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Fakhrizadeh: What his death really means

On 27 Nov 2020 Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent Iranian physicist, was murdered in what can only be described as a professionally executed act of state sponsored terrorism. It was a pre-planned assassination that has been roundly denounced, if not condemned, even by a US official. We don’t have any birth details on Fakhrizadeh himself, and in our considerations to follow, it doesn’t matter anyway. What is important is what his assassination means to the wider world, the region, and specifically Iran, the US and Israel, the latter two being blamed for the event, and for obvious reasons, to be outlined as we go along. This post will be the first of several on the matter, as this event is a very significant event in the history of Israel and Iran, and the influence of the Zionist lobby in the United States. Continue reading “Fakhrizadeh: What his death really means”

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A typical summer in Iran

Iran has had a run of incidents of late that have many people pointing fingers at Israel and the US for sabotage. There have been fires and explosions reported on nearly a daily basis since 25 June, one at a missile production facility and one at the Natanz nuclear facility. There have been others at non-military installations. Activity on the internet after each of these incidents has led to wild speculation as to the causes, but no conclusive proof. For pro-regime change people it would seem to be a move toward a dream-come-true. But what is really taking place and is this a concerted effort to spread panic through Iranian society in hopes of overthrowing ‘the regime’? Or is it something else? Continue reading “A typical summer in Iran”

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Ukraine Air flight 752: What really happened? (updated below)

Def: SNAFU: Acronym, military, ca.1941: a confused or chaotic state; a mess (more on the definition later). In the early hours of 8 Jan 2020 the Iranian IRCG lobbed 22 missiles into two military bases in Iraq – the al-Assad Air Base, which is the main American air base in the north of Iraq, and the American base in Iraqi Kurdistan at Erbil, in their Operation Martyr Soleimani. There were no reported casualties, but there was heavy damage to the bases. In the aftermath of the attack, some 4+ hours later, the Iranians shot down Ukraine Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 passengers and crew, a domestic flight, which had departed Tehran at 6:12 am. Most of the people on the plane were Iranian or of Iranian descent. It has been called human error, but was it really? We will examine that in this instalment as well as the wider picture for Iran. Continue reading “Ukraine Air flight 752: What really happened? (updated below)”

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The 2019 Iranian fuel protests

On the 16th of November the Iranian government abruptly raised fuel prices in the nation without warning, thereby sparking widespread protests. Since then there have been some deaths, riots, and over a thousand people placed under arrest. But this bears an unsettling resemblance to other protests that have taken place in recent years in other nations. Iran has some of the lowest fuel prices in the world, and Iranians take it as a birth right that those prices remain low. Any increases are seen in a very dim light, especially since Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and re-imposed heavy sanctions on the nation. But we simply do not know the truth on the ground in Iran at the moment, for reasons we will examine here. Continue reading “The 2019 Iranian fuel protests”

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The 2019 Iranian-US drone incident

In the pre-dawn hours of 20 June 2019, the Iranians shot down a US surveillance drone they claimed had violated their airspace. The US made the counter-claim that the drone was in international waters and was a strike against a US asset. This turns out to be a rather interesting story with many implications, at the risk of harping on about the Middle East. However, events there could quickly spiral out of control, into a catastrophic conflict. And we came very close to that very thing in those pre-dawn hours. Continue reading “The 2019 Iranian-US drone incident”

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The 2019 SCO Conference and why it was a big deal

(This post follows on a bit from the previous one, about why war with Iran is off the table) The 2019 meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was just held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It is an organization that covers nearly half of the world’s population and 3/5 of the Eurasian landmass. The organization was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, but entered into force on 19 Sep 2003. Since then it has expanded to include India and Pakistan. In addition, Belarus, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Iran all have observer status. Observer states have the option of applying for full membership. Needless to say, the SCO represents a problem for the West, especially Washington, since they were denied observer status. Continue reading “The 2019 SCO Conference and why it was a big deal”

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Why war with Iran is off the table (probably)

On the 13th of Jun 2019 there were attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The first took place at 2:12 UT against the ship, Front Altair, followed at 3:00 UT by an attack on the ship Kokuka Courageous. There were no fatalities. Neither ship sank, and all crew members were safely evacuated. The attack was immediately blamed by US authorities on Iran, with no evidence, amid what Iranian authorities claimed were highly suspicious circumstances. Continue reading “Why war with Iran is off the table (probably)”

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Another shining moment in US foreign policy

On Monday, 8 Apr 2019, Mike Pompeo announced that the Iranian Republican Guard and Quds forces would be designated as terrorist organizations. These groups are part of the legitimate government of Iran, regardless of how one might feel about them. In effect, then, he has labeled the entire government as a terrorist organization, with severe sanctions to follow, starting on 15 April. What follows will be a good demonstration of how a chart for an administration works. John Bolton strikes again. Continue reading “Another shining moment in US foreign policy”

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The emerging situation in the Middle East

This follows on from a previous post. In the morning of 25 Mar 19 a missile was launched from Gaza and landed on a private home in the Moshav Mishmeret in Israel (chart). The Israelis claimed that Hamas had ordered the attack and responded with force, bombing sites in Gaza in retaliation. Hamas claimed the launch was a mistake, the result maybe of a lightning strike or some such. Regardless, the Israeli response as usual was to launch air strikes against the suspected site of the launch and other strategic targets. Continue reading “The emerging situation in the Middle East”