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Iran rejects uranium transfer, warns of response to naval blockade

Al Mayadeen | April 18, 2026

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei flatly rejected on Friday any proposal to transfer the country’s enriched uranium abroad, declaring that Iran’s uranium reserves are as sacred as its own soil.

Responding to remarks made by US President Donald Trump, who told Reuters that Washington would work with Tehran to retrieve and transfer its enriched uranium, and claimed Iran had agreed to halt enrichment, Baghaei called such assertions part of a coordinated media campaign designed to pressure negotiators and tilt the direction of ongoing talks.

“Claims about a permanent suspension of uranium enrichment are aimed at influencing the course of negotiations,” Baghaei said, adding that any final agreement must fully safeguard Iran’s interests and rights.

Iran has consistently maintained that its uranium enrichment program serves civilian purposes, including agriculture and medicine, and that it operates no military nuclear program.

Compensation, sanctions relief are core demands

Baghaei stressed that compensation for the losses and damages inflicted on Iran is not a peripheral issue but a fundamental pillar of any potential deal.

He also placed the lifting of sanctions at the top of Tehran’s list of priorities, emphasizing that ending the war and halting hostilities across all fronts must be treated as a single, inseparable package, not piecemeal concessions to be negotiated separately.

He described diplomacy as “a continuation of military efforts on the ground,” signaling that Tehran’s negotiating posture is shaped by the same resolve it has brought to the battlefield.

Naval blockade crosses a red line

On the security front, Baghaei warned that a naval blockade would be met with a firm Iranian response, calling any such measure a direct violation of the ceasefire. “Iran cannot be blockaded,” he said, adding that Tehran would take all necessary measures in response.

He also invoked international maritime law, asserting that coastal states bordering strategic straits hold both the right and the responsibility, in wartime conditions, to take appropriate measures against states they consider hostile, in reference to the Strait of Hormuz.

No direct talks with Trump

Baghaei also denied Trump’s claims that US officials had held direct talks with Iranian counterparts, calling those assertions false.

He noted that while earlier rounds of negotiations had focused primarily on the nuclear file, the most recent discussions have shifted to center on ending the war entirely.

On the progress of talks, he said the Islamabad meeting had helped map out areas of understanding and define red lines, adding that “there is no ambiguity regarding the negotiation files.”

He cautioned, however, that developments over the coming days would ultimately determine the outcome.

Tehran’s previous uranium offer

Iran’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad revealed on Monday that Tehran had at one point signaled a willingness to demonstrate goodwill, but on its own terms.

Nikzad said Iran had proposed diluting 450 kilograms of enriched uranium, not handing it over, and that earlier negotiations had explored the possibility of establishing a trilateral consortium involving Iran, the United States, and Saudi Arabia to carry out that dilution. He clarified that the other parties ultimately pulled back from that framework.

Nikzad also claimed that the US military operation targeting Isfahan had been aimed at seizing Iran’s uranium stockpiles, but that it failed.

April 18, 2026 Posted by | Deception, Economics, Militarism, Wars for Israel | , | Comments Off on Iran rejects uranium transfer, warns of response to naval blockade

US Middle East Policy: The Growing Propensity for Genocide

Arab Center Washington DC | April 10, 2026

Professor John Mearsheimer discusses the #IranWar, the #Gaza genocide, and the US policy toward the Middle East.

His remarks were the keynote address for Arab Center’s Eleventh Annual Conference.

John J. Mearsheimer is an American political scientist and international relations scholar who serves as the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and is the author of How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities, and The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, among other works.

April 18, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism, Video, Wars for Israel | , , , , , | Comments Off on US Middle East Policy: The Growing Propensity for Genocide

Daniel Davis: Iran Reopens the Strait of Hormuz

Glenn Diesen | April 17, 2026

Lt. Col. Daniel Davis is a 4x combat veteran, the recipient of the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling, and is the host of the Daniel Davis Deep Dive YouTube channel. Lt. Col. Davis discusses Iran’s announcement that it is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, yet the US decides to maintain the blockade on Iranian ports. While diplomatic developments are positive, the statements from the US and Iran do not correspond with each other.

Daniel Davis Deep Dive: https://www.youtube.com/@DanielDavisDeepDive/videos

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April 17, 2026 Posted by | Economics, Militarism, Video, Wars for Israel | , , , , | Comments Off on Daniel Davis: Iran Reopens the Strait of Hormuz

Washington hiding billion-dollar combat losses to Iran’s precision strikes: Report

Press TV – April 17, 2026

Following 40 days of unrelenting US-Israeli aggression, mounting evidence reveals that the US Department of War is deliberately concealing catastrophic, billion-dollar military losses inflicted by highly effective Iranian retaliatory strikes, the Daily Mail reports.

In the latest episode of the Daily Mail’s Photo Evidence, the British paper “scrutinizes new satellite images that reveal how America’s Department of War may not be telling the full truth about the scale of its losses during the Iran war,” it said.

Since the launch of the joint US-Israeli terrorist bombing campaign against Iran, the Islamic Republic has retaliated by targeting American military assets across the Persian Gulf with waves of missile and drone strikes.

As the Mail explains, “Iran’s war strategy has been anything but conventional. Rather than targeting fighter jets or bombers, the IRGC has systematically attempted to blind and cripple America’s command and control layer, launching attacks against radar and air defense systems”.

“It is these costly losses in strategic equipment that the Department of War is not being fully transparent about,” the paper wrote.

Its report “is borne out by looking at the latest EU Sentinel satellite images and cross referencing these with open source flight tracking data, ground photography and pictures issued by Iran’s state media,” the Mail added.

The US Department of War has asked Planet Labs, the world’s largest commercial satellite imagery provider, to withhold all images of the war region, including the bases of ally nations, indefinitely and the company has submissively complied.

According to the Mail, the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia provides an example of this lack of transparency. The Prince Sultan is one of the main bases from which America is fighting its war with Iran. The base is where the US keeps its logistics and support planes.

“On March 27th, we know Iran managed to effectively destroy an AWACS aircraft during an attack on the base. Looking at before and after satellite images, you can see the black roto dome of the aircraft is completely gone and there’s a black scorch mark on the tarmac,” the paper said.

Beyond the loss of the AWACS, evidence shows “how as many as seven KC-135 refueling tankers may have been destroyed or damaged in the March 27 strike,” it added.

Images of the air base’s main apron, released by Iran’s media, which claim three KC-135 tankers were destroyed and four more damaged in the strike, tally with independent EU satellite imagery, the Mail further said.

“In the EU image, you can clearly see a scorch mark on the ground which tallies with where the tankers were in the Iranian image,” it said.

“Looking at one airbase on just one day of the Iran war, it appears probable that the US lost over a billion dollars worth of equipment. The UK’s entire defense budget for 2026 was £62.2 billion,” the paper added.

“America is not being entirely honest with the damage being caused by the war,” said Daily Mail reporter Catherine Barnwell who scrutinized new satellite images.

“It has stopped US satellite companies from publishing imagery which shows us the damage that other sources and photographers on the ground are revealing.

“Officials have given off the record briefings confirming that Prince Sultan Air Base was hit on March 27, but have said nothing about the destruction of the aircraft,” she added.

The loss of just one AWACS plane costs the American taxpayer $724 million.

Furthermore, Iranian state media released images showing that strikes on the base devastated America’s aerial refueling capabilities, effectively destroying or damaging multiple KC-135 Stratotankers. Replacing a single KC-135 with a modern equivalent costs up to $240 million.

According to reports, the US lost at least 39 military aircraft by mid-April, with another 10 damaged. Experts estimate the US suffered at least $1.4 billion worth of combat losses in just the first six days of the fighting.

Iranian air defenses systematically dismantled the myth of US air superiority. Among the most humiliating defeats was the downing of a prized MQ-4C Triton drone in the Persian Gulf. Valued between $200 million and $250 million, it stands as the costliest single US air asset lost.

American stealth technology also proved vulnerable to Iran’s layered defenses. The F-35 Lightning II, marketed as highly survivable and costing $100 million per unit, suffered its first-ever combat loss when it was struck by Iranian ground fire.

Official Iranian tallies confirm the downing of two F-35s, alongside four F-15s (three in Kuwait and one in Tehran), two F-16s (one in central regions and one in the south), and one F-18 in the south. Furthermore, Iranian short-range air defenses successfully shot down over 160 US and Israeli drones during the war.

The US drone fleet suffered massive numerical attrition. By early April, Iranian surface-to-air missiles destroyed 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones—many around Shiraz and Kish Island—resulting in an estimated $720 million loss.

The severe operational pressure on US forces was further highlighted during a disastrous mission in Isfahan. US Special Forces were forced to destroy two of their own MC-130J Commando-II aircraft—costing $120 million each—after failing to take off. They also destroyed four AH-6 Little Bird helicopters, valued at $7.5 million per unit, to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.

Obtained images reveal the destruction and severe damage inflicted upon strategic US equipment at regional bases, including advanced fighter jets, high-priced drones, and critical logistical facilities.

Satellite imagery from airbases in Jordan, Kuwait, and the UAE exposes the destruction of 3 F-35 stealth fighters, as well as significant damage to B-21 bombers and the American drone fleet.

Further satellite photos from the Port of Fujairah and southern bases show massive infernos consuming huge fuel depots intended to support prolonged US operations. The value of the destroyed fuel alone is estimated at over $800 million.

Looking at just one air base on a single day, it is probable that the US lost over a billion dollars in equipment, exposing a massive gap between the Pentagon’s official narrative and the devastating reality of Iran’s defensive capabilities.

April 17, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism, Wars for Israel | , , , , | Comments Off on Washington hiding billion-dollar combat losses to Iran’s precision strikes: Report

Israel Considers Ceasefire a Betrayal

Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz during 10-day ceasefire

By Kurt Nimmo | Another Day in the Empire | April 17, 2026

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam, thanked President Trump for a ten-day ceasefire announced on Truth Social that took effect at 5PM on Thursday, April 16. Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the US-brokered deal, but with the same caveat imposed after Hamas conducted its Operation Al-Aqsa Flood breakout and offensive on October 7, 2023.

Israel reserves the right, the US State Department said, to carry out strikes in Lebanon “at any time” under Article 3 of the agreement. Netanyahu’s carte blanche states:

“Israel shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks. This shall not be impeded by the cessation of hostilities. Besides this, it will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets, in the territory of Lebanon by land, air, and sea.”

A similar double standard permitted Israel to violate the Gaza ceasefire agreement at least 2,400 times from October 10, 2025 to April 14, 2026, killing more than 700 Palestinians in the process.

“Israel has made a mockery of the supposed ceasefire agreements in both Lebanon and Palestine,” writes Maryam Jameela for The Canary. “They’re able to keep killing people, and to keep restricting the necessary conditions for life because international governments continue to allow them to.”

In Lebanon, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh insisted his country is part of the US-brokered ceasefire arranged between Iran and Israel. Ibrahim al-Moussawi, a Hezbollah lawmaker, said the group would respect the deal if Israel did not target Hezbollah.

Trump said Hezbollah is party to the ceasefire and added that the government of Joseph Aoun will work to disarm the resistance group. “They’re going to be having a ceasefire and that will include Hezbollah,” the president told reporters. He added that he hopes “Hezbollah will behave.”

The paramilitary group, formed in the early 1980s during the Lebanese Civil War in response to an Israeli invasion and occupation of south Lebanon, insists it will not disarm. “We will not surrender or give up to Israel,” said Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem last July. “Israel will not take our weapons away from us.” In November, after assassinating Hezbollah’s Chief of Staff, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Netanyahu called on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, a task it is not capable of accomplishing.

Israeli Media: Ceasefire is a “Double Submission”

In Israel, response to the ten-day ceasefire was met with anger and hostility by officials, journalists, and analysts. According to Israeli Channel 14, Netanyahu’s cabinet members reacted angrily at learning of the deal through social media. Israeli media framed the ceasefire as a betrayal and sellout to Hezbollah.

Marwa Osman, a journalist and television show host in Beirut, summarized the reactions on her X account.

Tamir Morag of Channel 14: “The way President Trump announced the ceasefire was embarrassing for Israel. It was clear that Israel’s interest was to continue fighting against Hezbollah.”

The nationalist opposition leader of Yisrael Beiteinu (“Israel is Our Home”), Avigdor Lieberman, complained, “The ceasefire in Lebanon is a betrayal of the residents of the north. The war must not end without a decisive outcome and the elimination of Hezbollah; this October 7 government has learned nothing.”

Ariel Kahane, a senior Israeli journalist and diplomatic correspondent for Israel Hayom daily, declared, “Donald Trump’s move reflects a double submission to Iran: Trump is aligning with Iran’s linking of the war in its territory to Lebanon. He is leaving one of Iran’s arms alive, active, and dangerous.”

Benny Ben Muvchar, head of the Mevoot Hermon Regional Council in northern Israel: “Hezbollah is still strong and waiting for us… the [Arab dominant] Galilee is being emptied of its residents, and we are being led by Trump’s whims.”

Israel’s i24 News characterized the ceasefire as a gift to Iran. “A more alarming development is that Iran itself informed the Americans that it wants to see a ceasefire in Lebanon, in order to advance negotiations between Tehran and Washington. What is happening amounts to a gift to Tehran at the expense of the northern settlements,” while Channel 13 complained the “ceasefire in Lebanon was imposed on Israel.”

“Residents of the north feel once again that they have been betrayed,” Channel 13 also reported. “We felt it during the ‘Iron Swords’ war [response to al-Asqa Flood], and we feel it again today. The fact that the U.S. President announced the ceasefire only highlights the distance between the Israeli Prime Minister and the people in the north and their reality.”

Critics claim Netanyahu delivered a coup de grâce when he “rejected a request by members of the security cabinet to vote on the ceasefire decision in Lebanon,” according to the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth.

On April 15, before the ceasefire in Lebanon, Netanyahu asserted that Israel was not obligated to adhere to Trump’s ceasefire agreement with Iran. Consequently, the Israeli military continued its attacks on Lebanon, despite the original agreement explicitly including Lebanon in the ceasefire.

Roaring Lion: 90% of Israelis Support Illegal Attack on Iran

The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is viewed negatively by settlers in northern Israel, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute. In regard to Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion, concurrent with Trump’s Operation Epic Fury, the survey showed that “more than 90% gave the IDF a positive performance rating,” although the poll did not investigate Israeli responses to the concerns of international law experts, human rights organizations, and UN officials.

Israeli strikes resulted in significant civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings. On February 28, 2026, a joint US-Israel attack struck a primary school in Minab, southern Iran, killing over 170 people, most of whom were children. Israeli strikes on Iranian oil depots on March 7, 2026, were also flagged for potentially causing long-term health and environmental damage to civilians.

In response to the attacks on Iran, over 100 international law experts signed a letter condemning them as violations of the UN Charter and potentially war crimes. Additionally, UN experts condemned the aggression against Iran and Lebanon, warning of the catastrophic impact on civilians and urging an immediate ceasefire.

Conversely, Iran’s retaliation, including the use of cluster munitions, has been condemned by Amnesty International. Civilian deaths in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Yehud, and Bat Yam have come under investigation. A missile that struck Beit Shemesh that killed nine civilians is being investigated as a war crime.

Strait of Hormuz Open to Commercial Traffic

Following the ceasefire agreement, Israel Defense Minister Katz said the ongoing campaign against Hezbollah is far from over. According to Katz, the IDF has achieved several significant victories. However, certain areas in southern Lebanon have not yet been fully cleared. Weapons and combatants may still be present in these zones, and their removal is deemed crucial, he said.

According to the Lebanese army, there had been “a number of violations of the agreement, with several Israeli attacks recorded, in addition to intermittent shelling targeting a number of villages.” French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern that the ceasefire has been compromised by ongoing military operations, as reported by AFP.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, responded to the tenuous ceasefire by announcing the temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon,” Araghchi said, “the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire.”

The price of Brent oil fell below $84 on the announcement and West Texas Intermediate futures, the US benchmark, dropped by 10% on the news of Araghchi’s announcement. Additionally, the Dow rose 640 points, around 1.2%, the S&P 500 gained 0.7%, and the Nasdaq rose 1%. “The stock market is good,” Trump declared, “the oil prices are coming down, and it’s looking very good that we are going to make a deal with Iran.”

However, considering Israel’s history of ceasefire violations, and the response by Hezbollah and Iran, it is entirely possible hostilities will resume and the strait will once again be closed to tanker and carrier traffic, thus dashing hope the war is now winding down and there is a peace deal on the horizon. As noted above, Israel has indicated it will continue military operations at its discretion.

April 17, 2026 Posted by | Economics, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism, Wars for Israel | , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Israel Considers Ceasefire a Betrayal

Russian security chief issues warning to four NATO states

RT | April 16, 2026

Russia would have the right to retaliate if Finland and the Baltic states are deliberately allowing Ukrainian drones to pass through their airspace, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.

“Recently, there has been an increase in Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia via Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia,” Shoigu told journalists. “As a result, civilians are suffering and significant damage is being caused to civilian infrastructure.”

Either Western air defenses are proving ineffective, or these four countries “deliberately provide their airspace, thereby becoming open accomplices in aggression against Russia,” he added. In the latter case, Moscow has the right to self-defense in response to an “armed attack” under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the security chief stressed.

In recent weeks, Kiev has intensified drone strikes on Russia in what Moscow has characterized as “terrorist attacks,” with the Russian military regularly reporting hundreds of UAVs downed in a single night.

Late last month, Kiev attacked Russia’s Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk with swarms of UAVs. The raids resulted in fires in both cities, which house extensive petrochemical infrastructure.

Kremlin aide Nikolay Patrushev said he believed that Finland and the Baltic states were “complicit in these crimes.” The provision of national airspace for Ukrainian drone strikes would “signify direct NATO participation” in attacks on Russia, he said Monday.

Multiple Ukrainian drones have also struck the territories of Finland and the three Baltic states since early March. Despite this, all four nations have avoided condemning Kiev outright for violating their airspace.

Moscow has formally warned Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia against allowing Ukraine to send drones via their territory, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week. “If the regimes in these countries are smart enough, they will listen. If not, then they will have to deal with the consequences,” she said.

April 17, 2026 Posted by | Militarism | , , , , , | Comments Off on Russian security chief issues warning to four NATO states

The Iran War Exposes the Emptiness of American ‘Strength’ in East Asia

By Joseph Solis-Mullen | The Libertarian Institute | April 16, 2026

For decades Washington has advertised its air and naval supremacy as the indispensable guarantor of global order. Recent events have shown this to be little but increasingly expensive theater. The 2026 Iran War has paused not with Iranian capitulation but in a cascade of humiliations that have permanently altered the strategic landscape. Washington’s vaunted power-projection capabilities proved unable to shield even its own forward bases, depleted critical munitions stockpiles, and ultimately ceded effective control of the Strait of Hormuz to Tehran. These lessons will not be lost on Beijing or Taipei. If the United States cannot impose its will on Iran, or previously the Houthis, it cannot credibly claim it could defend Taiwan against the far more formidable People’s Liberation Army.

Begin with the facts on the ground. Iranian retaliation rendered at least a dozen U.S. facilities across the Gulf effectively unusable. Satellite imagery revealed craters where hardened aircraft shelters once stood at Al-Udeid in Qatar, Prince Sultan in Saudi Arabia, and installations in the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Damage estimates reached easily into the hundreds of millions in the first two weeks alone. U.S. casualties climbed into the hundreds wounded, with over a dozen killed. Meanwhile, the Houthis, far from being neutralized by years of prior American and British airstrikes, continued to threaten Red Sea shipping and tie down U.S. naval assets. The net result was unmistakable: Washington lost operational basing, prestige, and the aura of invulnerability, all while expending interceptors at a rate its defense industrial base cannot sustain.

The munitions problem is particularly acute. Analysts estimate that roughly a quarter of America’s upper-tier interceptor inventory, THAAD, Patriot, and SM-3 interceptors, were expended in a matter of weeks. Replenishment will take years: the production capacity simply does not exist at the necessary scale. China, by contrast, fields a missile arsenal that is both larger and cheaper to sustain. The PLA can produce ballistic and cruise missiles at a fraction of the cost of U.S. interceptors and in volumes that would overwhelm American magazines within days in a Taiwan contingency. The cost-exchange ratio is brutally asymmetric: a single American SM-3 or PAC-3 arrayed against swarms of cheaper rockets and drones.

This disparity matters all the more because the geography that doomed U.S. basing in the Gulf applies with even greater force in the Western Pacific. China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) architecture—particularly its DF-21D and DF-26 “carrier killer” missiles, land-based hypersonics, integrated air defense networks, and a growing submarine fleet—turns the waters within the first island chain into a kill zone for surface vessels. U.S. naval planners have long acknowledged, if only in private, that carrier strike groups cannot operate within the Strait or its immediate approaches without incurring unacceptable risk. The 2026 Middle East experience merely confirms what those worst-case assessments have long suggested: when an adversary can launch salvos measured in the hundreds from mobile, hardened, or subterranean positions, forward-deployed U.S. forces become targets rather than instruments of deterrence.

The industrial base mismatch compounds the problem. China’s shipyards, missile factories, and drone assembly lines increasingly resemble a wartime footing. The United States, by contrast, struggles to produce even basic artillery shells at scale, let alone the sophisticated guided munitions required for sustained high-intensity conflict. Pentagon wargames have repeatedly shown that in a Taiwan scenario, the United States would exhaust its long-range anti-ship and land-attack missiles within two to three weeks: The Middle East has now provided a real-world demonstration that even these projections may be optimistic.

It is therefore hardly surprising that Taiwanese political actors are adjusting their posture. In the immediate aftermath of the Hormuz debacle, elements of the island’s opposition undertook a high-profile “peace mission” to Beijing. Invoking the legacy of Sun Yat-sen and calling for renewed cross-strait dialogue, they signaled a growing recognition that unconditional reliance on American military intervention is no longer a viable long-term strategy. While Taipei’s current leadership continues to reject Beijing’s claims, the political winds are shifting.

None of this is particularly surprising. For years, even the Pentagon’s internal assessments have warned that China’s growing quantitative and qualitative advantages in the Western Pacific are eroding the foundations of traditional U.S. power projection—in November Hegseth said it openly. What the Iran War provided was not new information, but political clarity. The same voices who dismissed Houthi drones and Iranian missiles as manageable nuisances are now confronted with the reality that a peer competitor could achieve similar effects on a vastly larger scale—and at far lower cost.

The fiscal implications are no less sobering. When the full spectrum of defense-related expenditures is accounted for, U.S. military spending already approaches $1.5 trillion annually. Every interceptor expended over the Gulf represents resources diverted from capabilities that, in any case, may not survive in a Taiwan scenario. The American taxpayer is thus underwriting a deterrent that no longer deters and a forward presence that has become a forward liability.

The lesson for the high priests of Washington’s global primacy is straightforward: the United States cannot function as the world’s policeman because the world has outgrown the role. From the libertarian perspective, the lesson is likewise straightforward: Empire is not only expensive; it is fragile and ultimately self-defeating. The 2026 Middle East campaign was not an aberration but the logical culmination of decades of strategic overreach. Washington’s inability to impose its will on Iran, a nation of ninety million with an economy smaller than that of Massachusetts, reveals the limits of air and naval power against determined, decentralized resistance. To imagine that this same model could be scaled successfully against a peer nuclear power with the world’s largest navy by hull count and an economy oriented toward protracted conflict is not strategy. It is hubris.

The appropriate response is not to double down on commitments that cannot be honored. It is to recognize that the security of Taiwan, like that of the Gulf, ultimately rests with the states most directly involved. Diplomacy and economic engagement offer more realistic paths than continued reliance on a Seventh Fleet that can no longer reliably reach, or survive in, the theater of operations.

The sooner Washington internalizes the lessons of its latest strategic own goal, the less likely it is to stumble into the next, and far more costly, one.

April 16, 2026 Posted by | Militarism | , , | Comments Off on The Iran War Exposes the Emptiness of American ‘Strength’ in East Asia

Europe’s Drone Pipeline to Ukraine Could Soon be in Russia’s Crosshairs – Analyst

Sputnik – 16.04.2026

The Russian Defense Ministry’s statement on Europe’s plan to scale up drone production for Ukraine contained an explicit warning, says military analyst Ivan Konovalov speaking to Sputnik : Europe is turning into a “strategic rear base.”

The term applies to infrastructure that, while located outside the battlefield, directly sustains combat operations.

Under this logic, European hubs supplying Ukraine with drone components, data systems, FPV drones and heavy fixed-wing UAVs are no longer a “civilian facility in a peaceful country.”

“Once the production cycle on their territory is integrated into Ukraine’s strike capabilities against Russia, the line is crossed – they become a target deep within the enemy’s operational structure,” remarks the analyst.

After Russia’s strikes dismantled Ukraine’s centralized drone production, a workaround emerged: assembly lines were set up in Bavaria and the UK, using foreign-made components, while the finished systems were marketed as “Ukrainian.”

However, European production creates a long, predictable supply chain via Poland or Romania, exposed to disruption, insurance risks, and logistical bottlenecks, says the pundit.

Large shipments are visible to reconnaissance and potentially easier to disrupt at critical junctions, he argues.

For the European economy, it will entail growing risks for cargo insurance, airspace restrictions in border regions, and potentially forced relocation of production into underground or highly dispersed facilities.

“All this is fraught with massive non-productive costs for EU taxpayers, while Russia has long adapted to counter such challenges.”

April 16, 2026 Posted by | Militarism | , , , , , | Comments Off on Europe’s Drone Pipeline to Ukraine Could Soon be in Russia’s Crosshairs – Analyst

Arms industry given direct influence over university courses

By Martin WILLIAMS | Declassified UK | April 8, 2026 

Arms industry executives have been given direct influence over British university courses, Declassified can reveal.

BAE Systems, Leonardo, Thales and Rolls-Royce are among the firms who have been invited to sit on at least 53 university advisory committees across the country.

They are usually asked to provide “strategic direction” for academic departments – and sometimes also review the progress of research projects.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, Declassified found that at least 21 universities had asked arms companies to sit on their committees. They include the universities of Southampton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester, Cardiff, York and Queens University Belfast.

Some institutions boast that the setup allows them to “respond to the needs of employers”. The minutes of one committee meeting show that arms executives – along with officials from other companies – were thanked for “ensuring that our programmes fit industry requirements and demand”.

During a meeting at the University of Hull, an official from BAE Systems said they would “welcome applications” from students for “industrial placements”, adding that they would “like to develop the relationship”.

And a committee at the University of Cardiff discussed whether “industry” could “teach material to students,” noting that this would be “an appealing prospect for the School but would also offer good exposure for industry”.

They also agreed to meet with Rolls-Royce to discuss “research challenges”.

‘Disturbing’

The finding comes two years after it was revealed how British universities had taken almost £100m from defence companies – including many that are arming Israel.

In one case, BAE Systems gave almost £50,000 in sponsorship to University College London (UCL) to fund its Centre for Ethics and Law – despite the company being accused of being party to alleged war crimes in Yemen in 2019.

Universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Sheffield were all found to have taken huge sums from arms firms – accepting £17m, £10m, and £42m respectively.

Sam Perlo-Freeman, of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), said: “Declassified’s disturbing findings add to CAAT’s growing concern about deepening ties between UK universities and the military-industrial complex.

“As purveyors of a deeply corrupt and immoral trade that blights human life and the planet like no other, arms company executives should be nowhere near institutions of learning and intellectual freedom.”

He added: “Universities should be treating arms trade representatives as pariahs. Instead, and thanks to Declassified, we now know that they sit on at least 53 different advisory committees across 21 universities.

“We have little doubt that this will have impacted academic freedom and the integrity of higher education research. The question is exactly how. We need answers.”

Responding to our investigation, the co-founder of Demiliterise Education, Jinsella Kennaway, said: “Academic freedom is undermined while arms companies hold such influence over what gets researched, funded, and legitimised on campus”.

“Students deserve pathways into work that make the world safer and more humane, not careers that contribute to mass killing and deepening global insecurity,” they said.

“University leaders have a responsibility to ensure Britain’s knowledge centres contribute to saving lives, rather than allowing education to become a pipeline into the war economy.”

April 15, 2026 Posted by | Corruption, Militarism | , , | Comments Off on Arms industry given direct influence over university courses

US Navy Confirms ‘mishap’ to $250 million spy drone downed by Iran

Press TV – April 15, 2026

The US Navy has confirmed that an MQ-4C Triton unmanned surveillance aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf region on April 9, with the incident now described as a mishap, although little was revealed regarding the circumstance under which it was lost.

After the aircraft had vanished unexpectedly from online flight tracking sites while flying over the Persian Gulf, multiple sources reported that it had been shot down by Iranian air defenses.

The MQ-4C is a significantly rarer and higher value aircraft than the F-15E strike fighter, MQ-9 drone, and other aircraft that have been shot down by Iranian forces, with only the US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia being more valuable.

Where the E-3 is an ageing aircraft that was scheduled for retirement within the next 15 years, the MQ-4C is a cutting edge platform that is still being produced for the Navy.

Each MQ-4C is estimated to have a value of $235-250 million, with its extreme cost meaning only 20 have been brought into service.

The destruction of one of the aircraft by Iranian air defenses would not be wholly unprecedented, with the closely related RQ-4A Global Hawk developed for the US Air Force having been shot down by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps on June 20, 2019.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi reported at the time that the aircraft “conducted an overflight through the Strait of Hormuz to Chabahar port in a full stealth mode as it had turned off its identification equipment and engaged in a clear spying operation.. When the [US] aircraft was returning towards the western parts of the region near the Strait of Hormuz, despite repeated radio warnings, it entered into the Iranian airspace.”

Iranian forces have more recently from late February shot down an estimated 17 MQ-9 drones, and multiple drones of other types such as the Israeli Heron.

The Triton is a derivative of the MQ-4 Global Hawk, and is specialized in maritime surveillance. The aircraft have ranges of over 13,000 kilometers, which are necessary for persistent wide-area surveillance, and have reinforced airframes for harsh ocean weather allowing them to stay on station over oceans in all conditions.

Each integrates the AN/ZPY-3 Multi-Function Active Sensor radar, which was designed for 360° maritime surveillance and can track ships over vast areas. They also integrate electro-optical / infrared sensors, as well as electronic support measures for signals detection.

Real-time data links via satellite communications allow them to serve as nodes in wider surveillance networks, sharing data with naval, air and ground assets. The aircraft are particularly heavily relied on in the Pacific theatre, although their survivability has repeatedly been questioned.

Before its sudden disappearance from flight tracking systems, the Iranian-downed MQ-4C Triton reportedly exhibited a dramatic loss of altitude, plunging from its typical cruising height of around 50,000 feet to below 10,000 feet.

At the time, the drone appeared to be returning to its base at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy after completing a surveillance mission in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy said.

At the time of its descent, the drone’s transponder was broadcasting a distress signal, commonly known as “squawking.” Initially, it transmitted the code 7400, indicating a loss of communication with ground controllers, and later switched to the emergency code 7700.

While the latter is a general declaration of an in-flight emergency, it does not divulge the specifics of the situation.

In 2019, Iran successfully shot down a Navy RQ-4 Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator (BAMS-D) drone over the Sea of Oman and showcased the remains of the uncrewed aircraft.

Another MQ-4C was detected conducting a routine mission over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday.

Last week, defense publication TWZ noted that Tritons are likely to be crucial for monitoring the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, especially during the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

April 15, 2026 Posted by | Militarism, Wars for Israel | , | Comments Off on US Navy Confirms ‘mishap’ to $250 million spy drone downed by Iran

The Iranian knot needs to be untangled, not cut – Lavrov

Israel’s erroneous belief that it can destroy Iran should not be supported by the US, the Russian foreign minister has said

RT | April 15, 2026

There is no quick fix to the crisis surrounding Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. The US must recognize its underlying causes, including Israel’s goal of destroying the country, he added.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to China on Wednesday, Lavrov described the situation as “a crisis knot that will be extremely difficult to untangle.” He explained that “some parties are trying to cut it now – I don’t believe that would produce a [favorable] result.”

According to Lavrov, the current crisis stems directly from the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February. The resulting disruption to global markets and the Iranian damage to Arab states hosting US military facilities were foreseeable consequences, he stressed.

“Israel appears totally convinced that Iran must be destroyed. I cannot understand how such a belief is possible,” Lavrov said, adding that remarks by US President Donald Trump about wiping out Iran’s civilization had sparked strong international backlash.

In addition to backing Israeli ideological motives, Washington is also pursuing dominance over global energy markets, as confirmed by Trump’s own messaging, Lavrov stated.

US and Israel hurting the Middle East

Commenting on recent US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan, Lavrov expressed hope that Washington would be “realistic, take the region’s interests into account and suspend its unprovoked aggression.”

He expressed solidarity with Gulf nations damaged in the conflict, but stressed that “those who started the war also have intentions not to allow normalization between the Arabs and Iran.”

Lavrov pointed to China’s quiet role in facilitating the 2023 agreement between Saudi Arabia and Tehran, which restored diplomatic ties after seven years and led to the reopening of embassies between the regional rivals.

Iran’s nuclear rights must be respected

Lavrov dismissed claims by the US and Israel that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, citing reports from international inspectors that found no evidence of such activities.

Concerns over Iran’s nuclear program were addressed under the 2019 multilateral agreement known as the JCPOA, Lavrov said, adding that “the United States destroying this initiative as Israel always wanted is a sad fact of modern history.”

He also criticized the European Union for acceding to Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement and playing “the most malicious role” in pushing snapback UN sanctions targeting Iran.

Russia, he said, remains ready to assist in finding a solution, provided that Iran’s right to develop a peaceful nuclear program is upheld.

April 15, 2026 Posted by | Militarism, Wars for Israel | , , , | Comments Off on The Iranian knot needs to be untangled, not cut – Lavrov

Italy suspends defense deal with ‘Israel’ over war on Iran, Lebanon

Al Mayadeen | April 14, 2026

Italy has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of its defence cooperation agreement with “Israel”, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday, citing the ongoing wars in the Middle East.

Meloni’s right-wing government, which has been among “Israel’s” closest allies in Europe, has in recent weeks grown increasingly critical of Israeli military actions during the wars, particularly strikes affecting Lebanon. Italian troops deployed there under a United Nations mandate have also been impacted.

Speaking in Verona, northern Italy, Meloni said the government had opted to suspend the agreement’s renewal “in light of the current situation,” according to Italian news agencies. A Defense Ministry source added that the move would end military training cooperation between Italy and “Israel”.

The decision was taken on Monday during a meeting involving Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, the source said.

The agreement at hand

The defense cooperation framework between Italy and “Israel” is based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on June 16, 2003, establishing formal collaboration in the military and defense sectors.

The agreement entered into force after ratification by the Italian parliament on April 13 2016, providing a legal basis for structured bilateral defence cooperation between the two.

The June 16, 2003, defense cooperation agreement between Italy and “Israel” outlines collaboration across military training, joint exercises, and defense industry partnerships, including research and development projects.

It allows exchanges of military personnel, sharing of technical expertise, and coordinated programs between the two sides’ armed forces and the Italian Defense Ministry and the Israeli War Ministry. The framework also supports procurement cooperation, enabling each side to acquire military systems and services from the other.

Examples of its implementation include Italy’s purchase of Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles such as the IAI Heron and IAI Eitan, while “Israel” acquired Italian training aircraft like the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master.

The agreement further enabled joint pilot training programs, reciprocal use of military facilities, and industrial offsets involving Italian defense firms participating in Israeli-linked projects under agreed confidentiality and regulatory provisions.

The agreement includes a clause for automatic renewal every five years unless one party formally notifies termination before the end of a cycle. One such renewal was scheduled for June 8, 2025, under this mechanism.

Additional provisions have been reported to include confidentiality requirements, limiting public disclosure of joint military activities conducted under the framework of the agreement.

April 14, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism, War Crimes | , , , , | Comments Off on Italy suspends defense deal with ‘Israel’ over war on Iran, Lebanon

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