Puppet MastersS


Dollar

IRGC navy turns back containership seeking Hormuz passage as Iran starts charging $2M toll

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:25 UTC
Tangsiri
© UnknownIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri,
Amid reports of increasing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Alireza Tangsiri, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, said on X that the containership Selen was turned back by the IRGC Navy for "failing to comply with legal protocols and lacking permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz." Needless to say, that is an upgrade from firing missiles at it.
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Star of David

Poking the bear: Israel seeks to disrupt Russian-Iranian arms transfer route in the Caspian Sea

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:23 UTC
Iranian Navy Caspian Sea drills
© Mod.Gov.AzPrior Iranian Navy Caspian Sea drills, November 4, 2024.
Russia and Iran have long had positive bilateral relations, which deepened in the context of the Ukraine war, and now in the midst of Trump's Operation Epic Fury, where Moscow is said to be sharing vital intelligence and targeting information with Tehran.

Fresh reporting in The Wall Street Journal suggests that recent large-scale Israeli attacks in the Caspian Sea could mean flirting with WW3 and potential attacks on Russian interests and assets.

"An Israeli strike on a naval outpost in the Caspian Sea targeted Russia's support for Iran in the war, hitting a supply line that the countries have used to move ammunition, drones and other weaponry, people familiar with the matter said," WSJ writes late in the day Tuesday.

Comment: Why does Israel feel it's capable of adding an eighth front to its list? Are they counting on off-loading their Iran efforts on the US? Then they can carry on stealing land from Lebanon. while their rampaging illegal settlers cleanse the West Bank.





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Sherlock

The Multi-Layered Crisis in the Middle East

Nabil Aryaei
DD Geopolitics
Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:19 UTC
Oil fields burning
Author's Note: This article was originally written in Persian and published in Khaama Press on March 18, 2026. This English version is a translation by the author

The Trump administration's decision to enter into direct war with the Islamic Republic of Iran without obtaining formal authorization from Congress stands as one of the most controversial and high-risk foreign policy choices made by the United States in recent years.

This move not only pushed the Middle East into a new stage of tension and military confrontation, but its consequences are now clearly visible in the global economy, energy markets, and international geopolitical equations.

Joel Rubin, a U.S. foreign policy analyst, described the unprecedented nature of the event: "We've never had a war where the president didn't explain his objective, and there wasn't any debate in Congress. None of that happened."

The absence of institutional processes has raised fundamental questions about the legitimacy and long-term consequences of this military intervention.

The escalation of war between Iran on one side and the open alliance of the United States and Israel on the other has produced a crisis whose effects extend far beyond the region's borders.
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Quenelle

Made in Israel: Trump White House plagiarized Iran war manifesto from Israel-aligned think tank

Wyatt Reed and Max Blumenthal
The Grayzone
Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:53 UTC
Fox news screenshot
The Trump White House plagiarized its justification for attacking Iran from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, the main DC outfit promoting war with Tehran. The think tank was originally founded to "enhance Israel's image," and partners closely with the Israeli government.

The Trump Administration appeared to plagiarize its official justification for its war on Iran, copying almost word-for-word a document originally produced by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a pro-war think tank with close ties to Israeli intelligence which was originally founded to "enhance Israel's image."

The FDD document was authored by Tzvi Kahn, the former assistant director for policy and government affairs at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

A March 2, 2026 statement issued by the White House accusing Tehran of 44 instances of terrorism against American citizens is "virtually identical" to the list published by FDD in June 2025, analyst Stephen McIntyre noted Thursday.

While the White House did make superficial alterations to the text, they largely consisted of appending the label "Iran-backed" to every mention of groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. In the few instances where Trump administration officials bothered to make significant changes to the original FDD list, the edits were almost always made in service of "ratcheting up the underlying allegation," McIntyre concluded.

Comment: It is clear where the drive for war with Iran came from.

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Revolver

IDF threatens 'elimination' for Russian leaders who 'wish Israel ill'

Wyatt Reed
The Grayzone
Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:30 UTC
IDF spokeswoman
Israel's veiled threat to Moscow came just after Russian media warned traffic cameras in Moscow were vulnerable to the same exploits that Israel reportedly used to monitor Ayatollah Khamenei's residence before assassinating him.

Israeli military spokeswoman Anna Ukolova has drawn outrage in Moscow after threatening that Russian authorities who "wish Israel ill" could be subject to "elimination," while suggesting Israel could hack into Russian closed-circuit television cameras to identify and track targets.

Asked by a journalist with Russian radio broadcaster RBC whether Israel had access to Russian traffic cameras, Ukolova declined to answer directly but warned that "Khamenei's elimination shows our capabilities are serious" and that "no one who wishes us harm will be left aside."

She added, ominously, "I hope Moscow does not wish Israel ill right now - I'd like to believe that."

Comment: So not so veiled threats against anyone not always bowing to the wishes of Israel.

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Star of David

Israel launches fresh strikes on Iran as Trump calls for de-escalation

Rebeka Zeljko
The Blaze
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 21:44 UTC
trump netanyahu
© Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesTrump and Netanyahu at the White House in August 2025
'We will see where they lead.'

While President Donald Trump tries to navigate high-stakes peace talks with Iran, Israel appears to have gone rogue.

Trump announced Monday morning that he would temporarily postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure while the two powers continue peace talks. Trump categorized the negotiations as productive, saying they were a "great start for Iran to build itself back."

"We have had very, very strong talks," Trump said. "We will see where they lead."

Comment: Iran has made a qualified denial of any talks, and says that Trump's announcements are for calming the oil market.



In the meantime, Israel has made it clear it has slipped the leash.



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Explosion

Russia discovers hundreds of boobytrapped boot insoles

Will Stewart and Olivia Allhusen
The Daily Mail
Tue, 24 Mar 2026 20:39 UTC
boobytrapped boot heaters russia
© TSoS FSB/e2wThe 'heated' insoles for use in cold weather were rigged with enough explosives to blow off a victim's limbs, it is alleged
Rigged with enought explosives to blow soldiers' legs off

Russian authorities have seized hundreds of explosive-laden boot insoles intended for Vladimir Putin's soldiers, according to the FSB.

These "heated" insoles, designed for use in cold weather, were allegedly rigged with enough explosives to blow off a wearer's limbs. The Russian counterintelligence agency has pointed fingers at Ukrainian secret services for this scheme aimed at maiming up to 504 soldiers.

"A foreign national born in 1994 has been detained in Russia," announced the FSB. "He was involved in the smuggling of weapons to Russia from Poland through Belarus, organised by Ukrainian intelligence agencies."

Comment: Wonder who they got the idea from?



The Daily Mail adds:
Russian counterintelligence blames Ukrainian secret services for a ploy to maim up to 504 soldiers.

'He was involved in the smuggling of weapons to Russia from Poland through Belarus, organised by Ukrainian intelligence agencies.'

The power of the concealed explosives in the insole pairs was 1.5 grams in TNT equivalent,' said the FSB.

'Detonation occurs when the insoles are connected to a power source and is designed to sever a part of a serviceman's limb when they are used during combat missions.'

'The shoe insoles were supposed to be sent to Russian troops stationed in the special military operation zone disguised as humanitarian aid,' reported TASS.

The detained man - from Tajikistan - was a courier for the explosive insoles, said the FSB.

The insoles were in a consignment of 'humanitarian aid', it was alleged.


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Star of David

Joe Kent's genuine plea to Trump: "Address the Israeli issue"

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:53 UTC
Joe Kent NAtional Counterterrorism Center
© Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/APJoe Kent, former head of the National Counterterrorism Center
Recently-resigned director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent told antiwar.com editor Scott Horton that a narrow window for de-escalation still exists, but only if Donald Trump is willing to confront what Kent repeatedly described as the core constraint on U.S. strategy: Israel.

"I think he's got to address the Israeli issue first and foremost... and demand and force them to stop going on the offense."

Kent addressed Trump's recent public comments urging restraint, specifically that Israel halt strikes on energy infrastructure, but warned that rhetorical pressure alone would prove ineffective. According to Kent, past behavior suggests compliance would be temporary at best.

Comment: There are probably more Joe Kents in government and military. Hopefully his courage will encourage them to step up. They don't need to step down, but be more forceful about trying to steer foreign policy in line with reality. Tulsi Gabbard come to mind. She is taking a lot heat for staying in post, but the quiet consensus is that she's quietly cleaning house at DNI. Looks like she's over the target:



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Bullseye

"The fight for the future of the Western world starts with the Hungarian elections" - Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

Kurt Zindulka
Breitbart
Sun, 22 Mar 2026 19:37 UTC
orban hungary
© AP/Denes ErdosViktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary speaks at a campaign event in Kaposvár, Hungary, on March 16, 2026.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán cast next month's elections in Hungary as a key pillar of the American-led effort to retake the West from the progressive globalists of Brussels and other European capitals.

While it appears that populist parties appear to be on the rise and potentially set to take power in key Western nations such as the United Kingdom and France within the next few years, Hungary, which has been a lone MAGA ally in Europe over the past decade, faces the prospect of falling under the control of the Brussels umbrella.

Prime Minister Orbán, currently the European Union's longest-serving leader, faces a tough re-election battle in April against Péter Magyar, a former member of the governing Fidesz party who broke ranks to form his own Tisza party in 2024, promising greater alignment with the EU, particularly on issues such as the Ukraine war.

Comment: The Brussels clowns are so terrified of Orban, they've implemented the Romanian playbook to block his reelection.



EU manipulating polls in bid to oust Orban - German opposition leader

And no wonder why:

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Arrow Down

EU prez Ursula Von Der Leyen laughs at idea of sending HER children to war

Martin Armstrong
Armstrong Economics
Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:11 UTC
Lying family
© Armstrong Economics
There is a video circulating of Ursula von der Leyen laughing at the idea of her own children serving in the military, and whether people choose to dismiss it or not, it reflects something far deeper than a single moment. It exposes the widening divide between those who advocate for war and those who are expected to fight it.

I have said repeatedly that the neocons pushing for conflict are never the ones who bear the consequences. They sit in offices far away from the conflict and treat war as if it were a board game. The bloodshed is of no bother to these warmongers.

Now we see Europe once again moving toward policies that expand their place in Ukraine's war. Germany is even taking steps toward drafting women, framing it as equality, but it is not about equality. It is about manpower. They are prepared to wipe out an entire generation.
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