Nuclear Iran

[Otto Harkaman]

Iran is two months away from nuclear bomb

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/gantz-iran-is-two-months-away-from-nuclear-bomb-677672

IDF ramps up plans for strike on Iran’s nuke program

Military, defense minister believe a credible threat of an Israeli attack on Tehran’s nuclear facilities is only way US will be able to negotiate better deal with Islamic Republic

https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-bennett-meets-biden-idf-ramps-up-plans-for-strike-on-irans-nuke-program/

Iran had already been producing uranium enriched to just under 20 per cent (around 19.5 per cent) following a decision in December 2020, a deliberate step away from compliance with the JCPOA's terms. Enrichment to 60 per cent, however, is a significant escalation in enrichment operations.

https://www.sipri.org/commentary/essay/2021/why-iran-producing-60-cent-enriched-uranium

[Otto Harkaman]

Biden's Iran envoy calls nuclear deal's fate 'one big question mark'

ROBERT MALLEY, the man President JOE BIDEN has tasked with putting the United States back into the Iran nuclear deal, isn’t supremely confident he’ll succeed in his mission.

“It’s just one big question mark,” he told NatSec Daily during an exclusive interview in his State Department office. Rejoining the multinational accord “is not something that we can fully control,” he said, citing a lack of engagement from the Iranians.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2021/08/19/exclusive-bidens-iran-envoy-calls-nuclear-deals-fate-one-big-question-mark-494049

[Arlo]

https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chicken_hawk.jpg

Chicken Hawk Little.

[Otto Harkaman]

Thank you Arlo for your astute contribution to conversation.

[Arlo]

Thank you Arlo for your astute contribution to conversation.

You're welcome. :D

[Skybird]

This round will be won by the Europeans. They always acted to illustrate how much they desire a nuclear armed Iran, and that is what they will get.

Once reality, they will be the first stressing that now one has to be pragmatic and that one has to talk and do precious profitable deals and that the embargo is useless now. Untie the trade! Change by trade! :yeah:

[Otto Harkaman]

Hezbollah is trying to get Iranian oil shipped to Lebanon which is in really bad situation with no fuel.

Hezbollah arranges Iranian fuel for Lebanon
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-organised-fuel-lebanon-set-sail-group-says-2021-08-19/

Iranian tanker headed to Lebanon has not left yet
An Iranian tanker with fuel for Lebanon had not yet left Iran as of Wednesday, but is expected to leave by Friday, according to TankerTrackers.com, which announced the delay on Twitter.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iraninan-tanker-headed-to-lebanon-never-left-677738

[Otto Harkaman]

This round will be won by the Europeans. They always acted to illustrate how much they desire a nuclear armed Iran, and that is what they will get.

Once reality, they will be the first stressing that now one has to be pragmatic and that one has to talk and do precious profitable deals and that the embargo is useless now. Untie the trade! Change by trade! :yeah:

Yes I see what you mean now

The E3/EU could make substantial investments in the teetering Instex trade channel to boost trade with Iran. It is in Europe’s direct interest to have open trade with Iran and would show Iran that no matter what the United States does, if Iran abides by the agreement, they will have an economic partnership with the E3/EU. In the next weeks and months, the fate of the JCPOA will largely be in Europe’s hands as it seeks to revive and maintain a tenuous relationship between the U.S. and Iran.
https://cepa.org/europes-role-in-reconstituting-the-iran-nuclear-deal/

[mapuc]

It's not only Israel and USA who want Iran becoming a country with nuclear. There are other country in their surroundings who would clap they hands if Israel and or USA attack Iran.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/78/590x/secondary/Donald-Trump-Iran-war-1430863.jpg

[mapuc]

From my memory
Turkey, Egypt and Saudi-Arabia is some of the countries who wouldn't see Iran having nukes.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

From the first article I posted, yes it is Israeli biased

Israeli Defense Minister Gantz

At present, the “Iranian threat is land-based,” with Tehran operating “via its proxies in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza,”

With regard to Iran’s aerial threat, Gantz said that “Iran is employing UAVs and guided missiles. It is maritime: disrupting international trade. Iran also works in cyberspace.”

Iran’s capacity for conventional violence is increasing, pointing out that Tehran has more than doubled its military investment over the last five years from $22 billion to $49b.

“All of Iran’s acts of aggression this far have been conducted without nuclear capabilities. Imagine what would happen if Iran achieves nuclear capabilities?” https://i2.wp.com/missilethreat.csis.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Iranian-Missiles-Map-2020.jpg

[mapuc]

Are unknown to their mentality, so I can't say if Iran would make use of their nukes when they get them. They know very well that if they use it against Israel, they would be bombed back to stone age.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Are unknown to their mentality, so I can't say if Iran would make use of their nukes when they get them. They know very well that if they use it against Israel, they would be bombed back to stone age.

Markus

Yes I think the Israelis have not concealed the constant deployment of one of their subs through Suez to the Red Sea so the Iranians know Israel has a nuclear option against them.

https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2020/10/AP_20277389917500-640x400.jpg

Iranian state media claims Israeli submarine passed through Suez into Red Sea

https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-state-media-claims-israeli-submarine-passed-through-suez-into-red-sea/

[mapuc]

^ From what I read about this sub, it has only torpedoes and CM onboard. No VLS system. Do Israel have torpedoes with nukes ?
Then there's these two destroyer who came together with the sub.
Don't know what type it is and what type of weapon they have

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Dolphin-class submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin-class_submarine
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/I.n.s._dolfin-03.JPG/300px-I.n.s._dolfin-03.JPG
Each Dolphin-class submarine is capable of carrying a combined total of up to 16 torpedoes and Popeye Turbo submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs). The cruise missiles have a range of at least 1,500 km (930 mi) and are widely believed to be equipped with a 200 kiloton nuclear warhead containing up to 6 kilograms (13 lb) of plutonium.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye_(missile)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Popey_missile.jpg/309px-Popey_missile.jpg

[mapuc]

^ Never crossed my mind that there are missile who is launched through the torpedo-tube.

If Israel is going to attack Iran I hope it's with conventional weapons.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Never crossed my mind that there are missile who is launched through the torpedo-tube.

Markus


Harpoon missile from the 70s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpoon_(missile)

[Otto Harkaman]

If Israel is going to attack Iran I hope it's with conventional weapons.

Markus


Me too!

[Platapus]

Are unknown to their mentality, so I can't say if Iran would make use of their nukes when they get them. They know very well that if they use it against Israel, they would be bombed back to stone age.




Markus


So far there has only been one country who has used Nuclear Weapons.

[Skybird]

The risk of a nuclear armed Iran lies in a.) proliferation, b.) relative untouchability when engaging in sponsoring terrorism.



The Ukraine regrets to have handed over its nukes to the Russians. Libya regrets to have handedover its nukes to the Americans. Now, Iran will not regret to not hand them over ever. Nor does North Korea have any such plans.


There are some countries of which it is not officially confirmed they have nukies, but probably have. Brazil being very high on my list . I was not worried by that outlook. Then came Bolsonaro.

[Jimbuna]

So far there has only been one country who has used Nuclear Weapons.

Very true :yep:

[mapuc]

So far there has only been one country who has used Nuclear Weapons.

Hopefully it stay that way.

Markus

[Skybird]

Murphy's Law. What ever can happen, will happen, if you give it enough time.

[mapuc]

Within two month.

Could this mean we can expect an preemptive strike on Iran from Israel and/or USA somewhere in September month ?

Another thing. From all I have read and heard it's no doubt that Israel and/or USA will attack Iran and its nuclear facilities.

Where I'm uncertain is when. I say it's very likely before, but they could also attack when they have build and tested the first nuclear bomb.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Within two month.

Could this mean we can expect an preemptive strike on Iran from Israel and/or USA somewhere in September month ?

Another thing. From all I have read and heard it's no doubt that Israel and/or USA will attack Iran and its nuclear facilities.

Where I'm uncertain is when. I say it's very likely before, but they could also attack when they have build and tested the first nuclear bomb.

Markus

I haven't been following for the last couple days, trying to catch up on the news.

I am going to make some guesses, the nuclear facility is heavy guarded and I am not sure if its hidden deep underground. So how to get to it? I think you might be right that they will try to strike when the test weapon is being transported to a test site.

Its pretty crazy and all the other things that have been focused upon will become inconsequential when a bunch of nuclear weapon grade material has been blown up.

[mapuc]

I made some qualified guessed myself.

What I didn't take into consideration was what Iran would do in retaliation.

Markus

[GoldenRivet]

Are unknown to their mentality, so I can't say if Iran would make use of their nukes when they get them. They know very well that if they use it against Israel, they would be bombed back to stone age.

Markus

By whom?

Biden? :haha:

[mapuc]

By whom?

Biden? :haha:

No Israel They have nukes and would not hesitate to use them-if Iran send an ICBM towards Israel.

Secondly-If Iran does send a ICBM with nukes against Israel which response will se see from USA ?

Markus

[Arlo]

No Israel They have nukes and would not hesitate to use them-if Iran send an ICBM towards Israel.

Secondly-If Iran does send a ICBM with nukes against Israel which response will se see from USA ?

Markus

Or from the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, India or Pakistan?

[mapuc]

Or from the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, India or Pakistan?

This scares me. That one of these countries retaliate and send some ICBM against Iran and then some other nuclear country attack this country and a few hours later we have a global exchange of nukes.

Markus

[Arlo]

This scares me. That one of these countries retaliate and send some ICBM against Iran and then some other nuclear country attack this country and a few hours later we have a global exchange of nukes.

Markus

The reality of a nuclear armed world as far back as I can remember (and then some).

[mapuc]

Been thinking. If Israel do strike preemptive it will be a silent strike.

Israel send special forces into Iran to take out the important component in Iran's nuclear program. The sub and the two destroyer/frigate has two task.

1. Send a message to Iran
2. If the special forces fail-The Sub is ordered to send tomahawk against preprogrammed targets.

Yes I do imagine a lot.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Been thinking. If Israel do strike preemptive it will be a silent strike.

Israel send special forces into Iran to take out the important component in Iran's nuclear program. The sub and the two destroyer/frigate has two task.

1. Send a message to Iran
2. If the special forces fail-The Sub is ordered to send tomahawk against preprogrammed targets.

Yes I do imagine a lot.

Markus


Yes good speculation :|\\

[Otto Harkaman]

There has been a lot of crazy sabotage like things going on in Iran. I think a refinery blew up a couple of months ago, and more recently a power-plant in the north had some explosion. I think there was some destruction at a offshore oil pumping station as well, not sure.

https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2021/06/000_9B98EK.jpg

https://img.haarets.co.il/img/1.8969603/3251246733.PNG

[mapuc]

There's a group in Iran who's fighting the regime-It could very well be them who have done it. Can't remember what the name of this group is.
I don't know if they have the skills and the knowhow to destroy nuclear facilities.

Israel do have both skills, knowhow and they will go after these important component used in their nuclear program.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

UN watchdog: Iran defying nuclear deal with uranium enrichment

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran is "seriously undermining" efforts to monitor the country's uranium enrichment program, as hopes of reviving the Iran nuclear deal recede.

https://www.dw.com/en/un-watchdog-iran-defying-nuclear-deal-with-uranium-enrichment/a-59116976

[Rockstar]

There's a group in Iran who's fighting the regime-It could very well be them who have done it. Can't remember what the name of this group is. …

Markus

There’s Jundallah in Iran, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan and the Mujahedin Khalq Organization a.k.a. the Mujahideen-e-Khalq which I think is trained in Albania.

[Arlo]

UN watchdog: Iran defying nuclear deal with uranium enrichment

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran is "seriously undermining" efforts to monitor the country's uranium enrichment program, as hopes of reviving the Iran nuclear deal recede.

https://www.dw.com/en/un-watchdog-iran-defying-nuclear-deal-with-uranium-enrichment/a-59116976

Defying a deal that was no longer a deal? :shucks:

[Jimbuna]

Only a matter of time until they achieve what they have set out to do.

[mapuc]

What I ask myself is..When will we hear or read about in the news,that Israeli special forces/undercover agent has destroyed some important nuclear facilities.

More likely it would be when Iran accuse Israel for being behind some unknown explosions.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

IAEA and Iran reach agreement to avert nuclear deal crisis

They also agreed that Grossi would travel to Tehran again soon to replace the agency’s monitoring cameras’ memory cards, which will still be kept in Iran in line with a law passed by the hardline Iranian parliament in December.

Iran has since February said it will only hand over the tapes to the agency after an agreement is reached in Vienna that will lift unilateral United States sanctions.

The director also said the damaged or destroyed cameras will soon be replaced, and the agency will not abandon the outstanding issues of uranium enrichment and discovery of undisclosed particles at several Iranian sites.

The last-minute meeting on Sunday was reportedly facilitated by Russia, which has not been in favour of a resolution against Iran at the next conference of the IAEA board of governors on Monday as it could derail nuclear deal talks.

The nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, France, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia. But the US unilaterally abandoned it in 2018, imposing harsh sanctions.

In response to the sanctions, attacks on its nuclear facilities, and the assassination of a top nuclear scientist, Iran gradually boosted its nuclear programme, and is now enriching uranium to 60 percent, its highest-ever level.


https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/12/iaea-and-iran-reach-agreement-to-avert-nuclear-deal-crisis

[mapuc]

Why do I have the feeling that Iran is pulling IAEA's around the scene/their fingers.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Putting the onus on the USA no doubt.

[Otto Harkaman]

Inspectors aren't allowed to inspect Iranian nuclear facilities, some cameras that were installed to monitor these facilities were destroyed, the memory cards of the cameras aren't allowed to leave Iran. :|\\

Supposedly at the beginning of the nuclear deal Iran gave up most? of its enriched uranium at the time, and restarted enriching uranium after the US backed out of the deal and reimposed sanctions. Some hints give me the impression that Iran might already have enough enriched uranium to have a bomb.

Iran is a MONTH away from having enough fuel for a nuclear weapon, International Atomic Energy Agency warns: Pressure grows on Biden to act
President Joe Biden has said he's willing to re-enter the accord, but so far, indirect talks have yet to see success.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9988369/Iran-month-away-having-nuclear-fuel-single-nuclear-weapon.html

[mapuc]

Speculations

We all, I did and still do, expect it will be Israel who will strike first.

Have we forgot USA- It should not surprise me if it's USA who make this preemptive strike and not Israel.

We have to look at the aftermath if Israel do blow-up things in Iran.
Of course an Iranian response to such an attack could very well be a massive missilstrike on Israel.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

The Israelis have made threats that they were preparing to take action against Iran if necessary, the hardliners are upset that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett seemed to acquiesce to Biden's promises to do something about Iran.

I don't know if the Israelis can do anything, if not espionage. I don't see how they can doing anything without a US supplied bunker busting bomb. I doubt they would consider a nuclear first strike unless they had hard intelligence that Iran was about to shoot a nuclear cruise missile at Tel Aviv.

[mapuc]

Had some thoughts-If Israel use their air force to strike in Iran I guess their fly path will go through Egypt and Saudi-Arabia. This is a huge detour, that's why I'm convince they will employ special forces/agent from the sub/fregats

I still have USA as an option-They have the mean and resurses to smash the Iranian nuclear program back to scratch.

If there's a strike against Iran it will come soon, if ever.
How big is the chance that there's a possibility in which Israel, USA and other countries in the area allow Iran to have nukes

Markus

[Arlo]

Had some thoughts-If Israel use their air force to strike in Iran I guess their fly path will go through Egypt and Saudi-Arabia. This is a huge detour, that's why I'm convince they will employ special forces/agent from the sub/fregats

I still have USA as an option-They have the mean and resurses to smash the Iranian nuclear program back to scratch.

If there's a strike against Iran it will come soon, if ever.
How big is the chance that there's a possibility in which Israel, USA and other countries in the area allow Iran to have nukes

Markus

I think you might need a map.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahmed-Mahfouz-13/publication/235895041/figure/fig1/AS:299785417445377@1448485821600/Map-of-the-Middle-East-showing-the-study-regions-Jizan-and-Aseer-in-Saudi-Arabia.png

[mapuc]

Thank you.

I do not know where Jordan stands when it comes to Iran-Friend or foe ?

South Iran via Saudi-Arabia and North Iran via Turkey

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Iran's nuclear program, prospects of Israeli action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9bbfC5YTnw

[mapuc]

I do not dare to speculate in what would happen in the region if Israel attack Iran.

One thing is for sure..Iran will retaliate
Syria will they attack Israel ?
Lebanon-What will they do ?
Gaza-Expect a rise in rocket and mortar launch against Israel

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

REVEALED: How Iran's top nuclear scientist was assassinated by a killer robot machine gun kitted out with AI that allowed sniper thousands of miles away to fire 15 bullets after disguised spy car had pinpointed his location

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/09/18/19/article-10004269-48080945-755_636x620.jpg

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10004269/How-Irans-nuclear-scientist-assassinated-killer-robot-machine-gun-kitted-AI.html

[Skybird]

The traditional military means of Israel regarding Iran are more limited than they want the world to believe. Distances, the hardening of Iranian targets, and the limited availability of Israeli platforms speak are the reasons.
Iran meanwhile has driven its key research facility deeper and deeper under that damn mountain of theirs. I doubt it can be reached by conventional ammunitions delivered by missile or aircraft anymore. It needs a truck driving an according payload into the base.


Israel most likely is unable to militarily act on its own without falling back to using nukes or being massively, very massively assisted by the US. Iran is not the Lebanon, or close-by Egypt. Its distant away, and it is huge. It can be reached by Israel in a dare-devil air operation and many mid-air refuelings and permits to use foreign air space and such. But I doubt any such attack can have any signficant effect on installations of their njuclear program. Its more symbolic if such an attack woudl take place.

[mapuc]

Didn't expect an assassin on a top scientist.

I did expect some undercover operation like blowing up important nuclear facilities.

Markus

[mapuc]

The traditional military means of Israel regarding Iran are more limited than they want the world to believe. Distances, the hardening of Iranian targets, and the limited availability of Israeli platforms speak are the reasons.
Iran meanwhile has driven its key research facility deeper and deeper under that damn mountain of theirs. I doubt it can be reached by conventional ammunitions delivered by missile or aircraft anymore. It needs a truck driving an according payload into the base.


Israel most liekly is unable to militarily act on its own without falling back to using nukes or being massively, very massively assisted by the US.

While watching the video Otto Harkaman posted on this page I was wondering:
Can Israel fight a long time war with Iran ?
Do Israel have enough to fight Iran for more than 2-4 years?
Because I'm convinced a war between these two will be a long lived story

Markus

[Skybird]

While watching the video Otto Harkaman posted on this page I was wondering:
Can Israel fight a long time war with Iran ?
Do Israel have enough to fight Iran for more than 2-4 years?
Because I'm convinced a war between these two will be a long lived story

Markus
They already are at war, since decades.


A conventional military full blown exchange: it depends how fast their factories can produce long range missiles. Becasue thats what sduch a long war will be fought with, necessarily. Their navies and air forces? No.



With Iran having the advantage to have launching pads right on Israel's borders. And plenty of angry young proxy warriors in these, too.

[mapuc]

They already are at war, since decades.


A conventional military full blown exchange: it depends how fast their factories can produce long range missiles. Becasue thats what sduch a long war will be fought with, necessarily. Their navies and air forces? No.



With Iran having the advantage to have launching pads right on Israel's borders. And plenty of angry young proxy warriors in these, too.

By Proxy yes But I meant head to head

Edit
We must not forget Saudi-Arabia.
They are also fighting Iran by proxy in Yemen.
End edit

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Didn't expect an assassin on a top scientist.

I did expect some undercover operation like blowing up important nuclear facilities.

Markus

That happened back last November, the Iranians said he had been assassinated by a robot gun but people scoffed at the time and the Media was even more focused about Trump.

They have been sniping at one another for years. Obviously Israel can't afford a long war of attrition, not sure the Iranian government could sustain one either without being overthrown.

I'm not sure Iran would immediately use a nuclear bomb if they obtained one. Probably act more like North Korea and just be a threatening simmering kettle to get sanctions reduced. Slowly extend its influence using proxies like Pakistan.

I guess eventually the end of China's Belt and Road tentacle through Afghanistan?

[mapuc]

That happened back last November, the Iranians said he had been assassinated by a robot gun but people scoffed at the time and the Media was even more focused about Trump.

They have been sniping at one another for years. Obviously Israel can't afford a long war of attrition, not sure the Iranian government could sustain one either without being overthrown.

I'm not sure Iran would immediately use a nuclear bomb if they obtained one. Probably act more like North Korea and just be a threatening simmering kettle to get sanctions reduced. Slowly extend its influence using proxies like Pakistan.

I guess eventually the end of China's Belt and Road tentacle through Afghanistan?

I did not read the article. The reason to why I thought it had happened recently was because the first thing I saw when I opened FB was news from my newsfeed and the same picture and words you had posted here

So that's the reason why.

I seem to recall what an Israeli once said.
Something about fear of Iran smugling a little nuke to Lebanon and into Israel.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

I did not read the article. The reason to why I thought it had happened recently was because the first thing I saw when I opened FB was news from my newsfeed and the same picture and words you had posted here

So that's the reason why.

I seem to recall what an Israeli once said.
Something about fear of Iran smugling a little nuke to Lebanon and into Israel.

Markus

Could Iran even use a nuke on Israel without effecting Lebanon and/or Gaza or even damaging the holy places to all three religions?

IAF bases

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/IAF_Bases_Map_en.png/223px-IAF_Bases_Map_en.png

[mapuc]

An off topic comment

Had this weirdest dream last night.

I was occupying with something while listening to the radio
Heard following.
USA has fired 22 or was it 24 Tomahawks against Iran.
The American is preparing for war.

End of an off topic.

Would the Iranian even care...From what I know there are muslim countries that can't stand the Jews and Iran should be one of them.

So would Iran even care that a couple of thousand Muslim dies in the effort to kill thousands of Jews.

Markus

[Reece]

You gotta stop having those nightcaps Markus!!! :yep:

[Otto Harkaman]

US says it is working on contingency plans in case Iran continues nuclear advances and refuses to return to talks

...Iran may be less flexible about negotiations, thinking it can take advantage of the Biden administration's diminished standing on the world stage after the foreign policy crises of Afghanistan, a diplomatic spat with France and condemnation of its treatment of Haitian refugees.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/23/politics/us-iran-nuclear-talks-unga/index.html

[Arlo]

What? No silly meme? :shucks:

[mapuc]

What? No silly meme? :shucks:

I think it's to serious to post silly memes.

I could be wrong though

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/ZiDbR6uDVm4

https://youtu.be/C5tyLgbN-M0

[Otto Harkaman]

'Warning sign': Iran's military reportedly sending warships to Brazil, Panama Canal in challenge to US

https://www.foxnews.com/world/warning-sign-irans-military-reportedly-sending-warships-brazil-panama-canal-challenge-us

[Jimbuna]

I honestly can't see them being any real military threat......now if it was China.

[Otto Harkaman]

Well I am sure the same assumption was made about a bunch of Saudi's taking pilot training and then getting onboard a fully fueled commercial jet liner.

[Skybird]

The risks lie not so much in formal military attacks of Iran against Western nations, but in nuclear proliferation, terrorists armed with nuclear suitcase bombs, nuclear blackmailing, a standoff with Israel, and generally a nuclear arms race in the region. Also, Iran and Russia closely cooperating. They have just implemented their own financial transaction system replacing SWIFT which is sanctioned on them.

[Jimbuna]

The risks lie not so much in formal military attacks of Iran against Western nations, but in nuclear proliferation, terrorists armed with nuclear suitcase bombs, nuclear blackmailing, a standoff with Israel, and generally a nuclear arms race in the region. Also, Iran and Russia closely cooperating. They have just implemented their own financial transaction system replacing SWIFT which is sanctioned on them.

Agree on the former but I can't see the financial system having much impact.

[Skybird]

but I can't see the financial system having much impact.
Not for us, but for them, to a certain degree. Its a workaround, and it works around.

[Otto Harkaman]

Doesn't have to be nuclear, a container ship filled with drones could knock out several critical oil refineries and offshore oil rigs to make a financial and environmental disaster?

[Skybird]

Doesn't have to be nuclear, a container ship filled with drones could knock out several critical oil refineries and offshore oil rigs to make a financial and environmental disaster?
I recommend this every couple of years, it seems.

https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B01FKRTEOK/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1675276951&sr=1-1

Drone swarms and autonomous AI. Nightmare combination.

[Otto Harkaman]

^ thx for the book tip, looks interesting

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/YONZIfZ-Lrw

https://youtu.be/qLUHSIYoN2s

[Otto Harkaman]

A Turkish operated, Chinese owned oil tanker with an Indian crew flying the Marshal Islands flag seized by the Iranians :hmmm:

https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/advantageSweet.png

UPDATED: Iranian Naval Forces Seize Tanker Advantage Sweet in Gulf of Oman
https://news.usni.org/2023/04/27/centcom-iranian-naval-forces-seize-tanker-advantage-sweet-in-gulf-of-oman

Why did Iran seize a US-bound oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/29/why-did-iran-seize-a-us-bound-oil-tanker-in-the-gulf-of-oman

[Otto Harkaman]

Chilling moment Iranian navy seizes US-bound oil tanker 'Advantage Sweet' in helicopter raid in Gulf of Oman

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/28/17/70357623-12025697-image-a-2_1682698071073.jpg

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/27/16/70307703-12020939-image-a-1_1682609087534.jpg

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12025697/Chilling-moment-Iranian-navy-seizes-bound-oil-tanker.html

[mapuc]

(sorry for reopen this thread)

https://www.wionews.com/world/antony-blinken-says-us-wont-let-iran-get-nuclear-weapons-600982

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday (June 5) that America won't let Iran get nuclear weapons, reiterating the Biden administration's firm stance against Tehran

Well Iran is very much determined on developing their own nukes-So what can USA do ?

Bomb them back to stone age ?

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

I am not absolutely sure Markus but I think the US recently equipped the Israelis with a new F-15 variant that could carry an extra large bomb for bunker busting.
GBU-57, called Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), was developed in early 2000 and is the most potent bunker-busting weapon. Israel ‘Modifying’ F-15EX Fighters To ‘EXterminate’ Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Using Bunker-Busting GBU-57 Bombs
https://eurasiantimes.com/israel-modifying-f-15ex-fighter-to-exterminate-irans-nuclear-facilities-using-bunker-busting-gbu-57-bombs/

[Otto Harkaman]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/McFaul_DDG74.jpg/300px-McFaul_DDG74.jpg
USS McFaul (DDG-74)

According to the U.S. Navy, on 5 July 2023, McFaul interrupted and prevented the attempted seizure of two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman. In two incidents, three hours apart, Iranian naval vessels closed on the tankers — and, in the second incident, fired upon the tanker. In both cases, the Iranian vessels departed the scene upon the arrival of McFaul. The Navy released aerial video of the incidents. Iran's government did not immediately comment on the incident. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_McFaul

VIDEO: Iranian Navy Warship Fires on Oil Tanker in the Strait of Hormuz
https://news.usni.org/2023/07/05/video-iranian-warship-fires-on-oil-tanker-in-the-strait-of-hormuz

The US says since 2021, Iran has 'harassed, attacked or seized 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels' around the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit hub in the global energy market [Al Jazeera]
https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1a8a655c724e43ddbd7456a936b0707c_18.jpeg?resize=77 0%2C513&quality=80
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/5/us-navy-says-it-repelled-iranian-effort-to-seize-oil-tankers

[Jimbuna]

Send the chopper up armed with ASM's

[Otto Harkaman]

US and Israel start joint military exercise

The Israeli military said on Monday that the drills “will incorporate a number of scenarios, including long range strategic striking”.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/10/us-and-israel-start-joint-military-exercise

[Otto Harkaman]

Thousands of US troops arrive in Red Sea amid ratcheting Iran tensions

The US military aims to deter Iran's harassment and seizures of merchant vessels and has blocked two attempts by Iran to seize commercial tankers in international waters off Oma
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/7/thousands-of-us-troops-arrive-in-red-sea-amid-ratcheting-iran-tensions
https://ground.news/article/more-than-3-000-us-troops-reach-red-sea-amid-iran-tensions_fd7a00
https://s.france24.com/media/display/8b999eaa-278e-11ee-a4cc-005056a90321/w:980/p:16x9/USS%20Bataan.webp
The deployment of the USS Bataan amphibious readiness group and the 26th Marine Expeditional Unit to the Gulf region (https://www.france24.com/en/tag/middle-east/). Gen. Erik Kurilla, who heads Central Command, said the additional forces "provide unique capabilities, which alongside our partner nations in the region, further safeguard the free flow of international commerce and uphold the rules based international order, and deter Iranian destabilising activities in the region.”
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20230721-us-sending-more-navy-ships-marines-to-the-gulf-to-counter-iran

[Skybird]

Eyes not necessarily friendly will have taken note of what Ukraine acchieves with its naval drones.

[Jimbuna]

Eyes not necessarily friendly will have taken note of what Ukraine acchieves with its naval drones.

Was thinking that as well :yep:

[mapuc]

These videos you have posted gave me a recall of the 1984 movie Countdown to Looking Glass.

What we need now is Russia send a sub or two into the Hormuz.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b47rfapaPlA

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Thx Jim, good video

These videos you have posted gave me a recall of the 1984 movie Countdown to Looking Glass.

What we need now is Russia send a sub or two into the Hormuz.

Markus
Thx Mapuc I will have to look at this movie

https://youtu.be/TODwS_fZqZA?si=AipuHEYDV4dqQ3Cq

[Rockstar]

Issued today

https://www.ukmto.org/indian-ocean/products/advisories/2023

https://i.postimg.cc/mDR36BdF/IMG-2252.jpg

[Otto Harkaman]

^ I wonder now much is reported on the interactive map?

https://www.ukmto.org/indian-ocean/recent-incidents

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/xDg-78F4DQk?si=HaJp35Pc9x85qDmx

[mapuc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUYScSn1-Zk&ab_channel=TheInfographicsShow

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/FT_10_16_23-660x370.jpghttps://youtu.be/tUoCYjRlmXo?si=p8IbPxWGYhPtwKd6

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/ZoiiDZvKhLo?si=0RD7BZIiCclxd4Hh

[Otto Harkaman]

US launches airstrikes to retaliate for attacks on bases in Iraq, Syria

U.S. military forces conducted an airstrike against a weapons facility in Syria Wednesday in retaliation for dozens of attacks against US bases in the region over the past several weeks.
U.S. troops in the Middle East have been attacked at least 42 times since mid-October, with two new attacks happening in the last 24 hour
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/november-8-israel-hamas-war



US launches airstrike on site in Syria linked to Iranian-backed militants



The U.S. launched an airstrike (https://ground.news/interest/airstrike) in eastern Syria targeting a weapons storage facility linked to Iranian-backed militias, in response to a series of attacks on U.S. troops in the region.
The strike aimed to degrade the capabilities of the militants to protect American personnel in Iraq and Syria, while also avoiding further escalation.
Despite previous airstrikes, attacks on U.S. forces have persisted, with minimal damage and injuries reported.

https://ground.news/article/us-launches-airstrike-on-site-in-syria-linked-to-iranian-backed-militants_f8a9f0

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/ETqnXv6ndSg?si=GYiL0oqE76bvoNQ7
https://youtu.be/DH77743huNs?si=THjQ37HavQziEnX-
https://youtu.be/PafHSPqy-Xw?si=ptGRERh3MMn6QWbQ

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/kuwt5HtZL4g?si=mzcLX4PdTtYLU-i9

[Otto Harkaman]

Cargo ship is 'hijacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels' in the Red Sea - after Iran-backed militia vowed to target Israeli-linked vessels

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident an 'act of Iranian terrorism', seemingly linking the nation to the Houthi rebels who hijacked the ship
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12767701/Cargo-ship-hijacked-Yemens-Houthi-rebels-Red-Sea-22-crew-members-board-none-Israeli-citizens-IDF-says.html
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/19/15/77988801-12767701-image-a-19_1700406572262.jpg

[Otto Harkaman]

Are we going to end up invading Yemen? Bataan ARG is well placed to land Marines :hmmm:

https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FT_11_16_23-2048x1148.jpg

[Otto Harkaman]

Terrifying video shows moment Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed cargo ship part-owned by an Israeli tycoon after leaping from a helicopter in Red Sea hijacking
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12772117/Terrifying-video-shows-moment-Iran-backed-Houthi-rebels-stormed-cargo-ship-owned-Israeli-tycoon-leaping-helicopter-Red-Sea-hijacking.html

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/20/19/77990611-12772117-image-a-21_1700508847411.jpg

[mapuc]

Looks like Iran has enough nuclear material to produce 3-8 atomic bombs.

“Iran’s stance is not only unprecedented, but unambiguously contrary to the cooperation that is required,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi wrote in a report to the agency’s member states.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/15/iran-advances-nuclear-enrichment-while-still-barring-inspectors-iaea

Then there is this article

https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-inspectors-iaea-uranium-f4a9adde3ff41cd7586afc52e0031311

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Yes, I was reading somewhere that getting to 60% purity was the hard part and enriching to 90% was easy from there.

I think we can say Iran has a nuclear weapon

:huh:

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYTnHIB01KA

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/98PdrlHM6GU?si=eiT1pN8HnQUrJp_4

[Jeff-Groves]

Put a butt load of Ex-Special Forces on board with weapons.
Shoot the bastums dead on any attempt to board.
International Laws? Screw that since no one follows them.

Law says I can't shoot someone breaking into my house here.
But guess what? Break in and your a dead man.
Given the neighbors don't here the shots? The body would never be found.

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/Qzf_oTJ2nCc?si=3oMq-Xx55MxvvmU-

[mapuc]

It's going to be Saudi-Arabia who will be the first country to feel the wrath from Iran's nuclear bombs.

I don't think Israel is in danger. Not if Israel start a preemptive strike on Iran.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/fs9yEylMRdo?si=SLo1uAdxhQRdMgID

[Otto Harkaman]

What's Going on With Shipping? Dec 4, 2023 In this episode, Sal Mercogliano - maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner - discusses the four attacks on three commercial ships (Unity Explorer, Number 9, and AOM Sophie II) in the Red Sea, near the Bab el-Mandeb, along with the destroyer USS Carney on December 3, 2023. These follow the capture of Galaxy Leader and the attempted seizure of Central Park.

https://youtu.be/Fkzgt4YvwLw?si=wEgmIUBb2aErEaeM

[Otto Harkaman]

Salute to the USS Carney, sailing in harms way :salute:
https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/2317937/uss-carney.webp?w=790&f=9dacc81030c6ebc4d7ae1c32eff124b8

The USS Carney Sails Alone
The USS Carney (DDG-64) again answered the distress calls from endangered shipping vessels. In fact, it was this time last week that I was writing about the Carney swatting missiles and drones pouring forth from Houthi-occupied Yemen, an Iran-backed movement and territory. Why is it that only the Carney is doing the work? I couldn’t say. The venerable destroyer is part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, so presumably, other hulls are nearby. However, after a quick search, most of the strike group is visiting Souda Bay, Greece, catching some rays and chilling on the beach, while the Carney sweats it out dodging missiles in the waters between Yemen and Somalia. The short end of the stick doesn’t even come close to describing that arrangement. The Biden administration should probably work on explaining why these launch sites aren’t seeing explosive visitation because, leaving aside a U.S. warship needing to defend itself, the civilian vessels have no connection whatsoever to the Israel–Hamas conflict.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-uss-carney-sails-alone/?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral

Top 4 Misleading Claims After USS Carney Clash in Red Sea
The Pentagon on Sunday announced that attacks had been carried out on a United States warship as well as commercial vessels stationed in the Middle East, which could be a significant escalation in the ongoing war in the region.
https://www.newsweek.com/top-4-misleading-claims-after-uss-carney-clash-red-sea-1849365?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/kklQBxgpvzU?si=sSHkUoqyIB0zV4lg

[mapuc]

They are collecting strike points the Iranian.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/AdUZxil07KQ?si=kDDOFQSEptvZnME4

[Reece]

Get em guys!! :Kaleun_Applaud:

[Otto Harkaman]

Who are the Houthis and why hasn’t the US retaliated for their attacks on ships in the Middle East?

so far, the U.S. has avoided military retaliation — a marked difference from its multiple strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria that have fired rockets, missiles and drones at bases housing American forces in both countries.

Defending the lack of retaliation for those attacks has forced U.S. officials to dance on the head of a pin.

https://ground.news/article/who-are-the-houthis-and-why-hasnt-the-us-retaliated-for-their-attacks-on-ships-in-the-middle-east_a170e6
https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-15d10ed74c7f3cc7fd36fa0f77f73e54?utm_source=ground .news&utm_medium=referral

WHO ARE THE HOUTHIS AND WHAT’S GOING ON IN YEMEN

Houthi rebels swept down from their northern stronghold in Yemen and seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, launching a grinding war. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore Yemen’s exiled, internationally recognized government to power.

Years of bloody, inconclusive fighting against the Saudi-led coalition settled into a stalemated proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, causing widespread hunger and misery in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country. The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.

A cease-fire that technically ended more than a year ago is still largely being honored. Saudi Arabia and the rebels have done some prisoner swaps, and a Houthi delegation was invited to high-level peace talks in Riyadh in September as part of a wider détente the kingdom has reached with Iran. While they reported “positive results,” there is still no permanent peace.

[Otto Harkaman]

Yemen (Houthi gov) declares war on global shipping going to and from Israel
https://youtu.be/f5UrUO_GVUA?si=RhhDmOmvxT_ryzBZ

French ship downs two Yemeni drones over Red Sea



France announced that one of its warships in the Red Sea was targeted and successfully intercepted two drones from Yemen.
The attack on the French Navy frigate Languedoc was not attributed to any specific group or country.
Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are backed by Iran, have declared their intention to target ships in the Red Sea.

Insights by Ground AI
https://ground.news/article/french-ship-downs-two-yemeni-drones-over-red-sea_77e088

French frigate Languedoc
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/The_French_navy_frigate_FS_Languedoc_%28D653%29%2C _front%2C_sails_alongside_USS_Dwight_D._Eisenhower _%28CVN_69%29_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea._%285108096 6828%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1920px-The_French_navy_frigate_FS_Languedoc_%28D653%29%2C _front%2C_sails_alongside_USS_Dwight_D._Eisenhower _%28CVN_69%29_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea._%285108096 6828%29_%28cropped%29.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Languedoc

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/D608B90Ai0k?si=zzj496nkAExzfMeA

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ovslf9dgl8

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lX4iil7laU

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/h-xsRvmSHXQ?si=23gkJpUP9LjRU8nZ
https://youtu.be/R11FfoAhFJc?si=JKryM61D1zDODUY4

[Otto Harkaman]

Iran has unveiled a new air-to-air capability for its Karrar combat drone, an ironic twist for an unmanned aerial vehicle derived from a target drone for anti-air missiles.
https://english.iswnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Karrar-drone-EN-2048x1682.jpg
https://youtu.be/_jueVPx0v8M?si=qUgIu44q8Ss-90v5

[Skybird]

Isnt it funny. Iran is under sanctions since years and years - and in that time becomes one of the globe' leading combat drone developers and now exporters.

Tells something about the state of their nuclear bomb program. The boss of the IAEA just yesterday said that his agencies now sees zero cooperation from the Iranians.

Turkey, not under sanctions, but not really a trustworthy ally. Drones have ebnocme a domiant ting in their arms development and export.

On a sidenote, Germany's new frigates have zero anti-drone capability. And have zero ability to intercept incoming missiles, for example to defend other ships, like now needed in the Red Sea. Just days ago there was an editorial on this in one newspaper, I thunk it was the NZZ. Did anyone reflect on that in the TV main news or talkshows? Noooo... The German army also has no anti drone defence capacities (the Gepard is not in use anymore). The only dedicated air dfence unit of the ground forces has been dismantled already many yeras ago. They now want to form a new one. Last news on that: costs for that have exploded several times, last time by a factor of FIVE. Look at the budget quarrels over here, and then predict the future...

The relevance of the totally transparent battlefield due to surveillance drones is being demonstrated in extremis in the Ukraine war currently. Nothing goes anymore...


Then there are loiteirng ammunitions...


Next station: drone swarms. And autonomous AI controlling these swarms. We should be frightened. We have reason to be.

[Otto Harkaman]

necessity is the mother of invention

[bweiss]

Hmmm, the IAEA. Isn't that the same camp of experts who approved the Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Plant installation on the beach of one of the worlds most active earthquake and tsunami zones?


Just sayin...

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"What! Me worry?"
Alfred E. Newman

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz92cOt4s9M

[Otto Harkaman]

days old positions but gives an idea of deployed assets
https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FT_12_11_23-1-2048x1148.jpghttps://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8143563-2048x1365.jpg

[Otto Harkaman]

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond shoots down a drone targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea

https://airlive.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/s960_HMS_Diamond_ready_for_operations.jpg
A Royal Navy destroyer has shot down a drone targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea, the Defence Secretary said.

Grant Shapps said on Saturday HMS Diamond had shot down the suspected attack drone overnight following a spate of attacks on cargo ships in the region off Arabian Peninsula. The destroyer has been deployed to the Middle East as part of a multinational operation amid concerns over missile attacks from territory held by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In a statement, Mr Shapps said: “Overnight, HMS Diamond shot down a suspected attack drone which was targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea. One Sea Viper missile was fired and successfully destroyed the target.”

“The ship recently arrived in the region to bolster international efforts to maintain maritime security. The recent spate of illegal attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security in the Red Sea. The UK remains committed to repelling these attacks to protect the free flow of global trade.”

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRCVXZl4HCs

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/vVgqpxdh4LE?si=sZ2m7_IH35QDKKWE
Newly Formed Operation Prosperity Guardian To Protect Red Sea Shipping

A soon to be announced multi-national effort to protect Red Sea shipping comes after the U.S. and U.K. downed 15 Houthi drones Saturday.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/operation-prosperity-guardian-to-protect-red-sea-shipping?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fhf1aVht9g

[Jimbuna]

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

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/llBxmDIUnm4?si=VjJas86a9oiC7Nhd

‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ Set to Protect Ships in the Red Sea, Carrier IKE in Gulf of Aden

Operation Prosperity Guardian is a multi-national push to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden under the structure of the existing Combined Task Force 153, according to the statement from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
https://news.usni.org/2023/12/18/operation-prosperity-guardian-set-to-protect-ships-in-the-red-sea-carrier-ike-in-gulf-of-aden
https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8163903.jpg

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aGZZDHAHqo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM88V6_37-U

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnAZbcix1y4

[Exocet25fr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDyVtgARR0s

[Jeff-Groves]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnAZbcix1y4
:har::har::har:

Can't wait to see how that 'So Called' Top Gun handles a F-35 up his anus!

[Jeff-Groves]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDyVtgARR0s

I recall your Hero in Iraq getting his whole freaking Military handed to him in ashes in just a few days?

One thing the USA is good at? Bombing areas back to pre-historic rubble.
Why don't you go over there and give us a first hand, eye witness account?

[Jimbuna]

:har::har::har:

Can't wait to see how that 'So Called' Top Gun handles a F-35 up his anus!

Yep, should make for a most entertaining experience :)

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6U8_8Dx5No

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFMW35qLsTo

[Otto Harkaman]

US airstrikes hit Kataib Hezbollah sites in Iraq after attack on US troops

CNN —

The US military carried out airstrikes on three facilities used by the Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah and “affiliated groups” on Monday night after an attack injured three US troops, leaving one in critical condition, the White House said.

A US Central Command statement said early assessments indicated that the US airstrikes, ordered by President Joe Biden, “likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.”

The Iranian-backed militant group earlier claimed credit for using a one-way attack drone to target the US forces on Erbil Air Base on Monday morning, the White House said.

A statement from US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the US airstrikes on “three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities.”

The strikes on the Kataib Hezbollah facilities occurred at 8:45 p.m. ET, according to CENTCOM. “There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected,” the statement said.

Kataib Hezbollah is a Shia militant group that “poses a high threat” to US personnel in both Iraq and Syria, according to the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) website.

It says the group wants to expel US and coalition forces from Iraq and set up an Iranian-aligned government there. The group also operates in Syria, the DNI says.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin briefed the president on Monday afternoon, the White House said. Several options were presented to the president, and Biden ordered the strikes during that call.

In a statement, Austin said Monday’s airstrikes were carried out in response to the Erbil attack and other attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria.

Austin called the US airstrikes “necessary and proportionate.”
https://youtu.be/_jiNtf-h0-E?si=lzXX1daDlig5u_4U

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb9fqj_kz14

[mapuc]

When will Israel conduct a strike on Iran ?

Read some hrs ago in a bulletin on fb that IAEA expect that Iran was only hours from building their first nuke and within the next 6 month additional 6 to 8 nukes.

Maybe they are planning on doing a preemptive strike.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

U.S. shoots down 12 suicide drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack cruise missiles fired by Iran-backed rebels in southern Red Sea over 10-hour period


Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Tuesday morning, with the onslaught lasting 10 hours
The strikes were heading north but were intercepted by the USS Laboon and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group
The Laboon, in addition to destroyers Carney and Mason, have all taken down drones in recent weeks and provided help to commercial vessels

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/26/23/79354603-12902399-image-a-5_1703633683945.jpg
The guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) was on Tuesday shooting down strikes fired from Yemen

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/26/23/79354593-12902399-image-a-1_1703633466509.jpg
F/A-18C Hornets assigned to the Wildcats of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131 fly over the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Hornets were in action on Tuesday to shoot down missiles fired from Yemen into the Red Sea

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12902399/houthi-drones-missiles-red-sea-uss-laboon-f18-hornet.html

[Jimbuna]

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

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxGiPQeVdQ8

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/wysnpoSMn54?si=eo2PoAtD3DJPg7Ar

[Jimbuna]

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

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/JgHloespf_I?si=v4egJIM3zkhkaN4N
https://youtu.be/QnjZf6RHYyI?si=ZKHuHaGMZ4pr-om3

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wckPEmJS0o

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJNDPSGOqe0

[Otto Harkaman]

Iran says at least 103 were killed in blasts at a ceremony honoring slain general
https://ground.news/article/f5a6ed6e-e359-4a38-a247-b2a322c57c53

https://youtu.be/Ejq8neppELM?si=LHb1DQVXTZYVc5qu
https://youtu.be/-4Nc_ykbhGU?si=HD7k269wIQ_Y4cfD
https://youtu.be/OEnuWbISjGc?si=jLC_x2Vqmq5_Go21

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkeaD8akhNI

[Exocet25fr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L7TrG6f540

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

[Jimbuna]

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

[Jimbuna]

US and UK navies repel largest Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping

UK and US naval forces have repelled the largest attack yet by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps says.

Carrier-based jets and warships shot down 21 drones and missiles launched by the Iran-backed group overnight.

The Houthis said they targeted a US ship in retaliation for the killing of rebels who tried to attack a container ship by using speed boats last month.

Mr Shapps said he had "no doubt" that Iran was heavily behind such attacks.

Asked about possible Western strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response, he said: "Watch this space."

The Houthis have carried out 26 attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea since 19 November, according to the US military.

The group has claimed - often falsely - that it is targeting ships linked to Tel Aviv in protest at Israeli actions during the war in the Gaza Strip.

The US military said Iranian-designed one-way attack drones, anti-ship cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea at around 21:15 local time (18:15 GMT) on Tuesday.

Eighteen drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile were shot down by F/A-18 warplanes from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower, which is deployed in the Red Sea, and by four destroyers, the USS Gravely, USS Laboon, USS Mason and HMS Diamond.

HMS Diamond shot down seven Houthi drones using its Sea Viper missiles and guns, a defence source told the BBC. Each of the missiles costs more than £1m ($1.3m).

No injuries or damage were reported.

Later, Houthi military spokesman Yahya al-Sarea confirmed that its forces had carried out an operation involving "a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones".

"It targeted a US ship that was providing support for the Zionist entity [Israel]," he said.

"The operation came as an initial response to the treacherous assault on our naval forces by the US enemy forces."

He added that the rebels would "not hesitate to adequately deal with all hostile threats as part of the legitimate right to defend our country, people and nation".

Mr Sarea also reiterated that the Houthis would continue to "prevent Israeli ships or ships heading towards occupied Palestine from navigating in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea until the [Israeli] aggression [on Gaza] has come to an end and the blockade has been lifted".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67932725

[mapuc]

Could we perhaps see some kind of blockade on Iran in the near future ?

Here I'm thinking sea, land and air blockade.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/_RSH3jhSvHM?si=qvkiGrXQs5Bb_4Nz

[em2nought]

"Nuclear Iran" two words that should never never never ever go together. :03:

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN_zykX4AP0

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6RHBq9wJp0

[Jimbuna]

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

[Dargo]

Dutch man sabotaged Iranian nuclear program without Dutch government's knowledge: report
In 2008, a Dutchman played a crucial role in the United States and Israeli-led operation to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. The then 36-year-old Erik van Sabben infiltrated an Iranian nuclear complex and released the infamous Stuxnet virus, paralyzing the country’s nuclear program. The AIVD recruited the man, but Dutch politicians knew nothing about the operation, the Volkskrant reports after investigating the sabotage for two years... https://nltimes.nl/2024/01/08/dutch-man-sabotaged-iranian-nuclear-program-without-dutch-governments-knowledge-report

[Otto Harkaman]

^ I remember everyone wondering how that was inserted :hmmm:

[mapuc]

Keeping on defending ships from incoming missiles and drones is a never ending story. US and it's allied need to stop these in other ways. Best would be if they could prevent these from falling into the hand of the Houthis

Markus

[Dargo]

British media speculate that U.S. and British troops will soon launch attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Prime Minister Sunak tonight briefed his cabinet on "possible British and American attacks" on Houthi rebels, earlier today there were consultations with the British Security Council. According to Sky News, the cabinet will also brief opposition leader Starmer on this important decision. Sunak reportedly held consultations earlier today with President Sisi of Egypt, a key player in the region. The prime minister has informed Sisi that he will take action to defend free passage at sea and protect people on ships, Sunak's office said.

[Otto Harkaman]

I am sure most of the people reading this thread are aware of the strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Lots of media coverage

[Jimbuna]

The Houthis vow that US and UK strikes on their positions in Yemen will not go without "punishment or retaliation"

The group pledges to continue support for Palestinians in Gaza and attacks on ships in the Red Sea heading for Israel.

Overnight military strikes by air and sea targeted 16 Houthi positions including command centres, munitions depots and air defence systems.

President Biden says the action will protect the free flow of international commerce.

British PM Rishi Sunak says the strikes were "limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence"

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer backs the military action, but some opposition parties say Britain's parliament should be recalled to debate it.

The Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain provided support as part of the mission, says Biden.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6_quPUUe9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYmiE_8830s

[Otto Harkaman]

The Iranian spy ship Behshad

Iranian spy ship is accused of providing targeting data

BEHSHAD
General Cargo Ship, IMO 9167289

The current position of BEHSHAD is at Red Sea reported 5 days ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to IRAN B.ABBAS, sailing at a speed of 2.7 knots and expected to arrive there on Jan 15, 18:00. The vessel BEHSHAD (IMO 9167289, MMSI 422036200) is a General Cargo Ship built in 1999 (25 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Iran.

Satellite tracking data analyzed by the AP on Thursday showed that an Iranian cargo vessel suspected of being a spying platform in the Red Sea had left the waterway. The data showed the Behshad had transited through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into the Gulf of Aden.

The Behshad has been in the Red Sea since 2021 off Eritrea’s Dahlak archipelago. It arrived there after Iran removed the Saviz, another suspected spy base in the Red Sea that had suffered damage in an attack that analysts attributed to Israel amid a wider shadow war of ship attacks in the region.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/22/22/79271553-12894997-image-a-6_1703283159422.jpg

https://photos.fleetmon.com/vessels/behshad_9167289_2682929_Medium.jpg

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8SruyznSlc

[Otto Harkaman]

Middle East crisis: UK fighter pilots flew 3,200-mile round trip to strike Houthis

https://youtu.be/3HiM7MiNLn4?si=IMU-nRw-GSktezqP

https://youtu.be/oUwF1lVNJnI?si=1vQeDyPL84bArxkC

https://youtu.be/OaKk-PI4jpE?si=5w7xWjBPSw_B5ZNK

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/ngfa69VSGyw?si=isHfpPCTvaxA29PF

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoGMLLO1L08

[Jimbuna]

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

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Py8JdGIv4

[Exocet25fr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgkvttY4QXY

[em2nought]

Keeping on defending ships from incoming missiles and drones is a never ending story. US and it's allied need to stop these in other ways. Best would be if they could prevent these from falling into the hand of the Houthis

Markus

Two words: "American Oil" no foreign flagged ships required :D

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1EficvdScE

[Jimbuna]

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

[Dargo]

Iran lanched missile and drone attack on Erbil US Consulate General's house was targeted ****'s just hit the fan, didn't it.

[mapuc]

Iran lanched missile and drone attack on Erbil US Consulate General's house was targeted ****'s just hit the fan, didn't it.

It's breaking news here. What I ask myself is-what kind of response will come from Israel or USA ?

Markus

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwWqxgGJJo0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-OtbLu62NM

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/MLRUFQyJ7_A?si=tvDhc9AFjcDXtmsk

Why Iran attacked Pakistan, Syria and Iraq?
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/why-iran-attacked-pakistan-syria-iraq-escalate-middle-east-tensions-details-here-11705497230497.html

[Otto Harkaman]

Iran demonstrates missile capabilities with regional strikes

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/11FD/production/_132350640_gettyimages-1240328109.jpg.webp
With its strikes on Iraqi, Syrian and Pakistani territory, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) is showing it has become a major regional military power.

The IRGC openly states that US bases in the Middle East, as well as Israeli bases in Tel Aviv and Haifa, are within range of its ballistic missiles.

In the space of only 24 hours, it gave a stark demonstration of its capabilities, launching missiles and drones at targets in three different countries.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68004451

[Reece]

Blow it out of your pants Ali, I hope someone just nukes Iran and that idiot!! :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

[em2nought]

Drill baby drill! This is what happens when you hand your enemies fists full of money that you could be handing to your own population instead.

I hope those SEALs have gone rogue and do some serious damage instead of being in the hands of our enemies who Sleeping Joe hands over fists of money to just as long as the "Big Guy" keeps getting his.

[Jimbuna]

At least 'nine killed' as Pakistan uses 'killer drones and rockets' in retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian territory

At least nine people have been killed after Pakistan said it used "killer" drones and rockets in a retaliatory strike on Iranian territory early this morning.

Iranian media said several missiles hit a village in the Sistan Baluchistan province bordering Pakistan, with four children amongst the dead.

"A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation," Pakistan's foreign ministry said.

It described the airstrikes as a "series of highly co-ordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts".

"The sole objective of today's act was in pursuit of Pakistan's own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot be compromised," the ministry added.

In a statement, the country's military said: "The precision strikes were carried out using killer drones, rockets, loitering munitions and stand-off weapons."

It said the targets were based used by the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and the Baloch Liberation Army.

Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar will cut short a visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos following the strikes, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Iran has condemned the airstrikes, saying those killed were civilians, and has summoned Pakistan's charge d'affaires to explain the action.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state TV that "four children, three women and two men, who were foreign nationals, have been killed".

The attack follows Iran's strikes on Tuesday on Pakistani soil that killed two children in the southwestern Baluchistan province.

Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over border attacks, with each side blaming the other for turning a blind eye to the militants.

HalVash, an advocacy group for the Baluch people, shared images online that appeared to show the remains of the munitions used in the attack. It said a number of homes had been struck in Saravan, a city in the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan.

But while the seeming tit-for-tat exchange has stoked local tensions and spread fears of a wider regional conflict breaking out from Israel's war in Gaza, both sides have targeted the same group of insurgents, located on either side of their mutual border.
https://news.sky.com/story/seven-killed-as-pakistan-launches-airstrikes-on-iran-13050660

[mapuc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rzTreATCO8&ab_channel=CombatVeteranReacts

Markus

[Reece]

Iran has condemned the airstrikes
Who gives a crap!! :O:

[Jimbuna]

Pakistan holds emergency security meeting after trading strikes with Iran

Pakistan’s prime minister held an emergency security meeting on Friday with military and intelligence chiefs after trading deadly airstrikes with Iran on militant targets this week, reports AFP.

Iran carried out a missile and drone attack on what it called “terrorist” targets in Pakistan on Tuesday night, with Pakistan in turn striking militant targets inside Iran on Thursday.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister summoned a meeting of the national security committee, with the chief of army staff and head of the intelligence services believed to be attending.

As the meeting began, Islamabad said foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani had spoken to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian by phone.

“Jilani expressed Pakistan’s readiness to work with Iran on all issues based on a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation,” said a foreign ministry statement. “He underscored the need for closer cooperation on security issues.”

The muted rhetoric matched analysts’ predictions that both sides would seek to de-escalate the confrontation.

“The upshot of the new situation is that the two countries are seemingly and symbolically even,” said Antoine Levesques, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “The risks of further escalation are slight and maybe diminishing with time”.

[Otto Harkaman]

The US is now fighting a regional war in the Middle East – even if the Biden administration won’t admit it

The US is carrying out airstrikes in three countries across the Middle East. It has sent billions of dollars in military hardware and is providing tactical support for its closest ally in the region, which is embroiled in a war against one militant group and almost daily skirmishes with another on its northern border. US forces in two of those countries have been attacked more than 150 times in the last three months, and the de-facto ruling power in an impoverished country in the Red Sea has brought international shipping there to a grinding halt.

It was not announced with great ceremony, as previous American adventures in the Middle have been – in fact, it was not announced at all. But the US is now embroiled in a regional war against an alliance of Iran-backed militant groups spread from Syria to Yemen. That war is being conducted with little congressional oversight, and with little acknowledgement from the Biden administration of the scale of the fighting.

It is an outcome that the Biden administration has claimed to have worked hard to prevent, but analysts say that the president’s unconditional support of Israel’s war against Hamas, in retaliation for the Palestinian group’s attack on 7 October, has ignited a tinderbox that will be difficult to contain.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/us-yemen-regional-war-houthis-b2481150.html

[Skybird]

The USA is being deliberately and intentionally dragged into this, to keep it busy and distracted, and to overburden Europe while increasing its (trade) vulnerabilities.

[Otto Harkaman]

The US Navy and the Houthi Pirate War versus the Barbary Pirate War
https://youtu.be/_MHhl5WFeeU?si=Q6c7895Q1Ct7PYMm

What's it Gonna Take to Stop the Houthis?
https://www.youtube.com/live/sD6sm71gScU?si=NhRNcXSlJ69RYY0o

[Exocet25fr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4FprM5uCY

[Jimbuna]

Iran’s IRGC says 4 members killed in Israeli attack on Syria’s Damascus

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says four of its “military advisers” have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a residential building in Syria’s capital, Damascus.

Syrian state media SANA said the attack on Saturday took place in the Mazzeh neighbourhood. It said “Israeli aggression” targeted the building.

[Jimbuna]

Exocet25fr I remember you, your the one that laughed at women and children being murdered by the Orcs in Ukraine a couple of weeks age aren't you?

In answer to what you posted earlier I'll just give thanks they suffered a lot less damage than your lot did at Mers El Kebir.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_WBidGW9E&t=4s

Act your age and not your shoe size.

I have felt the need to speak to you in the past.

[Otto Harkaman]

US personnel evaluated for traumatic brain injuries after missile barrage

In the latest escalation against U.S. forces in the Middle East, Iranian-backed militias launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and rockets at Al-Assad airbase in western Iraq on Saturday that left several U.S. personnel being evaluated for traumatic brain injuries, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/missile-barrage-us-base-iraq-officials/story?id=106542236
https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/fb7355ec-5ff6-4368-895d-acf5d80dd4a0/Centcom_1705796768069_hpMain.jpg

[Exocet25fr]

Jimbuna wrote:

Exocet25fr I remember you, your the one that laughed at women and children being murdered by the Orcs in Ukraine a couple of weeks age aren't you?

I never laughed at women and children killed by Russians (not Orcs: quel vilain mot!), I'm a civilian with a family, i love all and any people, that the reason because I don't continue to post any more in Ukrain thread; because you misunderstood my proposes.....!

Thanks for your documentary about the british navy shame and treachery:up:

and, Please, keep your cold blood :yep:

[Jimbuna]

US personnel evaluated for traumatic brain injuries after missile barrage

In the latest escalation against U.S. forces in the Middle East, Iranian-backed militias launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and rockets at Al-Assad airbase in western Iraq on Saturday that left several U.S. personnel being evaluated for traumatic brain injuries, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.


I reckon Iran is currently skating on extremely thin ice at the moment.

[mapuc]

Iran says they have the right to revenge the bombing in Syria some days ago. Where 5 of their elite soldiers was killed in an attack by Israel.

When reading this in our news here, made me wonder are Iran going to attack Israel ??

Markus

[Dargo]

The Iranian strategy supporting Hamas, encouraging Palestinian resistance, talking tough language (not too tough) about Lebanon and other flashpoints, but staying out of harm's way enough themselves not to attract American and Israeli fire (which both countries themselves are not at all keen on). If Iran fires missiles at all, it is usually at rather meaningless targets in Iraq and Syria. As usual, Iran leaves the dirty work to its "proxies," the militant groups in the region that do confront Israel directly. The Houthis in Yemen go their own way much more than, say, Hezbollah. With the Houthis as an unguided projectile, an uncertain future for the Gaza Strip, an explosive situation in the West Bank and an Israeli government that sometimes doesn't care about the U.S., accidents cannot be ruled out that a threat does continue to hang over the Middle East.

[Jimbuna]

Iran says they have the right to revenge the bombing in Syria some days ago. Where 5 of their elite soldiers was killed in an attack by Israel.

When reading this in our news here, made me wonder are Iran going to attack Israel ??

Markus

I'm pretty much with what Dargo posted above.

If pushed too far Israel will wreak havoc on Iran.

[mapuc]

I'm pretty much with what Dargo posted above.

If pushed too far Israel will wreak havoc on Iran.

How Iran will retaliate I can't say, only that they will

Maybe Dargo is right on this-that they will let Hamas, Hezbollah or Houthi do the dirty work for them(Iran)

Earlier, the foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Tehran would respond “at the appropriate time and place”, and condemned
“an escalation in aggressive and provocative attacks” by Israel.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/20/israeli-strike-hits-residential-building-in-damascus-syrian-state-media

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Things aren't all hunky dory with the Iranian population so anything that triggers civilian unrest will be a large burden for the Iranian government to deal with.

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/jAKODOq0omY?si=QjdYVLO-dXIxSV (https://youtu.be/jAKODOq0omY?si=QjdYVLO-dXIxSxVd)

[Jimbuna]

Iran executes protester with mental health condition

Iran has executed a man who was sentenced to death in connection with mass protests against the clerical establishment, the judiciary says.

Mohammad Ghobadlou, 23, was convicted of murder and "corruption on Earth" for allegedly running over a policeman with his car and killing him during a protest near Tehran in September 2022.

Rights groups said he faced an unfair trial marred by torture allegations.

Appeals to take into account his mental health condition were also rejected.

He is the ninth person to have been executed in relation to their involvement in the protests. At least four others are believed to be under sentence of death and 15 others are at risk of being handed the death penalty.

The nationwide unrest was triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands detained in a violent crackdown by security forces, which have portrayed the protests as "riots".

The judiciary-run Mizan news agency said Mohammad Ghobadlou's death penalty was implemented on Tuesday morning, after being upheld by the Supreme Court.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68068233

[Jimbuna]

Two US-flagged cargo ships come under attack off Yemen


Two American-flagged ships carrying cargo for the US Defence and State departments have come under attack off Yemen, officials said.

Suspicion immediately fell on Yemen’s Houthi rebels for carrying out the assault in the Red Sea.

The attacks on container ships Maersk Detroit and Maersk Chesapeake further raise the stakes of the group’s ongoing attacks on shipping through the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The US and the United Kingdom have launched multiple rounds of air strikes seeking to stop the attacks.

Meanwhile, Qatar, one of the world’s top exporters of liquified natural gas, warned that its deliveries were affected by Houthi attacks over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Danish shipping firm Maersk said the US Navy was accompanying its ships at the time of the attacks.

“While en route, both ships reported seeing explosions close by and the US Navy accompaniment also intercepted multiple projectiles,” Maersk said. “The crew, ship, and cargo are safe and unharmed. The US Navy has turned both ships around and is escorting them back to the Gulf of Aden.”

Maersk said both vessels carried cargo belonging to the US Defence and State Departments, as well as other government agencies, meaning they were “afforded the protection of the US Navy for passage through the strait”.

The ships were operated by Maersk Line, a US subsidiary of Maersk that is “suspending transits in the region until further notice”, the company said.

The Houthis, who have been launching attacks on ships since November over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, did not immediately acknowledge the incident.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, harming shipping in a key route for global trade.

The US and the UK have launched rounds of air strikes targeting suspected missile storage and launch sites used by the Houthis in their attacks. The rebels now say they will target American and British ships as well.

Meanwhile, Qatar announced its shipments of liquified natural gas had been affected by the Houthi attacks. Previous shipments had been delayed previously before heading through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, has yet to see any of its ships attacked, however.

A statement from its state-owned QatarEnergy producer said that its “production continues uninterrupted, and our commitment to ensuring the reliable supply of LNG to our customers remains unwavering”.

“While the ongoing developments in the Red Sea area may impact the scheduling of some deliveries as they take alternative routes, LNG shipments from Qatar are being managed with our valued buyers,” the statement said.

The statement suggests QatarEnergy’s cargos are traveling around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, likely adding time to their trips.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/two-us-flagged-cargo-ships-come-under-attack-off-yemen/ar-BB1hcdNh?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=11192bf291694da6bdd93182a77ed229&ei=19

[Otto Harkaman]

The US Navy is in the thick of the Red Sea fight. But there’s one warship class that’s missing
The Littoral Combat Ship is naval deadweight utterly unsuited to the hard fighting around Yemen

sorry behind paywall but above sums up
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/comment/2024/01/25/us-navy-red-sea-houthi-lcs-combat-ship-middle-east/

[Jimbuna]

Yemen Houthi rebels fire a missile at a US warship, escalating worst Mideast sea conflict in decades

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a missile Friday at a U.S. warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden, forcing it to shoot down the projectile, the U.S. military said Friday.

The attack on the destroyer USS Carney marks a further escalation in the biggest confrontation at sea the U.S. Navy has seen in the Middle East in decades. It represents the first time the Houthis directly targeted a U.S. warship since the rebels began their attacks on shipping in October, a U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity because no authorization had been given to discuss the incident.

That contradicted a statement by the U.S. military’s Central Command, which said the Houthis fired “toward” the Carney. As it has in previous strikes, the Pentagon has said it was difficult to determine what exactly the Houthis were trying to hit.

Ever since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, the U.S. has tried to temper its descriptions of the strikes targeting its bases and warships to try to prevent the conflict from becoming a wider regional war.

Acknowledging Friday’s assault as a direct attack on a U.S. warship is important, said Brad Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

“They’re now finally calling a spade a spade, and saying that, yeah, they’re trying to attack our forces, they’re trying to kill us,” Bowman said.

Tempering the language, while aimed at preventing a wider war, has had the opposite effect of further enabling the Houthis, he said.

In Friday’s attack, an anti-ship ballistic missile came near the USS Carney, an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer that’s been involved in American operations to try and stop the Houthi campaign since November, Central Command said.

“The missile was successfully shot down by USS Carney,” Central Command said. “There were no injuries or damage reported.”

The attack was the latest assault by the rebels in their campaign against ships traveling through the Red Sea and surrounding waters, which has disrupted global trade amid Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels did not immediately acknowledge the attack, though they typically take several hours afterward to claim their assaults.

The U.S. and Britain have launched multiple rounds of airstrikes in the time since targeting Houthi missile depots and launcher sites in Yemen, a country that’s been wracked by conflict since the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade between Asia, the Mideast and Europe.

Since the airstrike campaign began, the rebels now say they’ll target American and British ships as well. On Wednesday, two American-flagged ships carrying cargo for the U.S. Defense and State departments came under attack by the Houthis, forcing an escorting U.S. Navy warship to shoot some of the projectiles down.

The U.S. Navy’s top Mideast commander told the AP on Monday that the Houthi attacks were the worst since the so-called Tanker War of the 1980s. It culminated in a one-day naval battle between Washington and Tehran, and also saw the U.S. Navy accidentally shoot down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people in 1988.
https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-gulf-aden-shipping-british-military-7fafd1cfb3e04209b97a0d0f2abd5c26

[Otto Harkaman]

British tanker set on fire ‘by Houthi missile strike’

https://static.vesselfinder.net/ship-photo/9829899-538007848-edcd1e58f3ed7fce44795720199a5b13/1?v1
https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9829899

Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, setting the vessel on fire.
The missile strike was carried out by Yemeni naval forces and resulted in the burning of the tanker, Marlin Luanda.

https://ground.news/article/british-tanker-set-on-fire-by-houthi-missile-strike_a48d7d

[Otto Harkaman]

https://youtu.be/ZT7TWwMj8OQ?si=mmIpLNZ6GJJjnbs2

[Otto Harkaman]

US carries out 'self-defense' strike against Houthi anti-ship missile: CENTCOM

U.S. Central Command said forces conducted a 'self-defense' strike

"On Jan. 27 at approximately 3:45 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed into the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch," CENTCOM said in a statement.

[Jimbuna]

Fire on British-linked ship put out after Houthi strike in Gulf of Aden

A blaze on a British-linked oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden has been put out after firefighting efforts continued through the night following a strike by Houthi rebels.

The UK and its allies “reserve the right to respond appropriately” following the latest attack claimed by the Iran-backed group, the Government has said.

The Marlin Luanda went up in flames on Friday after Houthi threats to shipping in the region persisted despite joint US-UK strikes against rebel sites in Yemen earlier this week.

The ship sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands but is managed by Oceonix Services Ltd, a company registered in the UK.

It is operated on behalf of Trafigura, a multinational trading giant domiciled in Singapore.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK remains “as committed as ever” to protecting freedom of navigation following the strike.

“This intolerable and illegal attack on maritime shipping is the latest on innocent people and global trade,” he said on Saturday.

“It is our duty to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and we remain as committed to that cause as ever.”

Earlier, Trafigura said a fire in the ship’s cargo tank had been extinguished with the help of Indian, US and French Navy vessels and all crew were safe.

“The vessel is now sailing towards a safe harbour. The crew continues to monitor the vessel and cargo closely,” a spokesperson said.

“We would like to recognise the exceptional dedication and bravery of the ship’s master and crew who managed to control the fire in highly difficult circumstances, as well as the essential assistance provided by Indian, United States and French Navy vessels to achieve this outcome.”

It comes after another incident in the region on Friday, in which two missiles were reported to have exploded in the water and “vessel and crew are safe and no damage reported”.

The Yemeni forces claimed on Friday they had targeted a “British oil” vessel following “American-British aggression against our country”.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched attacks on vessels around the Red Sea over Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, although they have frequently targeted ships with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, endangering shipping on a key global trade route.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/british-government-iran-grant-shapps-cameron-b2485907.html

[mapuc]

Houthi get their weapons from Iran, do they get weapons from other countries than Iran ?

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Possibly a variety of sources but mainly Iran.

[Jimbuna]

Three US troops have been killed and 25 injured in a drone attack on a US base in Jordan, near the Syria border.

US President Joe Biden says while facts are still being gathered, the attack was carried out by Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.

"Today, America's heart is heavy", Biden says, adding "their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation"

It is the first time US soldiers have been killed by strikes in the region after Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel.

[mapuc]

I say Iran is gathering strike points. USA and its allied have reached a point where striking different groups of terrorist isn't enough. I foresee a strike on Iran within the nearest future.

Markus

[Otto Harkaman]

Biden says US 'shall respond' after drone strike kills 3 of its troops in Jordan
https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1ho54Y.img?w=534&h=338&m=6&x=350&y=80&s=98&d=98
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIG.yHC1elYNT_aVvFCm1jTT?pid=ImgGn
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIG3.QHWspgBRwBlSta7rPZP8?pid=ImgGn
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIG.XsHncJm4t8nW1wrcYSG5?pid=ImgGn

[mapuc]

“I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a statement.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/29/lawmakers-demanding-biden-strike-iran-after-us-troop-deaths-in-jordan-.html

Markus

[Jimbuna]

US ‘not looking for a war with Iran’ after deadly attack, White House says

Washington said it was “not looking for a war with Iran” on Monday, a day after it blamed Tehran-backed militants for a drone strike that killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens of others.

The attack on a military base in north-east Jordan, near the Syrian border, was the first to kill US troops since the Israel-Hamas war triggered a wave of assaults by Iranian-aligned groups against American forces in the region.

“We are not looking for a war with Iran,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told NBC’s Today Show. But he added: “We’ll keep looking at the options . . . We want these attacks to stop.”

Kirby’s comments came after Iran sought to distance itself from the deadly attack, with both sides appearing keen to avoid a further escalation.

Iran’s foreign ministry labelled any accusation that it was involved in the US troops’ deaths as a “baseless” conspiracy by those “interested in dragging the US into a new conflict in the region to intensify the crisis”.

Tehran’s mission to the UN depicted the strike as part of clashes “between the US army and resistance groups in the region, who reciprocally confront each other”.

Washington has hit targets linked to Iranian-backed militias across the region following more than 160 attacks by militants on US troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since October, as well as 30 strikes on international shipping in the Red Sea.

To date it has not struck Iran directly — although, in reference to the deaths of three American service members, Kirby said: “We’re now in different territory.”

Kirby said the US was “still working our way through” attributing responsibility for Sunday’s drone attack. But he added that Washington believed the group involved was supported by Kataib Hizbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington would “take all necessary actions to defend the US and our troops”.

American forces in Syria and Iraq have come under repeated assault by a newly created group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), which says it is retaliating over Washington’s backing for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sunday’s attack, which US defence officials said also injured at least 34 service members, struck the Tower 22 outpost near Jordan’s border with Syria, which houses 350 US military personnel as part of the coalition against Isis.

The US has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and about 900 in Syria, where they are deployed to help prevent a resurgence of the jihadist group.

The IRI said on Sunday it used armed drones to attack three military bases with US personnel in Syria, including one across the border from the Tower 22 outpost. It was not clear if that was the attack that killed the three US troops.

Top Republicans in Congress have called for direct strikes on Iran in response.

“Hit Iran now. Hit them hard,” senator Lindsey Graham wrote on X, while senator John Cornyn wrote: “Target Tehran.”

In a posting on his Truth Social network, former president Donald Trump labelled the attack a “horrific and tragic consequence of [President] Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender” but called for no specific action. “We are on the brink of World War 3,” he added.

Jonathan Panikoff, a former senior intelligence official now at the Atlantic Council, said Iran was “probably calculating that the US is reticent to respond and engage in a region-wide conflict”.

He added: “The facts on the ground demonstrate that avoiding the regional conflict is becoming harder regardless of US desires, and the US is now a prime target.”

Oil prices briefly climbed more than 1 per cent in early trading on Monday, before falling back.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, was 0.7 per cent lower at $82.94 a barrel later in the day. The equivalent US benchmark West Texas Intermediate fell 0.9 per cent to trade at $77.29 a barrel.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani accused the US of supporting “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, as well as attacks against anti-Israel groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, which he said were “exacerbating this cycle of instability”.

Tehran demanded “an immediate ceasefire” that “can pave the way for the return of calm to the region”, he said.

On Monday, Syria accused Israel of launching an air strike targeting areas south of Damascus. Syria’s defence ministry said civilians were killed and injured, without specifying numbers, in a statement published by SANA, the state news agency.

An initial report by SANA said the dead included “Iranian advisers”, but the reference was later removed. Tehran’s ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, dismissed reports of Iranian casualties, saying on X: “In today’s attack . . . no advisory centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran was targeted.”

This month, the US military killed a high-ranking commander of Harakat al-Nujaba, an Iran-backed militia in Iraq. Washington described the action as “self-defence” after the faction conducted attacks on US personnel. Experts believe Harakat al-Nujaba is one of the IRI’s most influential factions.

The US and UK have also been co-ordinating joint strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the Iran-backed rebels’ attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, a critical shipping lane for global trade.

The Houthis have said their attacks on shipping lanes were in response to Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip since it launched its war against Hamas in October.
https://www.ft.com/content/1e24b6c9-d32e-4721-9552-5ccaaab7c397

[Jimbuna]

Danish frigate departs for the Red Sea to assist US-led operation

KORSOR NAVAL BASE, Denmark (Reuters) - Denmark on Monday sent a frigate to the Red Sea, where it will participate in a U.S.-led coalition to safeguard commercial traffic against attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants.

The Iran-aligned Houthi have launched waves of exploding drones and missiles at commercial and navy vessels since Nov. 19, in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza.

In response, shipping firms have since December diverted hundreds of vessels around southern Africa's Cape of Good Hope, a journey that takes 10-14 days longer and is more costly than the passage via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Denmark, home to shipping company Maersk, is sending the 139-metre Iver Huitfeldt frigate to the area as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian formed last month to protect merchant vessels.
“If you think that the answer to the Houthis is to simply allow them to terrorise free world trade, you are on the wrong track," Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told reporters on board the frigate before it departed the Korsor naval base.

"That is also why we, together with the Americans and the British, are now showing responsibility and sending a signal that we will not tolerate what is happening,” the minister said.

The Houthi rebels last week fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles toward a U.S.-flagged container ship operated by Maersk.

The frigate carries U.S.-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles and ESSM surface-to-air interceptor missiles, but will not be able to defend itself or other ships against ballistic missiles, said head of the Danish Navy Command, Henrik Ryberg.

Denmark has for years planned to buy the more powerful and longer-range SM-2 and SM-6 missiles capable of defending against ballistic missiles but has not got delivery of those yet, he said.

Danish special operation forces, which have previously been used to combat pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, will not participate in this operation, Ryberg said.

The frigate with a crew of around 175 will begin operations in the Red Sea once the Danish Parliament approves a resolution to send the warship into the area, which is expected on Feb. 6.

It will not participate in U.S.-led offensive operations against the Houthis, the minister said.

Danish shipping companies annually send about 2,500 ships through the Red Sea, a route that accounts for about 15% of the world's shipping traffic.

"Right now, we have very few Danish ships sailing through the strait, simply because it is too unsafe. But in order to return, we need more security and that's what the coalition is all about," said Anne Steffensen, head of industry group Danish Shipping.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/danish-frigate-departs-for-the-red-sea-to-assist-us-led-operation/ar-BB1hqwyp?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=5fc74b64558d4ef5af930a3ef37bd11f&ei=69

[mapuc]

- He has received an enormous amount of criticism already now from a large number of senators who say that Biden is a coward if he does not answer harshly again

https://ekstrabladet-dk.translate.goog/nyheder/politik/efter-droneangreb-biden-er-presset/10109821?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=da&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Enemy drone that killed US troops in Jordan was mistaken for a US drone, preliminary report suggests

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces may have mistaken an enemy drone for an American one and let it pass unchallenged into a desert base in Jordan where it killed three U.S. troops and wounded dozens more, officials said Monday.

Details of the Sunday attack emerged as President Joe Biden faced a difficult balancing act, blaming Iran and looking to strike back in a forceful way without causing any further escalation of the Gaza conflict.

As the enemy drone was flying in at a low altitude, a U.S. drone was returning to the small installation known as Tower 22, according to a preliminary report cited by two officials, who were not authorized to comment and insisted on anonymity.

As a result, there was no effort to shoot down the enemy drone that hit the outpost. One of the trailers where troops sleep sustained the brunt of the strike, while surrounding trailers got limited damage from the blast and flying debris. While there are no large air defense systems at Tower 22, the base does have counter-drone systems, such as Coyote drone interceptors.

Aside from the soldiers killed, the Pentagon said more than 40 troops were wounded in the attack, most with cuts, bruises, brain injuries and similar wounds. Eight were medically evacuated, including three who were going to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The other five, who suffered “minor traumatic brain injuries,” were expected to return to duty.

Asked if the failure to shoot down the enemy drone was “human error,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh responded that the U.S. Central Command was still assessing the matter.

The Pentagon identified those killed in the attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.

The three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade in Fort Moore, Georgia.

The explanation for how the enemy drone evaded U.S. air defenses came as the White House said Monday it’s not looking for war with Iran even as Biden vows retaliatory action. The Democratic administration believes Tehran was behind the strike.
https://apnews.com/article/jordan-drone-attack-attack-confusion-f175962e058b9b6f668303faf248d8e6

[Jimbuna]

Iran's economy crumbling under the pressure as fears of conflict with US grow

Iran's currency has fallen 17 percent against the US dollar over the past four months. The Rial crisis comes as Tehran grapples with an out-of-control inflation rate that exceeds 40 percent.

The Middle Eastern country's economy is suffering as a direct military confrontation between the US and Iran becomes increasingly likely.

The Iranian Rial has suffered a consistent decline in value compared with the US dollar.

The trend has been linked to the upsurge in attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US positions in the Middle East.

On October 6, a day before the Hamas attack on Israel, the dollar was worth 498,000 rials on Tehran's open currency market.

However, following the Iran-backed Houthis' deadly attack on a US military base in Jordan on January 29, the exchange rate rose to 582,500 rials, the lowest level in the previous 11 months.
Analysts attribute the rial's 17 percent depreciation over the last few months to concerns about a possible direct military confrontation between Iran and the United States.

With inflation slightly above 40 percent in December 2023, Iranian households are attempting to preserve their savings by purchasing dollars. It's worth noting that inflation in Iran hasn't fallen below 10 percent since 2018.

The conflict erupted when hundreds of militants led by Hamas entered Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, and kidnapping approximately 250 others.

In response, Israel launched a massive air, sea, and ground offensive in Gaza, killing over 26,700 people, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.

The ministry's tally does not distinguish between combatants and noncombatants, but it does state that approximately two-thirds of the casualties are women and children.

Gabriel Noronha, fellow at The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), told Express.co.uk: "The increasing collapse in Iran's currency is a reflection of two worries: inflation and the general worry that the regime is inviting attacks from America.

"Iran's central bankers and economists had been trying to hype up the rial and reassure the public that there were sufficient currency reserves to fend off inflation in the coming months - now the public is increasingly realizing that the currency reserves are not there and that inflation will soar."

The former US State Department Advisor on Iran added: "Iranians are seeing the regime attack America and ramp up the rhetoric - they understand that invites the possibility of an American response which could inhibit their oil exports and damage the Iranian economy.

"The regime and its economy are far more insecure than the Biden Administration appears to believe, and they are particularly fragile against American attacks against their petrochemical industries that form around 40 percent of government revenue."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-s-economy-crumbling-under-the-pressure-as-fears-of-conflict-with-us-grow/ar-BB1huR9l?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=d04d7df5a9324f8ab4679a64b2f73170&ei=14

[Jeff-Groves]

Enemy drone that killed US troops in Jordan was mistaken for a US drone, preliminary report suggests

Thought We learned a lesson from Pearl Harbor!!!
:hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

Iran pulls senior officers out of Syria

Iran is removing its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) senior officers from Syria, reported Israeli broadcaster Kan on Thursday, relying more on local Shiite militias rather than its own military.

The move comes in the wake of a series of assassinations of IRGC officers attributed to Israel.

Iran is likely to continue its Syria operations from a distance through its involvement with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/iran-pulls-senior-officers-out-of-syria/ar-BB1hB4jU?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=dd02dbf25fb047189a6e138bd572a074&ei=28

[Dargo]

CENTCOM Statement on U.S. Stikes in Iraq and Syria

At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces. https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1753533250146824348

[mapuc]

^ With this massive attacks on several targets in Syria and Iraq I say USA have sent a clear message to Iran.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Iran has a clear choice....call off the dogs or face the potential consequences.

I suspect the latter choice will be taken.

[Jimbuna]

US refuses to rule out Iran targets after hitting sites in Yemen, Syria and Iraq

The United States has refused to rule out airstrikes inside Iran, saying the US is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on troops.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that he wouldn’t get into what’s “on and off the table” when it came to striking inside Iran but that President Joe Biden “is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people.”

However, the administration official played down fears that the situation is escalating. Iraqi officials warned this weekend that the region was on the "brink of the abyss" after the airstrikes.

“The president also is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East,” Mr Sullivan added.

His words come after the US and UK, supported by six allied countries, struck at least 36 Houthi targets in Yemen just hours after the US conducted retaliatory airstrikes on more than 85 sites in Iraq and Syria due to the killing of three American soldiers in Jordan.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-strikes-biden-syria-jordan-updates-live-b2490252.html

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbbUgGxS8W4

[Jimbuna]

Houthis claim fresh attacks on British and US ships in Red Sea

The Houthis say they have successfully targeted a British and a US ship in the Red Sea, casting doubt on the effectiveness of three waves of US-UK strikes on missile sites belonging to the group in Yemen.

Neither of the two ships were badly damaged but the incident will underscore the need for commercial ships either to pay higher insurance premiums or take longer, more expensive routes to avoid the threat of Houthi attacks.

The US military undertook a daylight raid on the port of Hodeidah on Monday without UK support.

A Houthi spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a statement on Tuesday: “We carried out two military operations, the first targeted an American ship (Star Nasia), and the other targeted a British ship (Morning Tide).”

The Greek-owned Star Nasia, managed by Star Bulk Carrier, was damaged by an explosion at 11.15 GMT, a Greek shipping ministry official said, adding that its crew were not injured. It is unclear whether the explosion was caused by a sea mine or a rocket, the official added.

The security company Ambrey reported earlier on Tuesday that a British ship flying the Barbados flag “suffered minor damage to its port” 57 nautical miles from the coast of Hodeidah, without any casualties. The ship continued on its way.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said just after midnight GMT on Tuesday that it had received a report of a projectile fired at the port side of a ship west of Hodeidah and that a small craft was seen nearby.

The projectile passed over the deck and caused slight damage to the bridge windows, but the vessel and crew were safe and proceeded on the planned passage, it added.

The leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said on Tuesday that the group “will further escalate” if the Israeli attack on Gaza does not stop.

On Monday the UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, told MPs there had been a change in the cadence of Houthi strikes. “The clock is running down for the Houthis, in as much as their ability is being degraded,” Shapps said. “They do not have the eyes and ears from the radar stations; they are more reliant still on Iran.”

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is on his fifth trip to the Middle East since the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. He travelled to Egypt after meeting Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh to discuss how to achieve “an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza”.

Blinken is also due to travel to Qatar, Israel and the West Bank. His efforts will largely turn on the response Hamas finally gives to a framework for a ceasefire deal, which would involve the exchange of more than 100 Israeli hostages held in Gaza in return for a lengthy pause in fighting and the release of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. Hamas has said it wants a permanent ceasefire and the removal of all Israeli troops from Gaza, something the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not prepared to offer.

The price for the US not securing a lengthy ceasefire is rising as it finds itself embroiled in fighting directly against Iranian-backed forces in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is not clear how US strategic interests in any of these three countries are being advanced by the military confrontation. In Iraq, political forces calling for US bases to be closed down have grown stronger as a result of US strikes on Iranian-backed militia inside the country. In Syria, the US-backed Kurdish forces that have formed the linchpin of the US drive against Islamic State suffered a serious blow on Monday when they lost six fighters to a drone strike.

In Yemen, the UN-recognised government in Aden has sacked its prime minister, replacing him with the hardline anti-Houthi foreign minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak. Hugely experienced, Mubarak is sceptical of plans by Saudi Arabia to strike a peace deal with the Houthis to formally bring Yemen’s civil war to a close. Last Thursday he said Iran’s al-Quds force operatives had been deployed to Yemen’s coastline.

The reshuffle will reflect concerns in the US about the quality of the anti-Houthi alliance in the country. The prime minister is overseen by a disparate eight-strong presidential leadership council, some of whom are backed by Saudi Arabia and others by the United Arab Emirates.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/06/houthis-claim-fresh-attacks-british-us-ships-red-sea

[Jimbuna]

Could the Houthis sabotage undersea cables?

Revenge takes many forms. The Houthis in Yemen have made no secret of their determination to retaliate against the West for the US-led airstrikes that have been targeting their missile and drone launch sites.

These in turn have been in response to more than 30 Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which they say is in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

The stakes have now been raised.

Yemen's legitimate, UN-recognised government in Aden has warned that the Houthis, who seized much of Yemen in 2014, are now threatening to sabotage the crucial undersea communication cables, including internet lines, which run under the Red Sea - connecting Asia to Europe.

The warning came after a channel linked to the Houthis on the Telegram messaging app posted a map showing undersea cable routes in the Red Sea.

Could the Houthis sabotage these lines? They almost certainly would if they could.

The group has reportedly claimed that they have easily accessed maps showing the confluence of undersea communications cables running past their coastline, as they pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait which, at its narrowest, is just 20 miles (32km) wide.

But the fibre cables, which carry 17% of the world's internet traffic, lie on the seabed mostly hundreds of metres below the surface - well beyond the reach of divers.

The US and Russia are both thought to have the naval capability to cut them. This involves deploying a deep-sea submersible from a mothership and then using what are, in effect, a giant pair of scissors for severing the cables on the ocean floor.

However, it would be more difficult for the Houthis to do.

"I assess it's a bluff, unless it's an attack on a terminal," former Royal Navy submarine commander Rear Adm John Gower says of the claims the group is threatening to sabotage the cables.

"It would need an ally with the capability, [someone with] a submersible plus the ability to locate [the cables]".

The Houthis do have an ally - Iran. With help from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah of Lebanon, the Houthis have built up a formidable arsenal of missiles and drones.

Over the past eight years they have fired these at Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, US and British warships - as well as any vessel they suspect of links to Israel, the US or UK.

So, could Iran enable the Houthis to cut the undersea cables?

"There is nothing I've seen in the Iranian orbat (Order of Battle) that could touch these cables, certainly not their submarines," says former Royal Navy Cdr Tom Sharpe.

"Diving is an option but it's deep and busy so I think it would be pushing it," he says. Concurring with Rear Adm Gower, Cdr Sharpe says: "I think this is a bluff."

For Iran to enable an ally to sabotage the world's undersea internet cables would also be a risky move on Tehran's part.

Neither Iran nor the US want to get into a full-scale war with each other and they have made that clear.

The current conflict between the US and Iran's proxies and allies around the Middle East is calibrated to a degree. The US gave several days' warning before hitting Iran-backed militia bases in Iraq and Syria, allowing key personnel to evacuate.

Cutting global communications cables would be a major escalation that could even result in retaliatory strikes on Iran itself.

"Iran would be nervous about expanding their global disruption campaign [to shipping]," says Edmund Fitton-Brown, who was the UK ambassador to Yemen from 2015-2017.

"The Iranians might resort to cyber options sooner than sabotage of infrastructure," he adds.

In conclusion, the threat made recently by the Houthis on their Telegram channel would be hard to carry out.

It would be both technically challenging and politically risky for Iran, whose hand the West sees in all the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

But the Houthis have surprised their adversaries before - firing missiles at a Saudi oil depot in Jeddah just before a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2022.

They have also survived nearly eight years of intensive air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition that has failed to reverse their illegal takeover.

And today, despite repeated US-led air strikes on their missile and drone bases, they are showing no signs of backing down in their standoff with the West.

The Houthis, who are loathed and feared by many Yemenis in the areas outside their control, have become a force to be reckoned with.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68231945

[mapuc]

None of the two parties are interested in a Showdown-Well the way both is acting they sure is en route to an open full scale war.

Mostly it is Irans acting who pave the way.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

I'm wondering if and when either China, Russia or both get involved on the side of Iran.

[ET2SN]

I'm wondering if and when either China, Russia or both get involved on the side of Iran.

Russia is going to send what, exactly? Tanks built in the 1960's? They may need them closer to home. :O:

China and Iran don't pair well as allies. Both of them want the same dominance, but both of them want to wind up on top and both of them understand that. :yep:

[mapuc]

Russia is going to sent what, exactly? Tanks built in the 1960's? They may need them closer to home. :O:

China and Iran don't pair well as allies. Both of them want the same dominance, but both of them want to wind up on top and both of them understand that. :yep:

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

[ET2SN]

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. :Kaleun_Cheers:

[Jimbuna]

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

[Dargo]

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

MarkusIf 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/2024/feb/07/baghdad-drone-strike-iraq-iran-militia

[mapuc]

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]

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.

MarkusThe 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]

https://cf.geekdo-images.com/U-YN7CygBnSX8p_-c20dYg__imagepagezoom/img/CCYEEVNHAGqopsDfKe7xoJwHcAA=/fit-in/1200x900/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic768899.jpg
https://cf.geekdo-images.com/MGwZeYmzl4yZ5-E-KeZ4hQ__small/img/OuTDYPI6h1ZEG0lSLuwwu3_wV44=/fit-in/200x150/filters:strip_icc()/pic147586.jpg

[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]

^ :yep: