Iran
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...atchdog-report
West to decide on Iran censure after damning UN nuclear watchdog report
European powers and the US will decide on Friday whether to censure Iran in response to a damning report by the UN nuclear inspectorate the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showing that the new hardline government in Tehran had made it impossible for inspectors to oversee the country’s nuclear programme.....
West to decide on Iran censure after damning UN nuclear watchdog report
European powers and the US will decide on Friday whether to censure Iran in response to a damning report by the UN nuclear inspectorate the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showing that the new hardline government in Tehran had made it impossible for inspectors to oversee the country’s nuclear programme.....
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From: not scotland
https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2021-november-2/
Interesting development following on from the previous SSM strike in Iraq.
In late October, according to the United States Defense Department, a “complex, coordinated, and deliberate attack” was conducted against a U.S. base at Al Tanf in eastern Syria. U.S. officials did not directly blame Iran for the attack, carried out by several armed drones, but Iranian and pro-Iranian media in the region reported that the strike was conducted by Iran. There were no U.S. casualties among the small U.S. contingent at the base, but several of the structures on the base were destroyed. American troops are deployed in Syria under the mission to combat Islamic State, and neither their rules of engagement nor any authorization from Congress calls on them to combat Iran, except in self-defense.
The strike appears to represent the most direct and aggressive action to date undertaken by Iran or its proxies against the roughly 900 U.S. forces still in Syria and raises questions about the timing of such a bold and seemingly risky strike. It can be argued that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August has led Iranian leaders to assess that direct U.S. military pressure can compel the United States to withdraw from the region completely. Iranian strategists appeared to draw conclusions from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. The United States justified the withdrawal, in the absence of a political settlement, by citing Taliban threats to resume attacks on U.S. forces if they remained beyond the agreed deadline of May 1. Iran’s allies in Iraq have already engineered the passage of non-binding legislation in Iraq’s parliament calling for a U.S. withdrawal of its 2,500 troops from Iraq, and the United States and Iraq have agreed that U.S. combat forces will depart by the end of 2021. Iran’s leaders apparently see military pressure on U.S. forces as a means to ensure that the deadline is met in Iraq, as well.
Interesting development following on from the previous SSM strike in Iraq.
In late October, according to the United States Defense Department, a “complex, coordinated, and deliberate attack” was conducted against a U.S. base at Al Tanf in eastern Syria. U.S. officials did not directly blame Iran for the attack, carried out by several armed drones, but Iranian and pro-Iranian media in the region reported that the strike was conducted by Iran. There were no U.S. casualties among the small U.S. contingent at the base, but several of the structures on the base were destroyed. American troops are deployed in Syria under the mission to combat Islamic State, and neither their rules of engagement nor any authorization from Congress calls on them to combat Iran, except in self-defense.
The strike appears to represent the most direct and aggressive action to date undertaken by Iran or its proxies against the roughly 900 U.S. forces still in Syria and raises questions about the timing of such a bold and seemingly risky strike. It can be argued that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August has led Iranian leaders to assess that direct U.S. military pressure can compel the United States to withdraw from the region completely. Iranian strategists appeared to draw conclusions from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. The United States justified the withdrawal, in the absence of a political settlement, by citing Taliban threats to resume attacks on U.S. forces if they remained beyond the agreed deadline of May 1. Iran’s allies in Iraq have already engineered the passage of non-binding legislation in Iraq’s parliament calling for a U.S. withdrawal of its 2,500 troops from Iraq, and the United States and Iraq have agreed that U.S. combat forces will depart by the end of 2021. Iran’s leaders apparently see military pressure on U.S. forces as a means to ensure that the deadline is met in Iraq, as well.
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From: Under a recently defunct flight path.
In The Times this afternoon - article & photos.
Israeli and Gulf fighter jets fly with a US ‘bunker buster’ bomber to warn Iran over its nuclear programme
Click the link for the full article etc.
Israeli and Gulf fighter jets fly with a US ‘bunker buster’ bomber to warn Iran over its nuclear programme
The US has flown an advanced fighter-bomber jet across the Middle East alongside Israeli and Gulf state warplanes as a warning to Iran over its nuclear programme.
A B-1B Lancer, which can be adapted to deliver the “bunker buster” bombs necessary to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, was escorted by Israeli F-15s at the end of military exercises in which the British RAF and other Nato allies also took part.
It then flew over other Middle East flashpoints — the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, and the Bab al-Mandab, at the foot of the Red Sea, which is being fought over by Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised Yemen government.
A B-1B Lancer, which can be adapted to deliver the “bunker buster” bombs necessary to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, was escorted by Israeli F-15s at the end of military exercises in which the British RAF and other Nato allies also took part.
It then flew over other Middle East flashpoints — the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, and the Bab al-Mandab, at the foot of the Red Sea, which is being fought over by Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised Yemen government.
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From: NEW YORK
Iran has been greatly expanding its pool of nuclear technicians, training both in Iran as well as abroad, while also getting practical reactor operating experience at the Bushehr site, so there is no longer any one crucial individual.
Scholastic arguments about levels of enrichment don't impact actual capability, which is now undeniably adequate for bomb making at short notice.
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From: Texas
Iran has launched a rocket. (That's aerospace content, if not aviation content).
https://www.military.com/daily-news/...ks-resume.html
As Ukraine has demonstrated (as the latest example) lack of a nuclear posture / deterrent holds risks.
Would it be fair to say that the NPT is a dead letter at this point, or is there still hope?
https://www.military.com/daily-news/...ks-resume.html
Iran Launches Rocket into Space as Nuclear Talks to Resume
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state television said Sunday that Tehran had launched a solid-fueled rocket into space, drawing a rebuke from Washington ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers. It's unclear when or where the rocket was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s rural Semnan province, the site of Iran's frequent failed attempts to put a satellite into orbit.
State-run media aired dramatic footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, which is racing ahead under decreasing international oversight.
Iran had previously acknowledged that it planned more tests for the satellite-carrying rocket, which it first launched in February of last year.
Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Defense Ministry, said Zuljanah, a 25.5 meter-long rocket capable of carrying a payload of 220 kilograms (485 pounds), would gather data in a low-earth orbit. It was not immediately clear whether it reached its intended orbit.
The launch comes just a day after the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, traveled to Tehran in a push to resuscitate negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program that have stalemated for months. A few significant sticking points remain, including Tehran's demand that Washington lift terrorism sanctions on its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Borrell said on Saturday that talks over the nuclear deal would resume in an unnamed Persian Gulf country in the coming days, with Iranian media reporting that Qatar would likely host the negotiations.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state television said Sunday that Tehran had launched a solid-fueled rocket into space, drawing a rebuke from Washington ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers. It's unclear when or where the rocket was launched, but the announcement came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s rural Semnan province, the site of Iran's frequent failed attempts to put a satellite into orbit.
State-run media aired dramatic footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, which is racing ahead under decreasing international oversight.
Iran had previously acknowledged that it planned more tests for the satellite-carrying rocket, which it first launched in February of last year.
Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Defense Ministry, said Zuljanah, a 25.5 meter-long rocket capable of carrying a payload of 220 kilograms (485 pounds), would gather data in a low-earth orbit. It was not immediately clear whether it reached its intended orbit.
The launch comes just a day after the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, traveled to Tehran in a push to resuscitate negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program that have stalemated for months. A few significant sticking points remain, including Tehran's demand that Washington lift terrorism sanctions on its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Borrell said on Saturday that talks over the nuclear deal would resume in an unnamed Persian Gulf country in the coming days, with Iranian media reporting that Qatar would likely host the negotiations.
Would it be fair to say that the NPT is a dead letter at this point, or is there still hope?
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From: NEW YORK
Iran has launched a rocket. (That's aerospace content, if not aviation content).
https://www.military.com/daily-news/...ks-resume.html
As Ukraine has demonstrated (as the latest example) lack of a nuclear posture / deterrent holds risks.
Would it be fair to say that the NPT is a dead letter at this point, or is there still hope?
https://www.military.com/daily-news/...ks-resume.html
As Ukraine has demonstrated (as the latest example) lack of a nuclear posture / deterrent holds risks.
Would it be fair to say that the NPT is a dead letter at this point, or is there still hope?
What astonishes me is that Saudi Arabia and Turkey are not yet recognized members of the club. Perhaps Japan or South Korea will break the ice and admit hidden capabilities first.
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From: Ferrara
There was talk a few years back that the Saudis were looking at a weapon - to be bought/built with Pakistani assistance. At one point the Pakistanis had substantial forces in Saudi "just in case" of some trouble with Iran IIRC
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From: Texas
I suspect that the aforementioned arrangement with Pakistan is in place, and if they've been able to stay "under the radar" as regards actual disposition it might lend more urgency to Iran's ambitions.
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
Iran tried to hijack a USN unmanned ship - released the tow after a 4 hour face off with a USN patrol boat.
Be interesting to see if the transcript of their negotiations is released…
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy support ship Shahid Baziar is towing US Navy Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel international waters of Arabian Gulf as US Navy patrol coastal ship USS Thunderbolt (PC-12) approaches in response, Aug. 30.
Be interesting to see if the transcript of their negotiations is released…
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy support ship Shahid Baziar is towing US Navy Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel international waters of Arabian Gulf as US Navy patrol coastal ship USS Thunderbolt (PC-12) approaches in response, Aug. 30.
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
The infamous Evin prison in Tehran is on fire. Gunfire heard. This is big.…
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From: Ferrara
Not much we can do about it -it raelly is up to the people there - as with the Shah external "help" will only make matters worse.
Tho I can see the Ayatollahs all asking for Asylum in Hawaii.......
Tho I can see the Ayatollahs all asking for Asylum in Hawaii.......
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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From: Peripatetic
Most interesting comment here… I wonder who provided the info and if this is a straight swap from current stocks.
Might shake the Israelis and Gulf states a bit…
The Russian military complex is basically destroyed. Whoever has orders open, e.g. military planes, won't receive them before ...check notes... end of this decade, if ever.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/...or-a-nosedive/
Russia’s military aircraft exports are headed for a nosedive
….”Reportedly, Russia traded more than 60 Su-35 to Iran in exchange for several thousand drones”…….
Might shake the Israelis and Gulf states a bit…
The Russian military complex is basically destroyed. Whoever has orders open, e.g. military planes, won't receive them before ...check notes... end of this decade, if ever.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/...or-a-nosedive/
Russia’s military aircraft exports are headed for a nosedive
….”Reportedly, Russia traded more than 60 Su-35 to Iran in exchange for several thousand drones”…….
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From: Texas
