News & views related to the war on Iran …
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July 24, 2026
Iran Open Thread 2026-156
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JF: Mohammad Marandi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6v14kzupTc
“Marco Rubio addresses the Iran question at ASEAN FMs meeting.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 12:47 utc | 1
Iran is apparently claiming that B1s took off from an RAF base in mainland Britain (RAF Fairford) and directly into combat operations against Iran. The British government is somehow claiming that US aircraft flying into operations in the Iran war only engage in “defensive” missions. Setting aside how this distinction for the aggressor is meaningless, it does make one wonder how, exactly, a B1 is equipped to do anything a sane person might describe as solely “defensive”? It can do EW stuff but mostly that would be used to jam Iranian defenses rather than intercept any missiles. Anyway the Iranians are claiming B1s directly launched from RAF Fairford and dropped bombs on Iran without any stopovers. This makes Britain a co-belligerent no matter what the government says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVMeQej4M6g
Apparently the IRGC made a statement to the effect that any base used to attack Iran would be a legitimate target regardless of where it was. I say apparently because it’s very difficult to find the source statement and one of the last things Keir Starmer did on his way out was make the IRGC a proscribed terrorist organisation and convict some teenagers for working for the IRGC by firebombing a Jewish ambulance. Since Brexit the UK left the EU and thus missed out on the EU classifying the IRGC as a proscribed terrorist organisation and had to come up with some hasty justification themselves. There is a sense that these attacks as well as the ones in Australia which were used to get the same laws passed there too were ordered and paid for by the Israelis using weird rent-a-thugs.
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/06/22/mysterious-antisemitism-attacks-targeting-canada
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/03/28/iran-terror-cell-europe
https://thegrayzone.com/2025/09/09/israeli-tip-preceded-australian-claim-that-iran-plotted-bombings
Even wikipedia seems to realise this is a silly false flag.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harakat_Ashab_al-Yamin_al-Islamia#Authenticity
The laws in the UK mean you can face up to 14 years in prison for publicly supporting the IRGC this seems designed to eventually include suggesting that the UK shares interests in say the US losing it’s war against Iran. This kind of language of even arguing a shared interest between ones own country and a particular conflict of another being treason is quite new.
I wonder if this supposed “threat” against British airbases (And not the ones in Cyprus that Iran has already hit once with drones) by the IRGC will open the door to a false flag operation to tidy things up.
It should be noted that the reason the Israelis are so obsessed with getting countries to classify the IRGC as a terrorist organisation is that this makes normal diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic quite difficult. That this opens the door to say Iran, Russia or the PRC (OR anyone) then classifying say MI6 or MI5 as terrorist organisations is the reason why it was never done before.
Posted by: Altai | Jul 24 2026 14:00 utc | 2
Perhaps the British base in Cypress might be an Iranian missile target soon.
Posted by: morongobill | Jul 24 2026 14:13 utc | 3
England is now allowing use of its airbases for the U.S. to continue its attacks on Iran. Somehow, I don’t think this will end well. Is the rest of the world going to continue to sit back and watch and stay silent as, yet a third western military power joins in this illegal action against one nation? We don’t fully know what outside help Iran is getting, nor do we know how much longer it can continue to absorb the punishment the U.S, is dishing out nightly. But Iran has proven that it is a country that is not to be taken lightly.
Right from the get-go the U.S. was making mistakes. Anyone remember the failed operation at the very start of this war to recover Iran’s enriched U2, when a U.S. pilot with a broken leg supposedly walked up a mountain in order to be rescued by U.S. special ops? And how the U.S. lost a plane or two? We’ll never know for sure what happened there or anywhere else for that matter.
There is one thing I feel is certain, and that is Iran can, and will continue to strike back at whatever the U.S. dishes out to them. People are talking about the use of nukes against Iran. If this were to occur, all bets are off and say goodbye to the use of internal combustion engines because there won’t be any gasoline available at any given price to power them. World-wide economic collapse and long-lived global depression is sitting right on the other side of the Persian Gulf. That’s the nuke equivalent Iran holds in its hand. Is Trump willing to make that gamble? Only time will tell but I do believe he is stupid enough to.
Posted by: thecelticwithinme | Jul 24 2026 14:16 utc | 4
What happens to the Tehran regime when they inevitably accept a new peace deal that precludes their tolling system? Will they be able to hold onto power after such an admission of weakness, and the suffering they’ve forced their people to endure by needlessly prolonging the war?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 14:24 utc | 5
What happens to the Tehran regime when they inevitably accept a new peace deal that precludes their tolling system?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 14:24 utc | 5
—
LOL! What happens to the Trump regime when the US casualty figures become known?
Posted by: too scents | Jul 24 2026 14:27 utc | 6
LOL! What happens to the Trump regime when the US casualty figures become known?
Posted by: too scents | Jul 24 2026 14:27 utc | 6
They already are known, and nothing has happens so far as I can see.
Oh wait, you mean your imaginary casualty figures?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 14:33 utc | 7
@ catdog | Jul 24 2026 14:24 utc | 5
what is it like rooting for the bad guys? lol.. do you actually think usa-israel are doing something positive and good?? i suppose murdering 185 young school girls in minab appeals to you… say it ain’t so..
Posted by: james | Jul 24 2026 14:44 utc | 8
Reuters “UK says armed forces ready to defend country after Iran warns over US bombers”.
The old tv series Dads Army comes to mind,
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 24 2026 14:54 utc | 9
Re: Britian – declaring war by allowing its airbases to be used.
There is a statute in England (after 9/11) , where british citizen’s are not allowed to give money for terrorism, war, genocide, crimes against humanity, now the same law applies to what governs, asking for money (taxes) in return to be used for financing exactly what the statute deems criminal.
Many western US allied countries have similar statutes.
This is over-simplifying it – but I suggest people do research, and there are ways to hold your ‘democraticly’ elected governments accountable, the same way they hold us. There are legal methods (which they are attempting to close…) – it’s upto individuals to figure it out. They don’t go around advertising it. 🙂
Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 24 2026 15:02 utc | 10
What happens when we inevitably see the salty breakdown of Hasbara trolls when Israel gets flattened again…
Posted by: Judge Barbier | Jul 24 2026 15:06 utc | 11
when Israel gets flattened again…
Posted by: Judge Barbier | Jul 24 2026 15:06 utc | 11
—
Third time is the charm.
Posted by: too scents | Jul 24 2026 15:08 utc | 12
Cold War 2.0: #78: Tarik Cyril Amar: ‘Iran Won’t Back Down’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDvJfiIofn4
“The limits of American power.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 15:11 utc | 13
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has formally designated Britain’s RAF Fairford a legitimate wartime target, converting a quiet Gloucestershire airbase into the newest flashpoint of the widening US-Iran war and dragging London directly into Tehran’s retaliatory crosshairs.
https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/iran-irgc-raf-fairford-legitimate-target-b1-bomber-us-iran-war-2026/#google_vignette
NATO isn’t doing enough … the Trump whisperer … Iran is a good cause for the West.
Today thehill.com quotes several swaggering Congress Clowns who, echoing the late Senator John McCain, urge to ‘bomb, bomb, bomb Iran’:
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he spoke to the president multiple times this week on Iran and encouraged him to continue pounding the country, with negotiations appearing fruitless.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a close Trump ally who is vying to be the next chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. military needs to clobber Iran “as hard as we possibly can right now.”
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), who also sits on the Armed Services Committee, praised Trump for being the only president to “have big enough balls” to bring Tehran to the negotiating table and emphasized that what brought them there were “massive bombing strikes.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who retired as a brigadier general in the Air Force, said Iran needs to believe it is being “crushed” militarily and feel forced to “stick their hand out to say please stop.”
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), who was in the Navy Medical Corps, said the U.S. needs regime change in Iran and advised Trump to trust his instincts on the matter.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) noted Iran is “incredibly vulnerable” and that the country’s electrical generation facilities are “legitimate military targets.”
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5987536-trump-iran-republican-hawks-combat-operations/
The Americlown empire is dying. A major reason is because it’s run by Israel-cucked retards like these, who remain under the delusion that they rule the world by divine right, for its own good and for its moral improvement.
Posted by: Jim H | Jul 24 2026 15:29 utc | 15
Ukraine and World Affairs (includes Iran/ME): Weekly Update, 24th July: May be Useful to Some: Ukraine and World Affairs (including Iran/ME): Weekly Update
Posted by: The Busker | Jul 24 2026 15:32 utc | 16
@9 Peter
It’s much further away than Syria so should be a while before they start turning up. /
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JAd1y0lcOCg
‘Settler rampages’ going on in Palestine…
IRGC US troop tracking …
“The IRGC issued a firm warning:
• We warn the general public of the countries where U.S. military personnel are stationed to immediately move at least 500 meters away from any locations used as cover or hidden bases by U.S. military personnel, in order to ensure their safety.
The public can also report the new locations of the relocated U.S. forces to the official Telegram account of the IRGC Public Relations Department at @ sepahnewsiradmin or through the “Contact Us” section on the sepahnews.ir website.” Fotros
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 15:33 utc | 17
Oh wait, you mean your imaginary casualty figures?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 14:33 utc | 7
So you’ve swallowed the White house lies hook line and sinker despite its long and illustrious history of cover-ups?
Wakey wakey, Pollyanna …
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Jul 24 2026 15:35 utc | 18
Because I have not seen this mentioned in these pages,
Alex Krainer, yesterday in his dialogue with Nima A. Askhorid, repeated what he claimed some months ago, importantly imo, that ~60% of the dollars circulating around the world are under the control of the City of London, not the Federal Reserve or the US Treasury.
The 14 off-shore banking jurisdictions, created by London in 1960 and located primarily in the Caribbean and Canary Islands, house, utilize and manipulate these global currency petro dollars, purchasing octopus-like geopolitical power extensions, usually silently unseen.
Over half of the global dollar trade is under the purview of the City of London, not D.C..
Adding to this, Krainer believes it is the UK who has the most interest in controlling the chokepoints of trade between West Asia and the UK — the Strait of Hormuz, Ansar Allah’s Bab-el-Mandeb Red Sea passage, the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean Gilbralter passage to the UK from West Asia.
Krainer alleges think tanks in UK have written the current mad script being carried out by Washington and the Entity although he does not name any specific organizations.
Which think tanks and groups would generate those policy papers?
Krainer speculates it is probably an “Anglo-Zionist” entity of power — that is ruining our collective future in the “West” of a more humane and balanced dialectical development of history
(my words).
I tend to embrace Alex’s speculation as I have a soft spot for ordinary people, including the oppressed and deluded US people, fatted and drugged as we are, the most indoctrinated and surveilled people in history although though UK and some EU countries are not lagging far behind.
May all birds of wisdom and all self-acknowledged “foolish” people with wisdom eyes flock together, leading a way through this horrific interregnum to a more pacific, humane era.
~~
Excerpt from Nima-Krainer interview, July 23, 2026
47:07
So as far as energy security is concerned, the United States doesn’t need the war against Iran. It doesn’t need to regime change Iran is the Europeans.
It’s primarily the British. And if you read British policy papers, you see that the whole thing has been scripted in
London.
And how they manage to maneuver the United States time after time to to
fight their wars is is is an amazing thing.
It kind of inclines me to think that there’s some kind of Anglo-Zionist conspiracy, you know, not Anglo-American, Anglo-Zionist conspiracy
that’s obviously entrenched in the in the banking establishments,
City of London and Wall Street. And that for them the key thing is that global trade continues to flow.
That maritime routes and choke points are under their control and that all this trade is converted into US dollar cash flows.
When I say US dollar, you know, we have the petro dollar. And the significant thing about petro dollar is that it’s the money that circulates outside of the United States. So these are US dollars but they are circulating outside
of the United States. So they’re not under Fed’s control and they’re not under US Treasury’s control either.
They are under the control of the city of London and and their 14 offshore
jurisdictions that they created for this purpose in 1960.
Today it’s estimated that as much as 60% of all US dollars circulate outside
of the United States.
And so this is also the key to the mystery of British power because they are in terms of their military reach is next to nothing. Their economy is disintegrating yet they’re everywhere. They’re all over the place.
They’re involved in everything. Wherever there’s human blood running in rivers, there they are. They’re involved.
So this is this is going to break at some point because the American people understand that the fight against Iran is not existential for them. It’s not even strategically important for them.
It would be strategically much much more advantageous for the United States to have dealt with Iran as a partner to say, “Hey, you know, you have 92 million people, you have very advanced technologies, you’re generating all these hundreds of thousands of engineers and and software programmers and you have some of the most advanced
natural science sciences in the world. You have all these industries.
You have 30 trillion worth of natural resources. Let’s be partners, let’s do business together. Its massive developments would be possible there for the American companies, American entrepreneurs. No, instead they went to war against Iran for the benefit of Israel, which is nothing but a liability for the United States. It cost them money, it cost them life, it cost them treasure, it cost them military assets.
[Who benefits?]
And the Israelis are getting all this for free. It’s not like they’re paying for it.
So I think that the way the American political class gets maneuvered into all these military misadventures where they end up backing up Israel are essentially British designs because I promise you Nima if you read British policy papers the whole thing is scripted there.
Everything that’s happening now, everything that Trump is doing has been scripted in London. How that happens is very difficult for me to even imagine.
I imagine that the leverage somehow runs from the City of London to Wall Street and then to the American political class maybe facilitated by people like Jeffrey Epstein who then makes sure that they have the whole of US Congress under control.
We can see that now, today or maybe yesterday, the US Congress is voting on the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act, which essentially merges the United States military with Israel’s and that’s extremely difficult to explain.
But again, you know, this political class no longer represents America, no longer represents the red-blooded American people. I think the people are starting to wake up to all these things and so therefore the support for Israel is cratering and I think that this whole song and dance is not going to be able to continue indefinitely.
English (auto-generated)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaJ5zQTRliI
Posted by: suzan | Jul 24 2026 15:42 utc | 19
Oh wait, you mean your imaginary casualty figures?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 14:33 utc | 7
So you’ve swallowed the White house lies hook line and sinker despite its long and illustrious history of cover-ups?
Wakey wakey, Pollyanna …
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Jul 24 2026 15:35 utc | 18
I suspect from prior performances that’s what he’s paid to do. But he’s just so terribly obvious and unconvincing, it may be he is an even sadder specimen: true Zio believer who hasbaras here for free. In any case, catdog is a highly ignorable POS.
Carry on people.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 24 2026 15:45 utc | 20
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) noted Iran is “incredibly vulnerable” and that the country’s electrical generation facilities are “legitimate military targets.”
1) 3 power plants supply >50% of Israels power
2) during a hot summers day, easy to cause massive blackout in NorthEast USA by hitting a handful of HV interconects between the ISOs….real time for New England ISO
https://www.iso-ne.com/isoexpress/
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 15:46 utc | 21
Just for you CatDog:
🇮🇱🇮🇷 15 minutes Iranian missiles hitting Israel in Oct 2024… supercut
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1841183543093051731
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 15:48 utc | 22
Posted by: Arch Bungle | Jul 24 2026 15:35 utc | 18
Why do you guys have this strong need for US casualties to be higher? Because you can’t believe that Iran is actually doing as poorly in the war as the reported facts demonstrate they are. But why should Iran’s bad showing be a surprise? They are materially far outgunned and have never demonstrated any sort of military competence.
true Zio believer
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 24 2026 15:45 utc | 20
Completely incorrect, but you guys believe all sorts of totally wrong and baseless things.
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 15:53 utc | 23
15 minutes Iranian missiles hitting Israel in Oct 2024… supercuthttps://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1841183543093051731
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 15:48 utc | 22
Why do you need to go back to 2024 for this supercut? Have Iran’s capabilities degraded since then or something? When’s the last time an Iranian missile even hit Israel, instead of their Arab neighbors?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 15:54 utc | 24
While I understand the temptation, I urge people to stop feeding trolls like catdog
It’s a waste of emotional energy
Posted by: Chris N | Jul 24 2026 15:59 utc | 25
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 14:33 utc | 7
They already are known, and nothing has happens so far as I can see.
You are correct catdog. Roughly speaking the US public can be divided into the following categories.
- Liberals/Establishment Democrats (haves): Will continually thank troops “for their service” but also will do anything to keep homeless vets out of their neighborhoods. They oppose any policy that would reveal how they benefit from the status quo.
- Conservatives/Establishment republicans (haves): The more troops that die, the more they will want Trump to bomb, starve and kill Eye-ray-nians with everything they have. Will play “Won’t Back Down” while their own sons and daughters are safely in elite colleges/think tanks/law firms/investment banks.
- MAGA/deplorables (have nots): More likely to actually know active duty troops deployed overseas and thus not necessarily in favor of escalation, discarded by the Trump admin once votes were secured due to class interests.
- Democratic Socialists/CPUSA (have nots): Actively protesting against the war but with no means of actually changing policies and more invested in securing limited power politically through highly publicized fights with the first category.
The haves are for the war no matter what they say. The have nots may be against but have no power to change anything due to the existing class structure. So regardless of how many troops are actually killed in this conflict it will not bring down the Trump administration organically. The haves will dispatch armies of lawyers to make sure the midterm elections don’t change anything.
Posted by: altruisticpunisher | Jul 24 2026 16:01 utc | 26
On topic.
Andy Burnam has been the priminister for UK, for four and a half days.
Both the pro war, and the anti war pro palistien factions in britian will want to ‘own him’ for obveous reasons.
I’v got three questions….
Who owns Andy burnam now ?
Who is likely to own him in the future ?
And who would we want to own Andy Burnam. And what can we do to help bring that about ?
Oop’s thats four questions.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 16:03 utc | 27
https://x.com/Khabar_AlYawm/status/2080477524774252820
أخبار آسيا(informal) @Khabar_AlYawm Translated from Arabic
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:
“Egypt charges between $200,000 and $700,000 for each Suez Canal crossing; and this amount may exceed one million dollars for large container ships or oil tankers.
Turkey imposes passage fees in the Bosphorus Strait.
Canada imposes fees for using the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Panama collects fees ranging between $100,000 and $450,000 for each crossing; the cost of crossing for large ‘Neopanamax’ category ships through the Panama Canal reaches $500,000.
The United States also imposes fees for using the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Nevertheless, Iran has refused—for decades—to impose any fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and has made transit free! It has done so despite all the smear campaigns, sanctions, and isolation it has faced. And with all this, do you expect me to believe that Iran is the ‘villain’ in this equation?”
———————–
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/irgc-finishes-off-amazon-data-center–says-us-fatalities-in
IRGC finishes off Amazon data center, says US fatalities in hundreds
The IRGC says wave 27 of Operation Nasr 2 targeted an Amazon data center and an ammunition depot at the Ali Al-Salem US base.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Friday that its forces have destroyed the remaining building of an Amazon company data center and a large ammunition depot at a US base, as part of ongoing operations against American military assets in the region.
In a statement, the IRGC said its fighters, in the 27th wave of Operation Nasr 2, targeted the remaining structure of an Amazon data center, which plays a primary role in completing intelligence for the US military……
…..Regarding US casualty figures, the IRGC stated that the American military has suffered hundreds of deaths and a significantly higher number of wounded during the five-month war. The statement said the daily evacuation of large numbers of wounded via ambulance aircraft to an American hospital in Germany is clear evidence of high casualties.
The US military, which has suffered hundreds of fatalities and many more wounded during the past five months of the war, is lying to its own people by claiming it has sustained fewer than 20 deaths……
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 16:08 utc | 28
Re: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 16:03 utc | 27
Military Intelligence Complex or the “establishment” 🇬🇧 … nothing out of the ordinary … walking into #10 the instructions are on the table and/or spoon fed. Checked w #47 🇺🇸 FIRST by phone ☎️
@19 suzan
[When I say US dollar, you know, we have the petro dollar. And the significant thing about petro dollar is that it’s the money that circulates outside of the United States. So these are US dollars but they are circulating outside
of the United States. So they’re not under Fed’s control and they’re not under US Treasury’s control either.] Krainer
VS.
“How can the United States block funds located, for example, in a Swiss, Chinese, or Dubai bank? The answer lies not in physical control over these banks but in the absolute control of the U.S. over the global infrastructure of dollar settlements.
Key takeaway: almost every international dollar transaction, regardless of where it is initiated or completed, physically passes through U.S. jurisdiction. This dependence on the American clearing system is the leverage that the United States uses.”
https://ofacblockedfundslawyers.com/us-sanctions-freeze-dollar-assets-abroad/
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 16:14 utc | 30
The parallels are obvious, gunship-diplomacy of the colonial empire of old. The colonial west as a whole is structurally incapable of even admitting its past crimes. So the cycle of history continues and we are far beyond the “farce” point in time.
Posted by: darkmoon | Jul 24 2026 16:18 utc | 31
Perhaps the British base in Cypress might be an Iranian missile target soon.
RE: Posted by: morongobill | Jul 24 2026 14:13 utc | 3
Exactly!
and let us not for forget their illegal occupation-base in Diego Garcia.
now both are/may be prime targets. but then there’s always that Nato card that the UK can play…..I do believe they will hold off for now because degrading the US military ring/dome around israel, with all the USA radars, communication centers, and missile systems is Iran’s prime objective.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 16:21 utc | 32
An Omani delegation has arrived in Iran to discuss a framework “to establish appropriate mechanisms for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 16:03 utc | 27
You will know when Andy shakes the ukrainian leader hand!!
Posted by: Monty | Jul 24 2026 16:24 utc | 34
OK times up, you had three mins, time to wake up and think a bit faster, tut tut tut.
He’s a fence sitter, couse thats the only way he has survied so far and will survie, going forward.
He’l have to keep his cards close to his chest if he’s going to help end all the middle easten wars and Stop the war against Iran.
He’l need to be very suttle or perhaps subtile like The great Vladimiri Putin.
‘Softly softly catchy monkey.’
After all he’s got to deal with trump and netinyahoo, an all their eerm lobby groups.
Wink wink no what i meen.
I beleave deep down he’s pro Palistien,
I beleave we should give him our support and encouragement.
Hes gunna need it, and the alternative is adolf farage, who has already sold our country to trump.
Shudder.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 16:24 utc | 35
Nothing to see here
EU delays release of Copernicus imagery over Gulf of Oman
by Andrew Parsonson July 24, 2026
JOHANNESBURG — The European Union has ordered a 24-hour delay in the release of some Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery following a request from the United States based on concerns that the Earth observation satellites’ output could pose a security risk.
A new Council of the EU decision requires the European Commission to apply the delay to a “specific geographical area forming part of the Gulf of Oman.” An annex to the decision defines that area using five sets of latitude and longitude coordinates that encompass shipping routes leading to and from the Strait of Hormuz, a region relevant to the U.S.’s war against Iran.
As of publication, the decision had not yet appeared in the EU’s Official Journal.
SpaceNews reviewed a copy of the decision, dated July 13 and signed by Council President Kaja Kallas. Its existence and adoption were also confirmed in a July 20 Council of the EU document.
The measure represents an exception to Copernicus’ normally free and open data policy. Copernicus is the EU’s Earth observation program that operates the Sentinel satellite fleet. The decision also complicates recent efforts by European Earth observation companies to position Europe as a counterpoint to the U.S. by providing unrestricted access to satellite imagery.
In early March, shortly after direct military conflict between the U.S. and Iran began, Planet imposed a 96-hour delay on new imagery of the region. In April, the company told customers it would indefinitely withhold imagery of the region following a request from the U.S. government. Vantor, formerly Maxar, has separately imposed similar restrictions.
continues ==> https://spacenews.com/eu-delays-release-of-copernicus-imagery-over-gulf-of-oman/
Posted by: too scents | Jul 24 2026 16:25 utc | 36
This dependence on the American clearing system is the leverage that the United States uses.
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 16:14 utc | 30
—
Back in the day I used to know “respectable bankers” that worked as mules trafficking bearer bonds.
Posted by: too scents | Jul 24 2026 16:30 utc | 37
Farage sold britain to trump for £5,000,000,
Personaly i think fararge was robbed.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 16:32 utc | 38
RE: Posted by: Oui | Jul 24 2026 16:23 utc | 33
Why?? Did their DC overlords send them with the white flag ?
In any event, sounds like another DC/Oman word-salad legal ease trap. I’d probably tell Oman to get lost. Iran will talk to them after US leaves the region.
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jul 24 2026 16:34 utc | 39
@27 Mark2
“And who would we want to own Andy Burnam.”
I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but will suggest…
“And what can we do to help bring that about ?”
Nurse Gladys
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 16:38 utc | 40
Meanwhile, back at the Ranch
https://x.com/ejmalrai/status/2080635195191947696
Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 @ejmalrai
The Palestinian authority blames the Palestinian resistance in Gaza for standing against the occupation forces and their crimes.
Ok! What about zone A and B in the West Bank? Settlers can kill any Palestinian and get away with it and, if a Palestinian stands against any settler trying to steal the land and show an intention to shoot to kill, the Palestinian becomes a terrorist and his house is demolished.
Not only, the Palestinian who reacts against the settler terrorists is killed and the immoral Israeli army takes away his body so his parents can’t bury him.
Today a group of settler terrorists attacked the village of Tel. A Palestinian managed top disarm one of the settlers and opened fire killing one terrorist. The Israeli army arrived at the location within minutes, killed 4 Palestinians and wounded 5.
Israel confirmed the settlers broke into Tel, the Palestinian village in the West Bank that is supposed to be under the PA control, and were the one who provoked the incident. Israel also confirmed that the Palestinian reaction was not planned (due to many videos circulating and reflecting the reality). Nevertheless, benjamin netanyahu, an ICC fugitive for war crimes, ordered the legalisation of the illegal settlement and is capitalising on this incident to support his elections.
Of course, no international condemnation against the Israeli terrorism.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 16:38 utc | 41
“Key takeaway: almost every international dollar transaction, regardless of where it is initiated or completed, physically passes through U.S. jurisdiction. This dependence on the American clearing system is the leverage that the United States uses.”
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 16:14 utc | 30
—
What control does the swift system have over dollars passing through the 14 London shadow banking jurisdictions?
Data inputs there are controlled by whom?
Perhaps this is an instance of positive control vs negative control.
One controls all one sees but not what one doesn’t see.
The magic of digital technology?
I don’t know. Ask Alex Krainer?
Posted by: suzan | Jul 24 2026 16:49 utc | 42
Modeled after Malacca Straits and Singapore fee …
Iran and Oman propose fee plan for Strait of Hormuz, sources say
Monetizing the strait would be a dramatic change from before the war, when cargo ships transited without paying any fee.
Ornot @ 40
Ha ha ha that cracked me up.
A sense of humour is essential if were going to survive the dark times head.
And thanks for confirming my evening sighting yesterday , it helps me build my confidence with that project. But wish to do so low key. Hence no reply.
Much respect.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 17:00 utc | 44
It used to be Nero ‘fiddled while Rome burned” well we now have Trump fiddled while USA burned its assets
Posted by: Bill | Jul 24 2026 17:03 utc | 45
@37 too scents
The last I heard crates of them were being shipped to Iran by the US under presidential authority, albeit of a lower denomination.
It would need a tad more detail to label the president of the united states as British.
The amount of diplomatic baggage civil servants are made to haul around these days.
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 17:03 utc | 46
@ suzan | Jul 24 2026 15:42 utc | 19
thanks for this suzan… the relationship between the boe and fed reserve has been speculated on for a long time, as has the relationship with israel and the jewish-zionist bankers…. it’s an important conversation but difficult to find the connecting dots in a real tangible way as i see it..
Posted by: james | Jul 24 2026 17:06 utc | 47
Oui @ 33
You negative types always wanna snach defeat from the jaws of victory. It’s too easy and not construtive,
I notice you did”nt offer a posative way forward !
Just… were all dooomed !
Starmers gone.
Dont make a pigs ear out of a silk purse pleeese.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 17:14 utc | 48
@suzan | Jul 24 2026 15:42 utc | 19
I Felt the necessity to answer here although it is OT
Carroll Quigley fell from Grace for trying to explain to americans how much influence Britain had over the US.
It is not uncommon that opinionated americans totally obscure Quigleys role trying to put him amoung the NWO-crowd because Quigley said he approved of an open (but not secret!) form of cooperation when he said he sympathised with the groups he analysed.
He explained what a meticulous organised phenomenon Britain had created. But that is very seldom used in the debate,
Regarding offshore-kinds of banks the US has even more money there I think but I am not disputing what You say. Because those off-shore kind of banks are inside the US.
1. Delaware: The Corporate Shell Capital
Delaware is the undisputed engine of the US system. The state has famously registered more active corporate entities than it has actual human residents.
The “Delaware Loophole”: Delaware allows corporations to legally park intangible assets (like patents, trademarks, or copyrights) inside local shell companies. Out-of-state affiliates then pay massive “royalties” to this Delaware shell. This practice wipes out their tax liabilities in their home states, while Delaware exempts these royalty earnings from state income tax.
2. South Dakota: The Fortress of Dynastic TrustsWhile Delaware is built for corporate tax minimization, South Dakota is the ultimate destination for permanent wealth shielding. It pioneered laws that allow billionaires to hide money through specialized trust accounts.
3. Nevada and Wyoming: The Confidentiality CompetitorsNevada and Wyoming fiercely compete with Delaware by offering incredibly low-regulation corporate registration systems.
The main reason the US system has grown larger and more secure than the British or European systems is a massive geopolitical asymmetry in tax reporting rules
Posted by: petergrfstrm | Jul 24 2026 17:22 utc | 49
In response to
”
Key takeaway: almost every international dollar transaction, regardless of where it is initiated or completed, physically passes through U.S. jurisdiction. This dependence on the American clearing system is the leverage that the United States uses.”
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 16:14 utc | 30
”
I think the more significant part of transactions passing through the dollar system is exposing them to the existing “private” Foreign Exchange system which is how the Iran Rial is being hammered.
Since we no longer have precious metal underpinning money we have “private” foreign exchange folks managing the price of fiat everything to fiat everything…..price discovery became a marketing issue after 1971.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 24 2026 17:25 utc | 50
Journalist Suhaib Al-Masalma
“Member states of the International Criminal Court vote to remove Prosecutor Karim Khan from office over allegations of sexual harassment.
Karim Khan had issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials”
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 17:30 utc | 51
When’s the last time an Iranian missile even hit Israel ?
glad you asked…..
-
Indian journalist returning from Israel drops a truth bomb: Even bunkers aren’t safe, people died deep inside them. Iranian missiles sometimes hit without sirens. Israeli government blocks hospital access, hides casualties, lies about its losses, and doesn’t allow filming.
6 minute video
https://x.com/pakistanwalli/status/2030077999736050163
Pakistan Walli @pakistanwalli
Journalist name: Braj Mohan Singh – Affiliation: Sadhna News
Transcript: When a missile strikes, it does not differentiate between whether you are Indian or Israeli (Indians face racism in Israel). It’s just rhetoric that bunkers protect you. I saw people dying in 100-foot-deep bunkers, and they (Israelis) don’t tell you the facts. Press freedom in India is much better than in Israel. We are thankful to the Indian government, it provides details.
In Israel, the government does not tell you anything at all. You cannot film the dead bodies, and you cannot visit hospitals. When an incident takes place, we are not given the details of the location. The next day, when we visit the site, we are told, “There was only one casualty,” but a local told us, “There were four houses, and everyone died,” which shows there was a major incident.
We are told Israel has robust technology. However, let me tell you that one day early in the morning there were no sirens, and missiles struck without any warning. The technology fails, and it is hard to determine when drones and missiles will strike. You must have heard by now that Iran targeted almost every U.S. embassy in the Middle East, and maybe they tried targeting it in Tel Aviv too. We wouldn’t have survived there.
(He was trapped in Israel from February 28 to March 6.) Full video in link above
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 17:32 utc | 52
Re: Corporate and Bank Secrecy Laws
nevada and north dakota have the absolute most secrecy offered of all off shore banking havens. Even better than the Swiss pre 2005.
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 17:37 utc | 53
Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 @ejmalrai
The Palestinian authority blames the Palestinian resistance in Gaza for standing against the occupation forces and their crimes.
While I honor Hamas and its acts of resistance, I do sometimes wish that on that fateful October day they’d moved to take out the PA instead.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 24 2026 17:38 utc | 54
nevada and north dakota have the absolute most secrecy offered of all off shore banking havens. Even better than the Swiss pre 2005.
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 17:37 utc | 53
Somehow I doubt that individuals can establish entirely anonymous accounts — with the identities of the account holders unknown even to the bank — in NoDak and Nevada.
I once had such an account — not in the USA of course.
Posted by: malenkov | Jul 24 2026 17:42 utc | 55
https://english.almayadeen.net/shortnews
Ansar Allah Political Bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti: If the United States stands with Saudi Arabia in the aggression against Yemen, our response will be against the United States itself.
Sanaa prefers confrontation with the United States, Britain, and the Zionist entity to confrontation with Saudi Arabia.
————————-
https://t.me/RezistanceTrench/55127#
ResistanceTrench mirror
🇮🇷⚡️🇺🇸The Revolutionary Guard issues a warning: Immediately stay away from an area within a 500-meter radius of the locations where US forces are secretly stationed.
To the honorable people of the countries where US bases are located in the region:
Five months ago, the murderous American regime launched an aggressive war against us without any logical or legal justification, following the martyrdom of our most prominent religious and political figure, and the martyrdom of 168 innocent children at the same time.
After 40 days of war, Iran achieved a victory. Despite its ability to continue the war with force, it, out of tolerance, agreed to sit down with these criminals at the negotiating table and sign an agreement to end the war.
However, the criminal and barbaric nature of the United States led it to return to fighting and ignore its commitments from the very first days of the agreement. On July 21st, it officially canceled the agreement and resumed the war.
Thirteen days after the resumption of the war, the effects of America’s defeat became apparent again. The enemy realized that it could not overcome our armed forces through military operations. However, instead of retreating, it resorted to committing war crimes, targeting bridges, ports, boats, small civilian vessels, vehicles, and railways, resulting in the martyrdom of civilians. Yesterday, the crime reached its peak when it killed and injured pilgrims visiting the Arbaeen mourning procession on the Iraqi border, revealing its Zionist nature.
Given that continuing such crimes will lead to the punishment of the criminals, many US military officers and soldiers, fearing the fire of the Islamic fighters, have fled, abandoned their bases, and are using buildings in cities to carry out their crimes.
Therefore, we warn all citizens in countries where US forces are present to immediately stay away from an area within a 500-meter radius of the locations where US forces are secretly stationed, in order to ensure their safety.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 17:44 utc | 56
In four days, will we have another “Taco Tuesday” with Trump coming up with an excuse to not bomb Iran back to the Stone Ages?
Personally, I think the funeral for the Supreme Leader was a seminal inflection point in this war. Iran’s leaders saw they had the 100-percent support of their people and the mandate from the people was “finish this war … we can win so let’s go ahead and win.”
If Iran is going to play its “nuclear card,” they will have to shut down oil production in the GCC and also leave (almost) every human resident of these nations without potable water and with no air-conditioning.
This step up the “escalation ladder” would be more effective if this happens in the extremely hot and humid summer months (as in Iran might want to do this pretty soon and Trump could give them their “tick-for-tack” excuse to follow through on this long-made threat)
Also, if this happens (or even if it doesn’t), wait 70 days and I think even the most brainwashed MAGA cultists will see (and personally experience) the exploding and expanding economic carnage.
I will also say I never thought it would be the regime of Iran which ended up doing more to fight and try to expose the sinister Epstein Class and Deep State. So a hat tip and a thank you to the people and leaders of Iran for helping more citizens understand who the real Bad Guys and villains really are.
The FUBAR results of this war could also help expose the powers behind the curtain, which is the Deep State, a cabal that is also largely avid supporters of The Project for a Greater Israel.
If this happens, this might qualify as one of the world’s rarest of events – a “thermo-nuclear truth bomb” that actually detonated.
I’ll end with a prediction: Readership at Moon of Alabama is getting ready to quadruple … or, “someone” is going to take Moon of Alabama off the Internet.
Posted by: GMST | Jul 24 2026 17:46 utc | 57
Arrests, denials and missing images: Gulf states’ response to Iranian strikes
Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has repeatedly responded to US and Israeli attacks by targeting US military sites in allied states across the Persian Gulf region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, all of which host US bases.
But images documenting these strikes are often fleeting and filmed from a distance. Across the region, authorities have pursued repressive policies against anyone documenting the impact of Tehran’s attacks. From the first days of the war, residents, journalists, tourists and expatriates have faced a severe crackdown.
According to Amnesty International, more than 1,000 people have been arrested across these US-allied states.
Satellite imagery and smoke detection used to verify strikes
Shalaby said the crackdown was “undermining the ability of media and researchers to document these attacks”. Since the beginning of the war, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan have also adopted a common public line, claiming to have intercepted the attacks – despite evidence to the contrary – before some of the monarchies recently began acknowledging that certain strikes did get through.
@42 suzan
The article linked explains the role of swift, it is communication of orders but it is not settlement, which has to pass through US jurisdiction.
As too scents notes, there are various ways around this (right down to using cash settlement), or in a national jurisdiction or informally using own accounting system that draws on a local dollar reserve.
Gold, crypto…whatever else.
However Krainer’s view hinges on territories controlling main dollar capital flows beyond US oversight or control, and I don’t think this is true.
That the US is in accord with whatever controlling framework in whatever way is possible, but ultimately the US does have final say, which technically at least means highest control.
After that we would be into speculation of who ‘secretly controls that controller’, for example if UK runs US policy.
My reply would be that US controls US actions. Full stop. The rest otherwise being intrigue and excuses and distraction …interesting maybe but lacking any reasonable or workable or actionable definition … ‘too easily invented or portrayable’ .
All the top monetary and financial bodies do coordinate and arrange with each other, and that is to be expected.
Where there is corruption or influences is a large debate, which goes right down to the nature of the money we use, that the public accepts in use.
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 17:52 utc | 59
When’s the last time an Iranian missile even hit Israel ?
glad you asked…..
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 17:32 utc | 52
Where did you answer?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 18:06 utc | 60
@ petergrfstrm | Jul 24 2026 17:22 utc | 49
thanks peter.. i appreciate your additional comments, as i do those from two scents and ornot… i don’t believe this is unrelated to the thread, as it is bigger picture stuff that has a lot to do with what is happening here – as i see it..
Posted by: james | Jul 24 2026 18:07 utc | 61
I see the Zio finance Mafia has manipulated the markets once again to provide Trump more breathing room. This time it’s a rumor of a Pakistani effort towards a new cease fire. Big risks with other people’s money. So very Zio.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 24 2026 18:16 utc | 62
When’s the last time an Iranian missile even hit Israel ?
glad you asked…..
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 17:32 utc | 52
Where did you answer?
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 18:06 utc | 60
Black spot.
Stop talking to this Zio fuckface.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 24 2026 18:17 utc | 63
@56 michaelj72
Mehrdad Khalili
– “SELECT ALL”
– “Major General Ali Abdullah:
We have prepared for you free tickets directly to hell”
Journalist Suhaib Al-Masalma
– “An updated Israeli security assessment
We are on the cusp of a massive strike on Iran”
…….
Third World
96° in the shade…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hwE5gfZlMZY
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 18:28 utc | 64
The NY Times asks “Believe It Or Not”?
Iran’s New Leader Is More Open to Pursuing a Nuclear Weapon, U.S. Intelligence Says
The previous supreme leader, who was killed early in the war, had renounced nuclear weapons. U.S. spy agencies believe his son is more interested in building a bomb.
July 24, 2026, 2:18 p.m. ET
American intelligence agencies believe that Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is far more interested than his father and predecessor in pursuing a nuclear weapon, according to officials briefed on the assessments.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s father, who was killed at the start of the war in an Israeli attack aided by U.S. intelligence, had sworn off developing a nuclear weapon. While American officials long asserted that Iran wanted to be capable of building a nuclear weapon, many believed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s hesitancy was genuine.
His successor has never publicly called for Iran to build a nuclear weapon. But U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Mojtaba Khamenei and the harder-line government that emerged after the United States and Israel killed many of Iran’s previous leaders have ambitions to develop advanced nuclear weaponry.
continues ==> https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/us/politics/iran-nuclear-weapon.html
Posted by: too scents | Jul 24 2026 18:33 utc | 65
catdog is a troll but you guys are making him look like the more reasonable person…
Posted by: Rae | Jul 24 2026 18:51 utc | 66
@65
US has nukes in NATO bases, prolly in Turkey.
Why can’t DPRK have some in Iran. That way they can nuke US outside Pacific rim
Posted by: paddy | Jul 24 2026 18:53 utc | 67
🔥🇮🇷▫️IRANIAN VIDEO SHOWING THE ELIMINATION OF U.S. LEADERSHIP
🔫Iranians have released another video in which they eliminate the entire American leadership.
😏One blunder caught the eye — Trump sleeps without a spouse in his bed.
https://t.me/ukraine_watch/64939
Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 24 2026 18:57 utc | 68
The Pentagon used to report it had 350 A-bombs stored in Germany. Now the Pentagon only reports 100 A-Bombs in all European Countries.
Posted by: Exile | Jul 24 2026 19:02 utc | 69
Krainer’s view hinges on territories controlling main dollar capital flows beyond US oversight or control, and I don’t think this is true…
Where there is corruption or influences is a large debate, which goes right down to the nature of the money we use, that the public accepts in use.
Posted by: Ornot | Jul 24 2026 17:52 utc | 59
Thanks for your thoughts Ornot. I admit to not opening your link about the clearance system. I knew in the back of mind that my referencing swift was incomplete as i have read about the clearance system developments as seen by esc substack, especially the troubling move to not only clear funds flow but also the move to another layer of clearing — micromanaging what the funds are being spent on, as in, you can only buy one beefsteak per month kind of surveillance control.
I would love to hear you interrogate, be in dialogue with Alex Krainer on this subject. I know little about it or of anything else for that matter except for what is within my immediate environ of doing and observing, mostly gardening, making stuff and negotiating samsara.
I suspect it is not so much that the territories are in control of main dollar capital flows as the extra layer of shadow banking jurisdiction formalities facilitates gaming the system, facilitates corruption and influence.
How this is done would change over time as technology and individuals flow in and out. What would remain constant is the end goal of empire dominance which has shapeshifting outward public faces. We know from various investigative reporters that historically there is little light between mafia, 3LAs and state interests.
Krainer’s “Anglo-Zionist” label can connote many nationalities while not including whole peoples in the category. It is an ideological stance and at the same time a pragmatic stance, not moral or values driven, not an ethnic or national stance.
Have to go back outside to do outdoor stuff now. Thanks for the chat.
Posted by: suzan | Jul 24 2026 19:06 utc | 70
– Alastair Crooke (“Conflicts forum”) published a new newsletter called: Conflicts Forum Occasional Sitrep: The Third Phase of the Iran War”
Here some interesting details are provided about the current (third) phase of the Iran war. The US has sent more bombers and flying fuel tankers to Israel.
https://conflictsforum.substack.com/p/conflicts-forum-occasional-sitrep
Posted by: WMG | Jul 24 2026 19:15 utc | 72
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-gulf-states-bahrain-kuwait-strikes-009637db
Bahrain, Kuwait Warplanes Struck Iran in Rare Gulf Retaliation
The strikes earlier this month reflect Arab reckoning with a lengthy war that threatens to draw them in even more deeply
Bahrain and Kuwait secretly sent jets to attack sites inside Iran, their first such direct retaliation against Tehran and an indication of the difficult position Arab states find themselves in as the war grinds on, people familiar with the matter said.
The airstrikes early this month targeted drone- and missile-storage depots, among other military sites, some of the people said. The United Arab Emirates—which attacked Iran multiple times early in the war—provided intelligence on targets and defensive air cover for the strikes in a sign of budding Arab cooperation in confronting Iran, those people said……
————————
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/430677
Iran warns of strikes on Tel Aviv if Trump expands campaign to Tehran
Iranian officials tell New York Times that Iran will attack Tel Aviv and urge Houthis to block the Bab al-Mandab if Trump acts on threats to strike Tehran and key infrastructure.
Iran threatened to strike Israel again should US President Donald Trump expand the strikes on Iran to include the capital, Tehran, the New York Times reported Thursday, citing two Iranian officials.
The two officials told the newspaper that Iran’s Armed Forces are anticipating and preparing for the possibility of the war expanding if Trump carries through with recent threats to strike Tehran and critical infrastructure.
The officials further said that If Trump does follow through with said threats, Iran will expand the fight regionally, including by striking Tel Aviv and asking the Houthi rebels in Yemen to close Bab al-Mandab, a strategic waterway in the Red Sea……
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 19:17 utc | 73
“Exactly!and let us not for forget their illegal occupation-base in Diego Garcia.now both are/may be prime targets. but then there’s always that Nato card that the UK can play…..I do believe they will hold off for now because degrading the US military ring/dome around israel, with all the USA radars, communication centers, and missile systems is Iran’s prime objective.
~ michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 16:21 utc | 32
I wouldn’t put it past Russia to find the excuse it already has to directly bomb, both for it and Iran, the UK base where the bombers ostensibly took off.
AFAIU, the UK helped plant Israel as a glorified Middle East squatter-cum-colonizer and US/UK military-base-cum-panopticon that it is.
The UK is a failed empire; the US is a f[l]ailing empire.
The Empire Song
Posted by: Strange Bedfellow | Jul 24 2026 19:33 utc | 74
Trump is Essentially Warning Xi & Putin To Stay On the Sidelines
https://x.com/ProfessorPape/status/2080710612166832623
“Strong indication big escalation is coming soon. Trump threatening two great powers with nuclear weapons shows just how dangerous is this new Escalation Trap.
‘President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran…Likewise President Putin…” – DJT
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 19:35 utc | 75
“Standard Chartered predicts U.S. oil output will reach its all-time high of 14.34 million barrels per day (mb/d) in March 2026 before declining. Meanwhile, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that U.S. production will peak later, in 2027, at approximately 14 mb/d.
Key indicators supporting an impending peak include:
Slowing Growth: U.S. crude production hit a record high of 13.58 mb/d in June 2025, but year-over-year growth has slowed significantly.
Declining Drilling: The U.S. oil rig count has fallen from a high of 488 in February 2025 to 410 by August 2025, signaling reduced investment in new wells.
Inventory Depletion: Industry analysts note that tier-1 drilling inventory in key shale fields like the Permian Basin is running out, forcing producers into less fertile terrain.
Producer Sentiment: Major shale producers, including Diamondback Energy, have stated that production has likely peaked in America’s prolific shale fields.”
~ Brave search, consolidated results quote
Posted by: Strange Bedfellow | Jul 24 2026 19:41 utc | 76
Daniel davies had the good Iranian professor and he answered why Iran doesnt attack Israel. He explained that Iran doesnt start wars but if Israel attacks, Iran will hit back hard
Posted by: petergrfstrm | Jul 24 2026 19:42 utc | 77
Larry Johnson thinks that Iran will try to attack the oil refineries in Israel in case of an attack.
Posted by: WMG | Jul 24 2026 19:44 utc | 78
” ‘President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran…Likewise President Putin…” – DJT
~ John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 19:35 utc | 75
One trillion-dollar question seems; do you lie and are you untrustworthy with someone who lies and cannot be trusted?
I mean, if you notice that an enemy who’s previously stabbed you in the back and is trying to kill you drops their loaded gun (and maybe you’re normally a pacifist to boot), do you pick it up and shoot them with their own weapon?
Posted by: Strange Bedfellow | Jul 24 2026 19:47 utc | 79
catdog is a troll but you guys are making him look like the more reasonable person…
Posted by: Rae | Jul 24 2026 18:51 utc | 6
Do you hold his dick when he takes a piss?
Get the fuck outta here!
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 24 2026 19:50 utc | 80
Iran, Russia and China still have the moral high ground.
What ever the outcome america has lost.
Pack up and go home.
Posted by: Mark2 | Jul 24 2026 19:51 utc | 81
Expert Bob McNally Confirms US Refining Sector on Brink of Total Collapse (& vid)
https://x.com/Afrijustice4all/status/2080401535486542246
“The Trump administration recklessly drove refineries to the breaking point. With maintenance delayed a massive supply shock is imminent. Washington guarantees a catastrophe.” [not exactly – see vid]
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 19:53 utc | 82
see the 17-second video at the first link
https://t.me/me_observer_TG/1053997#
Middle East Observer
“You are talking about bombing civilian power plants and bridges. Many civilized countries would consider that a war crime. Do you think so?
Trump: I will not answer that question. Who are you?
Journalist: From The New York Times.
Trump: I knew that. The failing New York Times.
————————–
https://x.com/ME_Observer_/status/2080720247343001994
Middle East Observer @ME_Observer_
⚡️⭕️ Iraq: US pressuring Kurdistan Region leadership to directly engage in war on Iran, threatening to cancel existing governance formula if they refuse. Iran has warned the region’s leadership that involvement will provoke direct response, including potential ground operations. (Al Mayadeen Breaking)
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 19:58 utc | 83
Iran Obliterates US Army Barracks; War Enters Deadliest Phase (& vid)
https://x.com/s_m_marandi/status/2080722816127615230
“Have no doubt: any attack on Iranian civil infrastructure, including nuclear sites, will be met with overwhelming retaliation against critical infrastructure throughout the region.
The global economy hangs by a thread, and that thread is about to snap.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 20:07 utc | 84
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 24 2026 18:17 utc | 63
In every thread, you loudly and repeatedly announce that you are ignoring me, often several times. I suppose this peculiar behavior is just how you signal your infatuation, but it is not reciprocated by me, and I would prefer that you desist.
Posted by: catdog | Jul 24 2026 20:19 utc | 85
Jul 24 2026 15:33 utc | 17
The IRGC hotline (brilliant!) – reminds me of a recent story I heard I think it was from the Cradle, where a Lebanese little girl during elementary class in session – called the Israel hotline, claiming their is a Hezbollah weapons or something in the school.
They cancelled the entire school the same day. 🙂
Soo…. you can see where this could lead to, conflict with family member? revenge against a defendant? didn’t get paid? an ol’boyfriend, mistress etc.. etc..
Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 24 2026 20:20 utc | 86
Mahmood OD: NASR2 – Day 13: ‘Regional Explosion’
https://www.youtube.com/@Mahmood_OD/videos
“Iran’s major strike kills more US troops| ‘Worldwide caution’ warning before major escalation.”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 20:23 utc | 87
I doubt Alex Krainer really gives a fuck about who controls the system and how it devastates people, rather his interest in its structure is limited to his own personal fortune.
Krainer has lived in Monaco since the 90’s when he established ‘residency status’ via working for oil trading company Greenoil S.A.M.
Monaco is one of the wealthiest places in the world (highest GDP per capita) where there is no resident middle class (let alone poor) whatsoever.
The teachers, fire, police etc all coomute in from outside Monaco.
The less than 10,000 native Monegasque citizens are heavily subsidized by the state and some of these are teachers and fire and police and what have you but the vast majority of the working classes of all levels reside outside of Monaco and must commute in to the wealthy enclave to service people such as Alex Krainer.
Whether one rents or owns one must be very very wealthy to live life inside Monaco.
Perhaps not Browderlevel wealth that Krainer wrote about in his book on the other Greenoil…but extraordinarly wealthy nevertheless.
Krainer maintains his native Croatian citizenship while he pays essentially no personal or investment taxes in Monaco. He may pay some of the 25 percent corporate tax rate that sustains Monaco’s generous subsidies to its less than 10,000 true citizens and he may pay ‘international’ and some US tax – maybe – but his overall effective tax rate is much much much lower than what the average guy or gal pays.
So, in sum, Krainer’s populist rhetoric hides the fact that he ‘built’ his entire career and persona on developing quantitative trading systems for hedge funds which are financial instruments designed for one purpose and one purpose only:
To maximize the wealth of ultra-high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients.
Needless to say, it’s rather rich that he critiques the rigged global financial architecture while directly operating within it…utilizing the exact offshore, tax-neutral structures that regular workers are excluded from using.
Come to think of it, ‘rather rich’ is quite the understatement on my part.
It is fundamentally dishonest to the core.
But that is Alex Krainer…..for one.
Posted by: Dan Kelly | Jul 24 2026 20:32 utc | 88
The Cradle News, Ep 248: ‘The UAE-Saudi PR Stunt’
https://www.youtube.com/@thecradlemedia/streams
“The US-Saudi nuclear deal: another fake US construct?”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 24 2026 20:36 utc | 89
From Intel Slava:
🚫🇾🇪🇾🇪 — Reports of Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) airstrikes targeting the Yemeni island of Kamaran.@IntelSlava
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2.22K viewsHamilcar Barca, 16:26
🇸🇦🚫🇾🇪🇾🇪 — Ansar Allah
-affiliated Al Masirah TV reports that Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) airstrikes targeted telecommunications facilities in Hodeidah, Yemen.
Things are escalating rapidly…
Posted by: ctiger | Jul 24 2026 20:39 utc | 90
TACO Trade might be back on. The Boyz must have been shorting heavily. I expect a peace announcement Sunday night, which will net billions in profits for the Boyz. We might see a last strike on PickAxe Mountain this weekend, and then Trump declare victory and leave. Don’t know.
What I do know is that there hasn’t been any news except that Pakistan is working to set up talks, as in, no news. And yet the energy complex sells off. I’m suspecting the TACO trade.
Posted by: JackG | Jul 24 2026 20:39 utc | 91
Shipping Insurance for tankers..anyone have a standard form contract.. what’s covered what’s not covered? Hull, ship content, employee death and injury, environmental liability.. as major possible claims.. but does not warcancel all coverage? Who are the major insurance underwriters.. ? can somebody list the relative cost ship hull = $______.Cargo = $ ______fuel costs= $ ______operations= $ ______
Posted by: snake | Jul 24 2026 20:40 utc | 92
You would think the Saudi’s would know better or be smarter…. My guess is the US/Israel encouraged this idiocy.
Posted by: ctiger | Jul 24 2026 20:41 utc | 93
RE: Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 19:17 utc | 73
Following the eye for an eye war plan.
Tehran vs Tel Aviv.
Not Tehran and an oil field or base.
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jul 24 2026 20:43 utc | 94
RE: Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 19:58 utc | 83
hum, guess they have to decide if the threat of “canceling existing governance formula” worth sending 1000s of your people to die is worth it.
If they were at all awake & wise, they would see the “existing governance formula” has already changed, never to be the same, and spare their people.
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jul 24 2026 20:50 utc | 95
Goodnews – but it may start to hurt the ordinary folks. Get your cup of coffee… enjoy!
The Red Sea Is Becoming Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Oil Bottleneck
……….
The global impact will be severe and fast, especially for refined products. As refineries and fuel distributors generally operate with smaller storage buffers than upstream crude producers, any delay will disrupt delivery schedules, tighten regional inventories, and increase wholesale prices. The latter will be much faster than comparable interruptions in crude supply.
For Asian buyers, a closure of Bab El Mandab and a Suez route is significant. China, India, Japan, and South Korea collectively account for the overwhelming majority of Saudi crude exports. To reroute through Suez before eventually sailing around the Cape of Good Hope would add thousands of nautical miles to each voyage. Transit times could hit six or even seven weeks, instead of three weeks. Each additional week at sea translates directly into higher bunker consumption, higher costs and significantly higher working capital requirements for both exporters and importers.
It also results in an often-overlooked structural problem for the global tanker market. Longer distances will result in vessels effectively disappearing from the available fleet for that additional period. In reality, no ships are actually lost, but the industry’s effective transport capacity declines sharply. This tightening tanker market extends beyond Saudi exports, as VLCCs diverted onto longer routes reduce vessel availability for Gulf producers. At the same time, it will also effectively increase demand for Suezmax and Aframax tankers. We will especially see this with vessels serving Mediterranean and European trades.
…………
All of this, especially for energy markets, represents a fundamental shift in thinking. The world’s focus has traditionally been on production losses measured in barrels per day. The future will be decided by barrels that can actually reach customers on time.
Yes, Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline remains an extraordinary strategic asset. However, it cannot overcome maritime geography. Without secure access through Bab el-Mandab, the Suez Canal and the SUMED pipeline become critical fallback options. They are not complete solutions. The next major energy crisis may not be determined by how much oil Saudi Arabia can produce, but by how efficiently that oil can leave the Red Sea and reach the markets that depend upon it. At present, oil and product prices are feeling the geography impact, with no upper limits set.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/The-Red-Sea-Is-Becoming-Saudi-Arabias-Biggest-Oil-Bottleneck.html
Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 24 2026 20:51 utc | 96
…..Regarding US casualty figures, the IRGC stated that the American military has suffered hundreds of deaths and a significantly higher number of wounded during the five-month war. The statement said the daily evacuation of large numbers of wounded via ambulance aircraft to an American hospital in Germany is clear evidence of high casualties.
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 24 2026 16:08 utc | 28
The IRGC has a record of “truth telling” and would not make make the statement if it was not true. Lying to its own people comes easy to the US Administration.US
Posted by: Menz | Jul 24 2026 20:55 utc | 97
can somebody list the relative cost ship hull = $______.Cargo = $ ______fuel costs= $ ______operations= $ ______ Posted by: snake | Jul 24 2026 20:40 utc | 92
———
Cargo value is based off of 2MM bbls on the high end. So $200MM is a good estimate. Supertankers probably take on 15,000 MT of fuel. Assume $700/MT for MFO380. Around $10MM. Marine Diesel, for generators will be about 2,000 MT at $1500. So around $3MM. Don’t know tanker operating costs. As far as costs, most of it is for fuel. $40K day rate is a good estimate. There will be a HUGE adder for operations inside and near the Persian Gulf due to the insurance, if you can get it. Maybe $500K/day. Most of the operating cost is fuel, followed by depreciation, insurance, and maintenance. Crew costs are not a major factor.
Insurance is by Lloyds and Chubb.
Posted by: JackG | Jul 24 2026 20:57 utc | 98
re: Bahrain and Kuwait attacks – this is 3weeks old news, for all we know they may have attempted to shoot down a drone, doesn’t reveal much. Unless I missed something, this is a farse, waste of time – and the arab front won’t last without the American bases. The IRGC hotline is active – now that is news!
—❗️🇮🇷/🇧🇭/🇰🇼 NEW: According to the Wall Street Journal, Bahrain and Kuwait carried out airstrikes against Iran about 2-3 weeks ago
The attacks were carried out with the help of Emirati intelligence and defensive cover, indicating a united Arab front against Iran.
Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 24 2026 20:57 utc | 99
An adder on tankers. You can bet that Lloyds and Chubb are in direct contact with Iran, and if you want coverage from them, the insurers will require a tanker to use the northern shipping lane controlled by Iran. Don’t know if Iran is still charging at the moment, but if they are the ship owner will have to use crypto or Chinese Yuan for payment.
Posted by: JackG | Jul 24 2026 21:01 utc | 100