Tag: perpetual war

Netanyahu and Zionism is Pushing the World Towards Economic Catastrophe

As has often been the case since the Iran War has started, the U.S. corporate media, whether “left” leaning or “right” leaning, is reporting news on this war that is far different from what is being reported outside of the U.S. media.

So here are two very recent interviews that are both only about 30 minutes long, giving the “other side” of what actually happened this past weekend with the negotiations in Islamabad, which were “led” by JD Vance, as well as views on the alleged current “blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. military.

The Wall Street Journal had actually published a story stating that the U.S. was going to assassinate the delegation from Iran, which forced them to return to Iran in secret after the meetings ended.

Professor Seyed Marandia, who lives and teaches in Tehran and is a U.S. citizen, was actually at the negotiations, and at the time of this writing this is his most recent interview with Glenn Diesen.

He states that the Iranians fully expect a resumption of attacks by Israel and the U.S., and that they are preparing for it.

He stated “Netanyahu and Zionism is pushing the world towards economic catastrophe,” and he also stated that if they attack Iran’s energy infrastructure again, they will start attacking the infrastructure of the rich Arab Gulf States, starting with the UAE, which he states that they can completely destroy in 1 day.

Marandia also states something that I can personally confirm is true, which is that the Arab States around the Arab Peninsula are heading into their summer season, where it gets unbearably hot, where during the day nobody does anything outside, as it is too hot, and that U.S. soldiers would never survive day operations in such heat.

Iran’s summers, by contrast, do not get that hot, and he said that in Tehran today one can look at the mountains to the north where there is still snow on them, and that one needs a jacket to go outside.

I lived in Saudi Arabia for almost 4 years back in the 1990s, and stayed in the Kingdom through one summer, as I was teaching English at their university, and I made double pay for teaching during the summer as most foreign teachers returned to their home countries in the summer.

Air conditioning during those times is a life and death situation, and when someone’s air conditioning went out in the faculty housing, it was imperative that it was fixed immediately, and they had a large staff running the energy infrastructure, mostly Filipinos at that time.

So when Marandi says that if the power goes down in any of these Gulf States during the hot season EVERYONE will need to leave, he is not lying, but speaking the truth.

In the second interview between Pepe Escobar and Judge Napolitano, Escobar states that the Iranians will NOT return to Islamabad for the second round of “negotiations,” but will only agree to a place in either Russia or China.

Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov is in Beijing today, allegedly assuring China that Russia will continue supplying oil to China if they cannot get it through the Strait of Hormuz.

Escobar also states that there is no actual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz at the present time.

Keep reading

Trump: “I Expect to Be Bombing” Iran if No Deal Reached Before Ceasefire Ends. POTUS Says Israel Didn’t Talk Him Into War.

As the U.S-Iran peace talks that are scheduled to begin in Pakistan appear suspended, President Trump told CNBC’s Squawk Box he was “ready to go” and begin bombing the country again if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has not committed to renew talks with Vice President J.D. Vance and his negotiators, and Vance, Axios reported, has not left for Islamabad. The ceasefire that temporarily ended the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign ends tomorrow.

Trump said the U.S. military used the lull in bombing to restock its munitions, and the military “is raring to go.”

On Truth Social yesterday, Trump again denied that Israel led him into war with Iran, as reported by The New York Times and others.

Keep reading

Two Iranian Women in ICE Detention Are Not, In Fact, Related to Qasem Soleimani, Documents Show

Two Iranian women remain in immigration detention, arrested earlier this month on accusations of being the niece and grandniece of Qasem Soleimani, despite no connection to the late Iranian military commander. Drop Site reviewed Iranian birth records, identification papers, a family will, and other personal documents and found no connection whatsoever to him or his extended family. One of the women is now seriously ill in a Texas facility, her chronic blood condition left effectively untreated.

On March 8, right-wing activist Laura Loomer posted on X calling for the deportation of a woman she claimed was Soleimani’s niece. The commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Soleimani was assassinated by a U.S. drone strike, ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. The day after Loomer’s original post, she tagged Secretary of State Marco Rubio on X, claiming to have reported the woman to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for “posting content sympathetic to the Iranian regime and Ayatollah.”

On April 3, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, Sarina Hosseiny, were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at their home outside Los Angeles. Rubio issued a statement headlined, “Secretary Rubio Revokes Green Cards of Foreign Nationals with Ties to Iranian Terror Regime,” identifying them as “the niece and grand niece of deceased Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani” and describing them as “green card holders living lavishly in the United States.”

The claims made headline news in the U.S., while triggering immediate denials from Soleimani’s family that the two women were relatives of the military commander. The Trump administration has gone largely quiet about the women’s cases since their arrest, as they remain in ICE detention pending deportation to Iran.

As attention has faded, the situation for the women has turned dire at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in San Antonio, particularly for Hamideh, 47, who lives with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, which requires regular treatment and blood transfusions she isn’t getting.

Keep reading

Israeli soldiers and settlers using sexual violence to push Palestinians out – report

Israeli soldiers and settlers are systematically using sexual violence and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, according to a report by the West Bank Protection Consortium – a group of international humanitarian organizations. 

The report, published on Sunday and titled ‘Sexual Violence and Forcible Transfer in the West Bank’, documents at least 16 cases of conflict-related sexual violence attributed to Israeli settlers and soldiers over the past three years. The researchers noted that the actual number is likely significantly higher, as survivors often remain silent due to shame, stigma, and fear of retaliation associated with reporting such crimes. 

Victims who have chosen to come forward described harassment, assault, and intimidation inside their own homes, including forced nudity, invasive body cavity searches, exposure of genitals to minors, and threats of rape. Men and boys also reported forced stripping, sexualized humiliation, and degrading treatment. 

More than 70% of displaced households surveyed cited threats to women and children, particularly sexualized violence, as a decisive reason for leaving their homes and communities. 

Keep reading

Palantir’s Draft Push Collides with Washington’s Automatic Registration Machine

In 1777, Thomas Jefferson warned John Adams that a national military draft would rank among the most hated measures imaginable. Colonists had rebelled against British press gangs. That grievance made the Declaration of Independence. Nearly 250 years on, a $350 billion data giant echoes the idea. Palantir Technologies, fresh off zero federal taxes on $1.5 billion in U.S. income, just called for universal national service. Timing? Perfect. Or ominous.

The company’s manifesto hit X last Sunday. It boils down 22 points from CEO Alex Karp’s 2025 book, The Technological Republic, co-written with Nicholas W. Zamiska. One line stands out: “National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost.” (Fortune)

Palantir didn’t invent the draft. America tried it first in the Civil War. Then World War I. World War II. Korea. Vietnam. The last call came December 7, 1972. Jimmy Carter mandated male registration in 1980. Now comes the shift. Starting December 18, 2026, Selective Service goes automatic for men 18 to 26. No forms. No opt-out nudge. Government databases do the work. President Donald Trump’s National Defense Authorization Act locked it in. (Time)

Why now? Compliance dipped. Selective Service says automation streamlines everything, frees staff for readiness. It pulls from Social Security, DMV, student loans, immigration records. Citizens. Immigrants. Undocumented. Dual nationals. Green card holders. All in, within 30 days of turning 18. “This statutory change transfers responsibility for registration from individual men to SSS through integration with federal data sources,” the agency states. (Newsweek)

Palantir stays silent on direct ties. No contract announced for Selective Service. Yet speculation swirls. The firm holds a $10 billion U.S. Army deal for software and analytics. (U.S. Army) Its platforms run Project Maven, the Pentagon’s AI targeting tool. Reports link it to Gaza strike lists for Israel. (Mother Jones) Over half its revenue flows from government. 2026 guidance? $7.18 billion to $7.2 billion, up 70%.

And taxes. Zero federal in 2025, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (ITEP) Karp once framed the mission bluntly: “scare enemies and, on occasion, kill them.” (The Guardian) The manifesto adds layers. Silicon Valley owes a “moral debt.” Remilitarize Germany, Japan.

This lands amid the seventh week of U.S. action in Iran. Tensions simmer. Automatic registration isn’t a draft. But it builds the list. Critics see a data grab. Edward Hasbrouck, draft researcher, warns it props up war planning. Selective Service seeks broader data sharing with law enforcement, even abroad. (Hasbrouck.org)

On X, reactions mix alarm and shrugs. One user ties Palantir directly: “They will use existing gov databases (think Palantir) to find and register them.” (X post by @allenanalysis) Another calls it fearmongering: “This has always been a thing… now it is automatic. That is the only change.” (X post by @CarmineSabia) Palantir’s post drew shares, but no company reply to Fortune.

Keep reading

THE OLD GUARD: War-Obsessed Germany Plans To Call Reservists Up to the Age of 70

70-year-old soldiers?

We have been closely tracking the rapid remilitarization of Germany in the context of the war in Ukraine, and now, with the fraying of NATO ties, the process has become almost frantic.

Early in 2025, we noted that The Bundeswehr Didn’t Have a Single Combat-Ready Division, Leaving Germany Totally Dependent of Stationed US Troops for Defense and Deterrence.

Since then, we reported that Germany Was to Purchase a Thousand Tanks To Try To Turn the Bundeswehr Into Western Europe’s Largest Fighting Force.

Early this year, Germany Approves Major Package of Attack Drones for the Bundeswehr, With a Half a Billion Euro Initial Purchase.

Besides all that rearming, it arose that now, fighting-age men need to register with the military when leaving the country for extended periods of time.

Now, as the militarization expands, we learn that the German Reservist Association is calling for a raise of the age limit for service members to 70 years.

The age limit for reservists is to rise because, according to the Association, many ‘remain productive for longer’.

Keep reading

Japan Lifts Ban on Weapon Exports In Break With Post-WW2 Pacifism

Pacifist post-war Japan is no more.

Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s capitulation on August 15, 1945, and the instrument of surrender was signed on September 2, aboard the USS Missouri, ending WW2.

Since then, Japan turned its back on the martial aspect of its society and embraced pacifism.

But now, over eighty years later, Japan has scrapped most of its restrictions on weapons exports as it boosts both its own military and its arms industry.

Bloomberg reported:

“The cabinet of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday approved changes to defense export rules that will for the first time since World War II allow overseas shipments of weapons. Previously, companies could only export military equipment for use in operations related to rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and minesweeping.

’These decisions are intended to safeguard Japan’s security and further contribute to the peace and stability of the region and the international community amidst rapidly evolving changes in the security environment’, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in a press briefing after announcing the decision. ‘At the same time, the government will uphold the fundamental principles of a peaceful nation that have been built over more than 80 years since the end of the war’.”

Keep reading

NEW WAR IN EUROPE? Russian Citizens in Moldova’s Breakaway Republic of Transnistria Allegedly Under Threat, as Moscow Vows To Protect Them at Any Cost

Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Romania… all in the same powder-keg situation.

Many people don’t remember, but the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, began as Russia moved to protect Russian-speaking populations in the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk).

Now, even as the conflict with Kiev is still raging, another minority Russian population becomes focus of attention of Russian military authorities.

We’re talking about Transnistria, a Russian enclave in Moldova – which itself is a former part of Romania.

Now, former defense minister and current secretary ​of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, has come to the public to warn that the safety of Russians in the Transnistria region is currently under threat.

Shoigu further warned yesterday (21) that Moscow will take all steps to protect their citizens.

Keep reading

Zelensky Demands Ukrainian Men Abroad Return to Fight His War

Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Ukrainian men of conscription age who left the country, many in violation of his wartime restrictions, should return to die in his war. He states it is only “fair” since the army needs them for rotation, which is nothing less than an admission that the war effort is running short of bodies.

“As regards young people who are currently not in Ukraine, but abroad. First of all, there are different groups of young people. I agree with you regarding those of conscription age who left Ukraine. They left temporarily but ended up staying away for years,” Zelensky stated, oblivious to the reason so many fled their homes. “And many of them left in breach of Ukrainian law. The relevant authorities in both countries should address this issue.

Our Armed Forces would certainly like them to return. Because this is a matter of fairness. We have people, soldiers on the front lines, who need rotations. These Ukrainian soldiers are as strong as iron, but let’s be honest: they have families; they are defending their homes, and more than that – the entire state. But this responsibility should be borne by every person who is a citizen of Ukraine who has the capacity to do so. It is both a constitutional duty and a matter tied to conscription age.”

Casualty estimates are running into the hundreds of thousands killed or wounded, while millions fled their homes to escape precisely this outcome. Zelensky continues to be portrayed in the Western press as a heroic figure, but the truth is that he is a madman prepared to see an entire generation sacrificed to maintain a war that cannot be won. When he speaks of “fairness,” what he is really saying is that no one should be allowed to escape. Millions have fled Ukraine to avoid his tyranny. The prospect of returning is slim as there will not be a “Ukraine” to return to once this conflict comes to an end.

From the standpoint of Ukrainian men living abroad, this becomes deeply personal because they are being told that their lives are secondary to the needs of the state. Their attempt to survive and protect their families is somehow unjust. How can any leader claim to represent his people while demanding that they walk back into a war zone?

Keep reading

The IDF’s Attack on Christ Reveals a Larger Pattern

Many political figures have weighed in on the latest IDF controversy this week, as images posted online clearly depict an Israeli soldier taking what appears to be a sledgehammer to the face of a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon. The IDF issued a statement condemning the attack, saying the soldier’s actions were “wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops,” and adding that a criminal investigation would be launched, assuring there would be “harsh disciplinary action” against those involved. But we’ve seen this movie before.

First, I would be remiss not to mention the hypocrisy of the situation. Israel has killed thousands of civilians in southern Lebanon since the major escalation resumed and has displaced over 1.2 million Lebanese civilians, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry and disaster management agencies. But predictably, the IDF has not issued a single statement condemning the civilian deaths or displacement of Lebanon’s citizens. The IDF has shown a consistent tolerance for the havoc wreaked upon Lebanese civilians, yet when faced with damaging PR from a vile attack on a statue of Jesus, they move almost immediately to condemn it — because Benjamin Netanyahu knows he cannot afford to lose favor in the predominantly Christian West.

The theme behind the IDF’s statue attack becomes even more apparent when you consider how Christians are treated in Israel today, where they are often met with violence or harassment. In 2025, there were reportedly more than 155 attacks against Christians in Israel, ranging from physical assaults to the vandalism of churches, according to the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue. Notably, this marks a sharp increase from 2024, when 111 incidents were reported.

The treatment of Palestinian Christians has been far worse, with both Israeli settlers and IDF soldiers carrying out relentless attacks and mass displacements of Christian communities in Palestine. These actions are often dismissed as unrelated to religion, but the pattern suggests otherwise.

Keep reading