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NEW Breakout Numbers: Iran could have enough weapon-grade uranium for its first nuclear weapon (25 kg) in 12 days, using 60 percent enriched uranium stock. In another twelve days it could produce a second quantity. Adding in the use of 20 % stock leads to five within one month.1/….
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Now there are reported poisonings of schoolkids (mostly girls).
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"I think the lessons is that if you have nukes, keep them. If you don't have nukes, try and get them."
exactly i think the current Iranian regime are appalling but if I was in their Govt I'd be driving the N weapon programme at top speed. They're surrounded by people who have N weapons and several of whom have stated clearly and often they 're out to get you. |
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, and other U.S. Defense Officials will reportedly arrive in Israel later today in order to conduct high-level meetings with Israeli military and intelligence officials on the threat that Iran poses to the region.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, is also set to arrive on a 2 day visit to Israel on Wednesday next week to discuss the Iranian nuclear situation with Israeli PM Netanyahu and the IDF Chief of Staff. These meetings come after White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, CIA Director Bill Burns and Secretary of State Tony Blinken have all also conducted visits to Israel in recent weeks to discuss the Iranian threat with Israeli officials. |
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Miller is wetting his pants now....and wringing his hands....and worrying how this latest development will interfere with pushing his Woke Agenda.
But...he and SecDef Austin are right on top of things....as they were when they said the Ukraine War would be over in three days or so. This does not come for being too strong...to certain in your positions...and prepared to defend the freedom of navigation in critical choke points such as the Straits of Hormuz and Persian/Arabian Gulf (take your pick....). |
Maybe, and maybe not. |
BREAKING:
The Taliban are pulling serious forces toward Islam-Qala. Meanwhile, Iran is pulling out some of its border guards from there, fearing a Taliban attack. This comes after the recent deadly border clashes between Iran & Afghanistan. The Taliban continue to transport heavy equipment and armored combat vehicles to the Iranian border. Occasionally, the Taliban attack Iranian border forces. The two sides are approaching step by step towards war. So why is this border skirmish between Iran and the Taliban happening now? Sure the big cause is overpopulation of young men with no future, Sunni Shiite hatred, and the command of their Allah god to subjugate all infidels, but this thread has details… |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_A...0%93Iran_clash
actually a long running argument over water, dams and extraction that goes back to 1870 |
I need to be careful how I say this, but in the early 00's (as we were supporting some austere ops) in the region, I was surprised to learn of some under-the-radar cooperation between Iranians and Americans in Western Afghanistan. This was linked to Iranian concerns as regards Taliban and Sunni activism at the time. (And I think that's about as far as I can to with that).
No love lost between the Taliban and Iran then, nor now, it seems. (Though the story in the link by Asturius56, thank you, paints a more nuanced picture of that relationship ...) That thread - thanks ORAC - as regards water rights, drug trafficking, and the economic challenges in that border region ring true. |
Historically the joint border has always been a scene of trouble - occasionally Iran (or Persia) getting to Herat and the Afghans pushing west
Form a religious view there are major differences of course |
Interesting story about an F-22 meeting an Iranian F-4 a few years back (was it really over a decade ago?) as a bit of "drone defense" in the Persian Gulf area.
‘You Really Oughta Go Home’: F-22 Stealth Fighter Flew Under Iran F-4 (msn.com) I like the "You really oughta go home" line. :E Maverick would have just flipped him off. :E |
US Central Command has ordered a squadron of F-35s and F-16s to the Gulf after continued “alarming incidents” by the Iranian military have taken place along the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks.
This comes after a squadron of F-16s was deployed to the region last week in order for them to begin escorting commercial shipping through the Strait alongside A-10 aircraft which were already deployed. https://t.co/4nPnps5jhg https://breakingdefense.com/2023/07/...arming-events/ |
The U.S. Department of Defense has announced in addition to F-16s, F-35s, and a Guided-Missiles Destroyer, they have now ordered the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group equipped with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Deploy to the Middle East Region due to the continued “Aggressive Behavior” by Iran against Commercial Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Bataan ARG includes the USS Bataan (LHD-5), USS Mesa Verde (LPD-9), and the USS Carter Hall (LSD-50 |
The following opinion piece in the news offers the PoV that it's about to get kinetic unless Iran backs off.
The US Navy is preparing for war in the Persian Gulf. The Iranians just never learn (msn.com) On the other hand, I've generally found David Axe to be a blow hard. |
Another war in the Midle east? 16 months before a Presidential Election? I doubt it....................
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Is this Russia !!!! stirring the Iranians into doing something to draw away US munitions/equipment support going to Ukraine?
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Probably the Iranians lending a helping hand and assuming that attention may be elsewhere
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An official has confirmed that the USA is readying plans to place armed US Marines and navy sailors aboard commercial ships in the Middle East to deter Iran from seizing ships. The plan could be executed as soon as this month.
This is considered as an "elevated response" to the consistent harassments. https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ship-seizures/ U.S. moves to put Marines on commercial ships to stop Iranian seizures The plan, if approved, would represent a remarkable escalation in the long-running feud between Washington and Tehran that could put their militaries in direct confrontation |
"USA is readying plans to place armed US Marines and navy sailors aboard commercial ships "
That sort of thing normally doesn't end well - there are all sorts of issues about the non-combatants on the ships, the ships themselves aren't designed to fight and the poor sods selected are really sacrificial lambs if it's anything other than a bunch of Somali type pirates. If its quasi state actors on the other side you can finish up hostages. |
Does anyone remember the “reflagging” of tankers to the US registry during the Iran/Iraq War?
A friend was a Tanker Capt. during that period and his ship was attacked during the war. He had some interesting tales to tell of that period of his career. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanker_War Unrelated question…anyone have a good link to Admiralty Law…Specifically “The duty to render aid” and “The right to claim safe haven”. They used to be an easy google or other search engine search but I was trying to find them the other day and aside from links to multitudinous $$$ Law firms I couldn’t find anything useful. It all came up in a discussion about how Admiralty Law was and is also applicable to aviation. (My search was started due to a recent event where a pilot, faced with rapidly developing thunderstorms, landed his small aircraft on a private airstrip as his safest option. The airstrip is PPR ( Prior Permission Required ) and the owner went ballistic, threatening to charge the fellow with trespass and demanding a large landing fee for landing on his grass airstrip. The airstrip is listed in the chart supplement , has an identifier and appears on aviation charts. This line of thunderstorms did produce some violent weather including hail and a small tornado touchdown about 40 miles away which caused significant damage. |
The War of Words continues.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it threatened to open fire on U.S. Marine Corps and Navy helicopters covering a group of American warships as they passed through the volatile Strait of Hormuz recently, prompting them to land. The U.S. Navy told The War Zone that no U.S. helicopters headed back to their ships while supporting the transit for any other reason than to refuel. Pentagon denies supposed incident with Iranian navy in Strait of Hormuz (msn.com) But the tensions have ratcheted up. |
In another bit of aviation content: Iran's Reaper variant. What the heck, if you are going to copy, copy the best.
Iran unveils armed drone resembling America's MQ-9 Reaper and says it could potentially reach Israel | AP News In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Ebrahim Raisi, second right, listens to Chief of Aviation Industries of Armed Forces Gen. Afshin Khajehfard, as Defense Minister Gen. Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, right, listens, during a ceremony unveiling a drone called the Mohajer-10, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/defaul...2214dc29bb4ff9 https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/defaul...1cf1f195c6a3f9 https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/defaul...a1becf43f34856 Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency published a photograph of the drone, called the Mohajer-10, on display at a conference marking Defense Industry Day with what appeared to be smoke-machine fog underneath it. “Mohajer” means “immigrant” in Farsi and has been a drone line manufactured by the Islamic Republic since 1985. IRNA said the drone is able to fly up to 24,000 feet with a speed of 210 kph (130 mph), carrying a bomb payload of up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds). It also said the drone could carry electronic surveillance equipment and a camera. Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, a protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also viewed the drone on Tuesday. “Today, we can firmly introduce Iran as an advanced and technologic nation to the world,” Raisi said in comments aired on state television. He reiterated Iran’s stance about friendly relations with “all countries in the world,” adding that Iran’s armed forces will cut off any hand that will reaches out in an attempt to invade Iran, state TV reported. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the claims about the drone’s capabilities, though an arm of state television shared a video of it taking off from a runway. Long-range drones like the Reaper also require ground stations and satellite communications. Officials in Israel, which flies its own long-range, high endurance drones, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Iran has in the past captured U.S. drones or pieces of them, but there’s no evidence that it has taken a General Atomics’ Reaper, which is flown by the U.S. Air Force and allied American nations as a “hunter-killer” drone that can operate at high altitudes for long hours and follow a target before attacking. North Korea in July showed off drones mirroring the Reaper, possibly designed from publicly available information about the aircraft. In December 2011, Iran seized an RQ-170 Sentinel flown by the CIA to monitor Iranian nuclear sites after it entered Iranian airspace from neighboring Afghanistan. Iran later reverse-engineered the drone to create their own variants. In 2019, Iran shot down a U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk in the Strait of Hormuz amid high tensions over its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers. The Reaper also carries special significance for Iran, as one reportedly carried out the 2020 strike in Baghdad that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general in its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Iran separately said it had provided two types of ballistic missiles to its army and the Guard on Tuesday, including one named for Soleimani. |
"In another bit of aviation content: Iran's Reaper variant. What the heck, if you are going to copy, copy the best."
Absolutely - why take all that pain of re-inventing the wheel. Ever seen the PLA(N) deck crews on their carriers? Must have spent years watching "Top Gun" |
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...r-nuclear-deal
UK, France and Germany refuse to lift sanctions on Iran under nuclear deal Tehran in ‘too serious a breach’ of 2015 deal to lift sanctions under clause that would allow ballistic missile trade |
Article in last weeks Economist reckons the bulk of the population has given up on the mullahs - they're not about to revolt immediately but it now just a sullen get -through-today attitude everywhere
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Originally Posted by Asturias56
(Post 11503114)
Article in last weeks Economist reckons the bulk of the population has given up on the mullahs - they're not about to revolt immediately but it now just a sullen get -through-today attitude everywhere
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Perhaps not just in Iran.
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An unknown object crashed following by an explosion in Gorgan, Golestan Province of Iran.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....1210e7171.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b460161a7.jpeg Iranian media report that a "missile test" gone wrong and caused the incident. I mean, you see huge shrapnel pieces in the city, you see unexploded 107mm, what kind of "missile test" were they conducting? Someone ironically said: "They mistakenly targeted the Gorgan with missiles" https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....11869be5b.jpeg |
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/s...suit-5fx7pmgdp
Saudi Arabia: If Iran gets a nuclear weapon so will we Saudi Arabia will develop a nuclear weapon if Iran, its main regional rival, succeeds in producing one of its own, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said. In an interview last night with Fox News, the Saudi crown prince and de facto leader of the country said that he would not allow Tehran to be the only confirmed nuclear power in the Middle East. “If they get one, we have to get one,” he said when asked how Riyadh would react if Iran was confirmed to be a nuclear power, threatening what could become a new nuclear arms race…… |
"Saudi crown prince and de facto leader of the country said that he would not allow Tehran to be the only confirmed nuclear power in the Middle East."
he's forgotten the Israelis. and Pakistan - who were in CENTO for a while |
Originally Posted by ORAC
(Post 11506309)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/s...suit-5fx7pmgdp
Saudi Arabia: If Iran gets a nuclear weapon so will we “If they get one, we have to get one,” he said when asked how Riyadh would react if Iran was confirmed to be a nuclear power, threatening what could become a new nuclear arms race…… The folks in Pakistan could doubtless use a cash infusion, and so will be able to provide a few at a reasonable price. Who's Next? |
Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50
(Post 11506636)
Makes perfect sense to me.
The folks in Pakistan could doubtless use a cash infusion, and so will be able to provide a few at a reasonable price. Who's Next? https://youtu.be/oRLON3ddZIw |
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Iran and their Houthi proxies are expanding the conflict to the economic zone ... I think that the J Post is reasonably OK source, but add grains of salt if need be.
The Israeli army has confirmed that the Yemeni political-military movement, Houthi, hijacked the ship Galaxy Leader. The incident occurred near Yemen in the southern Red Sea. "This is a severe event at a global level. It involves a ship that departed Turkey, headed for India, bearing an international civilian crew, without any Israelis," reported the Tel Aviv armed forces. On Sunday, the Yemeni Houthi militia, an ally of Iran, seized a merchant ship in the Red Sea. An Israeli Businessman Has Shares in the Company The ship, registered under the Bahamian flag, is operated by Japan but is owned by a British company. This company is partially owned by the Israeli businessman Rami Unger. The office of the Israeli prime minister referred to the incident as "another act of Iranian terror." The merchant ship, the Galaxy Leader, transporting cargo from Turkey to India, did not carry any crew members from Israel, as the "Jerusalem Post" reported. Netanyahu Accuses Iran As reported by Reuters, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described this event as "another Iranian act of terrorism." The statement emphasized that this is proof of Iran's escalating hostile actions against citizens of the free world, compromising the safety of international navigation. Israeli Ships in the Crosshairs Reports on the news channel associated with the Houthis suggest that not only ships flying the Israeli flag will be attacked but also those owned or operated by Israeli companies. The "Jerusalem Post" indicated that vessels carrying cargo owned by Israelis or even those partially owned by them could become targets. The newspaper stressed that "such a development would alter the nature of the hijacking from seizing small cargo during the war to acts of piracy." |
Footage of Houthi forces hijacking the ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea yesterday.
Reminder that the #Israel linked ship Galaxy Leader passed close to the Iranian IRGC 'forward base' ship stationed in Red Sea shortly before its seizure by Houthi Movement in Yemen. #GALAXY_LEADER IRGC has had ships stationed there years: hisutton.com/Saviz.html https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ae5be95873.png |
IRGC vessel Behshad; would be a pity if something were to happen to it.
Praying Mantis, part Deux. Is it coming? |
More fun in Iraq but the AC-130's may have dealt with the attackers. Iranian-backed militias are getting busy.
U.S. forces stationed at Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq were attacked early Tuesday prompting a U.S. military aircraft to strike back, officials said. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Iran-backed militias used close-range ballistic missiles against U.S. and coalition forces, resulting in "several non-serious injuries and some minor damage to infrastructure." Reuters, citing two U.S. officials, reported that the attack resulted in eight injuries. A U.S. military AC-130 aircraft in the area conducted a self-defense strike against an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and personnel involved in the attack, resulting in some "hostile fatalities." U.S. forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since October 17, including 32 times in Iraq and 34 times in Syria. U.S. personnel have sustained approximately 62 injuries, not including Tuesday’s attack, which is still being evaluated. The attacks that began on October 17 by Iraqi militia groups have reportedly been linked to the United States’ support for Israel in its retaliation against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following its attack on Israel earlier in the month. Tuesday's strike was the first reported by the U.S. in Iraq in more than two years. |
Iranian IRGC drone carrier Bagheri has been launched and has been photographed at sea. Trials are likely to take some time.
It has an angled deck and ski-jump. unusually, they are angled towards starboard. Background: H I Sutton - Covert Shores https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....0159c96c84.png https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....85b3597835.png https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7b007e734e.png |
Posted here because it’s Iran behind it and Iranian ships providing surveillance and targeting data….
The Houthi rebels in Yemen just hijacked the Zim Luanda container ship in the Red Sea, sailing from 🇮🇱 to China It’s now clear that the Houthis are trying to implement a form of naval blockade against 🇮🇱 It’s the 3rd Israel-linked ship hijacked or attacked in 3 days. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....11e8cc253d.png |
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