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Iran publishes alleged leak of Israeli nuclear sites, experts and secret files

Itamar Eichner, Lior Ben Ari, 24 Sept 25, https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1errtw2eg

Iran’s intelligence ministry claims Israelis leaked sensitive documents and photos for money, including details on 189 nuclear experts, images of the Dimona reactor and personal photos of IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

Iran’s intelligence ministry on Wednesday published what it described as a large trove of “secret and classified” Israeli documents and photographs, claiming the materials were leaked by Israelis themselves.

Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib said the documents include footage from “the Dimona reactor and Israeli nuclear facilities,” details on “upgrades to nuclear weapons,” and information on “past and present Israeli projects developed in cooperation with the United States and the European Union.” He also claimed the material contains “a full list of staff and the administrative structure of Israel’s nuclear weapons program.”

September 26, 2025 Posted by | Iran, Israel, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Iran says it obtained secret files on Israel’s nuclear program

25 Sept 25, https://www.iranintl.com/en/202509242634

According to the intelligence ministry, the material demonstrated that Israeli intelligence spies “on everyone,” including the IAEA chief, and that the data it had obtained proves this claim.

Iran’s intelligence ministry aired a segment on national TV displaying information and documents that it says it obtained from Israel’s intelligence apparatus on the Jewish state’s nuclear program

The broadcast featured a series of video files that reportedly contain material from inside Israeli nuclear and other sensitive facilities, including the Dimona site. It also presented alleged details about personnel working on Israel’s nuclear program.

“We identified 189 Israeli nuclear and proliferation scientists and top officials, along with their networks,” Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib said during the presentation, which included names and ID cards of alleged nuclear personnel.

“I tell Netanyahu … your employees collaborated with us for money and still do,” Khatib, a cleric and veteran military and intelligence official, added.

Israel is widely believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal.

Tehran’s nemesis killed nuclear scientists and hundreds of military personnel in a surprise 12-day military campaign in June, underscoring Iranian intelligence failures.

Iran has said it too has infiltrated its enemy, and Israel has arrested several of its citizens on charges of spying for Tehran.

One alleged employee was introduced with a photo and described as working across seven Israeli nuclear sites under the cover of a company called ROTEM.

Another was identified as a nuclear scientist allegedly involved in “proliferation projects” between Israel and the United States.

It also mentioned the Chaim Weizmann laboratory, which it described as Israel’s leading proliferation program and was targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles during a 12-day war in June.

Additional documents shown in the broadcast suggested alleged nuclear cooperation between Israel and France under a project called SARAF.

One batch of the alleged material included private and family photos of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi it alleged was obtained from Israeli intelligence sources.

The video, published on Tasnim’s Telegram channel, showed images of Grossi with his family at Disneyland, at home during birthdays and in gatherings with colleagues and friends.

According to the intelligence ministry, the material demonstrated that Israeli intelligence spies “on everyone,” including the IAEA chief, and that the data it had obtained proves this claim.

September 26, 2025 Posted by | Iran, Israel, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Iran, U.S. signal possible easing in nuclear tensions

By Parisa Hafezi and John Irish, September 25, 2025 https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-president-tells-un-tehran-will-never-seek-build-nuclear-bomb-2025-09-24/

  • Summary
  • Iran president speaking at U.N. General Assembly
  • Gaps remain between Iran and E3 as deadline looms
  • European powers offering delay if Iran makes concessions

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Tehran and Washington signalled a possible softening in nuclear tensions on Wednesday, with Iran insisting it has no ambitions to build nuclear weapons and the U.S. expressing readiness to resume talks aimed at resolving the long-standing standoff.

A few hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the U.N. General Assembly that Iran will never seek to build a nuclear bomb, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said “we have no desire to hurt them”.

“We’re talking to them. And why wouldn’t we? We talk to everybody. As well we should. That’s the job. Our job is to solve things,” he told the Concordia summit in New York.

Prior to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation.

Tehran accuses Washington of “betraying diplomacy” and the nuclear talks have stopped since the war.

One Iranian insider told Reuters that “several messages have been conveyed to Washington for resumption of talks via mediators in the past weeks, but Americans have not responded”.

On Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on key state matters such as foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme, ruled out negotiations with the United States under threat.

The United States, its European allies and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear programme as a veil for efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

‘A FEW HOURS LEFT’

Britain, France and Germany on August 28 launched a 30-day process to reimpose U.N. sanctions – known as snapback – that ends on September 27, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.

The European powers have offered to delay reinstating sanctions for up to six months to allow space for talks on a long-term deal if Iran restores access for U.N. nuclear inspectors, addresses concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engages in talks with the United States.

“I think we have a desire, however, to either realize a permanent solution and negotiate around snapbacks, and if we can’t, then snapbacks will be what they are. They’re the right medicine for what’s happening,” Witkoff said.

But amid the looming threat of sanctions and last-ditch talks between Tehran and European powers to reach a deal to avert snapback of sanctions, diplomats have warned the chances of success remain slim.

After meeting his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran still had a chance to prevent reimposition of international sanctions, adding that Tehran had not offered anything tangible.

“An agreement is still possible. There are only a few hours left. It is up to Iran to meet the legitimate conditions we have set,” Macron posted on X.

Two European diplomats told Reuters that Iran, the E3 and the EU held a fresh round of talks on Wednesday.

DEADLINE ON SATURDAY

If Tehran and the E3 fail to reach a deal on an extension by the end of September 27, then all U.N. sanctions will be reimposed on Iran, where the economy already struggles with crippling sanctions reimposed since 2018 after Trump ditched the pact during his first term.

The so-called snapback process would reimpose an arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing, a ban on activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, a global asset freeze and travel bans on Iranian individuals and entities.

Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Michelle Nichols, Hugh Lawson, Alison Wiliams and Daniel Wallis

September 26, 2025 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Israel launches drone attack against “terrorist flotilla” after discovering it was trying to feed starving Palestinians

Laura and Normal Island News, Sep 24, 2025, https://www.normalisland.co.uk/p/israel-launches-drone-attack-against?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1407757&post_id=174430619&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=ln98x&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Israel was left with no choice but to launch a drone attack against a flotilla in international waters after discovering it was trying to feed starving Palestinians.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is composed of 50 boats from 44 countries across four continents. It is carrying renowned terrorist leaders Greta Thunberg and Tadgh Hickey, as well as deadly items such as food and medicine.

The Israel Foreign Ministry called out the flotilla’s “violent course of action” and “mission to serve Hamas, rather than the people of Gaza”. Needless to say, trying to feed starving children is a crime against Zionism.

This is one of those rare occasions when it is not antisemitic to accuse Israel because they’re not exactly denying it. Experience tells us that being honest about these things is simpler because the lies make us look like fucking idiots.

Last time around, we mocked Greta’s “selfie yacht”, but this time, the flotilla is bigger and therefore requires a change of language. Remember when we pretended the drone attack was just a flare that was fired by the crew and came back down on the boat? This time the drone attacks are so obvious, we’ve had to stop pretending.

By placing the terrorist label on the flotilla, Israel has given itself permission to kill whoever it likes, and it certainly likes killing people. Israel has made a habit of murdering humanitarian workers throughout this genocide, due to the risk they could save Palestinian lives.

While Israel has not yet succeeded in killing anyone aboard the flotilla, it could not resist the opportunity to attack such helpless targets. It dropped chemicals on two boats with a drone – a move that would be absolutely pointless, unless the chemicals were toxic.

Israel reportedly hit the other boats with “sound bombs” and “explosive flares”. Sensibly, Israel jammed their radios so they could not call for help. It even hacked those radios and played Abba songs to mock Greta. What do you mean, that is “small dick energy”?

Drones are continuously passing over the boats, leaving the crews guessing when they will next be attacked. The drone operators find this sort of thing amusing. The only thing they find more amusing is blowing up civilians in aid queues.

While the flotilla is still in international waters, it is currently heading for Palestinian waters. Armchair legal experts insist Israel also has no jurisdiction there, but maritime law clearly states Israel can do whatever the fuck it wants.

Thirteen British nationals are travelling with the flotilla, so naturally, the prime minister hasn’t offered a word of solidarity. You will be reassured to hear that Israel has the full consent of the British government to murder our citizens.

Keir Starmer has held an emergency meeting to see what his excuse will be if Israel sinks a British vessel and murders everyone on board. One of those people is RAF veteran Malcolm Ducker and another is army veteran Greg Stoker. If it comes to siding with our military or theirs, the British government is obviously going to choose Israel. Isn’t that lovely? x

September 26, 2025 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Trump to Netanyahu: ‘Here’s another $6 billion to polish off those pesky Palestinians.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL, 24 Sept 25

President Trump has more important things to accomplish than spend taxpayer treasure on the commons, be it infrastructure, education, health care, green energy to name a few. Nope, top of the list for Trump is gifting his comrade in Palestinian genocide Benjamin Netanyahu with another $6 billion in weaponry to complete Israel’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza.

The six billion includes 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and 3,250 infantry assault vehicles, just what Netanyahu needs to obliterate Palestinians he doesn’t starve to death. All this with a compliant Congress and Trump’s grisly assistance.  

Meanwhile the American public largely ignores the genocide its government enables; indeed could not occur without the tens of billions first Biden and now Trump has gifted Israel in the two years of genocidal ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

Americans should take a page from the Italian public which is putting America to shame with their pushback against their government’s support of the genocide.

Yesterday Italian labor unions led a massive 24-hour general strike to protest Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands in over 75 cities across Italy shut down businesses, schools, train stations and ports.

Protest leaders targeted right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, pointing out her complicity in Israeli’s genocide through arms sales to Israel. Meloni has rejected the ICC warrants and said Netanyahu would not be arrested if he enters Italy.

Giuseppe Conte, who leads the independent progressive Five Star Movement charged “Meloni should listen to the voice of those who are peacefully protesting and asking her to act, rather than curling up to Washington to protect her friend, the war criminal Netanyahu. “Meloni should take a stand with the facts against those who have slaughtered 20,000 children, rather than limiting herself to saying, ‘I do not agree.’ And she should stop running away from the debate in Parliament.”

The Italian pushback is more symbolic than substantive since Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni is a small player in genocide enabling compared to America’s monstrous, decisive role.

Wake up Americans. Replicate the Italian general strike here and even ravenous genocide enabler Trump, his ghoulish genocide advisors and our deplorable Congress might have to take notice and pivot to peace.

September 25, 2025 Posted by | Israel, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Israel’s takeover of Gaza City to add $7.5BN to Israel’s and US’s taxpayer burden.

Tyler Durden, ZeroHedge,Tue, 23 Sep 2025, https://www.sott.net/article/501968-Israels-takeover-of-Gaza-City-to-add-7-5BN-to-US-taxpayer-burden

In the past Israel relied on its weapons superiority to dissuade potential attacks from neighbors, but that gap is obviously narrowing, as the massive Iranian retaliatory missile strikes on Tel Aviv and other cities demonstrated last June. Lessons from Ukraine should also be taken into account, as Israeli armor might not have the same battlefield presence it once did if cheap drones are so effective in destroying vastly more expensive tanks.

While the superior-armedIDF military has clearly been pushing forward in Gaza, as the war is soon to reach the two-year mark, Hamas has all the while released a steady stream of battlefield videos showing its militants engaged in successful ambushes. Large IDF tanks have been blown up often by militants sneaking up and placing IEDs directly on them.

The fact that Israel has since Oct.7 been engaging hostile groups from the Houthis of Yemen, to the Iranians, to Hezbollah in Lebanon – has meant a severe strain on public and government coffers. Israel has also frequently bombed Syria, as it did back in the days of Assad, and is now occupying parts of the country’s south, well beyond the Golan Heights. All of this also requires more manpower, and steady updates regarding weapons tech, parts, and mechanical upkeep.

Now there are new risks and mounting costs involved, as reservists continued to be called up in the thousands, connected to the effort to fully take over Gaza City – the Strip’s most populous location.

New Monday reporting in Bloomberg says that “Israel’s push to take over Gaza City is expected to add 25 billion shekels ($7.5 billion) to the war bill through the end of the year, according to an Israeli government official.”

“The added costs — equivalent to more than 1% of Israel’s gross domestic product — will pile onto the 204-billion-shekel military tally for the almost two-year war in Gaza, which spread to Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Yemen,” the report continues. That’s over $60 billion total.

Additionally the report notes that “Reservists’ salaries, ammunition and missile interceptors make up the bulk of spending, the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters that haven’t been made public.”

There are other indirect factors putting an immense strain on funding the war effort, amid Israel’s increased global isolation, as CNN writes:

Netanyahu, meanwhile, is calling on Israel’s arms makers to step up their readiness. “We will need to strengthen our independent weapons industries so that we have munitions independence, a defense industrial economy, and the industrial capability to produce them,” he said last Monday, speaking at a finance ministry conference.

Israel and its arms makers have long been viewed as producing cutting-edge weapons technology, and those weapons have been sold to countries around the world. But as international criticism of the war in Gaza grows, Israel risks losing its position in some of those markets.

But the ‘special relationship’ with Washington will once again form the basis of bailing Israel out, and the Trump White House is already pushing for Congress to approve a nearly $6 billion arms deal with Israel.

The proposed package includes 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters valued at $3.8 billion, which would nearly double Israel’s current fleet, as well as 3,250 infantry fighting vehicles – at $1.9 billion.

Trump is said to be deeply frustrated with Prime Minister Netanyahu over the risky Doha operation targeting Hamas leaders earlier this month, but certainly this public stance doesn’t square with promise of $6 billion more in weapons. It’s yet another example of watch what Trump does and not what he says.

September 25, 2025 Posted by | business and costs, Israel, politics | Leave a comment

Here’s What Life Is Like Inside One of Gaza’s Last Remaining Hospitals

Inside al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital, starving doctors still fight to keep patients alive.

By Sara Awad , Truthout September 20, 2025, https://truthout.org/articles/heres-what-life-is-like-inside-one-of-gazas-last-remaining-hospitals/

In the heart of a city at war, al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital struggles to survive. This site of healing and recovery has now been transformed into a place overwhelmed by cruel suffering.

Please don’t be fooled by the Israeli military propaganda that has asserted that this “building does not currently serve as a hospital” — an assertion conveniently circulated by The Jerusalem Post in December 2024, as the Israeli military sought to deflect criticism of its decision to bomb the hospital. Many credible sources verify how ludicrous that claim is, from the images that Getty’s photojournalists took following that bombing, to the World Health Organization’s appeal for an end to Israel’s attacks on this and other hospitals in Gaza.

From March to May 2025, I lived within the hospital’s walls as a caregiver to my mother. I witnessed how al-Wafa held so much pain in its rooms and corners. From children to the elderly, each patient carries their own devastating injury. When I returned to the hospital three months later as a guest, I observed how much more crowded it had become, with a massive number of patients seeking treatment. I interviewed the medical team and injured patients. This is the story of a hospital pushed to its extreme limits, and of the patients who continue to resist and survive inside it.

The hospital atmosphere now is more suffocating than before. Everywhere you look, you will see someone suffering. Hospital beds are full of tiny bodies of different ages and genders. No one can walk, all are sitting in their wheelchairs due to injuries that left them paralyzed. Being able to walk while everyone around you cannot is emotionally distressing and isolating.

“We cannot offer the bare minimum for the patients,” said Dr. Wael Khalif, director of al-Wafa hospital. The hospital is running out of nearly all medical equipment, from needles to surgical devices. Dr. Khalif described the overwhelming situation, with a massive number of patients on the waitlist to have care from the only rehabilitation hospital still functioning in Gaza, “There are 100 top urgent [patients] needing a bed, while another 400 to 500 patients are also waiting to be admitted,” the hospital director said.

The hospital is running out of nearly all medical equipment, from needles to surgical devices.

Dr. Khalif shed light on the catastrophic consequences of starvation inside the hospital. “Even healthy people are struggling to endure hunger and lack of proper nutrition, so imagine what’s happening for patients suffering from serious illnesses,” he said. Many patients are unable to receive even one meal per day. “Since the starvation period has begun, we are helpless to provide food for our patients,” he added.

And it’s not just the patients facing starvation; the medical staff also cannot endure more suffering. They are exhausted, overwhelmed, and unable to afford services for their patients. “Many of the nursing staff are struggling with dizziness during their duties at the hospital,” said Dr. Khalif.

This disaster is deeply impacting nursing staff. Their hearts are breaking into a million pieces watching their patients dying of hunger and lack of proper care. “I wish I could offer food for my patients. I cannot offer even the smallest amount of food for them,” said Wesam Al-Shawa, 26, a nurse at al-Wafa hospital. She looked completely helpless, and I noticed the exhaustion in her eyes as she spoke.

The hospital’s physical therapist is also working under immense pressure. “We receive approximately 60 to 75 patients per day,” said Dr. Samah Awida, a physical therapist at al-Wafa. This huge number of patients seeking physical therapy sessions has taken a serious toll on the medical team as the situation continues to worsens.

“Many of the nursing staff are struggling with dizziness during their duties at the hospital.”

To make conditions even more unbearable, patients who reach the final stage of recovery are likely going to live in a tent with nothing more than an uninhabitable floor and a small space to sleep in, and, if they are lucky, access to a bathroom. “Our efforts go to waste when patients end up living in a tent,” Dr. Samah said, her tired eyes telling me everything.

Amid these collapsing systems, there is a girl with a story that should never have to be told: Dania Amara.

Five-year-old Dania is among the injured patients. She was wounded while playing with other children on July 7, 2025. “Her body was full of blood,” Dania’s mother recalled. Dania had injuries all over; small shrapnel tore at her small body and caused a paralysis of the limbs. “Why did Israel attack me? I was just playing around,” Dania asked her mother as I was interviewing her.

August 18, when I spoke to her, was Dania’s 40th day in the hospital. She dreams of going home to her siblings, walking again, painting, and enjoying proper meals. “My daughter is now disabled because of one piece of shrapnel,” her mother said.

Dania is just like any other child — full of innocence and life — but Israel has stolen that normalcy and turned her world upside down.

“She hits her legs and begs them to walk like before,” her mother said, tears filling her eyes. Dania’s injury has changed her life forever, and she is just one of thousands suffering as she does, most without documentation or recognition.

Only in Gaza’s hospitals can you watch childhood be stolen by war crimes.

Beyond physical rehabilitation, the occupational therapy department is facing its own obstacles in silence.

While the physical therapy sessions help patients to recover and potentially walk again, occupational rehabilitation helps them to live again. This department helps patients to be completely independent, hold spoons, brush their hair, dress themselves independently, and attend to other needs without assistance. “We do our utmost effort to give back life to our patients,” said Basam Alwan, a therapist in the department.

Hadeel Qriaqa, 27, is one of the many patients struggling to rebuild her life at al-Wafa. She sustained severe head trauma during an attack on her home in March 2025. Since then, she has lost much of her memory and the ability to speak.

Now, she attends occasional occupational therapy sessions with Dr. Alwan aimed at helping her relearn basic daily skills and regain some independence.

Al-Wafa rehabilitation hospital and its medical staff have displayed immense resilience amid the war. Despite all difficulties facing them, they are still fighting to keep their work alive two years into a genocide. The world must not continue to ignore their suffering.

September 24, 2025 Posted by | Gaza, health | Leave a comment

The genie of ‘Israeli First’ dominance is out of the bottle

Alastair Crooke, September 22, 2025, https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/09/22/genie-israel-first-dominance-is-out-bottle/

Netanyahu will soon find that Israel has lost America – and the rest of the world, too.

‘Gaza is on fire; the Jewish state will not relent’, Israeli Defence Minister Katz excitedly proclaims: “The IDF is striking with an Iron fist at terrorist infrastructure”. In fact, over recent weeks Israel has struck at ‘infrastructure’ in West Bank, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Tunisia – besides Gaza.

The so-called ‘Rules-Based Order’ blueprint (if it ever truly existed beyond narrative) has been ripped up in favour of violent Zionism: Genocide, sneak attacks under the guise of on-going peace negotiations, assassinations, and the de-capitation of political leaderships. It is war without limits; without rules; without law; and in complete disdain for the UN Charter. Ethical boundaries, more particularly, are dismissed as mere ‘moral relativism’.

Something profound is re-shaping Israeli foreign policy. The transformation needs be understood as a U-turn within the very core of Zionist thinking (a journey from Ben Gurion to Kahane), as Yossi Klein has written.

Israel’s strategy from past decades continues to rest on the hope of achieving some literal Chimeric transformative ‘de-radicalisation’ of both Palestinians and of the Region, writ large – a de-radicalisation that will make ‘Israel safe’. This has been the ‘holy grail’ objective for Zionists since Israel was first founded.

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer claims that such radical mutation in consciousness will only come from the bombing of opponents into utter submission. (The lesson which he draws from WWII). One aspect – Israel’s foreign policy – then is clear: It is the ‘War of the Jungle’.

But there is another aspect; one perhaps more troubling: These norms and ethical principles that Israel openly seeks to tear apart are, in the last resort, American proclaimed norms and values. Strikingly, the U.S. has abandoned its traditional ethos when it comes to Israel. And rather than criticise or seek to limit Israel’s use of such norm-busting military actions, the Trump Administration emulates them – sneak attacks under the guise of talking peace, de-capitation attempts, and striking with missiles at unknown vessels off Venezuela, vaporising the crew.

The U.S. is doing this openly – thumbing its nose, like Israel, at international law and conventions.

It does appear that key components of the U.S. Establishment increasingly favour the military strategies of Israel and even are shifting from the moral ethos of a ‘Just War’, shall we say, to one closer to the Hebraic ethos of ‘Amalek’. It amounts to updating western moral ‘software’ with the alternative ‘justice’ of absolute war.

Does the Israel state have a future? Israel is now carrying out a second Nakba in Gaza and the West Bank, with Jewish society remaining trapped in repression and denial – just as it was back in 1948. Israeli Historian, Ilan Pappe wrote in 2006 in his seminal work on the 1948 Nakba the fundamental importance of “retrieving [the events of 1948] from oblivion”:

Once the decision was taken [on 10 March 1948], it took six months to complete the mission. When it was over, more than half of Palestine’s native population, close to 800,000 people, had been uprooted, 531 villages … destroyed, and eleven urban neighbourhoods emptied of their inhabitants. The plan … and above all its systematic implementation in the following months, was a clear-cut case of an ethnic cleansing operation, regarded under international law today as a crime against humanity …

The story of 1948 is not complicated … It is the simple but horrific story of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, a crime against humanity that Israel has wanted to deny and cause the world to forget. Retrieving it from oblivion is incumbent upon us, not just as a greatly overdue act of historiographical reconstruction or professional duty; it is … a moral decision, the very first step we must take if we ever want reconciliation to have a chance.

I wrote recently how Israeli film-maker Neta Shoshani’s controversial documentary about the 1948 Nakba showed Israeli ethical and legal boundaries to have been erased in a bout of bloodletting and rape. The absolute loss of ethos (there was no accounting or justice), Shoshani says, imperilled the then-legitimacy of the State founding project. Repeated a second time – the current war – she warns, “could be the one That Ends Israel”.

Shoshani’s comments hint at the trauma felt by secular liberal Jews at witnessing the norms and lifestyle of their largely secular-liberal society upended by the swivel towards the militaristic and eschatological objectives of the Israeli Right. Finance Minister Smotrich declared recently that the Jewish people are experiencing “the process of redemption and the return of the divine presence to Zion – as they engage in the ‘conquest of the land’”.

Many European Jews did arrive in the new Israeli state to find safety and protection, however, they also came to participate in the Zionist project in Palestine.

For now, Netanyahu states he has Trump’s “100%” support and “unlimited credit” for the maelstrom unleashed across the region. As Ben Caspit writes, quoting a senior Israeli diplomat:

“The fact that Rubio landed here just days after the [Doha] attack, and voiced almost no criticism — in fact, the opposite — gives a tailwind to Israel’s operation in Gaza … Israel has not received such a generous and long line of credit from any American administration”.

And Trump seems to be moving away from the ‘global peacemaker’ moniker to concentrate more narrowly on demonstrating American ‘exceptional greatness’ – through tariffs, sanctions or military operations – thus demonstrating a dominating, if not Great, America.

Yet the problems are all too apparent: In previous years, Israel had been largely relegated to the sidelines at the U.S. National Conservatism Conference. This time around, the Jewish state and its wars couldn’t be avoided. The latest Conservatism conference slid into ‘civil war’ between the neo-con ‘realists’ supporting Israel, and those asking: “Why are these our wars? Why are Israel’s endless problems America’s liabilities? Why should we accept [Israel as being part of] ‘America First’?”, as the editor of The American Conservative exploded: “We f***ing shouldn’t!”

The tension within the Republican Party is obvious: MAGA supporters wish to support Trump, but the big Jewish donors and commentators, such as pro-Israel hawk Max Abrahms, mocked Tucker Carlson-loving “MAGA isolationists” at the conference, who had gone “insane” in their push to disengage from the Middle East.

Trump warned Netanyahu that the genocide in Gaza is causing Israel to bleed support among Republicans, including especially among younger people. Nonetheless, Trump has not modified his unwavering support for Israel (for whatever reason), but he has taken notice of the ‘mood vibe’ amongst his base.

If Trump has indeed noticed the change, Netanyahu doesn’t care. As Amir Tibon in Haaretz reports:

“If Trump thinks his comments on Israel’s loss of ‘control over Congress’ will be a wake-up call for Netanyahu, he’s mistaken. Israelis didn’t need Trump to know that their country is losing the battle over global public opinion”.

“Netanyahu and Ron Dermer … are at peace with Israel’s loss of international support, heightened isolation, the threats of sanctions against it, and arrest warrants for its leaders (including Netanyahu himself). The two don’t seem to care, and the reason, ironically, is the very man sounding the alarm: Donald Trump”.

“From Netanyahu’s point of view, as long as he’s got Trump’s backing – none of it matters”.

Well, Israel’s wars have lost a generation of young American conservatives – and they’re not coming back. Whatever the circumstances to the killing of Charlie Kirk, his death has let loose the genie of ‘Israeli First’ dominance in Republican politics to escape from the bottle.

When Netanyahu does peer out, he will find that Israel has lost America (and the rest of the world, too).

September 24, 2025 Posted by | Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

Imagine There Was A Violent Cult Committing Atrocities With Impunity

Caitlin Johnstone, Sep 21, 2025, https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/imagine-there-was-a-violent-cult?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82124&post_id=174131078&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1ise1&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Imagine there was a violent cult that used scriptures from an ancient religion to convince its followers to do evil things.

Imagine the cult was given its own state.

Imagine the cult was given machine guns, tanks and war planes.

Imagine the cult obtained nuclear weapons.

Imagine the cult started committing genocide against the indigenous people who’d been living in the area where the cult’s state was established.

Imagine the cult had huge branches in the most powerful nation on earth, and the powerful nation defended the cult no matter what it did.

Imagine the cult flipped out and started relentlessly attacking and invading the surrounding nations.

Imagine the cult had so much influence and support in western society that western governments and institutions would censor, silence, fire, marginalize and deport anyone who criticized the cult’s actions.

Imagine the western media sympathized highly with the cult and spent the entire time framing its atrocities as entirely reasonable defensive actions, and framing critics of the cult as malicious bigots.

Imagine the cult kept getting crazier and crazier and more and more violent, but nobody could find a way to stop it because its actions were backed by this giant western power structure.

That’d suck, huh?

I think that’d be just about the most bat shit insane situation anyone could possibly imagine.

A nuclear-armed death cult just murdering and massacring mountains of human beings with total impunity, backed by the most powerful people on earth? That would be an unfathomable madness.

If someone made a movie about such a thing I’d stop watching halfway through, because I would find it too unbelievable.

I’d be like, come on man. Come up with a more realistic plot line. And come up with a more believable antagonist; nobody is that evil.

I’d be like come on Hollywood, you seriously expect me to maintain my suspension of disbelief when you’re putting out a movie about these cartoonishly evil bad guys who blow up hospitals and assassinate journalists and murder humanitarian workers and deliberately massacre starving civilians seeking food?

I’d be like, you really expect me to believe a violent cult could get all this power and do all these evil things and get away with it, just by lying about it all the time? Eventually people would stop believing their lies!

I’d be like, somebody would stop them. Not only does this movie have unbelievable antagonists, it also lacks any believable protagonists. Basic human decency would compel the world to stop all these atrocities being committed right out in the open. Where are the heroes in this story?

And then I’d storm out of the movie theater, glad to be outside that horrible fictional world where such freakish absurdities were taking place.

And then I’d stand in the parking lot and look up at the sky, and thank God I’m back in reality again.

September 22, 2025 Posted by | Atrocities, Israel | Leave a comment

How Iran Just Proved the West Doesn’t Want a Nuclear Deal: Another War for Israel Near

Palestine Chronicle, September 20, 2025, By Robert Inlakesh

The UN Security Council’s rejection of sanctions relief for Iran marks the final collapse of the JCPOA, pushing Tehran toward confrontation and closing the door on future diplomacy.

This Friday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted to reject the continuation of sanctions relief for Iran, meaning that the end result of the Obama-era nuclear deal has been an even greater economic blow to Tehran. Not only does this send the message of war, but it also eliminates any hope for future agreements and cooperation.

The UNSC vote represented a death blow to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. As a result of this vote, a major shift is about to occur that will have enormous violent reverberations.

When the JCPOA was originally negotiated back in 2015, part of the agreement was an in-built mechanism that would permit “snap-back” sanctions to be applied against Iran, should it fail to apply to its side of the agreement.

In late August, the E3 countries – Britain, France, and Germany – had initiated a 30-day process, which would lead to the imposition of these “snap-back” sanctions, unless Iran decided to meet unrealistic demands that they knew wouldn’t be met. Now, as per the UNSC vote to block sanctions relief on Iran, the Islamic Republic has been given until September 28 to reach a significant deal to block the imposition of sanctions.

In response to this, Russia, China, Algeria, and Pakistan, who had voted for the continuation of sanctions relief, condemned the move of the Security Council and even indicated they would not comply with such sanctions.

So, why is this a bombshell decision?

Some media commentators and analysts are treating this UNSC decision as a simple road to more sanctions and pressure on Tehran. As is usually the case, however, the devil is in the details, and to understand this, we must look to the knock-on effects.

To begin with, there are the implications of domestic Iranian politics. The current President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, is from what is known as the Reformist Camp in Iranian politics. This political movement appealed to more liberal leaning Iranians and advocates opening up ties with the West, making the JCPOA one of their primary projects.

Under the former leadership of Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian negotiating team that was headed by Javad Zarif, managed to pull off the Nuclear Deal with the administration of then US President Barack Obama. At the time, it was hailed as a major deal and had even convinced many Iranians that the path of pursuing cordial relations with the West was not only possible, but favorable.

It wasn’t long, however, until the agreement began to come under greater scrutiny, due to an American-European refusal to implement their sides of the bargain. Then came the Presidency of Donald Trump, who in 2018 decided to unilaterally withdraw from the deal and impose a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign on Iran instead.

At this stage, not only did it appear that the deal had completely fallen apart, but now the sanctions that were being imposed were even more severe than they were prior to the JCPOA in 2015. Yet, there were still efforts being made between the Iranian government and its European counterparts, despite the lack of the EU nations’ willingness to disobey the United States.

Meanwhile, the sanctions against Iran were blocking vital medical supplies from entering the country and further impacting their already suffering economy. Amidst this, the US attempted to stir civil unrest inside of Iran and in 2020 launched an assassination strike against Iran’s top General, Qassem Soleimani, of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Forces.

When it came time for a political change inside the United States, during Joe Biden’s campaign, he had promised to revive the Iran deal. Yet, he failed to follow up on this pledge upon taking office in 2021. Instead, he continued to implement the sanctions of his predecessor…………………………………………………

Ultimately, the Biden administration stalled and failed to achieve any breakthrough, refusing to revive the deal, instead requesting all kinds of additional elements that were considered non-starters by Iran.

On May 19, 2024, tragedy struck inside Iran as its President and other prominent officials were killed in a helicopter crash. This led to a new election cycle, where the Reformists yet again gained power.

Iran’s President, Massoud Pezeshkian, has repeatedly made it clear that he seeks to open up relations with the West and, through his foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has sought to make this happen.

When the Trump administration took power, it was clear that the Israelis and the US sought to attack Iran, not to pursue genuine dialogue. Yet, the reformist government pursued diplomacy regardless, as Oman stepped in to mediate talks between delegations headed by Abbas Araghchi and his American counterpart Steve Witkoff.

During the course of these negotiations, on June 13, the Israelis decided to launch an attack that assassinated Iranian generals and nuclear scientists, while striking Iran’s nuclear project. This led to the 12-day war, as it is now being called. The Iranian public, whom the Israelis and US had expected to rebel against their government, did the very opposite and decided instead to rally behind the flag.

The US decided to participate in the Israeli attack, even further weakening the credibility of the United States. What’s more is that Iranian military officials had accused the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, of providing the Israelis with sensitive information about Iran’s nuclear program.

As a result of this, the Iranian parliament passed a bill that barred the IAEA from the country, as various lawmakers called for pressing legislation that would lead to Tehran’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Instead, the reformist government decided to still desperately pursue talks with the Europeans, signed another agreement that re-invited the IAEA into their country to monitor the nuclear program, and reached out to try to pursue talks to revive the JCPOA.

This brings us to the broader implications of the UNSC vote and where this leads……………………………………………………………………………..

Either way this goes, the result is going to be conflict, and the more that the reformists attempt to desperately negotiate and are humiliated, the more aggressive the US and Israelis are likely going to be. What this UNSC vote signals is a major shift that has just occurred, from which there can be no going back………………………………………………………………

Iran has desperately tried to pursue the path of negotiations, but has been betrayed, insulted, sanctioned, and physically attacked for its efforts. It is no longer a matter of if the next Iran war will occur, but when. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/how-iran-just-proved-the-west-doesnt-want-a-nuclear-deal-another-war-for-israel-near/

September 22, 2025 Posted by | MIDDLE EAST, politics international | Leave a comment

Iran hits out ahead of UN vote on nuclear sanctions

Tehran says it has offered fair proposals and accuses the E3 of ‘political bias’ in seeking to revive sanctions.

By Elis Gjevori and News Agencies, 19 Sept 25, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/19/iran-hits-out-ahead-of-un-vote-on-nuclear-sanctions

Iran has hit out at European states that have threatened to revive international sanctions over the monitoring of its nuclear programme.

Tehran officials on Friday accused the European states, which have said they will reimpose international sanctions if Tehran does not meet conditions, of “political bias” and insisted that they have presented fair proposals to resolve the issue.

The complaints come ahead of a scheduled United Nations Security Council (UNSC) vote later on Friday on a resolution that would permanently lift UN sanctions.

The resolution is unlikely to get the nine votes needed to pass, diplomats told news agencies, and if it did, it would be vetoed by the United States, Britain or France.

Britain, France and Germany – known as the E3 – launched a 30-day process in late August to reimpose sanctions unless Tehran meets their demands.

Iranian officials have accused the trio of abusing the dispute mechanism contained in the 2015 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which allows for the application of sanctions under a “snapback mechanism”.

“What Europeans are doing is politically biased and politically motivated … They are wrong on different levels by trying to misuse the mechanism embedded in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

The Europeans offered to delay the snapback for up to six months if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors and engaged in talks with the US.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that sanctions are likely to be reinstated, with European officials claiming that Iran has not engaged seriously in negotiations.

Following Macron’s statement, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that Tehran had presented a “reasonable and actionable plan” and insisted Iran remains committed to the NPT.

Khatibzadeh cautioned that “all options are on the table if diplomacy fails,” although he did not offer details.

“If Europeans go on this path, they are making the level of unpredictability to the highest level possible, and they are responsible for… any possible future risks,” he declared.

Dirty work

The E3 accuse Tehran of breaching the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed by Iran, the US, China, Russia, and the EU.

Under the deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. The agreement unravelled in 2018 after then-US President Donald Trump pulled out and reimposed unilateral sanctions.

Tensions escalated further earlier this summer, when Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran, with Israeli and US forces striking several nuclear facilities.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz caused anger in Tehran at the time when he declared: “This is dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us.”

Iranian officials have also criticised the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for accusing Tehran of noncompliance with its nuclear obligations ahead of the attacks.

Iran has repeatedly denied seeking a nuclear weapon, while Israel is widely believed to possess an undeclared nuclear arsenal of dozens of atomic bombs.

September 22, 2025 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

UN security council fails to prevent ‘snapback’ nuclear sanctions on Iran

Iranian foreign ministry urges further diplomacy and says return to pre-2015 measures are unlawful and unfounded.

William Christou, 20 Sept 25, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/20/un-security-council-fails-to-prevent-snapback-nuclear-sanctions-on-iran

Last month, France, Germany and the UK triggered the snapback provision of the deal after Iran refused to cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, which is tasked with monitoring implementation of the deal.

Two weeks later, Iran agreed to resume cooperation with the IAEA, but it has not yet been able to carry out all of its inspection activities and the body’s ability to operate in the country has been restricted for years.

Since the initiation of the snapback mechanism, intense diplomacy has taken place between mainly European powers and Iran to reach a deal to prevent the sanctions. Talks have not been fruitful, though the UK indicated on Friday after the vote that it was still open to diplomacy.

“The United Kingdom remains committed to a diplomatic solution. We are ready for further engagements diplomatically in the next week and beyond to seek to resolve differences,” said Barbara Woodward, the British ambassador to the UN.

The Iranian foreign ministry said in a Friday statement that it had consistently kept the path of diplomacy open and that it viewed the reimposition of sanctions as “unlawful, unfounded and proactive”.

Iran is still dealing with the impact of the 12-day Iran-Israel war, when Israel launched surprise attacks that it said was a pre-emptive move against the country’s nuclear programme. Iran insists that its nuclear programme is of a civilian nature and that it does not seek to create a nuclear bomb.

September 22, 2025 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Iran withdraws resolution banning attacks on nuclear sites following US pressure

 Iran decided at the last minute Thursday to withdraw a resolution
prohibiting attacks on nuclear facilities that it had put forward along
with China, Russia and other countries for a vote before an annual
gathering of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s member nations.

Western diplomats,
who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said
the U.S. has been heavily lobbying behind the scenes to prevent the
resolution from being adopted. The U.S. has raised the possibility of
reducing funding to the International Atomic Energy Agency if the
resolution was adopted and if the body moved to curtail Israel´s rights
within the agency, the diplomats said.

 Daily Mail 18th Sept 2025, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-15112913/Iran-withdraws-resolution-banning-attacks-nuclear-sites-following-US-pressure.html

September 21, 2025 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Iran, allies submit draft IAEA resolution to ban attacks on nuclear sites

Sep 16, 2025, https://www.iranintl.com/en/202509162278
Iran and five other countries have submitted a draft resolution to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual general conference calling for a ban on any attack or threat of attack against nuclear sites under UN safeguards, Iran’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on X that the text, backed by China, Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Belarus, was intended “to defend the integrity of the NPT” and reaffirmed the inalienable right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

“All states must refrain from attacking or threatening to attack peaceful nuclear facilities in other countries,” Baghaei wrote. “These principles must be upheld; it is high time that the international community acted firmly to prevent the normalization of lawlessness.”

Draft resolution

The draft resolution condemns “the deliberate and unlawful attacks carried out in June 2025 against nuclear sites and facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” calling them clear violations of the UN Charter and the IAEA Statute.

It says nuclear sites under IAEA safeguards “shall not be subject to any kind of attack or threat of attack,” adding that such actions pose serious risks to international peace and security, human health, the environment, and the credibility of the non-proliferation regime.

The document also recalls UN Security Council Resolution 487 of 1981, which condemned Israel’s bombing of Iraq’s Osirak reactor, and reaffirms previous IAEA decisions prohibiting attacks on safeguarded facilities.

It further stressed that all questions regarding nuclear programs should be resolved “exclusively through dialogue and diplomacy, as the only viable path.”

Israel launched a surprise military campaign on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, including senior commanders and nuclear officials in a conflict that lasted 12 days. On June 22, the United States joined the campaign, striking nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Washington brokered a ceasefire on June 24.

Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami told the conference on Monday that Tehran’s atomic program “cannot be eliminated through military action,” accusing Israel and the United States of launching illegal strikes on Iranian sites in June.

“Despite our formal request, the agency did not condemn the attacks by the United States and Israel on the nuclear centers of the Islamic Republic,” Eslami said, calling the IAEA’s silence “a stain on the Agency’s history.”

Eslami said Tehran would use the conference to highlight what he called unlawful measures against its nuclear industry and to push for adoption of the draft.

The debate comes as Iran’s recent cooperation deal with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi awaits implementation and European powers press ahead with the UN “snapback” mechanism that could reinstate sanctions on Tehran by late September.

September 21, 2025 Posted by | Iran, politics international, safety | Leave a comment

UN genocide report puts Starmer in the dock.

Declassified UK , 19 Sept 25.


This week, the UN commission of inquiry concluded on reasonable grounds that “the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have committed and are continuing to commit [acts] of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.

The acts include killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.UN member states are consequently urged to employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent genocide in Gaza, including the cessation of arms transfers and the facilitation of legal investigations into Israel’s actions.

The commission of inquiry was set up four years ago by the UN human rights council, and is staffed by three independent experts. While it does not speak officially for the UN, it strongly reinforces the growing consensus around the genocidal nature of Israel’s war.

So what are the implications for Britain?

Perhaps most significantly, the commission flatly rejects the UK government’s argument that the duty to prevent genocide is only triggered when an international court has established that a genocide has taken place.

“Since at least January 2024, when the International Court of Justice ordered its first provisional measures, all states… have been on notice of a serious risk that genocide was being or would be committed”, the report notes.

The UK government, in other words, has misconstrued its obligations under the Geneva Convention to prevent and punish genocide. Indeed, how is it possible to prevent genocide if you wait until it has taken place?

The report also notes how “Israeli security forces shot at and killed civilians, including children who were holding makeshift white flags”. Days before, a Dutch newspaper found that at least 114 Palestinian children had been hit with single gunshot wounds to the head or chest.

The UK government is clearly aware this is occurring, but it has covered up its own evidence on Israel’s killing of minors. 


In June, the government’s lawyers refused to submit a research report to court on “Long-Range Shootings or Shootings of Minors”. Subsequent requests from MPs and the media for the report have been repeatedly refused.

And then there’s the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, who was welcomed to London last week by prime minister Keir Starmer.

The report found that Herzog, alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, “incited the commission of genocide and that Israeli authorities… failed to take action against them to punish this incitement”.

These are serious findings, and they require a serious response from the UK government. Yet ministers, unsurprisingly, have largely shied away from talking about the report – perhaps unwilling to incriminate themselves further.

September 20, 2025 Posted by | Atrocities, Israel, politics international | Leave a comment

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