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Iran has reached its 'empowerment', so what will the West choose?

Elijah J. Magnier
Press TV
Sun, 27 Jun 2021 04:12 UTC
PressTV composite
© PRESSTV
The "Islamic Republic" of Iran reached the level of "empowerment" (Tamkeen) with the arrival of President Ibrahim Raisi to the Presidency, the highest executive authority in the pyramid in harmony with the supreme leader, the Wali al-Faqih Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and with the legislative authority headed by the Speaker of the Shura Council, Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf. The formation of the harmonious trio in power is unprecedented in the history of the Islamic revolution in Iran since 1979: to this must be added Iran's advanced nuclear research and technology, its advanced missile program and military capabilities, and the high competence of its allies in the Middle East and West Asia. Iran has reached a time in history when it offers the Western world two options, both of which are, from a Western perspective, difficult to choose.

In 1980 al-Hassan Bani Sadr was elected the first President of the Republic through the ballot box. The Wali al-Faqih and leader of the Revolution, Imam Khomeini, disapproved of Bani Sadr without necessarily announcing his position or acting according to his opinion and will. At that time, Iran was suffering under the first US sanctions, followed by Saddam Hussein's war imposed on the "Islamic Republic". Many Arab and Western countries were on Saddam's side and supported the war with Iran.

For the first years, Iran could hardly stand up to Saddam Hussein, who enjoyed comprehensive international and regional support. Saddam Hussein was armed and authorized to use chemical weapons, which were not prohibited. These were used against the Iranians who rejected the US hegemony and called it the "Great Satan." Iran's lack of the simplest weapons triggered this thirst for defensive and offensive arsenal during the Iran-Iraq war: at the front, convoys of young people waited for the martyrdom of their comrades to take their weapons.
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Binoculars

Tucker Carlson's allegation that the Biden administration is spying on him should worry everyone in the media

Micah Curtis
RT
Tue, 29 Jun 2021 12:04 UTC
Tucker billboard
© Reuters/Brendan McDermid
Promo of Fox News host Tucker Carlson on the News Corporation building in New York
The Fox News host alleges the National Security Agency is spying on him and his show. If true, this violation of American freedoms should concern us all. So, how "wrong" does an opinion have to be to attract the NSA's attention?

I would like to preface this article by saying that what Tucker Carlson claims still needs verification, but if it's true, it sets a horrifying precedent. On his show last night, the political commentator claimed the Biden administration was spying on him, and a whistleblower had come forward with evidence proving it was going on.

During the broadcast, he alleged the whistleblower had presented him and his team with a communication about a story they were going to run that only someone within that team would have known about, and that they could only have known about via his own SMSs or emails. According to Carlson, there was no other possible source for that information.


Comment: A dangerous precedent has shown itself again as Tucker Carlson becomes the latest spy victim:
Carlson said that a whistleblower inside the government has warned that the NSA is surveilling electronic communications and planning to leak the material in an effort to get his show removed from the air.

"The whistleblower, who is in a position to know, repeated back to us information about a story that we are working on" which must have been procured though "my texts and emails," according to Carlson. "There's no other possible source for that information, period. The NSA captured that information without our knowledge and did it for political reasons. The Biden administration is spying on us. We have confirmed that," he said.
Wikileaks drew liberal ire in comparing Carlson to Assange and detractors chimed in right on cue:
High-profile conservative and former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik called on the GOP leadership to raise the issue at the highest level.

Earlier on Monday, meanwhile, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced legislation seeking to protect reporters from government surveillance, though not related to the Carlson debacle. He cited abuses under the Donald Trump administration, in which the Department of Justice targeted journalists from CNN, the Washington Post and the New York Times with probes while looking into official leaks.


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Arrow Down

EU deplores Minsk moves to sever ties after economic sanctions


RFE/RL
Mon, 28 Jun 2021 16:14 UTC
Charles Michel
© John Thys/AP
European Council President Charles Michel
The European Union says it regrets Belarus's decision to cut ties with the bloc, saying it will only further isolate the country and have a negative impact on the Belarusian people.

In a statement on Facebook on June 28, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry announced Minsk had recalled its permanent representative to the EU for consultations after Brussels imposed economic sanctions in response to the forced diversion of a passenger flight to Minsk last month that allowed for the arrest of a dissident journalist and his girlfriend.

The ministry suggested the EU representative in Minsk also leave for consultations, and said those responsible for the sanctions, which target key sectors of the Belarusian economy and major revenue sources for the regime of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, would be banned from entering Belarus.

Accusing the EU of using sanctions "as a tool to impose pressure on a sovereign and independent state," the ministry said that Minsk is also suspending its participation in the Eastern Partnership program, which seeks closer cooperation between the EU and six former Soviet republics -- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Comment: Regardless whether the cause outweighs the consequences or the consequences outweigh the cause...for all practicality, something 'has to give'. Independence has become endangered in today's global arena.

See also:

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Rocket

US Military 'under multiple rocket attack' in Syria after strikes, fires back

Tom O'Connor
Newsweek
Mon, 28 Jun 2021 05:17 UTC
US troops Syria
© SANA via Reuters
US convoy near village of Khirbet Amo, near Qamishli ,Syria
U.S. forces in Syria came under attack by multiple launch rocket systems in the wake of a series of airstrikes targeting suspected Iran-backed militias along the country's border with Syria, prompting troops to return fire.

U.S.-led coalition spokesperson Army Colonel Wayne Marotto said in an initial statement Monday:
"At approx. 7:44 PM local time, U.S. Forces in Syria were attacked by multiple rockets. There are no injuries and damage is being assessed. We will provide updates when we have more information."
In a follow-up message, he said the U.S. military had retaliated.
"Update: U.S. Forces in Syria, while under multiple rocket attack, acted in self-defense and conducted counter-battery artillery fire at rocket launching positions."
Both statements were confirmed to Newsweek by the U.S.-led coalition.


Comment: Additional footage of the skirmish:



'Combatting ISIS', an American invention, was set up to be a 'US free pass' into other countries.

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Clipboard

Pelosi introduces legislation creating select committee into Capitol riot

Andrew Trunsky
Daily Caller
Mon, 28 Jun 2021 05:55 UTC
Pelosi Capitol dome
© Facebook
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi illustration
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced a resolution Monday that would establish a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, with an aide floating that she may name a Republican member to it.

The House Rules Committee will consider the resolution Monday, where it is expected to advance to the full House floor. It gives Pelosi the ability to appoint eight members and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy the power to appoint five in consultation with her.

An aide to the speaker said Monday, however, that she is "seriously considering" appointing a Republican as one of her eight picks, meaning that a Trump-critical Republican like Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney or Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger could potentially be named.

A spokesman for Cheney told the Daily Caller News Foundation that she has not yet spoken to Pelosi about being named to the committee.

The House will vote on the resolution Wednesday, where it has the potential to pass with some Republican support. It will be tasked with finding "the facts, circumstances, and causes relating to the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol."

Comment: It is clear Pelosi is intent on stacking the deck instead of determining any substantial findings for her witch hunt. Actions indicate this is an attempt to keep the fires burning and condemnations coming even though the facts completely outweigh the ploy. Objectivity is not the objective.

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Bad Guys

How the Hungarian LGBTQI+ movement is being weaponized by the European Union

Thierry Meyssan
Voltaire Net
Tue, 29 Jun 2021 18:10 UTC
viktor orban hungary european council

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrives at the European Council on June 24, 2021.
Everyone agrees to put an end to legal discriminations. However, some Europeans accuse others of wanting on the contrary to create some. This is the case of Brussels against Hungary. But on closer inspection, this argument is dishonest and hides unavowable interests.

On June 15, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality among minors.

At the meeting of EU home affairs ministers on June 21, 2021, it was decided to launch a procedure against Hungary not for "clear risk of violation of the rule of law" but for "clear risk of violation of the values on which the Union is founded" (12266/1/18REV 1 COR 1).

17 out of 27 member states asked the president of the Council of European Heads of State and Government, Charles Michel, to put the issue of LGBTQI+ rights in Hungary on the agenda of the June 24-25 summit. At this meeting, the 17 accused Hungary of homophobia.
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NPC

Against all evidence, AOC dismisses concerns about rising crime in cities as 'hysteria'

Brittany Bernstein
National Review
Mon, 28 Jun 2021 17:53 UTC
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
© Reuters / Jeenah Moon
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is shown speaking at an April press conference in New York.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) claimed recently that concern over a recent surge in crime in U.S. cities is "hysteria."

"We are seeing these headlines about percentage increases," Ocasio-Cortez said during a virtual town hall on Friday, clips of which were shared online on Sunday.

"Now, I want to say that any amount of harm is unacceptable and too much, but I also want to make sure that this hysteria, you know, that this doesn't drive a hysteria and that we look at these numbers in context so that we can make responsible decisions about what to allocate in that context," she said during the discussion with Representative Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) on Zoom.

Comment: Woke lunatics like AOC live in a different reality.

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Chess

Newly-elected Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi will move Iran closer to Russia and China

Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
Tue, 22 Jun 2021 00:00 UTC
Ebrahim Raesi
Iran's president-elect will 'Look East' while seeking to exit 'strategic patience' when dealing with the US...

In his first press conference as President-Elect with 62% of the votes, Ebrahim Raesi, facing a forest of microphones, came out swinging and leaving nothing to the imagination.

On the JCPOA, or Iran nuclear deal, the dossier that completely obsesses the West, Raeisi was clear:
  • the US must immediately return to the JCPOA that Washington unilaterally violated, and lift all sanctions.
  • The JCPOA negotiations in Vienna will proceed, but they do not condition anything in terms of Iran's future.
  • The Iranian ballistic missile program is absolutely non-negotiable in the framework of the JCPOA, and will not be curbed.
Asked by a Russian journalist whether he would meet President Biden if a deal was struck in Vienna and all sanctions lifted - a major "if" - Raeisi's answer was a straight "No".

It's crucial to stress that Raeisi, in principle, favors the restoration of the JCPOA as its was signed in 2015 - following the guidelines of Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. But if the Vienna charade goes on forever and the Americans keep insisting on rewriting the deal towards other areas of Iranian national security, that's a definitive red line.
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Cross

Some Western children are taught that Jesus was bisexual as part of 'aggressive LGBT propaganda,' claims Russian Foreign Minister

Jonny Tickle
RT
Mon, 28 Jun 2021 09:25 UTC
Sergey Lavrov
© Sputnik
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a joint news conference with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo Vila following their meeting in Moscow, Russia.
Schoolchildren in a number of Western countries are taught that Jesus was bisexual, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed on Monday, accusing the West of an attack on "the genetic code of the planet's key civilizations."

Writing in Moscow daily Kommersant, Lavrov expressed his opinion that the so-called "rules-based world order" is a "neo-colonial" policy that imposes Western values on countries around the world, including when it comes to moral and religious ideas.

"Apart from encroaching on international law, the 'rules' concept also manifests itself in attempts to encroach on the very human nature," the foreign minister wrote. "In a number of Western countries, students learn at school that Jesus Christ was bisexual." He did not specify any particular country for his claim. And there are no obvious examples to back up his assertion.

Comment: He's right.

See also:

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Eye 1

New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern hammered for pushing hate speech law... that even she doesn't understand


RT
Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:10 UTC
Jacinda Ardern
© Reuters / Fiona Goodall
Jacinda Ardern participates in a televised debate with National leader Judith Collins in Auckland, New Zealand, September 22, 2020
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been accused of "misleading the public" in a disastrous radio interview defending a proposed hate speech law, which could see offenders jailed for three years for offensive words.

Under proposed legislative changes unveiled last week, hate speech could become a criminal offense in New Zealand. Anyone who "intentionally stirs up, maintains or normalizes hatred against a protected group" by being "threatening, abusive or insulting, including by inciting violence" would break the law, and hence could face up to three years' imprisonment or a fine of up to NZ$50,000 (US$35,182).

The list of "protected groups" has yet to be drawn up, but Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said last week that "political opinion" would be protected. Religion too will be included, a given considering the new law was proposed in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shooting in 2019.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is under fire for apparently "misleading the public" on the severity of the new law. In a TV interview on Monday, Ardern claimed that the proposed law was "not about lowering the threshold," even though "normalizing hatred" is a lower bar than 'incitement to violence' prohibited by the current law.
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