Mark Sleboda - What the Hell Just Happened in the Middle East You May Ask?
Mark Sleboda is summarizing his view of the current episode in the war on Iran (slightly edited for clarity):
What the Hell Just Happened in the Middle East You May Ask?
My take -
The US/Israel realized:
- that their regime change plans were not coming to fruition,
- that the Iranian govt had more support and stronger foundations than they had believed,
- that Israeli air defense was collapsing/exhausted and
- that an attrition war of long range strike was going to go badly for Israel.
- And Trump began to get freaked out over the rising price of oil with the Iranian threat of closing the strait of Hormuz.
So they wrapped it up, declared victory, and demanded a ceasefire.
Iran agreed because they too have been badly shaken through Israeli covert warfare and their own air defense all but collapsed.
The can will only be kicked down the road, and both sides will start rebuilding, and making preparations and plans for the next round, the next war. This was only a skirmish at the end of the day ...
Iran, for surviving, maintaining a civilian nuclear enrichment program, and for the fact that it was the US/Israel that pushed for the "ceasefire", comes out slightly ahead on points.
The biggest loser - the collapse of the NNPT and international law.
Israel is already thinking about restarting the war.
But in the long term Sleboda's last point is the most important one. The Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty has kept a cap on the number of countries with nuclear weapons. The attack on Iran's civilian nuclear installation, and the lack of a serious IAEA's reaction to it, proves that the NNTP fails to provide the security it once had promised.
No only Iran will take conclusions from that.
Iran's parliament has, for good reasons, decided to stop all cooperation with the IAEA.
It seems to have support for this from Russia:
"IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi could have provided a more precise report," [Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov said. "He is now insisting that Iran grant the agency immediate access to its nuclear facilities to verify the whereabouts of enriched materials and assess the situation on the ground. But where are the assurances that this information won’t be leaked? I see no such safeguards."Lavrov also pointed to broader concerns about the neutrality of international institutions. "This ties into what I mentioned earlier: the West is exerting serious influence over the secretariats of international organizations. In some cases, it’s as though they have been effectively privatized," he remarked.
The West is demolishing the international order that had, for the last 80 years, provided some 'rules of the road' in global behavior. The U.S. is preventing the World Trade Organization from doing its job. The agreements that limited nuclear weapons were done away with one by one. The recent conflict blew up the NNPT and further diminished the UN Charter.
The consequences go far beyond the Middle East. They makes the world less peaceful.
Posted by b on June 25, 2025 at 14:16 UTC | Permalink
next page »President Trump Takes Multiple Questions From Reporters During Meeting With NATO Secretary-General
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRhi3PRSpYI
Golden Don says just as 'Hiroshima ended that war our bombing ended this one.'
Posted by: JohnGilberts | Jun 25 2025 14:27 utc | 2
Trump, MAGA, R/D midterms — those are the circus attractions. To seize political power non-violently, the sheeple must organize from the ground up. They must ask their most genuine neighbor to run for office and organize their own neighborhood security patrols to protect their rep. If sheeple instead continue waiting for “branded” candidates to show up to serve them, nothing will change.
If that does not work, well….try that first.
Posted by: I forgot | Jun 25 2025 14:28 utc | 3
The example of the DPRK shows that Nukes bring peace and stability. - Exile | Jun 25 2025 14:24
Too true, my feeling exactly, the Korean peninsular is more stabile than it was for the previous seventy odd years since the start of the Korean War. The only destabilising party is the United States.
Posted by: Ghost Ship | Jun 25 2025 14:30 utc | 4
I think y'all are being much to kind to the Great Liar in Chief in DC and his entire team of mutts, grifters and murderers. Check some numbers: price of oil on the day that Trumpstein said 1) he was negotiating with Iran AND 2) any attack was two weeks away: $60. Next day: Murika bombs Iran. Price of oil: $73. That's a whole bunch of shekels one could book if one had prior notice. Next day: Trump announced great success and a "ceasefire." Price of oil: $62. That's a whole bunch of shekels you could have booked if you had known to short oil. For the Evil Empire this is just business. Just a sick game. A "reality" show.
Meanwhile every day (!!!!!) dozens if not hundreds of Palestinians are murdered. Houses in the "West Bank" are bulldozed. Fields burnt. The news shows photos of squatters fleeing by boat, running to Egypt etc. So what bunch of thugs are moving into the stolen properties? This infamy doesn't make the Great Wurlitzer. There's no money in it. Just blood and sorrow.
So, with respect to all the pontificators, IMHO Trump is not playing 3D chess or checkers or anything else. He IS the deep state and the deep state is licking its chops and looking for more suckers and more victims.
Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | Jun 25 2025 14:33 utc | 5
President Trump Takes Questions From Reporters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df6HnzD3BUs&ab_channel=TRTWorld
The level of bullshit coming out of him is amazing.
He told a women reporter from BBS Ukraine that the Patriot system is 100% effective :-)
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 14:36 utc | 6
We need to respect the wisdom of Iran in accepting the ceasefire. By contrast, look at Ukraine. They will never surrender or negotiate because the Zelensky regime can't do so. The result is endless bloodshed and destruction of the nation. Iran will live to fight another day - and likely, better prepared to do so.
A further problem within Iran that I haven't seen discussed is the actual religious affiliation of its people. There are some who claim that shocking numbers of Iranians are secretly becoming atheists and that Shias are a minority - but they can't speak up for fear of death. Of course, this may still leave nationalism as a force to oppose Israeli aggression.
Posted by: Eighthman | Jun 25 2025 14:37 utc | 7
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/233650/Iran-may-reconsider-stance-on-nuclear-program-NPT-Coop
The language is still very careful and sounds like probing for reactions, especially from neighbours Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but probably also fromm China and Russia.
Posted by: Hamburger | Jun 25 2025 14:39 utc | 8
Apparently, Peace On Earth will occur when every country has nuclear weapons.
Posted by: Mark Mosby | Jun 25 2025 14:40 utc | 9
Tom @ 7
Just watched a small bit of that. What drugs are they on? Yes, amazing.
Posted by: oldhippie | Jun 25 2025 14:42 utc | 10
Going the nuclear way meant IAEA, inspections, etc
Soon it will be IKEA, get your flat pack and easy assembly instructions.
Sweet…
Posted by: Newbie | Jun 25 2025 14:43 utc | 11
I think this effectively sums it up: "This ties into what I mentioned earlier: the West is exerting serious influence over the secretariats of international organizations. In some cases, it’s as though they have been effectively privatized..." And all this will be brought to bear directly on China sooner or later, in conjunction with the rearmament of the EU and NATO's insistence that Russia wants to invade and takeover Eastern Europe. At the end of the day, it's a way of preserving the Western oligarchy's hold over as much of the world as possible (going on 500 yrs) and preparation for the reinstatement of hegemony over East Asia and the submission and assimilation of China.
Posted by: Ludovic | Jun 25 2025 14:44 utc | 12
Billion Dollar Brain syndrome, as usual. The US mentality is to turn everywhere into "America".
Posted by: Kaiama | Jun 25 2025 14:45 utc | 13
In this "bar", I am not a tea-totaller. I'll have some vino.
But must we speak of the weapons incessantly? I suppose so.
Nuclear bombs, the dreaded "ultimate" and worse weapon. It is very dramatic and fearsome. In the bible there is some permutation which can be derived that the world is to be "destroyed by fire". What sort of fire is that? Nuclear fire, radiation blast fire? Or a different fire? Fire and brimstone over Sodom and Gamora?
In order to analyze this in the most coherent manner, we need the facts at our disposal. Technical and scientific facts, alright. I know about those things, in this Age of Scientism. It's fine... but I will add the more important overlay of the spiritual level. Much more significant, thank G*d!
Tell me what are the facts? Who has what nuclear weapons? Where are they? And what are they capable of? Most pertinent, whose hands are they in; what is their mental health status?
Let me reveal a mystery: when I first came here, I went through a process, with the military. I was offered the employment or to do the service of operating the security and readiness of the nuclear weapons in the U.S.A. That is, to have the codes, to monitor the missile silos, etc. I declined on the gracious offer.
So I know a little something about it, I have experience. My ongoing salient experience is that I'm very concerned about these weapons and these militaries, on all their various sides, internationally. The concern is because of fear, but calm down on the fear. We are also told that these weapons are being used as a deterrent. That is an interesting prospect and it does seem to be the case of deterring the....war.... well, the nuclear weapons deter the use of other nuclear weapons. That's all. The war still rages, using conventional or other more weird sorts of weapons (which includes energy weapons, weather modification, psy-ops, bio warfare, chemical warfare, economic, etc.)
Posted by: JesusChrist Official | Jun 25 2025 14:45 utc | 14
As I already explained, it’s a race between getting control ( or getting rid) of nukes before they are used and it escalates to global thermonuclear war.
The more the merrier and the latter happens before the former.
I.e. we’re screwed
Posted by: Newbie | Jun 25 2025 14:46 utc | 15
Posted by: oldhippie | Jun 25 2025 14:42 utc | 10
I can see hyping my product by saying "It is very effective."
But anyone with a half brain functioning knows nothing is 100 % successful, yet his brain is wired such that the first thing that comes out is ... trala "LIES".
I fu&%en hate such people no matter the reason why they do that.
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 14:50 utc | 16
Iran needs to develop or obtain nukes as quickly as possible - for me its a myth that some countries would use them - (Israel USA aside) we just have to look at India and Pakistan and NK - to see that they have them, the former two are always jousting in one form or another - but nukes are not mentioned after skirmishes- because MAD stops them from doing so.
Nato/West, only attacks and tries to regime change (openly) countries that don't possess nukes - it would at least superficially, appear that possessing nukes - is a barrier to Nato/West attempting an open regime change - for me the USA and Israel would be more likely to use nukes (strikes on other nations) before other nations would.
Israel doesn't want Iran to have nukes, so a full scale war with Iran must be on the cards for them, we know they can't win it by themselves - they need the USA or and Europe to back them - and participate in the war.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 14:51 utc | 17
Iran could have lasted a lot longer than Israel. What allusion to getting nuked caused them to be so kind to Israel and U$$A? Getting oil sales to China that already exist?
IAEA and OSCE are infiltrated by CIA/Mossad!
Iran could absorb a huge amount of punishment compared to tiny Israel.
Using IRBM's from range eliminates Israel's greatest advantage: US air support available to crush enemies......
Air and Missile defenses (AMD) are an economic value rarely a strategic asset.
Used against manned bombers AMD makes a little sense. Used against missile all it does is cost both sides money, until the defenses run out or break down!
Posted by: paddy | Jun 25 2025 14:53 utc | 18
Looking at what the hypersonics did to Tel Aviv it would seem the boundaries between nuke and conventional are blurred. Or is it all AI?
Hypersonics have the virtue they can be used. It would be nice to know what really has been happening. Level of info from Israel is crap.
Back when Oreshnik was used there was discussion about the Coulomb Effect and then all that was just dropped. Still no photos of Yuzhmash. If hypersonics are at kiloton level and can be made by the hundreds who cares about nukes?
Posted by: oldhippie | Jun 25 2025 14:55 utc | 19
Some measure of the blame Israel/Israeli-America's War of Aggression against Iran can placed squarely on Iran. With the neocolonialist/neocons/[aka-Israel-Firsters] decades long death grip in power the world has been split into factions similar to what preceded WWI. Iran was faced with a stark choice, surrender to deconstruction by neocolonialist/neocons/[aka-Israel-Firsters], fight alone or, make council with Russia.
Iran choose to fight alone. As a consequence the depraved, ever-predacious-Israeli-State saw an opportunity to plunge it's fangs into Iran. Had Iran made a true defense pact with Russia, yes, I know the history, this whole thing could have been avoided.
Perhaps, in light of current events Iran will rethink their position. The deep offshore basin of Iran's Caspian Sea coast offers maritime basing of a submerged, mobile missile fleet that would be unassailable. Russia could expedite such an enterprise and in return Iran could grant Russia what it really wants, an unassailable, warm water port, with a direct route to Russia. Such a scheme would insure Russia's fealty to the security of the Iranian state.
While reconstituting the dynamic that preceded WWI may appear risky, the potential of direct conflict with Russia would disempower Israel/Israeli-America from striking Iran making the risk, in my opinion, worth taking?
Posted by: S Brennan | Jun 25 2025 14:59 utc | 20
IMO, a key point Sleboda misses is the big issue of smuggling drones and other hybrid war material into nations via shipping containers as I reported on my substack two weeks ago. The need to inspect closely will slow the pace of trade significantly until high-tech scanners are built and widely distributed to speed the process. IMO, it's surprising that method hasn't been used for destabilizing attacks until now.
As for the conflict's outcome, I've opined on that already: a large window of opportunity to help those in Gaza opened but very little was done. The same can be said for completely razing all points of importation--ports and airports--to make resupplying Zionists as difficult as possible as well as energy generation. I'd like to think the damage will run into the Trillions of dollars, but I'm likely to be disappointed.
-b-
I think less “peaceful” for the West.
It hasn’t been “peaceful” for the rest of the world for 30 years.
Obvious now, these institutions were corrupted from the gate to provide a “legal” basis to subjugate all other nation states. Including ICC to Western whims.
The sooner all these post WW2 institutions fall, the better for all.
As someone wrote: “you can’t put new wine in an old wine flask”..
Seriously, the world isn’t advancing towards “multipolarity”, it’s simply returning to pre-WW2 conflicts and resolutions by force, neighbor against neighbor like the olden days. When was an actual “Declaration of War” besides the U.S. declaration of the “War on an adjective (Terror)…”
USReal Gaza actually, cemented the world view of lawless singularity with impunity as the “new world order” moving forward.
War by “terrorism” is the new model moving forward.
Why? Simple, how do you hold the number one terror state (US) accountable legally? Or any other way? Only by terrorism atm.
There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle as people of hopium want to think. US has been unleashing terrorism on the world blatantly for 25 years now.
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jun 25 2025 15:03 utc | 22
Every commentator gives the same mistaken appraisal that Iran was "badly shaken" or some such nonsense. Iran trained for this for decades, it used only 30% of its capacity (not its stockpiles, its actual capabilities), and it was prepared to go as long as it took to humble Israel. The damage to that entity is on a huge scale.
Professor Marandi in his latest interview with Nima yesterday gave a good and reliable appreciation of how Iran acted, what it achieved, and what its current calculations are - I recommend it for any who seek clarity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYjX0NC-EiU
If Israel makes a significant attack again it will get the the punch it throws turned precisely on its own face, with interest, and the same goes for the US. While Israel lacks the character to understand the deterrence that is still being imprinted on its savage brain, Iran HAS established assured destruction of the enemy. And Iran still stands, unbowed, as a rock in the region for the waves of others to break upon, and recede.
Posted by: Grieved | Jun 25 2025 15:04 utc | 23
What is going to be done to Germany and Britain?
These two nations are behaving worse than Israel towards Iran, the British in particular are actively enjoying killing Russia and all sorts of really bad things and bragging about.
And don't give me that 3 d chess/ Nato nonsense, clowns. There are no rules as the past 12 days have again confirmed.
Is Britain untouchable?
Posted by: Skeletor | Jun 25 2025 15:05 utc | 24
Paddy “Iran could absorb a huge amount of punishment compared to tiny Israel.”
Yes, but they probably don’t want to choose to be the whipping boy. Not everyone is as stupid to volunteer for that as Ukraine has been …
Posted by: Caliman | Jun 25 2025 15:07 utc | 25
"The West is demolishing the international order that had, for the last 80 years, provided some 'rules of the road' in global behavior."
"My way or die" chiefly the modus.
Posted by: elmagnostic | Jun 25 2025 15:11 utc | 26
I suggest people stop quoting any Yank regime partners, associates and spox, including the “POTUS”. The truth-value of their verbal diarrhea stems from an unknown function biased towards “false”. It’s as productive to discuss things they said as it is to discuss what they didn’t say or what Donald Duck might’ve said. It’s all memes for public consumption.
Posted by: I forgot | Jun 25 2025 15:15 utc | 27
Hypersonics have the virtue they can be used. It would be nice to know what really has been happening. Level of info from Israel is crap.
Posted by: oldhippie | Jun 25 2025 14:55 utc | 19
The extent of damage can be seen very clearly by getting access to sat photos. That is something the Zion psychos can not do anything about.
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 15:18 utc | 28
oldhippie | Jun 25 2025 14:55 utc | 19--
Agree about hypersonics. The question then becomes how much "rare" material is required in their construction. Then there were the ballistic missiles that are maneuverable in their terminal flight phase. How well can their performance be assessed? Clearly, when the Zionists restart the conflict, Iran will start with more advanced missiles since it's used most of its older inventory. Also, IMO much damage was done by failed Zionist AD falling back onto its own land not just with misfires, so that needs to be kept in mind when doing BDA. Will the Zionists again believe their own hype about their AD's effectiveness when contemplating resuming the conflict?
Arnaud Bertrand put it succinct:
All Iran got rewarded with for maintaining IAEA monitoring agreements is:
1) it provided a targeting manual for their nuclear facilities
2) the IAEA gave Israel diplomatic cover for the attack by issuing a statement the day before the attack where they - what a coincidence - "found Iran non-compliant with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years"
https://nitter.poast.org/RnaudBertrand/status/1937767416932766087#m
Posted by: xor | Jun 25 2025 15:20 utc | 30
The rats are fleeing the sinking ship at an alarming rate.
“The UK is set to lose a record 16,500 millionaires in 2025, The Times has said, referring to a Henley Private Wealth Migration Report published on Tuesday. The organization has found that the outflow of wealthy people from Britain will far surpass both China and Russia despite significantly more geopolitical and economic pressure on those nations.
The Henley report attributes the trend to policy changes introduced by British authorities in recent years. These include the abolition of the centuries-old non-domicile tax regime in April 2024, which previously allowed wealthy foreigners to shelter offshore income from UK tax. It has been replaced with a residence-based system requiring full global tax exposure after just four years of UK residence, and full inheritance tax exposure after ten.
According to the report, the overhaul, alongside the earlier closure of the Tier 1 investor visa in 2022 and mounting economic concerns, has triggered a “historic wave” of wealth migration. The 2025 figure follows a then record 10,800 millionaire departures in 2024, marking a sharp reversal from pre-Brexit years when the UK was a net magnet for wealthy migrants.”
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 15:21 utc | 31
The problem that nobody has brought up yet. OK, Iran survived, and won on points in fact. Why Iran can be depicted as losing, is that Pezeshkian is at heart a wishy-washy liberal, who would like to negotiate a settlement with the US (and not a great war leader). What he doesn't understand is that in no way can Iran make a settlement with either Trump or Israel. No deal conditions made will ever be obeyed by Trump or Israel. They want regime change. Same mistake as happened in Syria; according to reports Asad was trying to negotiate with Saudi Arabia rather than continue to rely on Russia. I think it was the same with Iran; they didn't sign a deal with Russia. They would have done better to do so. Rather than believe any propositions coming frm the West. Pezeshkian is simply not the right person to lead Iran in war. They need to change leaders.
Posted by: laguerre | Jun 25 2025 15:22 utc | 32
Back when Oreshnik was used there was discussion about the Coulomb Effect and then all that was just dropped. Still no photos of Yuzhmash. If hypersonics are at kiloton level and can be made by the hundreds who cares about nukes?
Posted by: oldhippie | Jun 25 2025 14:55 utc | 19
Yes, at the time I mentioned that if even a fraction of an infinitesimal of Coulomb Effect was unleashed it would be in nukes range . Seem to remember the calculations on kilogram level was on dinausaur killing asteroid level.
One way or the other it would change mankind’s level by magnitudes .
Too much for what was discussed IMHO
Posted by: Newbie | Jun 25 2025 15:29 utc | 33
Just finished reading Larry's take on the events of the last two weeks and some his discussion dovetails with my #20 comment
"Because the IAEA in [facilitated] Israel’s attack on Iran...Iranian military and intelligence officials may..adopt measures they previously rejected..Iran could ask Russia for assistance in counterintelligence capabilities..rebuilding and protecting Iranian nuclear facilities...and unless the Iranians are morons, they will now seek Russian aid in upgrading Iranian air-defense systems...I think Iran is now highly motivated to upgrade its intelligence and military capabilities in preparation for the next war with Israel and the US"
Pride may come before the fall but, if we stumble instead of fall, we get a shot at redemption, for Iran that's a chance to "rethink their position".
Posted by: S Brennan | Jun 25 2025 15:29 utc | 34
As long as the US and other (ex)colonial powers ( England, France, Germany, and Israel) have nukes, why can’t Iran ?
The example of the DPRK shows that Nukes bring peace and stability.
Posted by: Exile | Jun 25 2025 14:24 utc | 1
==========================================
I was saying similar in another thread. Someone complained that with Israel on the ropes (as they saw interpreted the situation), Iran failed by not "finishing the job". Someone else pointed out that with Israel possessing nukes, Iran couldn't "finish the job". My only addition was that, with that fact in mind, Iran has every incentive to obtain a nuclear arsenal, especially considering the hostile environment in which it seems to permanently reside. So do most countries, I suppose. The only good thing about MAD, ignoring the horrible, unimaginable ultimate outcome it allows for, is that it forces nuclear powers to treat each other gingerly.
Note, I don't wish to advocate for everyone getting nukes. I do see each nations desire for the security they might bring at a certain stage of inter-national belligerence.
Posted by: jonboinAR | Jun 25 2025 15:30 utc | 35
Hormuz is the equivalent of Maud'dib facing down the Padishah Emperor, threatening the worms of Arrakis with total destruction, sending all humanity into a dark age.
Iran has the trump card (pun intended). No amount of Mossad terrorism can change that. Iran has an underwater missile base in the Strait of Hormuz. The time that Iran was vulnerable has passed. Trump came too late, and Bibi waited too long.
Palantir didn't see this coming. Rand didn't see this coming.
If only they had read "Dune"...
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jun 25 2025 15:36 utc | 36
The stupidest aspect of USrael's attempts to prevent Iran from acquiring Nuclear Weapons is that every country with Nukes has declared them as a Deterrent to a would-be aggressor.
Wasrael's Nuclear Ambiguity is nothing more than juvenile indifference to reality and is more likely than not to result in it eventually being Nuked.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 25 2025 15:41 utc | 37
The IAEA provided the excuse to bomb Iran. Then after the bombing Grossi came out and covered his ass by saying there was no evidence.
The IAEA provided the addresses of the nuclear scientists Israel assassinated.
The IAEA condemned Iran for moving the enriched uranium, but not the US for bombing what it thought was enriched uranium.
This is the same IAEA that is unable to figure out just who is bombing the ZNPP in Ukraine, even though they have staff stationed there.
And now Iran is being condemned for not letting the IAEA back to do damage assessment for the US, and to let the IAEA find out where they put the uranium.
The chutzpah of the west is mind boggling.
Posted by: wagelaborer | Jun 25 2025 15:41 utc | 38
Ha. ha.ha – what a shitty little nation – we know Starmer is owned as well.
“So, the planes vandalised by Palestine Action are actually owned by a private company and leased to the RAF?”
https://nitter.poast.org/Tom_Nicholas/status/1937186713962709276#m
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 15:42 utc | 39
If sheeple instead continue waiting for “branded” candidates to show up to serve them, nothing will change.
If that does not work, well….try that first.
Posted by: I forgot | Jun 25 2025 14:28 utc | 3
There's nothing inherently wrong with the US's two-party system. The major issue is centralization of power and mega-states. Who knew that monopolies could be so detrimental? The USA properly is 360 million people, but if you include the total population that the USA occupies formally with its military, it is well over a billion; informally, billions. In other words, it's a massive empire where the several hundred political rulers cover millions of persons each. Millions they are largely disconnected from - no wonder concentrated interests are so powerful.
The only answer is for the states to secede. If democracy is to work, the government officials have to be our neighbors, part of our communities. Subsidiarity is the answer. The US Empire is the opposite. The two-party blue/red fight has become just another psyop to divide and conquer, as subsidiarity has diminished.
Secession is possible though. Ironically, my state of California (known for its collectivist, anti-democratic tendencies) is a decent candidate in the current political climate. All it takes is one domino to fall - then every other state will be subject to those competitive pressures. If we have a true multi-polar, democratic world, then we'll have many states that are competing with each other for their citizens' well being - I think personal liberty will even strengthen in places like California due to this competition.
This simple answer is what the US Empire is fighting against - de-monopolization. We have conquered virtually every country except for a handful that are "evil" or "terrorists". So, every country on the planet has been fully conquered by the "USA", partially conquered (our presidents are on all of their de facto currency - even China, Russia, etc.), or revolting. We are truly in a dark ages, but near the end.
Death to the US Empire - sooner I hope. I just hope it doesn't take everybody with it.
Posted by: HB Brian | Jun 25 2025 15:43 utc | 40
Trump, MAGA, R/D midterms — those are the circus attractions. To seize political power non-violently, the sheeple must organize from the ground up. They must ask their most genuine neighbor to run for office and organize their own neighborhood security patrols to protect their rep. If sheeple instead continue waiting for “branded” candidates to show up to serve them, nothing will change.
If that does not work, well….try that first.
Posted by: I forgot | Jun 25 2025 14:28 utc | 3
You're getting close to the answer, but you may have forgotten that wage slaves do not like being called "sheeple". Plus, zero class content to your initiative. I mean "your best neighbor"? How vague does it get? I'll give you a hand. Focus on the workers and neighbors who recognize Israel is committing a genocide and US is supporting it. Then a step further, for the really astute folks, find those that can see the war on Russia and Iran as parts of the same Imperialist plan. Of course, there's the class issue, which should be much easier. Everybody hates the billionaire Oligarchs and knows they are ruining the country.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 25 2025 15:45 utc | 41
🇺🇸 Trump: "Israel was hit very hard. Especially in the last few days, Israel was really hit hard. boy, those ballistic missiles took out a lot of buildings."
There is a new video circulating from a European to show the extend of damage to Tel-Aviv and it looks very
much like Gaza.
Haifa oil refinery and power plant are still burning.
Israel had ZERO air superiority. All missile launches were stand-off.
Much Respect for Iran! and Yemen. You did what many in the world wouldn't do.
Posted by: RoB | Jun 25 2025 15:48 utc | 42
think this effectively sums it up: "This ties into what I mentioned earlier: the West is exerting serious influence over the secretariats of international organizations. In some cases, it’s as though they have been effectively privatized..." And all this will be brought to bear directly on China sooner or later, in conjunction with the rearmament of the EU and NATO's insistence that Russia wants to invade and takeover Eastern Europe. At the end of the day, it's a way of preserving the Western oligarchy's hold over as much of the world as possible (going on 500 yrs) and preparation for the reinstatement of hegemony over East Asia and the submission and assimilation of China.
Posted by: Ludovic | Jun 25 2025 14:44 utc | 12
Yes. It's been a long road but we have reached the end of the post WW2 order and all the credibly neutral international organizations. There is now a great vacuum to be filled with something new.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jun 25 2025 15:48 utc | 43
@karlof1 | Jun 25 2025 15:19 utc | 29
Agree about hypersonics. The question then becomes how much "rare" material is required in their construction.I believe Russia just recently declared that serial production of Oreshnik had begun, so obviously they have the materials.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jun 25 2025 15:48 utc | 44
Tom_12 @6: "He told a women reporter from BBS Ukraine that the Patriot system is 100% effective :-)"
LMAO! That's brilliant! Can a BBC toadie, and one from the Ukraine at that, contradict him? He's shoving their own lies down their throats.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jun 25 2025 15:49 utc | 45
The end came when the War Cabinet realized that it was completely unable to prevent the destruction by missile strikes, of their key industrial center and seaport - Haifa.
Multiple Iranian ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missile strikes had destroyed a majority of the port facilities and refining capacities...game over!
Posted by: tobias cole | Jun 25 2025 15:50 utc | 46
Wagelaborer 38,
Concur with what you say but, point out that shorthand use of the word "west" is a bit general in that it's National-Security-State/3LAs and their propaganda-organs/legacy-media/alt-media-sock-puppets running the show, they are the "west" you refer to.
I have met fellow citizens from either "left" or "right" so badly-educated/misinformed that no reasonable conversation is possible, they are, for lack of a better term, delusional as a result of the 3LAs efforts to create a dysfunctional state incapable of challenging their sole grip on power.
Posted by: S Brennan | Jun 25 2025 15:57 utc | 47
Sleboda thinks Israel controls the USA. Many people do, it's an easy mistake to make.
However, if one reverses this misguided understanding, it becomes clear Israel is simply a tool.
I realize many non Americans believe US leadership actually supports the emotional appeal of Israel, but that sentiment is simply for retail consumption.
The crucial point to take into consideration is that the USA is the true inheritor of the western ideal of empire.
To conquer, possess and take by right of superior intelligence and physicality as manifested by military, commercial and financial dominance.
If you've followed the logic thus far, then all one must do next is ask, what's next? What new worlds to conquer, what existing domains and privileges to be maintained?
Now you're onto the right track, the obvious path that leads one to understand the current and looming wars against Russia and China.
But what of maintenance, the simultaneous need to protect our twin flanks of resources and money? How do we guard against vulnerabilities that could jeopardize our larger strategic objectives?
Well, up until now Israel, provided a very effective garrison state from which to conduct regional policing activities. But, as recent history has demonstrated, they're beginning to display certain weaknesses that indicate loss of effectiveness.
If Israel provides no intrinsic rationale, other than the misdirection of zionism, what value do they really provided vis-a-vis achieving the core objective of global full spectrum conquest? Have they become a liability with a low chance of reversing the situation?
If that's the case, then which party is patiently waiting in the wings to ascend to their restored and rightful place among the globe's important strategic players, promoted by the simple logic of history and a true (not invented) 5k year history to be a worthy partner in the great game?
Posted by: Markw | Jun 25 2025 16:01 utc | 48
The NNPT is really more important than most people think. The atomic bombs that we talk about are basically 1940’s technology. (For simplicity sake, pretend that fission and fusion bombs are based upon similar technology.) So 85 years later, we still talk about atomic bombs in the same way. So with all of the research going on in this area, nothing happened in the last 85 years? Of course much more development has occurred. Plus, I can safely say that I do not know any of the details of this fine work. Though I did have a chat with Dr. Edward Teller at Stanford University a while back, when he was still alive. I can tell you that critical mass nuclear weapons is old school. New school devices use materials that generate lots of neutrons. This way you can get tiny to fairly large devices of your choosing. And for some reason, they do not like people knowing about this fine technology. I am talking about high-school physics level, look at the periodic table at the high-end, and you will find elements that are great neutron emitters; well suited for weapons. You still need to enrich the uranium fuel. I assume that it would work fine with plutonium and you might be able to put together a fusion device with this tech as your trigger. It opens a brand new world to countries on a budget that want that extra protection. Hey, one day, maybe everyone can have one; thereby making everyone feel safe. With no NNPT, it seems like this is the way the world will now be going.
Posted by: meshpal | Jun 25 2025 16:02 utc | 49
A lot of talk about hypersonic , but one of the things these last few years have shown is the impact of highly reduced CEP (Circular Error Probable)
Compounded by full detailed maps of basically everything (and drone surveys when applicable for ephemeral targets)
When you basically do a bullseye it hurts a lot more (with punny conventional charges, imagine with nukes)
Threading the needle and knowing where the eye is…
Posted by: Newbie | Jun 25 2025 16:04 utc | 50
Soon Britain (in a military sense) will rival Grand Fenwick.
“When in January I reported that the British military was “facing extinction”, based on the findings of a House of Lords report, some mocked the headline as ludicrous. But no, it’s literally true. No one is enlisting, and those who do quickly leave”
https://nitter.poast.org/KitKlarenberg/status/1937826255526654340#m
Ha. ha.ha – what a shitty little nation – we know Starmer is owned as well.
“So, the planes vandalised by Palestine Action are actually owned by a private company and leased to the RAF?”
https://nitter.poast.org/Tom_Nicholas/status/1937186713962709276#m
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 16:06 utc | 51
@ Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 15:42 utc | 39
Am pretty much convinced the ‘attack’ was an agitprop inspired act. PA must have been an nvaded by ‘police spies’ like all such groups have been for decades.
Purpose was to proscribe them as protests are growing not diminishing. Along with the likes of the persecution of kneecap band. First they came for the protestors …
Watch Glasto. Let’s see how many performers suppport Palestine and how much the BBC censors. At the moment they have stirred that nest and youth in all the summers festivals will be singing free free Palestine and from the river to the sea!
There is way too much normal security at these bases for them not to have been spotted, chased by dogs or shot.
RAF regiment has plenty of pride and professionalism to have had such a breach otherwise.
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jun 25 2025 16:07 utc | 52
Watch the Met Police get physical in London with demonstrators out to defend Palestine Action.
https://nitter.poast.org/declassifiedUK/status/1937530035021447426#m
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 16:10 utc | 53
Professor Marandi in his latest interview with Nima yesterday gave a good and reliable appreciation of how Iran acted, what it achieved, and what its current calculations are - I recommend it for any who seek clarity
The good professor is but one sole human being. It's predictable what he's going to say at this point so I don't know that he brings any more clarity to the situation than Brian Anthony Berletic Cartalucci brings.
Of course, predictability is its own form of clarity.
Alireza Marandi was quite involved in 'western' globalist institutions such as the UN and WHO (as are Russia and China) and brought much of that particular 'worldview' into Iran.
Posted by: Dan Kelly | Jun 25 2025 16:12 utc | 54
This gives me disturbing images in my head of Trump and Rutte together.
https://nitter.poast.org/KitKlarenberg/status/1937836648722530712#m
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 16:13 utc | 55
Once again, Ukraine demonstrated it, Iran proved it. AI hypers, that is.
The main problem is, we've got this multi-trillion dollar fixed investment in obsolete manned air, land and sea.
Not only are the ongoing maintenance and support costs unsustainable, requiring an extensive geographic footprint and labor intensive workforce, but it forces us to engage in 'complicated' political posturing (eg including one particularly difficult, cough, genocidal, cough "ally").
Worse yet, our economy is geared towards continued production, not only for obvious reasons of employment and supply lines, but by necessity the need to emit excess reserve funds into the global economy and banking system.
Now, a simple solution would be full stop and pivot, yet while logical is entirely impossible. So, we'll start to see certain movements taken in more measured form, the first among many is the process of reducing Israel's importance in the ME strategic calculus.
Posted by: Markw | Jun 25 2025 16:17 utc | 56
Israel had 27 deaths due to Iran attack.
If have time check out the discussion
"DEBATE: EX-OFFICER SCOTT RITTER VS. IDF'S JONATHAN CONRICUS"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeBtmeOmJx8&ab_channel=MarioNawfal
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 16:21 utc | 57
I must be missing something about hypersonic missiles.
I get the fact that they can be used in normal conflicts unlike a nuke. But the idea that a conventional warhead like Iran was using, regardless of speed, can rival the destruction of a strategic nuke is pretty far fetched.
If a fraction of Iran's missile hits were nuclear, there wouldn't be a ceasefire. There would be no Israel at all.
Posted by: Centinel | Jun 25 2025 16:23 utc | 58
Test post. Apparently last post was censored, this will see if there's now a ban.
The destruction to Haifa is like the destruction to Iran. Recovery will be brief.
As to the ceasefire, see this:
“We have concluded a significant chapter, but the campaign against Iran is not over. We are entering a new phase, one that builds upon the achievements of the current operation. We have set Iran’s nuclear project back by years, and the same goes for its missile program,”This is from Zionist general Eyal Zamir https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-chief-hails-phenomenal-achievement-but-says-campaign-against-iran-is-not-over/
...“Now, the focus returns to Gaza, to bringing the hostages home and toppling Hamas rule..."
My impression is that the Trump cultists and their apologists want to treat this ceasefire much like Trump's ceasefire in Gaza. For those too in touch with reality to take it as final success, they cast it as a cunning ploy leading to ultimate victory for Trump in bringing world peace and the millennial kingdom of prosperity. Perhaps some will modify their triumphalism in the light of experience? We live in hope.
As to my view, we must ask, as we do of all crimes, cui bono? Who benefits most? Both parties will be able to relatively quickly repair, physically at least, the limited physical damage. As much like the end of the world it must seem to those struck by the missiles, countries, even smaller ones like the Zionist project, are big place. "There is a lot of ruin in a country," as was observed almost two hundred fifty years ago. My guess is that the Zionists benefit most. Secondary benefit goes to IRI, unfortunately particularly to those conciliationist forces discredited when their hoped for foreign partners are actively bombing the people. This gives them time to repair their domestic position vis-a-vis rivals. Even their popular image?
Posted by: steven t johnson | Jun 25 2025 16:26 utc | 59
Long term NPT is dead Trump/Witkoff are incapable of reason, 0/4 on negotiations
Iran desperately needs better AD
I give their ballistic missile arsenal an 'A'. It was the only reason Israel agreed to a ceasefire. Make that an A+
I give their AD systems an 'F'
Iran has a lot of smart people, but you cannot sugar coat it. They failed to protect their airspace against aircraft dropping conventional, non-hypersonic, weapons at predictable targets. They should have intercepted the 'Bunker Busters' after they were dropped from B2s. The Bunker Busters are not stealthy and just use gravity to glide to their target. Iran had at least 1 minute to intercept them.
BTW the U.S. military is good at spoofing Iranian AD and showing false targets (we, in the U.S., occasionally do SOME things well)
Should Iran go with Russia or China regarding a new generation of AD systems?
Posted by: Christian J Chuba | Jun 25 2025 16:26 utc | 60
The Israeli secret documents that Iran now has...will they be made public eg at UNSC or just used by Iran as targeting info?
Posted by: Jo | Jun 25 2025 16:26 utc | 61
First I was thinking, as Mark, about the Zionist entity and it's US master restarting the conflict seeing what have already been deployed in the ME.
Then I did the BDA for both sides and looked again about what have exactly been deployed and now I must confess I was wrong about my initial though about the Zionist restarting the hostilities soon. (see my post on the previous topic.)
The Islamic Republic might have dealt a bigger blow than what I initially perceived, so I don't see them restarting this conflict soon. I a year or more, maybe but for now it would be suicidal for them to do so.
On the other side, Iran might have a "win" here but they also realized they have some massive flaws in their defense and internal security apparatus and I think they understood they have too a lot a rebuilding work to do.
So, we might assist a year+++ armed "truce" between these two. The Zionist will continue their "small genocide between friends" with the US and the cover of "western democracies" (in bold quotes) and Iranian will open to multi-polar world on some topics that were not important for them to share about before.
Yet the topic that will draw my attention in the next months will be how the regional balance was shifted by these events. Mui Importante !
Posted by: Savonarole | Jun 25 2025 16:27 utc | 62
@ Ahenobarbus
Thanks for considering it.
> Plus, zero class content to your initiative. I mean "your best neighbor"? How vague does it get?
I’m not confident we can market a movement that talks about “class”, because regime media AFAICT has spoiled the word in many minds. (Maybe I’m mistaken. Just a hunch. It certainly hasn’t “sold” well lately, AFAICT.)
Besides, if the sheeple actually try to elect their most genuine neighbor and unless “a good-natured oligarch” lives in every district, the effort implies substantial class content.
My hypothesis is that our biggest problem is the election of self-serving dishonest people. If we change that, then the situation would improve dramatically — under any “ism”. Once the political body is reconstituted with relatively honest, non-selfish people, as they learn more in their jobs they would probably also change the ism too in a very class-conscious way.
Everything else has failed. Might as well try it.
Posted by: I forgot | Jun 25 2025 16:30 utc | 63
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 16:21 utc | 57
Poor Scott has to defend himself because IDF man say he doesn't know anything about Israel and hints about a dark section of Scott's dossier Israel has on him. He basically shut his mouth regarding saying anything about Israel after the confrontation with Iran.
Funny as hell.
Mr. IDF says UN is useless as it is now.
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 16:35 utc | 64
Eighthman @ 7
There are some who claim that shocking numbers of Iranians are secretly becoming atheists
I have a feeling that throughout history, across the globe, a fair number of people have been atheists, never bought into the pie in the sky stuff, they just kept their mouths shut, no point hitting your head against the wall.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 25 2025 16:41 utc | 65
> but you may have forgotten that wage slaves do not like being called "sheeple".
Perhaps you’re right. I started with “retards”. But I should’ve toned it down some more?
No, seriously, they’re fucking stupid. I have zero confidence in positive change. An army of fucking morons elected Biden (despite his long record) and Trump (despite his first term and campaign record). “Sheeple” is being kind.
Yeah, I’m not in “marketing”…. ;-)
Yes, I make excuses for young people but not the over-40 crowd who should’ve learned but didn’t. Among my peers, they still turn to the same lying misinfo outlets that lied to them the last time.
The only vote that counts is voting with your feet.
Posted by: I forgot | Jun 25 2025 16:42 utc | 66
Now that Mahmoud Khalil is out of prison-detention perhaps he and Laith Marouf can debate his activities.
It was Marouf who suggested not too long ago that Khalil may actually be working for 'the enemy' being that he was involved in Syrian and other destabilization programs while operating from both the UK embassy in Beirut and USAID NGO's.
https://dialogueworks.substack.com/p/mahmoud-khalils-detention-highlights
So let's do this.
But I'm bored with Nima and Judge Nap et al.
Maybe Oprah could host. Or Olga Skabeyeva. Or both. That would be fun.
Posted by: Dan Kelly | Jun 25 2025 16:43 utc | 67
"the lack of a serious IAEA's reaction to it,"
That barely touches it. The IAEA was not only complicit by providing an excuse, they are believed to have provided the names of Iran's top scientists to Israel.
Repeat: they used their access to spy for Israel.
Iran is refusing them access to their sites & once they have been made to leave, they will not be allowed to set foot in Iran again.
Iran's parliament voted 221 yes to 1 no & 1 abstain to oust them.
No nuclear energy country in their right mind will trust them again.
Posted by: Mary | Jun 25 2025 16:46 utc | 68
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 16:35 utc | 65
Fuc%$* Mr. IDF threatened Scott with FBI/CIA
Ha ha ha ha .............
Posted by: Tom_12 | Jun 25 2025 16:50 utc | 69
- Disagree. Everyone who has some knowledge about "international institutions" knows that they are infested with people from the CIA, FBI, FSB, MI6, ..., by zionists etc.
Posted by: WMG | Jun 25 2025 16:51 utc | 70
Posted by: Centinel | Jun 24 2025 19:52 utc | 440 Tic-Toc No. 9 oe War on Iran
Putin is desperate to get back to the West.
<= finally we learned why Putin's "do not act" behavior is predictable.. where ever there are Russians, Russia is going defend them. Living in Israel and Ukraine are enough Russian speaking Russians to populate Russia itself.. I think this understand also explains Russia's half ass commitment to Assad's Syria.
Posted by: S Brennan | Jun 25 2025 14:59 utc | 20 MoA - Mark Sleboda ME fasico?
Had Iran made a true defense pact with Russia, yes, I know the history, this whole thing could have been avoided.
<=I think Iran made the right decision Russia would have turned off the weapons and would not have done more than they did because so many Russian language speakers exist in Iran.
by: Trubind1 | Jun 25 2025 15:03 utc | 22 Mark Sleboda ME fasico?
[After Gaza] War by “terrorism” is the new model moving forward.
Why? Simple, how do you hold the number one terror state (US) accountable legally? Or any other way? Only by terrorism atm.
There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle as people of hopium want to think. US has been unleashing terrorism on the world blatantly for 25 years now.
<= The USA, Britain, and Germany are each and all fully infected. metabolically captured victims of British invented amoral Zionism. The basis of terrorism is found in King of the Mountain politics.
No one will be safe Until humanity admits its plight, organizes itself outside of the nation state crucibles, form working units suitable to attacking the problem and successfully develop ways both to disinfect and prevent infections and then jumps the hurdle of distributing those disinfectants and infection prevention solutions to the world.
Talking does not admit the problem nor contribute to finding ways to solve it? Can you offer a solution?
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 15:21 utc | 31 Mark Sleboda ME fasico?
wave” of wealth migration. The 2025 figure follows a then record 10,800 millionaire departures in 2024, marking a sharp reversal from pre-Brexit years when the UK was a net magnet for wealthy migrants.”
<=there is a simple solution to this problem.. mandate all nation states tax their citizens on all citizen world wide holdings and income.. The tax havens would dry up and the world would begin to move toward solving the wealth gap between the Millionaires and the homeless. Humanity must find ways to level the size of the power and wealth gaps if it is to achieve democracy for everyone.
<=How can humanity force that result on the nation state system?
Posted by: HB Brian | Jun 25 2025 15:43 utc | 40 Mark Sleboda ME fasico?
The only answer is for the states to secede. If democracy is to work, the government officials have to be our neighbors, part of our communities. Subsidiarity is the answer. The US Empire is the opposite. The two-party blue/red fight has become just another psyop to divide and conquer, as subsidiarity has diminished.
<= Issue is not method? Everyone in the world already has a democratic constitution (human rights). They are misled so they cannot recognize it.. If they organize outside of the nation state system of mind control crucibles, they likely can find ways to solve the problem of infected governments. Its just that the people in the world are taught from the minute of birth that they belong to one of the crucibles (called nations) and so they grow up believing it.
Humanity cannot rely on the leaders of the nation state system to improve the human experience but the leaders of the nation state system can be relied on to make problems for humanity.
Posted by: snake | Jun 25 2025 16:53 utc | 71
Re the West's inability to produce an Hypersonic Missile.
It's my understanding that the West's most energy-rich/powerful rocket fuel is Hydrogen + Oxygen.
Imo, some non-Western scientists have have discovered a chemical combination which produces more energy than H2 + O2, and can be stored at room temperature.
One imagines that careful examination of the debris from hypersonic missile strikes would yield a clue to the formula of the fuel and the material from which the rocket motor is constructed.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 25 2025 16:58 utc | 72
thanks b....
@ laguerre | Jun 25 2025 15:22 utc | 32
yes, i think this is a critical point that is being overlooked in the discussion.. thanks for emphasizing it..
Posted by: james | Jun 25 2025 16:58 utc | 73
I disagree with the notion that the NNPT actually means anything any more.
Yes, it did provide value in the past - when both the US and Russia cooperated to put teeth in the NNPT. But the US and Russia have not cooperated on this in decades.
Furthermore, between North Korea, India, Pakistan and Israel - NNPT did not prevent any of these nations from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Yes, these nations are not signatories, but a failure to not proliferate is still a failure.
Between the obvious politicizaation of the IAEA and the failure to prevent proliferation - all that is happening with this type of criticism is to deflect blame from the source of this latest problem: Israel.
Posted by: c1ue | Jun 25 2025 16:58 utc | 74
@155
Help!
Rutte: "Daddy sometimes has to use strong language . . ."
Is this a joke? Or did he really say this?????
Posted by: Jane | Jun 25 2025 17:00 utc | 75
Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the one nation to voluntarily surrender its nuclear weapons demonstrated that NNP was a joke. Russia guaranteed Ukrainian sovereignty over its 1991 borders as a condition. I am sure Ukrainian scientist are hard at work remaking that deterrent. Any nation that does not want to be a vassal state in the new multi-polar world better start enriching as much uranium as they can get.
Posted by: wobblie | Jun 25 2025 17:00 utc | 76
also what @ karlof1 | Jun 25 2025 15:01 utc | 21 is quite relevant to the discussion..
Posted by: james | Jun 25 2025 17:02 utc | 77
Re: CALexit
Should be able to get on ballot for Nov 2026. With even a smidgen of support from local democrat party hacks - expect 51%+. If all residents cab vote….expect 70% ✅
Note ; CALexit typically polls 20%. After the immigration battles, this support has shot up big time.
Posted by: Exile | Jun 25 2025 17:03 utc | 78
Norwegian | Jun 25 2025 15:48 utc | 44--
Thanks for your reply. My understanding of the Oreshnik is it being of a rather different nature than your basic hypersonic missile with its multiple avangard warheads. And as we've seen, it's one thing to have "rare" materials and another to know what to do with them.
Another aspect of US/Zionist AD missilery that's been rather obvious is their launch failure rate, which appeared to be increasing. Was it due to poor design, sabotage, age of missile, failure of critical components, or something else? I doubt we'll ever learn the actual answer, but that problem's been seen in Ukraine and in Occupied Palestine, and perhaps elsewhere I'm unaware of. IMO, the issue points to the lack of adequate quality control at the point of manufacture, which is costly and slows production, something Neoliberal management would want to curtail to some minimal amount.
As we see, the lies about Western AD performance continue to be told, while nothing new gets produced.
Posted by: Skeletor | Jun 25 2025 15:05 utc | 24
Germany and UK Governments are puppets of the City of London.
The Us was too when run by the last democratic government; and Trump may be a fierce opponent or he's playing Kabuki theatre..
The City of London got its start when the William the Conqueror William 1-made a deal with the bankers and major merchants after invading in 1066- a private charter of the one square mile which is the City of London which has it own laws.
One of those laws that there would not be any financial regulation; that why huge punters don't have to worry about margin etc..
City of London slowly thrived but it really started to take off when in 1694 William the Third III and Queen Mary ascended (1) the throne and the King in 1694 created the 'paper pound' with a loan of $1.2 gold pounds to the Royal Treasury which William needed for his wars in continental Europe.
Bankers, mostly Jews, some nobility had loaned the $1.2 gold pounds to the Crown. The paper pound; 20 shillings yet the gold pound was 21 shillings.
The real Big Bang of The City of London occurred after the Battle of Plassey in 1757 where Robert Clive fighting for the East India Company beat the locals and a small Trench force and the real pillaging began.
Clive pillaged all the temples in India (which operate as quasi 'banks) and took gold, silver, porcelain, pearls, ivory et al.
Sir Robert Clive took some loot, the Crown got some but the City of London banks took the Lion's share.
Several times thre City of London agents would buy cheap land on the United States; then they would loan out their gold to New York or Massachusetts banks (or Kentucky etc) the real estate prices would get inflated, London agents would sell the land to speculators and then recall the gold crashing the real estate market.
Andrew Jackson was a speculator in the 1820's got burned by the City and so closed the 2nd Federal Bank ((controlled, of course, by the City) in 1834 (then 1913 came around and another City bank we call the Fed)
JP Morgan died relatively poor considering his massive wealth-that's because he was, in fact, a City of London agent.
Trump knows this, that why he ordered US gold from the City of London whom, of course, are massively short and so we see the startling short covering pushing gold to $3,400 in a short time period.
OR
Trump is playing Kabuki theatre.
1.Aft er 3 years of rule In 1688 the British had kicked Jamess II ((a Catholic)) and replaced him with William III, a Dutchmen; Mary was a daughter of James II.
Posted by: canuk | Jun 25 2025 17:04 utc | 80
@Centinel | Jun 25 2025 16:23 utc | 58
If a fraction of Iran's missile hits were nuclear, there wouldn't be a ceasefire. There would be no Israel at all.And no Palestinians either, that is the key. Nuking occupied Palestine Hiroshima-style is not an option. Using pinpoint precision hypersonic is. Add Oreshnik-type technology you have a precise weapon that can take down anything, it can't be shot down and there is no radiation fallout.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jun 25 2025 17:05 utc | 81
<= Issue is not method? Everyone in the world already has a democratic constitution (human rights). They are misled so they cannot recognize it.. If they organize outside of the nation state system of mind control crucibles, they likely can find ways to solve the problem of infected governments. Its just that the people in the world are taught from the minute of birth that they belong to one of the crucibles (called nations) and so they grow up believing it.
Humanity cannot rely on the leaders of the nation state system to improve the human experience but the leaders of the nation state system can be relied on to make problems for humanity.
Posted by: snake | Jun 25 2025 16:53 utc | 72
Absolutely, issue is not the method of governance. What we want is democracy - power of the people. Democracy is not universal suffrage. Universal suffrage without checks on the majority is the opposite of democracy. A monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, constitutional republic, etc., can all be authoritarian or democratic.
The issue with the government is the same as with the marketplace. We cannot allow the current world empire to protect its monopoly by force. If nations/states/cities take back their power, decentralize and establish subsidiarity, we will surely have examples of democratic monarchies or dictatorships, authoritarian democracies, maybe even well-functioning anarchies (my pipe dream - as an atheist, recovering from christianity, I still like to tout 1 Samuel 8, where god himself endorses anarchy!). If we subject the governance systems to competition, the people win - that's a hard assertion to prove, but shouldn't it get a chance? Competitive pressures the market to deliver good products and services, why shouldn't that work for governance?
I think Thomas Jefferson had this idea in mind when he advocated a new constitution every generation - why shouldn't we rip up the sheriff's protection contract periodically? All other contracts have expiration dates.
Posted by: HB Brian | Jun 25 2025 17:07 utc | 82
"a sharp reversal from pre-Brexit years when the UK was a net magnet for wealthy migrants.”
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 15:21 utc | 31
Johnson's monochrome Brexit was designed to have that effect. But the residence of wealthy migrants has little economic impact if they offshore UK wealth to foreign investments and reimport only some of it (to cover the yacht etc.). UK's economy does not appear to benefit from the loss of liquidity as the wealthy send cash to the Seychelles, regardless of where they reside. Meanwhile, it becomes harder to make money in a country as chronically and disasterously mismanaged as UK, with or without the free movement of cash and people. Millionaires really don't help. Small business owners do help, but government has no interest in helping them. Nor does aligning the UK economy with the new, recessionary post-industrial EU autocratic carpet-bagging operation look very attractive, even for millionaire grifters.
Posted by: Tom Paine | Jun 25 2025 17:07 utc | 83
I don't know if anyone else made this point but the MAGA faction of the GOP began an internal insurrection within the base and in congress that Trump could not ignore.
Marjories Taylor Greene openly declared war on Trump and Thomas Massie was not budging from his position, in the process becoming a rallying point for further disobedience within the party.
MAGA took Trump at his word that he would not start any new wars, they were making his position very unstable and this also helped him push towards ending the conflict quickly.
America First won over Israel First.
Posted by: Fernando Martinez | Jun 25 2025 17:10 utc | 84
David Hearst (Middle East; https://www.middleeasteye.net/ )
"Israel cannot dictate the future of the Middle East" | David Hearst | MEE Opinion"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGDXZJ81HpI
Posted by: WMG | Jun 25 2025 17:11 utc | 85
Let me tell you a tale of two islands, one that represented a critical strategic imperial asset for 400 years, the other elevated in importance less than 100 years ago.
The first is now poorer than Mexico, even though it's a US territory, the other now a state and awash in ongoing defense expenditures, but one that exposes a tremendous financial divide.
Why is Israel more like Puerto Rico, rather than Pearl? Geography and technology, the displacement of once favorable conditions towards new trends and developments that irrevocably altered previous levels of importance.
Posted by: Markw | Jun 25 2025 17:11 utc | 86
Should be able to get on ballot for Nov 2026. With even a smidgen of support from local democrat party hacks - expect 51%+. If all residents cab vote….expect 70% ✅
Note ; CALexit typically polls 20%. After the immigration battles, this support has shot up big time.
Posted by: Exile | Jun 25 2025 17:03 utc | 78
We have a chance! It doesn't even matter that the 70% is all over the board politically, from anarchists to full communists. If this domino falls, it might break the monopoly - and everybody wins, not just official US states but the whole world.
(I know I'm being optimistic, probably naive. But the world's condition calls for optimism. I think it's our duty.)
Posted by: HB Brian | Jun 25 2025 17:13 utc | 87
I give their [Iran's] ballistic missile arsenal an 'A'. It was the only reason Israel agreed to a ceasefire. Make that an A+
. . .
Posted by: Christian J Chuba | Jun 25 2025 16:26 utc | 60
=================
What I want to see most is, the siege of Gaza broken.
I don't understand why Iran didn't target sections of the Gaza Wall.
Would that be futile? would the IDF just shoot down any Gazans who tried to get out and find food and water?
Would Hamas not be able to exploit a break in the wall?
I acknowledge my ignorance on this, but to me it seems like a few bombs could be spared to break the siege of Gaza.
I would at least like to understand why breaches in the Gaza Wall and in the many smaller walls that separate illegal settlements from the rest of Palestine are not targets. Are they not military enough? Would breaks in the wall they be useless in breaking the siege?
Posted by: Jane | Jun 25 2025 17:13 utc | 88
Posted by: wobblie | Jun 25 2025 17:00 utc | 76
please give us the papers that show that "ukraine" had its own nukes, and also please provide us with the relevant sections of the budapest memorandum that explicitly state the conditions on "ukraines" independence. thank you.
should not be to hard.
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jun 25 2025 17:13 utc | 89
In a war of attrition numbers is everything. Iran was prepared for a 6 months war of attrition whilst Israel had less than 2 weeks AD. The basic calculus still hasn’t changed. Iran has a greater number of missiles than Israel has AD. Iran also has the infrastructure to produce more missiles than than the west can produce AD.
Until the west can come up with a method to neutralise Iran’s missile capabilities there will be no war,
Posted by: Down South | Jun 25 2025 17:15 utc | 90
'The chutzpah of the west is mind boggling.'
Chutzpah is easy to spot. 'The east' hasn't known all along about this? Bad intel? (when not much intel is even necessary because, as noted, chutzpah is easy to spot).
Or does 'the east' play right along because the dirty work is being done 'for them' and they profit just as much from the insanity.
Millions upon millions upon millions of dead human beings later...
Remember when the 'Special Military Operation' (talk about propaganda against your own people) was supposed to take six months to perhaps a year at most?
You can't sell a war of attrition to your public after all. The Russian populace is smarter than that.
A little time and propaganda later and it morphs into:
Now, we will attrite!
'Repeat: they used their access to spy for Israel.'
And this is surprising to who exactly? Vladimir Putin? Xi Jinping?
'No nuclear energy country in their right mind will trust them again.'
So all the 'nuclear energy countries' will join the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa etc version of the IAEA which will commence as soon as the BRICS currency is up and running.
Stay tuned!
The UN and WHO are evidently still redeemable in the eyes of the vaunted 'resistance axis' or whatever stupid name one uses for these dweebs.
Oh yeah: BRICS was dawned within the pantheon of Goldman Sachs.
------
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iOnKJA2H7I&t=152s
https://youtu.be/1iOnKJA2H7I?t=152
Posted by: Dan Kelly | Jun 25 2025 17:16 utc | 91
Tom Paine (83)
Yes good points, I recall with Brexit in mind the EU saying it was introducing stricter laws on tax, such as Exit tax rules - stops EU-based companies moving new products to lower-tax countries - just before their development is completed to avoid tax.
I also several Brexit supporting MPs supporting Brexit, then rushing to obtain an Irish passport.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 17:17 utc | 92
@Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 25 2025 16:58 utc | 72
One imagines that careful examination of the debris from hypersonic missile strikes would yield a clue to the formula of the fuel and the material from which the rocket motor is constructed.You also have to learn how to prevent the missile from melting due to atmospheric friction. There are probably many difficult aspects.
Westerners keep saying others "steal" their technologies, but now they need to 'carefully examine' hypersonic missile debris to maybe learn something? Sounds like an admission.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jun 25 2025 17:18 utc | 93
karlof1 | Jun 25 2025 15:01 utc | 21
I understand your point about the smuggling of small attack drones into a country which is to be attacked in some future time - that is a huge change in warfare. This is but the 'physical' aspect of warfare.
What is yet more important, is the murdering of scientists, and spying on scientists who will be targeted for future assassination. This is worse than small attack drones in my view.
What will Zionists say, when their scientists, of Einstein 'caliber', will be targeted for assassination??? And this may happen eventually, if the antagonists adopt the Israeli methods.
Posted by: fanto | Jun 25 2025 17:19 utc | 94
Posted by: HB Brian | Jun 25 2025 17:13 utc | 87
=================
Not sure what you are talking about in this post.
Posted by: Jane | Jun 25 2025 17:19 utc | 95
"Humanity must find ways to level the size of the power and wealth gaps if it is to achieve democracy for everyone.
<=How can humanity force that result on the nation state system?"
Snake (71).
It can't human nature won't allow it.
Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 25 2025 17:20 utc | 96
Posted by: snake | Jun 25 2025 16:53 utc | 71
"<= finally we learned why Putin's "do not act" behavior is predictable.. where ever there are Russians, Russia is going defend them. Living in Israel and Ukraine are enough Russian speaking Russians to populate Russia itself.. I think this understand also explains Russia's half ass commitment to Assad's Syria."
Probably true. Which begs the question that no one ever asks.
Why in the hell does Russia permit millions of it's citizens to live in a de facto US military base to begin with? They're effectively hostages, and clearly hamstring Russian options in the region during events like this war.
Look at the similarities between what happens in Ukraine/Russia and the covert attacks on Iran and you see a pattern of US/CIA fingerprints all over them. It's the same actors, different theater.
Seems obvious on its face to anyone paying attention. But Russia still can't seem to recognize who her enemies are.
Posted by: Centinel | Jun 25 2025 17:21 utc | 97
@wobblie | Jun 25 2025 17:00 utc | 76
Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the one nation to voluntarily surrender its nuclear weapons demonstrated that NNP was a joke.Except it wasn't Ukraine's. Those weapons belonged to the Soviet Union, and Russia was the successor state when the SU dissolved itself.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jun 25 2025 17:21 utc | 98
From the EO thread:
the pessimist | Jun 25 2025 15:10 utc | 145
So now the cards are on the table. Trump says if Iran resumes enrichment activities they will be bombed again.
IAEA inspectors out, so how will they know? Given past experience a mere publicly announced 'suspicion' will suffice as casus belli.
So Iran has a limited window to prepare for the next attack, given their public stance of not backing down on this issue.
Next question - what kind of external support have they been offered by Russia, China, and NK (Pakistan?)? And how quickly can competent AD be reconstituted?
I suppose support for rapid development of defensive nukes could be routed through NK. No idea if such is being contemplated."
--------------------------------------------
Some have been expressing the opinion that the Israelis had 'air superiority' over Iranian territory. I think this is misleading as it seems they mostly used stand-off weapons and limited flight time over contested areas. As in the Ukraine conflict, manned aircraft stick fairly close to protected space, and have mainly been used as missile platforms and to launch the new generation of "glide bombs", as the risk to manned craft from advanced MANPADs and other AD platforms remains a significant threat. Russia regularly locates and destroys Ukrainian AD platforms, but still does not fly over contested airspace. The Ukrainians also keep their aircraft well back from the line of contact. This is the new face of warfare. It is the reason that Iran's emphasis on advanced rockets and drones paid off, and their minimally competent manned air fleet was basically MIA as far as is publicly known.
As far as the US attack we know that sub-launched missiles made up the main body of the strike, and there is a lack of credible information regarding the B2s and what they did and where they flew and whether there was some agreement not to target them.
An unknown for future conflicts involving Israel is how damaged their AD assets are, and what kind of reserve stockpiles of ammo for their platforms exists. We have been hearing for years about the low production rates of AD ammo in the west, and the high costs, and the Ukraine conflict has been sucking these assets out of the system for three years now at quite a high rate. The US essentially admitted this when they stopped supplies to Ukraine so they could be re-directed to Israel. Ramping up production take time, and costs are significant.
Savonarole | Jun 25 2025 16:27 utc | 63
What is your BDA for Israel and Iran?
Posted by: the pessimist | Jun 25 2025 17:24 utc | 99
And no Palestinians either, that is the key. Nuking occupied Palestine Hiroshima-style is not an option. Using pinpoint precision hypersonic is. Add Oreshnik-type technology you have a precise weapon that can take down anything, it can't be shot down and there is no radiation fallout.
Posted by: Norwegian | Jun 25 2025 17:05 utc | 81
Right, nor would I advocate for it.
Was trying to contest the equivalence between a conventional hypersonic and a nuke.
Posted by: Centinel | Jun 25 2025 17:25 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
As long as the US and other (ex)colonial powers ( England, France, Germany, and Israel) have nukes, why can’t Iran ?
The example of the DPRK shows that Nukes bring peace and stability.
Posted by: Exile | Jun 25 2025 14:24 utc | 1