Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region

by Oui Wed May 15th, 2019 at 11:39:01 AM EST

As I have written in my recent diary about signs of war preparation beyond the typical warmongering of the neocons in the White House and on that shining hill in Washington DC ...

○ Pompeo Cancels Berlin Visit .. Flies East Out of Moscow

The U.S. won't shun using the "tiny" nuclear bombs to impress other nations of the (al)might of the Pentagon and U.S. military prowess. Donald Trump is set out on a course to perform "better" than any previous American president in history. Carter got bogged down in the Iranian desert with a failed rescue attempt of hostages. Reagan got clobbered in Southern Lebanon and suffered great losses. Clinton was a fool who couldn't keep his zipper up. Bush and Obama made flawed decisions to expand wars beyond a theater the Pentagon and its global allies could handle. Terror has expanded a hundredfold across the globe.

The European Union was founded on a premise of peace between nations. The enemy is inside one's self, there is no reason to start a new global war on any scale. The Persian theater has been and will be a grave of innocents led into war by megalomaniacs.

More below the fold ...

_{Front paged - Frank Schnittger}

US orders non-essential embassy staff to leave Iraq amid Iran tensions | The Guardian |
The US embassy in Baghdad has ordered all non-essential and non-emergency staff to leave Iraq immediately as tensions grow between Washington and Iran.
Last week, Washington said it had detected new and urgent threats from Iran and its proxy forces in the region targeting Americans and US interests.
The remarks contradict comments from Maj Gen Chris Ghika, a British senior officer in the US-backed coalition fighting Islamic State, who said: "There's been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria."

○ Iran-US tensions are reaching new heights - and neither is likely to blink

US Central Command later said Ghika's remarks "run counter to the identified credible threats" from Iranian-backed forces in the Middle East. In a written statement, it said the coalition in Baghdad had increased the alert level for all service members in Iraq and Syria.
The order came as Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a veiled threat in the same speech in which he said "no one is seeking war", saying it would not be difficult for the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels, state media reported.
Khamenei's comments followed a coordinated drone attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen on a Saudi oil pipeline. A satellite image shows one of the two pumping stations targeted by the drones apparently intact.
It comes after authorities in Saudi Arabia alleged oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were targeted by sabotage.

○ Iran blames 'Israeli mischief' for tanker attacks off UAE coast | Ynet News |
○ German intelligence agency warns of 'Islamic State' attacks | DW |

Germany suspends Iraq training mission as US pulls out diplomatic staff | DW |
The German army has suspended its training operations in Iraq as regional tension grows, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. Berlin received indications of potential attacks supported by Iran, a Defense Ministry spokesperson said, adding that the training program could resume in the future and that there were no specific threats to German troops.
Germany has some 60 soldiers stationed north of Bagdad to train Iraq security forces as well as 100 more troops in the Kurdish regions of northern Iraq. Germany's decision to call a stop to the training missions follows steps from Washington to put US troops on high alert and remove some diplomatic staff.
[…]
The nation's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said neither Iran nor the US is "seeking war." At the same time, Iran has threatened to start enriching uranium to higher levels than in the current deal, if the UK, Germany, and France did not provide a new deal to offset reimposed US sanctions within a 60 days deadline. The deal currently allows Iran to enrich uranium up to 3.67%, a far cry from 90% needed to weaponize the material.

Related reading ...

○ NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance
○ Battle Lines Are Drawn in the EU to Fight Islam

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu May 16th, 2019 at 08:21:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 1)

At this point I doubt any kind of humiliation can kill off NATO. Unless they literally nuke Tehran at least.

by generic on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 08:09:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 0)

Your request, we'll deliver ... bombing Iran's oil facilities in the offing. UK, Israel, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia are gung ho for a "retaliatory" attack for the threats coming out of Teheran. Whose threats? What sources? British MI6 once more? Perhaps deep penetration from Mossad's spymasters?

○ MI6 spy chief makes secret Israel trip amid new Iran nuclear activity | Times of Israel |
○ With Bolton whispering in Trump's ear, war with Iran is no longer unthinkable | The Guardian - Opinion |
○ Is John Bolton the most dangerous man in the world?

The subversion of democracy and sponsorship of repression in Venezuela by foreign military actors, namely Cuba, Russia, and Iran, will not be tolerated. Those actors are on notice.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) May 10, 2019

○ A U.S.-Iran confrontation will inevitably include Israel | Ynet News - Opinion |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 10:28:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 1)

"Deep penetration", an apt simile.

by StillInTheWilderness on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 11:28:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 1)

"subversion of democracy" Authentic double speak from the US government determined to replace an elected head of state with a person who didn't even run for the office.

by StillInTheWilderness on Sat May 18th, 2019 at 11:30:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War (none / 0)

But in US foreign policy, "democracy" has had a special glossing for well over a century now, namely, "A country is a democracy if and only if it complies with US corporatist demands." If you refuse to be a "democracy," we will turn you into one by any means available.

by rifek on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 11:07:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War (none / 1)

Sometimes known on these pages as Democracy™

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 10:51:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 0)

So long as Long John Bolt-brain continues to waste oxygen, he's in the running for World's Most Dangerous.

by rifek on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 10:59:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 1)

○ How the world views the U.S. and its president in 9 charts

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed May 15th, 2019 at 12:31:40 PM EST

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 1)

Senator @TomCottonAR tells Firing Line if it comes to war with Iran, he is confident the United States would win, and would win swiftly. "Two strikes, the first strike and the last strike," says the Senator. pic.twitter.com/twTdrFTwHu
— Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@FiringLineShow) May 14, 2019

○ The US as nuclear rogue state. Part I of II by Sirocco @EuroTrib on August 2, 2005
○ Creating a fool's world ... using mini-nukes to deter cyber warfare?
○ After Brexit, Europe at a Crossroad

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed May 15th, 2019 at 12:42:52 PM EST

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (4.00 / 3)

Would have rec'd this but I guess I'm too new to rate posts.

by StillInTheWilderness on Thu May 16th, 2019 at 06:31:49 PM EST

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 0)

You did succeed to recommend an earlier diary - "Europe Day".

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu May 16th, 2019 at 07:20:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 1)

American FBI and justice perseveres until they get their man in court ... Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran always get their man, period. All four states have an authoritarian regime leading a nation through birth pangs. For the US it reverses to the scenes of the Wild West after celebrating their bicentennial.

Sentencing in Dutch court of the hired killers ... today a life sentence for gang leader Naoufal F., known as Noffel.

Netherlands Continues Trials Linked With Killing Of An Iranian Exile
During the trial, the prosecutor maintained there was no evidence connecting Iran to the "cold-blooded" murder. Nevertheless, the Dutch intelligence service said it had obtained circumstantial evidence of Tehran's involvement in killing Samadi Kolahi.
Moreover, according to the website Dutchnews.nl, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok told MPs in January that the country's AIVD secret service [partner Nine Eyes] had reason to believe Iran was involved in Motamed's murder, as well as that of Iranian opposition leader Ahmad Nissi, who was shot dead in 2017 at The Hague.
"A series of testy diplomatic exchanges followed with Iran, with embassy staff expelled by both nations," the website reported on March 29. "But the public prosecutors could find `no hard evidence' of any foreign involvement in the Motamed court case."
Motamed was married to an Afghan woman, and they have a 20-year-old son.
Samadi Kolahi was believed to be a prominent member of the Iranian dissident group Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO). He reportedly joined MKO after the downfall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the establishment of the so-called Islamic Republic in February 1979, initially serving as an agent of the new regime's notorious Komiteh, a squad that terrorized officials affiliated with the previous system.
Later, MKO clandestinely paved the way for Samai Kolahi to infiltrate the ruling Islamic Republic Party, serving first as a manager of sound and audio systems but quickly rising through the party ranks.
On the day of the deadly attack, Samadi Kolahi reportedly carried a bomb hidden in his briefcase into the party's headquarters in the heart of Tehran, where almost all of the party's top officials were gathered at the time. Samadi Kolahi left minutes before the bomb went off, and after hiding for a time in an MKO safe house, fled Iran through its western border with Iraq and made his way to Europe.
He was sentenced to death in absentia by Iran.

○ After 35 Years, Iran Liquidates MKO Terrorist near Amsterdam

Related reading ...

From friendship to foe ... "The Periphery Doctrine: The Enemies of My Enemy Are My Friends".

Propaganda and War of Words Between Israel and Iran on Explosives in Basra, Iraq?

From a diary of mine in 2005 after the Hariri assassination ... what follow was a botched UN investigation and still running a trial of four suspects in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in my home town The Hague.

○ Hariri Assassination By Suicide Truck Bomb ¶ Mitsubishi Stolen in Japan by Oui @EuroTrib in Nov. 2005
○ Getting Away with Murder? | The Atlantic - Dec. 2008 |
○ STL burdened by the label of a politically motivated court
○ Lebanon tribunal says enough evidence to proceed in Hariri assassination case | Reuters - March 2018 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu May 16th, 2019 at 07:18:44 PM EST

Iraq's Political Parties Aim to Oust U.S. Troops (none / 1)

American response the same old over the last four decades ...

Iraq Prepares to Evict U.S. Troops | Foreign Policy - March 2019 |
Momentum is building among deputies in the Iraqi parliament to oust U.S. troops entirely from the country--an outcome that would leave Iraq's political future in the hands of neighboring Iran and leave its citizens more vulnerable to the Islamic State.
Today, the United States fields an estimated 5,200 troops in Iraq. They are there as part of a security agreement with the Iraqi government to advise, assist, and support that country's troops in the fight against the Islamic State. But the Iraqi parliament is expected to vote soon on draft laws calling for a full withdrawal. For now, things don't look good for the troops.
For one, there's a strong union of Iranian and Iranian-backed military and political powers that is actively trying to push the United States out. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Qassem Suleimani, who is close to the Fatah Iraqi political faction, is determined to do so. The party of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is usually at odds with Suleimani but is in agreement on this issue, has said all foreign troops must go, not just the Americans.
The purported reason? More sovereignty. Fadhil Jabr Shnein, a deputy in the Iraqi parliament and a member of a leading pro-Iranian parliamentary group--Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the paramilitary arm of which fought in Syria to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power--said in an early March interview with the Arabic publication Al-Etejah Press, "There is a broad consensus among the various political blocs and national forces to eject foreign presence in all forms." However, Shnein's reference to "foreign" forces likely does not include Iranian forces, as his coalition is loyal to Iran.
The Shiite commanders of the Iranian-backed Iraqi militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, are likewise pushing for a U.S. withdrawal. Qais al-Khazali, a virulently anti-American Shiite commander who is close to Suleimani, even threatened U.S. troops on his Twitter account. He claimed the U.S. presence was intended to serve Israel and not Iraq, and he vowed to target U.S. troops if they do not leave the country.

UANI - United Against Nuclear Iran

"And so, it seems the U.S. is prepared to let Syria fall completely to the Assad-Russia-Iran-Hezbollah alliance, a huge boon for Iran's expansionist project..." (_link)
— UANI (@UANI) December 19, 2018

Cross-posted from my earlier diary - A Blatant Violation of Iraq's Sovereignty (Dec. 2018).

○ Coalition of the Willing Against Iran: US Justice Dept, Ungar, UANI and Mossad by Oui @BooMan on Aug. 1, 2014
○ Obama Turncoats: CNN Facilitates UANI Advocate Pro-Israel by Oui @BooMan on June 29, 2015
○ Trump's Jews a Shanda by Oui @BooMan on April 17, 2018

Secretary Mike Pompeo in Baghdad meeting threatens Iran

○ Pompeo, in Iraq, warns of 'imminent' Iran threat | France24 |
○ Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad to meet with Shia leaders | Kurdistan24 |

From my recent diary - Pompeo shuns Berlin to fly to Baghdad in secrecy.

One day in the summer of 2018, Soleimani's modest façade dropped--to be replaced, albeit briefly, by righteous anger. The source of his ire was one to which many Americans might relate: a furious tweet from President Trump. On this particular occasion, the object of Trump's wrath was Soleimani's nominal boss.

"To Iranian President [Hassan] Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!"

The same old ... Britain in step with the Americans in the Middle East. Remember 1953 and British Petroleum!

.@SecPompeo and I discussed #Iran last week in London and again in Brussels on Monday. We share the same assessment of the heightened threat posed by Iran. As always we work closely with the US 🇬🇧 🇺🇸
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) May 16, 2019

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri May 17th, 2019 at 07:50:21 AM EST

FAA Issues a NOTAM for Persian Gulf Region (none / 0)

US issues warning to airlines flying over Gulf
Due to risks to civil aviation operating within the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region, including the United Arab Emirates, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and/or a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR).

FAA Background Information Regarding U.S. Civil Aviation -For the Overwater Airspace Above the PersianGulf and Gulf Of Oman Region.
Due to increased political tensions and heightened military activities in the region, there is an increasing inadvertent risk to U.S. civil aviation operating in overwater airspace above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. As a result, on 16 May 2019, the FAA issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) KICZ A0015/19, advising U.S. civil flight operations to exercise caution when operating in the above area.Iran has publicly made threats to U.S. military operations in theGulf region. In addition, Iran possesses a wide variety of anti-aircraft-capable weapons, including surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs), man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and fighter aircraft that are capable of conducting aircraft interception operations. Some of the anti-aircraft-capable weapons have ranges that encompass key international air routes over the PersianGulf and the Gulf of Oman.
For more information U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration's Prohibitions, Restrictions and Notices. Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.
Last Update: Reissued after addition of NOTAM.

○ US: Iran military could misidentify airliners amid tension
○ FAA Establishes Restrictions on Drone Operations Near U.S. Navy Vessels

Reminds me of the failure by Ukraine and Western envoys to issue such a NOTAM days ahead of the MH-17 incident ...

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 09:29:25 PM EST

Exxon Mobil Evacuates its Foreign Staff (none / 0)

Iraq slams evacuation of Exxon Mobil foreign staff as 'political' move | DW |
Iraqi Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban criticized Exxon Mobil's evacuation of its foreign staff from the West Qurna 1 oilfield as "unacceptable and unjustified."
"The withdrawal of multiple employees -- despite their small number -- temporarily has nothing to with the security situation or threats in the oil fields in southern Iraq, but it's for political reasons," Ghadhban said in a statement in on Sunday.
Sources in the Iraqi oil industry and a senior Iraqi official said Saturday that Exxon Mobil, an American oil and gas corporation, had begun evacuating its entire foreign staff -- around 60 people -- from a major oilfield in the southern Iraqi province of Basra.

○ Protesters in Basra, Iraq, have torched nearly every government building | Vox - Sept. 8, 2018 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 09:43:23 PM EST

Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran (none / 0)

If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2019

The first issue is that the US would need to destroy Iran's air defenses, including fighters and surface-to-air missiles, in order to ensure the bombs hit their targets and to prevent Iran from doing serious damage in response. According to Robert Farley, a professor at the University of Kentucky and an expert on air power, this "would involve long-range bombers, drones, electronic warfare, land-based fighter-bombers, carrier aircraft, and submarine-launched cruise missiles."

○ Trump tweet: 'If Iran wants to fight, that will be the end of Iran' | The Guardian |
○ Gulf states approve redeployment of US forces | Gulf News |

Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sun May 19th, 2019 at 09:58:15 PM EST

Re: Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran (none / 1)

The first issue ...

is guaranteed oil supply before, during, and after hostilities. Geography does not favor US homicidal maniacs and Mossad.

Sorry. It's annoying to read, but "Mr Market" is betting against Trump actually puncturing this hornets' nest or presumably bring VZ heavy crude on line to supplement KSA losses.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 08:33:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran (none / 1)

Trump Says the Military Industrial Complex is Pressuring him Into a War With Iran, A/V, transcript
Larry Wilkerson's 2 centimes

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 03:59:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran (none / 0)

Excellent stuff ... searched archive here @EuroTrib for Col. Larry Wilkerson:

○ Brent Scowcroft turns on the Bush Administration by Alexander G Rubio on Oct. 21, 2005
○ The Quiet Coup geezer in Paris on May 16, 2006

Related reading ...

○ Prophet singer: the voice and vision of Woody Guthrie

○ Wilkerson Criticizes Bush on Iraq War ¶ "Cheney May Be A War Criminal" by Oui @BooMan on Nov. 29, 2005

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 07:09:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran (none / 0)

I've been meaning to draw attention to two articles.

Carter Worried Bilateral Israel-Egypt Deal Would Undermine Regional Peace, a book review and critique by As'ad Abu Khalil of US collaboration with the Sadat regime as told by Carter-fan Stuart Eizenstat. Might buy this one, but still searching for a companion volume.

And Pepe Escobar's SWOT assessments for US and Iran commitments to hostilities War on Iran & Calling America's Bluff. (Escobar doesn't use the term SWOT, and yella sheet press tenders lofty principles of national security, but the scheme usually ends with profit (loss) calculation.)

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 22nd, 2019 at 01:47:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran (none / 0)

It's forty years ago, although I lived through those years, it is is just historical content with little relevance today.

The boldness of Sadat to travel to Jerusalem and speak to the Knesset was quite amazing. This book illustrates the weakness of Carter as leader and the political goal for reelaction in 1980 played key role. The Islamic Revolt of Iran led by Khomeini was the nail in Carter's coffin as U.S. president. Brzezinski was the hard-nosed anti-communist who made the deal with Saudi Arabia to send fighters - jihadists - into the AfPak reguon to fight Soviet occupation af Afghanistan. It delivered the world Osama bin Laden and decades of global terror that is spreading today. Sadat failed to play a role similar to Nasser and was assassinated by the Muslim Brotherhood in October 1981. This brought Hosni Mubarak as leader to Egypt and Ayman al-Zawahiri as the co-plotter of 9/11 and leader of Al Qaeda. The Muslim states of North Africa have been targeted by the Islamic Jihad for many decades and will not be solved by U.S., French or NATO special forces to protect western interests.

Carter Camp Divisions
The book explains clearly that the administration was divided between two camps: National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. Vance was motivated more by human rights while Brzezinski spoke for a less pro-Israeli foreign policy, largely from the standpoint of securing Arab support against the USSR.
Domestic policy advisors were solidly in support of the traditional pro-Israel line because they feared the impact on Carter's prospects for re-election. Carter wavered between the two groups, Eisenstat writes. But he eventually surrendered to Israeli dictates in the negotiations. Even that wasn't sufficient politically: Carter was perceived as hostile to Israeli interests and his support among Jewish voters, according to the author, plummeted to 40 percent in 1980.

Israel and the U.S think the Islamic Revolution can be turned back similar to Communism and the Soviet Union ...

○ U.S. Anti-Iran Lobby Group Accused of Mossad Ties by Oui @BooMan on Aug. 1, 2014
○ Israel Prepares the Ground Work for Iran War by Oui @BooMan on Feb. 11, 2018
○ #HimToo - Iran Deal Scrapped

For many years I have stated best to make Israel a state of the union to give peace a chance in the area of Palestine.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed May 22nd, 2019 at 09:33:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran (3.50 / 2)

Actually, Sadat's peace treaty was very similar to the offer he made earlier, with a deadline of September 1973. Israel didn't respond - Golda Meir discussed it with Dayan and Galili, but didn't even think of informing the Chief of Staff, or the head of Intelligence. Sadat's boldness was in starting a war that everybody knew Egypt would lose, but would shock the Israelis so that they would take his offer more seriously next time (in other words, it was a military defeat but a strategic victory). You can read about it in Kipnis' book, which I see has been translated.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed May 22nd, 2019 at 09:53:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

This Jerk on France24 Debate ... (none / 0)

Matt Brodsky - senior fellow @ Security Studies Group ...

Evidence Grows that Iran is Stationing Missiles Directed at Israel (_link)
— Matthew RJ Brodsky (@RJBrodsky) May 18, 2019

"If #Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran."

This Sunday, after a rocket landed near the #US embassy in #Tehran, #Trump issued a new warning to Iran.#F24Debate asks, should we be worried? (_link)
— The Debate - France 24 (@F24Debate) May 20, 2019

About Jim Hanson, director of the Security Studies Group (SSG), a little-known think tank staffed by former employees of Frank Gaffney's Center for Security Policy.

○ Author of Trump's Iran Regime Change Blueprint is Actually a Right-Wing Troll | MintPress News |

US Embassy in Green Zone Baghdad under attack ...

by Oui (Oui) on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 06:44:18 PM EST

Facebook Busts Troll Factory in Tel Aviv (none / 0)

○ Facebook busts Israel-based campaign to disrupt elections | Ynet News |

Dozens of groups, 65 Israeli accounts, 161 pages, 4 Instagram accounts purged -- many linked to Tel Aviv-based Archimedes consulting, lobbying firm; activity focused on Sub-Saharan African, Southeast Asia, Latin America; motives 'may be commercial or political'

Afrique : Facebook bannit une société israélienne coupable d'influence électorale
Les comptes s'appelaient "L'Afrique cachée" au Mali ou "La RDC secret" au Congo Kinshasa. Les messages qui y étaient postés dénonçaient des scandales autour d'une mine d'or ou critiquaient les positions de personnalités politiques en période électorale. Les informations avaient toute l'apparence du vrai mais elles étaient fausses. Les comptes n'appartenaient d'ailleurs pas à des Africains. Ils avaient été créés par une société basée à Tel Aviv pour des opérations d'influence sur le modèle russe des "usines à trolls" : faire du bruit sur Facebook, monter les personnes les unes contre les autres, créer des fausses informations en payant des centaines de personnes pour ce faire. Et c'est en partie ce qui a été opéré dans plusieurs pays d'Afrique, dont le Sénégal, la Tunisie, la République démocratique du Congo au premier chef.
Fakes News en Afrique : TV5 Monde - Video

Related reading ...

○ Cambridge Analytica tried to sway Nigeria's last elections with Buhari's hacked emails | QZ - March 2018 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 06:45:34 PM EST

Who/What Is Archimedes Group (none / 0)

Who is behind Israel's Archimedes Group, banned by Facebook for election fakery? | Times of Israel |
The site was registered on January 26, 2016, by someone using the address harel.eldan@g-c.co.il. The domain g-c.co.il belongs to Adler Chomski Communication Marketing Ltd, one of Israel's largest advertising firms, and the individual who registered the site, Harel Eldan, is listed in the directory of the Association of Israeli Advertising Agencies. Eldan is also the contact person for an advertising company known as "Grey Content Ltd," which is a subsidiary of Adler Chomski Communications. Grey Content used to be located at Yigal Alon 98, the address that was until recently specified on Archimedes Group's website as its location. (Grey Content has since moved to Menachem Begin 148.)
When The Times of Israel called Grey Content Ltd, Harel Eldan herself answered the phone. She said she is the office manager at Grey Content, and that she had been asked as part of her duties to acquire the ar-gr.com domain name back in 2016, but insisted that she did not know anything further about Archimedes Group.
The Times of Israel later spoke to Rami Rushkeviz, CEO of Grey Content, who said that Grey Content Ltd. has absolutely nothing to do with Archimedes Group and that his company simply provided site registration services for a man named Elinadav Heymann.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 06:46:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Enrichment: Earning Some Space for Negotiations (none / 0)

Iran quadruples production of 3.67% enriched uranium: AEOI
The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, made the remarks while addressing reporters at Natanz nuclear facility on Monday.

"This issue does not mean an increase in enrichment level or an increase in centrifuge machines or a change in the type of centrifuges, but the production capacity of these 3.67% enriched uranium will be quadrupled," Kamalvandi said.
He added that Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) of this issue.
Kamalvandi said the production capacity for 3.67% enriched uranium can be increased using the existing number of centrifuges. So, he added, Iran would exceed the cap of 300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium in the near future.
He noted that the increase in production is a message to other signatories to the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to tell them they must take necessary measures asked by Iran when it announced downgrading of its commitments.

○ Iran, With Eye on Israel, Announces New Firewall Against Stuxnet Computer Virus | Haaretz |
○ STUXNET US-Israel Cooperation Cyber Warfare on Iran by Oui @BooMan on May 31, 2011

Related reading ...

○ 'NY Times' disgracefully joins the propaganda campaign to push for war against Iran | Mondoweiss |
○ Iran slams 'genocidal taunts' by US, increases uranium production | Al Jazeera |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 08:34:43 PM EST

Jarid Zarif to Trump: 'Try Respect' (none / 0)

Goaded by #B_Team, @realdonaldTrump hopes to achieve what Alexander, Genghis & other aggressors failed to do. Iranians have stood tall for millennia while aggressors all gone. #EconomicTerrorism & genocidal taunts won't "end Iran". #NeverThreatenAnIranian. Try respect--it works!
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) 20. mai 2019

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon May 20th, 2019 at 08:36:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The Enemy is Inside Us! (none / 0)

I have lived through the aftermath of the vast destruction of WWII. In time I have learned not to blame the German people as soon as I realized the potential of mass killing of humans is inside all of us.

Written as a reply to an excellent comment by StillInTheWilderness.

Us versus Them! The deplorables, the Muslims, the transgender ...

○ Texas transgender woman seen in videotaped attack found dead

It's twenty years since Columbine when mass killing by white youth on fellow white students in an affluent white community. Should have been a wake-up call for America. It was for the gun lovers and the NRA.

Just over 100 years ago ...

From my diary - Yesterday's Bolsheviki and Today's Deplorables.

I.W.W. DEFECTIVES
Many Members of This Notorious
Organization Found to be Subnormal
To the Editor of The New York Times:
I have just read with great interest your editorial article in today's issue on "Our Bolsheviki," by which name you designate the members of the I.W.W.
[...]
Let us consider them as sick people, have them examined by psychologists to determine their degree of mentality, and if they are found to be subnormal shut them up in farm colonies of industrial plants under guard and see what we can do with them.
We in America are too prone to lock the doors after our horses are stolen. Would it not be possible to deal with this I.W.W. menace in a sane and scientific manner and break it up before to much damage has been done?
New York, May 3, 1918 R. B. S.
[Superbly written in the style of Us vs. Them as in the clash of civilization and by demonizing a large group of people, described as a lower class. This was just 15 years before the Rise of Hitler's Nazi regime of terror and the Final Solution of concentration and death camps across Europe.]

We're just a minute away from another nuclear holocaust on Iran ...

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 06:36:51 AM EST

Re: The Enemy is Inside Us! (none / 0)

I've written about the psychology of Der Drumpf - Black Triad.

I recall an excellent write-up by a blogger Plutonium Page - I crossed swords with her about the Dutch quite often - on Auschwitz ...

I can't find her diary, but did come across an article written by Albert Einstein published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

○ On the Moral Obligation of the Scientist

Related reading ...

○ Keeping America safe after 9/11 and extraordinary rendition, torture, etc.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 06:37:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Trump Threatens 'Official End of Iran' (none / 0)

I don't think this tweet by Javid Zarif will impress the Americans ...

Donald Trump threatens 'official end of Iran' | DW |
[...]
In another tweet, Zarif said what he called the "B Team" -- a group of anti-Iran hard-liners that includes US National Security Adviser John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman -- was empowering the very military-industrial complex that Trump claims to oppose.

.@realDonaldTrump rightly deplores "military-industrial complex" pushing U.S. to #ForeverWars

But allowing #B_Team to trash diplomacy & abet war crimes--by milking despotic butchers via massive arms sales--achieves nothing but empowering that same complex.

Time to #DrainTheSwamp?
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) 20. mai 2019

○ Bolton Sounds Drumbeat of War Based on Tenuous Israeli Claim of Iran Threat | Tikun Olam |
○ Has Facebook Decided the Star of David is Anti-Semitic?

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 07:27:50 AM EST

Pentagon To Annihilate Iran Another Day (none / 0)

Trump as Commander In Chief will soon claim 'victory' over the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Pentagon: Iran threat 'on hold' thanks to US response | Times of Israel |
Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan said Tuesday that the United States had "put on hold" the Iranian threat to its interests, following a spike in tensions that has seen the US dispatch bomber aircraft to the Gulf.
"I think our steps were very prudent and we've put on hold the potential for attacks on Americans," the acting defense secretary said, as he prepared to brief lawmakers on regional tensions.
"I'd say we're in a period where the threat remains high and our job is to make sure that there is no miscalculation by the Iranians," Shanahan added.
His comments come amid a war of words between Washington and Tehran as both sides accuse the other of dangerously ratcheting up tensions.

○ Iranian nation will not bow to bullies: Rouhani
○ Iraq sending teams to Tehran, Washington to 'halt tension'

Related reading ...

○ Ignore the propaganda: A US war against Iran would be a costly mistake | Middle East Eye |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 09:26:40 PM EST

Re: Pentagon To Annihilate Iran Another Day (none / 0)

2 of 2: We call on the Iranian regime to cease all provocation. We will hold the Iranian regime accountable for any attack on US forces or our interests.
— Acting SecDef Pat Shanahan (@ActingSecDef) May 6, 2019

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 09:33:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

< wipes tears > (none / 0)

You say jump, he sez, HOW HIGH?!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue May 21st, 2019 at 10:50:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 0)

Trump's Iran hawks wage a quiet war on his diplomats (_link)
— Eli Lake (@EliLake) March 22, 2019

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed May 22nd, 2019 at 09:18:51 AM EST

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (none / 0)

The American Conservative supports impeachment, but can't avoid some (well-deserved) attacks on the Democrats.

The current House leadership is notably gun-shy about impeachment. But over the last two years, House Democrats have threatened to impeach Trump for much less. In the previous Congress, for example, Congressman Steve Cohen introduced articles charging Trump with, among other things, overspending on golf cart rentals at Mar-a-Lago. In January 2018, Congressman Al Green got 66 Democratic votes to move forward on a resolution to impeach Trump for "attempting to convert his bigoted statements into United States policy" in the form of the travel ban and the ban on transgender troops.
Surely, more Democrats--and even a few Republicans, like Congressman Justin Amash--could rouse themselves to threaten impeachment to avoid a disastrous war in violation of a core constitutional guarantee.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed May 22nd, 2019 at 09:23:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (4.00 / 2)

The American Conservatard lies again. This was about golf cart bills about like Watergate was about a burglary. Trump has failed and refused to divest his business interests or at least put them in a blocked account. That's illegal. On top of that, he has hired those businesses to provide services to the government without even the pretense of competitive bidding. That's a felony. Granted, Cohen and Green were posturing, given that Hell will freeze solid before the Senate actually conducts a trial on any impeachment bill sent from the House, but Trump is engaging in the kind of behavior we used to condemn tinpot dictators for. In our post-9/11 world, though, there is apparently nothing wrong with such things.

by rifek on Sat May 25th, 2019 at 02:12:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region (4.00 / 2)

I'm shocked, SHOCKED to find that Boltbrain is acting exactly as he has since the day he was...well I won't say "born" because I don't believe he was, so I'll just say, since a bird shit on a fence post and the sun hatched that walrus-faced, chickenhawk, fascist bastard.

by rifek on Sat May 25th, 2019 at 02:16:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The Obsession with Iran (none / 0)

During the Obama years, there were a number of advisors with similar views as John Bolton about revenge for the Beirut baracks bombing and a number of hostage takings in the 1980s. The U.S. supported Saddam Hussein in the proxy war against the new Islamic Republic of Iran. The MEK is and was a terror organization, now sanctioned by the Trump administration as a militant group to perform terror acts inside Iran. The USofA is a most dangerous state causing grief, hardship and hundred thousands of deaths in the ME countries.

John Bolton's dangerous 'obsession' with Iran | France24 |
'To Stop Iran's Bomb, Bomb Iran'
Bolton had been pouring forth warlike rhetoric against Iran for several years before his appointment as national security adviser in April 2018, in paid speeches, opinion columns and as a talking head on Trump's favourite TV channel, Fox News. "To Stop Iran's Bomb, Bomb Iran", implored the headline of his opinion piece in The New York Times in 2015, when the Obama administration was negotiating the nuclear deal from which Trump would go on to withdraw in May 2018.
In 2017, Bolton gave a speech at a conference in Paris organised by the People's Mujahedin of Iran - a militant opposition movement detested by the Iranian regime and classed as a terrorist group by the US and EU. He declared at this event that the Islamic Republic of Iran would "not last until its 40th birthday" (April 1, 2019).
In his role as national security adviser, Bolton asked the Pentagon to draw up military options for an attack on Iran - provoking considerable disquiet amongst senior officials. On February 11 2019, the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution, Bolton used the White House's official Twitter account to tell the Ayatollah Khamenei: "I don't think you'll have many more anniversaries to enjoy."
Such "extremely belligerent rhetoric" has caused heightened concern because there is a "shared interest amongst several leaders - those of Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and indeed the US - in ramping up the antagonism towards Iran," according to Karim Sader, a Middle East specialist and former researcher at the French ministry of defence.

Related reading ...

○ The American Century - End of Exceptionalism
○ Trump's Reign of Error and the March to War | Tikun Olam |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat May 25th, 2019 at 06:47:10 PM EST

Re: The Obsession with Iran (none / 1)

Bolton was a Director of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC,) the group of Neo-conservative morons that ran US foreign and military policy during the Bush administration and created the conditions that pretty much dictated US foreign and military policy during the Obama administration. A "ground changing" (sic) war with Iran was a center piece of PNAC's strategy so it's no surprise Bolton is working to start a war with Iran.

She believed in nothing; only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist. -- Jean-Paul Sartre

by ATinNM on Wed Jun 5th, 2019 at 02:42:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region | 42 comments (42 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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Imminent: Trump's War In Persian Gulf Region

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