U.S. nuclear command planes in the region; Lindsey Graham doesn’t like the new Iran supreme leader and tells the IDF how to run the war; and an AI fake of captured U.S. soldiers is exposed.
E-6B Mercury, U.S. Navy (Jim van de Burgt from Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands/Wikimedia)
SUNDAY
By Joe Lauria
Special to Consortium News
US Nuclear War Plane Flown to Mideast
Two U.S. E-6B Mercury aircraft — known as the “Doomsday plane”— are now deployed in the Middle East. This unarmed plane is an airborne command post and communications relay station to maintain survivable links between U.S. national leaders and U.S. nuclear forces — ballistic missile submarines, ICBMs and bombers — in case ground-based command centers are destroyed.
Why have these been deployed to the region days after the U.S. and Israel began a war of aggression against Iran?
A New Supreme Leader
Iran has name a new supreme leader, the 56-year old son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a show of continuity and defiance against the U.S. and Israeli who assassinated his father.
The War According to Lindsey Graham
Warmongering Senator Lindsey Graham said: “When it comes to the future of the region and that of the Iranian people, the son of the late murderous ayatollah is not the change we’re looking for.”
Graham says “it’s just a matter of time before he meets the same fate” as Ali Khamenei, whom he described as “one of the most evil men on the planet.”
Graham also had advice for the IDF: Don’t target Iran’s oil industry. He said:
“Our allies in Israel have shown amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran. America is most appreciative. However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime.”
Please be cautious about what targets you select. Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor.”
An AI Capture
A photograph of the supposed capture of U.S. Delta Force soldiers by the Iranian military inside Iran has been exposed as an AI creation, according to Agence France Presse (AFP) the French new agency. Had it been real Iran would have certainly made it known to the world. There is no hint of such a capture on Press TV, the Iranian government’s English-language channel and website.
Iran to Freeze Assets of Iranians Abroad
Iran’s attorney general has said Iran will confiscate the assets of Iranian nationals living abroad who collaborate with the enemy, according to law passed last October.
The law reads:” “Any operational action on behalf of the Zionist regime or hostile governments, including the US government or other hostile regimes and groups, or on behalf of any of their affiliated elements, against the country’s security, warrants the confiscation of all assets … “
Iran: ‘Intentional Chemical Warfare’
U.S. and Israeli attacks on oil depots in Iran amounts to “intentional chemical warfare” against Iran, the foreign ministry spokesman said. “By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale,” Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Iranian Request for ICC Probe
The Iranian Red Crescent has asked the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate the U.S. and Israel for war crimes in its war of aggression against Iran. It would be surprising if the pro-Western court began such a probe.
As for the picture of the ‘captured’ troops: whatever the other clues pointing to AI may be, to my mind they all have the same face.
I can’t bear to even read Trump’s statements, much less listen to his speeches for more than 15 second samples. His braggadocio is right from the old World Wresting Federation (which he took part-in during the 1990’s and is reportedly a honorary member-of), which was ALWAYS over-the-top, juvenile, fallacious hyperbole and was funny to listen-to for maybe 3 minutes before it got repetitive and boring. In that context, it was all part of the bad theater of ‘professional’ wrestling. The trouble now, of course, is that DJT is in one of the most powerful positions (or at least it used-to be) in the world, where historically his peers speak in more nuanced, measured language because they’re playing chess while he’s playing crazy-eights.
It must be tough on reporters & journalists who HAVE to deal with his non-stop lies and try to glean some truth from it here and there. It reminds me of something I read by a long-time advertising executive when he said (paraphrasing) — ‘we know that only 10% of advertising works, but we don’t know which 10%’.
Lindsey Graham is manic depressive and an idiot. I am , however willing to have him prove me wrong.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong today announced that Australia will be sending a specialist surveillance aircraft and stocks of air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates following a request from that country. Approximately 85 defence force members will be deployed as part of the assistance package. According to Anthony Albanese Australia is helping defend against “unprovoked attacks” by the Iranian regime and this was not an Australian military action against Iran. This is legalistic baloney. The reality is that the US and Israel initiated military attacks, bombings and assassinations against Iran and the Iranians responded with missile attacks against US military bases in the region. This Australian exercise is not one of UN peace keepers. By providing these forces and materials into this conflict zone the Australian government has directly engaged in defending US military bases and thus becomes a legitimate target of Iranian attacks. They cannot get around this difficulty by simply repeating the US propaganda lie that Iran is the aggressor. It would be a propaganda coup for the US and Israel if our Australian surveillance aircraft was shot out of the sky by Iran.
The Australian government has absolutely no business sending our military forces, in any capacity, into a complex Middle East conflict not of our making. This is an idiotic and appalling foreign policy decision.
…….as Ali Khamenei, whom he described as “one of the most evil men on the planet.”
Classic projection, coming from “one of the most evil men [Graham] on the planet.”.
So destruction of an Iranian oil depot has already happened adding fuel to fires of war.
The lies become more desperate by the day. Only thoroughly brainwashed sheople believe any of it. We are such an embarrassment on the world stage.
This shows how stupid and gullible Graham is. He still thinks Israel is rational, and that there’s a chance some traitorous Iranians will assume power in Iran. Hey Graham, your psychopathic handlers in Israel just dest refineries outside Tehran.
Signs: “No votes for U.S.-Israel war parties.” Maybe “no votes” will get their hearing to improve.
The funniest story of the day was the USA complaining to Russia about how Russian ‘intelligence’ was being given to Iran to help plan their attacks. The ‘funny’ party is that the USA has been doing this to Russia since at least 2022. Ukraine does not have networks of spy, communications and navigation satellites over Russia. So, guess where they have been getting their intel on targets from? American intelligence. And, those long range strikes are guided by American navigation sats, and communications with the long range drones can be provided by the American communications sats. The above-mentioned Sen. Lindsey Graham I think is on record as saying that money spent to help kill Russians was ‘the best money ever spent.’
I’d have love to have seen the real Russian reaction to this, perhaps after the diplomats left the meeting room and then broke up with absolute laughter at the Americans complaining about Russian intelligence going to Iran.
“Intentional chemical warfare” Yes, so much for the “good” of the Iranian people!!!