World War III Warning Thread - Weeks of 4/7/19 - 5/24/19

[danielboon]

Iran’s Zarif says US ‘playing a very, very dangerous game’ in Persian Gulf Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warns that the United States is risking war by boosting its forces in the Persian Gulf.



“Having all these military assets in a small area is in of itself prone to accidents, extreme prudence is required and the United States is playing a very, very dangerous game,” Zarif tells CNN.

He rules out negotiations with the Trump administration unless it shows “respect” and honors its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, which the US left last year.

“We are not willing to talk to people who have broken their promises,” he says. “Iran never negotiates with coercion. You cannot threaten any Iranian and expect them to engage. The way to do it is through respect, not through threats.”https://www.timesofisrael.com/livebl...-persian-gulf/

[danielboon]

Iraqi PM says to send delegations to U.S., Iran to defuse tensions Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq is planning to send delegations to the United States and Iran in order to calm down the recent escalation and war of words between the two bitter rivals, Iraqi premier Adel Abdel-Mahdi said Tuesday.

During a weekly cabinet press briefing, Abdul-Mahdi said his country is sending two delegations to Iran and the U.S. to calm down the tensions, but said the effort was not a mediation.

He said his administration was considering alternatives for oil exports in case Iran fulfilled its threat to close the Hormuz Strait, a major commercial pathway, in response to U.S. pressures.

“Iraq is making high-level contact, and its view to resolve the crisis is so close to the European view”, the prime minister said. “U.S. and Iranian officials have affirmed to us they were not seeking war”.

Abdul-Mahdi is reportedly scheduled to embark on a Gulf region tour that includes Kuwait and Qatar, and press reports had quoted sources close to him saying that the tour would see efforts to mediate between the warring sides.

Tensions have risen recently between Washington and Tehran as the U.S. administration sent bombers and aircraft carriers to the Middle East to counter what it described as potential threats against U.S interests from Iran. Tehran responded with warnings that it was ready to counter American threats.

The U.S. has reactivated economic sanctions targeting Iran after it had withdrawn from a 2015 international deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Washington says the deal was insufficient to counter Iran’s nuclear aspirations and ballistic capabilities. Tehran sees the U.S. stance as a violation of international law.

Iraq is a very close ally to Iran, and has showed a confusing stance as to commitment to U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic.https://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-po...fuse-tensions/

[danielboon]

Iranians tense and apprehensive as whispers of war spread
Reuters|Published: 05.22.19 , 17:55
LONDON - Iranian and U.S. leaders have reassured their nations that they do not seek war. But among ordinary Iranians who already face hardship from tightening sanctions, nerves are being strained by worry that the situation could slip out of control.

In interviews conducted from outside the country by telephone and online, Iranians described heated discussions at home, on the streets and on social media.


The prospect of war was now the main topic of conversation in workplaces, taxis and buses, Nima Abdollahzade, a legal consultant at an Iranian startup company, told Reuters.

"Apart from the deterioration in the Iranian economy, I believe the most severe effect" of confrontation with the United States "is in the mental situation of ordinary Iranians," he said. "They are sustaining a significant amount of stress." https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,...513598,00.html

[danielboon]

Syria insurgents recapture village from government forces
AP|Published: 05.22.19 , 17:53
BEIRUT -- Syrian opposition fighters said Wednesday they recaptured a village on the edge of their stronghold in northwestern Syria that had been seized two weeks earlier by government forces in an offensive that wrecked a months-old cease-fire in the densely populated area.



The capture of Kfar Nabuda by government forces on May 8 was the most serious challenge to the cease-fire in Idlib province and surrounding areas negotiated by Russia and Turkey in September. It was the first ground advance by government forces on the rebel stronghold, home to 3 million people, since the cease-fire averted an earlier offensive.


The area is among the last outside President Bashar Assad's control -- and the last area still held by anti-government rebels in the country's eight-year civil war.


Naji al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the opposition fighters, said they regained control of the village on Wednesday following an overnight counteroffensive. He said they aim to regain control of all the areas seized by the government over the last two weeks. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,...513596,00.html

[danielboon]

EndGameWW3
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@EndGameWW3
14m14 minutes ago
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Sources estimate that 10,000 US troops are now deployed at its two big Iraqi air bases at Ayn al-Asad in the western Iraqi province of Anbar and Al-Habaniyeh near Baghdad.

[danielboon]

Iran announces another navy drill in key Strait of Hormuz TEHRAN: Iran’s navy says it will hold an annual drill in the strategic Strait of Hormuz as pressure mounts on the country months after the United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran, targeting its vital oil sector.
The strait is located at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf and is crucial to global energy supplies, with about a third of all oil traded at sea passing through it.
Iranian Admiral Hossein Khanzadi told state TV on Thursday the 3-day maneuvers will start on Friday and extend as far as the Sea of Oman and the fringes of the Indian Ocean.
He said submarines, warships, helicopters and surveillance planes will participate in the drill, dubbed as “Velayat-97.” The exercise will include missile launches from the vessels.
Iran regularly holds maneuvers in the strait. http://www.arabnews.com/node/1455726/middle-east

[danielboon]

EndGameWW3
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@EndGameWW3
12m12 minutes ago
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Secretary Mike Pompeo: The threat from Iran remainsEndGameWW3
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@EndGameWW3
1h1 hour ago
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Russia repels militant rocket attack at its Syria air base - for second day in a row - Middle East News - http://Haaretz.com

[danielboon]

Instant News Alerts
‏ @InstaNewsAlerts
13m13 minutes ago

#BREAKING: Reports that #Iran-backed Houthi drone attack today on Najran airport in Saudi Arabia targeted US Patriot missile defense system operated by Saudi Arabia



ELINT News
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@ELINTNews
9m9 minutes ago
More ELINT News Retweeted الحدث
#UPDATE: Reportedly the Patriot air defence system manage to shoot down the drone before it could launch the attack

[danielboon]

ELINT News Retweeted

raz zimmt
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@RZimmt
13m13 minutes ago
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Spox of #Iran's Supreme National Security Council Keivan Khosravi: Iran will not hold any talks with US as long as Washington sticks to its hostile approach in dealing with the Iranian nation.

[lonewolfinoregon]

Syria insurgents recapture village from government forces
AP|Published: 05.22.19 , 17:53
BEIRUT -- Syrian opposition fighters said Wednesday they recaptured a village on the edge of their stronghold in northwestern Syria that had been seized two weeks earlier by government forces in an offensive that wrecked a months-old cease-fire in the densely populated area.



The capture of Kfar Nabuda by government forces on May 8 was the most serious challenge to the cease-fire in Idlib province and surrounding areas negotiated by Russia and Turkey in September. It was the first ground advance by government forces on the rebel stronghold, home to 3 million people, since the cease-fire averted an earlier offensive.


The area is among the last outside President Bashar Assad's control -- and the last area still held by anti-government rebels in the country's eight-year civil war.


Naji al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the opposition fighters, said they regained control of the village on Wednesday following an overnight counteroffensive. He said they aim to regain control of all the areas seized by the government over the last two weeks. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,...513596,00.html

JFYI according to Russian military the Syrian forces were able to repel all three attempts..

I think its strange that the the State Dept warned of possible use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime a day before the offensive started..

Also this is AQ/ISIS rebranded..