US-Houthi War: ‘Your Oil Will Not Remain’: Yemen Makes Direct Threat To Saudi Arabia Amid US Strikes

April 11, 2025 — bunkerville

You may have caught U.S. war reports how we are carpet bombing the heck out of Yemen. Just like early Iraq and Afghanistan. The Houthis have another card to play and that is the Saudi oil fields that are in their range. Something to keep in mind. How are things going? Well it is costing big bucks.

News from the front as we go on the offensive.

Yemeni air defenses have shot down a  US MQ-9 Reaper drone for the third time within 10 days as daily US airstrikes on Yemen that began on March 15 have failed to deter the Houthis or stop their attacks.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that Yemeni forces were “able to shoot  down an American MQ-9 drone while it was carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Al-Jawf Governorate, using a suitable, locally manufactured missile.”

Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin, who has sources in the Pentagon, confirmed that the drone was shot down. “This is the fourth MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down by the Houthis since March 3rd, and the fourth shot down under the Trump administration,” she wrote on X.

..

Griffin recently reported that the US has been bombing Yemen using heavy B-2 bombers deployed to the US base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. “The US military has carried out 25 straight days of bombing, including with B-2 stealth bombers dropping bunker buster bombs, and yet the Houthis continue to fire missiles to shoot these expensive US assets down,” she said on Wednesday.

Saree said the incident marked the 18th American MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down by the Houthis since October 2023. At $30 million per MQ-9, that means $540 million worth of US drones have been lost if the Houthi number is accurate. The New York Times recently reported that the bombing campaign launched by President Trump on March 15 will soon have cost over $1 billion.

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The Yemen Army on Wednesday (Apr 9) warned Saudi Arabia not to ‘get involved’ in the US-led attacks on the Houthi rebels. The Houthis hinted at a possible attack on Saudi oil installations, posting images from past strikes on Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil company by market capitalization and production. These installations are within striking distance of the Houthi-led armed forces of Yemen.

Houthis DESTROY U.S. Drone – FATAL MISTAKE… Here is what happens.

When a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down over the Red Sea by Houthi rebels on March 4th, 2025, it seemed like a tactical win for the Iran-backed militia in Yemen. But what they didn’t realize was that, in its final moments, the drone transmitted critical intelligence directly to nearby U.S. Navy forces—including the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier.

What followed wasn’t a diplomatic warning—it was a full-scale military response. Within the hour, Tomahawk missiles were launched from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, F/A-18 Super Hornets took off from carriers, and EA-18G Growlers jammed enemy communications.

Tensions are rising as the U.S. shifts from a defensive to an offensive posture in the Middle East. What does this mean for future Navy operations, for U.S.–Iran proxy conflicts, and for the safety of global shipping lanes?

Posted in Military. Tags: , , , , . 11 Comments »

Trump’s War on the Houthis – Houthis Claim Attack on U.S. War Ship

March 31, 2025 — bunkerville

While everyone concerns themselves with a supposedly private  “conversation” at the top level that included a reporter over “plans” to blast the Houthis all to hell, Trump’s war begins. The European news services have an interest. The American? Not so much. The Houthis damaged our war ships it is being claimed and reported by Indian news services.

Zero Hedge:

The US-led attacks have become nearly non-stop, with dozen as killed and many wounded on the ground, after President Trump this week warned that he’s ready to bomb Yemen for “a long time” if the Houthis don’t halt their drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping.

The US President hailed the Yemen operation, which has been ongoing for about two weeks at this point, as “very successful beyond our wildest expectations.” However, there’s been no signs the Houthis intend to halt their own attacks off Yemen’s coast and against Israel.

Al Jazeera has noted that “The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval.”

According to emerging reports of strikes which continued Saturday:

Meanwhile, satellite photos analyzed by the AP show a mysterious airstrip just off Yemen in a key maritime chokepoint now appears ready to accept flights and B-2 bombers within striking distance of the country Saturday.

The strikes into Saturday targeted multiple areas in Yemen under the control of the Iranian-backed Houthis, including the capital, Sanaa, and in the governorates of al-Jawf and Saada, rebel-controlled media reported. The strikes in Saada killed one person and wounded four others, the Houthi-run SABA news agency said.

Times of Israel has reported more on the above-mentioned airstrip as follows:

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show an airstrip now appears ready on Mayun Island, a volcanic outcropping in the center of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen.

The images show the airstrip had been painted with the designation markings “09” and “27” to the airstrip’s east and west respectively.

A Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis had acknowledged having “equipment” on Mayun, also known as Perim. However, air and sea traffic to Mayun has linked the construction to the UAE, which backs a secessionist force in Yemen known as the Southern Transitional Council.

So it appears US warplanes can now utilize a ‘local’ airspace under Saudi coalition auspices. 

The U.S. has reportedly moved 4 more nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. This brings the bombers in striking range of Iran and Yemen. That means a fourth of all the nuclear-capable B-2s that America has in its arsenal are now deployed to the base.

Tensions escalate in the Red Sea! Iran-backed Houthis launch strikes on US warships, triggering sirens in Israel. Is a new maritime war looming? 

 

For the war buffs, here is more information produced March 28, 2025

 

The best of the swamp.

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The United States and Syria – A Short Difficult History

December 11, 2024 — bunkerville

 

An Overview of Syria
 
by Mustang
When the United States achieved its independence, Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire, and its foreign relations were conducted through the Sultan’s government in Istanbul (Constantinople).  In 1922, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations approved a French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, which gave France exclusive control over their foreign relations.  
 
The United States appointed George Wadsworth as “Agent and Consul General” in 1942 to provide a quasi-diplomatic presence in Damascus until the United States determined whether Syria achieved its complete independence (1944).
The United States recognized Syria as an independent state in September 1944 after the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Jamil Mardam Bey) certified that Syria would protect the rights of the United States and its nationals.
In February 1958, Egypt and Syria united to form a new state, the United Arab Republic (UAR).  The United States recognized the UAR in February 1958.  Syria seceded from the UAR three years later and reestablished the independent Syrian Arab Republic.  The United States recognized Syria on October 10, 1961.
Syria severed diplomatic relations with the United States in the wake of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.  In the place of normalized diplomatic relations, the United States established a U.S. Interests Section in February 1974, an adjunct of the Italian Embassy/Syria, and in June of that year, diplomatic relations and the American Embassy in Damascus were re-established.
Syria has been on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism since the list’s inception in 1979 because of its continued support of terrorism and terrorist groups, its former occupation of Lebanon, its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, use of chemical weapons, and its ongoing efforts to undermine U.S. and international stabilization activities in Iraq and Syria.
 
Syria is subject to legislatively mandated penalties, including export sanctions under the Syrian Accountability Act and ineligibility to receive most forms of U.S. assistance or to purchase U.S. military equipment. Since the conflict erupted in Syria in March 2011, Executive Orders have been issued in response to the ongoing violence and human rights abuses taking place in Syria.
From 1990 to 2001, the United States and Syria cooperated to a degree on some regional issues.  Relations worsened from 2003 to early 2009, principally due to George Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, an Arab Socialist Ba’athist ally of Syria.  This is when the King of Saud prevailed upon President Bush to turn a blind eye toward the Wahhabist/Saudi-led insurrection against the al-Assad regime in Syria. 
Ostensibly, the United States expressed such concerns as Syria’s becoming a transit point for foreign fighters entering Iraq, its refusal to deport from Syria former elements of the Saddam Hussein regime, interference in Lebanese affairs, its protection of the leadership of Palestinian rejectionist groups in Damascus, its human rights record, and its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.
In early 2009, the United States began to review its Syria policy in light of changes in the country and the region. This led to an effort to engage with Syria to find areas of mutual interest, reduce regional tensions, and promote Middle East peace.  When matters did not progress as quickly as the U.S. would have liked, the State Department’s propaganda ministry seized on the story of the government’s arrest of school children for writing political graffiti on walls that threatened President al-Assad. 
 
According to this story, the Syrian government brutally responded to the Syrian children’s call for freedom and dignity.  It is a modern variation of the story concocted against the Germans in World War I, who were alleged to have murdered infants in their cribs.
What has happened, though, thanks to the Saudi/Wahhabist-led insurrection, is an armed conflict that has lasted more than nine years, taken more than 500,000 lives, and displaced over 12 million Syrian people.
Meanwhile, the United States is the largest single donor to the humanitarian response in Syria, providing over $12.2 billion in humanitarian assistance for vulnerable individuals inside Syria and those displaced in the region since the start of the crisis. The U.S. government supports emergency food assistance, shelter, safe drinking water, urgent medical care, humanitarian protection activities, and other urgent relief.
Between 2012 – 2018, the U.S. provided non-humanitarian assistance to Saudi/Wahhabist-led rebels, including weapons of mass destruction.  Saudi/Wahhabist-led use of chemical weapons against innocent Syrians was claimed to have been the work of the al-Assad government, which was a complete fabrication by the U.S. government.
 
The U.S. Embassy in Damascus suspended operations in February 2012. The Czech Republic, acting through its Embassy in Damascus, serves as the protecting power for U.S. interests in Syria.  As it did in Tehran in 1953, the United States diplomatic effort is destroying American credibility in the Levant for decades into the future, perhaps guaranteeing that yet unborn Americans will one day have to fight and die in areas that are of no genuine interest to the security or economy of the United States. 
 
Bashar al-Assad is currently residing in Russia under asylum — and we assume a large chunk of America’s $12 billion. 
 

 

Who controls what territory in Syria?

Map of Syria with areas shaded in to show who is in control. Most of the country is shaded to show that it was previously held by the Syrian government. An area to the west stretching almost from north to south and including major cities, shows the area held by the Syrian opposition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

 

Mustang also has blogs called  Fix Bayonets and Searching History

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Biden Bombs Syria , Trump: ‘This is Not Our fight!”

December 9, 2024 — bunkerville

As Biden blasts away in Syria, Trump blasts out “The United States should have nothing to do with it.” This the aftermath of the fall of Syria. Reports are the U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria. Who knows how many “contractors.”  Where would congress fall on this new war?

In March 2023, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House put forth a resolution that would have required full withdrawal of American forces from Syria within 180 days of passage in the absence of congressional action authorizing their continued presence.

The resolution was voted down by 170 Republicans and 150 Democrats.

Months later, the U.S. Senate tanked a similar effort.

Erik Sperling, executive director of the advocacy group Just Foreign Policy, told The Intercept on Thursday that the Biden administration hasn’t “put the war in Syria up for debate because they know the American people don’t want another war in the Middle East.”Source

Let’s hope we make the next 43 days before Trump takes command.

ISIS Return In Syria Imminent? U.S. Strikes 75 Facilities; ‘Bid To Defeat, Degrade & Defeat…’ Israel joins in.

Daily Caller:

The U.S. and Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes Sunday on targets in Syria following the dramatic collapse of the ruling Assad regime and amid concerns radical and terrorist groups could exploit Syria’s current situation.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it hit over 75 “known [Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham] ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria” using precision airstrikes.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it hit over 75 “known [Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham] ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria” using precision airstrikes.

CENTCOM added that it struck the targets to “disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS” and render it incapable of exploiting the nation’s current state to regroup in central Syria.

There was no indication of civilian deaths from the strikes, CENTCOM noted.

“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” CENTCOM’s commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla, said. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.

”Referencing the airstrikes from the White House, President Joe Biden remarked, “We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum, to reestablish its capabilities, to create a safe haven. We will not let that happen.”

So what are we doing? Biden admits he has no idea who these rebels are.

Joe Biden Reacts To Syria Crisis, Says “Some Syrian Rebel Groups Have Records Of Terrorism..“

Meanwhile Trump opines on the matter:

Image

Does Biden know he is on the way out? Can we pump the breaks on the promise to give more money to Al Qaeda?

Joe Biden isn’t “rebuilding Syria”, all these overseas “building projects” are ALWAYS MONEY LAUNDERING Prosecute Joe Biden and the whole Democrat Regime laundering our money overseas. Everyone involved needs to go to prison. When did this much money laundering become normalized?

Imagee

We can’t get this regime out fast enough. Ukraine?

Just 6 more weeks of money laundering and kickbacks. Hopefully. It is in the DNA of DC politicians. The Biden Administration announces $988 million in military aid to Ukraine, including drones and rockets.

The worst of the swamp.

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War Drums Commence with Senator Graham’s ‘Use of Force against Iran’ Resolution

August 5, 2024 — bunkerville

Another good way to shoot the GOP in the foot just in time for the election. Graham has been out on the stump for another war. Keep in mind, the previous NDAA passed authorizes the use of federal databases to make sure all males are registered. Should make for a great Dem ad. Terrific

This week, GOP Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Just like the claim of WMDs in Iraq, Graham’s claims this time Iran as an imminent nuclear danger,

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN.

The President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against the Islamic Republic of Iran if the President determines that the Islamic Republic of Iran—

(1) is in the process of possessing a nuclear weapon that threatens the national security interests of the United States; or

(2) possesses uranium enriched to weapons-grade level, possesses a nuclear warhead, or possesses a delivery vehicle capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that threatens the national security interests of the United States.

SEC. 2. WAR POWERS RESOLUTION REQUIREMENTS.

(a) Specific Statutory Authorization.—Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1547(a)(1)), the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(b)).

Gateway Pundit:

In his resolution, Graham argues that Iran’s nuclear ambitions pose a significant threat not just to Israel but to global security. While the rhetoric may sound alarming, it is clear that this bill is less about protecting American interests and more about aligning U.S. policy with foreign objectives. This is exactly what America DOESN’T need right now, especially with the election less than 3 months away.

Keep in mind, our lawmakers also just passed an amendment as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will automatically register all draft-age male U.S. residents with the Selective Service System for a possible military draft, based on information from other Federal databases. They are also trying to pass the same mandate for women as well.

Lindsey Graham Warns The US Is ‘On The Verge Of A Major Conflict’ With Iran

The best of the swamp.

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In Search of- Rational Diplomacy Past “Don’t”

April 16, 2024 — bunkerville

by Mustang

There was a time when, amid a global crisis, the world looked toward the United States for leadership.  Those days are long gone, and they aren’t likely to return soon.  American leaders have left the building.

Although Hamas is a Sunni organization, U.S. intelligence claims that Iran provides Hamas with material support — as it is also financially supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Of course, despite what U.S. intelligence told everyone, President Joe Biden claimed there was no evidence that Iran was providing material support to Hamas.  Of course, he was simultaneously releasing Iranian funds, so one might understand his dilemma.

As one might expect after Hamas attacked Israel, Israel responded by declaring war on Hamas and followed that up by launching aerial bombardment and ground operations in Gaza.  Noting that casualty figures are never accurate, more than 31,000 Arabs in Gaza have been killed — which is a likely consequence of sending 12,000 missiles into Israel.  

The situation in Gaza, with an estimated 1.7 million displaced Arabs (out of a population of approximately 2.1 million people), constitutes a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions.  Additionally, more than 60% of the housing units in Gaza have reportedly been destroyed or damaged. 

Some food and other essential supplies have entered Gaza via Egypt and Israel during the conflict, but delays and other obstacles to transporting aid through crossings and Israeli checkpoints and then safely delivering it — particularly in northern Gaza — contributed to a late February U.N. assessment that a quarter of Gaza’s residents were close to famine.

The international community began screaming bloody murder — directing their attentions almost exclusively at Israel, whose reaction was defensive (if not heavy-handed).  In early March, the United States and other countries began taking steps to provide additional humanitarian aid to Gaza via airdrops and a planned maritime corridor, while Israel opened a new land crossing directly into northern Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has gained control over key areas of northern Gaza, withdrawn some of its forces, and shifted somewhat toward lower-intensity warfare, but also continuing operations farther south to target Hamas and its top leaders.

Negotiations involving the United States, Egypt, and Qatar have sought to resolve sticking points between Israel and Hamas on a potential multi-week ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange. 

The Biden Administration acknowledged that Israel has the right to defend itself and has resisted calls from other international actors for an indefinite cease-fire.  However, U.S. leaders have urged Israel to minimize casualties and increase their efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza. 

The Administration has also expressed its concerns about Israel’s plans to eventually move its forces into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah and urging Israel not to advance on the city without a credible plan to protect the over 1 million civilians living there (most of whom earlier fled other conflict areas).

Differences between officials from the United States, Israel, and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) on post-conflict security and governance for Gaza may intensify the challenges involved.  U.S. officials have expressed support for resuming the Palestine Authority (PA) administration in Gaza — after the PA undertakes “certain reforms” as part of efforts to move toward a two-state solution.[1]

PA and other Arab leaders insist on progress toward a Palestinian state so that they can cooperate with this transition.  Prime Minister Netanyahu has made statements opposing a PA return to power in Gaza — with good reason and has insisted that Israel should have complete security control of “all territory west of the Jordan River.”

In an October 2023 supplemental budget request, President Biden asked Congress to appropriate more than $14 billion in Israel-related funding and more than $9 billion in global humanitarian assistance that could partly be allocated to Gaza, Israel, and the surrounding region. 

Members of Congress have expressed differing views on the request and its various elements, with some debate focused on what level of oversight or conditionality to place on security assistance to Israel and humanitarian assistance to Gaza.  The debate continues in the House and Senate.

In response to the Arab’s assault on Israel, Biden seemed to double down on its diplomatic engagement in the Middle East.  The process of ramping up its focus and attention to the region was a significant challenge because Biden had spent much of his first two and a half years in office walking on eggshells — seemingly not knowing which country to prioritize: China, Russia, Ukraine, or which topic to embrace: climate change, gender assignment, or draining the United States of its strategic oil reserve.

However, the primary operators in the Middle East — the people who have so quickly gained everyone else’s attention — are the Israelis and the Hamas terrorist organization.  And a few more: Iran, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and various local militias.

As someone recently pointed out, the Biden administration seemed to stumble over the realization that diplomacy first didn’t necessarily mean diplomacy only.  Then, the next shoe to drop was Biden running around making threats his military could not possibly carry out.  It was enough to prompt those considering Biden as Brandon to high-five one another.  The experts claim that America’s presence in the Middle East, inserting itself between the Israelis and their enemy du jour, would only undermine Israeli security.  It would make matters worse.  

Team Brandon also intensified its direct diplomatic engagement on several fronts, but this effort has centered chiefly on crisis response and management.  The administration appointed a special envoy on humanitarian issues and sent several top national security officials on successive trips to engage Hamas and the Israelis directly in cease-fire talks and hostage negotiations.  It’s been going on for several months now.  For all of Anthony Blinken’s efforts, there’s been no joy.

Here’s our problem: First, in America’s current debate about how to end the war in Gaza, too much of the conversation evolves around ways to use leverage to shape Israel’s military options.  Second, too much of the conversation is in the public arena.  Back in World War II, there was a saying: loose lips sink ships.  For example, the center of gravity in this “public” debate has shifted in recent weeks toward the idea of cutting military aid to Israel.  How does this open-mic debate help anyone except possibly the enemy?

Among those who can think — and do, the main problem with this focus is that it fails to explain how the U.S. can cut Israeli aid while achieving its original (publicly stated) goals of eliminating the Hamas threat and repatriating American hostages.  Two-state solution?  Forget it. 

How is Brandon’s policy being implemented?  That’s easy enough to explain: it’s stuck in the weeds.  To build a bridge between another possible temporary cease-fire and wider regional diplomacy, the Biden administration needs to engage in strategic, proactive diplomacy that has been absent from the day of Hamas’s missile barrage.  We have seen no evidence that Biden or his team can achieve this — and the situation is getting worse by the day.  If humanitarian assistance is as important as the administration claims, beyond its public relations value, then why isn’t the administration acting like it?  Why is there no special envoy to coordinate this unmitigated disaster?

Would a special envoy only involve the U.S. further?  Yes, that is true — but now one should ask, would Hamas have even assaulted Israel were it not for Brandon’s jaw-dropping incompetence?  As I say, elections have consequences.  Voting for Biden may well have resulted in the untimely death of 31,000 Arabs in the Gaza Strip. 

[1] If Hamas (or anyone living in Gaza) thinks that a two-state solution in Palestine is worthwhile, the Arabs did themselves no favor by launching missiles into Israel.  Such a prospect is much further away now than it ever was.  In any case, the imbalance of power between the Arabs and Israelis makes such a prospect nearly impossible.  On the other hand, there is no viable alternative to a two-state solution in Palestine. 

Posted in Foreign Policy. Tags: , , , . 25 Comments »

U.S. Does Not Rule Out Launching Strikes With Israel if Attacked

April 11, 2024 — bunkerville

More saber rattling. Ironclad support the man says. Biden can’t decide if he supports Israel or not apparently. Talk about mixed messages. One day he publicly takes them to task for their attacks in Palestine. Next world War III is on the horizon with them. Here it is:

Upping the ante, a US official has told Al Jazeera that the Pentagon could intervene militarily if there is an Iranian attack launched against Israel.

According to a translation from Al Jazeera Arabic, the US source said, “We do not rule out launching joint retaliatory strikes with Israel if it is attacked by Iran or its agents.”

There was no further elaboration, or an indicator whether a US joint response with Israel would include offensive strikes against Iran, or if this would just be defensive, for example – anti air measures.

Axios has the following details which appears to confirm the Al Jazeera reporting:

The senior U.S. military commander in charge of the Middle East is expected to go to Israel Thursday to coordinate around a possible attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies, two Israeli officials said.

…The commander of the U.S. military central command (CENTCOM) Gen. Erik Kurilla is expected to meet senior Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officials and Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Yesterday, Israeli officials threatened that Iranian nuclear sites could be targeted, in one of the biggest strike threats to date. The region is on edge awaiting an ‘imminent’ response by Iran following the April 1st deadly attack on Iran’s embassy in Damascus. US intelligence has said it believes a revenge attack from Tehran is coming soon.

…

… after a Bloomberg report that the US sees a missile strike on Israel by Iran and proxies as “imminent” to wit:

The US and its allies believe major missile or drone strikes by Iran or its proxies against military and government targets in Israel are imminent, in what would mark a significant widening of the six-month-old conflict, according to people familiar with the intelligence.

The potential assault, possibly using high-precision missiles, may happen in the coming days, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss confidential matters. It is seen as more a matter of when, not if, one of the people said, based on assessments from US and Israeli intelligence.

Iran has threatened to hit Israel in retaliation for an attack on a diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital of Damascus last week that killed senior Iranian military officials. Israel has not explicitly acknowledged it was behind that attack, though it has traditionally followed a policy of ambiguity on operations in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.

Read more

The best of the swamp

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Biden Admin Renews Iran Sanctions Waiver That Releases Upwards of $10 Billion for Regime

March 15, 2024 — bunkerville

Iran supplying Russia to fight Ukraine war.

USA giving supplies to Ukraine.

USA giving money to Iran

Definitely not the circle of life.

A $10 billion sanctions waiver (the waiver program to release funds is conditioned on Iran only being able to access humanitarian supplies)…. Thats a **** ton of humanitarian supplies! Feed a couple mid-sized cities for a year or so????

10 billion tax payer funded bribe to try buy some temporary Iranian aggression pause to score foreign policy points for the election

Brandon and his Admin apparently really want an all out shooting war in the Middle East. They also seem to want Iran to finally get a functional Nuke. Madness. Absolute Madness. Iran is a full-blown enemy of the US. WTF are we doing.

And it’s been reported before that these funds do not obviously adhere to the rules given on how to spend the money.

Good lord Democrats are traitors. It’s just unreal at this point.

 So is Biden

(The above were comments from the “Tex Ags Board” Nice to know a few kids got the drift of it.)

Here we go with the plot line.

Iran International Newsroom:

Republican lawmakers are outraged by President Joe Biden’s decision to renew a US sanctions waiver that benefits Iran, despite the regime’s continued attacks on US interests.  (Outrage? Maybe, but it has not made the news as of last night. I found this story off the board.)

The waiver, signed and transmitted to the US Congress late Wednesday, allows Iraq to purchase electricity from Iran for billions of dollars and pay for it by transferring hard currencies to accounts in third countries such as Oman and Qatar.”

The fact that the administration will not even tell the American people how much money Iran has accessed over the last four months—money that subsidized three American soldier deaths and nonstop attacks on the American Navy—should prompt the U.S. Senate to immediately pass the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act and send to the president’s desk,” he said, referring to legislation that would cut off Iran’s access to previously frozen funds.

…

Iran International has information confirming that the waiver will allow Iraq once again to pay for its energy imports with hard currencies via accounts in third countries. The Biden administration claims that money going into these accounts can only be used to purchase non-sanctionable good, but so far there has been no accounting for the $10 billion that Iraq transferred to Oman last year.

Critics say the waiver should not have been renewed, not least because Iran continues to fund armed groups that are hellbent on harming Americans and forcing the United States to pull out from the region.

“Why is Biden granting sanctions relief to Iran while its proxies aim to kill US personnel,” asked Rep. Pat Fallon on his X account. “Does Biden want to fund terrorism or does it want to protect our troops abroad? Another chapter in the Biden foreign policy legacy of disgrace!”

While we watch if Biden can get his next sentence together.

This was this past September 2023:

The cynic in me suggests that Biden wants to try and keep the lid on until after the November election. It seems that WWIII will be hard to avoid with these savants running our foreign policy.

Just collecting and lining up a few dots:

US Held Secret Talks With Iran Over Red Sea Attacks | Financial Times 

The US has held secret talks with Iran this year in a bid to convince Tehran to use its influence over Yemen’s Houthi movement to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea, according to US and Iranian officials. The indirect negotiations, during which Washington also raised concerns about Iran’s expanding nuclear programme, took place in Oman in January and were the first between the foes in 10 months, the officials said.

The US delegation was led by the White House’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and its Iran envoy Abram Paley. Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who is also Tehran’s top nuclear negotiator, represented the Islamic republic. Omani officials shuttled between the Iranian and American representatives so they did not speak directly, the officials said. The talks underline how the Biden administration is using diplomatic channels with its foe, alongside military deterrents, in a bid to de-escalate a wave of regional hostilities involving Iranian-backed militant groups that was triggered by the Israel-Hamas war.  

The Washington Free Beacon has vetted the story. Worth going over with an excellent analysis.

Biden Admin Renews Iran Sanctions Waiver That Unlocks Upwards Of $10 Billion For Regime | Washington Free Beacon 

The very best of the swamp

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Add another UK Ship on Fire in the Red Sea as it Becomes Littered with Disabled Tankers.

February 23, 2024 — bunkerville

One can only speculate why the most powerful nation on earth is allowing the Houthis to have their way in the Red Sea. Yet, we hear nothing about what is going on there, only the constant drum beat over Ukraine. In truth allowing shipping being curtailed could have far more reaching ramifications on the U.S. and Britain.

Perhaps it was because Trump said Houthis were “bad.” As soon a Biden took office, they were “good.” Now no doubt Biden would just like to “forget about it.”

The US-led coalition named Operation Prosperity Guardian has not deterred these attack. If anything, they’ve only escalated

Zero Hedge:

The last several days have witnessed well over half a dozen attacks or attempted attacks by Houthis on foreign vessels and tankers in the Red Sea. For example the US military confirmed Tuesday that two US-owned tankers were struck the day prior. Such attacks are now coming several times a day.

On Thursday the Pentagon said its coalition ships in the Red Sea intercepted six more drones over waters off Yemen. This came after another UK-owned ship was struck, and is reportedly burning and immobile some 70 nautical miles southeast of Aden.

A new United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency alert said the British-owned, Palau-flagged ship was hit by two missiles while en route from Thailand to Egypt.

Increasingly, waters off Yemen are being littered with disabled and sinking tankers, as the saga of the Belize-flagged, British-registered Rubymar has shown. Earlier in the week it was hit by Houthi fire and the crew abandoned ship. 

There are reports that the vessel’s operators are currently trying to tow the ship to Djibouti, and that it remains partially below water, the engine room having suffered severe damage.

BBC wrote of one image widely circulating that it is “said to be from Tuesday and shows a vessel still above water. It is down by the stern, but has not sunk. Although the ship’s name is not visible, all of its characteristics match those of the Rubymar.”

…

According to the latest from the Houthi military spokesman Thursday: “In response to the US-UK aggression, the armed forces of Yemen carried out 3 operations”…

  • The launching of a number of ballistic missiles and drones at various targets in Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat), south of occupied Palestine.
  • The targeting of a British ship “ISLANDER” in the Gulf of Aden, using anti-ship missiles. The ship was directly hit, leading to a fire on board.
  • The targeting of an American destroyer (warship) in the Red Sea using a number of kamikaze drones.

Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM has written in a new note, “If anything, Houthis attacks on cargo ships are intensifying in the Red Sea and around the Gulf of Aden.” The US-led coalition named Operation Prosperity Guardian has not deterred these attack. If anything, they’ve only escalated.

Recent attacks on ships launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia group have threatened one of the world’s most crucial trade routes — the Suez Canal. As several shipping companies divert their vessels, About That producer Lauren Bird explains the economic ramifications of it all.

The best of the swamp.

Posted in Foreign Policy. Tags: , , , , . 38 Comments »

Iran’s Massive Protests – What is the U.S. Responsibility in this Brutality?

November 22, 2022 — bunkerville

How is this an American problem?  How is the Biden administration guilty of ignoring and giving legitimacy to the Iranian regime? Asks the writer of this post. We can set aside and forget that the U.S. played a hand in deposing the Shah. But we should not forget what life was like previously, especially for women. They want that life back.

Iran 1970s Photos Before Revolution

Mustang gives us his thoughts:

Writer Majid Rafizadeh recently opined that the Biden Administration’s inaction gives legitimacy to Iran’s brutality.  He bases his concerns on an Oslo-based non-governmental organization (NGO) calling itself Iran Human Rights.  The NGO claims that in a recent round of anti-government protests, 326 people have died and 15,000 others have been arrested — and executions have already begun. 

People run for cover as Iranian police open fire during protest at Tehran metro station 5 days ago.

Yesterday reported:

Iran protesters set fire to Khomeini’s ancestral home

Footage circulating on social media appears to show a fire raging at the ancestral home of the late founder of the Islamic republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, with activists saying it was torched by protesters.

Rafizadeh quotes Churchill in his piece, “I never worry about action, but only about inaction.” 

Well, okay.  I am sitting in my living room and wondering, what am I supposed to do about these abuses in a faraway land?  I’ve been over to the United Nations website to see what they say about human rights abuses, and I came across a 72-page booklet of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — which is far too much for a journal post, so let me break it down just a bit. 

In 2015, Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, penned the following as an introduction to this 72-page booklet. 

“In perhaps the most resonant and beautiful words of any international agreement, “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” The commitments made by all States in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are in themselves a mighty achievement, discrediting the tyranny, discrimination, and contempt for human beings that have marked human history. 

“The Universal Declaration promises all the economic, social, political, cultural, and civic rights that underpin a life free from want and fear.  They are not a reward for good behaviour.  They are not country-specific or particular to a certain era or social group.  They are the inalienable entitlements of all people, at all times, and in all places — people of every colour, from every race and ethnic group; whether or not they are disabled; citizens or migrants; no matter their sex, their class, their caste, their creed, their age, or sexual orientation.  

 “Human rights abuses did not end when the Universal Declaration was adopted.  But since then, countless people have gained greater freedom.  Violations have been prevented; independence and autonomy have been attained.  Many people – though not all – have been able to secure freedom from torture, unjustified imprisonment, summary execution, enforced disappearance, persecution, and unjust discrimination, as well as fair access to education, economic opportunities, and adequate resources and health-care.  They have obtained justice for wrongs, and national and international protection for their rights, through the strong architecture of the international human rights legal system. 

 “The power of the Universal Declaration is the power of ideas to change the world.  It inspires us to continue working to ensure that all people can gain freedom, equality, and dignity.  One vital aspect of this task is to empower people to demand what should be guaranteed: their human rights.  This booklet constitutes a modest but significant contribution to that work.”  

Let’s assume that the Oslo-based NGO has offered us a truthful view of human rights abuses in Iran.  Let us assume that reports of nearly 400 people murdered by the government and another 15,000 incarcerated are entirely unembellished.  How is this an American problem?  How is the Biden administration guilty of ignoring and giving legitimacy to the Iranian regime?  

So, is this problem an American/Biden Administration issue, or is this a problem that falls under the purview of the United Nations? 

 The United Nations peace-keeping budget for 2022-23 is $6.5 billion.  The amount was allocated to ten peace-keeping missions, one support operation, three logistics bases, and one somewhat large headquarters element.  The allocation amounts to an increase of $74 million over the previous fiscal year. 

 What would Mr. Rafizadeh have Mr. Biden (or the American taxpayer) do?  What does the Oslo-based human rights organization prefer?  Shall we, for example, invade Iran?  When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, the justification for that invasion included concerns about Saddam Hussein’s oppressive treatment of his people — mass murder of an unbelievable scale.  We were told in 2003, as many as 10,000 Iraqis were.  During U.S. military operations ending in 2011, more than 207,000 Iraqi civilians were killed by armed violence. 

 

I would ask — how brutal was that? 

 

During the long and short of it, there aren’t many options for any country.  As we’ve all seen over the past 40 years, economic sanctions promote American objectives more than international goals — and don’t work.  While initially agreeing to support U.S. (or U.N.) economic sanctions, the international community finds ways to violate those sanctions over time when it is in their economic interests to do so.  In the end, evil regimes aren’t squeezed into civilized behavior or made to stop genocide, avoid armed violence genocide, or limit the importation of lethal armaments. 

 Mr. Rafizadeh may be correct about the Biden administration — imposing so many sanctions worldwide, only to be laughed at by almost everyone and then not seeing any positive result.  But Mr. Rafizadeh is wrong to assume this business in Iran is an American problem.  

Maybe it would be best if John Kerry and his family were not in bed with “the enemy,” and perhaps it would be better if the American people had a lucid president — but in any event, there is nothing anyone can do about the genocide in Iran.  Nothing that works, in any case — and I certainly could not justify even more pain and suffering while trying to save the people.   

 But if anyone was going to stop it, then shouldn’t that burden fall upon the United Nations?  Isn’t that what Mr. Al-Hassan promised?  I don’t question any of the information provided by the Oslo-Human Rights Group.  I also don’t doubt Mr. Rafizadeh’s outrage.  I only ask why he is not demanding that the United Nations do its job.

Mustang has blogs called  Fix Bayonets and Thoughts From Afar

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