Nuclear Iran

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by mapuc

They don't have to. It's enough for Russia to place boots and war material in Iran to prevent USA from attacking them.

Markus

OK, that's a fair point.

[Jimbuna]

Which they most likely would just to be a pain to the west and the US in particular.

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by mapuc

They don't have to. It's enough for Russia to place boots and war material in Iran to prevent USA from attacking them.

Markus

If only they could so nah Russia will not save Iran they can not do a war in Ukraine, defend a huge NATO border and Iran they do not have the material, men or can do the supply to do a 3 front conflict. Russia can not even win in Ukraine so will have to send all they have to Ukraine, it even weakened the defence on NATO border it simple has no resources to start a war with the no 1 army in the world.

[Jimbuna]

Three dead as US drone strike targets Iran-linked militia leader in Baghdad

Commander of Kataib Hezbollah’s operations in Syria among dead after attack in eastern neighborhood of Mashtal

The US military presence in Iraq has become a “factor for instability” and must be ended, the Iraqi military said on Thursday, as it responded angrily to US drone strike on a car in Baghdad that killed three members of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia.

Yehia Rasool, spokesperson for the commander of the military forces, accused the US of conducting “a blatant assassination through an airstrike in the heart of a residential neighbourhood in the capital, Baghdad, showing no regard for civilian lives or international laws.

“By this act, the American forces jeopardise civil peace, violate Iraqi sovereignty, and disregard the safety and lives of our citizens.”

Claiming the US mission deviates increasingly from its stated objectives in Iraq, he said “this trajectory compels the Iraqi government more than ever to terminate the mission of this coalition, which has become a factor for instability and threatens to entangle Iraq in the cycle of conflict”.

The US is already in talks with Iraqi officials about their continued presence, but the attack in Baghdad, undertaken without any prior consultation, is going to make those talks even more fraught.

Qasim al-Araji, Iraq’s national security adviser, said the attack was “a cowardly and reprehensible act, targeting Iraqi sovereignty”.

He said: “The Iraqi government has a clear and explicit decision to end the mission of the international coalition in Iraq.” Inside Iraq’s fissiparous parliament the calls were already intensifying for an unambiguous withdrawal date to be set.

The strike on Wednesday came on a main thoroughfare in the Mashtal neighbourhood in eastern Baghdad. The US said it had targeted and killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander responsible for the 27 January attack on a US base on the Jordan-Syrian border that led to the death of three US soldiers, and injury to dozens. One of the three killed was Wissam Mohammed “Abu Bakr” al-Saadi, the commander in charge of Kataib Hezbollah’s drone operations in Syria, and so the likely mastermind of the 27 January attack.

US military bases have been under sporadic assault from Iranian-backed militia for years, but the pace of those attacks increased after 7 October with the Hamas killing of hundreds of Israelis. It is estimated that US and allied troops have been attacked more than 165 times since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

Last week US deploying B-1 bombers from the US fired at 85 Iranian backed militia sites in both Syria and Iraq reportedly killing 40 people. At the time the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, said “this is the start of our response”. On Tuesday Israel struck the Shuyrat airbase and several locations on the outskirts of Homs, Syria.

In a statement, US Central Command claimed responsibility for the Baghdad killing and said there were “no indications of collateral damage or civilian casualties at this time”.

Centcom said: “The United States will continue to take necessary action to protect our people. We will not hesitate to hold responsible all those who threaten our forces’ safety.”

Muhammad Karim Mohammad Karim al-Beldawi of the Coordination Framework (CF), the Shia leadership coalition that oversees Iraqi political factions linked to Iran-backed militias, said: “The American attacks do not need condemnations, positions, and statements any more.” He pointed out that “there are supposed to be measures by governmental and parliamentary committees to end the foreign presence in Iraq”.

Katib Hezbollah acknowledged the US strike and said: “This calls for steadfastness on the path of jihad,” which often refers to armed struggle. Last week, seemingly under pressure from Iran, it had announced a ceasefire.

Two other members of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq called for retaliation. Al-Nujaba movement said: “Our response will be decisive, and these crimes will not go unpunished. Let this be our path and our foremost cause from now on and onwards.”

The leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq called for the “immediate withdrawal” of US-led coalition forces in Iraq.

“It is clear that denunciations and condemnations are no longer sufficient, which necessitates the need for Iraq to submit an official request to the UN Security Council demanding the immediate withdrawal of foreign forces,” Qais al-Khazali, secretary-general of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said on X.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has declared a state-wide mourning to honour the victims of the armed forces and civilians, denouncing Washington’s “violation of Iraq’s sovereignty”.

The US strike in the middle of the capital, as opposed to relatively remote militia ammunition depots in Syria, is likely to be seen as the most brazen incursion of Iraqi sovereignty since Donald Trump in January 2020 sanctioned the Baghdad assassination of IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani and Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The issue will be whether the attacks weaken the militia, or instead spur them into a new phase in which they attempt to attack US bases elsewhere including Kuwait and Jordan.

A crowd gathered on Wednesday as emergency response teams picked through the wreckage. Security forces closed off the heavily guarded “green zone”, where a number of diplomatic compounds are located, amid calls for protesters to storm the US embassy.

Not all of Iraq’s numerous militia groups back attacks on the US. Within Iraq, the Kurdish and Sunni group wanted to retain the US presence believing it acts as a ballast against further Iranian influence that has grown since the US invasion in 2003.

The Kurdistan regional government for instance repeatedly criticises Sudani’s administration as ineffectual and complicit in funding and arming outlawed groups.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...q-iran-militia

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Dargo

If only they could so nah Russia will not save Iran they can not do a war in Ukraine, defend a huge NATO border and Iran they do not have the material, men or can do the supply to do a 3 front conflict. Russia can not even win in Ukraine so will have to send all they have to Ukraine, it even weakened the defence on NATO border it simple has no resources to start a war with the no 1 army in the world.

I don't know how much friends they are. They can use reserves from Moscow and Petersburg and material from some bunker.

What I tried to say was:

They only need to be placed around Iran at important places to prevent USA from attacking Iran

As I see it-Iran is heading for the jackpot.

Markus

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by mapuc

I don't know how much friends they are. They can use reserves from Moscow and Petersburg and material from some bunker.

What I tried to say was:

They only need to be placed around Iran at important places to prevent USA from attacking Iran

As I see it-Iran is heading for the jackpot.

Markus

The reserves from Moscow and Petersburg will never, and I mean never be used for other regions or countries never, that would go against Russia whole defence doctrine. Russia has only one friend they really care about, that friend is called Russia, nobody else. Russia is build up in defence zones with Moscow as centre the best, most is in the Moscow region with Ukraine using fast amounts of material Russia can not spare any only for their own main defence Moscow. Placing material in Iran at important places to prevent US from attacking Iran will not deter the US from attacking because they do not attack Russia itself, Russia sold all kinds of material to others that was blown away by the US in past wars.

[mapuc]

Guess you're right and when it comes to an open conflict Iran does not have any friends at all.

They have few terror group who is supporting them, but no country, Only in peacetime

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

[mapuc]

^
Off topic

It's sad we live so far from each others or we could meet a weekend and play this board game or some other war related board game.

End off topic

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

^

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Iran vows to keep backing Hezbollah during regional tensions linked to Israel-Hamas war

BEIRIUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister vowed after arriving in Beirut on Friday to keep supporting the militant Hezbollah group, saying Lebanon’s security affects that of Iran and the region.

Hossein Amirabdollahian was welcomed by representatives of Lebanon’s Hezbollah as well as the militant Palestinian group Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iran, a main backer of the militant groups, has been calling on the U.S. to pressure Israel to stop its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah began attacks along Lebanon’s border with Israel on Oct. 8 after 17 years of relative calm, a day after Hamas launched its attack on southern Israel that triggered the ongoing war. Hezbollah officials have said they will stop attacking Israeli military posts when Israel’s attack on Gaza ends.

“Hezbollah and the resistance in Lebanon have courageously and wisely carried out their deterring and effective role,” Amirabdollahian told reporters at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.

He said Iran will continue “its strong support to the resistance in Lebanon, as we consider Lebanon’s security as the security of Iran and the region.”

Amirabdollahian is scheduled to meet Lebanese officials and hold talks with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Shortly before he arrived in Beirut, Syrian state media reported that the country’s air defense units shot down two drones near Damascus, the capital. State TV quoted a military statement as saying the drones came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Syrian military statement gave no further details.

An opposition war monitor reported an airstrike hit an air base in Damascus’ western neighborhood of Mazzeh, without saying if there were casualties. It added that the strike occurred shortly after an Iranian cargo plane landed at the base.

Thousands of Iran-backed fighters are in Syria, where they have been fighting alongside Syrian government forces in the nearly 13-year civil war.

Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria but has said it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups. It has also targeted members of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, including a high-ranking general in December.
https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-i...95b2c8a32c4120

[Jimbuna]

US seizes massive stash of Iranian weapons headed for Houthi rebels

US forces operating in the Arabian Sea have seized a massive arsenal of Iranian weapons that were bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen, officials said Thursday. The weapons were found on January 28.

The weaponry included medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components.

A statement from CENTCOM described the haul as 'lethal aid originating in Iran.' According to the command, the shipment was in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

'This is yet another example of Iran's malign activity in the region. Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce,' CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.

As of Wednesday, the carrier strike group, which includes the cruiser USS Eisenhower, USS Philippine Sea, the destroyers USS Mason and Gravely, and additional U.S. Navy assets in the region including the destroyers USS Laboon and USS Carney have conducted more than 95 intercepts of drones, anti-ship ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles and made more than 240 self-defense strikes on more than 50 Houthi targets.

On Tuesday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said that Israeli ships have been unable to pass through the Gulf of Aden over the last week. 'The Americans and the British failed to secure the passage of any ship heading to Israel. They were unable to protect these ships. They can no longer protect even American-British ships, and this is a real and major victory for us,' he said said in a televised speech.

Houthi militants, who control Yemen's most populous regions, have repeatedly fired on international commercial ships since mid-November. Their targets have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, according to shipping and insurance sources.

'The Israeli, American and British agenda seeks to bring an end to the Palestinian issue,' al-Houthi said. Houthi operations in the Red Sea, he said, were 'legitimate (ones) to help support the people of Gaza and lift the siege being imposed on them.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...ei=30#image=10

[Jimbuna]

Yemen's Houthi rebels fire missiles at British ship in Gulf of Aden

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis fired naval missiles at the British ship 'LYCAVITOS' in the Gulf of Aden, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech today.

British maritime security firm Ambrey said that a bulk carrier suffered minor damage today after being targeted by an explosive projectile some 100 nautical miles east of Yemen's port city of Aden.

The damage was caused by shrapnel that caused a diesel leak, Ambrey said in its advisory note, making clear the explosion occurred some 100 miles away and did not directly impact the carrier. The crew members were unharmed, it added.
Separately the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said today it had received a report of an explosion near a vessel some 85 nautical miles east of Aden.

It is not clear if either of the attacks refer to the one on 'LYCAVITOS'.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...33557c63&ei=25

[Jimbuna]

U.S. sanctions Iran Central Bank subsidiary for U.S. tech procurement and violating export rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three people and four firms — across Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey — for allegedly helping to export goods and technology purchased from U.S. companies to Iran and the nation’s central bank.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the procurement network transferred U.S. technology for use by Iran’s Central Bank in violation of U.S. export restrictions and sanctions.

Some of the materials acquired by the Central Bank of Iran were items classified as “information security items subject to national security and anti-terrorism controls” by the Commerce Department, Treasury says.

Included in the sanctions package is Informatics Services Corp., an Iranian subsidiary of Iran’s Central Bank that most recently developed the Central Bank Digital Currency platform for the bank; a UAE-based front company, which acquired U.S. tech for the Central Bank of Iran and the front company’s CEO, as well as a Turkey-based affiliate firm that also made purchases that ended up in Iran.

“The Central Bank of Iran has played a critical role in providing financial support to” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard and militant group Hezbollah, said Treasury Under Secretary Brian E. Nelson, adding that they are the “two key actors intent on further destabilizing the Middle East.”

“The United States will continue to use all available means to disrupt the Iranian regime’s illicit attempts to procure sensitive U.S. technology and critical inputs,” he said.

The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-hezb...60f3e2d9af72f1