Nuclear Iran

[Jimbuna]

Israeli war cabinet minister warns Iran ‘This incident is not over’ yet

https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.a...255dace898ff0c

[Jeff-Groves]

Hey Iran!

[em2nought]

Biden to Iran

Don't

Looking forward to his next word to Iran, I'm thinking

Bad

[Jimbuna]

Iran is blamed for 'stirring the pot of religious prejudice' by stoking school blasphemy protests in Britain

Iran is 'stirring the pot of religious prejudice' by stoking protests outside schools and on the streets of the UK, a new report has warned British intelligence services.

MI5 must reinstate 'counter-subversion operations' to deal with the threat posed by Tehran, according to think tank Policy Exchange's report.

It highlighted a series of protests condemning apparent instances of blasphemy, linking them to the alleged influence of the Islamic Republic regime on British Muslims.

Two of the cases it discussed were the 2021 Batley Grammar School protests and the demonstrations over The Lady Of Heaven film in 2022, which Policy Exchange said 'serve as an indication that de facto blasphemy codes can be enforced on the streets if protesters commit to doing so'.
Dr Paul Stott, head of security and extremism at the think tank, told The Times that Iran has 'encouraged an atmosphere which anything that smacks of blasphemy leads to intimidation'.

The report further said that Iran is threatening Britain's security and values by sending radical regime-sponsored clerics to a 'nerve centre' in west London.

The hardline Islamic Republic of Iran has spent decades 'curating a politico-religious infrastructure in Britain' focused on the Islamic Centre of England (ICEL) – a registered UK charity based in a converted cinema in Maida Vale, a study by Policy Exchange found.

It suggests Iran is using the centre as a base from which to 'undermine our values and impose blasphemy codes'.

It says the director of ICEL is appointed by Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, suggesting the centre 'is not merely some dry, arid religious institution' but rather 'sits at the centre of a substantial network of Iranian influence operations within this country'.

ICEL, which states its charitable purpose as advancing the religion of Islam and education and the provision of social and religious welfare facilities, is at the centre of a statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission.

The watchdog launched its inquiry in November 2022 after issuing the charity with an official warning in 2020 when two events at the centre 'eulogised' Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani, who was subject to UK sanctions and killed in a US air strike.

A string of senior clerics trained by and loyal to the Iranian regime have been able to travel freely between Tehran and London – even when Iran has imprisoned British citizens such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – the report, entitled 'Tehran calling: The Iranian threat to the UK', said.

The UK has a long-standing policy of issuing visas for Iranian clerics to work in Britain, it says, claiming 100 such visas were handed out between 2005 and 2022.

The report also hit out at MI5 for apparently abandoning its 'core task' of counter-subversion at a time when Iran is trying 'to influence political, religious, educational or cultural organisations, or shape contemporary protest movements, to its own ends'.

It adds: 'The idea that Iran may be seeking to influence British Muslims, and that it may be someone's job to stop this, has not been openly articulated by the Security Service.'

Policy Exchange urged the Home Secretary to order the Home Office and Security Service to take urgent action to counter Iranian subversion in the UK.

It also called for a crackdown on issuing UK visas to hardline clerics and Iranians coming to work at ICEL and any associated institutions.

Report author Dr Paul Stott said: 'Iran challenges our security, but it also threatens the UK's social cohesion and our values. Allowing it to build and sustain an infrastructure in this country is madness.

'We need to get much smarter in our response, and that starts with proper control of the visa system.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...c4ca4047&ei=35

[Dargo]

Intel From Saudi Arabia, UAE Helped Defend Israel Against Iranian Attack

With the world waiting for Israel’s response to the Iranian drone and missile attack launched against it over the weekend, more details are emerging of the multinational efforts to counter those strikes, which saw almost all threats successfully intercepted. It’s emerged now that several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, passed on vital intelligence about Iran’s attack plans, as well as real-time tracking data, which, in turn, helped thwart Tehran’s assault. Citing Egyptian, Saudi, and U.S. officials, the Wall Street Journal today reported that intelligence provided by Gulf states — including radar tracking information — was vital to the air defenders’ success... https://www.twz.com/news-features/in...-attack-report

[mapuc]

One thing seems clear-They do not have many friends in the region

What about close by countries outside Middle East like Pakistan, Afghanistan etc?

Markus

[ET2SN]

Try Google-ing "Sunni" and "Shia".

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

Try Google-ing "Sunni" and "Shia".

Markus

[mapuc]

Found this interactive map

https://franpritchett.com/00maplinks...nnishiamax.jpg

Markus

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Found this interactive map

https://franpritchett.com/00maplinks...nnishiamax.jpg

Markus

Basically it is a dispute about the successor of the Prophet Muhammad after his dead in 632 a very old Islamic schism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia%E...unni_relations

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

Try Google-ing "Sunni" and "Shia".

Also, there are predominantly three big ethnicities involved in Islam in the Middle (and not so middle anymore) East: Persians, Turks, and Arabs. And they all do not like each other, they all have hacked away at each other at various times in history. And regarding such events people in these places have very long memories. One could say that the past seems to be more important for many of them than the present. Or that the past is their present.


They really got stuck long time ago, and are stuck until today. Endless references to the past are omnipresent.

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by mapuc

One thing seems clear-They do not have many friends in the region

Markus

The terrorists have friends on the San Francisco Bay Bridge, in Dearborn Michigan, & in NYC

[mapuc]

Markus

[em2nought]

I think Iran just wants us to pay for a bunch of shiny new ballistic missiles, so they got rid of the old crappy ones. Of course the American taxpayer will be paying for shiny new stuff for both sides. I guess the printing presses will be busy printing greenbacks, I imagine they never stop running.

[Jimbuna]

Moscow pledges fighter jets and air defences to Iran amid conflict

Russian military officials have quietly been supporting Iran with weapons and information as the crisis in the Middle East escalates, it has emerged.

A strategic alliance between the two hostile nations, reports the Washington Post, has seen Russia supply an array of artillery to Iran, including prized anti-aircraft launchers and drones.

The reported deals are evidence of a concerning dynamic between the two nations, which experts warn show Iran is growing in strength and negotiating power as it barrels towards war.
'It’s no longer the patron-client dynamic, where Russia holds all the leverage,' said Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

'The Iranians are accruing benefits from this change. The nature of their relationship has gone beyond just getting things. There’s knowledge transfer, there’s intangible gains.'

Experts warned that the growing relationship between Russia and Iran took a large step forward in 2022, when Iran agreed to help bolster the invasion of Ukraine.

This agreement saw Iran supply thousands of battlefield drones and missiles, a move that the Kremlin has reportedly been interested in reciprocating.

Russia has vowed to support Iran with air defense technology and advanced fighter jets, particularly as it is facing the possibility of counter strikes from Israel in the wake of its halted attack on Tel-Aviv last week.

Intelligence officials and weapons experts told the Washington Post that the supply of weapons to Iran make it a far more formidable military in modern warfare if it has an enhanced ability to shoot down planes and missiles.

Such a capability was shown in full force following Iran's strikes on Israel, as international allies helped shoot down almost all drones heading to the nation.

In particular, Iran is said to covet Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft launchers, which military analysts say are able to detect and destroy stealth fighter jets operated by Israel and the United States.

According to the outlet, a Russian arms dealer was caught inviting a delegation of Iranians to tour one of his weapons factories, named NPP Start, in March 2023.

The factory was under US sanctions for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and its hosting of the Iranian delegation was not known until February.

That month, a hacker group shared stolen Iranian emails that saw Russians describe the meeting as an exhibition for 'scientific and technical potential and production capabilities.'

While it is not clear whether any weapons were bought in that trip, analysts have seen it as a clear intention that the relationship between the two nations is already forged as they head deeper into conflict.

According to the cited anonymous experts, this collaboration will extend beyond anti-aircraft launchers, and may also include the co-production of military drones inside Russia.

It may also include the sharing of anti-jamming technology, and information sharing over weapons deployment against forces in Ukraine.

The emerging dynamic between Russia and Iran may also be enhancing Iran's air force, which had been seen as falling behind other world militaries.

The Iranian air force is primarily made up of rebuilt US and Soviet jets from before 1979, however intelligence officials warned that Russia has been 'advancing' a deal to supply Su-35 fighter jets.

The fighter jets would be a significant upgrade on Iran's fleet, however the officials reportedly said there is no evidence they have received them yet, which may be due to a delay in payment.

Russia may also be looking to support Iranian efforts to increase its supply of spy satellites, and help build rockets to send more into space, the intelligence officials reportedly said.

The potential step up in Iranian military might comes as the nation continues to barrel towards war with Israel, including sending hundreds of drones and missiles in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1.

The strike in Damascus killed two Iranian generals, leading Iran to send its counterstrike directly from its homeland instead of via proxies in a dramatic escalation.

US officials have reportedly stressed the need for restraint from Israel in response, however IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned Monday that Iran 'will be met with a response.'
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...ee2d79e8&ei=16