In international law, Tehran has every right to close the strait of Hormuz to nations with which it is in armed conflict. Two vital points:
1) States who permit attacks on Iran to be launched from their territory can be blocked
2) Iran can block neutral ships from trading with states with which it is in conflict.
Plainly UK ships can be blocked under 1). But it is also undeniable that Gulf states have permitted attacks to be launched from their territory. A-10 Warthog attack jets have been routinely used against Iranian ships and were used in the extraordinary operation at the weekend involving special forces on the ground in Iran.
(If you believe that was a pilot rescue I have a bridge to sell you).
Multiple types of helicopter have also been used. The 5th fleet having run away well into the Indian ocean, these short-range aircraft can only be operating out of the Gulf states.
HIMARS short-range missiles were also used against Kharg Island – again this has to be from the Gulf states.
Iran has the right therefore to close the Strait of Hormuz to ships trading with those Gulf States that are hosting US forces attacking Iran. Which effectively means an almost complete closure of the straits.
The remaining legal obligation – from Article 34 of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea – is to allow free passage to neutral vessels which are not trading with states with which Iran is in armed conflict. That is not likely to be a large number of vessels.
A week ago I participated in a discussion on Al Jazeera in which I was able to make some of these points. I also pointed out the hypocrisy of the Western powers’ sudden interest in freedom of navigation, when they have been supporting or ignoring illegal blockades of Gaza, Cuba and Venezuela, and illegal action against the misnamed “Russian shadow fleet”.
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I haven’t seen the news today so events may have outstripped this poem.
Oh Europa
Apologists for Genocide,
For unprovoked Aggression,
Recanting Nuremberg,
Our history, its lessons.
Hear the Shepherd who corrals them
Cloaked in their mantle of Refraction
The Bankrupter, a Market falcon,
Paper bondsman’s Ahriman ?
A Leader of Disruption (imperial conviction)
With forked tongue oaths are broken.
A sheen of power, rank inflation,
A totem of Corruption.
The curdle of his Cri de Guerre
Jets of blood, spurts of venom,
A Stone Age cry, the last Pretence,
A veilless loss of Civilisation.
A golden age approaching ?
Silver dollars circulation ?
Greenback’s stark devaluation ?
Europa’s naked capitulation ?
Daddy’s back is turning,
Uncle Jeffrey’s eyes are watching
Still your kneeling, genuflecting ?
In the service of your King ?
No energy no independence,
Still gaslighting and no resistance ?
The Phantom of the Eastern Czar,
Nails you firmly where you are
(The whipping post, the pillory,
The coward’s refuge chained unfree).
Feel the ground beneath your feet
Where our parent’s rivers meet,
A home between both Earth and Sky,
The sea of Mercy floats us by.
On the barque or on the Main,
The Breeze is blowing once again.
Geometry, cartography, O’ Mappa Mundi
Let us see. Sacred your geography,
The promise of your victory,
Invaders ! Learn from history,
Settle your accounts and live in peace,
Hormuz is straight, born to be free.
Kings and fools (Trump and Netanyahu ?)
Who’s the Bridegroom, which the Bride ?
In between ? Hermaphrodite ?
The secrets of their marriage bed,
A hymn to Hymen, tears are shed
For soldiers far from home to tread ?
The offspring of their Spring campaigns
To march for liberty in chains ?
Outstretched the plain of desert lies,
For forty days temptation tries,
All kingdoms of the world, his price,
Bow down and worship is their prize.
The Deceiver’s here to weaponize,
Ploughshares are fallow, harvests die.
The truth of old (that you’ve been told)
Oh Cain repent, please let it go,
Hasten take your soldiers home.
The future will not bow to your control,
Your idol worship damns your soul,
The Prince of Peace commands you go.
I couldn’t match such poetry, but you encouraged me to attempt a haiku:
Fired their chief soldier
Trump’s White House in its hubris
Comes their Teutoburg
Good Stuff M.J.
I didin’t Know of The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest,
I like it M.J. Fire the experts and face defeat.
There was also the following: The battle the Battle of Carrhae (53 BC) lost to the Parthian Empire, which took the life of Marcus Licinius Crassus.
According to wiki it was that battle that saw the tactic of the Parthian shot. I wonder if we’ll see some analogue of this, an apparent retreat accompanied by an unexpected attack.
Great work Johnny Oh..
A few weeks ago, wrote a Poem Somewhat along the Same Thoughts.
‘ The Evil Lies of the BBC ” – It’s Three Stanzas of Nine lines. Each Stanza has Footnotes Quotes From
Stanza 1 –
On the Infanticide In iraq in the 1990’s, of 500.000 Children –
” Yes, we thought the price was worth it ”
– Madeleline Albright –
Then Clinton’s Ambassador to the UN
Stanza Two –
” We came, we saw, he died ”
Hillary Clinton – Then US Secretary of State.
The Remark made with a Gleeful Laugh, during an October 20, 2011 TV intrview –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY93bW_1SkI
Stanza Three –
” I wanted to Encourage My soldiers by raping Arab Girls as the Palestinian Woman is a slave for Jews,
and we do as we please with her –
Ariel Sharon, prime minister of Israel from 2001 to 2006,
” Wipe out their families, their mothers and their children. These animals must not be allowed to live any longer, ” 95-year-old army reservist, Ezra Yachin.
” Bomb their Children, not their infrstrucure, parents deserve to see their children die.It took us Two years to do this in Gaza, we still havent done it in Lebanon yet ”
– Israeli academic Orit Perlov, 22 march 2026
– The above ( Fron Footnotes of Stanza Three ) Is Only a Very Small Fraction of Hate Speech Quotes By various Israeli’s
Prof Seyed Marandi:
‘The BBC is so sinister, so evil. One of their journalists claimed Iranians want nukes used against them”
them’https://www.facebook.com/reel/1434228944573299
And Lastly (Also Stanza Three )
From – Garden of Roses, By Sa’di – Thirteenth Centuary Iranian Poet –
You who are withoutsorrow for the suffering of others,
You do not deserve to be called human
P.s.. The BBC Claim Mentioned by Prof Seyed Marandi. Was added On 8 April
Hi Brian.
You reference Sa’di. You may already know this but a verse of his poetry is reportedly displayed at the entrance of the U.N in New York. As I recollect it goes-
“Man’s sons are part of One reality
Since all have sprung from One identity.
If One part of the body’s hurt,
The rest cannot remain unmoved or undistressed.
If your not touched by other’s pain,
The name of Man is one you cannot rightly claim”
Brian it would be good if you posted the poem in its entirety, I would like to read it,
Best wishes.
I Didn’t Know That About Sa’di at the entrance of the U.N Johnny..Thanks for The Tip.. I shall have Look..
Here is the Poem I meantioned Above.. I Left the Quotes out.. Since I put them above already.
Evil Lies of the BBC
All through the wracked, weeping warnings
Western leaders wear fictitious Smiles
Disgrace the Stage of Olympic Games
And any Vestiges of peace at FIFA’s World Cup
They Foist the Farce that we are Free
Fiendish powers that be
Sociopaths hell bent determined
To perpetrate Infanticide, and Genocides
And rush out evil lies of the BBC
All through Sceams of Despairing
Silence Tells, Carnage may be music to Western Leaders ears
The very air Rips apart, as war planes Bomb
Now silence in sterilised Rubble Cities
And Western silence too, as innocents flee
Vile propaganda praises powers that be
International courts crawling in the dark
Can’t riase to weild their world given laws
Can’t curb evil lies of the BBC
All through the Genocide laughing
Weld their names to guide Impatient Misles
School Kids Too, Sign bombs bound for schools
Protests supressed, the world over trying
To save Palestine from the river to the sea
But vicious powers that be
Sneer and laugh in our Faces,
Queue Western Complicit ovations
Queue Evil Lies of the BBC
Thanks Brian.
“All through the wracked, weeping warnings
Western leaders wear fictitious Smiles…….” this poetry resonates with the dissonance alot of us feel.The third stanza powerfully echoes this through to the conclusion. The quotes also ground it in reality. Thank you for posting. A real indictment against our propaganda.
Best wishes.
Light relief: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/12/hungary-election-latest-results-viktor-orban-peter-magyar-fidesz-tisza-russia-europe-live-news-updates?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with%3Ablock-69dbe1098f08dd4830774e35#block-69dbe1098f08dd4830774e35
Peter Magyar’s Tisza party have a chance of a 2/3 majority. Orban has conceded.
Orban has lost to Peter Magyar who will have a massive majority, likely over 2/3. How good to have something positive to report! 😊
Is Magyar the EU candidate?
Magyar said “a few families own half the country”. Meanwhile he is the great-nephew of President Madl, so let’s hope he reveals more of what he knows about this topic. He is a very good servant indeed I should have thought from Ursula von der Leyen’s point of view.
NATO is probably more at issue here than the EU. Putin has said he has no problem with Ukraine joining the EU.
Those who are knowledgeable about pipelines will possibly have a lot to chew on.
Seems neither Putin’s offered bribe nor the (purely coincidental) “honour” of Vance’s visit had the desired effect. The penny dropped.
Csatár, Magyarország!
I’d have thought the support of Trump would alone be the kiss of death but having the backing of Trump AND Putin. No wonder he got wiped out.
Anyone supportive of Orbán because of his vetoing of aid to Ukraine and opposition to sanctions against Russia should remember that whilst he was one of the most pro-Russian heads of state he described the Ukraine war as “clear aggression” by Russia, stating that a sovereign Ukraine is needed “to stop Russia posing a threat to the security of Europe.” He also supported Israel in its ‘war’ in Gaza.
Under his leadership Hungary became the most corrupt country in the EU and in 2022 the European Parliament stated that “Hungary can no longer be considered a full democracy”.
Orban is strongly pro-Zionist. So are Bolsonaro and Milei.
Meanwhile…
https://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-ursula-von-der-leyen-rejoices-at-crushing-defeat/
“European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, to which the victorious Tisza opposition party belongs, also couldn’t contain his glee at Orbán’s defeat. Orbán’s populist-nationalist Fidesz party left the center-right EPP group in 2021 to join the far-right Patriots for Europe. “Tonight is the victory of the people of Hungary!” Weber wrote. “They confirm that our centre-right, people-first politics win elections.” “Substance. Solutions. Unity — not empty slogans and fears,” he added.”
Being a politician, he’s probably not ashamed in the slightest of uttering the last-quoted sentence.
“the European Parliament stated that “Hungary can no longer be considered a full democracy”.”
Why does anyone respect that sort of statement, made by a notorious bunch of elected crooks who are calling some other culture un-people’s-ruly?
And why is any country sensibly referred to metonymically as the same as its political system (one vote for a c*nt or some party of c*nts in the national assembly every few years) or political culture (television and Facebook-X performances by celebrity c*nts) anyway?
Brian Red
Ursula von der Leyen was quick to congratulate Magyar. Had he lost, she’d likely cast doubt on the result. The days of unelected EU officials not commenting and minding their business about domestic elections in member states, are over.
There was definitely some sort of NAFO or EU campaign running against Orban on social media, on X. The number of memes and generated images painting him as Putin’s puppet suggested a well-organised, well-funded campaign to remove him. I get why the EU desires homogeneity among member states, for common purpose. But what if they all agree and are all wrong?
The Putin thing is probably overstated. Hungary is heavily reliant on Russian oil and gas (90% of its oil and the vast majority of its gas come from Gazprom, via pipelines through Turkey and the Balkans). Hungary has had issues with Ukraine over the treatment of 80,000-150,000 ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, mainly located in the Zakarpattia Oblast (Transcarpathia) region bordering Hungary. It’s natural a nationalist leader, like Orban, would take up their cause.
Orban’s party, Fidesz, have been in power, what seems to be like forever, and judging by his quick concession I’d imagine, he knows a change is in the best interests/health of Hungary’s democracy too.
I didn’t like Orban’s authoritarianism. But I did think he was correct in resisting giving Russia’s frozen funds to Ukraine. As that move is now likely, and it will infuriate Moscow; as that money will be spent on weapons, weapons used to kill Russian troops – i.e, their own money. WW3 could start over less. And who will resist von der Leyen and Kallas’s empire building now?
‘He also supported Israel in its ‘war’ in Gaza.’
How much material support compared with ‘good’ western liberal governments?
Compare Orban’s contribution to the Gaza Genocide with that of Sir Keir and the Labour Moderates
https://jacobin.com/2026/02/uk-israel-gaza-genocide-media
Declassified UK and Double Down News:
‘Will this documentary put Keir Starmer behind bars?’ (11 Dec 2025) – video, 34m 55s
https://t.co/2Lz0Cne4AR
“Anyone supportive of Orbán because of his vetoing of aid to Ukraine and opposition to sanctions against Russia should remember that whilst he was one of the most pro-Russian heads of state he described the Ukraine war as “clear aggression” by Russia, stating that a sovereign Ukraine is needed “to stop Russia posing a threat to the security of Europe.”
Which, if you think about for longer than about ten seconds, shows that Orban’s Russophilia was purely opportunistic. He was pro-Russian because the Hungarians liked a leader who stood up to the EU, just like the British.
“Under his leadership Hungary became the most corrupt country in the EU and in 2022 the European Parliament stated that “Hungary can no longer be considered a full democracy”.
That’s a bit rich coming from the EU which can never be considered a full democracy as none of the executive is elected. It is no more democratic than the Holy Roman Empire.
“Orban has lost to Peter Magyar who will have a massive majority, likely over 2/3”
Ah just like our own dear leader, the Knight of the Long Nose. That turned out well, didn’t it?
I would be interested to know if Peter Magyar would invite Prime Minister Netanyahu into his country as Orban did and if he would allow for the production of exploding pagers in his manufactures as Orban did.
“Pile in and attack the new twat on his weaknesses” and “Ask him questions he doesn’t want to answer” are as unlikely to be heard in the Hungarian media as they are in the British media when a new prime minister or judge or whatever is appointed in Britain. “The people have spoken”!
“What is this ‘democracy’ crap?” isn’t heard much either…. 🙂
Gotta observe, on top of this, that Von der Leyen has one heck of a cheek presenting herself as speaking for holy “Europe”.
It’d be suprising if there was a big shift in policy towards Israel, but the Times of Israel reports that Hungary is expected to rejoin the ICC; assuming that’s true, Bibi probably won’t be visiting in a hurry. The Israeli government made no secret of its preference for Orbán in this election
“The Israeli government made no secret of its preference for Orbán in this election”
With friends like that, who needs enemies?
Apparently Tisza have won a 2/3 supermajority – this will allow Magyar to undo much of Orban’s State capture of the judiciary and the institutions.
And the media.
Even Putin supporters here surely must acknowledge Magyar’s achievement. In the face of Orban’s control of the State for his benefit and that of his cronies?
EU assets like me will allow ourselves a brief schadenfreude…
“Even Putin supporters here surely must acknowledge Magyar’s achievement. In the face of Orban’s control of the State for his benefit and that of his cronies?”
Yeah, right, Orban was a dictator, who had captured the judiciary and the institutions, so now, when he loses an election and gives up without a fuss, this is because of the “achievement” of the opposition. Nothing to do with Orban not being a dictator in the first place or anything, of course.
Cf. we’re gonna obliterate Iran unless they open the Strait…we’re gonna close that damned Strait.
Or in 2020, rail staff are here to make sure you have a nice journey … we’re gonna stop you getting on trains.
“The little prince looked around for a place to sit down, but the planet was covered by the magnificent clothes of the king. So he remained standing. And because he was tired, he yawned.
“It’s a violation of etiquette to yawn in the presence of a king,” the king told him. “I forbid you to do so.”
“I can’t help it,” replied the little prince, quite embarrassed. “I’ve made a long journey, and I haven’t had any sleep.”
“Then I order you to yawn,” said the king, “I haven’t seen anyone yawn for years. For me yawns are a curiosity. Come on! Yawn again! It’s an order.”
“That scares me. I can’t do it now,” said the little prince, turning red.
“Oh, well!” the king replied, “Then I order you to yawn sometimes and then to…” He was confused a little and he looked annoyed because the king always insisted that his orders would be respected. He wouldn’t tolerate if somebody didn’t follow his orders. But, because he was a very good man, all his orders were reasonable.”
Or of course “Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia. Oceania has never been at war with Eurasia.”
Bayard
April 13, 2026 at 08:07
No Orban wasnt a dictator. He was however an illiberal corrupt authoritarian jerk.
As you say, he had captured the judiciary and the institutions included most of the media.
He had secured a 2/3 supermajority in a previous election allowing him to alter the constitution to his advantage.
Happy to relate, Magyar can undo that fix.
“As you say,”
No I didn’t. Most people know what “Yeah, right” means but I see that I am going to have to mark sarcasm more clearly as sarcasm for the hard of understanding.
“he had captured the judiciary and the institutions included most of the media.”
and yet he lost this election, so why did he bother, if he did at all?
“Happy to relate, Magyar can undo that fix.”
I’ll be very surprised if he did. What authoritarian measures that the last UK government introduced has the current UK government repealed? I very much suspect that the Hungarians will find that the only things that will change is that Brussels will now have more control over how their country is run, and that energy will become vastly more expensive, because they won’t be buying it form Russia.
Bayard
April 13, 2026 at 20:33
Meh.
Do you disagree with the assertion that “he had captured the judiciary and the institutions includ(ing) most of the media.”?
“Do you disagree with the assertion that “he had captured the judiciary and the institutions includ(ing) most of the media.”
I have no idea (and neither do you), but given that that is true about practically any state in Europe, I would say the probability is that it is true, though not to the extent seen in the UK or Germany, for instance. However, given the fact that Orban failed to use this capture to his advantage in the election, unlike von der Leyen in the Romanian election, I would say that there is still some doubt about it.
“EU assets like me will allow ourselves a brief schadenfreude…”
You may be being a bit premature. It seems one of Magyar’s first actions is to uphold Hungary’s opposition to the EU gifting Ukraine 90B euros and to say that Hungary will continue to buy its energy from Russia.
So Trump has ordered the US to chase down ships/tankers that pay the toll set up by Iran, now what if one, or more of those tankers are Chinese and are escorted by a Chinese warship -what then, and futhermore, by creating their own blockade – they will make it more difficult for tankers carrying much needed fuel to nations that desperately need it.
I doubt the world’s nations that rely on the straits will see Trump’s blockade as a good thing, I’m sure Trump said that – the US doesn’t really use the straits that much, whether or not that true I don’t know, but much of the world relies on the to receive goods and fuel.
Finally – just how much is this going to cost the American taxpayer having multiple warships out a sea guarding both ends of the Straits of Hormuz, or chasing a ship/tanker halfway across the Pacific.
1.Trump emollient – oil and stock markets rebound from record high prices
2. Interested parties buy oil, stocks, bonds.
3. Trump abrasive – investment prices rise again. Near the peak –
4. Interested parties sell oil, stocks, bonds, clearing big profits.
Rinse and repeat. POTUS is operating the biggest pump-and-dump in history, for his backers.
Just follow the money.
Wait until tomorrow, TACO Tuesday (Trump Always Chickens Out), and it usually on a Tuesday that he recants his threats – but who knows.
At 2 pm today, Iran declares Hormuz open, sudden 2% jump in equities. Meanwhile, Brent Crude has been descending gently since end of March. But don’t worry. Just wait for Trumpanyahu to get belligerent again next week and sell at the top of the next panic.
Donald Trump responding to Pope Leo saying that obliterating Iran back to the “Stone Ages” [sic] is a no-no:
“We don’t like a pope that’s gonna say it’s okay to have a nuclear weapon”.
How about having ~5000 of them, as the USA does? Is this what they call narcissism or a hidden premise or what?
Some have observed that JD Vance is Catholic. Fewer have observed that Peter Thiel, whose “kept man” JD Vance probably is, is seriously into notions of apocalypse and the Antichrist:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/peter-thiel-brings-his-lectures-on-the-antichrist-to-the-vaticans-doorstep
See also
https://unherd.com/2025/06/tech-bros-dont-get-rene-girard/
See also, also –
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trump-posts-jesus-picture-himself-031738001.html
Trump ™ for Pope. We’re gonna knock down the you know Fatican Batican whatever and build a big new beautiful Pope Trump Tower out of gold bricks…
Regarding the content of Peter Thiel’s apocalyptic speculations in his invitation-only lectures, here’s a Guardian report, and an audio commentary in two parts (Part II links from Part I here).
corr. ‘audio commentary’ -> ‘audio and video interview’
“Donald Trump responding to Pope Leo saying that obliterating Iran back to the “Stone Ages” [sic] is a no-no:“
Brilliant comment on Trump’s deranged attack:
“The Pope doesn’t want a battle of wits with an unarmed man”
If Orban had won, it would have been too obvious that Hungary might not have been a democracy. Probably, Hungary, in fact, isn’t any less of a democracy than the UK is but in every superficially democratic country there has to be the appearance of ‘change’ – see 1990, 1997 and 2024 here – therefore Orban ‘needed’ to go. Also, the Vance visit to Hungary is reminiscent, to me, of the Obama visit before the Brexit vote – misdirection to make it look as if the US wasn’t implicated in, or actively supporting, the eventual outcome.
To return to topic, it does seem suspicious that there is so much mainstream media coverage about whether the Strait of Hormuz is open or closed but so little about Israel bombing Beirut, and even less about the situation on the ground in Israel itself at present. It looks like a smokescreen.
“If Orban had won, it would have been too obvious that Hungary might not have been a democracy.”
Obvious to whom? The people who don’t like Orban? The most obviously undemocratic political organisation in Europe is the EU, but very few people seem to mind that.
Gotta laugh at the usual dafties gloating over the defeat of Orban and if – in their pathological hatred/fear of ” Putin “, they have even the slightest concern that all this will do is remove the last obstacle to exposing Europe to the full disaster-courting idiocy of the Von der Leyen regime. I imagine Fico is next.
When will the Zelly Zealots understand that Russia will never be militarily defeated, certainly not by any European Keystone Army, and that the only way they could be defeated would be at the expense of the Earth and all it’s inhabitants.
But who cares, eh? all that matters to the Russophobes is that this scenario has ” given Putin a bloody nose ” or some such pish.
These elections are not beauty contests or competitions to determine whose image has been airbrushed the most effectively and whatever the veracity or otherwise of Orban’s alleged ” corruption ” ( had to laugh at the statement above that ” Hungary is the most corrupt country in Europe ” ahahaha, nah, I think that accolade goes to that Pure Land comprising nothing but heroes, martyrs n saints – Ukraine ) do people think a country ( or Continent ) is any more democratic because it’s leaders wear nicer suits, have more expensive haircuts and receive more extravagant salaries, like, eg the EUK Clownocracy?
Is it not instructive that the individuals and countries that bloviate the most about ” Democracy ” are the same who increasingly display their arrogant contempt for the people whose interests they supposedly represent and rather than creating more freedom for the latter are in fact removing more n more agency/autonomy from them with endless restrictions; constrictions; conditions etc. The motto of the current EU should be ” Do What We Say; Not What We Do ” or, more simply ” SHUT IT PLEBS “
A Russian asset writes -perhaps with help – “….arrogant contempt for the people whose interests they supposedly represent and rather than creating more freedom for the latter are in fact removing more n (sic) more agency/autonomy from them with endless restrictions; constrictions; conditions etc. ”
Sure, sure.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russias-internet-crackdown-leads-to-a-spring-of-growing-discontent/ar-AA20tih9
” Russian asset ” ahahahahahahahaha. And what are you, a clown’s asset? Don’t know why you are linking more ” Russia The Terrifying ” pish cause I’m not remotely interested in reading it.
You can’t clock a UK front page or * News * outlet without seeing the relentless Russophobic propaganda, but you want to come on here – one of the few remaining sources of non-hysterical, non-propangandised reporting, and talk pish about ” echo chambers ” whilst attempting to disseminate more of the aforementioned bullshit; not long before you start using that highly sophisticated insult ” Putin Appeaser ” , eh?
” perhaps with help ” LOL so, not only a clown with zero critical thought capacity, but a condescending one too. Why would I need help to write what I did, or anything else I might right? because I didn’t go to University or I’m maybe a bit, y’know lower class ” schemie “?
For the record…..I have no particular affiliation with Russia – or Putin, and do not conceive the latter to be some impeccable, fault-free idol. He’s human like the rest of us and no doubt has his faults likewise. But neither he nor the country of which he is President and to which he has to account – much as you n yr ilk tediously portray him as an evil tyrant, ie Stalin reincarnated – something only morons would believe – he is not the one responsible for Genocide or precipitating the gravest global threat since the Cuban Crisis and bringing about severe economic shock to countries that can ill-afford such added pressure. It’s not Russia that has brought the planet to the precipice of oblivion, so why should that country be the object of so much hatred and warped characterisation?
I don’t know Vladimir Putin – and neither do you or anyone else hereabouts, but I refuse to have my impression of him – or anyone else – spoon-fed to me by liars that I wouldn’t trust to tell me the correct time of day.
As I see it VP is protecting his country – THE JOB HE WAS ELECTED TO DO – from the rabid dogs that never cease in their demented attempts to undermine him and his country, with the ultimate aim of deposing him and putting one of their puppets in his place and gaining access to Russia’s vast resources. Would that the West had leaders like Mr Putin, ones that actually care about their people, rather than pishing all over them and charging them for a towel
Oh dear. Straight from engforum.pravda.ru as was. Cue “Putin is God’s Anointed Tsar”…
For the record I detest Israel’s current regime, and those preceding it, from the 60’s onwards. I loatheTrump, as much as you pretend to do, probably more, and more viscerally. The shared ambition of Trump and Putin to destabilise, degrade and subvert European nations is explicit and overt. It is not a matter of interpretation. Therefore, your charmingly persuasive manner* is wasted on me. Chill.
*LOL
“destabilise, degrade and subvert European nations ”
How is Putin supposed to be doing that?
Y’know, I kinda feel sorry for the Hungarian public, they just can’t win (Orban) lost in the recent election, he was a close ally of Israel and the USA – now the new Hungarian PM (Magyar) is a close ally of the Brussels corrupt Epstein Class – and George Soros.
To me they’ve went from the frying pan into the fire, a no win situation.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss … SNAFU.
So, anyone who has the temerity to hold a different view to you on the Ukraine conflict is a “Russian asset”
And judging by his previous more than eloquent posting history, I don’t think Robert needs help from anyone in expressing his views on any subject as he ably demonstrates in his reply to you. And no doubt he’ll take great pleasure in metaphorically blistering your ears again if you give him the excuse. Play the ball, not the man.
Thanks Frank; I’ll apply my usual policy when interacting with strangers online, ie if it’s an ” argument “, post a couple of responses to my interlocutor and leave it at that; I’m interested neither in engaging in protracted, pointless disputing nor ” getting the last in “.
Your supportive comments are appreciated 🙂
Komodo writes like that troll who claimed to be a Venezuelan student called Matt studying in Canada and who (for a time) infested and literally flooded blogs like Bernhard Horstmann’s Moon of Alabama and Mark Chapman’s The Kremlin Stooge with incessant loads of garbage.
Matt’s modus operandi was initially to be polite and giving the impression of being well-informed but as time went on he increasingly became childish and abusive, and started posting huge reams of text from other websites that had a clear bias. On one other blog Matt’s hash-tag was #DownWithAssad.
There now appears to be a new troll called Mosckerr who is flooding blogs in a similar way with pro-Israeli / pro-Zionist propaganda. Read this warning from Pete Beetley’s blog.
Hypothetical : Let’s imagine the Iranian people overthrew the clerics and became a model democracy; an indigenous revolution, followed by democracy free of outside impositions or interference, i.e. no Reza Pahlavi and his Israeli wish list. Let’s imagine, after the first elections a party or coalition of parties formed. And for those, the country acquiring a nuclear deterrent was the political and public consensus – as seems a perfectly reasonable ambition for a country of 93 million; France (69 million) UK (69 million) Israel (10 million) all have the deterrent. Iran is a country that in land area, is the size of western Europe, in ,what is, after all, a dangerous part of the World.
Does anyone believe the U.S. would be fine with this new pristine, faultless model democracy’s decision, arrived at democratically, to acquire a nuclear deterrent?
Doesn’t this hypothetical scenario expose the fact that the US’s concerns have nothing to do with their claimed concerns; namely, that of ‘mad clerics’ acting wholly irrationally by using nuclear weapons should they ever acquire one. The real issue for the U.S.is with any challenge that threatens Israel’s domination of the Middle East and wider region and its untamed aggression / expansionism.
————–
British ex-policeman stripped of citizenship over Russia links https://www.thetimes.com/article/461ae6eb-f39f-4ffe-a327-3f63bb393715?shareToken=f5766c7438e355194682a1372d035368
A former police officer has become the first British-born person to be stripped of citizenship over their links to Russia.
Staggering abuse of power, when citizenship is being stripped for ‘Wrongthink.’ Opinions should never result in such draconian penalties. What happened to being able to disagree?
“Wrongthink?” I very much doubt that, or anything like it, was the reason. He wasn’t important enough for his opinions to be influential.. Reporting UK police procedures to his Russian handler, would be a more likely reason.
Stripping citizenship shouldn’t be something at the discretion or whim of a here today, gone tomorrow Home Secretary though. It should be a decision of judges, at least three, or not happen at all.
It’s typical of the ‘outrage’ culture we live in. In which authority overreaches to show how ‘outraged’ they are. A similar culture in the U.S.has led to jail sentences spanning hundreds of years.
“Stripping citizenship shouldn’t be something at the discretion .. of a .. Home Secretary .. It should be a decision of judges, at least three, or not happen at all.”
Agree totally!
“Reporting UK police procedures to his Russian handler, would be a more likely reason.”
About as likely and having as much evidence behind it as your reason for making that remark being because your handler told you to make it.
So I can assume that interrogating someone no-one has ever heard of as they step off the plane from their home in Russia can only and exclusively be down to their having (unstated) wrong opinions. What a relief to know that they couldn’t possibly intend my country harm (or anyone in it, cf Markov, Skripal, Litvinenko, possibly Berezovsky, etc,) and how remiss of me to suggest otherwise.
“So I can assume that interrogating someone no-one has ever heard of as they step off the plane from their home in Russia can only and exclusively be down to their having (unstated) wrong opinions. ”
You should ask our host about that. Are you suggesting he is a Russian asset?
“Does anyone believe the U.S. would be fine with this new pristine, faultless model democracy’s decision, arrived at democratically, to acquire a nuclear deterrent?”
Of course not, because, to the US, kowtowing to their demands is an essential part of any “democracy”. Countries that stand up for themselves and do what their citizens want are “autocracies”.
Bayard
Yes. I’ve little doubt the US finds these illegitimate Middle East monarchies, and in the case of Egypt & Pakistan, Military dictatorships, easier to boss around; because ultimately, if they do stop toeing the US’s line, the US can gently remind them they aren’t democracies, and that they can just as easily fall if the U.S. so wishes. Model democracies would terrify the U.S.
The U.S. stopped acting altruistically decades ago. In Venezuela and Iran the US couldn’t give a flying-fcuk about democracy or the people. It’s purely about what these two countries can do for the U.S.and of course, Israel.
Former Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has stated that Trump is constrained by munitions(or lack thereof).
This is something Richard Murphy has talked about. The way the U.S. munition supply is structured around profit with a surplus = waste, minimal stock holding and just-in-time business model https://youtu.be/Jwi4VCmr-7Q?si=QUYn9CjqrGl-1Nxi
Not least because by the time Blinken left office last year his administration had ferried an estimated 100,000 tons of explosives to be dropped on starving people trapped in the tiny Gaza Strip. (A combined bomb tonnage equivalent to eight Hiroshimas and far exceeding the combined total dropped on Dresden, Hamburg and London during World War 2.)
Trump is constrained by nothing. After 2,000 years we have the new messiah, move over Jesus. Trump will now perform the miracles of feeding the MIC by blessing the holy hand grenades and providing MIC with infinite armaments. Then he will part the waters of the Hormuz so that god’s army can prevail and then the miracles of turning the USA into zion and raising the dead saint Epstein. Hallelujah, he walks amongst us, we are not worthy oh orange one.
https://www.rt.com/news/638330-trump-jesus-pope-epstein/
Is it me ?
Stevie Boy.
That’s Baal in the middle with the wings, of course Trump is a high ranking figure in within the Epstein Class.
Stevie Boy mystery solved it is Baal.
https://nitter.poast.org/GodRulesIRL/status/2043576775624606194#m
Good piece by Peter Oborne and Irfan Chowdury examining Trump’s claim that Iranians are barbaric ‘animals’, while the United States embodies civilisation.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/framing-war-irans-barbarism-vs-western-civilisation-trump-greatest-conceit
‘Let’s start with a comparison between Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former supreme leader who was assassinated by the United States in the early hours of the war, and US President Donald Trump.
‘Khamenei was a Marja – an expert in Islamic jurisprudence in Twelver Shi’a Islam. The nearest British comparison might be a high court judge.
‘The late supreme leader was also a superb linguist, fluent not just in his native Persian but also Arabic, Azeri and Turkish. He also knew a fair amount of English.
‘He was an enthusiast of Persian poetry but also read widely across western literature: Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, Dante Alighieri, John Steinbeck and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
‘In an interview he gave to Iran’s state-run television network in 2004, he stated: “In my opinion, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables is the best novel that has been written.” Pretty good judgment.’
By contrast ‘Tony Schwartz, who ghostwrote Trump: The Art of the Deal, speculated that Trump had never read a single book in his adult life.’
Anyone know anything about this https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/mark-bullen-russia-police-officer-kremlin-bhnk5309b
Apparently he had all his computers and phone confiscated at the airport, was interviewed , in a similar way to Craig according to the article, and is now the first person born in the UK to have his citizenship taken away !
We are not allowed to know what he did and his lawyers have told him not to say anything apparently. What can he have done ?
“What can he have done ?”
He was a Russian spy. The government-that-has-never-lied-to-us says he was, so it must be true.
It would appear – the French authorities are trying to out do their rivals, especially England and Germany – in producing laws prohibiting any denouncing of Israel.
“France is moving closer to passing legislation that would criminalize a broad range of speech involving the Israeli regime, with penalties of up to five years in prison.
The bill, set for its first reading in the National Assembly on April 16, has received support across the political spectrum, including the far right.
French MP Caroline Yadan, who represents the 8th constituency for French citizens abroad, is the main proponent of the legislation.
She is a prominent figure among lawmakers identifying as “unconditional” supporters of the regime and has made defending it central to her political agenda.
The proposed law introduces several new offences. It criminalizes denying the regime’s existence, while no equivalent law exists for France itself, and outlaws comparisons between the regime and Nazi Germany.
The bill also rules out, what it calls, “implicit” provocation, including certain critical language as a “terrorism-related” offence.
Under Article 1, individuals could face up to five years in prison and heavy fines for speech that the bill frames as a means of “justifying or reframing acts of terrorism” against the regime.
Former anti-terrorism judge Marc Trevidic warned, “I’d never seen anything like it, the notion of implicit incitement to terrorism. Do you realize what that means? Becoming a censor of other people’s thoughts, trying to guess what a person really meant.””
Response to a question to Google/AI: What pro-Palestinian speech that would not be illegal in the UK will likely now become so in France?
The following types of speech would likely become illegal in France while remaining legal in the UK:
1. Slogans Challenging the Existence of a State
“From the River to the Sea”: In the UK, this slogan is generally legal unless used in a context that specifically incites violence or racial hatred. Under the Yadan Law (Article 2), it is explicitly targeted as a “public call for the destruction of a state recognized by France”.
Advocacy for a “One-State Solution”: Calls for a single democratic state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians could be interpreted under the new law as a “denial of the existence of the State of Israel,” making such political advocacy potentially punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
2. “Implicit” Support for Resistance
Contextualising Conflict: In the UK, explaining the “root causes” of an attack or discussing an occupied people’s “right to resist” under international law is largely protected as academic or political discourse.
The Yadan “Implicit” Offence: Article 3 of the French bill criminalises “implicit provocation” or the “outrageous trivialisation” of terrorist acts. This allows judges to prosecute individuals for providing context or “insufficiently condemning” an act, which critics warn turns the court into a “censor of thoughts”.
3. Comparisons and Specific Analogies
Israel-Nazi Comparisons: While controversial and often condemned in the UK, comparing Israeli policies to those of Nazi Germany is not a specific criminal offence. The Yadan Law, by incorporating elements of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, moves toward criminalising such comparisons as a form of “Holocaust trivialisation” or antisemitic hate speech.
4. Advocacy for Boycotts (BDS)
The “Lamy Law” Precedent: France already has a stricter legal environment for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement than the UK, often treating calls to boycott Israeli products as “incitement to discrimination”. The Yadan Law reinforces this by framing anti-Zionism (which often drives boycotts) as a “renewed form of antisemitism” that warrants criminal sanction.
Yeah, that’s really going to make people feel more friendly towards Israelis and, by association, Jews. All forms of discrimination, even positive discrimination, generates the ill-feeling produced by the perception of unfairness.
From The Independent:
“Spain accused of anti-Semitism after Netanyahu effigy blown up
A giant effigy of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was blown up in the Spanish town of El Burgo during a decades-old local ceremony.
The seven-meter (23-foot) figure, packed with 14 kilograms (31 lb) of gunpowder, was blasted on 5 April in the small town near Málaga, Mayor Maria Dolores Narvaez told local television.”
Shame it was only an effigy.
Anti-Semitism conflated with anti-Zionim again.
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/2043261767040499849
Did you catch Tucker Carlson’s, now, controversial interview with Victoria Derbyshire (Derbyshire, standing in for Laura Kuenssberg) on Sunday morning?
Derbyshire was lost for words when Carlson simply stood his ground. This is the type of brutal honesty we needed from Corbyn when he was being hounded by Andrew Neil, in the 2019 GE leaders’ interviews, to apologise for antisemitism in the Labour party. Often, people are asked to apologise for ‘perceived’ antisemitism, because there is no evidence. If I remember correctly, that’s the form of wording Andrew Neil used; would you like to apologise for the perception of antisemitism within the Labour party? If you stand your ground, forthright and confident in your positions, as Tucker did, these media accusers don’t know quite what to do.
Why should someone accept they are anti-Semitic, when they are very clearly in fact anti-Zionist, and religion in isolation, has nothing to do with it,
The evidence Victoria Derbyshire presented for Carlson being an antisemite were the smears of Senator Randy Fine of Florida – a figure notorious even in zionist circles for extreme genocidal Jewish supremacism and Islamophobia. (Regularly saying stuff like Gaza should be nuked away and that he’s happy to see dead kids and Palestinians starve).
Carlson exposed Victoria effortlessly as a crude ZOG mouthpiece. However he would have done viewers an even greater service if he’d asked her why — if the BBC really is all about protecting Jews above everything else — did they not cover the targeted bombing of Tehran’s main synagogue on Passover. A shame because Carlson would be capable of it. It’s an obvious question for Our BBC, but not one we would hear asked in a thousand years in this country.
“Anti-Semitism conflated with anti-Zionism again.”
Unfortunately, there are many influential people who wish the two to be synonyms, not realising that debasing the currency of language just renders it meaningless. See also the euphemism treadmill.
Tucker mentions how he has the right to free speech, unlike in the UK, thanks to the First Amendment.
But In America, universities are coming under all sorts of pressure to adopt the deeply-flawed IHRA definition of antisemitism, and ban the Palestinian flag. While foreign students, who are in any way, shape or form, involved in associated protests, are losing their places and being deported. Amusing how the US political right bang on about how intolerant / oppressive Iran is, while presiding over and insisting upon, such intolerant regimes at home.
That’s not the half of it.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/03/30/gaza-israel-un-criticize-us-sanction-00850477
Bayard
The word ‘terrorist’ has also lost precise meaning, due to the way Israel and the US abuse it. Becoming a pejorative, politically charged label rather than a neutral, academic definition. Israel prepends and appends everything with ‘terror’ purely for their US audience.
You’ll have a young family destroyed in Lebanon, none of whom remotely resemble the western definition of a terrorist, only for Israel to claim they were a ‘terror family’ living in ‘terror infrastructure’ because of some distant relative, who once lived there, and whom they may have had no contact with for years.
“The word ‘terrorist’ has also lost precise meaning, due to the way Israel and the US abuse it.”
It seems to me that, in Israel, “terrorist” means “dead Palestinian”. English can be very confusing for foreigners, when you have the same word with two or more completely different meanings e.g. “fanny” and “fag”.
“Future terrorist” certainly covers Palestinian babies in the supremacist-speak spoken by e.g. government ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich.
Heroic explainer by brilliantly perceptive writer Sam Kiley at the Independent, that rag’s “world affairs editor”:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-iran-china-hormuz-strait-us-b2956568.html
“[The US navy] (s)inking a vessel taking oil to China would be an environmental catastrophe. It could, in theory, be seen by Beijing as an act of war.”
Er, yes, when the military of one country sinks another country’s vessel it is indeed carrying out an act of war. There’s no need to qualify this observation four times with “could”, “in theory”, a reference to how things might “be seen by Beijing”, and prior reference to the environment. It’s just as clearly an act of war as a military invasion of the other country would be.
Kiley is a PPE graduate from Oxford too. What a plonker.
If the tanker was Chinese owned or registered. Many tankers belong to third parties in which case it would be less clear.
Our host will be able to correct me if I am mistaken, but I thought the sinking by state X’s military of a vessel registered to state Y was an act of war by X against Y. I realise China may not be the flag state of a vessel that’s taking oil to China. But if X is the USA and Y is some other state, then it’s an act of war by the USA against Y.
(It’s quite possible Trump’s attitude is “just sink some f*cking ships”. When ranting about the Strait he is mentioning the Caribbean. It is rather as if he is having a conversation with himself in public.)
The ‘tail’ doesn’t wag the ‘dog’?
An existential threat?
“To retain its military power and reserve currency the US needs leverage to force China to provide it with rare earth minerals, and the US intends to use Iran’s oil as that leverage.“?
https://un-denial.com/2026/03/05/cactus-view-of-the-iran-war/
An excellent interview by the Electronic Intifada of Ahmad Hussam, an American reporter returned from Iran who has ‘done a Craig’ there.
Hussam also has his own YouTube channel, Propaganda & Co. with the first three parts of his more detailed documentary of Iran made in the last two weeks, which I definitely intend to look at.
His channel has many other older videos. Judging by their titles, I am not sure whether I would necessarily agree with all of them, though I haven’t watched them yet.
Filton 6: URGENT UPDATE.
Further to the link that RepublicofScotland posted yesterday at 18:16 [p.2 of blog]
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/04/12/uk-jail-palestine-action-terrorism-uk/
Just when I thought that the Judiciary could not sink any lower this article contradicted me.
That the KC for Charlotte Head [Mr Menon], whose closing speech was lauded by Mr Murray and the journalist Mr Jonathan Cook, is now being prosecuted for contempt of court confirms the erosion of any professional safeguards when it comes to defending UK citizens against the interests of the Genocidal state. That the Jury sworn in for the re-trial of the defendants on Criminal Damage charges have such draconian restrictions placed on what information they can receive during the trial leaves one virtually speechless. The Judge has directed that the Jury are not allowed to know that he has discretionary power to sentence the defendants under Terrorism legislation. Thereby, if convicted for an offence , which would ordinarily lead to a Community Disposal (especially given the period on Remand), the defendants could receive sentences up to 10 years!
That defendants who did not damage property could also be convicted on the basis of Joint Enterprise and could face the same sentence is sobering. This in conjuction with the reapplication of previous measures (from the first trial) means references to genocide, international law and Elbit complicity in war crimes are not to be addressed to the Jury. This will leave them without any insight into what motivated the defendants and their actions.
I would urge everyone to read this Grayzone article which is also posted on Scheerpost News
Predictably, the entire British media has chosen to cooperate with the court order against reporting these facts.
Media manipulation.
Here’s a recent BBC report on a ‘terror attack’. Notice how the report doesn’t name the company attacked.
“Terror probe after break-in at business”
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2e8zkg8w3o
Google maps helpfully identifies Harris L3 one side of road and Keysight Technologies the other.
Keysight is a US company that works with Elbit.
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/04/12/keysight-technologies-protest/
Great these tiny outfits like the Canary are pushing back against the BBC and the zionist media-political machine.
Declassified UK are another. They just helped to stop a British arms shipment to Israel being illegally shipped through Belgium.
https://www.declassifieduk.org/how-a-uk-arms-shipment-to-israel-was-seized-in-belgium/
Trump has posted this image of himself on Truth Social:
https://www.dw.com/en/trump-posts-and-then-deletes-jesus-like-ai-image-of-himself/a-76768673
Here he is saying he thought it showed him “as a doctor”:
https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/GVm1VnK3-4VHSaSK0.mp4
In reality he attended a Jesuit university for two years (Fordham), and so we can expect him to be familiar with the image of the sacred heart that this graphic invokes.
Lying to the point of blasphemy, though removing the image later, may be akin to the temporary image of the Obamas in simian suits – another attempted distraction from THE EPSTEIN FILES, though even the latter were themselves used as a distraction (by using Melania) from STARTING A FOREIGN WAR in breach of promises made loudly to MAGA supporters.
Brian Red
He only ‘attended ‘ and must have not listened to anything whilst there.
And it shows.
That not listening was training for not listening for the rst of his life.
For what he has left of it.
I think his Mother said he was an idiot.
He and Netanyahu don’t believe in any religion – it is useful politically and economically so, they pretend to.
Even the BBC knows that but daren’t say.
Dear Craig,
I can’t find such text in UNCLOS https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part3.htm
Can you give a further link to it?
Is it a ruse to put Iran off its guard, the Iranians would be very foolish to trust the US or Israel.
“U.S. and Iranian negotiation teams will return to Islamabad for peace talks later this week — Reuters”
Yes, a ruse and a scam.
Bottom line Israel will not permit a ceasefire/halt. If one did happen Bibi would be dragged off to jail.
Apparently, the talks were progressing well when Vance received a call from Bibi, then it all went to shite.
Stevie Boy.
The below still has the Zionist angle to it.
“NHS staff have been told they might lose their jobs if they criticise NHS England’s controversial £330m contract with IDF-contractor Palantir.
According to the FT, an analytics officer who had raised concerns about Palantir’s Federal Data Platform (FDP) was told by a senior NHS official: “If you criticise the FDP one more time, you are going to lose your job.”
“I know I am not the only one inside the NHS who has been warned off criticising the tool publicly,” the analytics officer added.
In January 2024, Palantir announced a strategic partnership with the Israeli government to support “war-related missions”, meaning its tools are being used in a genocide. It also provides technology to immigration enforcement in the US, and founder Peter Thiel has provided financial backing to Donald Trump.
Citing ethical concerns, the British Medical Association (BMA) has instructed union members not to adopt Palantir’s Federal Data Platform.
In February, BMA chair Tom Dolphin told the British Medical Journal: “Given Palantir’s track record, including controversies in the US involving immigration enforcement and the risks to patient trust, data security, and NHS independence, we believe there must be a complete break from Palantir technologies in the NHS and no further contracts awarded.”
But staff told the FT that NHS organisations are under pressure to sign up voluntarily to the Palantir data system. Technicians working on alternative systems have been told to stop in their tracks.
“When letters go out saying, ‘Sign this or we’ll call your chief executive’, that doesn’t build goodwill,” said an analytics official. “It creates compliance, not commitment.”
Palantir boasts contracts across British public services, with its technology already embedded in the police and the military.
Last month, two anonymous Ministry of Defence officials told journalists at the Nerve that Palantir’s deepening knowledge of the British state poses “a national security threat to the UK”.
123 out of 205 NHS hospital trusts have already adopted Palantir’s data system.”
I’d guess that in reality the Palantir’s Federal Data Platform is just part of a LLM that enables the military, government, security services and police to construct deep profiles on citizens and coordinate that with Mossad and the NSA. This has already been evidenced in the USA so there is no reason to think it couldn’t happen here.
“But staff told the FT that NHS organisations are under pressure to sign up voluntarily to the Palantir data system. ”
If it’s anything like signing the Official Secrets Act, by continuing in the employ of the NHS, they will be deemed to have signed up anyway.
Maybe buying more time, in this case for US forces to leave the Gulf, to blockade ships leaving Iranian ports while staying out of reach of Iranian missiles.
America is still building up its forces, so they are planing something and the peace talks were a distraction. They will need to come in overland for a ground invasion so perhaps Pakistan is planning to betray Iran, or maybe through Iraqi Kurdistan with support from Turkey.
The countries having the largest numbers of American troops in the region are Kuwait with 13,500 and Qatar with10,000. Apart from this there are 2,500 marines and 3,000 82nd Airborne on ships. Not many North of the Gulf. This makes an amphibious assault from the South, i.e. on Kharg and Qeshm Islands (and the coastlands next to them) seem more likely.
If we look historically, the invasion of D-Day was at Normandy, not Calais as expected. The first Gulf war proceeded West of Kuwait initially. So we might expect the Americans to strike where they are less expected e.g. the Iranian mainland somewhere between Kharg and Qeshm Islands. Iran is a very big country, and these islands are at the opposite ends of its South coast, with over twice as much distance between them as between Calais and Normandy, so there are many options.
But the historical adventures occurred when the military chiefs had the respect and confidence of the White House. That is not the case now, judging from the treatment of its military leaders by the current White House, which in its hubris might order an ill-advised military operation (such as a simultaneous assault on Kharg and Qeshm), which could end in disaster.
Incidentally one past imperial tactic may already have failed: the divide-and-conquer tactic was used in Afghanistan, by persuading Tajiks and Uzbeks to fight the majority ruling Pashtun group. In Iran’s North-West Azeris, are proudly Iranian, even though many have Azeri as their first language rather than Persian; in fact the late Ayatollah Khamenei was an Azeri, as Ahmad Hussam has pointed out in his report. Therefore attempting regime change through the Azeri community may be doomed, and it may be that Mossad have now already tried this and failed, compelling them and the Americans to realise that they have a much tougher problem on their hands than they had thought at first.
corr. The comma after “Azeris” should be before it.
Yemen would’ve turned the aircraft carrier into a huge coral reef for the fish.
“The USS Bush has to swing all the way around the Cape of Good Hope because it’s too scared to go through the much faster Red Sea route”
Republicofscotand
I’m not sure slow Aircraft Carriers can chase slow tankers from 1400 kilometres away.
They will all have to come closer to have any effect I think.
If one Tanker goes left and another goes right then that will cause confusion.
The US is very good at blowing up people in the Caribbean Sea though ( two people killed yesterday) and the more Trump becomes undermined the more likely he will attack Cuba as a Trophy win.
Non of his lashing out will not make any difference – his ratings are heading to below his ankles anyway.
in my opinion there is no way back for him personally and if the Republican Senators and Congress men and women want to continue their lifestyles that they have become accustomed to, the sooner he goes the more chance they will have of staying put.
Or at least some of them.
Not too dis-similar as Starmer and his acolytes in the UK after the Local Elections in May.
Typically a carrier would use helicopters to board a tanker (AKA. Piracy), but you’re right they would have to be within ~100 km of the tanker.
The double blockade is more Trump BS. It’ll be over fairly soon, I’d suggest.
Break an enemy blockade by blockading their blockade. Don Tzu [Unz Review]
Ahmad’s Hussam latest report from Iran (Episode 4 of his series) from Shiraz, with testimonies from victims of the wicked ‘double tap’ strikes in which, following an air raid, first responders are also attacked, both emergency workers and those to go to help.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/13/766783/iranian-girl-shines-malaysia-invention-olympiad-dedicates-gold-minab-martyrs
Leila Keshavarz, an Iranian girl who won a gold medal at the Malaysia International Young Inventors Olympiad, dedicates it to the victims of the USA state-terrorist atrocity at Minab, Iran, in which more than 160 people were killed, most of whom were children aged between seven and 12.
Interesting presentation on Russian State TV.
Vladimir Solovyov unhappy.
https://youtu.be/etuTwdy-mM8?is=P3x4G2bcCz3TPBrv
Dismissive of Orban’s defeat.
Encouraging people to buy hypothetical Russian State/military bonds.
And suggesting that Iran and the DPRK send hundreds of thousands of volunteers to the Western front.
Not exuding confidence?
But “andrà tutto bene”?
I hear that Russian troops surrendered to robots yesterday. The armed robot ground force surrounded the soldiers and has advanced into the occupied Oblasts, which wish to secede, and would like all fighting in their region to stop.
Nice to see that Putin has no objection to Ukraine joining the EU. I have said it here before: Putin did once state that he would like Russia to join the EU.
I’m reading an interesting book by Gary Lachman on Holy Russia, and the silver age of Eurocentric cultural ties before the revolution.
I saw a photo of Putin aged maybe 19 or 20, living in Paris. His younger self also features in the Henry Porter novel, Brandenburg Gate.
European regulation and economic strictness might be able to dispense with the Kolnoyski funded Zelensky, and possibly address the loss of Ukrainian territory to Black Rock and China among others. Of course Starmer was promised some rare earths from the occupied territories…. Perhaps the tide is beginning to turn against the madness, even though our systems are completely enmeshed in partisan surveillance.
A new Starmer Macron led European summit is planned. I guess Hungary will attend.
“Nice to see that Putin has no objection to Ukraine joining the EU.”
I would think that anyone who dislikes the EU would be delighted at the prospect of having Ukraine join.
HA! Yes indeed, B. It’s entirely fitting that the country the Guardian among other ( allegedly * kosher * sources ) described as ” the most corrupt country in Europe ” ( confirmed to me personally by Ukrainians I taught in Barcelona who left their country because of the corruption ) should be getting fast tracked & warmly embraced into the E.U. If this goes ahead, I give it no more than a handful of years before the endemic, institutionalised corruption of that country begins to be noticed and effect other member States.
Ukraine’s accession will likely prove the final nail in the EU’s coffin: assuming the utter idiots in charge don’t finish it off even before The Pure Land is admitted. The world would be a safer place without it.
Another good idea – the Post-War reconciliation and intended co-operation of European nations – screwed-up by bad faith actors and the gradual erosion of the original spirit/ intention and their replacement with something all together less beneficial/democratic. The fate that seems to befall all such well-intentioned ideas; tragically
Alyson
April 14, 2026 at 21:24
Alyson, are you opposed to the Ukrainian military using robots in the defence of the country?
I think that using technology to mitigate Russia’s manpower advantage is to be celebrated.
It will save Ukrainian lives.
You say that “the occupied Oblasts, which wish to secede” – presumably from Ukraine?
Is there any evidence that they do so wish. An internationally supervised plebiscite is the only way to find out.
“Is there any evidence that they do so wish. ”
They held a vote? Of course, the answer wasn’t what the EU wanted so it must have been rigged, c.f. Romania. It is a truth universally acknowledged that every person in Europe of sound mind hates Russia, therefore any vote that does not renounce Russia and all its works cannot be a valid election.
“Interesting presentation on Russian State TV.”
From the opening page: “WARNING, …Translation and exhibition of this material does not constitute approval or certification as to the validity of these statements made in the highlighted shows. Exercise caution and conduct additional research…..”
I.e. don’t believe a word of what you are about to see and read. Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it?
Bayard
April 15, 2026 at 07:46
The disclaimer that you quote is a warning that the Russian State TV presenter (in this case Vladimir Solovyov) may not be a reliable narrator.
Good that you appear to share my distrust of Russian propaganda.
“The disclaimer that you quote is a warning that the Russian State TV presenter (in this case Vladimir Solovyov) may not be a reliable narrator.”
Indeed and yet you suggest we believe him if he says something that suggests he is “not exuding confidence”. Not trusting cuts both ways. You appear to be displaying Gell-Mann Amnesia. and suggest that we do too. As far as I can see, the man’s a crackpot and the warning is valid.
I suppose what the disclaimer is trying to get viewers to do is cherry-pick: disbelieve anything that’s good news for the Russians or their government, but believe anything that’s bad. This is like the handwriting expert at the Dreyfuss trial who said that where the writing on the incriminating document matched Dreyfuss’s, it showed he was the author. Where it didn’t it still showed he was the author, just that he was disguising his hand.
Anybody heard from Craig since Thursday?
Craig Murray is in a hospital in Caracas because of a heart problem.
Oh gosh – wishing Craig a safe and speedy recovery – thank you for sharing this update
Hope he is getting all the best care and is better soon. An important dissenting voice.
I thought Craig was back in Scotland; if not, why did he write this on a previous post ….” March 14, 2026: There is no place like home, and a few hours after arriving back in Scotland I was in Glasgow …..”?
Glasgow, Caracas, easy mistake to make.
Israel’s antisemitic attack on the Synagogue in Tehran, on the day of Passover is a warning to all Jewish anti Zionists. Jews in Iran have affirmed that their loyalty is to the country in which they have lived for generations, recognising that the Jews in Israel are Europeans, and so Israel is just a settler colonialist venture, like the US, which celebrates its Independence from Britain again this year, requiring the King to attend in person….
Note the difference of narration in the media regarding the wars:
*Israel is framed as this small, innocent democratic “state” that just “defend” itself.
*Iran – that was unprovokedly attacked – is framed as this nutcase, religiously fanatical zealots, dangerous, murderous “regime”.
Endless re-runs of alleged iranian criminal acts past 47 years is repeated in the media to condition the western viewer that Iran is a “threat” and must taken care of.
Or just compare the reaction between the brazen war of choice/aggression against Iran and the invasion of Ukraine.
Von der Leyen 2022:
“Russia’s attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes.
Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with winter coming – these are acts of pure terror.
And we have to call it as such”
Video: https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1582630271287021570
While I do not support the russian invasion it is still now so obvious that Russia do not systematically destroy civilian targets like israel and the Americans, still the disgraceful EU leadership cannot speak of “terror” when it comes to Netanyahu and Trump.
Jack. You state that you don’t support the Russian ‘invasion’, so one assumes you would have been happy for russia to sit back and watch the western/Ukrainian genocide in Donbass ?
However, you also continually denigrate the arabs because they haven’t and won’t ‘invade’ Israel, Syria, Lebanon, etc.
With respect, I’d suggest a little self reflection and consistency is in order ?
Stevie Boy
April 15, 2026 at 09:06
You put “invasion” in quotes.
So not an invasion then?
Hoo New (sic)?
For the avoidance of doubt, the Russian military action begun February 2022 *was* an invasion (the resumption of the earlier invasion of and annexation of Crimea).
Remarkable that you would claim otherwise.
JK redux.
I see the Neo-Nazi dictatorship running Ukraine has brought in a law that will see anyone making anti-Semitic remarks – can get up to eight years in prison, I mean how is that going to work in a mainly Neo-Nazi supporting nation? with Neo-Nazi battalions, and many streets and monuments dedicated to Nazi sympathisers, and the cherry on top, must surely be the National Hero of Ukraine – Bandera a top Nazi sympathiser.
But then again Nazism is the twin of Zionism both are cut from the same cloth.
Republicofscotland
April 15, 2026 at 14:35
Come on Ros.
You really have drunk the Cool Aid – “Neo-Nazi dictatorship” FFS.
Actually no, you have jumped the shark while guzzling a pint of refreshing Cool Aid. Quite the feat.
Do you really believe this shite?
Do tell us about the death camps in Ukraine.
The cult of the Jewish “Fuhrer”?
The conscription of children into uniformed militias?
The constant appeals to xenophobia and seizure of neighbouring lands?
In fact, much of the above is far more applicable to Russia.
Funny that.
We are indeed governed by people influenced by Nazism – and its twin Zionism.
“Well if it isn’t the granddaughter of Ukrainian Nazi Constantine Dobrowolski! Y’know, the guy they called “The Butcher” for his involvement in the execution of Jews and Ukrainians on the Eastern Front?”
https://nitter.poast.org/KitKlarenberg/status/2043730803721486427#m
[ “MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli before departing Bilderberg 2026” ]
Throw in Kaja Kallas and Christia Freeland into the mix as well, and of course the cloud over Ursula von der Leyen’s ancestors Nazi ties.
happy for russia to sit back and watch the western/Ukrainian genocide in Donbass
What ‘genocide’? There was no genocide going on in the Donbas. There was a conflict which would not have gone on for as long as it did had Russia not interfered and sent troops and weapons.
Pears Morgaine.
For eight years the Neo-Nazi’s in Ukraine bombed civilians hospitals schools etc in the Donbas – which is genocide, the Western media often reported on Neo-Nazism in Ukraine right up until the Yankee coup in 2014 – then they fell silent on it, now Eastern Ukraine (Donbas) is lost forever to Kiev, and its all their own making – and its not over yet – Ukraine or what’s left of it – is now a failed state – ran by an unelected dictator – who hires his terrorist Neo-Nazi forces out to the highest bidder.
“There was a conflict which would not have gone on for as long as it did had Russia not interfered and sent troops and weapons.”
Yes, all the people in Donbass who didn’t accept the US coup in 2014 and would have been exterminated if Russia hadn’t “interfered”. Whatever happened to Responsibility To Protect, the principle under which NATO went to war in the Balkans, or has that been memory holed by now?
So, if there is a pro-Russian Ukranian government installed in Kiev and they ended up fighting a civil war against breakaway oblasts in Galicia, you’d be supporting the government and lambasting the Poles who were interfering and sending troops and weapons, no?
Stevie Boy
There were many things that Russia could have done instead of invading Ukraine but they did just that – waged a war with a unclear goal that have only brought them disadvantage after disadvantage – a clear folly.
As far the passive arab world, there are many things they could do – excluding war.
Sanctions, isolation, cutting off military deals, cutting off Abraham Accords, expelling israeli diplomats and other type of threats that could likely stop the Genocide in Gaza/Lebanon just like that.
Right now I read how Lebanon and Israel conducting peace and some semi-normalization talks while israel is destroying and murder lebanese daily. Who cares? Apparently not enough of the lebanese people.
I think Norman Finkelstein said some good things here to the clueless lebanese interviewer some 15 years ago:
Norman Finkelstein Hezbollah, the Honour of Lebanon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAGVQF-Kys8
“There were many things that Russia could have done instead of invading Ukraine”
Like what?
Bayard
Up until the invasion, Zelensky’s approval rate was steadily declining.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1100076/volodymyr-zelensky-s-approval-rating-ukraine/?srsltid=AfmBOoqX-iGEh0MvWfW4IKAex9X3FJWl1_5NtXZtCnzvOYgIYqjLGlgg
Also, from 2021:
“Volodymyr Zelensky enjoyed unusual popularity for more than two years. But the general optimism about the direction Ukraine was heading—the uplift Zelensky had brought to Ukrainians in 2019—had already evaporated by 2020: from polls showing 52 percent of Ukrainians optimistic and 18 percent pessimistic in September 2019, the mood shifted to 23 percent optimistic and 60 percent pessimistic in March 2020, and since then pessimism has prevailed. In July 2020, the number of those who did not trust Zelensky exceeded the number of those who still believed in him (51 percent versus 43 percent). “
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/just-all-others-end-zelensky-alternative
Russia could have just waited it out for a – most likely – better leadership to take hold in Ukraine. Instead the invasion almost doubled Zelensky’s approval rate and strengthend the anti-russian sentiment.
“Russia could have just waited it out for a – most likely – better leadership to take hold in Ukraine. ”
Meanwhile the Ukranian Army would have crushed the militias in the Donbass. On what grounds do you say that a different leadership would be better? Even a cursory examination of history says that it would have been very unlikely indeed. Zelensky came to power on a peace ticket: he was going to stick to the Minsk agreements and stop the civil war. He did nothing of the kind. What is most likely is that any replacement would have been exactly the same: they would say whatever it took to get elected and then do something completely different.
Also the US didn’t spend millions of dollars on a coup in 2014 only to have Ukraine elect a president who wasn’t going to carry out the purpose of that coup, which was to be a hostile force on the borders of Russia. There is only one thing that the US respects, as Trump and his minions constantly remind us, military force, so that is what Russia had to use, since all else had failed.
I think there would have been a greater likelihood that a more pro-peace minded leader would have become popular in that situation than for the ukrainians to vote in “another” Zelensky, the ukrainian population were obviously fed up with lack of progress regarding the war.
I don’t disagree with any of that. Zelensky himself was one of those “more pro-peace minded leader”s, but there’s nothing to stop his replacement doing exactly what Zelensky did and simply carry on the war one it had been explained to them just how bad for their health stopping the war would be.
it is still now so obvious that Russia do not systematically destroy civilian targets
Not much. For the last two years Russia has been trying to destroy Ukraine’s electricity and heating systems with the sole purpose of undermining civilian morale.
https://ukraine.un.org/en/310140-energy-attacks-amid-unusually-harsh-winter-are-exposing-ukraine%E2%80%99s-civilians-extreme-hardship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf7t7_VY0hE
On the contrary, Pears, Russia decided or assumed that when the Oblasts voted to secede from Ukraine (after 4 years of constant shelling and tanks on the street, funded and supported by the Democrats, and which Trump stopped funding) that this was an invitation to enter the territory to secure the new borders, with the initial expectation that this would be a technicality. Putin of course had not seen Victoria Nuland explaining that the coup which removed Ukraine’s democratically elected president, aka the Maidan, would occupy Putin’s attention, use up his men and weapons, and end his role patrolling the previously known borders of Israel, Syria, Lebanon and of course Iran.
But of course you do know that, and that this premis is the excuse for long range targeting of Russia’s oil and gas nodes all across the country, which the hegemon also has designs on, while promising our Starmer some rare earths from the seceded regions.
Russia has advanced slowly towards these borders, as per its original intention, and has pulled back from any military action that would cause widespread collateral civilian casualties. I concede you would not want Russian soldiers promised rape victims in your neighbourhood, to encourage them to sign up, and they have been brutal up front and in person, but also far too many of them have died and Russian mothers of young conscripts are grieving, as are families of Ukrainians who do not know about the democratic vote to secede after the Azov Battallions attacked and before Russia arrived
Pears Morgaine
Yes they have but it is still not anywhere near the systematic acts by israel and the US have done against Iran. Not to mention the systematic targeting of humans whether it is top military brass, politicial leadership and total disregard for human civilian lives that is repeatedly targeted in Iran. Compared with that, Russia act obviously way more carefully than Israel and the US.
“Not much. For the last two years Russia has been trying to destroy Ukraine’s electricity and heating systems with the sole purpose of undermining civilian morale.”
Coming from someone who claimed that it was OK for Ukraine to blow up a railway bridge in front of a civilian passenger train “because all railway lines could be used by the military”, that’s a bit rich.
“Or just compare the reaction between the brazen war of choice/aggression against Iran and the invasion of Ukraine.”
Indeed: Russia attacks Ukraine.
Results:
– everyone says Putin is a very bad man
– immediate sanctions on Russia, economic and cultural
– widespread international support for the attacked nation, economic and military
– Ukranian flags appear everywhere
– many countries welcome Ukranian refugees
The US and Israel attack Iran
Results:
– everyone says Trump and Netanyahu are very bad men
– er, that’s it.
Bayard
Apparently Von der Leyen has ‘ learnt lessons ‘ due to this Iran War ( not my phrase – the BBC and Sky’s phrasing – read -it’s all Iran’s fault and for anyone just passing – they started it).
I hope she and the EU have learnt that allowing the US to shove its NATO borders up as close as it can get to Russia was an act of stupidity.
That allowing Biden and others to blow up the brand new pipeline without a whimper was also an act of stupidity – they could have just not turned it on.
That Article 5 of NATO wasn’t and isn’t worth the paper it is or isn’t written on.
And finally she and other geniuses should never trust the US and Israel ever again.
In fact – if she ever watches the news on TV she should do a good study about US Perfidy re; How the US charges a fortune for military kit to ‘defend ‘ The Gulf States only to get the kit blown up in quick time.
Does anyone think that a European Army would fare better?
Not with people like Von der Leyen in charge.
Of course all future wars will be fought with Drones.
That’s fine for bombing but not occupying – which if you are going to take on Russia or any
other country means you have to put boots on the ground.
Even a Knuckle Head like Trump has worked that one out as highly dangerous.
Mertz thinks it’s goer – as long as he doesn’t personally have to lead the assault on Moscow.
“Apparently Von der Leyen has ‘ learnt lessons ‘ due to this Iran War ( not my phrase – the BBC and Sky’s phrasing –”
The BBC usually uses that expression to refer to the results of an investigation into some official cock-up. As far as I can see the only lesson learnt is that such things should be covered up more effectively. I expect that the only lesson Fond o’ Lying has learnt is that the Fourth Reich needs its own Wehrmacht.
Bayard
Yeah it is absurd, thankfully the International secretary of Amnesty, Agnes Callamard, had the courage to blast Kaja Kallas/EU’s hypocrisy yesterday, very good statement: https://x.com/AgnesCallamard/status/2044068943262892467
Water off a duck’s back, I am afraid. Kallas is a single-issue fanatic. For her, nothing exists except war with Russia. “Russkrieg, Russkrieg uber alles, Uber alles in dem Welt”.
When they open up the EU after its death, they will find “Kallas” engraved on its heart.
Also, Russia’s invasion is called a “full scale, unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine” while the Genocide in Gaza is framed as mere “the conflict in the Middle east” and the naked aggression against Iran become “US/Iranian conflict” like they are somehow all at fault while there are of course two clear perps and one clear victim.
Also when 1 ukrainian is killed, it sometimes become top news, meanwhile when people are killed en masse in Gaza/Lebanon/Iran by the israelis/americans, it is almost framed like some accident where the culprit is not even typed out by mainstream journalists!
It was Israel – and not the US, that was calling the shots at the recent failed negotiations with Iran.
“Vance was surrounded by two well-known Zionists, constantly on phone with Netanyahu. It’s clear American regime did not have authority. Washington Post published op-ed calling for assassination of Iranian negotiators. We prepared for our plane to be shot down”
https://nitter.poast.org/MonitorX99800/status/2044113313403998368#m