Israel vs Palestine/Lebanon/Iran/Yemen/Syria: a New Middle East War

[bojancan]

For those of you, who are interesting what is/will be happening regarding of Palestinian people... GAZA.... all of this is very very sad!
Good journalism below..... investigation into Trump's The Board of Peace!

Aug 06
More Perfect Union
3.75M subscribers


I Tracked Down the Billionaires "Rebuilding" Gaza

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iSHR_tEYJUs

Jared Kushner has a scheme to profit off world peace — and Gaza is the testing ground.

There’s a web of private equity billionaires with ties to Israel and shadowy corporate armies who stand to profit off never-ending conflict.

We investigated Trump’s Board of Peace.

[Rizotto]

"As Israel's grip tightens and its economy staggers, a new wave of "soft colonial" power is quietly moving in — not with tanks, but with visas, venture capital and digital infrastructure.
This episode exposes the sudden establishment of so-called "Network State" tech colonies across Muslim-majority nations, and the explosive backlash now forcing them out.
IN THIS EPISODE:
• The "Network School" in Johor, Malaysia — founded by Balaji Srinivasan in 2024, offering memberships to Israeli dual nationals for $1,500 a month.
• Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim vowing to deport every Israeli national involved
• The United States summoning Malaysia's ambassador and falsely accusing the country of hosting Hamas fighters.
• How "Tech Zionism" is now targeting Kazakhstan as a new visa-relocation hub.
• The threat to democracy, indigenous culture and local economies — from digital currencies to tax-free quasi-states.
• Indonesia deporting two Dutch nationals for establishing a foreigners-only "running club" that re-traumatized locals.
• Why Israelis are being banned from a growing number of countries — and what comes next."

Muslim Countries Attack and Destroy "Tech Zionist" Colonies

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2lZK7L1CE

[Vicus]

Friday, August 7, 2026

Well, It Is Not ...

... for off-ramp for Trump or the US, it is for off-ramp for Pentagon geniuses who now are soiling themselves trying to calculate the probability of the wrecking ball of the blame for the FUBAR everywhere, from 404 (Ukraine) to Iran, hitting them on their heads, with the proverbial rolling after that.

Over the last few weeks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has privately made clear to other top Trump advisers that the US needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran — because the military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire and airpower alone is unlikely to achieve President Donald Trump’s stated objectives, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

“Caine is looking for an off ramp,” one of the sources said bluntly. Caine is not alone in his view that the war has reached a crossroads. He has discussed concerns about the military options for escalating the conflict and raised the prospect of finding an off-ramp from the war with other key Cabinet officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, two of the sources said.

The top US general has recently side-barred with some of those key, like-minded Trump advisers in an effort to facilitate interagency coordination and ensure they are on the same page ahead of meetings with the president. The aim has been to make clear the limitations and pitfalls of the available military options, including those that do not involve putting US boots on the ground, the sources said.

“I think it is just his way of protecting the military,” one of the sources told CNN, referring to Caine’s discussions with other top national security officials within Trump’s cabinet about the Iran war.

They are protecting their behinds because none of them had courage and integrity to resign in protest to the insanity Trump and his Israeli handlers planned. And, of course, we all recall how Trump promised to end the war in 404 "in 24 hours". It is all about who is going to be left holding the bag with excrement. Bunch of losers and war criminals.

https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other...b43dbfe50&ei=8

[shaberon]

Continuing Yemen x Saud:

Yemen's armed forces said they targeted a Saudi military gathering centre at Sah al-Jinn with a large number of missiles and drones, warning they would meet any escalation with escalation.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said the strikes were carried out after careful monitoring of Saudi troop movements, warehouses, vehicles and military equipment at the centre. He said the operations were "precise and effective."

Saree said Yemen's Armed Forces remained committed to two principles: "blockade for blockade" and "targeting the gathering centre of the Saudi aggressors wherever they may be." He warned that no Saudi mobilisation or force deployment to maintain the siege on Yemen would be met without an "immediate and severe" response.

The spokesman called on those he described as "misled and deceived" among the Yemeni people to leave Saudi camps and return to their homes "before it is too late," warning them not to become "fuel for treacherous entities" that had tied their fate to foreign powers.

A few remarks on bloviated rhetoric:

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has declared that foreign media outlets’ growing acknowledgment of President Donald Trump’s failure in the war against Iran is a direct result of Iranian revolutionary media’s success in countering enemy disinformation campaigns.

Despite Washington and Israel’s combined military and media efforts, the IRGC asserted that both nations have failed to achieve their stated objectives. The conflict, according to the statement, has instead exposed “a strategic deadlock, divisions among Western allies and the decline of their influence.”

“World media outlets, acknowledging Washington’s failure to prevail over the Islamic Republic, are openly speaking of Trump’s ‘defeat’ and the ‘self-created trap’ in his war against Iran,” the statement read.

The IRGC further noted that some international reports have characterized recent agreements as little more than a “document of US surrender” in the face of Iran’s defense capabilities and negotiating power assessments the force attributed to Iran’s military strength, strategic leadership, popular resilience and public support for the armed forces.

I don't like using remarks from "Axios" or "Politico", etc.; it's kind of a last resort to show that something has broken through the ice.

Their cowardly little twists in the discussion merely indicate mass discontent and complete failure.

And yet we have a Party with its back to the wall, scrambling for how it can possibly hang on to power. It can't. Return to dust.

All of the resources of the rich should have been used as reparations to pay for what we have destroyed, but, more likely, they are going to vampirize small countries and gift us with mini-Israels around the globe. That can be thwarted, perhaps non-violently, unlike the Zionist Occupation itself, which can only be considered part of the American forces being expelled from the region.

[grapevine]

Imagine 720 million people headed to Europe

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xr4h55sLX1Q

That's the consequence if the US attacks Iran again and it responds by destroying the desalination plants in the Gulf, George tells US caller Gregory. But they won't be coming to you because you have a big ocean between them

[shaberon]

The plot thickens:

Casualties reported as Yemen targets Saudi coalition sites


Yemen's armed forces targeted gathering centres, ammunition depots and operations rooms of Saudi-led forces in the al-Makha region.

The operations were launched hours after the Yemeni defence ministry in Sanaa issued a warning to citizens in occupied areas to keep their distance from gathering centres and weapons stores linked to the aggressors. The ministry said the Saudi-led coalition bore full responsibility for the consequences of "militarising civilian areas."

Social media activists circulated images and video of the strikes, saying that the coalition deliberately positioned ammunition depots next to residential homes to use them as human shields.

The attacks underscored Yemeni forces' intelligence and combat capability in tracking and striking aggressor positions in occupied territory, reports said. No figures for the dead and wounded were immediately provided.

[Rizotto]

https://www.rt.com/news/644023-iran-...ormuz-demands/

Iran makes new Hormuz demands as missile hits Emirati ship
Tehran said the US must withdraw troops from the region, lift all sanctions, and pay compensation

August 9, 2026

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has laid out new conditions for the US to meet before the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened, amid continuing attacks on shipping.

In a statement carried by Iranian media on Saturday, the council’s secretary, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, said that the waterway, which handles around a quarter of global seaborne oil and LNG trade, would not be reopened until “the United States changes its behavior.”

He said the US must lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw its forces “from the area surrounding Iran,” as well as lift “unjust and illegal” sanctions, release the country’s frozen assets, and pay compensation. He added that the US must end “war and aggression” against Iran and its allies in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen.

“The US must never threaten Iran, in any language, or insult the sacred values of the Iranian nation,” Zolqadr said.

Earlier on Saturday, the UAE said an Iranian missile had struck a tanker operated by its state oil company, ADNOC, accusing Tehran of piracy. Iran insists that all vessels transiting the strait must follow its instructions and avoid what it calls the “illegal” route designated by the US Navy.

Although Iran said on Friday that it was close to reaching an agreement with Oman on the joint management of the Strait of Hormuz, peace talks with the US have effectively stalled.

US President Donald Trump said he called off new strikes last week to allow room for negotiations. Multiple US media outlets, however, have reported that the Pentagon has significantly depleted its missile arsenal and that Admiral Brad Cooper, the top US commander in the Middle East, told Trump that the target pool around Hormuz had largely been exhausted. The president and his war secretary, Pete Hegseth, have denied ammunition shortages.

Iran’s demands came amid fears of wider chaos sweeping the region. This week, Israel renewed its heavy bombardment of Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire reached two months ago with the Lebanese government. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis, a pro-Iranian Shia group, launched a large-scale offensive against Saudi-backed government forces and targeted Saudi ships in the Red Sea.

The war with Iran remains unpopular among the US public, with a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showing that 50% of Americans believe US strikes would further destabilize the Middle East, while just 17% said the situation would “get better.”

[Tintin]

From the WikiLeaks enormous trove of Diplomatic cables, this one dating back to 2008. It may be of historical interest to some of you.

Source: https://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cabl...NDON890_a.html

__________________________________________

[Extracted]

1. (C/NF) Summary: Tony Blair used his meeting with
Senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham to
underscore the "centrality" of Israel/Palestine in bringing
stability to the Middle East. Blair said progress could be
made by "building from the bottom up," including by
developing a competent Palestinian security force. Blair and
the Senators briefly discussed Northern Ireland and climate
change. Blair said his time away from the office of Prime
Minister had made him realize Russia had been mishandled in
the post-Yeltsin years and an opportunity had been missed.
He counseled against making similar mistakes with China.
McCain explored his idea of building a "League of
Democracies." Blair looked years younger than he appeared
during his last months in office. He told the Senators that
Europe is not anti-American and asked McCain for his take on
the race for the Presidency. End Summary.

Participants
------------

2. (U) Tony Blair and his political director Matthew Doyle
met Senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham
in London at the Mandarin Hotel on March 21. Senate staff
Fontaine and poloff also participated.

Blair Convinced of the Centrality of Israel/Palestine
--------------------------------------------- --------

3. (C/NF) Quartet Representative Tony Blair said his time
out of office had only heightened his perception that solving
Israel/Palestine was central to bringing stability to the
region. He said the idea up to now had been to cut a
political deal in order to produce change on the ground.
"I'm afraid it's the other way around," said Blair. "The
only way to create conditions which will succeed on final
status is for Palestine to radically improve its security
capacity and to give Palestine sufficient hope occupation
could be lifted while keeping Israel's security concerns in
mind," he explained. Gaza, warned Blair, could capsize at
any point. Israel will go in very hard when Hamas fires
rockets. "But we have to offer the people of Gaza a strong
message about what can be done if this stops," said Blair,
adding that the population thinks the situation is hopeless.
"A huge percentage of the population would immediately move
away from supporting Hamas if they were given cause for
hope," he explained. Senator Lieberman agreed that people
have to be shown again that hope is real.

4. (C/NF) Senator McCain asked Blair whether he had any

contact with the Hamas leadership. Blair said, "No, but I
know plenty who have." He said a deal could be cut on final
status but the Palestinians would have to make a huge
sacrifice on right of returns. To achieve this compromise
necessitates a change in public opinion for as it stands the
Arab League will reject the deal. This would require a
change in the security equation. It would be useful to be
able to tell Hamas, that if it stops the rockets, access to
humanitarian assistance would increase, explained Blair.
Lieberman asked if Blair had talked to Israel; he said he
had. As an alternative to changing the security equation,
Blair described a worsening scenario whereby, "Hamas empties
Gaza, blames Israel, and extremism increases." Lieberman
said he was encouraged by what Blair had said about the
willingness of the population in Gaza to shift its support
away from Hamas. Blair mentioned a program for training
Palestinian security forces in Jordan. He said "If you ask
both peoples 'do you want a two state solution?' They say
'yes.' If you ask them 'do you think it is possible?' Both
say 'no.'" Blair described this as the "credibility gap" for
political discussions which had to be got around by improving
the security for Israel and lifting the occupation for
Palestine. If these changes don't take place on the ground,
argued Blair, we'll end up with a "theoretical deal which is
very hard to sell."

Regional Import
---------------


5. (C/NF) McCain asked Blair for his assessment of
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Blair said he
was, "well intentioned but not that good." He contrasted
this assessment with that of Arafat who, "had the political
guile but not the will." Blair underscored that moving this
issue was of "fundamental importance" and that moderate
Arabs, including the Saudi King, were worried about it and
what it could mean for the spread of extremism. Turning to
Lebanon, Blair said, "We are ignoring it, but what is
happening is terrible." He added that it is a democratic
country "where elected leaders are being executed."

Blair's Experience with Northern Ireland
----------------------------------------

6. (C/NF) Referring to his role in brokering a peace deal
for Northern Ireland while he was Prime Minister, Blair said
that he had been immersed in the detail and this had been key
to his success. Another crucial component had been "having
good, knowledgeable military guys" on the ground. Israel
needed to find a means to put forward confidence building
measures (cbms) and Palestine has to improve security and
manage Gaza, suggested Blair. In reply to Lieberman, Blair
said a cbm could be regularizing an ID system for Palestinian
day traders and cutting the waiting time for them at the
border from three hours to half an hour. McCain asked
whether the deal in Northern Ireland itself would hold and
whether the police integration problem had been resolved.
Blair said it would take time for the deal to jell and for
the parties to recognize all changes, including the
legitimacy of the police, but he was confident the deal was
in place and the parties would uphold their obligations.

Climate Change, the U.S. and Europe
------------------------------------

7. (C/NF) Senator Lieberman asked Blair to help on climate
change and told him of his legislation. Blair, who had just
returned from India and discussions on climate change, said
it would be great if elements of an agreement could be agreed
upon with Japan and China in time for the G8 meeting in July.
McCain said he hadn't realized what an emotional issue
climate change was for the Europeans. Blair replied that
U.S. engagement on brokering agreed elements would show,
"America listens as well as leads."

8. (C/NF) Informing the Senators that French President
Sarkozy would visit the UK on a state visit, Blair described
Sarkozy as a "force of nature" but added that America could
not expect to have a more pro-U.S. head of state in France.
It was important, said Blair, that the Senators understood
that "when you scratch beneath Europeans, they are not
anti-American."

"Missed Opportunity" with Russia; Implications for China
--------------------------------------------- -----------

9. (C/NF) Since leaving office, said Blair, he has turned
his interests eastward. He was concerned that we risked
establishing "two top tables" with the United States at one,
Europe at the other, and China playing off the two. This was
analogous to the "most damaging thing we did with Russia."
He said the post-Yelstin era marked a missed opportunity,
when Russia had taken advantage of the lack of a cohesive
response from Europe and the U.S. in response to the
increasingly autocratic Putin, who had undone much of
Russia's democratic progress. Continuing with the boarding
school analogy, Blair said, "if America and Europe are at the
same table, we can manage China and Russia." McCain said
this was why he was developing the concept of a "league of
democracies" to join like-minded nations together in common
cause based on shared values. He asked Blair his views on
Putin. "The problem with managing Putin and Russia," said
Blair, "is that we have to deal with them when it comes to
Iran." The rest of the strategy, he said, should be to make
Russia a "little desperate" with our activities in areas
bordering on what Russia considers its sphere of interest and
along its actual borders. Russia had to be shown firmness
and sown with seeds of confusion.


American Elections
------------------

10. (C/NF) Blair told the Senators the British public was
following the U.S. Presidential race and the primary process
was a great global advertisement for democracy. He
congratulated McCain for completely turning around his
campaign and asked for his assessment of the race for the
Democratic nomination. Without making any fixed prediction,
McCain said the one thing his time in politics had taught him
was "to never underestimate a Clinton."

Al Qaeda and Extremism
----------------------

11. (C/NF) Blair said he understood, even more than when he
was Prime Minister, that the Middle East is in transition,
adding, but, "transit to where?" We are in a war, he said,
if not a conventional one. If we walk away (from Iraq) we
send a terrible signal. In the Middle East, at the time of
the release of the National Intelligence Assessment on Iran,
there was an immediate repositioning of attitudes to Iran.
One part of the region is feudal and susceptible to
extremism. Israel/Palestine is a cause which allows
extremist Islam to claim the center ground, concluded Blair.

12. (U) Senators McCain, Lieberman, and Graham did not have
the opportunity to clear this cable.

Visit London's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm
Tuttle

-------

Avalon library PDF copy: https://avalonlibrary.net/Tintin/08LONDON890_a.pdf

[Ravenlocke]

Sputnik Mundo

Translated from Spanish
⚖️ Iran Sees in CPI Withdrawals a Sign of Global Trust Deterioration

The withdrawal of Chad, Venezuela, and other countries from the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a sign of desperation regarding that tribunal, declared Esmaíl Bagaí, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

🔊 "This reflects the disappointment of many countries with an institution that was created to combat impunity and prevent the most serious international crimes," the spokesperson emphasized.

The spokesperson stated that recent years have called into question the independence of the ICC in the face of pressure from the United States and its allies. The court applies justice selectively, acting firmly in some cases and differently in others.

https://x.com/SputnikMundo/status/2086787172141588720

[Ravenlocke]

Levant24

𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗮, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰𝟵-𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁

Syria and Russia have agreed a memorandum on the Hmeimim and Tartus bases, Damascus said Sunday. Military sites are to become joint training centers within three months. Under the 2017 deals, Russia held Tartus for 49 years free and Hmeimim indefinitely

https://x.com/Levant_24_/status/2086761007972520194

Al Mayadeen English


Aug 9
Syria and Russia have reached a memorandum of understanding on the future of Russian bases at Tartous and Hmeimim, according to Syria’s Foreign Ministry, as reported by state news agency SANA.

The ministry said the two countries will begin reorganizing Russia’s presence along the Syrian coast under the MoU, following 18 months of intensive talks.

#Russia #Syria #AlMayadeen

https://x.com/MayadeenEnglish/status...45648832786602

[Ravenlocke]

Brian McDonald

Aug 9
Syria and Russia have reached an agreement on the future of Russia’s military presence at Hmeimim and Tartus after 18 months of negotiations, Syrian state news agency SANA reports.

Under a memorandum of understanding, civilian facilities, including Hmeimim airport and the fourth commercial berth at Tartus port, will be gradually transferred to Syrian state control within three months.

The two sides have also agreed to redefine the role of facilities currently used for military purposes and Russia’s bases are to be reorganised into joint Syrian-Russian training centres rather than continue operating as traditional standalone military bases.

According to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, the transition period is to be completed within no more than three months, after which the new arrangements will take effect.

https://x.com/BrianMcDonaldIE/status...63763406819721

[Ravenlocke]

🇷🇺 ULIANA STRIZH - WARGONZO🇷🇺

Withdrawal Without Defeat: Russia Brings the Syrian Chapter to a Close

Reservist Sailor, exclusively for the wargonzo project on MAX

The Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic have signed a memorandum of understanding outlining the key parameters for the future use of Russian facilities at Khmeimim and Tartus. According to the Syrian state agency SANA, the document is the result of approximately 18 months of negotiations involving the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The memorandum provides for a clear separation of the infrastructure into civilian and military facilities. Facilities used for civilian purposes will be transferred to Syrian control. In particular, this concerns Khmeimim Airport and the fourth commercial berth at the Port of Tartus. Going forward, they are expected to be gradually integrated into the national civilian management system.

At the same time, the format of Russia's military presence is expected to change. Facilities used for military purposes are planned to be repurposed, with joint training and professional development centers to be established on their bases.

No more than three months have been allocated for the implementation of the transitional measures. After this period, the new agreements between the two countries are expected to come into effect. Syria's Foreign Ministry described the signing of the memorandum as the most significant result of negotiations that have continued over the past year and a half.

The signing of the document fits into the broader trend of reducing Russia's military infrastructure in Syria, which has become particularly noticeable following the change of power in Damascus. During the first weeks of the transition period, Russian units withdrew from more than 20 forward positions, observation posts, and auxiliary facilities located in the northern, eastern, and mountainous areas of the Alawite Mountain Range.

https://max.ru/WarGonzo/AZ_q-DOAGOw

@wargonzo

https://x.com/UlyanaStrizh/status/2086814706489016421

[Ravenlocke]

Mark

IRAN’S BRILLIANT MOVE: KEEP THE CLOWN OUT AND MUTE HIM IN THE MEANTIME

Iran just delivered the cleanest rejection of Trump’s entire “art of the deal” mythology. They are not negotiating. They are not even pretending. They are simply waiting for the calendar to do the dirty work for them.

THE BRUSH-OFF
➡️ An advisor to Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf just announced Iran will not talk to this administration at all.
➡️ “Trump will not reach an agreement with us. We will accompany him until his term ends.”
➡️ That is the diplomatic equivalent of putting someone on mute for three and a half years.

THE STRATEGY OF PURE SHADE
➡️ Their official doctrine is now “neither war nor peace” managed with denial, ambiguity, and strategic patience.
➡️ In plain English: keep the Strait closed, keep America guessing, and treat Trump like a temporary inconvenience that will eventually expire.
➡️ Publicly admitting you are even negotiating with him is, in their words, “sheer folly.”

THE PRICE TAG HE WILL NEVER PAY
➡️ Iran’s conditions remain exactly the same: $300 billion in compensation, full release of frozen assets, and complete withdrawal of U.S. forces.
➡️ Until those demands are met, the Strait stays shut.
➡️ They are not bluffing. They are simply refusing to play the game with this particular player.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Trump spent years selling himself as the ultimate closer. Iran just looked at the schedule, decided he is already a lame duck, and chose to wait for the next president instead.

That has to sting.

#IranGhostsTrump #NoDeal2029 #StrategicPatience #TrumpIgnored #HormuzClosed #WaitHimOut #DealmakerDenied

https://x.com/Mark4XX/status/2086842264895062254

[Ravenlocke]

Pepe Escobar

Aug 8
The dead cat may only bounce AFTER the Iran-Oman temporary Strait of Hormuz navigation mechanism comes into effect.

https://x.com/RealPepeEscobar/status...95500105674842

https://www.unz.com/pescobar/exclusi...paign=pescobar

Exclusive: Dead Cat Bounce, or the Return of the Iran-U.S. MoU
PEPE ESCOBAR • AUGUST 6, 2026

The key variable to watch in these extremely troubled waters: what is contained in the MoU is strategically aligned with Beijing – all the way.

Washington all but declared that the Iran-U.S. MoU was a dead cat. Not in a coma: it had gone to meet its maker.

Yet now we may be witnessing the Mother of All Dead Cat Bounces – as the organizing framework of Iran’s post-war foreign policy.

Tehran for all practical purposes is now presenting what was also previously known as the Islamabad Memorandum as the foundation of its future external relations – and demanding that Washington comply with the MoU commitments it signed via POTUS.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi will be in Islamabad this Friday – following an open invitation by Pakistani FM Ishaq Dar. There’s mounting evidence pointing to Pakistan as the renewed central guarantor, military channel and strategic bridge connecting Tehran and Washington, as well as the GCC.

Contradictions, of course, abound. Even as Tehran publicly identifies Pakistan as the mediator, and Islamabad also seems to be coordinating at the highest level with perpetually hedging Saudi Arabia, Trump this past Monday preferred to – publicly – credit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and even the UAE, but not Pakistan.

Let’s delve into the fog. The MoU dead cat survived in a raft under the mercy of a wild geopolitical sea and the wrath of the Gods just to be reborn as Iran’s governing diplomatic doctrine.

Although treated as a dead cat also by Tehran, President Masoud Pezeshkian has now publicly described commitment to the MoU as the product of the collective judgment of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).

He also stated that the MoU should become a cornerstone of Iran’s future foreign relations and called for the Trump administration to be compelled to honor what it signed in Versailles.

So the comatose cat indeed seems to have nine lives: it ceased to be a temporary ceasefire mechanism just to be reborn as a long-term strategic framework.

U.S. leverage vanishing across the spectrum

Araghchi is repeatedly talking directly with Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, as our sources close to the – for the moment shattered – negotiating table have re-confirmed.

This means Araghchi is not dealing only through civilian diplomatic channels. He’s engaging Pakistan’s top military commander during the most sensitive phase of the “no war, no peace” drama.

For all their glaring errors of judgment going – simultaneously – after Yemen and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs) in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, via Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, is also part of this communications architecture.

So the key negotiating channel is military-strategic: not merely diplomatic.

Anyone betting on Pakistan emerging as the bridge between Iran and Saudi Arabia must be ready to be in a very tough spot.

Well: the fact is Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Munir and Foreign Minister Dar will be in Saudi Arabia from this Thursday to Saturday for ultra high-level discussions with Crown Prince MbS.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office is billing it as something quite strategic. That would mean Islamabad not only carrying messages between Tehran and Riyadh, but helping to build a durable regional security and diplomatic framework linking both capitals.

The cornered Trump administration may be attempting to prevent acknowledgment – across the board inside the U.S. – that a nuclear-armed Islamic nation, closely aligned with China and developing strategic relations with Iran, is absolutely indispensable to the negotiations.

Never underestimate Trump “macho macho man” psychology: to fully recognize Pakistani mediation exposes how deep he has lost unilateral control over the whole process.

Pakistan is playing strategic ambiguity to the hilt. Islamabad keeps talking to Washington while declining to behave as a U.S. vassal and refusing to fully align with any position. That’s what preserves its credibility with Tehran, Washington, Riyadh, Beijing and Moscow.

In parallel, the IAEA has not verified Iran’s enriched uranium inventory since 28 February – as Tehran has restricted access to 20 declared facilities.

The last verified inventory included approximately 440.9 kg of enriched uranium to 60 percent.

Translation: this nuclear “uncertainty” has now metastasized into a strategic weapon.

The Trump administration literally has no idea about where Iran’s enriched uranium is, and how much of it; whether something has been dispersed; how quickly Iran could move toward weapons-grade enrichment (Prof. Ted Postol has the answer); and whether a military adventure would destroy the stockpile or accelerate weaponization.

Add to it that the Trump administration’s military, economic and political leverage is vanishing in front of the world’s eyes: Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) near a historical red line; diesel refining margins at extreme levels; virtually no trade through the Strait of Hormuz; war-risk insurance premiums going through the roof; long-range precision-guided missile inventories nearly depleted.

And still what Washington and Tehran are saying in public amounts to a total clash.

Trump insists talks are underway. U.S. mainstream media spins an agreement could be imminent. Tehran denies that any negotiations have resumed and insists the only active – technical – channel concerns maritime and shipping arrangements between Tehran and Muscat

Yet the zillion-dollar question is in fact who controls the diplomatic architecture.

The facts point to Iran’s FM communicating with Pakistan’s army chief, while Qatar is at best an assistant actor; and Pakistan coordinating directly with Riyadh.

What China really wants

Meanwhile, what goes on in the corridors of power in Tehran remains supremely crucial.

According to our sources, Ahmad Vahidi, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, continues to exercise serious influence within Iran’s security establishment.

Reflecting the mood in the streets, several top players within the IRGC are extremely adverse to any negotiations with the U.S.. Add to it that the Assembly of Experts has publicly denounced accommodation with Washington and condemned what it characterizes as capitulation.

No wonder Araghchi is under tremendous political pressure. Yet it gets even more serious: Vahidi has personally demanded President Pezeshkian’s resignation.

The immediate institutional pressure seems to be directed more sharply at Araghchi and the negotiating process than at Pezeshkian personally. This means that the power struggle in Tehran is not simply over the president’s survival; it’s over whether the MoU – or Islamabad framework – should become permanent Iranian policy.

The key variable to watch in these extremely troubled waters: what is contained in the MoU is strategically aligned with Beijing – all the way.

[Ravenlocke]

Pepe Escobar

Aug 8
Here I go out no holds barred decoding the ultra-dodgy Mecca Sunni NATO deal side by side with the viewers while reading a last-minute intel report. Made sure we all want detailed ANSWERS a.s.a.p. directly from the Pakistani deciders

https://x.com/RealPepeEscobar/status...95841530368012

Video description,

BREAKING: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence
Agreement today, August 7, 2026 — a NATO-style mutual-defense pact — on the same day Iran and Oman entered the final approval stage of a deal that could hand Tehran control of the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil. Pepe Escobar joins Transition Protocol to break down what is confirmed, what is still developing, and what remains completely unverified in the biggest West Asia realignment since the war began.


This episode goes line by line through the Mecca pact’s Article-5-style collective defense clause, the emerging Iran-Oman Hormuz shipping arrangement, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s fall to a 1983-era low, and the open questions about Yemen, Egypt’s absence from the pact, and Pakistan’s expanding role as regional mediator — including a source-based (unconfirmed) report on Iran’s parliament speaker Ghalibaf’s expected visit to Islamabad.


Analysis by Pepe Escobar, veteran geopolitical correspondent and author, with additional sourced briefing from host Zulfiqar Ali. Hosted by Transition Protocol — independent, source-driven geopolitical analysis of the multipolar world order, de-dollarization, and great-power realignment.


#BreakingNews #Geopolitics #MeccaPact #StraitOfHormuz #Iran #Pakistan #SaudiArabia #Turkey #MiddleEast #OilPrices #Petrodollar #DeDollarization #PepeEscobar #TransitionProtocol

[Ravenlocke]

DD Geopolitics

🇱🇾 EXPLOSIONS REPORTED AT LIBYA’S ZAWIYA REFINERY

Videos from western Libya show explosions and fire at a fuel tank inside the Zawiya refinery, roughly 40 km west of Tripoli. The cause of the latest explosions is not yet clear.

The refinery is strategically important, it has a processing capacity of around 120,000 barrels per day and is linked to the massive Sharara oil field, one of Libya’s principal production centers.

The incident also comes just two days after the refinery said a drone struck an untreated naphtha storage tank, puncturing it and causing a leak. That earlier incident was contained without injuries or a fire

https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/2086889651969925238

[Ravenlocke]

HealthRanger

Failed president Trump admits the USA is so broke, it needs to be financially bailed out by Iran.

Can't even make this up...

Trump spends TRILLIONS on the Pentagon war machine, prints TRILLIONS in fiat currency, destroys the purchasing value of the dollar, bombs a foreign nation and then blames that nation for all of it.

https://x.com/HealthRanger/status/2086868406322745659

[Ravenlocke]

Mark

IRAN JUST UPGRADED A HARD-LINER
Former IRGC chief Mohsen Rezaei has been appointed head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
➡️ He has openly threatened American ships
➡️ He rejects any reopening of Hormuz without major US concessions
➡️ He is now sitting at the highest level of decision-making
This appointment sends one clear message to the energy markets:
Oil is going up.
#OilPrice #Iran #HormuzCrisis #MohsenRezaei #Energy

https://x.com/Mark4XX/status/2086661575708921954

DD Geopolitics

🇮🇷 Brigadier General Ali Azmaei, newly appointed commander of the IRGC Navy:

‘If Israel, the United States, or any of their accomplices even dare to cast a single evil look towards the Persian Gulf islands, with the help of Almighty God, we will gouge out their eyes and make the Persian Gulf their grave


https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/2086876625300275389

[Ravenlocke]

Arya Yadegaar

Iranian police arrested 5 of the perpetrators in the ISIS-style murder of Hamidreza Rajabzadeh.

Along with the 5 terrorist was a female “influencer” who helped facilitate the murder. She was attempting to flee the country, but got arrested.

https://x.com/AryJeayBackup/status/2086798964519571485

Reza Nasri

A group of monarchists in Tehran abducted a pro-government vocalist, Hamidreza Rajabzadeh, and subjected him to an act of medieval brutality: they skinned his scalp while he was still alive, cut him open from throat to torso, and tore out his lungs and heart while they were still beating. They filmed it, sent the footage to his family, and then released it publicly.

If the United States and its European allies had even a shred of decency, this would trigger an immediate demand for accountability, as the people who lead the perpetrators operate openly from Western territory. Instead, some of these same governments have designated, or are moving to designate, Iran's formal armed forces as a terrorist organization, while showing almost no interest in whether a monarchist network tied to Reza Pahlavi — a guest of honor in Western capitals — is running a campaign of political violence against civilians.

That gap exposes something worse than a double standard.

The perpetrators operated within a network of Pahlavi activists that recruited and financed operatives to identify and kill people associated with the Iranian government. The legal question is straightforward: if the evidence shows this network is organized, foreign-based, and connected — through direction, financing, sponsorship, or operational control — to the organization associated with Reza Pahlavi, it meets the statutory criteria for designation under U.S. law.

Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. §1189) requires three findings to designate a Foreign Terrorist Organization: it must be a foreign organization; it must engage in terrorism or retain the capability and intent to do so; and its activity must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the United States itself.

The facts fit that framework with unusual precision.

1- Organization: If the group behind this act has leadership, continuity, recruitment, financing, and a command structure, it's a foreign organization — not a handful of unaffiliated individuals. If it further operates under the direction or sponsorship of Pahlavi's organization, organizational responsibility becomes the central question.

2- Terrorism: Abducting, torturing, and killing a civilian — then distributing the footage — is political violence designed to terrorize a wider population. The victim is one person; the intended audience is everyone in the targeted political camp. That's the definition of intimidation by design. If the network has recruited operatives to identify further targets, the case strengthens further: this is organized capability and intent, not an isolated crime. It also isn't isolated in practice — monarchist networks showed a similar pattern of violence and coercion during the unrest of January 2026. §219 doesn't require a long list of victims before recognizing capability and intent.

3- National security: A foreign organization running political assassinations in Iran operates in a region of direct U.S. strategic interest, with implications for regional stability, American personnel, diplomatic interests, and the broader security environment. The statute doesn't require American victims. The MEK — another exiled Iranian opposition group — was designated on the same grounds for years, before Hillary Clinton delisted it for political convenience.

If these facts hold up against Reza Pahlavi's organization, the statutory test is met.

So why would Washington hesitate?

Not for any reason §219 recognizes. The statute doesn't care whether perpetrators call themselves monarchists, oppose the Iranian government, or enjoy sympathy in Western capitals. It asks only what an organization is or does.

If an organization tied to Reza Pahlavi organized, financed, directed, or materially supported this campaign of abduction, torture, and assassination, Washington should designate it under §219 and hold those responsible to account.

@JDVance

@TuckerCarlson

@s_m_marandi

@piersmorgan

@mehdirhasan


https://x.com/RezaNasri1/status/2086847269232382304

[shaberon]

Weird wire:


Israeli Channel 12: The Americans continue to reduce the number of aerial refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. The number of refueling aircraft is now already close to the level seen during the ceasefire, when there were only about 20 refueling aircraft at the airport


Don't really need refueling aircraft or Israel; it's trillions of dollars out the window with nothing but death and destruction to show.