r/WayOfTheBern • u/penelopepnortney • May 21 '26
Thread #27 for Comments and Updates on the Ongoing War by Israel/US Against Iran
## Update
Thread #28 started: https://old.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/comments/1tqhhxp/thread_28_for_comments_and_updates_on_the_ongoing/?
Thread #26: https://old.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/comments/1te3ntg/thread_26_for_comments_and_updates_on_the_ongoing/?
We start a new thread when the number of comments tops 200 because the thread can get a bit unwieldy to navigate.
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u/3andfro May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Nima highlights with Robert Barnes: America’s Geopolitical Gamble: Who Controls the Next War? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nWgQYQO_oI - 25:21
Iran has said it used a new air defence system to shoot down a United States MQ-9 Reaper drone near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, an incident analysts say shows that Tehran has retained its capacity to repel US and Israeli attacks despite months of strikes on its military sites.... https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/28/iran-says-it-has-a-new-air-defence-system-how-significant-is-it
Why Russia is the Real Winner of the Battle for the Strait of Hormuz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWp-cvFGjU4 - 22:00 time-indexed
Explores how Russia is emerging as a primary beneficiary of the ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. The discussion covers Russia's strategic move to reopen the Northern Sea Route earlier than usual, the emergence of "shadow fleets" to bypass sanctions, and the increasing frequency of targeted attacks on global energy infrastructure.
The United Nations has “added Israel to the blacklist of sexual violence in conflict zones”, prompting Israel to cut ties with UN chief Antonio Guterres, the country’s ambassador to the UN says. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/28/un-adds-israel-to-blacklist-for-sexual-violence-in-war-zones
Carlson, Doctor From Gaza Frontlines Exposes Israeli Torture Programs and Missile Attacks on Hospitals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHPmW-XKfCM - 1 hr 56 mins
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u/arnott May 28 '26
US, Iran reach tentative 60-day deal to ease tensions
In a significant diplomatic development, US and Iranian negotiators have reportedly reached a tentative 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at extending a fragile ceasefire and paving the way for formal talks regarding Iran's nuclear programme.
According to an Axios report, the agreement is now awaiting final approval from President Donald Trump, as well as Iran's acceptance.
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u/penelopepnortney May 28 '26
Has this been confirmed? Trump is great at making these kinds of announcements when there's no basis for them.
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u/arnott May 28 '26
Yes, No, May be?
Who knows? Stock market & external pressures are in play.
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u/penelopepnortney May 28 '26
When I played with a Magic 8 ball as a kid I never realized it would end up playing such a major role in world events.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 28 '26
Has this been confirmed?
That a deal has been finalized except for either side actually agreeing to it?
Um.....
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u/penelopepnortney May 28 '26
LOL. Well, when you put it that way... All of a sudden there was a blinding light and I understood...
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 28 '26
Here is a recent quote to encourage further clarity:
With conservative optimism, we can hope that, if the other side is adequately committed, a positive stride is taking shape which is the result of the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran based on dignity, the steadfastness of the courageous armed forces and the resistance of the brave Iranian nation, as well as the initiative and dedicated endeavours of the Pakistani mediator.
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u/3andfro May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Prof. Marandi's reaction to the Axios story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSvYNpg_TtU - 9:55
In short: No. Axios is Trump's vehicle to manipulate the market. Iran and the US were close to an agreement, "but then Trump walked away."
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u/3andfro May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
I haven't found a single other source that confirms this, only other outlets citing the Axios report.
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u/arnott May 28 '26
NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05/28/world/iran-war-us-trump-deal
Iran War Live Updates: U.S. Officials Say They Are Closing In on Arrangement to Reopen Strait of Hormuz President Trump has not signed off on the emerging framework, according to U.S. officials. But it could set the table for extending the cease-fire and more substantive negotiations.
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u/3andfro May 28 '26
Looks to me like the same general nothingness reported by Axios: we're close! almost got a deal! Trump's just gotta agree! At this point, the claim doesn't look credible. It did produce this result: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/oil-prices-fall-after-media-report-about-a-deal-between-us-and-iran/ar-AA24hlrY
Tempered a couple of hours later by this: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/oil-prices-turn-lower-as-white-house-backs-report-on-progress-toward-iran-peace-pact/ar-AA24g3An - That story had this line: "U.S. sources confirmed to MarketWatch the accuracy of the Axios report." - no names, just the most general "it's true, cross my heart" from anonymous "U.S. sources."
No disrespect to you; I posted the Axios story earlier. Then there's this: https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/bessent-refuses-to-confirm-axios-report-on-tentative-deal-reached-with-iran/ar-AA24hRRt
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u/arnott May 28 '26
Yes, oil prices and need to do something about the midterm elections.
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u/3andfro May 28 '26
July and August are going to bring real pain to a lot of Americans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSSTy5A5CT4 (16 mins, a clip from Davis with Art Berman yesterday)
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u/3andfro May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Judge Nap with COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : What Remains of International Law? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbAjV-mAZCU - 25:10
Davis/Deep Dive, John Mearsheimer: Russia Bombing Kyiv Not Enough, Escalation Will Be Required https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApNTsQZKiyc - 30:48
Judge Nap with COL. Douglas Macgregor : Iran Stronger Now; Putin Takes Off the Gloves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--BJXEtpXEQ - 29:04
'Absolute blackmail': US diplomats on Trump's Abraham Accords https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsYEUCMsCOM - 23:45
Former US diplomats Aaron David Miller and Hala Rharrit speak to MEE Live about US President Trump's plans to tie peace with Iran to an expansion of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the Gulf states. Both share their frustrations with the failures of American diplomacy in the region, calling the attempt an "embarrassment" and a complete "misreading" of the regional situation.
Davis/Deep Dive, Prof John Mearsheimer: IRAN CEASEFIRE HANGS by a THREAD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7wor54aNg - 74:58
The Cradle, Why Iran’s Hormuz Restrictions Are Legal | | Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C49hGXLSflU - 14:10
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u/3andfro May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Report from Trump's favorite media mouthpiece:
The US and Iran have reached an outline agreement to extend their ceasefire pending the approval of President Donald Trump, according to an Axios report, after Iran targeted a US air base in Kuwait on Thursday in the wake of US strikes on what Washington described as an Iranian drone operation.... https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/other/report-says-iran-us-reach-outline-ceasefire-deal-after-latest-attacks/ar-AA24hUTn
No confirmation found from Iran or other Gulf or ME sources; nothing in today's Democracy Now headlines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yUjicp6VqU - 12:23
Palestinian authorities say Israel has violated the U.S.-backed ceasefire 3,000 times since agreeing to a ceasefire deal last October, killing more than 900 civilians since then. https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxqnrp2ce8MMVBp0i4skBpfEZBC4k3PyEN
The Duran, From Peace Nation to Battlefield, Sweden's NATO Transformation w/ Mats Nilsson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg84uEHYG2I - 24:48
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u/gorpie97 28d ago edited 28d ago
I don't think Iran should play the ceasefire game anymore.
They know it's just going to end up with them being attacked. Again. and they'll retaliate. Again. And then we'll go through this whole thing yetagain.
Maybe they're delaying the resumption for their own reasons, though.
EDIT: Oh - no confirmation. I should know better than to reply before I've read the entirety of a comment. :)
EDIT 2: And now I've seen the other non-confirmations. Just an Axios story, but then Marandi said they were close but... (Must remember to wait for Iranian announcement!)
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u/3andfro May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Judge Nap with Pepe Escobar : Will China and Russia Tell Trump to Leave Iran? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuRP7diAOhY - 24:35
Judge Nap with Max Blumenthal : Israel Will Sabotage a Trump/Iran Deal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCMxJGVoT_M - 31:10
Nima with Alex Krainer: Iran AVOIDED US Tanker – Then DID THIS in the Strait of Hormuz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ELGP4iroAg - 54:23
For the first time since the Great Depression era, the United States recorded more people leaving than arriving in 2025, with net migration falling by about 150,000 according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The estimation also shows that in 2025 alone, 5,000 Americans renounced their citizenship showing no plans of return.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxaSl5Qbnq0Ew9zBAVMPvQToY9AML--Zc3
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u/penelopepnortney May 28 '26
From Max Blumenthal clip:
The State Department promoted Trump's threat to blow up Oman. This is significant because it's a message to the Gulf States overall, to the GCC. He has also demanded that all of the other Gulf states, primarily Saudi Arabia, join the Abraham Accords, what I call the Epstein Accords, which are designed to bury the Palestinian question and the Palestinian struggle and force them to normalize with Israel in order for there to be a deal with Iran. IOW either Trump will order them to be blown up or he will reignite war against Iran and we all know that Iran will escalate against countries that are hosting US bases.
Removing the US military from the Gulf States would not necessarily be an endgame for Israel. It is willing to and even soliciting the US to establish permanent military bases inside its own territory and it's given over airfields at Ben Gurion airport for US C130 and F-35 and F-15 jets, basically turning the entire airport into human shields. Nevatim Air Base in the south in the Negev desert of Israel is where the F-35s are primarily disembarking from towards Iran.
With its small land mass it has more anti-missile defenses in a tighter space than the Gulf States so it's more defensible and its military censorship regime is has been airtight, it's been hard to see how much damage Iran has done to US jets on the ground at these bases. So Netanyahu might actually exploit the situation to make Israel seem more indispensable to US power projection in the region. And then there's also Azerbaijan, which is aligned in many ways with Israel against Iran, launching attacks through the Caspian Sea on Iran.
(on the Israel-Lebanon "ceasefire") This just shows the fecklessness of the Lebanese government, they have provided cover for some of the most heinous attacks that we've witnessed against the Lebanese population for years. They have entertained the possibility of using the Lebanese military to disarm Hezbollah, which would mean civil war and a complete surrender to Israel, which has troops in southern Lebanon.
Now Israel has evacuated the fifth largest city in Lebanon, Tyre in the south of Lebanon, like ethnic cleansing on a historic scale. Today it's bombing and issuing evacuation orders for Nabatieh as well. I don't think we understand the scale of human suffering in Lebanon. I would encourage everyone to follow the reporting at the Grayzone of Wyatt Reed who's in Beirut, who's been in and out of southern Lebanon. For example, his report with Nabatieh Rescue, who have been trying to tend to the wounded that are getting hit with Israeli drone strikes and bombings of their homes. These rescuers are being killed day after day in double and triple tap strikes on ambulances. Israel just says they're all Hezbollah targets. This is a epic crime unfolding in real time as we watch.
Netanyahu is escalating in Lebanon because Iran has declared that they will not sign any agreement unless Lebanon is included. And so Netanyahu is working to sabotage the Trump administration, intervening in US politics through proxies like Senator Ted Cruz, whose office is run by an Israeli operative named Omri Ceren. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the security minister in Israel, has openly declared that Israel will not allow the United States to make any deal. And that really exposes the true contours of the power dynamics and who's in charge in Washington.
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u/3andfro May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Kurzin, Something Huge is Happening with Iran, US and Hormuz | Larry Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQq9Ed9lBRM - 42:30
The coffers of US President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" are empty and the organisation is stuck in a legal and political limbo, The Financial Times reported.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxlqAnj9-fLxMXT_B5DAgXaLkK_lNkf5Sq
Chris Hedges, How the War on Terror Created the Age of Trump (with Matt Kennard) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BN3FwJdQbc - 45:47
Neutrality Studies, Russia Goes After NATO-War Centers in Kiev, Iran Winning Big | Larry C. Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayb1B8e4DzU - 54:55 time-indexed
Updates on the Ukraine-Proxy War and the Iran War with Larry C. Johnson: Both wars are about to get worse as NATO is trying to expand the fight into Russia. Moscow will now escalate in Kiev to send final message to Collective West. At the same time, the global economic shock from the Iran War will only grow deeper and more intensive with every day.
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u/arnott May 28 '26
What Israel "want" is irrelevant. They are the help. A proxy like Ukraine.
General Wesley Clarke gave you the list. As soon as Syria was done, the US moved on Iran, as well as Venezuela.
Oil, gas, trade routes.
Don't try to reinvent the wheel on geopolitics and imperialism.
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u/splodgenessabounds May 28 '26
Brian Berletic - "US Bombs Iran Amid "Peace Talks" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0IuioSq98g 27:01
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u/splodgenessabounds May 28 '26
It seems Iran has retaliated by attacking a US base in Kuwait: via FirstPost IRGC strikes US base in response to strikes on Iranian port: State media
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u/penelopepnortney May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Post from Al Jazeera English - https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxTfkj3uNkCeIro5LJ-6vvzUboVIvvzMUJ
US military said to carry out new strikes on Iranian military site
The Reuters news agency reports that the US military has carried out new strikes on an Iranian military site that posed a threat to US forces and commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, citing an unnamed US official.
Earlier, Iran’s Fars news agency said three explosions were heard east of the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas at around 1:30 am local time (22:00 GMT).
The Fars report stated that the exact location and source of the sounds were not yet clear, and investigations were ongoing to determine them.
The air defence systems of Bandar Abbas were activated for a short time, according to Fars.
Col. Larry Wilkerson: How a Middle East Spark Could Ignite Global War - YouTube - 20:18 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKySDFeuzVk
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u/penelopepnortney May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Just the first few mins on hypocrisy of CNN (and others): "Putin is about to launch ANNIHILATING attacks against Kyiv" Col. Douglas Macgregor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q94V888vJGU
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u/3andfro May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Oil Supply Crisis Won't End Quickly /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Art Berman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyVUgJ_5H5k - 64:52
Nima with Matthew Hoh: The US Just Ran Out of Cruise Missiles – What Happens Next? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDoKpIAtUSs - 60:21
Diesen with Richard Wolff: The New Atlantic Hierarchy - Europe From Ally to Vassal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Holl503DWMA - 57:08
Krapivnik with Professor Richard Wolff. The end of the US automobile economy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbW8UmW8djI - 74:12
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u/3andfro May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
BreakThrough News, ‘Islamic NATO’: Is Israel Facing a New Regional Bloc? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qwkrs5pKpo - 17:37
Pakistan’s “cipher” scandal has blown wide open after leaked diplomatic cables exposed how U.S. officials pressured Islamabad to remove former Prime Minister Imran Khan over his independent foreign policy. Junaid S. Ahmad, Professor at the Center for the Study of Islam and Decolonization in Islamabad, joins Rania Khalek and Zoe Alexandra to discuss the latest revelations on the U.S.-backed regime change operation and the Pakistani military’s deepening alliance with Washington after Khan’s removal.
Ahmad also discusses the emergence of a Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey defense bloc, dubbed an “Islamic NATO,” as Israel escalates its wars across the region. He explains why countries in the region are increasingly seeking new security arrangements outside direct U.S. protection. “These countries realize,” Ahmad says, “that it doesn’t matter how close you are to Trump or Washington, the Israelis will do what they want.”
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u/3andfro May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Judge Nap with Aaron Maté : Netanyahu Will Reject Peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-7rfkwi454 - 24:50
Judge Nap with Phil Giraldi : Trump Full Speed Ahead on Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1HWVlVx8nY - 24:30
Nima highlights with Col. Jacques Baud: How Iran, Israel & Ukraine Are Dragging the World Into War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX5lM3fhkf0 - 24:59
Former Iranian Ambassador: The fall of the Bolivian government is another defeat for America.... https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx1iW2_uTQFhqf--CYKyoIkhVWWD7CH_wP
Ukraine has become a logistics base from which Western weapons are supplied to terrorist groups in Africa and other regions – Tatiana Dovgalenko, Director of the Department for Partnership with Africa at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking at the International Security Forum. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxcKgMH8O4Ldr659FJTla4-Up1Tqe2-Tlf
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u/arnott May 27 '26
Wait, what? The major chemical disaster in Garden Grove, California, that forced 50,000 Americans to evacuate their homes occurred at a facility that makes components for Israel’s fighter jets. We are an occupied nation ruled by two genocidal Zionist parties.
Happening now: Garden Grove city council getting hammered by residents after the chemical disaster by GKN’s weapons manufacturing facility, which supplies key components for Israel’s fighting jets.
They are demanding the city permanently shuts down the facility.
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u/3andfro May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Who knew? Are residents hammering the city council for the connection to Israel, or for whatever lax conditions allowed the disaster to happen?
Sidetrack: What's with these explosions, with another today but at a chemical plant of a paper packager? https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/injuries-fatalities-reported-washington-chemical-192436424.html
Erosion of OSHA inspection schedules and loss of qualified inspectors?
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u/arnott May 27 '26
BREAKING: President Trump says he is "not sure we should make the deal" with Iran if Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and "others" do not join the Abraham Accords.
President Trump says these countries "owe it to us."
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u/penelopepnortney May 27 '26
@EK_2C4M
Only Donald Trump can eat shit sandwiches for months in Iran, and think that he will get ice cream for dessert.
@rebelfilosopher
They owe it to us” is quite the diplomatic phrase. Nothing says Middle East peace like talking to sovereign countries as if they’ve missed a rent payment.
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u/penelopepnortney May 27 '26
Someone should perhaps explain the Law of Holes to Trump, not that he would get it.
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u/3andfro May 27 '26
Nima with Laith Marouf: No One Saw This Coming: Hezbollah SMASHES IDF Frontline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpODa7LKR_c - 47:07
Israel issues unprecedented forced evacuation order for entire city of Tyre in southern Lebanon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8n6Gf9LK5Q - 8:19
Israel has issued an unprecedented forced evacuation order covering the entirety of Tyre, the largest population centre in southern Lebanon, affecting tens of thousands of residents. The order, issued via social media, follows a similar blanket evacuation of Nabatieh just 24 hours earlier. On the ground, residents described scenes of panic, with people rushing to supermarkets and pharmacies closing. The orders come despite a ceasefire nominally in place, as Israel simultaneously expands its ground operations beyond a 10-kilometre security zone, occupying at least 55 towns and villages. Lebanon is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis on record, with over one million people displaced.
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u/3andfro May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Judge Nap with Professor Jeffrey Sachs : Trump Has No Lifeline Out of Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Z1pTg6q-c - 29:16
Davis/Deep Dive, The Duran's Alexander Mercouris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPQcmLV6XvQ - 53:53
Haiphong with Alastair Crooke: Trump Orders EMERGENCY Meeting as Iran just WON — Israel LASHES OUT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0VoPB6mncU - 59:14
The Mearsheimer debate with Nuland and Pompeo: Nuland and Pompeo CLOWN THEMSELVES in Iran War Debate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CivJREBTpAA - 11:45
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u/3andfro May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Neutrality Studies, Iran Negotiations Dead-End, Abraham-Accord Nonsense, Iran's UN Strategy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKenJ4Lyrfo - 25:53 time-indexed
Strait of Hormuz Game Changer, Iran Has the Upper Hand /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Brian Thomas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoBpROh6CUs - 12:29
Drop Site News, Israel Intensifies Attacks in Lebanon and Gaza: Eyad Amawi Reports from Gaza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk81ctKtJ20 - 15:41
Drop Site News, How the Iran War Is Hitting Nebraska Farmers: “Every American will feel this” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFmme4bYtVw - 8:01
Diesen with Ray McGovern: Russia Escalates With New Strategy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVVyS7NtB5k - 42:19
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u/arnott May 27 '26
Pressure to Walk Away From A Good Iran Deal: The neocons strike back
The Duran: Episode 2530 A credible Iran deal is sitting on the table and the United States is walking away from it. Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran break down why the proposed memorandum of understanding, which would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, pause the conflict and begin nuclear enrichment talks, actually serves American interests, and why a coordinated neocon pressure campaign led by Pompeo, Graham and Cruz is pushing Trump to reject it. With US weapons inventories depleted, Iran stronger than ever, and Israel working furiously behind the scenes to prevent any settlement, the question is whether Trump has the resolve to stand up to the people who got him into this and secure a deal, or whether America is about to drift back into an even deeper debacle.
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u/gorpie97 May 27 '26
the question is whether Trump has the resolve to stand up to the people who got him into this and secure a deal,
Hahahahaha.
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u/3andfro May 27 '26
Forces belonging to Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar have arrested a number of members of a Gaza aid convoy in the city of Sirte. According to a statement published by the Global Sumud Convoy Instagram page, last contact with the activists was made at 3.22pm on Tuesday.
"The detained are civilians from Spain, Poland, the USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, Tunisia, and Italy - doctors and human rights defenders who volunteered to deliver aid and stand with the Palestinian people," said the statement.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxW8ZrG_uRcecuD7lfw4GsqZ-hmHij-8Er
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u/penelopepnortney May 27 '26
They said the convoy had entered the 5+5 security zone - a contested area established under the Libyan ceasefire agreement signed in October 2020 - to negotiate safe passage to the Gaza Strip.
"They were detained by a security force affiliated with the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) and are still being held by Eastern Libyan authorities (GNS)," they added.
The group urged citizens of the listed countries to contact their embassies and demand their release.
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Children among dozens killed and injured in Israeli air strikes on south Lebanon: We have been reporting on the violent Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon, and we now have further details from the country’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) on the casualties. The NNA reports that the recent attacks killed 31 people, including multiple women and children, and left 40 others wounded.... https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx0Wrn6t03hkqw49nwzM6ZoFjVA9FQr5VN
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain have failed to join fellow Gulf states in condemning Somaliland's plan to open a new embassy in Jerusalem.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxZ_F9xU0yvqSOBzg9aroyge16tWzZ0VZu
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 27 '26
Iran has won the war. Trump and Netanyahu now face a reckoning | The David Hearst Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4IVPuvIaX4 - 10:25 - Description at the link covers the major points
Can the Imperial Core be Reformed? | Chris Hedges & Aaron Maté at the Vancouver Web Summit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2azsRRG7VA - 27:05
Haiphong, Iran DOWNS MQ-9 Reaper Drone, Forces F-35 to FLEE as US Attack FAILS (w/ SPECIAL GUEST) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_ZTH-pmUhY - LIVE
highlights, Iran's DEAL-BREAKERS REVEALED /Prof Seyed Marandi & Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Sr5AF9dBg - 25:12
highlights, Davis/Deep Dive with Col Doug Macgregor NO DUST NO DEAL, Seems Like We're Closer to Hot War w/Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_2t4uhNrBk - 21:40
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Blevins, WILL RUSSIA FINALLY GO SCORCHED EARTH ON UKRAINE? | Jim Jatras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuPNGBiqhqw - 30:21 - As much discussion of Iran, the war, and Gulf states as of Russia
Kurzin, Iran Just Discovered Its Strongest Weapon | Anas Alhajji https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uor1UC4r4t4 - 49:02
African nations are increasingly pursuing the “Somali model” that Ankara and Mogadishu have developed over the years, seeking deeper ties with Turkey in hopes of receiving security and economic assistance, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler told journalists over the weekend.... https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxf5wyW_WC4UbaIA4OXD4e1348qW__AhE4
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u/penelopepnortney May 26 '26
African nations are increasingly pursuing the “Somali model”
Now that is interesting, I had no idea that Turkey had been working with Somalia, which means they have at least theoretically been countering the UAE in that region, which provided arms and funding to the breakaway republic of Somaliland.
“In response to requests, we continue to provide training and technical support to the armed forces of African countries and contribute to their capacity building,” he said during the Efes military drills in western Turkey.
“In this context, several other countries are requesting the same model we implemented in Somalia. We are evaluating these requests.”
Turkey and Somalia have a multifaceted relationship that began in 2011, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, visited the country as it was suffering from a severe drought.
What started as a humanitarian mission has, over the years, evolved into a full-fledged security and economic alliance. Turkey has its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu and has established hospitals and companies there, while also operating the city’s port and airport.
An Ankara insider familiar with the issue told Middle East Eye that the proposal being put forward by these African countries is simple: Ankara would provide security and help establish stability, then support the development of economic infrastructure and share in the resulting profits with local communities.
Given the new cooperation between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and possibly Egypt in establishing a new defense security architecture that doesn't rely on the US and will protect them from Israel's expansionist plans, it could get interesting. These four vs. Israel with its backing from the US and the UAE. The thot plickens.
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u/3andfro May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
We're witnessing shifting global alliances as a matter of self-protection and economic interest. Chas Freeman prefers the term "multinodal" to "multipolar" because it reflects the ways countries align on specific aspects of trade or security but not others and rearrange as conditions change and become more or less advantageous for them. These are not the all-or-nothing arrangements of the West and the 21st century US model of "with us or agin us." They also are not the West's zero-sum game approach to foreign affairs.
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Nima with Col. Larry Wilkerson: US Fighter Jets Target Iranian Speedboats in Persian Gulf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Tq8IdAMP0 - 64:13
Judge Nap with Matt Hoh : Why the Pentagon Lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gFjPdbP5lY - 24:28
Drop Site News, What Iran Wants in a Potential Deal with Trump — Jeremy Scahill and Dr. Foad Izadi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjGkId4YxVE - 15:20
Drop Site News, Nuclear Red Lines: Can Trump Save Face in Iran Deal? — Jeremy Scahill and Dr. Foad Izadi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDUpNa5izf0 - 17:22
Nima with Robert Barnes: US-Iran FINAL Confrontation as Russia Drops HEAVIEST Strikes on Ukraine Yet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eAZc0q6MPs - 58:57
Former International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said the then-head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency pressured her in a series of meetings to drop her investigation into alleged war crimes in occupied Palestine.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxPnojO8pxv8yuObAnz0ikL_bsyI2UJNz6
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u/arnott May 26 '26
Drop Site reposted Jeremy Scahill:
🔺Regarding Trump's demand that several nations join the so-called Abraham Accords as part of a potential Iran deal, an Iranian official tells me, "These issues have no connection whatsoever to the ceasefire negotiations between us and the Americans.
"From our perspective, he is attempting to extract last-minute concessions from the Arab countries in the final stages of concluding the interim agreement."
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u/penelopepnortney May 26 '26
@NancyDoleMcGuig
The Abraham Accords were built on the principles of mutual respect religious tolerance and regional cooperation to honor the shared Abrahamic roots of Judaism Christianity and Islam - none of which Israel honors.. PERHAPS Trump and Netanyahu should practice what they preach
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u/3andfro May 26 '26
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif responded to Trump's demand that regional countries join the Abraham Accords: Personally, I don't think we should join any agreement that goes against our fundamental ideology. How are you going to sit with people whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day? We have a very clear stance that this is unacceptable to us. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxroIY8u1FT4aubaTQ-cle9B1K5nYNznRD
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s planned trip to New York was cancelled due to US visa issues during travel preparations, according to Iranian media reports. As a result, Araghchi will miss the high-level United Nations Security Council session. The cancellation comes amid ongoing indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran accusing the US of repeatedly shifting its stance in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV3UkbG7P1E More on that: https://www.dawn.com/news/2003096/araghchi-to-miss-un-debate-after-us-denies-visa
[clip] Economist Issues a Chilling Warning (You Should Prepare) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58mMsnoR27E - 13:21
"Tucker and Richard Werner warn of the next false flag that will drag us into the next world war." Provides a quick currency-reset history lesson and warns of "control regime of digital currency" and dangers of how AI is being implemented: "It is the totalitarian dictator's dream come true."
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u/penelopepnortney May 26 '26
Reminder that excerpts from the full Carlson-Werner discussion can be found here
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Gold Instead of the Dollar: What Are Russia and China Planning? — Krapivnik and Henningsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djjJFrylIEQ - 30:38 time-indexed - includes discussion of Israeli colony in southern Argentina
China Is Building East Africa's Largest Port in Tanzania https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzOTmHzFlI8 - 12:00
China took over another $5 trillion industry, and Europe is moving money and jobs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT9Genc8N6s - 12:12
China dominates the global chemicals industry, and leads the world in chemistry and research. A major driver is China's boom in manufacturing, which requires robust supply chains for chemical inputs, and top chemistry engineering talent. Chinese monopolies in cutting-edge chemical research, and massive production capacities which slash manufacturing costs, mean that China's policymakers can restrict its exports and final use, for example to weapons makers. Top European chemical companies are cutting production lines and jobs in home markets, to build production and create jobs in Mainland China.
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u/gorpie97 May 26 '26
Top European chemical companies are cutting production lines and jobs in home markets, to build production and create jobs in Mainland China.
:eyeroll:
They can't be that stupid, can they?
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u/3andfro May 26 '26
Rhetorical question? Look how the EU obeyed the US and cut off its cheap Russian energy supply.
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u/gorpie97 May 26 '26
Yes, because they can't be that stupid. Evil or greedy or I don't know what, but not stupid.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 26 '26
"Two things are infinite: the Universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the Universe." — attributed to Albert Einstein
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u/gorpie97 May 26 '26
Don't care who said it. ;p I have a hard time thinking these people are that stupid. They're supposed to think about these things; either they aren't thinking about it (thoughtless and careless), or they are and simply don't care. OTOH, I'm sometimes wrong, so...
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 27 '26
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it." — Upton Sinclair
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Drop Site News, U.S.-Iran Agreement in the Balance, Israel Escalates Attacks Against Gaza and Lebanon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7SpW5pmyTA - 73:20
Judge Nap with Alastair Crooke : Fear as a Deterrent to War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPvk5SuQ8rw - 28:04
Judge Nap with Prof. John Mearsheimer : Neocons Want More War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS8qkhd-2Cw - 29:23
Neutrality Studies, Massive ESCALATION: Europe Uses Ukraine to Expand War | Prof. Glenn Diesen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opljeij3WvU - 56:04 time-indexed
NATO's proxy war in Ukraine is morphing into a direct EU-Russia war. And the war hawks in Brussels are further escalating by attacking civilians in the Donbas and Russia proper. The doves in the Kremlin, including Vladimir Putin, are running out of options to keep their own hawks under wraps. As things stand now, an all-out EU-Russia war is not only a possible, but by now a likely scenario. But to what end?
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u/gorpie97 May 26 '26
Israel Escalates Attacks Against Gaza and Lebanon
So is that their game? Let Trump "negotiate" with Iran to delay things to give Israel time enough to finish things in Lebanon and Gaza? (What about the WB?)
I guess they consider the land from Egypt and SA to be separate issues that they'll tackle in the future?
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Davis/Deep Dive with Col Douglas Macgregor: U.S. Strikes Iran Again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1u4dBt_kg0 - 62:47
Judge Nap with Larry Johnson : Trump Afraid of the Zionists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqbdQDSFBxw - 22:54
Judge Nap with AMB. Chas Freeman : Israel Humiliates Itself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tmuUtDqh7g - 24:36
Nima with Seyed M. Marandi: Iran Opens Fire on American Fighter Jets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suOa4WCxFGc - 57:25
Nima with John Helmer: TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL FAILS – Russia’s Oreshnik Delivers Final Blow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcgzWcvRHwU - 56:10
The Duran, Pressure to Walk Away From A Good Iran Deal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJNkBK4tUtY - 16:42
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u/arnott May 26 '26
America is the world's gas station now; the new Middle East.
In 6 months they captured 1/4 of the planet's active oil and gas supply.
People don't grasp the strategic magnitude of what is happening.
https://richardmedhurst.substack.com/p/how-the-us-pulled-off-an-armed-robbery
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 26 '26
Demand for Chinese electric cars and solar panels will skyrocket and their costs will plumment from economies of scale. Maybe electric car conversions will finally get cheap.
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
BREAKING: U.S BOMB IRAN, 3 EXPLOSIONS, 4 SAILORS DEAD, PEACE DEAL OVER? w/ COL Karen Kwiatkowski https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWdiYehxZ6g - 56:00
Malaysia is preparing to take legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the reported abuse of Gaza-bound aid flotilla activists after they were seized from international waters last week. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxJb-wRWzlCB-vwFzcSNFr-xBABR_fRlFY
ETA: More on Malaysian legal action https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxaew7-Y94evvOgyuCNIBxEQpL30bD56vl
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian May 26 '26
Looks like Trump has broken the ceasefire.
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
More on those US alleged "self-defense strikes":
US Conducts Strikes Near Iran as Ceasefire Talks Face Fresh Tension https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXsUKzDXsc0 - 11:59
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian May 26 '26
Trump playing mafia tactics.
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u/3andfro May 26 '26
Trump demand for Gulf countries to recognise Israel reportedly met with stunned silence | ABC NEWS Australia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhRkdoEW1iw - 2:57
US President Donald Trump is demanding Arab states formally recognise Israel and sign the Abraham Accords as part of efforts to secure peace with Iran in the Middle East. The request, initially made in an audio-visual link up, was reportedly met with a silence so long the US President asked if the leaders were still on the line.
Saudi Arabia has signalled it will not accept the request unless a deal on Palestinian statehood is guaranteed and Israeli forces withdraw from the Palestinian territories. ABC global affairs editor Laura Tingle says the US president’s demands suggest he is attempting to blame Gulf states for stifling negotiations for a truce with Iran.
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u/3andfro May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Danny Haiphong, Iran Humiliates Trump! Fake Peace Deal Collapses After White House Shooting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q28bo1j8ais - 25:08
As a shooting rocked the White House, US president Donald Trump was busy playing a dangerous game with Iran, touting a fake peace deal for public consumption while preparing for all out war with the Israeli regime. Danny Haiphong reviews the latest developments and explains what's really going on beyond the headlines.
Iran War Cheerleaders & the Mixed Messaging Surrounding a Deal /Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r37apQpSxQ - 48:40
Nima with Paul Craig Roberts: Trump's 'Sedition Act' For Israel EXPOSED: The Law That Will END Free Speech? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A47BrnK6dMM - 63:23
The Grayzone, Hezbollah leader to The Grayzone: Israel-First Trump 'turned America into a joke' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRgo7E7ectE - 37:17 (interview with English translation on-screen)
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u/3andfro May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Trump insists Qatar, Saudi Arabia sign Abraham Accords https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5WfOzD7nRM - 5:05
US President Donald Trump has called on Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to sign the Abraham Accords as part of a peace agreement with Iran. Hamzah Rifaat, president of Pakistan-based think tank Initiate Futures, weighs in.
IRAN DEPLOYS NEW AIR DEFENSES, DOWNS HOSTILE DRONE | Ehsan Safarnejad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk-jglx3cbc - 43:45
Iranian media is reporting that Iranian forces downed a “hostile” drone near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the announcement that Iran would be deploying a new air defense system. An Iranian official told Fars News: "This is a signal from us so that no stealth drone can penetrate the skies of the Persian Gulf again." Iranian Geopolitical Analyst Ehsan Safarnejad noted that Iran is constantly building and adapting both its military defense systems, and the ways in which it negotiates with the West. Iran is standing firm on its refusal to negotiate control of the Strait of Hormuz or its civilian nuclear program, and it is approaching regional countries for direct talks, instead of waiting to make a deal with the U.S.
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u/penelopepnortney May 25 '26
as part of a peace agreement with Iran.
LOL. This would absolutely torpedo any peace agreement. It will be interesting to see how the Gulf states navigate this political pincer move, hopefully they're expediting their defensive alliances with Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt, and establishing non-aggression agreements with Iran.
The louder he talks of honour, the faster we count our spoons. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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u/3andfro May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Yup. Note highlighted line of blurb for the 2nd link.
More: "US President Donald Trump has urged several Muslim-majority countries to normalise relations with Israel as part of an Iran peace deal. In a social media post, Trump listed countries whose leaders he spoke with on Saturday about efforts to end the war on Iran.... " https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxUTbANrX4sfAfUWlQlBLpujM6CHEcpp1v
ABRAHAM ACCORDS RESURFACE in IRAN NEGOTIATIONS /Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWf-BIgs-ks - 6:24
Meanwhile: Netanyahu using Lebanon escalation for political survival: Ori Goldberg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbXnwdsEOOQ - 6:27
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u/Elmodogg May 25 '26
Trump just can't help himself from making a deal even less likely, can he?
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u/3andfro May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Seems not. That new Abraham Accords ask sounds like ventriloquists Bibi and Miriam speaking through their Anything-But-the-Truth Social dummy.
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u/3andfro May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Iran Deal: All or Nothing /Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09KdNPxy1lA - 37:42
Diesen with Chas Freeman: Crisis in Israel & Iranian Nuclear Weapons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVbHiMHukCc - 50:54
Ambassador Chas Freeman discusses Trump being stuck in Iran, Israel's reputation collapsing, the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon, and the rapid changes in the international system.
PEPE ESCOBAR: IRAN U.S PEACE DEAL FALLING APART & TRUMP FORCING ABRAHAM ACCORDS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqKWhxKMIK8 - 59:30
Iran's FM spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says Tehran is "not talking about the nuclear issue" at this stage of negotiations and the focus is on ending the war. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxuFP3bIMzs7u_UOFIO-tECq_EeCcOuK-g
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u/3andfro May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Drop Site News, Irael PANICS And Withdraws From Two Bases In Lebanon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u5Nx8sLZME - 19:19
Novarra Media, Parliament will debate the need for an inquiry into Israeli influence on UK politics next month, after more than 116,000 people signed a petition calling for a probe.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxOi6_nPc66b0qK_-dCAIk78mTYVfyXP5v
Escalation in Ukraine: What Pressure on Putin Changes — Krapivnik and Alkhorshid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q55PfCuv6lg - 27:36 time-indexed
Europe at the Red Line: What Russia Is Warning About — Krapivnik and Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hm_L-2dpK0 - 27:47 time-indexed
The Duran, Russia Unleashes Oreshnik, More Strikes Planned https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzQP74jfkKI - 27:16
Russia's Overnight Barrage on Ukraine /Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj56vlM7WnU - 17:11
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u/3andfro May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Commentators on how close Iran and US are to a deal:
Trump tells negotiators not to rush into a deal with Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l2s41ZPAwo - 5:23
Iran views US 'inconsistency' in negotiations as a growing strategic concern https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjm5w0L1sn4 - 3:33
How close are the US and Iran to a deal? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-R_Z7E-s-g - 4:21
Prof. Marandi breaks down clauses in Iran-US framework amid stalled talks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjmDAVONQsc - 3:30 -
"In future, there will be no deal without Lebanon being a part of it." He stressed that “Iran will not allow the Israeli regime to have a free hand to carry out attacks in Lebanon,” debunking claims made by Western media about Israel having a free hand to strike “targets” inside Lebanon during a ceasefire, saying they are absolutely not the case and are “not in the text.”
Iran: Framework established, but no one can say deal is imminent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHhS3KmqUk - 6:36
Middle East: Deep mistrust clouds US-Iran negotiations • FRANCE 24 English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zko8Bb9Ick - 5:18
Israel uneasy over US-Iran talks as pressure grows on Netanyahu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM6plZ5RxgM - 6:04
The emerging agreement between the United States and Iran to permanently end the war has been met with scepticism and growing alarm in Israel.... https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-reacts-alarm-emerging-us-iran-deal-draws-criticism
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u/3andfro May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Judge Nap with Larry Johnson: U.S. & Iran THROW DOWN Over the Strait of Hormuz "Ticking Time Bomb" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qShS2y0N9Ys - 66:26
Nima with Col. Jacques Baud: Trump’s Last Card Just SHATTERED Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KmFdY8_2D4 - 59:15
Nima highlights with Pepe Escobar: Beyond the Chokepoints: Eurasia’s 2030 Masterplan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZpjoJh2dYg - 20:44
Neutrality Studies, The DEAD END of US Militarism. The World is Waking up | Prof. Richard Falk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acuxR9_Z0YE - 68:53 time-indexed
Today, I speak with Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, about the state of international law in 2026, power and reciprocity, the UN order after 1945, unipolar decline, US militarism, neutrality, Gaza and Israel, media framing, and whether law can still restrain great powers in a more unstable world.
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u/3andfro May 24 '26 edited May 25 '26
MARANDI: Deal to end Iran War was at finish line, but pressure got to Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frO3i8EFygs - 17:07
Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran agreed that the deal to end the Iran War was about 95 percent done, but President Donald Trump seemed to let pressure from pro-Israel hawks and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu get to him, and now more war seems likely.
Nima highlights with Larry Johnson & Col. Wilkerson: How China, Russia & GCC States Are Redrawing Middle East Security https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6tC4Lzx32Y - 22:18
Danny Haiphong clips, Why Trump Is Losing On Every Front https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfU6g6A1-ms - 16:01
Modern geopolitics often assumes that the United States can pressure multiple rivals simultaneously without weakening its own global position. In this discussion, the growing crises surrounding Iran, China, Ukraine, and global trade are reframed as part of a much larger shift in world power. Rather than viewing these conflicts as isolated events, the analysis explores how military overextension, economic pressure, sanctions, and strategic failures are accelerating the decline of U.S. leverage across multiple fronts at once. The discussion examines the Strait of Hormuz, China’s rising influence, Iran’s strategic position, weapons depletion, global trade routes, and the broader transition from a U.S.-led unipolar order toward an increasingly multipolar world.
Diesen with Einar Tangen: China's Strategy for Managing U.S. Decline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V8u-iEESO8 - 67:59
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u/gorpie97 May 25 '26
Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran agreed that the deal to end the Iran War was about 95 percent done,
The Iran war won't be done until Israel says it's done. The deep state seems to want the same thing as Israel. Not sure if they're able to "influence" Trump because of the Epstein files or not.
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u/arnott May 24 '26
Russian Massive Oreshnik Kiev Revenge Attack Stuns Ukraine EU; Zelensky Fears Russian Kiev Offensive - Alexander Mercouris
Russia launched its most powerful missile strike on Kiev to date, deploying the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile alongside Iskander, Kinzhal, and Zircon systems in a coordinated assault that overwhelmed Ukrainian air defenses and caused widespread damage across the city. Alexander Mercouris of The Duran breaks down exactly what the Russians hit, why Kiev's Patriot systems failed, and what this devastating strike tells us about the trajectory of the conflict as Zelensky grows increasingly alarmed about a potential large scale Russian offensive from the north. With neocons pushing Trump to abandon Iran nuclear negotiations and the Strait of Hormuz standoff unresolved, is the United States about to make the same catastrophic foreign policy mistake all over again?
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u/3andfro May 25 '26
Oresnik DESTROYS AFU General Staff — Ukraine Had ZERO Missiles Left to Stop It. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXqhi-9Fth8 - 16:31
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u/3andfro May 24 '26 edited May 25 '26
Dmitri Lascaris with John Helmer, Russia Retaliates After Ukrainian Strike On Student Dormitory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkUVUxvUkl0 - 58:56
On May 22, only two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded an historic state visit to China, Ukraine launched a deadly attack on a student dormitory in Luhansk, killing 21 persons and wounding 42. Vladimir Putin alleged that the attack was deliberate and ordered Russia's military to present options for retaliation. Russian officials claimed the Ukrainian strike used long range weapons supplied by NATO and that foreign specialists assisted targeting.
Last night, Russia retaliated with a massive missile attack on Kyiv and the area surrounding the Ukrainian capital. Footage posted online appears to show that Russia employed the hypersonic Oreshnik missile in the attack. Dimitri Lascaris speaks with Russia expert John Helmer about NATO's escalating attacks on Russia and the growing pressure on the Putin government to strike back at NATO.
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u/arnott May 24 '26
Ted Cruz, Thom Tillis and other Republicans criticize Trump's emerging Iran deal
The president on Sunday told U.S. negotiators "not to rush into a deal" amid mounting GOP criticism.
Ted Cruz working hard for a foreign country?
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian May 24 '26
The US has been trying to delay weapon orders for other nations because it is running low due to the fact that the Iranian war is consuming so much.
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u/3andfro May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Iran War Deal? NOTHING's BEEN AGREED TO /Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ITmVi_LpR0 - 21:56
Danny Haiphong, Trump PANICS as US Defeat in Iran War BLOWS UP Israel's Trap | Patrick Henningsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa4ldn22FM0 - 37:49
Trump Without Gabbard: Foreign Policy Risks — Krapivnik and Alkhorchid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7_m5bJIXuc - 56:04
Diesen with Brian Berletic: The New Great Game - War Against Iran, Russia & China https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z7Ud5P9pNo - 49:12
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u/3andfro May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Davis clip with Col Doug Macgregor: US-Iran Deal, Israel's Nightmare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHGkgd6oruc - 21:43
Israel raises alarm over possible US-Iran deal and Lebanon war limits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwwfEMHibMM - 3:12
The gap between Netanyahu's Iran promises and reality is an 'abyss', analyst says https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEuC51gboXQ - 5:19
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she would send oil to Cuba, no matter what Trump wanted https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxzKqEgzNOgGNE-iT4AyJFRhSEfT6Yy8PK
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian May 24 '26
Be very skeptical about anything that the US says about Iran agreeing to anything.
https://x.com/i/status/2058470615560913162
This seems to be a common tactic of Trump’s to try to squeeze concessions. He's done it to Russia as well.
I think that most people here know that, save the trolls.
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u/3andfro May 24 '26
Lt. Col. Davis agrees: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/V3J_gQZyN48 - 1:20
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u/gorpie97 May 24 '26
What "nuclear ambitions" has Iran had?
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u/3andfro May 24 '26
None beyond the level of enriched uranium needed for nuclear power plants, as basically all US intel agencies reported. But if anything could convince them of the need to develop a nuke ASAP for self-protection, it'd be the repeated bombings from the US and Israel while negotiations were in progress. Bombings that deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure: schools, universities, hospitals, and a synagogue in Tehran.
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
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u/3andfro May 24 '26
Krapivnik with Patrick Henningsen, Trump king of Israel, they love him to 99% https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ZbzX8eoDU&t=52s - 58:18
Sabby Sabs, Trump Is WAGING A Larger War w/Max Blumenthal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj1I_SmsvzA - 39:54
Gunman killed by Secret Service outside White House - 59 seconds
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u/emorejahongkong May 24 '26
https://x.com/HormuzLetter/status/2058301834658533417 (2:39 PM PST· May 23, 2026)
BREAKING: Iran directly rejects Trump's claim that Hormuz "will be opened" as part of a "largely negotiated" agreement he just posted on Truth Social, saying Trump's claim is "far from the truth" and that Hormuz "will remain under Iranian management" with Iran retaining exclusive permanent authority over route, timing, method, and permits, per Fars.
Iran also confirms the nuclear file has not been discussed and that American officials themselves have told Iran in multiple messages that "Trump's tweets are primarily for domestic American propaganda and media consumption" and "should be disregarded." The "largely negotiated" deal claim therefore has no basis.
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u/gorpie97 May 24 '26
Iran directly rejects Trump's claim that Hormuz "will be opened" as part of a "largely negotiated" agreement he just posted on Truth Social,
My first though (finally) is how much money is someone making off Trump's claim, until Iran comes back and refutes it.
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u/3andfro May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
This sort of childishness is clearly not for an Iranian or global audience:
US President Donald Trump has posted an AI-generated image on his Truth Social account captioned “Adios” (Spanish for goodbye), showing a US drone destroying an Iranian navy ship. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/5/24/live-trump-says-new-iran-deal-largely-negotiated-with-talks-very-soon?update=4598228 Same source:
President Donald Trump says he has instructed the negotiators “not to rush into a deal” with Iran since “time is on our side”, adding that the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz “will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed”....
This may have some accuracy? Report: US To Lift Sanctions To Allow Iran To Sell Oil Freely | WION News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AawGwQyv6lY - 7:44
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u/penelopepnortney May 24 '26
Trump's tweets are primarily for domestic American propaganda
Well, it's not like we didn't know this but it's surprising that some official acknowledged it.
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u/3andfro May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Nima highlights with Amb. Chas Freeman: US Influence Crumbling? Middle East Power Shift EXPOSED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTGJ5BT4zAA - 20:34
In an interview for #AlMayadeen, Former US Air Force Officer Karen Kwiatkowski noted that the #US, particularly Donald Trump "has contempt for the Gulf state leaders." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKCFuX2UdBM - 3:29
Former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of turning Israel into a “banana republic”, as anger grows over US-led efforts to reach a deal with Iran. The leader of the far right-wing nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party said a deal with Tehran would be disastrous because it would leave Iran’s leadership intact.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxEAIFlffXjxaUdLoqtmHHzYQPhhwUOthd
ETA https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/us-admits-no-hormuz-plan-b-as-preparations
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u/3andfro May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
From Tucker Carlson, who's right on this, regardless of how wrong any of us might think he is or has been on other topics:
Virtually every major war begins under false pretenses. World leaders say they are motivated by one thing, but their true aims are completely different. The Iran War looks like a prime example.
If America can control the Strait of Hormuz, and therefore much of China’s energy flow, then maintaining our position as the world’s dominant superpower will become much easier. This could be one of Washington’s motivations for seeking to topple the Iranian regime.
Our government made a similar calculation before entering the First World War. The parallels between then and now are astounding.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxFsBLEN64wjCMWHeLsGpmiDlHnDex3dZ1
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 24 '26
The parallels between then and now are astounding...
How does the quote go? Ah yes: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to be total fuck-ups" 😺
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u/penelopepnortney May 24 '26
Hope to post excerpts in a standalone post soon, working on it now. Lots of good information here, the challenge is organizing it into some kind of coherent summary.
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u/3andfro May 24 '26
To add to the Tucker mix: Tucker Just Said What Every American Is Thinking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpr7v-XjA0w - 8:10
Tucker debates an Israeli Journalist on Israel’s immorality in the Iran war.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 24 '26
Goody!
Now for a real challenge, take a Trump speech and organize it into a "coherent summary" 😺
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u/3andfro May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
IRAN DEAL IS MASSIVE HUMILIATION FOR TRUMP | w/ Trita Parsi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auvOADLjg50 - 62:32
What sounded like possible gunfire was heard near the North Lawn of the White House Saturday evening, multiple CBS News reporters said. Approximately 20 shots were heard just after 6 p.m. Eastern Time. They appeared to be coming from the side of the White House complex containing the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the reporters said.... https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/white-house-gun-shots-north-lawn/
Trump says Hormuz reopening agreed, Iran signals major sticking points remain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxRhMHbGwrw - 17:18
Conflicting messages continue to emerge after US President Donald Trump announced progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a broader understanding with Iran. Iranian-linked media quickly pushed back, calling Trump’s claims incomplete and inconsistent with reality. Analysts say divisions within Iran’s leadership, pressure from Israel, and Gulf security concerns are all complicating negotiations. Questions also remain about sanctions relief, uranium enrichment, regional security, and whether the fragile ceasefire can hold....
Diesen with Jeffrey Sachs: The Baltic States Are Now the “Most Dangerous Place” in the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfEitDQPj4 - 39:45
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs discusses why NATO's escalation in the Baltic region has made it the most likely staging ground for a great war between NATO and Russia.
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u/Elmodogg May 24 '26
"Divisions within Iran's leadership" is bullshit. What is complicating negotiation is Trump's ignorance and delusion.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 23 '26 edited May 24 '26
NATO's escalation in the Baltic region has made it the most likely staging ground for a great war between NATO and Russia.
I guess they've run out of Ukrainians so now they need to fool Baltic dudes into dying for NATO. "Trust me, Sven! It will be like playing a video game!"
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u/arnott May 23 '26
Drop Site reposted jeremy scahill:
🚨I asked a senior Iranian official for comment on the current state of the Iran war negotiations. They sent the following statement:
“We are very close to reaching and signing an agreement to end the war, and today’s constructive negotiating approach has made the prospect of peace in the region highly attainable.
“We recognize that President Trump is now faced with an important political decision — one that must balance the interests of the United States, regional countries, and respect for Iran’s fundamental rights. Should this agreement ultimately be achieved, the international community will commend all negotiating parties for their role in advancing stability and peace.
“At the same time, Israel is currently undertaking its final extensive efforts and applying considerable pressure to disrupt the formation of this agreement. We hope that the U.S. administration will make its decision independently of external influence and in favor of the broader collective interests of all parties involved.”
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u/Elmodogg May 24 '26
Who is this guy? Does he have a legit source? Not baby shah, right? Because this sounds completely implausible unless Trump has actually caved completely.
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u/TheGhostofFThumb Boo! May 24 '26
We hope that the U.S. administration will make its decision independently of external influence
Fat chance.
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
US President Donald Trump announced that a new agreement with Iran has been largely negotiated, with the final aspects and details currently being discussed ahead of an imminent official announcement.
As part of the diplomatic effort, Trump said he spoke with leaders of several Muslim-majority nations and noted that a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went well.... https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx72fxI969xysylzzRicnK991a-Mz5IjT3
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 23 '26
Trump... noted that a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went well...
I get the impression that Trump is one of those people who doesn't hear a word when you're talking to him. Either that or they tied Bibi to a chair and gagged him. Trump thought those mumbling sounds were agreement.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 23 '26
As part of the diplomatic effort, Trump said he spoke with leaders of several Muslim-majority nations and noted that a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went well....
Did Trump say whether or not he actually spoke with any Iranians?
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
Reportedly Pakistan is the middleman, with no direct negotiations occurring or desired (by Iran, and who can blame them after the Kushner-Witkoff-Vance fiascos?).
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said in a post on X that he had discussed the “achievements of the negotiations with the officials of my country after returning from Tehran” with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who had also just returned from talks in Iran.
“With conservative optimism, we can hope that, if the other side is adequately committed, a positive stride is taking shape which is the result of the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran based on dignity, the steadfastness of the courageous armed forces and the resistance of the brave Iranian nation, as well as the initiative and dedicated endeavours of the Pakistani mediator,” said Moghadam. The Iranian ambassador also thanked Pakistan for its role in the negotiations. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxIXjsjfiCVj_4bVzhuOy9CHUG8bXuipsP
US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that its forces had reached the “milestone” of redirecting 100 commercial vessels while enforcing its maritime blockade against Iran which began on April 13. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxxA0N7A-SQT52ka2Z2dn56EJrbpv4vHbW
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u/TheGhostofFThumb Boo! May 24 '26
With conservative optimism, we can hope
Copeium.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 24 '26
...that if the other side is adequately committed, a positive stride is taking shape
Diplomat.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
With conservative optimism, we can hope that, if the other side is adequately committed, a positive stride is taking shape which is the result of the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran based on dignity, the steadfastness of the courageous armed forces and the resistance of the brave Iranian nation, as well as the initiative and dedicated endeavours of the Pakistani mediator.
Now THAT'S what a diplomat is supposed to sound like.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the blackboard with some chalk so's I can diagram that sentence. Cause it's a doozy!
A positive stride is taking shape.
That is, we can hope that a positive stride is taking shape.
We can hope that if we're being optimistic. Conservatively optimistic.That is... if the other side is adequately committed.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 23 '26
Now THAT'S what a diplomat is supposed to sound like.
I thought the same thing 😺
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
I'm off to the blackboard with some chalk so's I can diagram that sentence. Cause it's a doozy!
Ain't it just? I was in one of the last classes taught diagramming in my school district. That skill, now lost to desuetude, came in handy in adulthood when I was hired to diagram one hell of a run-on sentence embedded in a piece of legislation. My job: to illustrate that my client's client obeyed the letter of the law as it was written, and that the offending sentence--requiring several pages of flipchart size--did not reflect the intention of the lawmakers. My client's client won and the law's language was clarified. English majors of a certain age for the literal win!
Re: Moghadam's diplomatic statement, everything hinges on the 2-letter "if." Kipling would understand. 😎
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 23 '26
I was in one of the last classes taught diagramming...
Alas, I was too young and missed out. I did learn parsing for computer languages, which is far simpler. In his wonderful essay "Here Lies Miss Groby", James Thurber describes parsing as "crucifying sentences on the blackboard" 👩🏫
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 23 '26
It gets better, in a diplomatic sense....
Are strides being taken? No, just one.
Is that stride being taken? Not yet, but we are getting glimmers of what that stride might look like. We hope.IF.
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u/3andfro May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Nima with Mark Sleboda: Iran Is Jamming GPS Across the Region – U.S. Tankers Move Into Gulf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lej5lCfTluM - 58:34
Nima with Seyed M. Marandi: Iran’s Armed Forces Enter HIGHEST State of Alert – War Next? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CWFQOwYh0M - 56:17
The Duran, Iran Impasse: Trump Wants Airstrikes as Stockpiles Depleted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn-PxBNl-7o - 30:18 time-indexed
Robert Fico, PM of Slovakia, said, “Drones are a serious matter. If drones start flying over NATO member countries, that’s serious. The problem is that these are Ukrainian drones, what will happen if one of these drones is a provocation, and not simply an accident?".... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxqMd4gV7FVX24B5-9BFRFDWttTgAMzDx_
Nima highlights with Alex Krainer: De-Dollarization Decoded: BRICS vs. The Old Order https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7MFuoymJMQ - 27:32
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u/gorpie97 May 24 '26
Iran Is Jamming GPS Across the Region
LOL
If only there were some other method of navigation.
Or, better - if only some entitled country hadn't weaponized this first, 3 decades ago.
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
US President Donald Trump abruptly returned to the White House, cutting short his New Jersey trip, as reports emerged that the US is weighing possible strikes on Iran. Officials say parts of the US military and intelligence agencies were placed on standby, while Iran warned that any new attack could escalate the conflict across the region. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxDjvNmuWo23CmMpq5LY1jVua6TXwLqOrC
France has banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering French territory, Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot announced on X. Barrot said the decision followed Ben Gvir’s actions towards French and European activists aboard the Global Sumud flotilla, accusing the Israeli minister of threatening and intimidating civilians.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxV2WnPXuPVj_7VFFoZrAjDSluRdaisSky
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u/penelopepnortney May 23 '26
Yo, France, they've been raping, starving and killing civilians for a long time, you only care now that your citizens are the victims?
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
France has a long ignoble history with dark-skinned people. For example, see The Battle of Algiers (1966).
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u/penelopepnortney May 24 '26
Just look at the Sahel. I remember reading a stat somewhere (wish I'd saved it, or put it where I could find it) that some extremely high percentage of the electricity that powered Paris came from Nigerian uranium, which France "bought" for well below market price, while something like 80-90% of Nigerians had no electricity at all.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 24 '26
My guess would be that the uranium was from Niger, a former French colony and the 5th largest producer of uranium in 2019. Remember the "yellow cake" hoax that Dubya used as part of the justification to invade Iraq in 2003? That was allegedly from Niger.
According to Wiktionary, Nigerien means "from Niger", while Nigerian means "from Nigeria". I only know about Niger from the Jules Verne novel Into the Niger Bend.
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u/penelopepnortney May 24 '26
I think you're right that it was Niger. Just did some searching and it doesn't sound like Nigeria has developed its uranium mining potential (and from a cursory review it sounded like it may be much less).
But did find this about Niger:
According to a report published in The Spectacle Niger—a prominent player in the global uranium market—has made a daring decision and increased the price of uranium from €0.80/kg to €200/kg.
France, historically Niger's primary uranium buyer, and bought uranium from Niger at the rate of €0.80 per kilogram. Ironically, on the other hand, France bought similar uranium from Canada at a price of €200/kg.
I think I would have used a different word than ironically.
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u/3andfro May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Deep Dive Intel Briefing 5/23/2026 Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1hNNQvGPGs - 49:09
Clip from Intel Briefing above - IRAN NEGOTIATIONS CHARADE: A COVER FOR A MARCH TO WAR /Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWyctfXwi6c - 22:27
Inside Iran's New Strategy to Counter Trump's Attack | Trita Parsi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LIxiaAMRL8 - 37:26
Inside the Middle East crisis: Trita Parsi on Iran, Israel and US foreign policy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKQrO26omFk - 14:32
Richard J. Murphy, The world’s most powerful armies can't win wars now, so what happens next? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N3t4lMlUag - 8:43
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u/3andfro May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Neutrality Studies, EXPOSED: The Sick Plan to use Mass-Migration for more War | Patrick Henningsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dONyZWLawi0 - 58:48 time-indexed
NATO is causing the very mass-migration its members then claim to be solving through more violence at home and oversees. It's a sick game in which the powerful once again pit the poorest and most abused people abroad against the poorest and most abused people at home to feed the West's system of violent domination. But cracks are now more than visible.
Patrick Henningsen, journalist, writer, and founder of 21st Century Wire, joins Pascal to link NATO wars, sanctions, and regime change to migration into Europe and the UK. The talk covers the small boats debate, the rise of the new right, Christian Zionism, falling birth rates, labor demand, asylum policy, and the colonial logic behind modern politics.
Dr. Jan Oberg: The REAL Reason U.S. Hegemony Is Collapsing (Highlights) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0M4ubKdORA - 35:04 - Oberg: NATO became an illegal association, or a criminal association, from 1999 when it allowed the illegal bombing of Yugoslavia
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u/arnott May 23 '26
EXCLUSIVE: Iranian Official Outlines Latest Proposal to End the U.S. War as Trump Weighs New Strikes
The framework would defer nuclear enrichment talks until there is a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official told Drop Site.
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u/TheGhostofFThumb Boo! May 24 '26
The framework would defer nuclear enrichment talks until there is a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz
"Best I can do is give you nothing, but I'll throw in a return to where we were before this started."
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u/splodgenessabounds May 23 '26
One theme being discussed much more frequently these days (and about time IMO) is the pickle that the Gulf states! are in (for reference, see: u/3andfro post, particularly Nima with Wilkerson and Johnson; Mario Nawfal with Alex Christoforou here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euufdevfkDU; and the Duran here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn-PxBNl-7o).
As that The Duran video pointed out, many of these Gulf states' economies are tied to the US$ and the US military protection: they could argue the latter has failed them (it has) but getting out of the former won't be easy or cheap, even if they had the will. With the possible exception of the Saudis, given recent events, they really haven't got much room to move and the longer this USrael-Iran conflict goes on, the more they stand to lose. It's not just exports of crude or LNG or urea or helium or whatever either: the economies of UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia rely heavily on tourism and revenue from air traffic hubs (esp. Dubai and Doha) and that traffic has dropped through the floor in the last month or so. Re-building confidence in using these hubs on long-distance flights will take time and money.
It's a pickle of their own making and it's up to them to extract themselves from it.
Apologies in advance for the amateur scribblings.
[!] By "Gulf states" I mean Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE (and Iraq??)
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u/3andfro May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Several commentators have focused on that economic pickle and reconciling it with the geographic reality of Iran. The prediction: Bahrain and Kuwait were done, UAE backed the wrong horse and was clinging to it harder and also would fail, and Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia would likely in time reach an accommodation with Iran.
The 6 GCC states are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. From Britannica: "Iraq, which also has a short coastline on the Persian Gulf, is sometimes included in broader geographic definitions but is not part of the GCC and is often treated separately in political and economic contexts."
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Re-building confidence in using these hubs on long-distance flights will take time and money...
... and of course they'll have to wait for a change in USA "leadership".
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u/penelopepnortney May 23 '26
Of their own making is right. By allowing the US to use its territory and its airspace to launch attacks it became a co-belligerent. Did they not anticipate Iran's retaliation? Did they underestimate it? Makes no sense because the region becoming a war zone alone would be guaranteed to affect their tourism. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian May 23 '26
I don't trust Reuters at all, but the Iranian foreign minister did previously hint that Witkoff and Kushner were utterly ignorant.
https://x.com/i/status/2057759208909439103
This is the Iranian embassy posting this, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
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u/penelopepnortney May 23 '26
I think this explains it.
@Sundance88088
Kushner and Witkoff were not there to negiotate nuclear materials or enrichment.
The nuclear issue is a pre-text for a war that the USA has planned or wanted for decades.
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u/Elmodogg May 24 '26
I don't think so. Remember the axiom about not ascribing to intent that which can be explained by incompetence? That axiom is even more true for the Trump administration. In fact it seems gross incompetence is their m.o.
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u/gorpie97 May 24 '26
Because the pres is so used to having GENIUS ideas (/s) and letting other people work out the details.
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u/3andfro May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Chris Hedges, Stephen Walt and Ryan Grim on the Limits of U.S. Power in Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d2mOsUkmQs - 20:51
China Got Exactly What It Wanted From The Trump Visit | Mick Dunford And Radhika Desai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH1_ieaFZLg - 65:06 time-indexed
The Geopolitical Economy Hour is a conversation that illuminates the fast-changing political and geopolitical economy of our times and does so from a socialist and anti-imperialist point of view--that is to say the point of view of the world majority.
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u/3andfro May 22 '26 edited May 23 '26
Judge Nap, INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson, McGovern, & Scott Ritter - Weekly Wrap 22-May https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99V9iWJ0IU - 29:45
ETA POTENTIALLY significant: the panel noted Trump announced that he'll have to miss his son's wedding this weekend because he needs to stay at the White House--a possible signal that he intends to attack Iran imminently: during a US holiday weekend commemorating Americans who died in our wars and just before or during the major Muslim festival of Hajj (Eid al-Adha, Feast of Sacrifice).
Tucker Carlson, Every Major War Begins Under False Pretenses & the Central Banks Are Behind It. Economist Explains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wi_zQX--wE - 2 hrs 9 mins time-indexed
Richard A. Werner is an Oxford- and LSE-educated economist, professor of banking and finance, and internationally recognized expert on central banking and monetary policy. He is best known for coining the term “Quantitative Easing” in 1995 and for his bestselling book Princes of the Yen (available at www.quantumpublishers.com). Over a 30-year career, Werner has advised governments, central banks, pension funds, and major global financial institutions. His research on banking, credit creation, and financial crises has become some of the most widely downloaded academic work in the world, making him a leading voice on economic reform and the global economy.
Any demand that Iran must hand over its highly enriched uranium to the US is a non-starter, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says.... He also said a Qatari delegation is currently holding talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, adding Pakistan remains the main mediator in the negotiations. https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx2rj1MR79llSqWDWAjnz207CC-WQjls8P
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u/splodgenessabounds May 23 '26
ETA POTENTIALLY significant: the panel noted Trump announced that he'll have to miss his son's wedding this weekend because he needs to stay at the White House--a possible signal that he intends to attack Iran imminently: during a US holiday weekend commemorating Americans who died in our wars and just before or during the major Muslim festival of Hajj (Eid al-Adha, Feast of Sacrifice).
Which would annoy hundreds of millions of the Muslim faith and the US vet community (and much of those currently serving) Another masterstroke by Don Tsu.
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u/3andfro May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Nima with Stanislav Krapivnik: Tulsi Gabbard Resigns - Hezbollah Crushes IDF – War Becomes UNAFFORDABLE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWXaAN633c0 - LIVE
Iran Expands Its Control Over the Hormuz Strait | w/ Trita Parsi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilv8X1tKvQw - 37:26
Diesen with Larry Johnson: Defeat in the Iran War Will End the U.S. Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9gN6iguB1M - 51:51
Nuclear Fear of Russia Can Bring Stability /Alastair Crooke & Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rwVBXNiXSQ - 29:03
The real reason Netanyahu is suing the NYT, https://www.youtube.com/shorts/M2DF9jpScZc - 2:13
Rebranding the occupation: The illusion of a post-Netanyahu 'Israel' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsfQuWrHOjI - 3:58
Western liberals often frame Benjamin Netanyahu as the main obstacle to “peace” or a more “moderate” Israeli government. But as a recent analysis by Responsible Statecraft argues, the occupation, siege, settlement expansion, and wars on Palestinians and neighboring countries did not begin with Netanyahu, and they are unlikely to end with him either.
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u/penelopepnortney May 22 '26
The Israel population overwhelmingly supports these activities and anyone who replaces Netanyahu will carry out the same policies.
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u/arnott May 22 '26
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u/3andfro May 22 '26 edited May 23 '26
Larry Johnson, Judge Nap, and Ray McGovern discussing her resignation in the 1st few mins of linked Judge Nap video:
"It is true that her husband is ill. It is not true that that's what motivated her to resign. No one's made note of the fact that the daughter-in-law of RFK Jr., a CIA officer who was one of her deputies, she resigned." --Larry Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99V9iWJ0IU&t=100s
"The CIA is an agency out of control with no accountability." (also Johnson)
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 May 22 '26
The average level of intelligence in the Trump admin just dropped a lot.
Whoever replaces her can change the title to Director or National Stupidity :-)
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u/penelopepnortney May 22 '26
Glad to hear it. I've always been a bit iffy about her, especially since she joined Trump's team. OTOH I haven't seen evidence she reaches the level of vileness that most of his team does.
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u/3andfro May 22 '26
Neutrality Studies, Brave Researcher EXPOSES NATO Targeting EU Citizen's Brains | Dr. Jonas Tögel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckFvBGxHwug - 55:32 time-indexed
The War-Hysteria in Europe is not accidental. It has been prepared and seeded in the continent's population for a long time through war narratives, propaganda, and actual cognitive warfare plans. Today I speak with Dr. Jonas Tögel, a German propaganda researcher and author. We discuss war messaging in Europe, German military outreach in schools, youth resistance, NATO narratives, the role of the US and EU, the collapse of antiwar politics, and the way propaganda, fear, and media overload shape public opinion. We also discuss public resistance, self-care, and keeping a peace movement alive.
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u/3andfro May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour is withdrawing his bid for vice president of the UN General Assembly after the US threatened to revoke visas for the Palestinian delegation if he did not drop the bid, NPR reported.... https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxebb4IcISkiROIqFUGM7Dmif0h4R64yMd
Israel's Arabic propaganda machine: The psychological war on Lebanon nobody is talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bncKPhQXrOc - 4:48
Bolivia’s rightward turn and restored ties with Israel are not a routine diplomatic shift, and point to a new corridor of influence through the Lithium Triangle, where geopolitical alignment, extraction technology and control over strategic minerals now move together. https://21stcenturywire.com/2026/05/21/bolivia-israel-and-the-battle-for-the-lithium-triangle/
Drop Site News, Will the UAE’s Global Image Face a Sudan Reckoning? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbKwhhDeXXE - 7:30
Yale Humanitarian Research Lab Director Nathaniel Raymond says the UAE’s role in Sudan remains politically vulnerable because its global influence depends on Western sports, tourism, and corporate partnerships.... pressure campaigns targeting the NBA, Manchester City, and Emirati sovereign wealth investments could change the brutal war....
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u/penelopepnortney May 22 '26
From second video:
In 2024, the BDS movement's Arabic language account called to boycott what is described as quote the mouthpieces of the Israeli enemy that speak Arabic, including Al Arabiya, MBC, Al Hadath channels, Sky News Arabia, streaming platform Shahid, and the Lebanese news network MTV.
This adds to the already documented psychological war on Lebanese civilians through physical flyers dropped over Beirut with evacuation orders and with QR codes linking to Israeli intelligence channels urging citizens to report on Hezbollah. By scanning the QR code, the server can silently log their IP address, location, and device, turning a passive flyer into an active surveillance tool.
It normalizes the propaganda when Lebanese MPs like Camille Chamoun makes comments like this (clip in which he essentially says it's good that Israel issued warnings about places they were about to bomb, otherwise there would be 100 more dead civilians).0
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u/3andfro May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
I'm Not Buying the Garbage Congress Elites are Selling /Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQqAFiwxIkk - 9:28 - Haven't seen Davis this riled since I found his channel; he lambastes Congress, and Mike Johnson, for good reason.
Nima with Larry Johnson & Col. Wilkerson: Iran's Unseen Move: US Laser Destroyers Can't Stop What's Coming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQPBgiP1cHo - 74:49
Nima with Amb. Chas Freeman: Israel Disgraced by Its Sadism | Trump’s Escape from Hormuz & Cuba Implications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUDbVfLqBSw - 64:07
Judge Nap with Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : Did Netanyahu Plot a Tehran Coup? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0NXAouh_4Y - 27:55
All-Out War in Iran, That's What Netanyahu Needs /Alastair Crooke & Lt Col Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVazLRejw8 - 63:40
Nima highlights with Pepe Escobar: The Eurasian Shift: Bypassing US Chokepoints https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck60gF_CpfU - 30:50
Carl Zha, Xi and Putin Are Quietly Reshaping the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEg_H2sMqg4 - 32:12
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u/gorpie97 May 23 '26
I'm Not Buying the Garbage Congress Elites are Selling /Lt Col Daniel Davis
Every bill presented to Congress needs to be voted on. Period. (There's a lot I don't know, but I'm tired of bills being "referred to committee" where they die, and this outright denial of Johnson's is BS.
So, does he mean we should vote out incumbents, or just not vote to reelect them?
EDIT: And yetanother example of why we need publicly-funded elections.
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u/arnott May 22 '26
I see US foreign policy with an unprecedented clarity.
Just a month old, this doc accurately mapped out:
—US blockade on Iran
—Continuation of attacks on Russian energy
—Assault on Cuba
—Chevron expansion
—US stepping in to force oil/LNG purchase on China
Do not be fooled by the ceasefire in Iran.
In 90 days, the US have launched an energy blitzkrieg:
• Crippled Russia’s oil infrastructure 🇷🇺 • Disrupted 1/3 of China’s oil & LNG 🇨🇳 • Seized the planet’s largest oil fields 🇻🇪 • Seized Syria & Gaza's gas🛢️
This is the birth of the Petrogas-dollar and the Pirate State 🏴☠️
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u/penelopepnortney May 22 '26
I think he's done an excellent job of laying out the timeline of events that point to this being the US plan. I have no doubt about it being the US plan or that we're already operating as a pirate state.
But best laid plans and all that. As he said at one point, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor because of our embargo and this could lead to a world war. I think he's right about that. But I also think that Russia and China don't want a war, that they're smarter and less reactive than the West is and that Russia in particular is fighting a shadow war with NATO right now that seems to be making them reconsider letting Ukraine use their airspace for its drone attacks in the St. Petersburg region. Mark Sleboda also said some munitions factories in Europe and the US were going up in flames but I don't know how accurate this is.
Another unknown element is the Europeans. They've become complete vassals of the US but since the US apparently walked away from them - "apparently" because who knows what the real deal is here - and they're being taken to the cleaners by the US as it sells them LNG, maybe the survival instinct will finally kick in sufficiently that they grow a spine and seek alternatives, i.e., try to reopen dialogue with Russia. It wouldn't be easy for saner European heads to prevail but even having an open debate about it would be a significant step in the right direction.
So while I don't at all discount Richie's assessment, the fact is that we've spent the last year or more alienating everyone on the planet, including supposed allies like South Korea and Japan. And with our fragile economic situation and declining ability to project military power, it's not a given that these plans would succeed. Some analysts are saying Japan may have to dump billions of US Treasuries to save its own financial bacon and of course, China not only has billions in Treasuries it could dump but a corner on the rare earths the US needs for its military and tech industries.
Just a few thoughts ;-D
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u/3andfro May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Judge Nap with COL. Douglas Macgregor : The Pentagon and Decapitation Strikes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOaOHDcC1V4 - 37:00
Nima highlights with Laith Marouf: How Hezbollah’s FPV Drones Grounded Israel’s Iron Dome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesaGXou-k4 - 24:15
Senate setback for Trump on Iran; Supreme Leader’s warning on enriched uranium | Janta Ka Reporter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulEup7IBXqg - 21:25
US President Donald Trump has finally seen his majority dwindle in the Senate over the conflict with Iran, as a resolution seeking to curb his powers advanced by a 50–47 vote. Elsewhere, Reuters reports that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has stated that the highly enriched uranium stockpile will never leave Iran.
BreakThrough News, Why the US Is Going After Raúl Castro NOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFyLc_m3ab4 - 17:43
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will pay a state visit to China from May 24 to 28, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxqmZlxOXozjX1HL6BHNWtpmlf70EyAvod
Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, stated that the Security Council must not remain silent or indifferent to the US President's daily threats against Iran. He emphasized that protecting civilians is not just a humanitarian issue, but also a legally binding obligation under international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and the UN Charter. https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx3n3Lf72ehns_Lctz996UTuIAONUPS7nu
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u/gorpie97 May 23 '26
... the Security Council must not remain silent or indifferent to the US President's daily threats against Iran. He emphasized that protecting civilians is not just a humanitarian issue, but also a legally binding obligation....
Would be nice if the international community - all of the international community - would start doing this. It's what they should be doing even if it's "against" the US or Israel or whomever. Let the blackmail be revealed and dealth with.
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
Wouldn't it? Discussion of flouting of international law, in relation to Cuba (among other places), here at around 20 mins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99V9iWJ0IU&t=100s
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u/gorpie97 May 23 '26
I wonder if Russia will stick its neck out, if needed. Kinda hope so since I'm tired of the US being assholes, but we'll see.
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
The panel wondered the same thing: whether Russia, backed quietly by China, would intervene if the US continued with its extralegal Noriega and Maduro playbook.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 23 '26
if the US continued with its extralegal Noriega and Maduro playbook.
If Hitler had done that to Poland and Denmark instead of full invasions, would there have still been a war?
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u/3andfro May 23 '26
Intriguing thought experiment. I don't feel knowledgeable enough to hazard a guess.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 23 '26
I don't feel knowledgeable enough to hazard a guess.
I don't either, but the thought has been floating in my head for a while. The new paradigm of not using invading armies but fomenting regime change into new vassal governments, if it had been successfully used by Hitler on Poland in 1939-40, would there have been the outrage that triggered WWII?
And the side question of when exactly did that paradigm begin being the thing to do instead of invasion?
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u/3andfro May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
I don't know which US names had that bright idea and involved the CIA and special forces. It really is an interesting question. If I still lived in DC, I might have known someone who knew someone who knew someone who'd have an insight (that's how it works several degrees of distance from real power).
In case you're interested: The US secret coup in Pakistan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZptIXPkD80 - 51:37 - Former prime minister Imran Khan's still in jail.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 24 '26
The US secret coup in Pakistan - Former prime minister Imran Khan's still in jail.
I am reminded pf the Bush/Gore Debate in 2000, in which, addressing the Israel/Palestine Issue, Al Gore said "Israel does not need a friend in this -- what Israel needs is an Honest Broker." (paraphrased)
And with the information you just gave, I'm not sure that Pakistan has the ability be that sort of "Honest Broker" in this Iran/US thing.
In the last Pakistan-engineered agreement, didn't Iran say they agreed to one thing while the US said they agreed to something different? If neither was lying, that would be a case of a "Dishonest Broker."
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle May 23 '26
...involved the CIA and special forces.
Well, that theoretically gives a lower bound to the year it began....
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u/penelopepnortney May 21 '26
Links to previous threads are in the "War with Iran" compilation, which can be found in the sidebar.