Nuclear Iran

[Jimbuna]

Iran issues terrifying nuclear weapons warning amid fears of all-out war in Middle East

Iran has issued a terrifying nuclear weapons warning in an update on the country's stockpile following international concerns that its harbouring weapons of mass destruction.

The ongoing conflict with Israel has put Tel Aviv on high alert as it anticipates an attack from Tehran, and there are wider fears that the Middle East is heading closer to an all-out war.

As these tensions escalate in the background, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has spoken out about the country's stance on nuclear weapons, which has so far remained vague, only heightening fears of a war.

While Esmail Baghaei did maintain that Iran "rejects weapons on mass destruction", he did however caution that the country will use weapons "to the extent necessary" to defend itself.

He said: "The official stance of Iran in rejecting weapons of mass destruction and regarding the peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear program is clear.

"As emphasised in the recent speech by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, we will equip ourselves to the extent necessary for the defence of Iran."

On October 26, Israel utilised air-launched ballistic missiles against Iran, hitting missile factories and air defences in three waves of strikes.

Israel is now bracing for a response, with Baghaei adding Iran will use all of its "material and spiritual resources to respond to the recent aggressions by the Zionist regime".

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei echoed this sentiment, calling for a "tooth-breaking response" to not just Israel, but the United States also, as it routinely sends aid to Tel Aviv.

He said: "The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front."

Khamenei's adviser, Kamal Kharrazi, also terrifyingly warned of a possible change to the country's secretive nuclear doctrine.

He said: "If an existential threat arises, Iran will modify its nuclear doctrine. We have the capability to build weapons and have no issue in this regard. The only thing currently prohibiting this is the leader's fatwa."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-issues-terrifying-nuclear-weapons-warning-amid-fears-of-all-out-war-in-middle-east/ar-AA1txDqV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=1e8a1a09912143d0b0cf4256371a108f&ei=13

[Jimbuna]

Iran, Russia Link Banking Systems In Latest Bid To Counter Sanctions

Tehran:
Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television reported, as the two countries linked their banking systems in the latest bid to counteract sanctions.

Iranian banks have been excluded since 2018 from the SWIFT international financial messaging service, which governs the vast majority of transactions worldwide.

The move is part of a raft of sanctions that were re-imposed on Iran after the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television channel IRINN said on Monday, showing the withdrawal of money using an Iranian bank card from an ATM in Russia.

The operation was made possible by connecting Iran's interbank network Shetab to its Russian equivalent Mir, the channel said.

Iranians can currently withdraw money in Russia, and will in the future be able to use their cards to pay for in-store purchases, it added.

"The plan is also going to be implemented in other countries that have a wide range of financial and social interactions with Iran, for example Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey," it said.

Both Iran and Russia have sought to counteract the effects of sanctions on their economies.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has faced mounting sanctions, and its ties with Tehran have grown closer in parallel.

Ukraine and its Western allies have since the start of the conflict accused Iran of supplying Russia with both drones and missiles for use in the war.

Tehran and Moscow signed an agreement in June to strengthen their cooperation in the banking sector.

In the future, Russians will also be able to use their bank cards in Iran, IRINN said, without specifying when.

Russia has been pushing for the creation of an international payment platform as an alternative to the SWIFT service, from which key Russian banks have also been excluded since 2022.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-russia-link-banking-systems-in-latest-bid-to-counteract-sanctions-7002802

[Jimbuna]

US government worker charged with leaking classified documents on Israel’s plans to strike Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who worked for the U.S. government has been charged with leaking classified information assessing Israel’s earlier plans to attack Iran, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

The man, identified as Asif William Rahman, was arrested by the FBI this week in Cambodia and was due to make his first court appearance in Guam.

He was indicted last week in U.S. court in Virginia on two counts of willful transmission of national defense information — felony charges that can can carry significant prison sentences.

It was not immediately clear whether Rahman had a lawyer or which federal agency employed him, but officials say he had top secret security clearance.

The charges stem from the documents, attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, appearing last month on a channel of the Telegram messaging app. The documents noted that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.

Israel carried out a retaliatory attack on multiple sites in Iran in late October.

The documents were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The New York Times was first to report his arrest.
https://apnews.com/article/fbi-classified-documents-justice-department-israel-iran-af303d8e786839e7431b203b3cf40be7

[Jimbuna]

Israel ‘destroyed’ secret Iranian nuclear weapons research facility

Asecret Iranian nuclear weapons research facility was destroyed in Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic last month, according to US and Israeli sources.

Satellite imagery showed the Taleghan 2 site reduced to two piles of rubble by Israel’s October 25 strikes.

US officials said the facility, 20 miles east of Tehran, was being used to design the explosive mechanism needed to detonate a nuclear bomb.

Israeli strikes also destroyed three other nearby buildings that were being used to mix solid fuel for ballistic missiles, the Institute for Science and International Security said.

Taleghan 2, which is part of the larger Parchin military complex, was previously reported to have been closed down in 2003.

But US intelligence from earlier this year detected Iranian scientists conducting research at the facility that would “lay the ground for the production of a nuclear weapon”.

US and Israeli officials said that this included metallurgy, explosive testing and computer modelling.

The Taleghan 2 facility was so secretive that only a select few in the Iranian regime were aware of the site’s real purpose.

“It was a top secret thing. A small part of the Iranian government knew about this, but most of the Iranian government didn’t,” one US official told the Axios news site.

After activity was detected at the site, the US sent a private warning to the Iranian regime. It was hoped that Iran would then cease operations, but nuclear activity continued, officials said.

In July, the US director of national intelligence delivered a report to Congress, which warned that Iran had “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so”.

The same report also notably omitted a sentence used as standard by US intelligence in recent years, which says that Iran “isn’t currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device”.

Iran has repeatedly denied having a nuclear weapons programme, though supreme leader Ali Khamenei has said that world leaders “wouldn’t be able to stop us”.

“Iran is not after nuclear weapons, period,” said Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, last week.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/israel-destroyed-secret-iranian-nuclear-weapons-research-facility/ar-AA1u9XZh?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ec623dd579a94b39b43cc24d9cb0f960&ei=27

[Skybird]

Ha, Jim was faster. However, again:


https://www.nzz.ch/international/hat-israel-in-iran-eine-forschungsanlage-fuer-atomwaffen-zerstoert-ld.1857757?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

[Reece]

Excellent news guys!! :Kaleun_Applaud:
I'm very happy!! :yep::woot:

[Jimbuna]

Ha, Jim was faster. However, again:


https://www.nzz.ch/international/hat-israel-in-iran-eine-forschungsanlage-fuer-atomwaffen-zerstoert-ld.1857757?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

If your not fast...your last :03:

[Jimbuna]

Iran building shelters likely for Russian Su-35s: Defense Express reveals satellite images

Iran may be building shelters for Russian Su-35S fighter jets. Corresponding satellite images have emerged, Defense Express informs.

The news agency noted that a satellite image from September 2024 shows the construction of arch-shaped shelters at the third tactical airbase in Iran, located near the city of Hamadan.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-building-shelters-likely-for-russian-su-35s-defense-express-reveals-satellite-images/ar-AA1uakXb?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=32de41a8d7ef435db6453a3af6b27370&ei=28

[Jimbuna]

All about the latest spy war: how Iran and Israel are relying heavily on espionage

Espionage – intelligence, counter-intelligence, spies – is a central element of statecraft. It has been so since the ancient period, and continues to remain extremely relevant. As conflict and war engulfs contemporary global geopolitics, espionage has taken on an even greater role. The latest spy war is playing out between the two biggest actors in West Asia: Iran and Israel.
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/all-about-the-latest-spy-war-how-iran-and-israel-are-relying-heavily-on-espionage-2637062-2024-11-21

[Jimbuna]

UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran has accepted request to stop increasing near weapons grade uranium stock

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said Iran has accepted a request to stop increasing its 60% uranium stock, which is enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Although cautious, Grossi was optimistic about the prospect emphasizing that Iran may be taking “a different direction,” and adding that it “merits serious consideration”.
https://apnews.com/video/iran-iran-government-international-atomic-energy-agency-rafael-grossi-2024-mideast-wars-1530fbdaa7df4197817bb451bb4501c5

[Reece]

UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran has accepted request to stop increasing near weapons grade uranium stock
Gee, why don't I believe them!! :hmmm::doh:

[Jimbuna]

Gee, why don't I believe them!! :hmmm::doh:

Precisely

Iran orders new advanced nuclear centrifuges to be brought on stream after IAEA censure

Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Iran said Friday it had begun commissioning new advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges after it was censured by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Atomic Energy Agency of Iran said in a statement reported by the state-run IRNA news agency that the resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency was "politically motivated, unrealistic and counterproductive."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-orders-new-advanced-nuclear-centrifuges-to-be-brought-on-stream-after-iaea-censure/ar-AA1uzg4F?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[Skybird]

Vertrauen ist gut - Kontrolle ist besser. - German proverb.

[Jimbuna]

Precisely :yep:

[Jimbuna]

Norwegian guard at US Embassy in Oslo arrested over allegations of spying for Russia and Iran

A Norwegian man working as a security guard for the US Embassy in Oslo was arrested this week on allegations of spying for Russia and Iran.

According to Norway’s public broadcaster NRK, the man is in his 20s and was arrested at home in his garage on Wednesday. He is charged with attempted aggravated intelligence activities against state secrets and admitted to having collected and shared information with Russian and Iranian authorities, according to NRK.

The arrest comes amid ongoing concerns about Moscow and Tehran’s espionage and influence operations around the globe. Western officials have disrupted plots from Tehran to harm or kill individuals, including an alleged assassination plot against President-elect Donald Trump.

Also in November, the Wall Street Journal reported that incendiary devices which had ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation aiming to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the US and Canada.

The man accused of espionage in Norway “is charged with having obtained information that may be detrimental to the security situation for third countries, and the question is whether the information he has is of such a nature,” his lawyer John Christian Elden said, adding that his client had not acknowledged that he is a spy. Elden said his client does not plead guilty but consents to two weeks’ imprisonment, NRK reported.

Norway’s intelligence and security service PST confirmed to CNN Friday that it had arrested the individual “for intelligence activities against state secrets and illegal intelligence against other states.” A spokesperson for PST also confirmed that “the person was employed as a security guard at the American embassy in Oslo.” They declined to offer further information, citing the early stages of the investigation.

A US State Department spokesperson told CNN that they “do not comment on allegations related to intelligence or personnel matters, but as always appreciate our close coordination and cooperation with the Norwegian police on a range of critical issues.”

“We refer you to Norwegian authorities for further information,” the spokesperson said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/22/politics/norwegian-embassy-guard-accused-spy-russia-iran/index.html

[Jimbuna]

Iran, Europeans test diplomacy with Trump term looming

GENEVA (Reuters) -European and Iranian officials made little progress in meetings on Friday on whether they could engage in serious talks, including over Iran's disputed nuclear programme, before Donald Trump returns to the White House in January, diplomats said.

The meetings in Geneva, the first since this month's U.S. election, come after Tehran was angered by a European-backed resolution last week that criticised Iran for poor cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

"Another round of candid discussions with PDS (political directors) of France, Germany and United Kingdom," Iran's former ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on X. "It was agreed to continue diplomatic dialogue in near future."

A European official said there had been nothing of note in the meeting but that Tehran had shown an eagerness to explore how diplomacy could work in next few weeks.

Trump, who after pulling the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers pursued a "maximum pressure" policy that sought to wreck Iran's economy, is staffing his new administration with noted hawks on Iran.

Iran's deputy foreign minister and senior nuclear negotiator Majid Takhtravanchi met the EU's coordinator Enrique Mora on Thursday evening before holding various talks on Friday with the European diplomats, known as the E3.

While Trump's return to power leaves many questions open, four European diplomats said the E3 countries - the European parties to the 2015 accord - felt it was vital to engage now because time was running out.

The level of distrust between both sides was highlighted when the E3 on Nov. 21 pushed ahead with a resolution by the IAEA board of governors which criticised Iran.

They dismissed as insufficient and insincere a last-minute Iranian move to cap its stock of uranium that is close to weapons grade.

Tehran reacted to the resolution by informing the IAEA that it plans to install more uranium-enriching centrifuges at its enrichment plants.

In rare public comments, the head of France's foreign intelligence service Nicolas Lerner said on Friday there was a real the risk of Iranian nuclear proliferation in the coming months.

"Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, critical threat of the coming months ... possible atomic proliferation in Iran," Lerner said, speaking in Paris alongside his British counterpart, adding the two agencies were defining their strategy.

A European official had earlier said the primary aim in Geneva was to try to agree a calendar timeline and framework to embark on good faith talks so that there was a clear commitment from Iranians to begin negotiating something concrete before Trump arrives.

It was unclear immediately if there had been any such progress.

"If we finalise a roadmap with France, Britain and Germany on how to resolve the nuclear dispute, then the ball will be in the U.S. court to revive or kill the 2015 nuclear deal," the senior Iranian official said.

The E3 have adopted a tougher stance on Iran in recent months, notably since Tehran ramped up its military support to Russia. However, they have always insisted that they wanted to maintain a policy of pressure and dialogue.

Iranian officials say their primary objective will be finding ways to secure lifting of sanctions.

WAR FEARS

The 2015 deal lifted international sanctions against Iran in return for Tehran accepting some curbs to its nuclear programme. Since Trump left the deal, Iran has accelerated its nuclear programme while limiting the IAEA's ability to monitor it.

"There isn't going to be an agreement until Trump takes office or any serious talks about the contours of a deal," said Kelsey Davenport, director of non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association advocacy group.

The talks, which also discussed the Middle East situation and Iran's military cooperation with Russia, took place amid fears that an all-out war could break out between Iran and arch-rival Israel despite a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Iran's Hezbollah allies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he wanted to turn Israel's focus to Iran.

The European powers hope Iran will decide to begin negotiating new restrictions on its nuclear activities with a view to having a deal by the summer.

That would give enough time to implement new limits on Iran's programme and lift sanctions before the accord ends in October 2025. It is not clear whether Trump would back negotiations.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-europeans-test-diplomacy-with-trump-term-looming/ar-AA1uZp7n?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=e33d7cf75abe485c8c0a62f3d54d28c1&ei=84

[Jimbuna]

Iran may accelerate nuclear weapons program in coming months – French intelligence

In the coming months, there are risks of Iran's proliferation of nuclear weapons. The UK and France are already working on strategies for possible developments, stated the head of France’s foreign intelligence service, Nicolas Lerner, according to Reuters.

"Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months - the possible atomic proliferation in Iran," said Lerner.

According to him, intelligence on the situation with Iran's nuclear weapons will be decisive. After that, the authorities of a number of countries will be able to make the right decisions and determine the right strategies.

Earlier, we reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors passed a resolution demanding that Iran urgently improve its cooperation with the agency and provide a comprehensive report. This document is reportedly aimed at pushing Tehran toward new nuclear negotiations.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-may-accelerate-nuclear-weapons-program-in-coming-months-french-intelligence/ar-AA1v0Dhq?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=2756265e3122471094beccfbf035435f&ei=25

[Jimbuna]

Iran to begin enriching uranium with thousands of advanced centrifuges, UN watchdog says

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran will begin enriching uranium with thousands of advanced centrifuges at its two main nuclear facilities at Fordo and Natanz, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Friday, further raising tensions over Tehran’s program as it enriches at near weapons-grade levels.

The notice from the International Atomic Energy Agency only mentioned Iran enriching uranium with new centrifuges to 5% purity, far lower than the 60% it currently does — likely signaling that it still wants to negotiate with the West and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

However, it remains unclear how Trump will approach Iran once he enters office, particularly as it continues to threaten to attack Israel amid its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and just after a ceasefire started in its campaign in Lebanon. Trump withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018, setting in motion a series of attacks and incidents across the wider Mideast.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment over the IAEA’s report. Tehran had threatened to rapidly advance its program after the Board of Governors at the IAEA condemned Iran at a meeting in November for failing to cooperate fully with the agency.

In a statement, the IAEA outlined the plans Iran informed it of, which include feeding uranium into some 45 cascades of its advanced IR-2M, IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges.


Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to more quickly enrich the uranium. Each of these advanced classes of centrifuges enrich uranium faster than Iran’s baseline IR-1 centrifuges, which have been the workhorse of the country’s atomic program. The IAEA did not elaborate on how many machines would be in each cascade but Iran has put around 160 centrifuges into a single cascade in the past.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-iaea-mideast-wars-israel-7450481f9e42ea5b786c5d672ec382a1

[Jimbuna]

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi gets 3-week reprieve from prison in Iran after surgery

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was released temporarily from prison Wednesday after undergoing a complex surgery in Iran that saw part of a bone in her right leg removed over cancer fears, her supporters said.

A campaign on Mohammadi’s behalf said she would be free for 21 days, but would have to serve the remaining prison time later. The Iranian government did not immediately acknowledge the medical furlough for Mohammadi, 52, which her supporters demanded should involve her being permanently freed.

“A 21-day suspension of Narges Mohammadi’s sentence is inadequate,” the campaign said. “After over a decade of imprisonment, Narges requires specialized medical care in a safe, sanitary environment — a basic human right. As doctors have emphasized, a minimum of three months’ recovery is crucial for her healing.”

It added: “Narges should never have been imprisoned in the first place for her peaceful advocacy for human and women’s rights — the very work that earned her the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Mohammadi is serving prison sentences totaling 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran’s government. She has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. That includes backing the nationwide, women-led protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.

Mohammadi suffered multiple heart attacks while imprisoned before undergoing emergency surgery in 2022, her supporters say. In November of this year, her lawyer announced that doctors found a bone lesion that they feared could be cancerous, leading to her surgery.

“We are hugely relieved by Narges Mohammadi’s temporary release today from Evin prison, which is an important step in the right direction,” said Rebecca Vincent of Reporters Sans Frontières. “We remain deeply concerned by her worrying health situation and urge the Iranian authorities to grant her sufficient time at home to allow for her full recovery.”

Iran’s economy has been in tatters for years because of sanctions imposed by the West. Its people are angry over the devaluation of their currency and government corruption. That’s fueled protests, as well as a government crackdown on dissent.

The return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House in January has stoked concerns for some that he may resume his “maximum pressure” campaign on the Islamic Republic.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-nobel-prize-narges-mohammadi-57297ee4f015ee0a25e064641246afd2

[Jimbuna]

Iran launches heavy satellite into high orbit with new module

Iran has sent its heaviest-ever cargo into space using a Simorgh rocket, including an advanced module to put satellites into higher orbits, Reuters reports.

The state television broadcast said that the Samān-1 transition module, along with a CubeSat and a research payload, “were successfully placed in an elliptical orbit with a high point of 410 km (255 miles) and a low point of 300 km.”

The launch took place amid claims by the United States and European countries that Iran was transferring ballistic missiles to Russia, which would likely be used in a war with Ukraine within weeks.

According to the Iranian media, the two-stage liquid-fueled Simorgh launch vehicle was created by the Iranian Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces Logistics Service.

“During its eighth launch, it achieved a new milestone by successfully delivering the Samān-1 Orbital Transfer Block and two other research payloads with a combined weight of approximately 300 kg (660 pounds), setting a new national record for the heaviest payload launched into orbit,” they added.

In January, Iran announced that it had launched three satellites simultaneously for the first time using a Simorgh rocket.

Iranian media reported at the time that one satellite weighing 32 kg and two nanosatellites weighing less than 10 kg each were sent into a minimum orbit of 450 km (280 miles), with the two smaller devices aimed at testing narrowband communication and geo-positioning technologies.

In September, Iran launched the Chamran-1 research satellite into a 550 km orbit using a Qaem-100 launch vehicle.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/iran-launches-heavy-satellite-into-high-orbit-with-new-module/ar-AA1vo2B8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=a12506fe2f8147208a9c7f5c9e463079&ei=70

[Skybird]

Surprise surprise! Who could have known that in advance? :D

[Frankfurter Rundschau] Iran likely to massively increase uranium enrichment - nuclear bomb quality almost achieved
Iran is intensifying its uranium enrichment: warnings of a possible nuclear bomb, the German Foreign Office reacts with alarm.

Tehran - According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is stepping up preparations for the possible production of a nuclear bomb. The Islamic Republic is said to have massively increased its production of 60 percent enriched uranium. These ambitions are causing concern in Israel in particular.
“Iran already has enough material to produce four nuclear bombs,” said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in an interview with Reuters published on Friday (December 6). However, Tehran continues to deny that it is pursuing a military nuclear program and stresses that its nuclear technology is exclusively for civilian purposes.
Grossi estimated that Iran could produce “seven, eight or even more times” the current monthly amount of five to seven kilograms of 60 percent uranium in the future. There is currently no known reason to enrich uranium to 60 percent for civilian purposes. In the past, states have mainly used uranium enriched to 60 percent to prepare for the production of nuclear bombs.

Uranium with a purity of 60 percent is technically close to the 90 percent required for the construction of nuclear bombs. This increases the concentration of the fissile isotope uranium-235, which is essential for chain reactions in nuclear weapons.

Politicians in Germany were also alarmed. The Federal Foreign Office condemned the development as a “serious Iranian escalation step”. The ministry emphasized: “It is obvious that such measures considerably worsen the framework for diplomatic efforts.”

The IAEA Board of Governors had already accused Iran of a lack of willingness to cooperate in November, at the initiative of the UK, Germany and France. Tensions could escalate further with the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, whose administration is considered to be particularly critical of Iran.

[Jimbuna]

Iran evacuating troops from Syria amid rebel offensive

Iran has begun evacuating its military command and personnel from Syria. This move by one of Damascus' key allies, Tehran, could signal an inability to assist President Bashar al-Assad in maintaining power amid a rebel offensive, reports The New York Times.

Regional officials and three Iranian officials told the American media that Iranian military personnel and staff members had started to be evacuated from Syria.

It is reported that senior commanders from the Quds Force, one of the five external branches of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have already been evacuated to neighboring Iraq and Lebanon.

Iranian officials and regional authorities also revealed to journalists that they had evacuated members of the Revolutionary Guards, some Iranian diplomatic staff, their families, and Iranian civilians.

"Iranians began to leave Syria on Friday morning," the NYT reports, citing officials speaking anonymously to discuss a sensitive issue.

The evacuation is said to be taking place at the Iranian embassy in Damascus and at IRGC bases.

Some individuals being evacuated are being transferred by air to Tehran, while others are leaving by land to Lebanon, Iraq, and the Syrian port of Latakia.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-evacuating-troops-from-syria-amid-rebel-offensive-nyt/ar-AA1vqywX?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=68e111d80d1f42839e2c1fc9c404979a&ei=15

[Jimbuna]

Iran is teetering on the brink - why this could make regime more dangerous than ever

2024 must rank as one of the worst years for the Iranian regime. Israel has humbled and decapitated Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon, with key assassinations along the way, including Revolutionary Guards commanders and Hamas leaders.

The deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash earlier this year scuppered succession plans for Tehran into the bargain.

Now to top it all off, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is in exile in Moscow following the collapse of his regime. Weakened by protests at home - as well as embarrassed and degraded by Israeli attacks which destroyed the country's air defence systems - the proxy network of Iran also lies in tatters.

Only perhaps the Yemeni Houthis remain reasonably strong. Now billions of oil money has gone down the tubes, money which could have been spent at home, something likely to exacerbate domestic discontent with the regime.

Assad, for one, helped secure oil for Iranian proxies. Now with its network in near ruins across much of the Middle East what can we expect from the Iranians?

Well, firstly a word of caution: not all the proxies are in ruins. There are the aforementioned Houthis alongside Shiite militants in both Iran and Iraq.

Moreover, Iran has been able to cultivate ties with Sunni militants as well - Hamas is the best example but note links with the Taliban as well.

Tehran would surely not be averse to further cultivating such ties if these augmented its ongoing strategy of weakening Israel and her Western allies.

Iran however faces the prospect of President Donald Trump returning to office in the US. During his first term in office, Trump pulled the US out of a six-nation agreement aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program alongside sanctions.

Although sanctions remain, there has been a lingering perception that President Joe Biden has been softer on Tehran. There is then a widespread expectation that Trump will ratchet up sanctions and turn the thumbscrews on the regime to apply maximum pressure.

This could however be a moment of maximum danger for the region. Cornered, Iran may seek not only to augment its ties with the Sunni world, but to go for broke when it comes to crushing domestic discontent and developing nuclear capabilities.

Even if the Supreme Leader - Ayatollah Khamenei - dies in the near future (and reports of his ill health continue), the regime and its ideology will outlast one man, as they did his predecessor Ayatollah Khomeini.

Israel may have weakened Iran's proxies but nor are they dead, and nor has Israel finished the job. Moreover, Iran remains ideological bedfellows on Israel with militants and groups who may have fought Tehran's proxies.

Although locked in an ongoing ideological civil war with Saudi Arabia, Iran also retains powerful friends in China and Russia (indeed Beijing brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi not so long ago). India is also on reasonable terms with Tehran.

China is a big buyer of Iranian oil, with clandestine means to increase shipments, something Beijing likely wants to secure in the event of further sanctions or conflict over Taiwan.

This then is an Iranian regime down but not out, humbled but not to be discontented, bowed but not broken. Trump could change all that but it would be reckless to dismiss the resolve and still substantial means of the Iranian regime.

2024 has been a terrible year for Iran. 2025 will be pivotal to see whether the bad times continue or whether Tehran can fight back.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-is-teetering-on-the-brink-why-this-could-make-regime-more-dangerous-than-ever/ar-AA1vwnBc?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=10253e09b4804f07a6338a45beef6154&ei=14

[Dargo]

Military officials: Israel preparing for potential strikes against Iran nuclear facilities (https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/military-officials-israel-preparing-for-potential-strikes-against-iran-nuclear-facilities/)The Israeli Air Force is continuing its readiness and preparations for potential strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, following the weakening of Tehran’s proxy groups in the Middle East and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Israeli military officials.

The military believes that an isolated Iran may push further with its nuclear program.

Due to the dramatic changes in the Middle East, especially the fall of Assad which allowed the IAF to take out the vast majority of Syria’s air defenses, the Israeli military believes there is now an opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear sites.

[mapuc]

This strike would come anyway Syrian air force or not.

Israel will not allow Iran to develop nukes.

What I wonder is, what kind of weapons are Israel going to use against these well protected targets ?

Markus

[Reece]

This strike would come anyway Syrian air force or not.

Israel will not allow Iran to develop nukes.

What I wonder is, what kind of weapons are Israel going to use against these well protected targets ?

Markus

Nuke em boys, fight fire with fire!! :yep:

[Dargo]

^Sure nuke em and... Russia will react.

[Reece]

Nuke them too!! :D

[Dargo]

Nuke them too!! :DDunno where you're from, but those Russian nukes probable land on your head.

[mapuc]

Dunno where you're from, but those Russian nukes probable land on your head.

Reminded me of the book by Neville Shute
- On the Beach

Markus

[Dargo]

:03: In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river.
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

[Reece]

Dunno where you're from, but those Russian nukes probable land on your head.
Have to be way off course!! :D

[Jimbuna]

Have to be way off course!! :D

Almost on another planet :)

[Jimbuna]

Not long now.

Israel states that it is preparing for strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities

The Israeli Air Force is preparing to strike Iran's nuclear facilities after disabling Syria's air defense systems, The Times of Israel informs.

According to reports, the Israeli Defense Forces believe that after the weakening of Iranian proxy groups in the Middle East and the dramatic collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, there is now an opportunity to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

As a result, the Israeli Air Force continues to ramp up preparations for potential strikes on such targets.

It is noted that over 85% of Syria's air defense systems were destroyed during recent strikes, giving Israeli aircraft and drones complete air superiority.

The Israeli military also believes that with Iran isolated following Assad's regime collapse and the weakening of its main proxy group, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran may continue its nuclear program and develop a bomb, attempting to replace its nuclear deterrence.

Israel is preparing a response to Iran's attack

On October 1, Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, but the attack was ineffective.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate for this attack and does not rule out strikes on Iran's oil fields and even nuclear facilities.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden is trying to persuade Israel to refrain from such actions in order to avoid escalation.

At the same time, according to an Israeli journalist, future US President Donald Trump may have his own interest in encouraging Israel to deliver a devastating blow to Iran.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/israel-states-that-it-is-preparing-for-strikes-on-iran-s-nuclear-facilities/ar-AA1vLDen?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ENTPSP&cvid=528f30f99987406da73c932d9fed407c&ei=44

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoS8159Qouk

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od-P1zlPd_g

[mapuc]

^ Would not come as a surprise if USA do attack Iran.

USA have more in their arsenal than Israel have.

Markus

[Skybird]

Technically speaking, a Trump is a further development of the MIRV. :D

[Dargo]

Why would the US attack when Israel can do the dirty job scenario will more be supply Israel to conduct this operation. If it is a success it will be the coalition... if it fails it will be Israel decide for themselves, we did not know annnyyything...

[Jimbuna]

Iran sentences an Iranian-American journalist to 10 years in prison

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A court in Iran has sentenced Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh to 10 years on prison after finding him guilty of collaborating with a hostile government, his lawyer said Saturday.

Reza Valizadeh is a former journalist for the U.S.-government-funded Voice of America’s Farsi language service and also has worked for Radio Farda, an outlet under Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that is overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, the lawyer of Valizadeh, told The Associated Press that the Tehran Revolutionary Court issued a first-instance verdict for his client on a charge of “collaborating with the hostile U.S. government.”

Aghasi said that the verdict can be appealed within 20 days since it was delivered to them a week ago. He added that he hasn’t been able to meet with Valizadeh since the verdict was issued.

In August, Valizadeh apparently posted two messages suggesting he had returned to Iran despite Radio Farda being viewed by Iran’s theocracy as a hostile outlet.

“I arrived in Tehran on March 6, 2024. Before that, I had unfinished negotiations with the (Revolutionary Guard’s) intelligence department,” the message read in part. “Eventually I came back to my country after 13 years without any security guarantee, even a verbal one.”

Aghasi said he was free during the first six months of his arrival and then was arrested.


Earlier in November, Kianoosh Sanjari, a former journalist with VOA’s Farsi service, jumped to his death from a building in Iran’s capital in protest of the country’s supreme leader and an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the Islamic Republic.

Iranian authorities said that Sanjari, 42, had earlier demanded the release of four prisoners held in the country and threatened to kill himself if they weren’t released.

In 2007, a former Radio Farda broadcaster, Parnaz Azima, returned briefly to Iran to visit her ailing mother. Her passport was confiscated at the airport. Authorities banned her from leaving the country and summoned her repeatedly for questioning by security forces. Finally, she was freed on bail and allowed to leave the country eight months later.

Iran has faced years of unrest amid wider tensions with the West, most recently with the nationwide protests that followed the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini. Jobs also remain scarce and the country’s rial currency continues its yearslong collapse against the U.S. dollar, further straining the lives of Iranians.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-valizadeh-voa-us-journalist-31ff3160fd9d76595478fdd13d69f76a

[mapuc]

I read somewhere that Iran had speed up their centrifuge after the rumour about a imminent Israel strike on Iran.

My thoughts when reading it-Maybe Iran is working hard to get their first nuke, in order to prevent Israel from attacking them.

Markus

[Dargo]

Why this fear? Making nuclear material is the easiest part of a nuke to find out to detonate making a bomb that fits on a ballistic missile is the hardest part and kept secret by all nuclear power, everybody has it own way. We do not know if Iran has this tech.

[mapuc]

Why this fear? Making nuclear material is the easiest part of a nuke to find out to detonate making a bomb that fits on a ballistic missile is the hardest part and kept secret by all nuclear power, everybody has it own way. We do not know if Iran has this tech.

I do not fear Iran with nukes. I understand Israel fears it and will do anything to prevent them from getting nukes. Even USA will prevent it.

Markus

[Skybird]

Why this fear? Making nuclear material is the easiest part of a nuke to find out to detonate making a bomb that fits on a ballistic missile is the hardest part and kept secret by all nuclear power, everybody has it own way. We do not know if Iran has this tech.


https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1316006857/de/vektor/emoticon-platzierung-hand-auf-kopf-emoji-mit-palmgeste-isoliertvektor-illustration.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=-RWe_-HXSMjdcQRnIwFtV5qMNXcs-2JfQObLpeXukzA=

[Dargo]

It’s a whole another level of technical sophistication required beyond being able to miniaturize a bomb sufficiently and just launch it atop a missile. A VW sized bomb that they cannot possibly send atop a missile is useless. The engineering tolerances for a nuclear bomb are very strict. The engineering tolerances for a missile warhead are far stricter. Because not only do you have to do everything you've already done backwards and in heels, as they say, you have to do it in such a way that the thing can be shot into space on top of a rocket and still work when it comes back down.

[mapuc]

^ Iran have been working together with North Korea. So maybe they have the technic from there-Only a thought

https://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/north-korea-iran

Markus

[Dargo]

It is not sure North Korea can miniaturize what they test is underground so we do not know and why would North Korea share with Iran when it can threaten the world and getting paid they surely do not need another kid on their turf. And no nuclear power shares nuclear knowledge, even not with friends

[Jimbuna]

It is not sure North Korea can miniaturize what they test is underground so we do not know and why would North Korea share with Iran when it can threaten the world and getting paid they surely do not need another kid on their turf. And no nuclear power shares nuclear knowledge, even not with friends

I'm not so sure in the case of UK and US :06:

[Dargo]

Agree, but it was not always a love relation between them, Maclean, Burgess, Philby and Blunt.:03:

[Jimbuna]

Agree, but it was not always a love relation between them, Maclean, Burgess, Philby and Blunt.:03:

Yes, those were indeed interesting times :yep:

[Jimbuna]

Iran’s rial hits a record low, battered by regional tensions and an energy crisis

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Iranian rial on Wednesday fell to its lowest level in history, losing more than 10% of value since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November and signaling new challenges for Tehran as it remains locked in the wars raging in the Middle East.

The rial traded at 777,000 rials to the dollar, traders in Tehran said, down from 703,000 rials on the day Trump won.

Iran’s Central Bank has in the past flooded the market with more hard currencies in an attempt to improve the rate.

In an interview with state television Tuesday night, Central Bank Gov. Mohammad Reza Farzin said that the supply of foreign currency would increase and the exchange rate would be stabilized. He said that $220 million had been injected into the currency market.

The currency plunged as Iran ordered the closure of schools, universities, and government offices on Wednesday due to a worsening energy crisis exacerbated by harsh winter conditions. The crisis follows a summer of blackouts and is now compounded by severe cold, snow and air pollution.

Despite Iran’s vast natural gas and oil reserves, years of underinvestment and sanctions have left the energy sector ill-prepared for seasonal surges, leading to rolling blackouts and gas shortages.

In 2015, during Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, the rial was at 32,000 to $1. On July 30, the day that Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in and began his term, the rate was 584,000 to $1.


Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, sparking years of tensions between the countries that persist today.

Iran’s economy has struggled for years under crippling international sanctions over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, which now enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels.

Pezeshkian, elected after a helicopter crash killed hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi in May, came to power on a promise to reach a deal to ease Western sanctions.

Tensions still remain high between the nations, 45 years after the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover and the 444-day hostage crisis that followed. Before the revolution, the rial traded at 70 for $1.

Iran remains deeply involved in the Middle East conflicts that have roiled the region, with its allies battered — including the militant groups and fighters of its self-described “axis of resistance,” such as Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-dollar-rial-sanctions-859e66dc14549fd77a790d717819b1a7

[Dargo]

Iran’s Energy Crisis Hits ‘Dire’ Point as Industries Are Forced to Shut Down (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/world/middleeast/iran-economy-energy-crisis.html)New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/world/middleeast/iran-economy-energy-crisis.html) reporting a gas shortage is so severe that the government had to choose between using its dwindling gas supply to run the country's power plants or heat people's homes. It chose the latter, which means the country is not producing electricity. The presidential compound has no lights. Food and medical production facilities are shut. Factories have ground to a halt. Businesses, schools, universities, police stations, supermarkets and government offices are all shut. 17 electricity plants have been shut down.

One official is publicly calling the situation "catastrophic." A citizen who lives through both the 1979 revolution and the Iraq-Iran War says he's never experienced this level of chaos. Given how dire this is, and the cascading nature of events when they get to this point, this is very likely to get much worse. This is happening right at the moment the Islamic Republic underwent the biggest defeat it has suffered since the Islamic Republic was established. Over the past 15 months, Israel not only destroyed its "Axis of Resistance," which saw its last piece crumble with the fall of Assad, but in its October strike on Iran, the IDF completely destroyed Iran's air defence system.

As serious as that was – and as much a challenge the incoming Trump administration represents – a domestic energy crisis of this level represents a threat to the regime that's orders of magnitude greater than either of these two external factors. In recent months, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have taken control over much of the gas industry. The crisis unfolding now will be attributed to the IRGC at a time when its legitimacy has already been questioned. What happens next is unknown. But it's unlikely that Iran can easily quell the storm. Biden, who has spent decades attempting to forge, and maintain, a nuclear deal with Iran, is out. And coming in is a president who implemented a strategy of severe Iran sanctions called "Maximum Pressure" — and is reportedly now designing Maximum Pressure 2.0.

The Iranian regime is resourceful. But this feels different.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVQuJE-H5TA

[Jimbuna]

Israel's military on high alert amid 'large scale war' warning as Iran could attack in days

Israel's military is on high alert amid warnings that Iran may be gearing up for a major attack that could spark a large-scale war.

In the latest flare-up between the two, Tehran is believed to be preparing to hit Israeli targets before Donald Trump becomes US President on January 20. Iran is feared to be deciding whether to target infrastructure and energy supplies or carry out a cyber-attack.

It first targeted Israel last year with 330 drones and missiles after Israel hit its consul building in Damascus, killing three generals and four officers. That prompted an Israeli missile response, leading to direct exchanges.

Iran vowed to launch revenge strikes after an attack in October hit missile, drone and air defence targets. Pressure was stepped up by recent Israeli strikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen after they targeted Israel.

Iran’s regime has been hit by political infighting and power struggles while its disastrous econ­­omy has left 25% of the population in poverty. Traditionally, its regime has used the threat of war to deflect from domestic problems.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/israel-s-military-on-high-alert-amid-large-scale-war-warning-as-iran-could-attack-in-days/ar-AA1x8ebx?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=1d62665468d44280af9c9a51541fed3b&ei=16

[Catfish]

^ no wonder, what else than a war can distract a people from dire problems and critique of their rulers..

[mapuc]

^ no wonder, what else than a war can distract a people from dire problems and critique of their rulers..

They are so close to have developed their first nuke and now they are risking all this for a war against Israel.

Markus

[Dargo]

Iran Was ‘Defeated Very Badly’ in Syria, a Top General AdmitsFor weeks, Iranian officials have downplayed the fall of their ally in Syria. But an important general has offered a remarkably candid view of the blow to Iran, and its military’s prospects. Iran’s top ranking general in Syria has contradicted the official line taken by Iran’s leaders on the sudden downfall of their ally Bashar al-Assad, saying in a remarkably candid speech last week that Iran had suffered a major defeat but would still try to operate in the country. An audio recording of the speech, given last week by Brig. Gen. Behrouz Esbati at a mosque in Tehran, surfaced publicly on Monday in Iranian media, and was a stark contrast to the remarks of Iran’s president, foreign minister and other top leaders. They have for weeks downplayed the magnitude of Iran’s strategic loss in Syria last month, when rebels swept Mr. al-Assad out of power, and said Iran would respect any political outcome decided by Syria’s people.

“I don’t consider losing Syria something to be proud of,” said General Esbati according to the audio recording of his speech, which Abdi Media, a Geneva-based news site focused on Iran, published on Monday. “We were defeated, and defeated very badly, we took a very big blow, and it’s been very difficult.” General Esbati revealed that Iran’s relations with Mr. al-Assad had been strained for months leading to his ouster, saying that the Syrian leader had denied multiple requests for Iranian-backed militias to open a front against Israel from Syria, in the aftermath of the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023... https://archive.ph/I8gac#selection-4793.0-4793.303

[Dargo]

They are so close to have developed their first nuke and now they are risking all this for a war against Israel.

MarkusNo there will not be a nuclear war from Iran, all I can say MAD Israel has more nuclear warheads much more than Iran.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eq11XULv9Y

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzdP7F9-TgY

[Exocet25fr]

The SU-35 radar can detect enemy aircraft at a distance of four hundred kilometers and lock on to them from a distance of more than two hundred kilometers. This means that Iran will pose a major threat to the Israeli F-35 and F-15 aircraft, provided that Russia supplies Iran with long-range R missiles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st2MGYpaWOI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye7aFP74T6s

[Otto Harkaman]

Iran's supreme leader rejects nuclear talks with US after Trump's overtures
Khamenei alleges US negotiations 'aren't aimed at solving issues'

https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-supreme-leader-rejects-nuclear-talks-us-following-trump-overtures

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Iran will not engage in talks with the US, accusing Washington of trying to "bully" Iran into negotiations over its nuclear program.
President Donald Trump revealed he sent a letter to Iran, warning them to cease their pursuit of nuclear weapons and indicating that military action remained a possible response.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani emphasized the importance of reaching a diplomatic solution between the US and Iran, stating there was no way Qatar would support military action in the region.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi declared that direct negotiations would not occur as long as the US maintained a policy of maximum pressure and threats against Iran.

https://ground.news/article/irans-top-leader-rejects-talks-with-the-us-over-missile-range-regional-influence_8238f3

[Jimbuna]

^
I'd of thought there is also an element of trust over Trump and the way he is treating Ukraine.

[mapuc]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/saOtEARlFuI

One can only guess what it will be.

Markus

[Reece]

^ Yeh, some sort of results guaranteed. :D

[Jimbuna]

Hot action or hot air :hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlN57nqnuWU

[Jimbuna]

Iran threatens US with revenge

The Islamic Republic of Iran has threatened the US with bloodcurdling revenge after President Donald Trump said they would be held responsible for attacks by the Houthis in Yemen. The Middle Eastern nation's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on state television that any country who attacked his would 'receive a severe blow.' His warnings were then amplified on social media.

The tyrant's threats come after President Trump on Monday explicitly linked the actions of Yemen’s Houthi rebels to the group’s main benefactor, Iran, warning Tehran it would 'suffer the consequences' for further attacks against the west by the group. Describing the Houthis as 'sinister mobsters and thugs,' Trump warned any attack by the group would be met with 'great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.' 'Iran has played "the innocent victim" of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,' Trump wrote in his post.

'They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, "Intelligence."' In a marked departure from the previous administration, Trump has given US Central Command the authority to launch offensive strikes against the Houthis when it deems it appropriate. The comments by Trump on his Truth Social website escalate his administration’s new campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people this weekend alone. US officials said the strikes were carried out against more than 40 targets and more airstrikes were planned in the coming days.

The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel put young boys on air live, who chanted the group’s slogan: 'God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.' 'The Yemeni position is an irreversible position (regarding Gaza), so do whatever you (Americans) want, for we are men who fear no one but God,' said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi leader who spoke to the demonstration in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa. The United Nations called for a halt to all military activities in Yemen and the Red Sea, urging 'utmost restraint' and warning that 'any additional escalation could exacerbate regional tensions,' U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday.

The Houthis also launched drones and missiles targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, though none reached the ship as it continues flight operations in the region. 'Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!' Trump added.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-threatens-us-with-revenge/ss-AA1BpEjn?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=dc3cfcf1d2d6494e95aaa36bf56e53ad&ei=47#image=1

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tslIlKz6m3E

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVIMWiL4PNw

[Exocet25fr]

US officials mistakenly share war plans with journalist !:yep:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed war plans in an encrypted group chat that included a journalist two hours before U.S. troops launched attacks against the Houthi militia in Yemen, the White House said on Monday, confirming an account in the magazine The Atlantic.

It was an extraordinary breach of American national security intelligence. Not only was the journalist inadvertently included in the group, but the conversation also took place outside the secure government channels that would normally be used for classified and highly sensitive war planning.:k_confused:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/us/politics/hegseth-classified-war-plans-group-chat.html

[Jimbuna]

'Idiot': Trump insider says White House united in blaming one person for war plans fiasco

Politico's Playbook reports that knives are out for Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz after he accidentally invited Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to join a Signal channel that featured discussions of top-secret military operations.

Playbook starts out by noting that the scandal is "damaging" to the Trump administration given that is exposes "rank incompetence."

Sources inside the White House who have spoken with Politico are pinning the blame on Waltz for inviting Goldberg in the first place and "half of them saying he’s never going to survive or shouldn’t survive."

Another high-level White House official told Politico that Waltz should resign because "you can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser."

Another source described as "close" to the White House told Politico that "everyone in the White House can agree on one thing:Mike Waltz is a f---ing idiot."

That said, Playbook notes that it's not immediately clear that Waltz will get the ax despite setting in motion events that resulted in top-secret war plans being unwittingly shared with a journalist, although Trump has been wondering how Waltz could be so "sloppy" with national security.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/music/tribute-songs-written-for-dead-musicians/ss-AA1ivngp?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=7257cada4efe441aa8e0a10e499e5898&ei=25

[Jimbuna]

Trump threatens bombing if Iran does not make nuclear deal

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.
In Trump's first remarks since Iran rejected direct negotiations with Washington last week, he told NBC News that U.S. and Iranian officials were talking, but did not elaborate.

"If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing," Trump said in a telephone interview. "It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before."
https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-there-will-be-bombing-if-iran-does-not-make-nuclear-deal-2025-03-30/

[Exocet25fr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7HkovXEfg4

[Jimbuna]

Yemen's Houthis Strike USS Harry S Truman in Red Sea

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=houthis+yemen&&mid=3CF9183ECB6D1938BEEC3CF9183ECB6D1938BEEC&FORM=VCGVRP

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNBjwnCv6aY

[Buddahaid]

B-2 Spirit bombers are now stationed in Diego Garcia.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/b-2-bombers-diego-garcia/

[Jimbuna]

The Ayatollah might just get his beard singed.

[Reece]

I hope he gets his ass singed!! :timeout:

[mapuc]

The Pentagon has sent at least six B-2 bombers – 30% of the US Air Force’s stealth bomber fleet – to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, in what analysts have called a message to Iran as tensions once again flare in the Middle East.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/02/middleeast/us-b2-bombers-diego-garcia-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

Markus

[Jimbuna]

ISW Iran Update, April 1, 2025

https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-april-1-2025

[Exocet25fr]

Trump, Iran trade nuclear barbs as U.S. sends bombers and warships to region

The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran will “move toward” a nuclear weapon if attacked by the U.S. or Israel, just a day after President Donald Trump threatened to bomb the country.

“If America or Israel bomb Iran under the nuclear pretext, Iran will be compelled to move toward producing an atomic bomb,” the adviser, Ali Larijani, said in a television interview, according to Iranian press reports. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program was only for peaceful purposes.

For his part, Khamenei warned Monday that any move against Iran would bring a “crushing and decisive blow.”

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, while citing Iran’s support for proxies in the region and stockpiling of highly enriched uranium, reconfirmed in Senate testimony last week that the U.S. intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and … Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/02/iran-us-nuclear-trump-negotiations-bombing/

[Otto Harkaman]

Iranian officials are exploring options for preemptive strikes on Diego Garcia or at least a show of force aimed near the island.

https://www.twz.com/air/b-2-spirits-amassed-on-diego-garcia-underscore-hardened-aircraft-shelter-debate

[Jimbuna]

Iran will 'be gone by September' unless it bends to Trump's terms - 'Not if but when'

Iran will be "gone by September" if it doesn't agree to a nuclear deal and begin dismantling its programme, sources close to the Trump administration vowed last night. US President Donald Trump has already warned Iran "there will be bombing" if a deal is not struck, and has ordered more strategic air squadrons and a second carrier group to the Middle East.

"The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region," said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell. And Israel - where war with Iran is a subject on everyone's lips despite a reluctance to acknowledge it officially - is ready. "There is a sense of urgency," said one leading right-leaning member of Israel's Parliament, the Knesset.

They said: "Yes, there is a willingness to give President Trump time to try and get a good deal which we also prefer to war. But the military option is definitely real - it's on the table and decision-making time is coming."

A senior IDF source said simply, "Israel can no longer live with active terrorist threats", suggesting that the prospect of Iran re-establishing its broken supply routes to proxies Hamas and Hezbollah was as much of a factor.

Many spoke of the feeling of "renewed confidence" in Tel Aviv. This is partly due to US President Donald Trump, whose administration has made it clear that, unlike with predecessor Joe Biden, there are no longer any "red lines " for Israel to avoid in containing Iranian ambitions.

Israel's strikes on October 26 last year - in retaliation to an "unprecedented" attack by Iran - eliminated most of the Islamic regime's aerial defences in Syria, Iraq and Iran itself while also destroying Tehran's ability to manufacture drones and mate warheads with missiles.

"These were main obstacles when considering a big aerial operation against Iran," said an IDF source.

Tehran's need to rebuild the damage to its Parchin military complex means that it has not been able to focus on re-establishing its air defences, experts say.

Also significant are revelations that the Iron Beam, which uses a laser to target drones and rockets, is now fully operational. This is the fourth layer to Israel's anti-missiles shield, which already consists of the Iron Dome, to neutralise short-range rockets, the Devil's Sling, which handles long-range ballistic and hypersonic missiles, and the Arrow 3, which wipes out missiles in the stratosphere.

With Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly rejecting the idea of direct talks with Trump over nuclear disarmament, even opposition MPs in Israel assume that conflict with its arch nemesis will happen in the autumn.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-will-be-gone-by-september-unless-it-bends-to-trump-s-terms-not-if-but-when/ar-AA1C8xaf?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e080b0df19f245619692588e1dc1159b&ei=55

[Buddahaid]

Wasn't Trump campaigning on ending US wars?

[mapuc]

Wasn't Trump campaigning on ending US wars?

I guess you have to strike first, in order to prevent more war in a region like the Middle east.

However a first strike by USA or Iran, may set the entire region in flame.

Markus

[mapuc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5E0XqnkcAI&ab_channel=TheMilitaryShow

Markus

[Shadowblade]

it reminds me:

https://i.gifer.com/DMeP.gif

[Exocet25fr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vSwR7Lz1RQ

[Exocet25fr]

Gulf states refuse to be launching pad for any US attacks against Iran!

US decision to amass B-2 bombers at Diego Garcia is result of Gulf Arab monarchs closing airspace to American warplanes in event of war with Iran.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have imposed a ban on US warplanes using their air fields or skies to attack Iran after US President Donald Trump over the weekend threatened to bomb the country.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait have all told the US they will not permit their airspaces or territories to be used as a launchpad against Iran, including for refuelling and rescue operations, a senior US official told Middle East Eye.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gulf-states-refuse-launching-pad-for-us-attacks-iran

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBpFeMWHH5A

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lftS7gGshQc

[mapuc]

They say, which I heard years ago-Iran is the superpower of the Middle east.

Don't know if this is true or not-I expect they will be no match for the Americans.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

I woulg have thought that in Middle eastern terms that would be Israel.

[Shadowblade]

I woulg have thought that in Middle eastern terms that would be Israel.


if they have nukes then they are

[mapuc]

I woulg have thought that in Middle eastern terms that would be Israel.

I guess you're right and it was me who have remembered wrong.

Markus

[Exocet25fr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyO3LxYkQUM

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE9U3fhbvME

[Skybird]

I woulg have thought that in Middle eastern terms that would be Israel.
And Turkey. They are probably the strongest military beside Ukraine in the European-Middle-Eastern region.

[Jimbuna]

And Turkey. They are probably the strongest military beside Ukraine in the European-Middle-Eastern region.

No nuclear capability though.

[mapuc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vSwR7Lz1RQ

Well this video says otherwise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ijj2BRyXc8&ab_channel=TheMilitaryShow

Markus

[mapuc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1bParQopsg&ab_channel=TheMilitaryShow

Markus

[Reece]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHh2biHTjXA

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ukckw-Wtdw

[mapuc]

I see this warning as a last attempt to avoid an American attack on Iran

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkamvMTi8Po&ab_channel=TheMilitaryShow

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EWk7aJ8oqs

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm_y28KiE-w

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFVa0TUXUpQ

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEV8YLy2ZjE

[mapuc]

They, Iran, does not have ballistic missile which can reach USA-They have ballistic missiles who can reach US allied in the Middle east-This would be suicide since Iran then have to fight two or more countries-If they decide to bomb US allied.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrKwDfuAJds

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJRh0drXJXY

[Otto Harkaman]

The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN‑75) https://www.facebook.com/CVN75/ began her current deployment when she departed Hampton Roads on September 23, 2024, sending her into operations in both the Mediterranean and the Middle East. As of early April 2025, that places her on deployment for roughly six and a half months.

must be very stressful,
:salute: Thank you for your service

[Jimbuna]

^ Agreed :yep:

[mapuc]

First of all I truly hope it does not end with a war in the Middle east.

I guess many think that Iran is no match for the American military, nothing could be more wrong. Iran is not Iraq and they are not Syria or Yemen.

Markus

[Reece]

First of all I truly hope it does not end with a war in the Middle east.

I guess many think that Iran is no match for the American military, nothing could be more wrong. Iran is not Iraq and they are not Syria or Yemen.

Markus
Hey, what's with the negative vibes Markus!! :k_confused:

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBh_U4qsNUc

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqnY47WwmzM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2trrSakrgTE

[Otto Harkaman]

Iran missiles that 'could strike Europe' smuggled into Iraq as Trump snubbed
https://ground.news/article/the-times-iran-supplies-its-proxies-in-iraq-with-surface-to-surface-weapons-for-the-first-time

interesting, view on YT
https://youtu.be/MhCrty8gkSk?si=XaH3J41mivsqCPgp

[mapuc]

Strike Europe-Why !?

Can't see any reason to why they should strike Europe-They will only get more enemies.

Markus

[Catfish]

Some US bases in Europe, still I do not think Iran will consider this.

[mapuc]

Some US bases in Europe, still I do not think Iran will consider this.

Let us hope so-They will however strike Israel and they will, with the help from the Houthi's go after the Carrier(s)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tia2VVvlisM&ab_channel=TheMilitaryShow

Markus

[Dargo]

Strike Europe-Why !?

Can't see any reason to why they should strike Europe-They will only get more enemies.

MarkusIran will not strike Europe ignore the warmongers Ali Khamenei is too weak at the moment and they not that stupid to add another foe.

[Dargo]

For Tehran, the fall of Gaddafi (The West's military intervention tipped the balance of the war. Gaddafi fled and was killed by rebels a few months later.) was a warning; after abandoning its nuclear programme, it was still sidelined. Iran will therefore not agree to a Libya-like deal now either. More likely is a deal like the one agreed in 2015, in which Iran did not completely abandon its nuclear programme, but sharply reduced it.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95OwLLLqs7U

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkW24AfspFY

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbHF_Bvan4o

[mapuc]

There's no doubt in my mind that Iran is procrastinate the negotiations between them and USA. As mentioned in some video posted in this thread, Iran is just weeks from having their first nuke.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

US offers Iran to hand over uranium reserves to Russia in talks - Guardian

During the first indirect talks, the United States offered Iran to transfer its enriched uranium stockpiles to a third country, such as Russia. In this way, Washington seeks to curtail Tehran's nuclear program.

This is reported by The Guardian, Censor.NET reports.

As noted, this topic was raised during indirect talks between the two countries in the Omani capital Muscat on April 12. The delegations were led by US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The issue is considered one of the key stumbling blocks to a future agreement, the article says.

The publication emphasizes that Iran will resist this. Tehran insists that the stockpiles accumulated over the past four years should remain in the country under the supervision of the IAEA.

Iran wants to "hedge" itself in case the future US administration withdraws from the deal again, as US President Donald Trump did during his first term in 2018.

If the stockpiles are removed and Washington subsequently violates the agreement again, Iran will have to start the uranium enrichment process from scratch, according to the country's representatives.

The next round of talks will be hosted by Rome on April 19, also with the mediation of Oman. The decision is seen as a political gesture by Trump toward Italy, The Guardian adds. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3546955

[mapuc]

Aha reading between the lines-Must mean that the bombs will soon be falling from American bomber planes.

(Translated from a Danish article)


Iran's demands to the US: Parts of the nuclear program 'non-negotiable'

Iran will not negotiate over its uranium enrichment, the country's foreign minister said ahead of a round of talks between the United States and Iran on Saturday in Oman.

“Iran’s enrichment (of uranium) is a real, accepted issue. We are ready to build trust in response to possible concerns, but the issue of enrichment is not up for negotiation,” Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday morning.

The foreign minister also revealed that he will deliver a handwritten letter from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow this week.

Iran’s demand to continue enriching uranium under a possible nuclear deal with the United States comes in direct response to a statement by Donald Trump’s special envoy, Seve Witkoff.

Witkoff, who met with Araghchi in Oman on Saturday, made it clear in a post on X on Tuesday evening that Iran’s nuclear program must be “eliminated.”

“A deal with Iran will only be made if it is a Trump deal. Any final agreement must establish a framework for peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East - which means Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weapons program,” Witkoff said.

Araghchi responded sharply to Witkoff’s statement, which he said contradicted previous comments from the US official.

“We have heard contradictory statements from Witkoff, but real positions will be clarified at the negotiating table. We are ready to build confidence regarding possible concerns about Iran’s enrichment (of uranium), but the principle of enrichment is not negotiable,” Araghchi said.

The talks in Oman have been positive so far, according to both the US and Iran, but the road to an agreement is long and full of challenges.

Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani made it clear on Tuesday evening that Iran cannot afford to wait for an agreement, given the many economic challenges it faces.

In February, the US imposed new sanctions on Iran's oil industry in an attempt to force the clerical regime to the negotiating table.

Trump has since made it clear that if an agreement is not reached in the near future, the US, in cooperation with Israel, will carry out military strikes against Iran's nuclear program.

Since the US left the nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has accelerated its nuclear program to great concern for the West.

According to the UN, Iran has 274 kg of uranium with a purity of 60%, which is far more than what is needed for civilian purposes. According to the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was not allowed to enrich uranium above 3.67% purity.


Markus

[Dargo]

Yea but nah if they fall why did they not fall on North Korea, Iran has like North Korea a nuclear umbrella from its neighbours.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTeQOVT5HcM&t=206s

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yUBculxhxg

[mapuc]

There will be no bombing in Iran- The Iranians will use they talk skill to talk US and Israel into their sleep, while they enrich the amount of 60 % to 90 %.

They have, depending on which newspaper you read or news you watch, either 183-184 kilogram or 263-264 kilogram of 60% enriched uranium.

They are, what I understand, only weeks from having reach these 90% of the first couple of kilogram-To construct a nuke will take months the expert says.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ1dYGTk7Yc

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qb_9sg903Y

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qefH_6QFJF8

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOjAQiqbqtk

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SECV6s59WPE

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKfUDn-p9Vc

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOJKlhv0srk

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1JQdJzelhc

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvP2mIkiNNU

[Jimbuna]

Netanyahu vows to retaliate against Houthis and Iran after missile attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian "masters" after the group launched a missile attack on the country's main international airport.

A missile fired by the group from Yemen landed near Ben Gurion Airport, causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.

"Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran," Mr Netanyahu wrote on X. "Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters."

The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at the airport. Some international carriers have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv for several days.

Four people were lightly wounded, paramedic service Magen David Adom said.

Air raid sirens went off across Israel and footage showed passengers yelling and rushing for cover.

The attack came hours before senior Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify the country's military operations in the Gaza Strip, and as the army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in the enclave.

Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.

Israel's military said several attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful.

Air, road and rail traffic were halted after the attack, police said, though it resumed around an hour later.

Yemen's Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, and while most have been intercepted some have penetrated the country's missile defence systems and caused damage.

Israel has previously struck the group in Yemen in retaliation and the US and UK have also launched strikes after the Houthis began attacking international shipping, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/netanyahu-vows-to-retaliate-against-houthis-and-iran-after-missile-attack/ar-AA1E94IN?cmp_prftch=2&ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=73c073d8e4a24b81a2d667ed3d2c2ea6&ei=15

[Jimbuna]

Iran denies role in missile attack by Houthi rebels

Iran rejected accusations it's behind attacks by Houthi rebels, calling them "baseless".

Speaking at a regular briefing Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said a recent attack by the group against Israel was an "independent decision".

"The Yemeni people, because of their humane feelings and religious solidarity with the Palestinians, and also to defend themselves in the face of continuous aggression by America, have taken some measures. This is an independent decision and all accusations against Iran in connection with what Yemenis are doing are baseless," Baghaei said.

A missile launched by the Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at Israel’s main international airport on Sunday after its impact near an access road caused panic among passengers.

The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in Gaza.

The army was calling up tens of thousands of reserves, Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S. was supporting Israeli operations against the Houthis.

In a later statement, he said that Israel would respond to the Houthis “and, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”

Baghaei said any country from which an attack against Iran is initiated will be considered a legitimate target.

“If an assault is made against the Islamic Republic of Iran from any country’s soil, based on international law that spot will be considered a legitimate target,” he said.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-denies-role-in-missile-attack-by-houthi-rebels/ar-AA1EbVoV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=be982bbd5eae4716b3e03b76907d7ac2&ei=17

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t09SZN115rY

[Otto Harkaman]

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/9012423.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_653,w_1160,c_fill/f_webp
Hail, thunder-hall of the sea, thy keel forged in Norfolk’s flame,
Now prow cleaves Red Sea tides as watchman ’neath the desert sky,

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/politics/second-us-navy-jet-is-lost-at-sea