Iranically Iran, Middle East’s Karen…

[Ron in Regina]

Iran has been in the news a lot lately, trying to “not” have violence spread into a larger Middle Eastern conflict, while spreading violence in the region into a larger Middle Eastern conflict…or at least it sure seems like it from the outside looking in.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are engaged in an ongoing struggle for influence in the Middle East and other regions of the Muslim world. The two countries have provided varying degrees of support to opposing sides in nearby conflicts, including the civil wars in Syria and Yemen; and disputes in Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, and Iraq. The struggle also extends to disputes or broader competition in other countries globally including in West, North and East Africa, South, Central, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and the Caucasus for variety.

Iran has been in a pissing match with Saudi Arabia for, I’m assuming the better part of a century? Both of these countries trying to take pot shots at each other through intermediaries and cut outs “to avoid spreading violence into a larger Middle Eastern conflict. I’m sure this is an over simplification of things but it sure seems to be what it is from the outside looking in.

Iran spreads stability over the Middle East with:

Al-Ashtar Brigades - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

in Bahrain, and with:

Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In Iraq, and with:

Badr Organization - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also in Iraq, and with:

Hamas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In Gaza, and with:

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In Iraq (for a change), and with:

Hezbollah - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In Syria (to keep it spicy), and with:

Houthi movement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In Yemen, and with:

Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also in Bahrain, and with:

Palestinian Islamic Jihad - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also in Gaza, and with:

Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also also in Iraq, and with:

Kata'ib Hezbollah - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also also also in Iraq, & with:

Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also also also also in Iraq, & with:

Liwa Fatemiyoun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also in Syria, & with:

Liwa Zainebiyoun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Also also (also?) in Syria, & with:

Al-Mukhtar Brigades - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In Bahrain for a change….

The Arab–Iranian conflict or Arab-Persian conflict is a term which is used in reference to the modern conflict between Arab League countries and Iran. In a broader sense, the term is also used in reference to the historical ethnic tensions which have existed for centuries between Arabs and Persians as well as the historical religious sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims, due to Saudi Arabia and post-revolutionary Iranseeing themselves as the champion leading states for Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims, respectively.

Add Israel (& the Jews) to the region and it gives the Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims someone they can both agree to hate, and a welcome distraction until the river to the sea thing, and then the Middle East can go back to just cannibalizing itself.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Spreading the love (& peace) to Pakistan to avoid a larger Middle East conflict here:

Pakistan fires retaliatory strike at Iran, stoking regional tension — Reuters

Pakistan launched strikes on separatist militants inside Iran on Thursday, in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran said it struck the bases of another group within Pakistani territory.

apple.news

(Pakistan used killer drones and rockets to strike separatist Baloch militants inside Iran on Thursday, Pakistani authorities said, two days after Tehran said it had attacked the bases of another group within Pakistani territory)

The neighbours (Iran & Pakistan) have had rocky ties in the past, but the strikes are the highest-profile cross-border intrusions in recent years and come amid growing worries about instability in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas “erupted” on Oct. 7.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Well, woulda been kinda pointless to send happy birthday drones.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Well, woulda been kinda pointless to send happy birthday drones.

That would’ve been ironic (or Iranic, in this case) though.

Laith Marouf, the Liberal government-funded anti-racism consultant whose record of hateful tweets became an embarrassing controversy for the Liberals, is now the director of an anti-Israel online broadcaster.

Controversial government anti-racism consultant Laith Marouf is running now an anti-Israel channel — National Post

Laith Marouf is the government-funded anti-racism consultant who had a record hateful tweets about Jews, Francophones and Black people

apple.news

Free Palestine Television (FPTV) was launched after the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and has featured footage of Hamas’s attacks on Israeli soldiers as well as manoeuvres from Hamas-affiliated militias such as the Mujahideen Brigades and Al-Qassam Brigades, which operate out of Gaza and the West Bank. It also published speeches with live translation to English from Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and it publishes press releases attributed to various terror groups, such as Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias….who’re speading the love, Iranically, to keep conflict from spreading across the Middle East.

 

[petros]

That would’ve been ironic (or Iranic, in this case) though.

Laith Marouf, the Liberal government-funded anti-racism consultant whose record of hateful tweets became an embarrassing controversy for the Liberals, is now the director of an anti-Israel online broadcaster.

Controversial government anti-racism consultant Laith Marouf is running now an anti-Israel channel — National Post

Laith Marouf is the government-funded anti-racism consultant who had a record hateful tweets about Jews, Francophones and Black people

apple.news

Free Palestine Television (FPTV) was launched after the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and has featured footage of Hamas’s attacks on Israeli soldiers as well as manoeuvres from Hamas-affiliated militias such as the Mujahideen Brigades and Al-Qassam Brigades, which operate out of Gaza and the West Bank. It also published speeches with live translation to English from Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and it publishes press releases attributed to various terror groups, such as Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias….who’re speading the love, Iranically, to keep conflict from spreading across the Middle East.

DEI works!

 

[Ron in Regina]

Since the outset of Yemen’s civil war, the Houthis have received Iranian support. For both ideological and geopolitical reasons, Iran has helped the Houthis in their efforts to seize the country. While Iran has continually denied claims that it provides military aid to the Houthis, most outside observers agree that it has done so in the past and continues to now.

Western strikes against Houthis risk igniting a powderkeg in the Middle East — The Conversation Canada

Since the outset of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, the West has aimed to prevent the conflict from escalating regionally. But strikes on the Houthis in Yemen by the U.S. and the U.K. may ensure it will.

apple.news

The Houthis are invaluable partners to Iran because of their position along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This narrow channel is responsible for a significant portion of the world’s cargo and oil shipping. While most vessels can avoid the region by sailing around Africa, this detour increases costs for shipowners and, by extension, consumers.

International norms and laws are effective so long as everyone adheres to them. Norms and laws, furthermore, are most vulnerable immediately after a state has breached them, which the U.S. did when it violated Yemen’s sovereignty.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Iran’s actions in the aftermath of the strikes against the Houthis.

Because the Houthis are a key partner of Iran, Tehran’s government apparently believed it had to take action in case their credibility became compromised. Iran conducted strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria. Iran claims the strikes in Iraq were against an Israeli spy installation.

US & Iran On Brink Of War

The US and Iran are walking to the brink of war. In a serious escalation, Iranian proxies launched a massive attack on a US air base in Iraq over the weekend...

www.youtube.com

While these events would have been troubling in their own right in terms of the impact on regional stability, Iran followed up these strikes with ones in Pakistan, and Pakistan retaliated.

So Death to America & Death to Isreal, etc…because why not? Damn Yankee Jews and their whatever’s and stuff!! Bad! Etc…

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Fuck, it's going to be tough fighting the Russians by proxy and the Middle East head-on and trying to beat Donald Trump in an election.

 

[petros]

Fuck, it's going to be tough fighting the Russians by proxy and the Middle East head-on and trying to beat Donald Trump in an election.

Even tougher without social unity. Theyre going to need a "flashbulb event". An event that years from now people will say "what were you doing when _____ happened?" Without it, the US is done.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Last week, Iran launched attacks in Syria and Iraq after members of its elite forces were killed in the Syrian capital Damascus allegedly in Israeli attacks, while the US along with the United Kingdom have carried out several attacks against the Houthis in Yemen.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Lebanon and Israel due to an exchange of fires between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters on their border.

The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen has been targeting commercial and military ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea as a response to Israel’s war in Gaza, etc…

Almost daily cross-border artillery firing and drone attacks between Israeli forces and the Iranian sponsored Hezbollah fighters threaten to open another front in Israel’s war. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have been forced to flee their homes.

Iraq has criticised Iran after the Revolutionary Guard hit what they called an Israeli espionage centre in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The event prompted Baghdad to recall its ambassador to Tehran, while Iran insisted the attack was intended to deter threats from Israeli spies.

Prior to this, Iran-backed groups have carried out numerous attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria. The US has retaliated, targeting and killing the commander of an Iraqi armed group on January 4. The incident prompted Iraq to reconsider hosting international troops.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted the Jaish al-Adl armed group in Panjgur, Pakistan’s Balochistan province, leading to Pakistani retaliation against armed Baloch separatists in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Israel-Gaza war spillover risk: Mapping recent strikes in Middle East — Al Jazeera

Experts warn that Israeli war on Gaza may spill over into a regional conflict amid multiple strikes in several countries

apple.news

So Death to America & Death to Isreal, etc…because why not? Damn Yankee Jews and their…

…Existing?

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

I ask this in all sober seriousness, sans snark. . .

Why do you care? These people have been slaughtering each other since Moses was in short pants. What makes us think anything'll change that?

It'll change, if it does, when the people there decide they'd rather be comfortable (and alive) than right.

 

[petros]

When the youth have jobs.....

 

[Ron in Regina]

I ask this in all sober seriousness, sans snark. . .

Why do you care? These people have been slaughtering each other since Moses was in short pants. What makes us think anything'll change that?

It'll change, if it does, when the people there decide they'd rather be comfortable (and alive) than right.

We’re both posting here. Honestly, once the Jews are eventually driven from the river to the sea, etc… it will leave the Middle East free to really get their hate on against each other….But until then, meh…

I guess I see an underdog surrounded by hostile neighbours in a hostile neighbourhood, & I can empathize with that. It has not choice but to stand up or step out. Damned if it does, & damned if it doesn’t, so choosing the lesser of two evils for itself but still with restraint.

Attacks by Iran-backed militant groups throughout the Middle East – including the first to kill U.S. service members – have dramatically heightened the risk of a broader regional war spreading beyond the Gaza Strip….because Jews, & Yankee Jews are in the way.

Hamas – an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, or Islamic resistance movement – was founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank by a Palestinian activist connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. The group calls for establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state that would replace the current state of Israel and believes in the use of violence to carry out the destruction of Israel.

Hezbollah, a powerful Islamic militant group with deep ties to Hamas, was formed in Lebanon in 1982. Hezbollah, which translates to "Party of God" in Arabic, is a Shiite Islamic group.

In 1985, Hezbollah released a manifesto stating its goals, including the destruction of Israel and the expulsion of Western influences from the Middle East.

The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group known as Ansar Allah, or Supporters of God, started in the 1990s.

The Islamic Resistance is a term that encompasses all Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. The militias oppose U.S. support for Israel in the war in Gaza and American involvement in the region more broadly.

….& what do they want (?) & when do they want it? Really, death to those not of the same flavour I guess. Sooner the Jews & Israel are out’a the way, the sooner they can all kill each other. It’s not difficult to understand why Tehran has chosen to straddle the fence between supporting Hamas and standing on the sidelines.

If Iran was to remain passive while Gaza is flattened by Israel, it would lose credibility. This would cost Tehran in terms of regional influence and undermine an alliance network essential to its ability to deter the U.S. and Israel…because…Israel & the U.S.

Iran has so far resisted direct involvement in the Gaza war, but is that changing? — The Conversation Canada

Iran prefers to engage Israel through its proxies, but the risk of escalation makes this a dangerous strategy.

apple.news

Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and beyond: Who are the Iran-backed groups in the Mideast? — USA TODAY

Here is a breakdown of the pro-Iran groups behind recent attacks on Israel and U.S. troops throughout the Middle East.

apple.news

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

….& what do they want (?) & when do they want it? Really, death to those not of the same flavour I guess. Sooner the Jews & Israel are out’a the way, the sooner they can all kill each other. It’s not difficult to understand why Tehran has chosen to straddle the fence between supporting Hamas and standing on the sidelines.

Yeah, and the only ones of the "same flavour" are al-Larry, his brother al-Darryl, and his other brother al-Darryl.

If every Jew in the middle East were to vanish suddenly one fine, bright morn, there would be no detectable downtick in the violence/

 

[Ron in Regina]

Yeah, and the only ones of the "same flavour" are al-Larry, his brother al-Darryl, and his other brother al-Darryl.

If every Jew in the middle East were to vanish suddenly one fine, bright morn, there would be no detectable downtick in the violence/

Iran has built a wide network of allied armed groups and proxies operating in countries across the Middle East. They are all opposed to Israel and the US, and sometimes refer to themselves as the "Axis of Resistance", though the extent of Iran's influence over them is not clear.

"Certainly all roads of responsibility lead back to Iran," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner told BBC News, also linking the country to attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

"This needs to be responded in a way where they understand that we're not going to just continue to play defensive," he said.

He added that the US reaction would force Iran to "understanding that this is a conflict that is going to come to their doorstep".

Mr Biden has been weighing a number of retaliatory options, including strikes on Iran-aligned militia bases and commanders.

The US could also target senior commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iraq or Syria.

It is also possible that the US will attack inside Iran's borders, a move which is considered the highest possible escalation that Mr Biden could take.

Kataib Hezbollah: Iran-backed group suspends attacks against US after drone strike — BBC News

Kataib Hezbollah is believed to have been behind the attack in Jordan that killed three US troops.

apple.news

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

This is what I said before. People have been slaughtering each other in that part of the world (and all the others) since Gilgamesh was king in Uruk.

The Egyptians rose, no change.

Judaism came along, no change.

Christianity came along, no change.

Islam came along, no change.

The Brits colonized and took over big chunks, no change.

Oil become important, no change (just more attention).

The Brits left, no change.

The Jews got their own state, no change.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Houthis may sabotage western internet cables in Red Sea, Yemen telecoms firms warn — Guardian US

UN-recognised government and telecoms firms speak of threat to digital infrastructure, with some cables lying 100m below surface

apple.news

‘Cuz Jews, etc…Telecom firms linked to the UN-recognised Yemen government have said they fear Houthi rebels are planning to sabotage a network of submarine cables in the Red Sea critical to the functioning of the western internet and the transmission of financial data.

The warning came after a Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map of the cables running along the bed of the Red Sea. The image was accompanied by a message: “There are maps of international cables connecting all regions of the world through the sea. It seems that Yemen is in a strategic location, as internet lines that connect entire continents – not only countries – pass near it.”

It has been estimated that the Red Sea carries about 17% of the world’s internet traffic along fibre pipes.

 

[petros]

Houthis may sabotage western internet cables in Red Sea, Yemen telecoms firms warn — Guardian US

UN-recognised government and telecoms firms speak of threat to digital infrastructure, with some cables lying 100m below surface

apple.news

‘Cuz Jews, etc…Telecom firms linked to the UN-recognised Yemen government have said they fear Houthi rebels are planning to sabotage a network of submarine cables in the Red Sea critical to the functioning of the western internet and the transmission of financial data.

The warning came after a Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map of the cables running along the bed of the Red Sea. The image was accompanied by a message: “There are maps of international cables connecting all regions of the world through the sea. It seems that Yemen is in a strategic location, as internet lines that connect entire continents – not only countries – pass near it.”

It has been estimated that the Red Sea carries about 17% of the world’s internet traffic along fibre pipes.

I heard of this on Friday. Itll be handled by now.

 

[Ron in Regina]

I thought I was still reading the Beaverton, but it was Al Jazeera, so the same but different. Iran has never sought war in the region, the country’s foreign minister has said on a visit to Lebanon to discuss Israel’s war on Gaza and its impact on regional security.

“Iran and Lebanon confirm that war is not the solution, and that we absolutely never sought to expand it,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-abdollahian said at a news conference alongside Abdallah Bou Habib, Lebanon’s foreign minister, in Beirut on Saturday.

However, he threatened that any widespread attack by Israel on Lebanon would be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “last day”.

Tehran 'never sought' to expand war in the region, Iran's FM says — Al Jazeera

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-abdollahian is in Lebanon to discuss the impact of Israel's war in Gaza.

apple.news

In his address to the United States General Assembly on Wednesday, US President Joe Bidencondemned Iran’s violent enforcement of the country’s hijab law, saying the right way to police women’s bodies and life choices is through banning abortion and restricting contraception access.

“What Iran is doing is unacceptable,” said Biden of the law which requires women to cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothing. “This is no way to control the women population of a country. Letting white men decide what women can or can’t do with their bodies, however – now that’s a rock and roll way to do it. When it’s women of colour? Heavy metal.”

Earlier in the day, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke for the first time before the General Assembly. Having been advised that the current crisis in Iran would be addressed by Biden and other world leaders, Raisi in his speech criticized the United States’ double standards when it came to oppressing women.

US condemns Iran for policing women's bodies the wrong way - The Beaverton

NEW YORK CITY — In his address to the United States General Assembly on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden condemned Iran’s violent enforcement of the country’s hijab law, saying the right way to police women’s bodies and life choices is through banning abortion and restricting contraception...

www.thebeaverton.com

 

[Ron in Regina]

An Iranian government official has blamed “terrorism and sabotage” for twin explosions on gas pipelines overnight.

While there are few details about the blasts, one occurred on the mainline gas route running from Iran’s central Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province north to major gas fields in the Caspian Sea, state media reported on Wednesday. The other explosion was reported in the southern province of Fars.

The blasts come amid raised tension as Israel’s war in Gaza threatens to spill over across the region. While Tehran has not specified who it suspects, it has linked other such incidents to Israel over the years.

In the past, Arab separatists in southwestern Iran have claimed attacks against oil pipelines. But attacks on such infrastructure are rare elsewhere.

However, in recent years, tensions have risen as Iran faces an economy hobbled by international sanctions over its nuclear programme. Tehran has also faced rare mass civil unrest, most recently in 2022, over the death of Mahsa Amini following her non-compliance with hijab rules…so of course it’s the Jew’s fault. It’s only logical.

The war on Gaza has worsened relations between the two countries. Iranian-linked groups, like Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have launched attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea in what they say is intended as defence of Palestinians.

On Tuesday, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned that Iran is “not entirely transparent” regarding its atomic programme.

Iran condemns 'terrorist' attack on gas pipelines — Al Jazeera

The explosions, including on a mainline gas route, come amid raised tension around the region.

apple.news

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

An Iranian government official has blamed “terrorism and sabotage” for twin explosions on gas pipelines overnight.

Well, they certainly have a ton of experience. . .