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Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred In Baghdad

by Oui Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 05:32:58 AM EST

Yesterday's call by an American former Intelligence officer ...

○ Former intelligence officer calls on US to murder Iraq's PMU leader

More below the fold ...

Commander of Iran's Quds Force, PMU deputy head martyred in US strike | PressTV - Iran |

Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have been killed in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The IRGC announced in a statement on Friday morning that Major General Soleimani and al-Muhandis were martyred in the attack carried out by US helicopters.

The Iraqi pro-government group also confirmed the incident.

"The deputy head of the Hashed, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and head of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, were killed in a US strike that targeted their car on the Baghdad International Airport road," it a statement on Friday.

    "The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani," said Ahmed al-Assadi, a PMU spokesman.

The group had earlier said that its public relations director Mohammed Reza al-Jaberi and four other members of the group were also killed after three Katyusha rockets struck a military base next to Baghdad International Airport in the Iraqi capital.

Related reading ...

○ 'US passed red lines, will have to face dangerous consequences'
○ Oil prices surge after US attack kills top Iran military leader| Al Jazeera |

Another impeachment, another White House resident wagging the dog of war ...

○ Are Clinton's Bombs Wagging the Dog? | LA Times - Aug. 1998 |

The opposition Democrats would be called traitors if they push for impeachment in the U.S. Senate

Same dilemma in Israel ...

○ Netanyahu is exercising his legal right by seeking immunity | Ynet News Opinion |
○ Leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus sign gas pipeline deal

NATO SG Stoltenberg paving the way for extension into Persian Gulf States (w/o Iran of course) ...

○ Stoltenberg visits GCC states to expedite their entrance to the NATO alliance | The National UAE - Dec. 16, 2019 |

The American voters will just love this guy - MAGA - and carry him into his second term coming November!

Earlier read from my diaries ...

○ Saudi Billions to Remake Damaged Image - Propaganda
○ East-West Schism: Destruction Process Inside Europe

In 2020, Trump has promised his supporters he would focus on Europe for not carrying its weight in $$$ spent on American military goods and the NATO 2% of GDP to invest in war ...

From a recent diary - Nord Stream 2 is 'hybrid weapon' aimed at EU, NATO: Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecky.

Speaking at a meeting of NATO lawmakers in Warsaw, he said the controversial pipeline project, which is opposed by Poland and 'other countries', may "have far-reaching geopolitical consequences."

[Source: Poland Radio]

U.S. Senators voted 86-8 (!) on Tuesday to pass the $738 billion defence policy bill, sending it to President Trump's desk for his signature.

○ Path to Peace - Victory over Ayatollah Iran

Bullies with the greatest arsenal of weapons for global war know no restraint! They will use "mini-nukes" at their convenience. Persia is nice open terrain.

Display:
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred In Baghdad | 86 comments (86 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
In the Meantime from Putin's Red Square, Moscow (none / 0)

WELCOME TO 2020 - PROPHESY?

End of Year (and possibly times) thread

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 05:49:14 AM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Martyred - Joe Biden (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 06:21:44 AM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Martyred - Bernie Sanders (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 06:27:17 AM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Martyred - The Idiot (none / 0)



Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 06:32:45 AM EST
Three Days of Mourning in Iran (none / 0)
The American failure to get the Iranian people on their knees after blowing up Obama's JCPOA treaty signed by the UNSC participants. This strike at the heart of Iran will unite the factions here in Tehran and across the Middle East.

Maryland U. poll inside Iran ...

Iranian Public Opinion Under "Maximum Pressure"

Gen. Suleimani played a major role in Iraq alongside U.S. troops to defeat ISIS. The Shia militia took the lead after the Iraqi Army folded under pressure of war.

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:26:38 AM EST
Re: Killing of Soleimani et al by US forces. (none / 1)
The killing of Soleimani et al is a political act as much as a military act. The Iranians were acting like they owned Iraq and could do as they liked there. As far as the current 'government' in Iraq is concerned they might as well. The Iraqi people have been demonstrating and protesting the influence of Iranian backed Iraqi politicians as well as Iranian backed  militias and quasi Iranian government forces such as Kuds and Kataib Hezbollah who supported the attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad largely, I suspect,  to draw attention away from the ongoing protests that have undermined the existing Iran friendly government.

The youth, the majority of Iraqis, are, on the whole, well sick of traditional divide the spoils coalitions of religious factions. That is a good thing and should be supported. Beyond that it is hard to know how this will play out. I cannot mourn the deaths of these two leaders. They were, effectively, casualties of war. They became brazen and indiscreet and paid the price.

On the US domestic scene, if this escalates further, as seems likely, I suspect it might do Trump as much harm as good. The demographic that supports Trump is the same one that provides most of the recruits for the US military. They may be favorably impressed, but most of the veterans are by now pretty disillusioned about war in the Middle East. An escalation could spark a reaction by a substantial majority of the rest of the nation, especially the youth. The timing will be seen as suspect by most. It will move the conversation away from Trump's impeachment. More division. Just what we need. Fascist states always end up in war.

To be open about my views, I have had a jaundiced view of Iran ever since the takeover of the US Embassy. I had no love for the Shah, but I abhor theocracies, Shia, Suni, Christian, etc. and I especially was repelled by the way Iran intervened in US politics to put Ronald Reagan in office. So I have little pity for their leaders or those who support the current regime. The questions go to the prudence of the move. In truth it was a dammed if you do and dammed if you don't situation.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:32:11 AM EST
Call for War or Military Action Is Not An Option (none / 1)
Would be grand if there was a balance to destroy evil ... Americans operate with impunity: see role ICC.

Indeed role of UK and US/CIA in 1953 to destruct democracy in Persia and place the Shah in power as the puppet of the West. Both the CIA and Israeli Mossad played a role in the SAVAK years of torture.

The Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979 as a result with Khomeini returning from years of exile in Paris, France.

The dumb occupation by students of the US Embassy in Tehran ... I condemned president Carter for a poor response!

The Iran-Iraq war costing over a million deaths, the US giving support in gassing thousands of Iranians. The CIA in alliance with dictator Saddam Hussein.

After the Sunni Saudi terror attack on the United States on 9/11, the Bush cabal screwed up the Middle East by invading, bombing and occupying Iraq in March 2003. An illegal war which caused resistance led by the majority of Shia militia.

The Obama administration losing all control over Iraq and expanding unrest into Libya and Syria in 2011. Playing out the neocon doctrine in support of ally Israel, bringing "democracy" to the Middle East.

There is stil a strong force of old warriors inside the American intelligence community seeking revenge for the humiliation of the Embassy occupation and the deadly responses on US Forces in Beirut in the early 1980s. Revenge clouds one's reasoning ... leads to more uncertainty, risks and a call for authoritarian leadership. Trump at your service.

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:19:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Call for War or Military Action (none / 0)
Anything on the word that Soleimani had been invited to Baghdad at US request, i.e. it was a set-up?  Gold dust or chicken feed?
by rifek on Wed Jan 8th, 2020 at 08:50:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 0)
Profile - Who is Hashd al-Shaabi leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis?

Trump chose a moment of fraught stability in Lebanon ...

Hezbollah took a gamble in Syria, raising the stakes for Israel

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:46:04 AM EST
Twitter Lindsey Graham: More To Come ... (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:49:52 AM EST
1."destruction of their oil refineries" (none / 0)
2. PROFIT!

APsplainin | Deadly attack by US on Iranian general rattles energy market
(The part excluding US rigs and carbon production ahh sequestered in ground)

by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 08:20:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: US Assassinatons - Americans Leave Baghdad (none / 0)
○ US embassy in Baghdad urges citizens to 'depart Iraq immediately' after strike | Times of Israel |



Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:37:40 AM EST
Lebanon News: Assassination of Qassam Soleimani (none / 0)



Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 12:08:48 PM EST
Re: Assassinations by Drones (none / 0)
NY Times headline, 1998. Deja vu all over again ...

 

○ Soleimani Assassination: Sowing the Wind, Reaping the Whirlwind | Tikun Olam |  

    Pres. Trump has made the single most catastrophic decision in a presidency full of catastrophes.  His approval of the assassination of the most prominent military leader in Iran will have disastrous consequences not just for America, but for all our allies, especially Israel.  Every American anywhere, but especially outside the U.S., will become a target.


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 12:39:19 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleiman (none / 1)

They really love their wars.
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 12:40:59 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleiman (none / 1)
How long has the US been at war with Iran? Never. Last war declared by US Congress was '42.

US "conflicts" have murdered 12-20 millions since WWII.

Overnight I have been startled and perturbed to read how few US representatives will acknowledge that contradiction in terms--not to mention proprietary justification for forcefully seizing and "defending" occupancy of another nation from eviction by the natives.

While many politicians express sanctimonious approval of this president's latest offense, only opposition party figures feint dismay that the order will "set off a potential massive regional war?" as if misinformed by the several presidents' periodic AUMF reports on pacified regions. Indeed, less than a week ago Murphy evidently had no confidence in the judgment of the commander-in-chief to protect US armed forces in Iraq.

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 02:03:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleiman (none / 1)
What the USA has done since 1942 cannot be undone. It is like putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. There are other coarser similes available. For Iran the original sin was the overthrow of Mossadegh in 1953. We will never know what might have been.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 06:58:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Mental disorder (none / 1)
is a communicable disease.
according to your Speaker
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 09:50:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Mental disorder (none / 0)
She wasn't speaker then.


"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 06:29:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Mental disorder (none / 0)
Last CIVIL RIGHTS ICON Standing is a different game.

archived 2007-2011, 2019-present
You all remember the 2006 House Rules, dontcha.
We shouldn't be impeaching for a political reason...
Congress Makes A Bold Move (Or Doesn't

by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 09:10:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Mental disorder GOLD (none / 1)
Democratic-controlled House kills articles of impeachment against Trump 17 Jul 2019
by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 09:14:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Mental disorder BINGO CARD (none / 1)
  1. We don't want war, we are only defending ourselves!
  2. Our adversary is solely responsible for this war!
  3. Our adversary's leader is inherently evil and resembles the devil
  4. We are defending a noble cause, not our particular interests!
  5. The enemy is purposefully committing atrocities; if we are making mistakes this happens without intention
  6. The enemy makes use of illegal weapons
  7. We suffer few losses, the enemy's losses are considerable
  8. Recognized intellectuals and artists support our cause
  9. Our cause is sacred
  10. Whoever casts doubt on our propaganda helps the enemy and is a traitor
|★| BONUS SQUARE
by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 06:36:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Exhibit n + 1 (none / 0)
Inside the plot by Iran's Soleimani to attack U.S. forces in Iraq, 3 Jan 2020
Duly noted: no byline
by Cat on Sun Jan 5th, 2020 at 06:55:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Exhibit n + 1 (none / 0)
Krystal and Saagar warn Trump on Iran, A/V
SAAGAR: ... It's very difficult to describe how important Soleimani is to the Iranian regime. I saw it describe --We're going to talk about this later in the show with Trita Parsi [sp?]--but described as kind of killing General Petraeus at the height of his power in Iraq. That's pretty apt, I think. You know, the top United States commander in the region. Soleimani directed all of the terrorist IRGC operations in Syria, in Lebanon, in the United States, supplied all the deadliest matériel to these Iraqi militias, killed 600 troops while he was there. I think, there's no doubt he was a horrible guy, definitely had it coming for a long time. The question, right? is about escalation and the escalatory chain here, because we've been told now, the United States State Department has urged all Americans to immediately leave the country of Iraq. [...]
KRYSTAL: Of course. Retaliatory acts against, against our allies, against Israel, against all of that, I mean, the worst possible scenario is affirmatively on the table now. And look at the case that's being made. It so reminds me of in such a terrifying way of the case that was made for war in Iraq: Saddam Hussein's a bad dude, right? This guy's a bad dude, no doubt about it. But what has that meant? What has that meant for Americans? [...]
SAAGAR:... There's no question he was planning attacks on Americans, probably had a role in this embassy attack, but killing him is a very escalatory move. We should remember, President Bush did not kill Qassem Soleimani. ...
by Cat on Sun Jan 5th, 2020 at 07:45:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander wikiwtf (none / 1)
The Basic Principles of War Propaganda
The basic principles of war propaganda (Principes élémentaires de propagande de guerre) is a monograph by Anne Morelli published in 2001. It has not been translated into English. The subtitle recommends its "usability in case of cold war, hot war and lukewarm war" (Utilisables en cas de guerre froide, chaude ou tiède).  ...
Now. All the anglophones be running 'round txting, "What's a PRINCIPLE???
by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 06:27:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force LOL (none / 1)
by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 08:21:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleiman (none / 0)
If it bleeds, it leads.
by rifek on Wed Jan 8th, 2020 at 08:56:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
#SevereRevenge (none / 1)

The fututre turns out to be very dumb
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 01:06:21 PM EST
Baghdad Strike Due to Open a New Grisly Chapter (none / 1)
Qassem Suleimani's death threatens to open grisly new chapter in Middle East | The Guardian |

There was nothing inevitable about this conflict. Six years ago the legacy of loathing left by the Islamic Revolution began to fade. There was a multilateral agreement to curb Iran's nuclear programme in 2015, and an unspoken mutual non-aggression pact with Suleimani during the shared campaign against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

"For a while when we were doing counter-ISIS operations, we essentially had a gentleman's agreement with him, that his forces wouldn't target us and we wouldn't target him," said Kirsten Fontenrose, the former senior director for the Gulf in Trump's national security council.

But with Trump's abrogation of the 2015 nuclear deal and the collapse of the ISIS caliphate, which largely removed a common foe, it was Suleimani who emerged as the US's arch-enemy.

"He was a target of opportunity," Fontenrose said. "When you know a super-bad guy is going to be somewhere that you can strike and you know you won't get the opportunity for another year."

Fontenrose, now at the Atlantic Council, predicted that, while the Iran-backed militias in Iraq might lash out immediately, in revenge for one of their own top commanders killed alongside Suleimani, Tehran would wait and pick the time, place and manner of its retribution - again and again possibly over years to come.

To destroy all traces of Obama - HATE

Over the past three years, the national security decision-making process, by which the pros and cons of US action were once carefully weighed, has been gutted. There are few high-level policy meetings any more. The independent thinkers in Trump's orbit have left the stage, leaving a president who ultimately trusts his gut instincts above any expert.

It is those instincts that have, more than any other single factor, led the US and Iran to this point, and in particular Trump's visceral hatred of his predecessor, Barack Obama, and his diplomatic legacy, the 2015 nuclear deal. Destruction of the deal and the economic strangulation of Iran, became a central imperative of Trumpian foreign policy.

Those aides who remain in the president's orbit have survived because they know how to echo his impulses, his desire to destroy all traces of Obama, and who now share the president's focus on his own re-election.

The Trump administration aberrates the U.S. Congress War Powers Act in escalation against the Islamic State of Iran.

LIVE | Iranians take to the streets mourn the killing of General Qassem Soleimani by US forces | EuroNews |

○ US-Iran tensions after Soleimani killing: All the latest updates | Al Jazeera - Qatar |

○ Iran names Esmail Qaani new Quds chief after Soleimani killing | Arab News |

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 01:15:23 PM EST
Six year ago?? (none / 1)
2012: Fact Sheet: Sanctions Related to Iran reinforced very deprivations that precipitated Iran's conciliation under JCPOA for RELIEF in 2015.

"Trump administration aberrates [sic] the U.S. Congress War Powers Act"
Just no.

Enactment of the AUMF Against Terrorists by congress delegated military force ("war" powers) to the executive in 2001.

The Guardian is stocked with idiots who can't even accurately report what occurs in the HoC.

Moreover Kicking a Gift Horse in the Teeth

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 02:43:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (4.00 / 2)

Somehow I hate the NYT more than the honest fash papers.
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 03:17:17 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 1)
Opinion | Hypersonic Missiles Are a Game Changer - The New York Times
Moreover, hypersonics are a weaponized moral hazard for states with a taste for intervention, because they erase barriers to picking fights. Is an adversary building something that might be a weapons factory? Is there an individual in an unfriendly country who cannot be apprehended? What if the former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Qassim Suleimani, visits Baghdad for a meeting and you know the address? The temptations to use hypersonic missiles will be many.
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 03:28:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
A cakewalk (4.00 / 3)
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 06:57:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: A cakewalk (none / 0)
Trump is the man for a bullying job, so far. And the patron is...?
by das monde on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:12:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: A cakewalk (none / 0)
Indeed ... [???]

Multiple correct answers can be given. I'll keep it close-by as his BIG EGO and great stupidity. Apparently most of advisers with historic knowledge of the Middle East have been sacked along the way. As Trump's polls of support gained % points, criticism of opposition Democrats gained power through impeachment procedure ... a narcissistic person reacts with anger instead of wit. Trump was willing to take the gamble and with FAKE and FALSE arguments he'll try to save his a$$. It's time for people to open their eyes and see the true danger and evil possessed.

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:32:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
CAMPAIGN 2020 (none / 0)
started 2 Jan it can be revealed, as some Brit flacks are wont to say of a STONE COLD OBVIOUS fact.
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:01:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
< wipes tears > (none / 1)
Went to a dinner party eve of New Year's eve and made a motion to observe two minutes of hate which was swiftly seconded, voted, and passed UNANIMOUSLY.
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:43:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
'Old Soldiers Never Die' (none / 0)
Trump about to discover: "Martyrs live on forever."



Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 03:32:24 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (4.00 / 2)
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 03:54:57 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 1)
No bayonet. And yanno, I haven't read a single "analysis" of peaceful protestors opposed to the Shi'ite MOB backed by Iran that mentions ... Sunni ... or Ba'ath ahh confederates in Baghadad.

That there is some super deep cleaned parade of flowers.

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:50:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (4.00 / 2)
Well, that escalated quickly
The initial response came on Monday [Dec 30] from the Iraqi government, which angrily condemned the US strikes as, first and foremost, a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Underpinning that condemnation is a deep and very understandable Iraqi fear that any war between the US and Iran (and its proxies) is likely to do more damage to Iraq than anywhere else. The US government dismissed the Iraqis' complaints with a complaint of its own, accusing the Iraqi government of failing to protect its personnel. The bigger response came throughout the day Monday and then on Tuesday, when a mob of Kataʾib Hezbollah fighters and supporters stormed the US embassy in Baghdad. They set fires but were prevented from breaking into the compound by security. Perhaps more importantly, two major players in Iraqi politics--populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, joined the crowd in condemning the US attack. Sadr called on the mob to stop attacking the embassy and said he would use political means to try to force the United States out of Iraq. Neither Sadr nor Sistani could conceivably be described as "pro-American," but both had been much more concerned about Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs in recent months. Those US airstrikes appear to have changed that.

The Shadow Commander (September 2013)

What Jeffrey and Austin didn't say was that the crucial deal that brought the Iraqi government together [in 2010] was made not by them but by Suleimani. In the months before, according to several Iraqi and Western officials, Suleimani invited senior Shiite and Kurdish leaders to meet with him in Tehran and Qom, and extracted from them a promise to support Maliki, his preferred candidate. The deal had a complex array of enticements. Maliki and Assad disliked each other; Suleimani brought them together by forging an agreement to build a lucrative oil pipeline from Iraq to the Syrian border. In order to bring the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in line, Suleimani agreed to place his men in the Iraqi service ministries.

Most remarkable, according to the Iraqi and Western officials, were the two conditions that Suleimani imposed on the Iraqis. The first was that Jalal Talabani, a longtime friend of the Iranian regime, become President. The second was that Maliki and his coalition partners insist that all American troops leave the country. "Suleimani said: no Americans," the former Iraqi leader told me. "A ten-year relationship, down the drain."

by das monde on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 04:03:33 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 0)
Dood.

There is no commander, because there is no war. Yet.

Get. With. The. Program.

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:51:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 0)
Iran has been at war with the USA since 1979 - in their minds at least.


"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 07:01:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 1)
Not sure. Iran was willing to co-operate with USA even after 30 years of torture under Shah and CIA.
You see, it was either the mullahs or the communists who would take power after revolution, and CIA preferred the mullahs. Even led them a helping hand to gain power.

Unfortunately Carter let the dying Shah into USA while CIA tried to reconstruct it's old networks in Iran, which led the young revolutionaries to think USA was about to topple (again) their government and restore Shah. So, they occupied the embassy twice to find evidence and protect their hope for socially-responsible-and-fair-islamic-state.

This kinda ruined the relationship between the two, and yet USA shared intelligence with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, sold weapons to Iran (the contra affair) and even gave Iranians list of know leftists and pro-Soviets working in Iranian government so they could be 'purged'.

No, it's more likely the true hostility in relations started when Bush promised to sort of normalize relations, if Iran helped to free hostages held by Hezbollah, but did not actually follow trough when the hostages were released.

Clinton's total embargo in 1995 then finally made it obvious that USA was, and would be hostile to Iran, no matter what.

So, it's somewhere in the early 90's when one could say USA and Iran were technically at war.

by pelgus on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 12:52:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
An early thorn (none / 0)
D'Arcy concession - Wikipedia
The D'Arcy Concession was a petroleum oil concession that was signed in 1901 between William Knox D'Arcy and Mozzafar al-Din, Shah of Persia. The oil concession gave D'Arcy the exclusive rights to prospect for oil in Persia (now Iran). During this exploration for oil, D'Arcy and his team encountered financial troubles and struggled to find sellable amounts of oil. They were about to give up but eventually struck large commercial quantities of oil in 1908 [...]

The rivalry of Britain and Russia over influence in Persia

During this time period Great Britain and Russia had a great rivalry over the influence each wanted inside Persia. Both imperial powers believed that Persia and the Middle East were important to their imperial economic and military interests. Russia wanted to expand its influence into Persia and Britain believed that this would be a direct threat towards its precious Indian possessions. These two countries fought for influence in Persia through numerous concessions and loans throughout the 19th century. Many British government officials believed that this was where the D'Arcy concession could help [...]

The oil concession

[...] This 18 point concession would give D'Arcy the exclusive rights to prospect, explore, exploit, transport and sell natural gas, petroleum, asphalt and mineral waxes in Persia. This concession also granted D'Arcy these rights for a 60-year period and it covered an area of 1,242,000 square kilometers. This covered three quarters of the country and D'Arcy purposely excluded the five most northerly provinces from the concession because of their proximity to Russia. In return, the Shah received £20,000 cash, another £20,000 worth of shares, and 16 percent of annual net profits, from the operating companies of the concession.

Major discovery

After mounting expenditure, continuous funding from Burmah Oil and very few results, Burmah also began to grow impatient. It was now 1908 and no commercial quantities of oil had been found and it began to seem as if the beginning of the end was near. Burmah Oil sent a letter to Reynolds telling him to slow down production and pack up the equipment because the project was nearly over. Just as the letter was making its way to Reynolds, at 4:00 am on May 26, 1908, people at the site woke up to shouting, as a fifty-foot gusher of petroleum shot up the drilling rig. At last, commercial quantities of oil had been struck at the Masjid-i-Suleiman site.

Reasons for the 1932 cancellation of the D'Arcy Concessions, and the 1951 nationalization of Iranian oil

On November 27, 1932 the D'Arcy Oil Concession was cancelled, and renegotiated in 1933, by Reza Shah. However the reasons for the cancellation and renegotiation is something debated among historians. And in 1951 the D'Arcy Concession was cancelled for good, and Iranian oil was nationalized for reasons that are not debated by historians.

by das monde on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 03:14:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 0)
"So, it's somewhere in the early 90's when one could say USA and Iran were technically at war."

So, about 30 years. And, typically, the idealism of the young did not carry the day nor could the souk prevail against the mullahs. Instead, the dynamic of revolutions as described by Crane Brinton prevailed:
The_Anatomy_of_Revolution

But the 'youth' were hardly monolithic. Many were secular but most were religious, often not in a good way. But the US should have facilitated the Shah's asylum in some neutral European nation.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 05:01:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 0)
So. How does one write or pronounce OPEC in Farsi?
by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 06:45:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 0)
Remember the Vietnam War and Feb. 1968 Tet Offensive which led to global protests and personal blame on Johnson ... forcing him out of contention for a second term!

Johnson murderer ... will soon be replaced by "Trump murderer of Iranians".

It takes guts to be a leader of the Free World ... Donald you failed, you are a loser ... You Are Fired!


Pompeo calling all allies after the Baghdad deadly strikes ... an illegal act inside the sovereign State of Iraq. Get out now U.S. citizens and Armed Forces.



Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 04:59:07 PM EST
How's Trump's ME Peace Plan Doing? (none / 0)

In farewell essay, US envoy Greenblatt is hopeful plan will spur peace talks

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 05:14:51 PM EST
OMFG (none / 1)
The pair of them and the homicidal maniacs they rode in on. Linda Ronstadt should write a ballad.
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:56:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: How's Trump's ME Peace Plan Doing? (none / 1)
o, about as well as US congress has INTENDED the Afghanistan  peace plan, the Korea peace plan, the China peace plan, and "freedom molecule" plan to go.
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:07:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UK's Boris Johnson Caught By Surprise (none / 0)

UK leader was kept in the dark about Trump's escalation in Baghdad vs Iran ... great alliance! Pay yr dues and you may  join our military on the battlefield of heroic sacrifice.

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 05:56:36 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 1)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 05:58:43 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (4.00 / 2)
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 06:27:30 PM EST
Iran's FM Javad Zarif Gulf Peace Talks Aborted (4.00 / 2)

Diplomacy is dead, the JCPOA is dead, an act of war has disrupted the intentions of good will of peoples and nations. America has proofed itself to be a force of evil on the Middle East.

The Islamic State of Iran will move forward with developing nuclear weapons for self-defense against US aggression.

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:16:19 PM EST
"trilateral alliance" long form (none / 1)
I read last night. h/t Magnier.

'Marine Security Belt' drill in the eyes of world media , 29 Dec
Another belt warning. Geddit? The Pentagon is not going to get a "hot war" no matter how many pubic intellectuals predict it. They cannot outspend that show of market power, short- or long-term.

Trump's spectacle of America First victory in Beijing is in the way from 15 Jan until further notice.

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:27:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Soleimani Carried Saudi Deescalation Initiative (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Sun Jan 5th, 2020 at 05:32:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Deafening Silence in Peking and Moscow (none / 1)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 07:51:30 PM EST
Re: Deafening Silence in Peking and Moscow (4.00 / 2)
Quite.

Insert US maxim, misattributed to Napoleon--Confucius, Menses, Zhuangzi or Lao Tzu "intuition".

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:42:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Deafening Silence in Peking and Moscow (none / 1)
Incidenatlly, Islamabad Ready to Secure China-Pakistan Economic Corridor including Gwadar Port, Navy Chief Says

archived
Fuck
defense.pk: "Finally Suleimani got his wish, now Americans will get what they run away from."

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:51:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Deafening Silence in Peking and Moscow (none / 1)
DW | After Soleimani killing, Iran's ["]proxy war["] to impact Afghanistan and Pakistan
ya think?

wut: "Saudi Arabia -- a longtime US ally in the Middle East -- and Iran are already engaged in a ["]proxy war["] in places [?!] across the region."

wut: "The Iranian regime has also expanded its influence in Afghanistan over the past decade, and more recently by directly ["]engaging["] with the Taliban."

wut: "Ties between Iran and Pakistan have been tense for many years due to a deep mutual mistrust. Islamabad and Tehran accuse each other of backing separatist groups [US "proxies"], which are active in Pakistan's and Iran's Baluchistan provinces."

FFS. There is no US "peace process" with Taliban opposition to US occupation of Afghanistan.

Will Pakistan support the US [or] Iran [in Afghanistan]?
Supporting the US on Iran "would be a tough decision for the Pakistani government," Hasil Bezenjo, an opposition politician in Islamabad, told DW.

"Pakistan has a large Shiite population and if Islamabad sides with Washington, it would unleash a sectarian war in the country."

At the same time, Pakistan cannot afford to go against the US and Saudi Arabia, as its economy is heavily dependent on the two countries.
[...]
Shiite groups in Pakistan are already skeptical of the government's neutrality claims. "Pakistan is not neutral. If a war breaks out between Iran and the US, Washington would even demand military bases in the country. Pakistani officials have not directly condemned Soleimani's killing, which shows that the country has already sided with Saudi Arabia and the US," Rashid Rizvi, the head of a Shiite organization, told DW.

Experts contend that the Pakistani army would benefit from a US-Iran confrontation, as it would give generals more leverage domestically and internationally. Soon after Soleimani's killing, Washington revived a military training program for Pakistan, and the Trump administration could soon restore suspended military aid for the South Asian country.

"Dollar diplomacy"!
by Cat on Tue Jan 7th, 2020 at 09:28:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Deafening Silence in Peking and Moscow (none / 1)
Eco-friendly coal-fired plant powers houses, wins hearts in Pakistan
"As a major investment under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Sahiwal power plant has so far generated 21.83 billion KWh of electricity, effectively narrowing the gap in power supply in Pakistan. The eco-friendly project has also changed local people's negative impression about thermal power plants."

The China-Pakistan WHAt nOW?

by Cat on Thu Jan 9th, 2020 at 01:39:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Deafening Silence in Peking and Moscow (none / 1)
archived
Trump accuses France's Macron of sending 'mixed signals' to Iran, Aug
"'We don't do diplomacy on Twitter, we are discussing a serious crisis ... we don't do Twitter polemics, it is not how we will achieve our goals,' said a high-level French diplomat in an apparent diss [!] of Trump's style of diplomacy."
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 08:58:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
U.S. ME Policy Just Entered the Twilight Zone (none / 0)
No one can predict what will happen next, when it will happen and what or whom the targets will be. The consensus is it will be asymmetrical warfare, harassment and terror attacks of US assets across the globe. A new wave of horror for civilians traveling abroad as we have witnessed in the past with plane hijacking, bombings, hostage taking and murderous executions. Iran will counter with cyber warfare as the nation has been recipient from attacks by Israel, Arab states, U.S. and its European allies.

○ Amid strikes on Iraq ally, Iran's leader Khamenei taunts U.S. over Mideast impotence | Ynet News - Jan. 1, 2020 |

The Trump Administration Just Killed Iran's Most Famous Military Commander. We're Not Ready for What's Next | The Intercept |

The reported airstrike last night has taken this bitter conflict to an altogether new level. The killing of Suleimani, along with several other top Iraqi Shia militia leaders, is the single most significant lethal operation since the joint U.S.-Israeli assassination of Lebanese Hezbollah operative Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus in 2008.

[...]

Trump's decision to revoke U.S. participation in the nuclear deal after taking office helped set off the chain of events that has brought the two countries closer to full-blown war than at any time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Suleimani's killing has also likely eliminated the possibility of a future U.S. president reentering the nuclear agreement should Trump lose the 2020 election.

"The strike is bad news, as it takes off the table any prospect of future dialogue between Iran and the United States," Esfandiary said. "Suleimani was a popular figure inside Iran and even many Iranians who are against the government are likely to be outraged about the targeting of a high-ranking official of their country. No Iranian leader will be able to spare the political capital to engage with the U.S., at least for the foreseeable future."

○ Iraq braces for 'difficult days' after Soleimani's killing | Al Jazeera - Qatar |

    Caretaker PM Abdul Mahdi said the killings were "a dangerous escalation that will light the fuse of a destructive war in Iraq, the region, and the world".

From my diaries ...

○ Mabhouh's murder: Britain expels Israeli diplomat over Dubai passport row | March 2010 |
○ IDF Military Intelligence Blatantly Lies About Targeted Assassination of Iranian General | Tikun Olam - Jan. 2015 |

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 09:16:53 PM EST
"No one can predict" (none / 1)
But you have repeated a few hinged to the scurrilous "asymmetrical warfare" theory pimped by Pentagon game boize since they got bored with Kennan's "containment" plan.

Let's agree therefore that the probability--based on 230 years' trials of US military intervention abroad-- that US fed gov will spend $738B in 2020 to decimate civil societies in the "Greater Middle East" -> 1.0

by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 10:01:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
OK BOOMER (none / 1)
The US gov has been, still is, at "war".
I don't need a proclamation or an enroll bill from the odious to VERIFY homicidal mania. And yanno what? It is a bipartisan enterprise.
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 10:08:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 0)
After trading insults kast summer, the bullying president needs a reminder of what leadership and diplomacy is ... an Iran nuclear deal JCPOA with global allies you abandoned due to yr mental disorder.



Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 10:04:24 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 0)

From a military and diplomatic perspective, Soleimani was Iran's David Petraeus and Stan McCrystal and Brett McGurk all rolled into one ...

This doesn't mean war, it will not lead to war, and it doesn't risk war. None if that. It is war.

Another analysis of the unknown knowns to paraphrase Rumsfeld ...



Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 11:08:14 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 1)
by CAMPAIGN 2018 badassism

Management science at work for YOU! MEMORABLE, Drucker-worthy QUOTE

...Before engaging in military action that could [?] destabilize an entire [!] region, we must take a strategic, deliberate approach that includes consultation with Congress, our [UNKNOWN] allies, and ["]stakeholders["] in the Middle East. ...
by Cat on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 11:40:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 0)
by anglophone twitterverse

FATwA developing ...

by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 12:23:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred (none / 0)
Oh wait congress gave that power to the administration two decades ago and it still stands.
by asdf on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 03:53:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 1)
by generic on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 11:31:32 PM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani (none / 1)
by generic on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 12:36:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Martyred - Germany Reacts (none / 0)

○ US, Iran on precipice of unpredictable Middle East war | DW News |

○ Germany extends military mandate in Iraq | DW - Oct. 2018 |

Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.

by Oui on Fri Jan 3rd, 2020 at 11:50:56 PM EST
"harm's way" (none / 0)
tbh this is one phrase of many that have slithered into US vernacular which are utterly nonsensical to my ears.

Not only am I not fluent in psycho, the soldier, enlisted or drafted, who expected combat to be harmless typically is, pardon the joke, unknown.

by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 12:50:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Quds Force Commander Martyred - Emptywheel (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 12:00:50 AM EST
Re: Quds Force Commander Martyred Emptywheel (none / 0)
by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 07:13:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Breaking News: New US Airstrike Targets Iraq's PMU (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 12:06:58 AM EST
Tim Kaine Resolution to Stop Hostilities with Iran (none / 1)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 12:13:20 AM EST
Re: Allies (none / 1)
Allies!

There are clients and paymasters but no Western allies in the Middle East.

by StillInTheWilderness on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 01:49:20 AM EST
Re: Allies follow ... (4.00 / 2)
NY Fed's $40 Billion Iraqi Money Trail, SIGIR [SIGTARP v 1.0] revealed.
by Cat on Sat Jan 4th, 2020 at 07:19:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Assassination Qassem Soleimani Illegal: UN Rapport (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Tue Jan 7th, 2020 at 06:23:47 PM EST
Facebook Censors Criticism of Soleimani Murder (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 07:18:58 AM EST
Re: Facebook Censors Criticism of Soleimani Murder (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 11:44:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Facebook Censors Criticism of Soleimani Murder (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Fri Jan 24th, 2020 at 10:23:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Murdered (none / 0)


Global Warming - distance between America and Europe is steadily increasing.
by Oui on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 at 07:43:54 PM EST
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani Martyred In Baghdad | 86 comments (86 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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