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Israel’s Secret Social Media War On Iran

By Kit Klarenberg | Global Delinquents | October 7, 2025

On October 3rd, Haaretz published an extraordinary investigation, exposing how for years, the Zionist entity has clandestinely conducted dedicated “online operations” to promote the “public image” of Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran’s eldest son and pretender to the country’s now non-existent throne, locally and internationally. The efforts were highly sophisticated and wide-ranging, harnessing artificial intelligence, social media manipulation of every sort, and other online warfare techniques intended to convince audiences Pahlavi was Tehran’s exiled rightful ruler-in-waiting.

Hundreds of bogus online personae, with AI-created profile photos and fraudulent biographies, calling for the restoration of the Islamic Republic’s monarchy and sharing photos and videos of Pahlavi, are run by a shadow battalion of Persian-speakers specifically recruited by Israeli intelligence for the project. Bot and troll networks amplify their output, with campaign messaging constantly updated based on audience analysis.

Another component of the online blitzkrieg is concerned with glorifying Gila Gamliel, a member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and Tel Aviv’s “point person with Pahlavi.”

Zionist cyberwarriors hard at work

The network got busted by independent digital researchers as a result of Gamliel posting an AI-generated video on social media platforms, titled “Next Year in Free Tehran”. The fictional clip, published June 15th – three days into the Zionist entity’s botched 12 Day War, and coincidentally the same day Netanyahu forecast imminent regime change in Iran – “had massive exposure, most of which was likely inorganic.” It depicted Netanyahu, his wife, Gamliel, her partner, Pahlavi and his wife walking through Tehran’s streets.

“The video received many more views than most of the minister’s X posts, and these and other attempts to amplify it” helped researchers “locate” a network of bots and fake users artificially boosting Gamliel’s “frequent” calls for regime change in Iran and her ties to Pahlavi. “Many of these accounts were opened in 2022, at the height of the so-called hijab protests in Iran,” Haaretz records. Over 100 further “allied accounts” were launched during the 12 Day War to further boost the malignant network’s output.

Haaretz cryptically reveals, “this doesn’t appear to be the only campaign operating on this issue from Israel.” Still, the outlet’s bombshell disclosures confirm the Zionist entity – if not other hostile foreign powers, including the US – was covertly engaged in expansive psychological warfare initiatives to manufacture consent for Pahlavi’s installation as Iran’s ruler at two critical junctures in recent history, when regime change in Tehran was being openly promoted by Israeli officials, Western governments, and the mainstream media.

Those attempts floundered. While Pahlavi occasionally receives positive coverage by Western news outlets, he enjoys no support among Iran’s population at home, and even many diaspora detractors reject any suggestion of him taking power in the country. In fact, the would-be monarch’s reputation is so poisonous, his endorsement is a decisive kiss of death for any challenge to Tehran’s government. That vast resources were – and seemingly remain – invested by the Zionist entity in such a futile endeavour ranks as an embarrassing failure of epic proportions.

‘Monarchist Accounts’

Further detail on Israeli online dark arts pushing Pahlavi is provided by a July 2023 report from data analytics firm Social Forensics, on “state-sponsored platform manipulation” during the 2022 protests in Iran. The investigation concluded Tehran was the victim of wide-ranging cyberwarfare operations throughout this period. This included “disinformation, smears, and threats” emanating from a vast nexus of bots and trolls on Twitter. While the report did not make a definitive attribution for this malign activity, its findings point unambiguously in Tel Aviv’s direction.

Social Forensics identified several clear, separate “communities” of weaponised accounts targeting the Islamic Republic during this period, such as “progressives”. However, the most influential community were “monarchists”. All accounts in this category had significant followings, and their output generated sizeable engagement, both inauthentic and organic. Thousands of supposed users boasted crown emojis in their display names, denoting their monarchist allegiance. In all, over 95% of these accounts were found to be automated “sockpuppets” by Social Forensics:

“Most… are inauthentic and function to flood Twitter with monarchist, pro-Pahlavi imagery and content to make it seem like there is a larger base of monarchist supporters on Twitter than reality reflects.”

In March 2023, hundreds of pro-Pahlavi bots were suspended for violating Twitter/X rules, after engaging in platform manipulation. Despite many quickly resurfacing with almost identical usernames and continuing their wrecking activities, several prominent anti-Tehran figures condemned the mass ban of automated agitators. Among them was Alireza Nader, formerly a senior apparatchik at notorious, pro-Pahlavi Zionist lobby group the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and opaquely-funded exile organisation National Union for Democracy in Iran. Social Forensics found he followed and amplified several inauthentic monarchist accounts.

The analytics firm also discovered numerous official Israeli government accounts on the platform likewise followed the most influential pro-Pahlavi sockpuppets. Strikingly, one out of every eight accounts followed by @IsraelPersian, which targets Iranian audiences, were “inauthentic monarchist accounts”, advocating “for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and the return of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to the country as the leader of a constitutional monarchy.” But irresistible indications of Tel Aviv’s management of this belligerent bot network don’t end there.

An authentic user followed by @IsraelPersia, among other official Zionist entity accounts, is Emily Schrader, CEO of digital marketing agency Social Lite Creative. At the time of Social Forensics’ investigation, her company’s website openly boasted of working with “high level government organizations and NGOs in Israel, including the IDF.” The analytics firm’s probe concluded Schrader’s follower count “is inflated and her tweets are artificially amplified by the same inauthentic accounts” calling for insurrection in Iran, including monarchist bots.

Since amended entries on Social Lite Creative’s website

‘Peddling Distrust’

Schrader avowedly counting multiple Israeli state entities, including its genocidal military, as clients is sufficient grounds to postulate Tel Aviv was ultimately responsible for the pro-monarchist “platform manipulation” campaign. Just as suspiciously, the protests they accompanied were launched following the Pentagon waging a clandestine online war against Iran for years prior. These efforts were exposed by digital researchers after Twitter and Meta banned a vast network of US military-run accounts, which “used deceptive tactics to promote pro-Western narratives” in Central and West Asia.

Iran was a preponderant target, with Pentagon psyops specialists managing multiple anti-government media outlets publishing content in Farsi with accompanying social media channels, and a panoply of bot and troll accounts. These personae frequently posted non-political content, including Iranian poetry and photos of Persian food, in order to enhance their authenticity. They also engaged with real Iranians on Twitter, often joking about mundane topics such as internet memes. The sockpuppets spanned a wide ideological gamut, employing differing narrative techniques for varying audiences.

For example, some ‘Iranian’ Pentagon bots and trolls promoted “hardliner” views, criticising the Islamic Republic for being too liberal domestically, and inadequately aggressive in asserting its interests regionally. Others posed as left-wingers, secularists and other opposition elements. It was a full-spectrum digital assault from every angle. Eerily, many of these accounts promoted women’s rights, and protests against hijab-wearing. One Pentagon-circulated meme compared the treatment of women abroad with Iran, by contrasting photos of Western female astronauts and an alleged local victim of violent domestic abuse.

Hijab destruction was a core symbol of protests that subsequently erupted in Tehran, which elicited blanket foreign media coverage, and a chorus of calls for regime change in Iran. Quickly, Pahlavi and close allies such as Masih Alinejad, a veteran of US-funded propaganda efforts targeting the Islamic Republic, who has called for Zionist entity attacks on the country and assassination of its leaders, proclaimed themselves to be leading the demonstrators. However, their attempt to commandeer the protests resulted in the unrest’s instant termination locally.

A withering post-mortem of “why Iran’s ‘woman, life, freedom’ revolution failed” authored by Zionist lobby-connected Mariam Memarsadeghi, who similarly promotes regime change in Tehran, pinned the blame squarely on Pahlavi’s attempt to associate himself so intimately with the protests. She noted the fake king’s close associates push extreme “Iranian nationalism”, calling for “retributive violence [and] summary executions” of enemies, while “peddling distrust and attacking other opposition leaders on social media.” These activities gravely alienate Iranians within and without the country, leaving Pahlavi irreparably tarnished.

In April 2023, Pahlavi made a surprise appearance in Tel Aviv. Despite eliciting zero Western media interest, Israeli news outlets eagerly promoted his appearance as of earth-shattering significance. The Times Of Israel claimed the “historic” visit was a “healing process for many Iranian Jews,” leaving them with a “unique sense of joy, optimism, and a feeling of healing.” At a press conference, Pahlavi was asked about the response his trip there was receiving from average Iranians. He declared their vehement support was provably clear:

“Don’t take my word for it, search on social media… on Twitter, Instagram, any platform. If you do the research yourself, you don’t need to ask me the question. The answer is right before your eyes.”

Of course, that “answer” was provided by people who don’t exist, courtesy of “online operations” conducted by Israel, and likely other states seeking regime change in Iran. Evidently undeterred by the 2022 campaign’s faltering, Pahlavi was again fraudulently promoted by a Zionist-orchestrated social media effort during the 12 Day War, wholly counterproductively. A July report from Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies concluded monarchist backing for insurrection during that conflict only strengthened local support for the government, “rallying the public around the flag”:

“It is therefore advisable to avoid ties, when possible, with Iranian opposition groups (including some monarchist circles in the diaspora) who are perceived by large segments of the Iranian public as tainted and having betrayed Iran in its time of need. Although aligning with pro-Western and pro-Israel diaspora groups that push for revolutionary change may seem natural, such associations may, in fact, undermine the credibility of internal opposition and ultimately obstruct the desired outcome.”

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Deception | , , | Leave a comment

Revealed: Charlie Kirk had decided to leave pro-Israel lobby 48 hours before assassination

The video is queued to begin where Candace Owens discusses the group chat
Press TV – October 7, 2025

A prominent American political commentator reveals how Charlie Kirk, a controversial far-right activist as well as a dedicated pro-Trump and pro-Israel lobbyist, had chosen to “leave the pro-Israel lobby” two days before his assassination.

Candace Owens made the revelation in a livestreamed episode on her YouTube channel on Tuesday, citing the contents of a group chat involving nine people, including Kirk, which took place 48 hours before the assassination.

She shared a screenshot of the chat, in which Kirk had explicitly spoken of his decision to ditch the lobby after expressing frustration at it and its extensive grip and efforts to expand control on American politics, including his own political activities.

Joining the chat, Kirk had noted that an unidentified Zionist billionaire had withdrawn his support for him after he refused to “cancel” debating with Tucker Carlson, a political commentator, who had criticized the lobby and its wealthy Zionist supporters.

‘I won’t be bullied like this’

Kirk had then expressed resentment at how the “donors play into all the stereotypes.”

“I cannot and will not be bullied like this,” he had said, adding that the situation was “leaving me no choice, but to leave the pro-Israel cause.”

The revelation has sent shockwaves among netizens worldwide.

Social media frequenters have expressed alarm at the sheer contrast between Kirk’s previous staunch support for the Israeli regime and the powerful Zionist lobby in the United States versus his decision on the eve of the assassination.

They have noted how Kirk’s support for the regime had seen him go as far as denying the October 2023-present US-backed war of genocide that Tel Aviv has been waging on the Gaza Strip.

Comments have run the gamut of reactions, including expression of appreciation for Kirk’s unprecedented decision to turn against the lobby, despite the sheer predictable consequences that the move would have on his career and continued approval by President Donald Trump.

Commenting on the chat, Owens said the conversation was “irrefutable” evidence that Kirk had been “very clear” and “very explicit” about his frustration with the pro-Israel lobby and his subsequent decision towards a turnaround.

Elsewhere in the group chat, a participant tries to dissuade Kirk from inviting Owens, given her similar criticism of the lobby, which is known by its acronym as AIPAC.

Owens has previously suggested that AIPAC was responsible for the assassination of former US president John F. Kennedy. She also once pointed to the existence of a “cult” that engages in “pedophilia and incest,” saying there were “tens of thousands of pedophiles [who] hide from justice in Israel.”

“Please don’t invite Candace. That might feel good short term, but it is not good long term,” the participant had told Kirk.

Some netizens identified the Zionist billionaire, who had withdrawn support from Kirk, as “Robert J. Shillman,” who was irate at an apparent intention by Kirk to platform Tucker and Owens.

Kirk was assassinated on September 10, when a single shot targeted him as he was sitting under a tent during a campus debate at Utah Valley University in the city of Orem.

Armature footage showed him collapse after the bullet hit him in the neck, while the activist, who used to be known for his extreme right-wing leanings, was fielding questions about gun violence.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Video, War Crimes | , , , | 1 Comment

Iran to respond as US moves to target commercial shipping: Source

Al Mayadeen | October 7, 2025

Indicators point to escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, sources told Al Mayadeen, as Washington reportedly prepares to obstruct Iranian commercial shipping under the pretext of renewed sanctions on Iran.

According to the sources, any such move by the US would provoke a swift and decisive response from Tehran, citing the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy and the Iranian Army’s possession of capabilities that can neutralize any threat posed to Gulf maritime security and the Sea of Oman.

They emphasized that Iran’s naval fleet and missile bases, deployed along the country’s southern coastline, are ready to respond immediately to any hostile action targeting its commercial or civilian vessels.

The sources added that any attempt to target Iranian ships would trigger a direct response, underscoring Iran’s readiness to defend its maritime interests, further confirming that regional countries have been explicitly warned: any cooperation with the US in actions that obstruct Iranian commercial shipping will not go unanswered by Tehran.

In event of mishap, Navy to respond with all might: IRGC chief

On October 5, IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour inspected naval units situated at Gulf bases, assessing their combat preparedness as high during his visit to the operational units stationed on the islands.

Addressing the naval units, the IRGC commander stated, “Just as the armed forces brought the Zionist regime and the United States to their knees in the 12-day imposed war, if any movement is made by the enemies in the sea and islands, the IRGC Navy will respond with all might.”

He also credited the forces’ high morale and profound faith as a key strength that intimidates “Israel” and the US. General Pakpour additionally oversaw the sailing of a United States ship in the Gulf during his tour.

This comes amid rising tensions in the region, as the United States ups its military build-up in countries neighboring Iran.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Wars for Israel | , , | 3 Comments

US sent $21.7 billion to Israel to back Gaza genocide: Study

Press TV – October 7, 2025

An academic study has revealed that the United States has funneled $21.7 billion in financial and military assistance to Israel since the onset of the Gaza genocide on October 7, 2023.

The report released on Tuesday by the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs details how the US State Department and the newly renamed Department of War, under both Joe Biden and Donald Trump administrations, have collectively transferred at least $21.7 billion to support Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

According to the study, the United States supplied $17.9 billion to Israel in the first year of the genocide, during former US president Joe Biden’s tenure, and $3.8 billion in the second year.

A large portion of the assistance has already been delivered, while the remainder will be distributed in the coming years, the report added.

The study notes that Washington is expected to allocate tens of billions of dollars in future funding to Israel through various bilateral deals.

Another analysis, also published by the Costs of War Project, states that the United States has spent approximately $9.65 – $12.07 billion on military operations in West Asia over the past two years.

US spending in the region, such as strikes on Yemen in March and May 2025 and attacks on Iranian nuclear sites on June 22, estimates total costs between $9.65 billion and $12 billion since October 7, 2023, including $2 billion to $2.25 billion for operations against Iran.

Although both reports rely on open-source data, they present detailed assessments of US military support for Israel and estimates of the cost of direct American involvement in the region.

Meanwhile, the State Department has not commented on the amount of military assistance given to Israel since October 2023. The White House referred inquiries to the Pentagon, which oversees only a part of the aid that is given to the Zionist entity.

The studies argue that without US backing, the regime would have been unable to maintain its genocidal campaign in Gaza for two years.

The principal study was produced in collaboration with the Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Pro-Israel groups have accused the institute of isolationism and anti-Israel bias, allegations the organization firmly denies.

Meanwhile, Israel’s war machine continues its campaign of destruction, claiming countless civilian lives across Gaza and the wider region.

Since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip, more than 76,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children and 12,500 women, have been killed or gone missing, while in its 12-day war with Iran last June, the regime killed at least 1,604 people.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism, Wars for Israel | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tony Blair’s Gaza “Peace” Board: When War Architects Become Reconstruction Consultants

By Tamer Mansour – New Eastern Outlook – October 7, 2025

Here’s the conundrum facing Gaza’s Palestinians. Having endured devastating military operations, they now face “reconstruction” overseen by someone whose interventions have consistently produced what results, exactly?

Tony Blair’s Gaza “Peace” Board

When Tony Blair was announced as co-chair of Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” for Gaza reconstruction, you might wonder whether this represents a genuine peace initiative or simply another iteration of a pattern that’s been refined over two decades across multiple Middle Eastern theaters.

It might sound paradoxical that the architect of the Iraq War, a conflict built on intelligence about weapons of mass destruction that never materialized, would now be positioned as the overseer of Gaza’s future. But in reality, that’s how these appointments work in the Western establishment.

Previous failures seem to qualify rather than disqualify candidates for new ventures.

The Iraq Blueprint

If you want to understand what awaits Gaza under Blair’s stewardship, the Iraq experience offers an instructive template. The Chilcot Inquiry found that Blair “misrepresented intelligence” and “failed to exhaust all peaceful options” before launching the 2003 invasion.

What’s particularly revealing is that British intelligence agencies knew evidence used to justify the war came from individuals who had been tortured, yet the decision to proceed was made regardless.

Blair and his administration spent a decade denying British complicity in the CIA’s torture programs, only to eventually face uncovered evidence that proves the UK’s deep involvement in the rendition programs. Not to forget the major role the UK played in creating a war that killed over a million Iraqis, further destabilized an already inflammable region, emboldened the mutation of what they called “Al Qaeda” into multiple versions, most famously ISIS, and caused a refugee crisis that Europe complains about the most.

Yet Blair has never faced legal accountability. Instead, he has been rewarded with lucrative consultancy contracts and, incredibly, now oversees yet another Middle Eastern territory devastated by military operations.

No wonder some observers view this appointment with skepticism, is there?

A Consultant’s Portfolio

Since leaving office in 2007, Blair has built what might be called an “advisory empire,” serving various governments. His client list makes for interesting reading, doesn’t it?

In Kazakhstan, Blair advised former President Nursultan Nazarbayev following the December 2011 massacre of at least 17 protesting workers. Leaked emails revealed Nazarbayev paid an estimated £20 million for Blair’s counsel on how to “present a better face to the West.

Blair chose to provide no response on two different occasions to Human Rights Watch when they requested a detailed account of his “consultancy” work and the results it has achieved.

Moving on to Rwanda, where Blair has built a special relationship with Paul Kagame’s regime, which has lasted for decades, dismissing UN reports directly accusing Kagame of committing war crimes in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and during his infamous involvement in the Second Congo War, which lasted for almost 5 years and was called by some “Africa’s World War,” as it involved 8 African countries and 25 armed militias and caused the death of millions of Africans.

Blair’s response to such accusations directed at him and Kagame would put Niccolo Machiavelli to shame, as he said literally, “Our consultancy is not to tell the people of Rwanda what to do, but to help get done what the president wants.”

The Tony Blair Institute’s accounts show income reaching $121 million in a single year, with much of it from advising what reports described as “repressive”.

The pattern seems consistent: Blair provides Western legitimacy to governments willing to pay for it, while actual democratic reforms remain notably absent from the list of deliverables.

The same Western establishment that positioned itself as guardian of international law regarding various conflicts now promotes Blair for Gaza oversight. Yet Blair’s record demonstrates repeated bypassing of the UN Security Council when it suited Western objectives.

In Kosovo in 1999, Blair established his template: bypassing UN authorization, working with militias whose leaders now face war crimes charges, and claiming humanitarian motives afterward. The NATO bombing campaign never received Security Council approval and killed at least 488 Yugoslav civilians.

That intervention transformed NATO from a defensive alliance into an organization “prepared to initiate war beyond the UN.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov continues to reference NATO’s “illegal use of force” in Kosovo when responding to Western criticism.

The rendition operations tell their own story. Blair’s government was involved in the 2004 kidnapping of Abdul-Hakim Belhaj from Malaysia, delivering him to Gaddafi’s torture facilities. The UK government eventually paid £2.3 million in compensation to Sami al-Saadi, though characteristically, it never formally admitted wrongdoing or apologized.

The Gaza Plan: “Investment” or Control?

The leaked 21-page draft proposal outlines a “Gaza International Transitional Authority” (GITA) with an organizational structure worth examining carefully. At the top sits “an international board of billionaires and businesspeople,” while “highly vetted ‘neutral’ Palestinian administrators” occupy the lower administrative positions.

The plan describes Gaza reconstruction as a “commercially driven authority, led by business professionals and tasked with generating investable projects with real financial returns”. Previous reporting linked Blair’s institute to proposals for transforming Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” featuring resorts and manufacturing zones, with mentions of relocating up to 500,000 Palestinians.

Various analysts, both Arab and non-Arab, have expressed concern that the plan is designed to sideline any form of Palestinian governance, in favor of international bodies brought in to carry the load.

And with someone with Tony Blair’s record at the helm, one can understand these concerns only by reminding oneself of his previous tenure as the Middle East envoy of the “Quartet” between 2007 and 2015, a period during which he hardly did anything to stop the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and nothing that might remotely achieve anything for of statehood for Palestine.

The structure Blair proposes: wealthy foreign decision-makers controlling Palestinian land and resources while Palestinians serve in subordinate administrative roles. This bears a resemblance to governance models from a century ago.

Whether this represents “investment” or simply foreign control with better branding is a question worth considering.

Here’s the conundrum facing Gaza’s Palestinians. Having endured devastating military operations, they now face “reconstruction” overseen by someone whose interventions have consistently produced what results, exactly?

If they accept the Blair plan, they get foreign control disguised as investment, with Palestinians in subordinate roles while “billionaires and businesspeople” make strategic decisions. If they reject it, they risk being portrayed as obstacles to peace and reconstruction, potentially losing access to funding and international support.

The Accountability Gap

Despite the Chilcot Inquiry findings about Britain’s role in the Iraq War, despite compensation paid to rendition victims, and despite documented intelligence manipulation, Blair has never faced legal consequences. Instead, he’s built a consulting empire worth hundreds of millions and has now been appointed to oversee Gaza’s future.

The British government has paid millions in compensation to torture victims without formally admitting responsibility. Blair himself has declined to comment on specifics regarding what he knew about torture programs and when.

This pattern raises questions about international accountability mechanisms. If the architect of the Iraq War faces no consequences, what message does that send about international law?

If involvement in rendition operations results in consultancy opportunities rather than prosecution, what does that suggest about deterrence?

The Accountability Question: The double standard regarding UN authority is worth examining.

The Destruction/Reconstruction Façade

But the pattern seems difficult to ignore. Now I think it’s logical to pose these questions, regardless of political affiliations or personal opinions about the various conflicts discussed here:

  • What exactly is Blair bringing to Gaza that couldn’t be provided by someone without his particular history?
  • Who benefits from his appointment to this role?
  • Does the international community have mechanisms for accountability, or do Western leaders operate under different rules?

Gaza’s Palestinians deserve better than to have their future determined by someone whose previous interventions left trails of destruction across multiple continents. Whether they’ll get better is another question entirely. The pattern has been consistent: promise reform, deliver foreign control, profit from reconstruction contracts, and move on before accountability arrives, or do not respond to it at all.

There’s no particular reason to expect Gaza will be different, unless something fundamental changes about how the international system operates instead of it trying to convince anybody with such a destruction/reconstruction façade, or what one might comfortably call “investment imperialism,” that is being imposed by genocidal force on Gaza.

But for this change to happen, “We the People” worldwide need to wake up and realize who should be in control.

Tamer Mansour is an Egyptian Independent Writer & Researcher.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Militarism, War Crimes, Wars for Israel | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spain to file ICC complaint over Israel’s mistreatment of Sumud flotilla activists

Press TV – October 7, 2025

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has suggested that legal measures might be pursued at the International Criminal Court (ICC) following reports from Spanish citizens on board the Global Sumud Flotilla regarding mistreatment by Israeli guards during their custody.

“I am concerned as a minister, and I am concerned as a Spanish citizen, and simply as a person, about any violation of a fundamental right, evidently. But for that, there are also legal channels: the International Criminal Court and also the Spanish courts when it concerns national citizens,” Marlaska said in an interview with public television broadcaster TVE on Monday.

He reiterated that criminal liabilities regarding individuals who might have been victims will be assessed and dealt with through the relevant national and international legal frameworks.

Marlaska also emphasized that boarding ships in international waters is subject to an international criminal law classification, as defined by clear conventions and also recognized within the national legal system, because “this would be a deprivation of liberty, absolutely illegal, for the people who were victims of these acts.”

Marlaska noted that the foremost priority is for the final 28 members of the flotilla to return to Spain “safe and sound.”

He underscored that the Spanish government “is absolutely proactive” in this case, “appearing before the International Criminal Court to defend the fundamental rights and public freedoms of Spanish citizens and other citizens.”

“There will be time to respond from a legal perspective. The Spanish government has already stated this from the very beginning, as I mentioned, appearing before the International Criminal Court,” the senior Spanish official said.

He also said that the attorney general’s office has initiated investigative proceedings as well.

“I believe that, in defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, no one can say that we have not been defending them from minute one,” he said.

The remarks come as the Gaza flotilla activists were deported from the Israeli-occupied territories amid numerous accounts of their mistreatment in Israeli detention centers.

According to the Spanish EFE news agency, they reported a lack of access to legal counsel and were also unable to contact their families.

The activists added that armed personnel entered the cells accompanied by dogs, directing them towards their heads.

They said they were deprived of sleep, moved between cells to prevent them from resting, and were treated “worse than animals.”

Approximately 450 individuals involved in the flotilla were detained from last Wednesday to Friday as Israeli forces intercepted the vessels, which aimed to breach a naval blockade of Gaza and provide aid to Palestinians in the besieged region.

Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, which is inhabited by nearly 2.4 million individuals, for nearly 18 years.

According to the health ministry of Gaza, Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of at least 67,160 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, in the besieged Gaza Strip since October 2023.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Subjugation - Torture, War Crimes | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gagauzia and the limits of nationalism in the post-Soviet space

Moldova’s pro-Western nationalism is eroding the country’s multiethnic coexistence

By Lucas Leiroz | Strategic Culture Foundation | October 7, 2025

The region of Gagauzia, a Turkic-speaking and Orthodox Christian enclave in southern Moldova, has become one of the most complex flashpoints in Eastern Europe today. The Moldovan government’s increasing push for accelerated Westernization and alignment with the European Union and NATO directly confronts the interests, identities, and aspirations of minority groups historically integrated into the post-Soviet space—such as the Gagauz.

Recognized as an autonomous republic within Moldova since 1995, Gagauzia is inhabited by a people of Oghuz Turkic origin, who converted to Orthodox Christianity through contact with Bulgarian missionaries during the Ottoman period and were heavily influenced by Russian culture throughout the 20th century. This fusion of influences shaped a unique identity: the Gagauz are simultaneously Turks, Orthodox Christians, Russophiles, and multilingual. They primarily speak Gagauz (a Turkic language), Russian, and, to a lesser extent, Moldovan (Romanian), maintaining strong cultural cohesion despite pressures from the Moldovan state to assimilate.

Gagauz autonomy emerged in the context of the Soviet collapse. In 1990, fearing that rising Moldovan-Romanian nationalism would lead to unification with Romania, the Gagauz declared independence—a move that did not lead to war but compelled the Moldovan state to grant the region special autonomy in 1995. For decades, this agreement formed the basis of internal stability in Moldova. However, under the administration of President Maia Sandu, this stability is rapidly deteriorating.

Since taking office, Sandu has pursued a strategic reorientation of Moldova toward the West, tightening ties with the European Union and adopting increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Russia. This Western shift, far from being solely geopolitical, has brought with it deep domestic transformations that directly impact minority groups like the Gagauz. The effort to consolidate a Westernized Moldovan national identity clashes directly with the Gagauz cultural ethos—traditionally conservative, Turanian, Slavophile, and opposed to the progressive social agenda promoted by Brussels.

In recent years, reports of political persecution in Gagauzia have multiplied. Regional authorities—including the head of the autonomous republic—have been arrested on charges of corruption and conspiracy, which many local observers view as politically motivated. Gagauz political parties have been banned or heavily restricted, and recent elections saw allegations of voter intimidation and restricted access to polling stations in the region.

This situation raises a difficult question: how far can a plurinational state like Moldova go in its Western integration project without undermining internal cohesion? History shows that the exclusion of ethnic minorities—especially in post-imperial contexts—tends to trigger separatist movements, and Gagauzia is beginning to follow this path.

Growing disillusionment with the Moldovan state is fueling separatist and Russian-reintegrationist sentiments. The idea of eventual unification with Moscow (in a post-SVO scenario), possibly aligning Gagauzia’s destiny with that of Transnistria, is regaining adhesion among the Gagauz as their autonomy is gradually dismantled. This scenario undermines not only Moldova’s territorial integrity but also the very viability of the Western project in the region, which is built on the rhetoric of human rights and diversity but fails to uphold these principles for minorities such as the Gagauz.

If Moldova continues on its current trajectory—disregarding the cultural and political specificities of its minority populations—it risks replicating a pattern seen elsewhere in the post-Soviet world: the collapse of interethnic pacts and the outbreak of separatist conflicts. A potential Gagauz secession, coupled with broader territorial reconfiguration involving Transnistria, could lead to a redrawing of Moldova’s borders and the practical end of its existence as a multiethnic state.

Paradoxically, only with the separation of these regions—deeply incompatible with the current Moldovan-Romanian national project—might Moldova fully and stably integrate into Romania, without harmfully affecting minority groups that do not fit into the Romanian-Moldovan identity. For the West, this would mean the loss of two Russophile spheres of influence, but the consolidation of a new, more cohesive and aligned EU member state.

Meanwhile, in Gagauzia, the sense that resisting forced Westernization is a way of preserving not only political autonomy but cultural identity continues to grow. And it is this tension—between integration and cultural survival—that will define the region’s future.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties | , , | Leave a comment

‘Our goal should not be to defeat Russia, but to end the war,’ says Slovak PM Fico

By Thomas Brooke | Remix News | October 6, 2025

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has again denounced the European Union’s handling of the war in Ukraine, declaring that Slovakia’s goal is not Russia’s defeat but peace between “Slavs killing each other.”

Speaking during a televised discussion marking the 81st anniversary of the Battle of the Dukla Pass, Fico said that “the war could have ended three months after it started,” accusing Western powers of prolonging the conflict to fight Russia indirectly.

“War is no solution. If the EU had spent as much energy on peace as it does on supporting the war in Ukraine, the war could have ended long ago. I will never be a wartime prime minister,” Fico said, insisting that if Slovaks wanted such a leader, “they should elect someone else.”

The prime minister added that he would “never allow Slovakia to be dragged into any war adventure,” citing “no moral, historical, or legal reasons” for the country to become involved in the conflict.

“It is not our war,” he said. “It is a regional conflict with historical roots. Why should Slovakia talk about war now?”

Fico also dismissed recent EU discussions on creating an anti-drone defense wall along the bloc’s eastern flank. “Let the experts talk about it. What can a prime minister who has never fired a gun say about drone protection? That is an expert question,” he remarked.

He also confirmed that a new round of talks between the Slovak and Ukrainian governments would take place in Michalovce on Oct. 17.

Marking the wartime commemoration, Fico warned against what he described as historical amnesia, saying that Europe was “forbidding” celebrations of the end of World War II and dismantling Red Army monuments. “We have to talk about what the hell is happening today,” he said, condemning leaders who “speak so lightly about war” and “talk about defeating Russia” without recalling “the terrible suffering” of past generations.

Fico’s comments are in sharp contrast to those made last week by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who told the Warsaw Security Forum that the Ukraine war is “our war.” Tusk described it as “central to Europe’s security and values,” warning that “if we lose this war, the consequences will affect not only our generation but also the next generations in Poland, all of Europe, in the United States, everywhere in the world.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán swiftly rebuked Tusk, posting on X: “Dear Donald Tusk, you may think that you are at war with Russia, but Hungary is not. Neither is the European Union. You are playing a dangerous game with the lives and security of millions of Europeans.”

The divide highlights the deep fracture running through Central Europe’s response to the conflict. Orbán and Fico, both critical of EU sanctions and weapons deliveries, have positioned themselves as advocates for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations with Moscow.

They have also acquired a new ally over the weekend in Prague after Andrej Babiš’s ANO movement won national elections, leaving Tusk isolated within the Visegrád Group.

Babiš has pledged to withdraw from a Czech-led initiative to procure artillery shells for Ukraine and declared that Kyiv is “not ready” for EU membership. “We have to end the war first,” Babiš told a Ukrainian journalist. “Of course, we can cooperate with Ukraine. But you are not ready for the EU.”

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Militarism, Russophobia | , , , | Leave a comment

Orban rejects Euro as EU ‘falling apart’

RT | October 6, 2025

Hungary will not adopt the euro as its currency, as the EU is “falling apart,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.

Bloc members are obliged to eventually join the Eurozone, with the exception of Denmark, which secured an opt-out. Seven of the 27 EU member states still use their national currencies.

In an interview with economic news site EconomX on Monday, Orban was asked whether he would move towards adopting the euro in Hungary.

“It will definitely not be on my agenda,” he replied.

“The European Union is in trouble, in the process of disintegration, it is currently falling apart,” he said.

Orban argued that, in light of this, he did not want to tie Hungary’s fate to the EU any further.

The Hungarian leader has been progressively more critical of the EU in recent years, clashing with its leadership over arms supplies to Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, and a shift towards militarization.

Orban has also vowed to veto Kiev’s EU bid, arguing that Ukrainian membership would destroy the bloc’s economy, and directly embroil it in a conflict with Russia.

EU leaders are increasingly pushing to fast-track Ukraine’s accession and want to finance more military aid, clearly showing that “the Brusselians want to go to war,” he wrote on X last week.

His position has led to tension with Kiev, exacerbated in recent months by Ukraine’s strikes on Russian energy facilities that supply oil to landlocked Hungary.

Kiev and certain senior figures in the EU are conspiring to influence Hungarian domestic politics to put a pro-Ukrainian government in power, Orban claimed on Saturday.

His accusation echoed a report from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), published earlier this year.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “is seriously studying regime change scenarios” in Hungary due to Orban’s overly “independent policy,” the spy agency claimed.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Economics, Militarism | , , | Leave a comment

Ukrainian drone targets nuclear plant inside Russia – operator

RT | October 7, 2025

A Ukrainian drone has targeted a nuclear power station in Russia’s Voronezh Region overnight, Rosenergoatom, a state-run company which operates the country’s nuclear power plants, has said.

The UAV hit a cooling tower of the sixth power-generating unit at the Novovoronezh NPP after being diverted by electronic warfare means, the company said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday.

There was no damage or injuries as a result of the incident, the statement read. A dark mark was left in the spot where the drone struck the tower, it added.

The attack did not affect the operations of the station, with the radiation level on site remaining unchanged and corresponding to natural levels, Rosenergoatom said.

“This is yet another act of aggression by the Ukrainian military against the Russian nuclear power plants. Previously, it had attempted attacks against the main facilities of the Kursk and Smolensk Nuclear Power Plants,” the company stated.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Militarism, Nuclear Power, War Crimes | , | 1 Comment

US admits F-35 program failure after decades and trillions spent

Al Mayadeen | October 7, 2025

Nearly 25 years after awarding Lockheed Martin the contract to build the Joint Strike Fighter Program, Responsible Statecraft analyst Dan Grazier says that the US government has finally admitted that the F-35 will never achieve the combat capabilities it was designed to deliver.

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last month details the program’s ongoing issues and includes a key acknowledgment: “The program plans to reduce the scope of Block 4 to deliver capabilities to the warfighter at a more predictable pace than in the past.”

Grazier says that this statement, while phrased bureaucratically, is a quiet admission that the F-35 will not meet its original goals. “Reducing the scope of Block 4” effectively means that planned combat capabilities are being abandoned.

The Joint Strike Fighter Program began in the early 2000s as the Pentagon’s most ambitious weapons development initiative, a single aircraft platform meant to serve multiple branches of the US military and allied nations.

However, as the GAO report notes, many of the F-35’s core design elements remain incomplete. Officials were unable to finish the jet’s baseline development on time or within budget. Instead of admitting failure, they rebranded the process as the “modernization phase,” also known as Block 4, to mask ongoing design work.

Grazier says “reducing the scope” of this modernization effort confirms that many of the F-35’s touted features in areas like electronic warfare, weapons integration, and navigation will never materialize.

Lockheed Martin’s ‘modernization’ phase masks ongoing failures

The decision marks a stunning reversal for the Pentagon, which for years defended the F-35 as the future of aerial warfare. With costs exceeding $2 trillion, the program has become the most expensive weapons project in history.

For two decades, Lockheed Martin and US military officials promised a revolutionary fighter jet that would ensure American air superiority for generations. Instead, the GAO findings reveal a project mired in delays, performance shortfalls, and spiraling expenses.

The report also highlights how the Pentagon reclassified unfinished development work as “modernization” to secure continued funding and avoid scrutiny from Congress.

Fallout for US allies and global weapons sales

Grazuer states that the ramifications of the F-35’s shortcomings go beyond wasted money. 19 countries have purchased or plan to operate the aircraft, including the United Kingdom, Norway, and Italy, many of whom were partners in the program from the outset.

These nations invested heavily, expecting the world’s most advanced fighter jet. Instead, they now face rising costs and reduced performance. For allies that committed billions based on Washington’s assurances, the admission could strain future defense spending cooperation and arms sales.

If the US military cannot deliver the promised technology, Grazier says skepticism toward future US weapons programs may grow, reducing trust in the country’s defense industry.

A symbol of flawed defense spending and mismanagement

The Responsible Statecraft report says the F-35 program has become a cautionary tale of overreach, that of an effort to design one aircraft to meet the needs of multiple branches and allies, while serving political and industrial interests at home.

As critics note, trying to build a single jet to satisfy at least 15 militaries worldwide was doomed from the start. What was intended as a triumph of innovation has turned into a $2 trillion emblem of waste, inefficiency, and failed accountability in US defense policy.

For the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin, Grazier says the F-35 may not stand as the future of warfare, but as a monument to the limits of ambition and the dangers of unchecked defense spending.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Militarism | , | 1 Comment

Iran discovers large natural gas reserve near Persian Gulf

Press TV – October 6, 2025

Iran has discovered a large gas reserve in its southern province of Fars near the Persian Gulf as the country moves ahead with plans to expand its massive petroleum sector despite foreign sanctions.

Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on Monday that the Pazan gas reserve holds an estimated 10 trillion cubic feet, or more than 280 billion cubic meters (bcm), of natural gas.

Paknejad said the large gas field also covers areas in the neighboring province of Bushehr, which is the hub of Iran’s gas processing industry.

He said Iran had awarded a contract to develop the field, adding that production could start within the next 40 months.

The minister said exploration activities in Pazan had also led to the discovery of a reserve with at least 200 million barrels of crude oil, adding that the figure could increase as a result of ongoing operations in the field.

His comments came in a report by the Iranian Oil Ministry’s news service Shana, which indicated that the discovery of the Pazan gas field had taken place after drilling a second well in the field in recent years.

It said production from the field will boost Iran’s capacity to respond to an increasing demand for energy in the country in the coming years.

Iran is the second-largest holder of natural gas resources in the world. It is also the third-largest producer of natural gas after the United States and Russia, and the fourth-largest consumer after the US, Russia, and China.

Facing an increasing demand for natural gas in power plants and industries, the country has successfully increased its production in recent years by relying on domestic companies that have replaced foreign contractors wary of US sanctions.

The South Pars gas field, located on the maritime border between Iran and Qatar in the Persian Gulf, is responsible for more than 70% of Iran’s natural gas production of nearly 1 bcm per day.

October 7, 2025 Posted by | Economics | , | Leave a comment

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