, and warning it was likely to harm ties between Jerusalem and Washington.

"The details that were leaked are dramatic, and [the leak is] likely to harm the intimate relations with the US Administration," the sources were quoted as saying.

"The core of the secret as regards Iran was revealed," the officials said, in reference to the planned attack, including "the method by which it would be carried out, the timing, coordination mechanisms, and the element of surprise. This constitutes real damage to Israeli interests in facing Iran."

The network also cited unnamed Israeli diplomats who warned the US and Iran could be "galloping to a bad deal, within a short timeframe."

According to the Times report, initial plans for the strike would have combined a joint Israeli-American bombing campaign with Israeli commando raids on underground nuclear sites, and included US ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s to protect the teams on the ground.

But such an operation would have required months of planning. Israeli and American officials, particularly Netanyahu, wanted to expedite the process. So the commando idea was shelved, and "Israeli and American officials began discussing a plan for an extensive bombing campaign."

The campaign would have started in early May and lasted more than a week, the report said, beginning with eliminating what remained of Iran’s air defense systems after Israel destroyed parts of the array during strikes in the country last year. This would pave the way for Israeli fighters to directly strike nuclear sites. Such an attack would have likely prompted Iran to launch a retaliatory missile barrage at Israel, requiring US assistance to fend it off.

The Kan public broadcaster reported Thursday, however, that Israel believes the US leaked the information in order to pressure Iran in the negotiations.

BUNKER-BUSTERS
Kan also reported that, despite Trump’s veto on a joint attack in May, the US has continued in recent days to send Israel huge shipments of ammunition, including bunker-buster bombs intended to make possible a strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.

In just the previous 24 hours, the network reported Thursday night, nine military transport planes had arrived at the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel, carrying hundreds of bombs, including bunker-busters, to allow a strike if negotiations fail.

Earlier this week, Kan reported that dozens of American planes had been arriving in Israel carrying heavy MK84 bombs and interceptor missiles for the THAAD air defense system.

RUSSIANS AND SAUDIS
Iran also continued to maneuver for influence ahead of the talks.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
sent his foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to Moscow on Thursday with a letter for President Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
to brief the Kremlin about nuclear negotiations with the US.

Russia, a longstanding ally of Tehran, plays a role in Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the West as a veto-wielding UN Security Council member and a signatory to an earlier nuclear deal Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.

"Regarding the nuclear issue, we always had close consultations with our friends China and Russia. Now it is a good opportunity to do so with Russian officials," Araghchi told Iranian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?He said he was conveying a letter to Putin that addressed regional and bilateral issues. Putin later received Araghchi in the Kremlin.

Moscow has bought weapons from Iran for the war in Ukraine and signed a 20-year strategic partnership deal with Tehran earlier this year, although it did not include a mutual defense clause. The two countries were battlefield allies in Syria for years until their ally Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
was toppled in December.

Putin has kept on good terms with Khamenei as both Russia and Iran are cast as enemies by the West, but Moscow is keen not to trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

Russia has said that any military strike against Iran would be illegal and unacceptable. On Tuesday, the Kremlin declined to comment when asked if Russia was ready to take control of Iran’s stocks of enriched uranium as part of a possible future nuclear deal between Iran and the United States.

Meanwhile,
...back at the buffalo wallow, Yellow Wolf clutched at his chest and fell from his horse...
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Kahlid bin Salman arrived in Tehran on Thursday, for meetings with officials ahead of the talks.

The defense minister delivered a message from Saudi King Salman
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians...
bin Abdulaziz to Supreme Leader Khamenei, Iran’s state media reported, without giving further details about the content of the message.

"Our belief is that the relationship between the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas said to reject Israeli proposal that it disarm as part of 6-week ceasefire, claims can’t find Israeli-American hostage

2025-04-16

[IsraelTimes] BBC says offer requires terror group lay down arms, includes no Israeli commitment to end war; Hamas claims it ‘lost contact’ with hostage Edan Alexander’s handlers after IDF strike

Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
has turned down an Israeli offer for a ceasefire 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 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...
Strip under which the terror group would have been required to disarm, according to a Tuesday report.

Ok. No truce, then.

According to the BBC, Israel is demanding the release of half of the remaining living hostages in exchange for a six-week truce and Hamas’s disarmament.

"The Israeli proposal relayed to the movement through Egypt explicitly called for the disarmament of Hamas without any Israeli commitment to end the war or withdraw from Gaza. Hamas therefore rejected the offer in its entirety," an official in the terror group was quoted as saying.

Israel has repeatedly demanded that Hamas relinquish civilian and security control of Gaza, while the terror group insists that any ceasefire deal must end the war and achieve a full Israeli pull-out from the enclave.

Hamas has long rejected talk of disarmament, though its officials have expressed willingness to give up control of the Strip to a transitional body of independent technocrats, such as the one envisioned in the Egyptian plan for the post-war reconstruction of Gaza that was unveiled last month.

Responding to recent reports of progress in ceasefire talks, an official from one of the Arab mediating countries told The Times of Israel on Monday that no breakthrough was currently on the horizon and that "the same elements that have prevented a deal until now are still in place."

"Hamas is not going to agree to a complete surrender, but that is still what Israel is demanding," the Arab official said, echoing an earlier statement from senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri
...a senior spokesman for Hamas. Zuhri gained notoriety in 2006 when he dropped his money belt containing somewhere between 640,000 and 900,000 euros, which was confiscated by Paleostinian security and customs officials at a routine border crossing from Egypt to Gaza. The news brought competing Hamas and Fatah forces to the crossing checkpoint for an epic face-making and hollering contest...
"Handing over the resistance’s weapons is a million red lines and is not subject to consideration, let alone discussion," Abu Zuhri said.

However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them...
he insisted that Hamas is "ready to hand over the hostages in one batch" in exchange for the end of the war and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza, confirming what a senior Hamas official told The Times of Israel earlier this month.

Israel and Hamas signed onto a phased ceasefire deal in January that fell apart after its first stage. Hamas wanted to transition to the second phase as stipulated in the agreement, but Israel sought to rework the terms to free additional hostages without committing to a permanent end to the war, as envisioned in the second phase. After Hamas refused, Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long refused to end the war before Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled. He is backed by many of his hardline coalition partners who have threatened to collapse his government if he agrees to end the war, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

HAMAS: WE LOST CONTACT WITH EDAN ALEXANDER’S HANDLERS

They’ve tried that before but eventually the “lost” hostages were “found”. Hopefully this time they’ll be smart enought to stop playing stupid games more quickly.

Hamas, meanwhile, claimed on Tuesday to have lost contact with the ~~bandidos~~ Lions of Islam holding Israeli-American hostage soldier Edan Alexander in Gaza.

"We announce that we have lost contact with the team guarding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct Israeli bombardment targeting their location. We are still trying to reach them," said Hudhaifa Kahlout — known by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida — the front man for Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.

"It seems that the occupation army is deliberately trying to kill him and hence relieve themselves from the pressure caused by the dual-citizen prisoners in order to continue its genocide against our people," Abu Obeida said.

The IDF has said that it does not carry out strikes in areas where it suspects hostages may be held by Hamas. Military officials have repeatedly said that every strike and ground operation in Gaza is carefully planned out not to endanger Israeli hostages. However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them...
the IDF has admitted in the past that the deaths of some hostages may have been linked to nearby ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s.

Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen, was stationed near the Gaza Strip on the morning of October 7, when he was taken captive by Hamas terrorists.

As the last remaining US citizen held hostage in Gaza, Alexander has been a key focus of the US-mediated ceasefire negotiations, with US President Donald Trump
...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried....
’s special envoy Steve Witkoff saying last month that gaining his release was a "top priority for us."

Last month, Hamas claimed it was willing to release Alexander along with the bodies of four other dual US-Israeli citizens, an offer that Israel slammed as "manipulation and psychological warfare" and said it would not agree to a deal that only saw Americans freed.

Hamas has published two propaganda videos of Alexander, the latest on Saturday, in which the captive, visibly gaunt, said that he heard the terror group was ready to release him three weeks ago and that the government and Netanyahu "refused and left me here." The statement was almost certainly dictated by his captors.

PM VISITS GAZA, VOWS HAMAS WILL SUFFER ’MORE AND MORE BLOWS’
On Tuesday, Netanyahu visited soldiers stationed in the northern Gaza Strip, where he told them that the terror group will suffer "more and more blows" by the IDF.

"We insist that it release our hostages, and we insist on achieving all our war aims," Netanyahu told assembled soldiers as drones flew overhead.

Holding a printout of a post by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...>
, Netanyahu said that he was again calling for Israel’s destruction.

"He is doing this during negotiations with the Americans," Netanyahu said, referring to the ongoing Iran-US talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, a process of which Israel is extremely wary.

Standing alongside Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will never allow Hamas "to threaten our communities and our citizens, and therefore, the operation that is currently taking place is pressuring Hamas to first release the hostages."

"The more it persists in its refusal," Katz continued, "the more we will intensify the blows it will suffer until it is defeated and all the hostages are returned."

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
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...