Archiv: 13-06-2025 Israeli attack on Iran / dozens killed / complete failure of Iranian air defense / civil nuclear facilities hit / USA enters war on 22-06-2025 / ceasefire on 24-06-2025 / West Asia War


21.06.2026 - 04:55 [ Joe Kent, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center / X ]

For the MOU to hold and result in a lasting peace, we must restrict aid to Israel immediately & make it clear that we will not defend them should Iran opt to strike in response to Israel’s attacks in Lebanon.

Israel has not responded to our verbal & written demands—that is not going to change, unless we change it by taking action.

Israel claims sovereignty & continues to threaten our peace deal, yet they rely on us to bail them out. This is calculated.

We have to respond accordingly and stop this cycle once and for all.

Lead with action: remove their leverage, otherwise they will not take us seriously.

An open SOH & peace in the region have to be our focus. Israel is playing spoiler—we must limit their ability to do so.

17.06.2026 - 19:56 [ Al Jazeera ]

Trump hails Russia, China for being ‘neutral’ on Iran

Trump has thanked China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s ⁠Vladimir Putin for being “neutral” during the US-Israel war on Iran.

“I just want to thank them because they made it ⁠a lot better,” Trump said, adding that China was “terrific” and made efforts to help settle the conflict.

17.06.2026 - 18:26 [ TKP.at ]

Trump plaudert am G7-Gipfel Plan B aus für Fortsetzung der Kriege in Westasien

Euronews berichtete mit der Schlagzeile, Trump habe Netanjahu zu „mehr Verantwortung“ ermahnt und Syriens Präsidenten als den „Fähigsten“ zur Bekämpfung der Hisbollah bezeichnet. Das ist der Terrorist, auf den die USA davor eine Kopfprämie von 50 Millionen Dollar ausgesetzt hatten und der jetzt für sie arbeitet – als Terrorist. Middle East Eye nannte es eine Bestätigung von Berichten, die „ein hochrangiger US-Beamter ursprünglich dementiert hatte“ — nämlich dass Washington Syrien zu einer Invasion des Libanon drängt.

15.06.2026 - 18:47 [ Joe Kent, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center / X ]

We can strengthen our chances of this deal holding by cutting all military/intel assistance to Israel, they took every opportunity to tank this deal & will likely do so again unless we take action.

We should also quietly get our troops out of the bases in the Gulf that can be reached by Iran. This ensures Iranian hardliners can’t strike us to drag us back into the fight.

Take away every factor that we can control that could force us back into the war on Israel or Iran’s terms.

Set all conditions that we can control in our favor.

13.06.2026 - 21:28 [ Middle East Eye ]

Norway: International law is worth defending, even when allies break it

In an interview with Middle East Eye‘s Expert Witness podcast in Oslo, four months into the devastating war, Andreas Kravik said the war on Iran, launched on 28 February, had no basis in law.

„In our interpretation of the law, it is not a legal operation,“ Kravik said. „We think that is a violation of the UN Charter, and we have said so in no unclear terms.“

Kravik, a public international lawyer and the foreign ministry‘s former chief of legal affairs, said a state could lawfully use force against another only with authorisation from the UN Security Council, in self-defence against an immediate threat, or with the consent of the state concerned. None applied in Iran‘s case.

„There is no authorisation here from the UN Security Council… and there was no consent from Iranian authorities,“ he said. Norway had carried out its own legal assessment, he added.

12.06.2026 - 06:16 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

About the West Asia War

You are an idiot. And you‘re not alone with that. Even a small group of people out of the eight billion people on Earth could have stopped the West Asia War; the onslaught in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and even in Israel. But not a single parliament, lawmaker, NGO, journalist, or whatever-movement on Earth, not even the Good Guys, have been digging into the core of the issue; of what really happened.

And I can prove it.

10.06.2026 - 15:02 [ Reuters ]

Netanyahu to run for re-election, his party says, after Trump raises doubts

Netanyahu has faced a tumultuous term since returning to power in December 2022 at the helm of ​the most right-wing coalition in Israeli history. He faced mass anti-government protests before ​the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Polls have repeatedly indicated that his coalition would fail to ‌win ⁠a majority at the next election. A poll published by the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute think tank on June 9 said that 61% of the Israeli public believe he should not run.

10.06.2026 - 14:43 [ i24news.tv ]

‘I wonder if Bibi even wants to continue:’ Trump casts doubt on Netanyahu’s political future

„I don‘t know,“ Trump said when questioned about whether Netanyahu would lead Israel’s upcoming election. „He‘s had an incredible career. Does he want to continue? Because, you know, he‘s a wartime prime minister. We‘re going to win this war very soon, one way or another, and he‘s a wartime prime minister.“

Trump explicitly framed the long-serving Israeli leader‘s future as uncertain, signaling that Washington may already be preparing for a post-Netanyahu political landscape. „It‘s an open question whether Netanyahu will run again,“ Trump remarked to reporters. „I wonder if Bibi even wants to continue.

09.06.2026 - 20:13 [ Aviva Guttmann / Asia Times ]

Israel’s crack spy agencies rely on help from their friends

(October 16, 2025)

When Israel launched its attacks on Iran in the early morning of June 13, many news reports marvelled at the quality and ingenuity of its intelligence agencies in enabling the Israel Defense Forces to strike with such precision. But one element was not talked about in any detail: Israel’s network of relationships with other countries’ intelligence agencies and their contribution to these covert operations.

(…)

While searching the Swiss national archives, I found a large cache of encrypted telegrams that had been shared in a network called Kilowatt. This network involved 18 countries and shared information such as the movements of specific Palestinian people identified as terrorists, including the safe houses and vehicles they used. Mossad was part of Kilowatt and could use the intelligence it received from European partners to plan and carry out its targeted assassinations in Europe. There is also ample evidence in the cables that western governments knew what Mossad was using the intelligence for.

08.06.2026 - 17:25 [ Umair Malik / Twitter ]

this is the biggest blunder in American history. Mark my words

(December 9, 2023)

30.05.2026 - 17:50 [ American Prospect ]

The Miller Doctrine

(May 27, 2026)

Yet proposals that skirt the edges of international law didn’t come out of nowhere. The U.S. under George W. Bush created legal mechanisms following the September 11th attacks to torture hundreds of people in CIA black sites and then at Guantanamo Bay. The Obama administration’s targeted drone strikes were assassinations by another name. The Biden administration further eroded international norms and subverted its own policies by financing Israel’s genocide in Gaza, in violation of the Leahy Law, which prohibits foreign military assistance to nations that violate human rights.

“Seems like Miller is sort of taking what he was already willing to do during the first term and then combining that with what Israel has been doing in the way it has just been completely ignoring any kind of international law, Geneva Conventions, any of it in its conduct in Gaza and Lebanon, to then influence U.S. foreign policy,” Annelle Sheline, a research fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said in an interview.

In other words, Miller and the Trump administration have been able to steamroll what was left of international law; they just had to figure out how to do it.

28.05.2026 - 14:39 [ CNN ]

Trump’s ‘blow ‘em up’ threat to Oman means he’s now attacked or threatened 1 out of every 13 countries

He’s launched strikes in seven countries so far this term — Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen — after also attacking some of those countries in his first term. That doesn’t even count the strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, which have targeted nearly 60 vessels and killed more than 190 people.

He has also threatened or left open the possibility of strikes against seven others this term: Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Greenland (which is part of Denmark), Mexico, Panama and now Oman. He also threatened Mexico and North Korea in his first term.

23.05.2026 - 07:03 [ PBS.org ]

Tulsi Gabbard resigns as Trump‘s national intelligence director

There had been rumblings that Gabbard would split with Trump after the president‘s decision to strike Iran, which caused some division within his administration. Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation in March, saying he „cannot in good conscience“ back the war.

Gabbard, a veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, built her political name on her opposition to foreign wars. This put her in an awkward position when the U.S. joined Israel in launching attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

21.05.2026 - 07:24 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

The Bill to Dissolve the Knesset Passed Its Preliminary Reading; MK Odeh: ‘The Evil Govt is Ending its Path’

Earlier, a similar bill to dissolve the Knesset, introduced by the Hadash faction, was debated but failed, with 52 opposition lawmakers voting in favor and 61 against. “The worst government ever, responsible for bloodshed on a horrific scale, is coming to an end,” MK Ayman Odeh stated in the Knesset plenum while presenting his faction’s bill. “We are at a historic crossroads,” he emphasized

20.05.2026 - 08:53 [ MSN.com ]

Iraq officials confirm second alleged Israeli base in desert

– U.S. reportedly knew of at least one Israeli base since June 2025 but likely withheld information from Iraq.

– Iraq was compelled to shut down its radar to protect U.S. aircraft during both the 12-day war and the 2026 conflict.

– The concealment of Israeli operations intensified scrutiny over Iraq’s sovereignty and coalition transparency.

– Iraqi political figures called for full transparency and stronger oversight mechanisms to prevent foreign intrusion.

18.05.2026 - 21:37 [ NewArab,com ]

The secret Israeli bases scandal roiling Iraqi politics

In a deeply embarrassing development for Baghdad, Israel established two forward-operating bases (FOBs) for supporting air campaigns against Iran on federal Iraqi territory in a flagrant violation of Iraq’s already fragile sovereignty.

The Wall Street Journal reported the first base’s existence, in the barren Nukhaib desert southwest of the Shia shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, on 9 May. The New York Times further revealed Sunday that Israel also set up a second base somewhere else in the country’s western desert regions that it operated for over a year and even used during the June 2025 12-day war.

18.05.2026 - 03:21 [ Shafaq.com ]

Israel‘s secret base in Iraq: what happened in the western desert and why Baghdad couldn‘t respond

(May 16, 2026)

The physical record is not seriously in dispute, and it begins with a shepherd. On March 4, a local herder in the remote desert southwest of Najaf and Karbala reported unusual helicopter activity to military authorities in Najaf. Iraqi forces were dispatched. They came under fire from the air. One soldier was killed, and two were wounded. Baghdad submitted a protest note to the Global Coalition without naming who had fired, and the incident was quietly classified —until the Wall Street Journal named the party responsible on May 9.

18.05.2026 - 02:34 [ New York Times ]

In Iraqi Desert, Two Israeli Outposts Were Kept Secret for Months

The presence of an Israeli outpost in Iraq was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal. Iraqi officials told The Times there was another undisclosed second base also in Iraq’s western desert.

The base Mr. al-Shammari came across predated the current war between the United States, Israel and Iran, the regional security officials said, and was used during the 12-day war against Tehran in June 2025.

Israeli forces began preparing to build the makeshift base as far back as late 2024, one of the regional officials said — identifying remote sites from which to operate in future conflicts.

18.05.2026 - 02:30 [ Middle East Eye ]

Iraqi farmer killed to hide evidence of two Israeli bases in country: Report

The presence of two secret Israeli bases in Iraq may have led to the death of a shepherd who discovered them, according to an investigation by The New York Times (NYT).

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Israel set up a covert outpost in Iraq’s western desert during the conflict with Iran. The site was reportedly used to support air operations and housed special forces units.

15.05.2026 - 00:31 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

Why are the state leaders of China and Russia complying with U.S. sanctions against Iran, Venezuela, Syria, and Cuba?

(August 7, 2021)

Because they want to.

14.05.2026 - 09:52 [ Middle East Eye ]

Brics missing in action as war on permanent member Iran spirals

(March 3, 2026)

With more than three days since Israel killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as more than 550 others – including at least 165 children – the bloc, touted as a leader of the Global South, is nowhere to be found.

14.05.2026 - 09:41 [ Tremplin.io ]

The war in Iran exposes the flaws of BRICS!

(April 17, 2026)

Great powers emerge in crises, and BRICS may have just missed their moment. While the war involving Iran could have marked a turning point, the bloc remained silent, unable to display a common position. This silence questions its real credibility in the face of its global ambitions. Behind the image of a counter-power to the West, this sequence above all exposes deep divisions and structural fragilities that rhetoric is no longer enough to mask.

14.05.2026 - 09:29 [ Cointribune.com ]

BRICS and Iran: Why No Military Support Amid Escalation?

(June 18, 2025)

While Israeli strikes target sensitive Iranian sites and Tehran responds with missiles on Tel Aviv, the military escalation is redefining balances in the Middle East. However, a strategic absence intrigues: that of the BRICS. As a new member of the bloc, Iran was counting on solid support against its arch-enemy. Yet neither Moscow, Beijing, nor New Delhi are committing. This silence exposes the limits of an alliance that Tehran viewed as a counterweight to Western hegemony.

18.04.2026 - 21:03 [ Jacobin ]

The Imperial Presidency Is Bigger Than Donald Trump

A future Democratic-controlled Congress should take up the job that Obama and the party’s old guard abandoned: put strict limits on the use of drones that won’t simply be alternately loosened and tightened by whichever president comes to power, explicitly outlawing “targeted killing” and any other attempt at finding a loophole for the already existing ban on assassinations; finally repeal the 2001 Authorization of the Use of Military Force that has been serially abused by presidents to fight often secret wars all over the world; end mass surveillance, whether in the form of the National Security Agency’s warrantless backdoor searches that Democrats actually expanded under Joe Biden, or in the warrantless spying that the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies now do through private data brokers; close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp that Trump is now trying to send migrants to; and embark on a twenty-first-century version of the Church Committee to investigate and lay bare national security abuses.