Puppet Masters

Would war with Iran really be a walk in the park? Absolutely not

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Wed, 03 Jul 2019 18:05 UTC

In another of his characteristic messages via Twitter, US President Donald Trump declared his army's capacity to use "obliteration" fire power against Iran if necessary and in case of war between the two countries. Further, Trump's claimed that such a war won't last "very long". Both statements suggest that the US administration recognizes its incapacity to defeat or face Iran with conventional fire power; hence Trump seems to advert to the possibility of using tactical nuclear bombs against Iran as the US did in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon 2006 (uranium based weapons). He also told the press that no exit plan, no Plan B is necessary. Trump is telling the world that the US believes Iran will surrender in a short time after the beginning of a possible war, showing that history is meaningless to US officials who made the same assumptions in previous wars, particularly in Afghanistan and its attempted regime-change in Syria. But how will Iran respond and what options are left to Iran today?

There is little doubt that Trump's administration is fixated on US military power, rather than exploring all possible scenarios and the prospects for Iranian retaliation. If Trump goes to war, the Middle East will face dire circumstances that Trump seems not to be taking into account.

When President George W. Bush launched "Operation Enduring Freedom" in 2001 he believed his war in Afghanistan would be a walk in the park; still today, President Trump is negotiating with Taliban a way to end this ongoing war. Moreover, President Barack Obama and UN officials believed the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's fall would be a "matter of time". Trump is saying that he would bomb Iran rather than send troops to occupy any part of Iran, whether on the coast or inland, thus limiting his intervention to destroying a previously agreed-on bank of objectives.

Comment: See also:

Setback for Bibi? Saudi Arabia says Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homeland is 'non-negotiable'

Sputnik
Wed, 03 Jul 2019 17:55 UTC

© Agence France-Presse/Joseph Eid
Palestinian refugees stand next to graffiti bearing a portrait of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the Ain Al-Helweh refugee camp, near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, on March 16, 2015

The Saudi government insists that Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homeland on disputed Israeli territory is beyond discussion while the United States ignores the issue in a recently proposed "deal of the century" for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

"The government confirms the right of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to their homeland, considering it fixed and established as well as not negotiable", the ministry tweeted, citing Cabinet protocol.

The government also confirmed that Saudi Arabia was among major states that continue to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees.

Comment: An interesting statement from the Saudi government, considering the the two countries have been developing closer ties over the last decade. They have shared interests with regard to Iran, the Shia and Hezbollah. Why poke such an obvious sore spot?

Putin signs law suspending INF treaty with US

RT
Wed, 03 Jul 2019 17:55 UTC

© REUTERS/Josh Smith/File photo
U.S. Air Force ground crew secure weapons and other components of an MQ-9 Reaper drone after it returned from a mission, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan March 9, 2016.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law suspending the Cold War-era INF Treaty. Putin announced in February that he would halt participation in the treaty after Washington's abrupt decision to pull out of the agreement.

The Trump administration announced last October that the US would pull out of the treaty which has been a cornerstone of European security since its signing in 1987. Moscow later promised a "mirror response" to the decision and said it would suspend its own participation.

The treaty eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating its terms.

Abandoning the deal, Trump said the US would "terminate the agreement" and then "develop the weapons." Putin later said Russia would be forced to "do the same thing."

Comment: See also:

Despite the opining of media pundits, did Tusli Gabbard win the debate?

Philip Giraldi
The Unz Review
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 17:28 UTC

Last Wednesday's debate among half of the announced Democratic Party candidates to become their party's nominee for president in 2020 was notable for its lack of drama. Many of those called on to speak had little to say apart from the usual liberal bromides about health care, jobs, education and how the United States is a country of immigrants. On the following day the mainstream media anointed Elizabeth Warren as the winner based on the coherency of her message even though she said little that differed from what was being presented by most of the others on the stage. She just said it better, more articulately.

The New York Times' coverage was typical, praising Warren for her grasp of the issues and her ability to present the same clearly and concisely, and citing a comment "They could teach classes in how warren talks about a problem and weaves in answers into a story. She's not just wonk and stats." It then went on to lump most of the other candidates together, describing their performances as "ha[ving] one or two strong answers, but none of them had the electric, campaign-launching moment they were hoping for."

Iraqi leadership: No victory yet - ISIS fighters, sleeper cells still active in Iraq

Sputnik
Wed, 03 Jul 2019 17:11 UTC

Iraqi leaders told UN Security Council member representatives during a trip to the Middle East last week that it would be a political mistake to claim terrorism had been defeated in Iraq, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov told reporters on Tuesday.

"The Iraqi leadership told the members of the Security Council about the national problems the country faces, including the need to continue counter-terrorism efforts", Safronkov said. "Everyone says that claiming a defeat of terrorism would be politically a mistake. Fighters remain in Iraq. They come from Syria driven out by the military operation in the Arab Republic and disperse in local communities, sleeper cells and the threat can re-emerge at any moment".

On 28 and 29 June, UN Security Council member representatives visited Iraq and met with Iraqi President Barham Salih, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim and other government officials.

Safronkov said the threat posed by terrorism to Iraq's national security remains persistent and it is crucial to combat it. However, he added that engaging in reconstruction, rebuilding, and economic development would also contribute to the defeat of terrorism.

Border patrol's Brandon Judd fires back at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for 'falsehoods' about migrant facilities

Breitbart
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:01 UTC

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, fired back at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Monday evening after she made incendiary claims about her visit earlier that day to several U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sites housing migrants who crossed the U.S. border illegally.

Ocasio-Cortez, who continues to refer to CBP facilities as "concentration camps" despite being criticized by Jewish leaders, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, and Israel's Yad Vashem, tweeted that women had been forced to drink water from toilets, among other atrocities:

Comment: See also:

Navy SEAL described as "reckless murderer" by own platoon found not guilty of war crimes

Russ Read
Washington Examiner
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 05:24 UTC

The jury assigned to the case of accused Special Warfare Chief Edward Gallagher has found the decorated Navy SEAL not guilty of murder and attempted murder after a whirlwind trial that included bombshell revelations and twists.

The verdict was reached by the five Marines and two sailors Tuesday after the prosecution and defense made their closing arguments the day before. The jury did find Gallagher guilty of unlawfully taking a picture with the corpse of the teenage ISIS fighter he was accused of killing.

"Our stance from the very beginning of this has been that Eddie needs to have a fair trial and we're going to stand behind him no matter what because he's our brother. And the courts have prevailed," Brad Bailey, president of the Navy SEALs Fund, told the Washington Examiner. "We understand that it's a very contentious accusation and one that deeply divided our community. And I hope that everyone can learn a lot from this on both sides and we can get back to taking care of business."

Comment: When US war crimes go unpunished why would one expect the minions carrying them out to suffer justice?

Bipartisan bill aims to tackle rampant child porn sharing on Pentagon computers

RT
Wed, 03 Jul 2019 01:09 UTC

Congress is weighing up a bipartisan bill to crack down on the sharing of child porn on Defense Department computers after a watchdog group found the Pentagon's network ranked among the top US ISPs for sharing the vile content.

"The notion that the Department of Defense's network and Pentagon-issued computers may be used to view, create, or circulate such horrifying images is a shameful disgrace, and one we must fight head on," Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) said in a statement on Tuesday as she and co-sponsor Mark Meadows (R-N. Carolina) introduced the End National Defense Network Abuse (END Network Abuse) Act in the House.

The Defense Criminal Investigative Services (DCIS) will receive training in how to root out and successfully prosecute those using Defense Department equipment to access and trade child porn under the new legislation. The bill also integrates DCIS into a "multi-jurisdictional task force" with "federal, state, and local law enforcement," social services, and child protection groups to help victims of child sexual exploitation - and to roll back the tide of filth engulfing Defense Department networks.

Comment: They've known about this since 2008 and only now they're attempting to do something about it?? Pedophile scandals plague the Western establishment and yet very rarely is anyone charged, more often than not we only find out the names of the criminals once they've died:

Airstrike hits migrant detention facility in Libya's Tripoli, kills 40, injures 80

Sputnik
Wed, 03 Jul 2019 01:30 UTC

An air strike late on Tuesday hit a detention facility for migrants in the Tajoura suburb of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Reuters reported, citing an official at the targeted location.

An airstike against a detention centre for illegal migrants in a suburb of the Libyan capital killed 40 and wounded 80, Reuters reported, citing a health official.

A representative of Tripoli's medical service confirmed Wednesday that the airstrike near the Libyan capital had really left at least 40 people dead.

Comment: And the legacy of Western meddling in Libya continues to bear fruit:

Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Interview With The Moriartys - New Light on Benghazi, And Liberating Libya

Iran: We will enrich uranium to 'any amount we want'

New York Post
Wed, 03 Jul 2019 05:35 UTC

Iran's president warned European partners in its faltering nuclear deal on Wednesday that Tehran will increase its enrichment of uranium to "any amount that we want" beginning on Sunday, putting pressure on them to offer a way around intense U.S. sanctions targeting the country.

The comments by President Hassan Rouhani come as tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S. over the deal, which President Donald Trump pulled America from over a year ago.

Authorities on Monday acknowledged Iran broke through a limit placed on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium.

An increasing stockpile and higher enrichment closes the estimated one-year window Iran would need to produce enough material for a nuclear bomb, something Iran denies it wants but the nuclear deal sought to prevent.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has rushed an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and F-22 fighters to the region and Iran recently shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone. On Wednesday, Iran marked the shootdown by the U.S. Navy of an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, a mistake that killed 290 people and shows the danger of miscalculation in the current crisis.

Comment: See also:

Seriously, lets break down these words, and I am fully equipped for this task that I give to myself NOW. gives OSHA the authority to act quickly...

Buffalo_Ken

Forensic pathologists performed a postmortem and concluded that the man had probably died mid-flight Let me see ... he walked onto the plane,...

HashAttack2

This ain't no fucking real emergency. It is an effing emergency in the mind of a few....who thought they were gonna put the rest of us into...

Buffalo_Ken

The administration defended OSHA's legal right to issue these requirements, saying that the Occupational Safety and Health Act "gives OSHA the...

HashAttack2

Thanks, SOTT. Good read.

ReRan

Puppet Masters

Would war with Iran really be a walk in the park? Absolutely not

Setback for Bibi? Saudi Arabia says Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homeland is 'non-negotiable'

Putin signs law suspending INF treaty with US

Despite the opining of media pundits, did Tusli Gabbard win the debate?

Iraqi leadership: No victory yet - ISIS fighters, sleeper cells still active in Iraq

Border patrol's Brandon Judd fires back at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for 'falsehoods' about migrant facilities

Navy SEAL described as "reckless murderer" by own platoon found not guilty of war crimes

Bipartisan bill aims to tackle rampant child porn sharing on Pentagon computers

Airstrike hits migrant detention facility in Libya's Tripoli, kills 40, injures 80

Iran: We will enrich uranium to 'any amount we want'

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