Puppet MastersS


Attention

The Iran-U.S.-UAE-Pakistan riddle

Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation
Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:53 UTC
Pakistan Iran Riddle
© Strategic Culture Foundation
The infernal escalation machine is reaching Desperation Row.

The Secretary of Forever Wars employed by the We-Are-So-Tired-of-Winning Baboon of Barbaria is mulling several "ground invasion" scenarios parallel to a devastating bombing campaign to allegedly unleash the "final blow" on Iran.

Kharg island is a diversion: too far away from the action. Seizing ships on the eastern side of the Strait of Hormuz is unfeasible: that will inevitably be met by a barrage of anti-ship missiles.

Two scenarios remain: seizing Abu Musa and the big and small Tunb islands, north of the UAE (and claimed by the UAE); or the strategic small island of Larak (east of the larger Qeshm), part of the nautical corridor where the IRGC Navy controls the passage of tankers that paid the toll booth in the Strait of Hormuz.

The only way to get to Larak is from Qeshm.

Qeshm is bigger than Okinawa. During WWII it took 3 months, 184,000 troops, and at least 12,500 K.I.A. to take Okinawa. Queshm is crammed with countless Iranian anti-ship missiles and drones dug into cliffs and caves for hundreds of kilometers back.

Now to the three Iranian islands also claimed by the UAE.

The UAE rejects even the possibility of a ceasefire with Iran. Their ambassador to the U.S., Yousef al Otaiba, wrote a warmongering op-ed calling for a "conclusive outcome" of the war, as in dismantling the "Iranian threat". He later confirmed that Abu Dhabi wants to lead a "coalition of the willing" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz (which is not closed; only for hostile nations to Iran).

What really matters is the "follow the money" angle: Yousef al Otaiba reaffirmed the $1.4 trillion UAE investment commitment in the Empire of Chaos - which covers multiple deals in energy, AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and manufacturing.

The infernal escalation machine is in full effect. Tehran carefully studied every instance of the UAE's direct involvement not only in the outbreak of the war but also the current escalation. Abu Dhabi not only hosts U.S. military bases; but also allowed the U.S. to use some of its own air bases to attack Iran, and helped hostile entities to develop their target database using the Emirates AI infrastructure.

That's more than predictable, because Abu Dhabi is a de facto, key Zionist axis ally in the Persian Gulf.
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Attention

Why Gulf States won't join the suicidal Iran war


Islander Reports
Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:41 UTC
Iran War
© Islander Reports
At its core, the Gulf states' interest in the current war is not victory for any side, but regime survival (which is far from guaranteed) and strategic autonomy. The conflict has exposed a hard reality: reliance on external security guarantees, particularly from the United States, no longer ensures even the illusion of protection. Instead, it risks turning Gulf territory into a frontline without consent.

As a result, GCC states are recalibrating seeking to avoid further kinetic retaliation from Iran made difficult by Israel bombing of Iran's steel plants today, protect economic lifelines essential for their fragile hold on power, and preserve room to manoeuvre between competing powers. This means accelerating self-reliance while quietly hedging through deeper ties with China.

Gulf states are broadly aligned in refusing to attack Iran, knowing a wider war would mean catastrophe and that US bases have increasingly invited risk to the current fragile regimes rather than security.

Gulf leaders have little appetite for joining what they see as Israel's war. They remain deeply sceptical that the US can or will restrain Israel from further escalation.

The primary security objective is clear: keep the war out. U.S. bases, once viewed as deterrents, are now increasingly seen as radioactive liabilities that invite retaliation.

Even traditionally hawkish states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are signalling caution in spite of bellicose rhetoric, prioritising de-escalation over alignment.
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Star of David

IDF chief warns of 'collapse' as Israel delays ultra-Orthodox draft


RT
Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:21 UTC
IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir
IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir.
Eyal Zamir reportedly told the cabinet he was "raising ten red flags" due to acute personnel shortages.

The Israel Defense Forces is "on the verge of collapse" due to acute personnel shortages, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has warned, according to local media. Opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of stalling on drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Military service is mandatory for most Israeli citizens, both men and women. However, members of the Haredi community have historically been exempt from conscription. While the Israeli Supreme Court revoked the exemption in June 2024, Netanyahu's cabinet has so far delayed drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Parties within the ruling coalition representing the Haredi community have repeatedly threatened to withdraw support for Netanyahu should he introduce the measure.

Addressing the cabinet on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Zamir said he was "raising ten red flags for you before the IDF collapses," as quoted by The Jerusalem Post.

In addition to its ongoing campaign against Iran, the Israeli military is continuing its years-long operation against Hamas in Gaza. The IDF also launched an incursion into southern Lebanon in early March, targeting Hezbollah militants.

Comment: All is not well in paradise. Israel might have encountered more resistance than they had wished for with their opponents having the gall to fight back.

Critique is not just coming from some army officers. Some of the civilians are not happy about the state of affairs. (The person in the video below is not Ron Huldai but Kiryat Shmona Mayor, Avichai Sterna).


In the meantime, Iran is not hiding for whom they are fighting and against whom:




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Putin

Putin Issues Some Frank Thoughts On 'Unpredictable' Iran War

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:33 UTC
Putin
© ZUMA press
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday delivered some rare, wide-ranging and frank commentary on the US-Israeli war against Iran.

He compared the war and the Hormuz Strait closure, and subsequent impact on global energy, to the massive widescale impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. But he also stated that outcomes to the war are at this point too hard to predict.

Comment: Lavrov also expresses Russia's surprise with the Iran conflict:
"We are never happy to see wars unleashed by other people or countries lead to global market gyrations that drive up prices for energy and other commodities exported by the Russian Federation," Lavrov said.

Lavrov also weighed in on the US decision to ease restrictions on Russian oil exports, stressing that "the US sanctions are outright illegitimate. Complying with them is out of the question."

He dismissed as meaningless a US Treasury waiver allowing Russian crude already loaded on vessels to reach their destinations, saying tankers "continue moving exactly as they did before." "For us and our honest and reliable partners they simply do not exist," he said of the sanctions.


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Star of David

Flashback Best of the Web: Revealed: The Israeli Spies Writing America's News

Alan MacLeod
MintPress News
Thu, 17 Oct 2024 20:53 UTC
israel unit 5200 spies write news west
© MintPress News
One year after Oct. 7 attacks, Netanyahu is on a winning streak." So reads the title of a recent Axios article describing the Israeli prime minister riding on an unbeatable wave of triumphs. These stunning military "successes," its author Barak Ravid notes, include the bombing of Yemen, the assassinations of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and the pager attack against Lebanon.

The same author recently went viral for an article that claimed that Israeli attacks against Hezbollah are "not intended to lead to war but are an attempt to reach 'de-escalation through escalation.'" Users on social media mocked Ravid for this bizarre, Orwellian reasoning. But what almost everybody missed is that Barak Ravid is an Israeli spy - or at least he was until recently. Ravid is a former analyst with Israeli spying agency Unit 8200, and as recently as last year, was still a reservist with the Israeli Defense Forces group.

Unit 8200 is Israel's largest and perhaps most controversial spying organization. It has been responsible for many high-profile espionage and terror operations, including the recent pager attack that injured thousands of Lebanese civilians. As this investigation will reveal, Ravid is far from the only Israeli ex-spook working at top U.S. media outlets, working hard to manufacture Western support for his country's actions.
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Wolf

Technate, Ohio: How Leslie Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein built the Silicon Heartland

Whitney Webb and Mark Goodwin
unlimitedhangout.com
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00 UTC
Ohio has become the new destination for Big Tech data centers and AI infrastructure. The state owes much of its rapid transformation into the so-called "Silicon Heartland" to the now vast array of public-private partnerships pioneered by the state's richest man, Leslie Wexner, and his former money manager and fixer, Jeffrey Epstein.

TECHNATE, OHIO

Comment: This is a long article, so buckle up.


Early last year, shortly after Donald Trump took office for his second term, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced he was departing the recently-formed Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) after reports of conflict with the department's co-head, Elon Musk. Ramaswamy joined Fox News to clarify these rumors, and to tease his next endeavor -- holding public office. Ramaswamy noted Musk's approach was "a technology approach," whereas his was "focused more on a constitutional law, legislative-based approach." He furthered, "when you're talking about a constitutional revival, it's not just done through the federal government, it's done through federalism, where states also lead the way." Despite their differences, Ramaswamy importantly remarked that they were both "on the same page" and that their attempts "in saving the country" required them to "divide and conquer."

Towards the end of the interview, Ramaswamy mentioned he was flying back to Ohio that week, with an announcement regarding his expressed intention of pushing for reform at the state level coming shortly. The former presidential hopeful explained that when "we look at the country over the last 20 years, Silicon Valley was at the bleeding edge of the American economy. I think the Ohio River Valley can be at the bleeding edge of the American economy for the next 20 years." A few weeks later, Ramaswamy's gubernatorial campaign for Ohio was announced and the former D.O.G.E. co-head was promptly endorsed by President Trump. Over the course of that campaign, Vivek's fortunes have quite literally soared. Since launching his campaign, he has not only come to command a massive campaign war chest filled by deep-pocketed donors, but his own net worth has doubled.

Comment: See Whitney Webb telling this story to Jimmy Dore:



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Quenelle

Good: NY AG Letitia James hit with two more criminal referrals alleging possible insurance fraud

Victor Nava and Josh Christenson
New York Post
Thu, 26 Mar 2026 22:04 UTC
Letitia James
© AP/Getty ImagesNew York State Attorney General Letitia James
New York Attorney General Letitia James was hit with two federal criminal referrals Wednesday alleging she may have committed homeowners insurance fraud.

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte alleged in the missives, obtained by The Post, that James may have falsified information in filings with Illinois-based Allstate Insurance Company and Florida-based Universal Property Insurance.

The referrals were sent to US Attorney for Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros and US Attorney for Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quinones.

They come four months after a federal judge in Virginia dismissed a criminal indictment against James accusing the Empire State's top prosecutor of mortgage fraud.

Comment: Comment: The only thing keeping Tish out of jail are activitist judges. She's been caught dead to rights. White-collar crime expert Sam A. Antar explains:


And not just on mortgage fraud.

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Cruise Missle

Iranian missiles, drones rain down on Gulf countries as tensions spike

Hussien Elkabany
Anadolu Agency
Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:59 UTC
iran missile strike dubai
© ReutersFire at a fuel tank near Dubai International Airport in March 16, 2026, following a drone strike.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain report attacks from Iran

Missiles and drones rained down on Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain on Wednesday as Iran continued its retaliatory strikes against the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on the country.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said in a statement that air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and 31 drones over the Eastern Province.

The Civil Defense said debris from the intercepted missile fell on two homes, including one under construction, causing limited property damage. No casualties were reported.

In Kuwait, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said drones targeted a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire at the site. Initial reports indicated only material damage from the attack.

Comment: Anadolu further reports that Israel is extending the closure of Ben Gurion Airport until April 16:
Israel's Transport Ministry informed airports and foreign airlines of an extension of the closure of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv until April 16, Israel's Channel 13 reported on Wednesday.

The ministry issued an official notice stating that the airspace closure would remain in effect until that date.

In its notice, the ministry said the closure period could be shortened and full flight operations could be resumed earlier if the security situation improves or the ongoing war ends.

According to the channel, the directive effectively requires foreign airlines that have not yet canceled their April flights to and from Israel to formally announce their position.

The move came as part of ongoing security assessments and efforts to align operations at Ben Gurion Airport with the current security situation, the broadcaster said.

On Tuesday, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev addressed Israeli travelers stranded abroad, stating that the government would not provide them with financial compensation.

The US and Israel have been carrying out airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.​​​​​​​


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Bad Guys

Flashback How Britain infiltrates Lebanon's Internal Security Forces

Kit Klarenberg
The Cradle
Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:23 UTC
lebanon british infiltrate government protests
© The Cradle
Leaked Foreign Office documents show how a British government-funded program has infiltrated Lebanon's Internal Security Forces at every level since 2008.

In July, "civil policing transformation" specialist Siren Associates was awarded a £15-million contract to deliver the UK Foreign Office's British Policing Support Programme (BPSP) in Lebanon.

Industry outlet Intelligence Online hailed the move, referring to Siren as an "old hand" at "security cooperation work" and the "linchpin" of UK strategy in this regard, noting that the vast investment comes against a backdrop of ever-worsening political and economic turmoil in Beirut.

Officially, the operation is concerned with helping the Internal Security Forces (ISF) to "maintain public safety and counter crime, disorder, and terrorist threats in compliance with human rights standards," while strengthening the agency's "effectiveness, responsiveness, and accountability, with a particular focus on their ability to respond to issues of public safety and internal security."
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Magnify

The Obsidian Lens: Reflecting the chasm of the anointed

Phil Butler
Medium
Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00 UTC
Consulting the oracle
© HAL 12000 imageThe author consulting the oracle at Karnak
The downfall of the American Republic did not begin with a tweet, a rally, or even a specific election; it began in the fall of 1960. When John F. Kennedy faced Richard Nixon on national television, the Image officially replaced the Individual. We traded a presidency rooted in policy for one based on "visual vigor," creating a direct, emotional link between the leader and the voter that bypassed civic duty in favor of cinematic worship.

However, this was more than a shift in media; it was the start of a sixty-year "Mutation Test." Since 1960, successive forces have incrementally tested how much authority could be centralized within the Oval Office, transforming the presidency from a co-equal branch of government into an Immune Executive.
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