Davkaus Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 5 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: That’ll be the absolute random luck of blind trusts. It's actually a lot more simple than that. www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mar-a-lago-guests-and-israel-had-more-prior-knowledge-of-strike-on-soleimani-than-democratic-leaders-933672/ Mar-a-Lago Guests and Israel Had More Prior Knowledge of Strike on Soleimani Than Democratic Leaders Trump was dropping hints to guests at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida days before the attack, telling them to expect something “big” very “soon” in Iraq JANUARY 4, 2020 1:41PM EST Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock Days ahead of the assassination of high-ranking Iranian military and intelligence official Gen. Qasem Soleimani, President Donald Trump was dropping hints to guests at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, telling them to expect something “big” very “soon” in Iraq. “He kept saying, ‘You’ll see,’” a source who was at Mar-a-Lago told The Daily Beast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Whoopsi Quote JERUSALEM (Reuters) - In an apparent slip of the tongue on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel as a nuclear power before correcting himself with a bashful nod and an embarrassed smile. Israel is widely believed to have an atomic arsenal but has never confirmed or denied that it has nuclear weapons, maintaining a so-called policy of ambiguity on the issue for decades. Netanyahu stumbled at the weekly cabinet meeting while reading in Hebrew prepared remarks on a deal with Greece and Cyprus on a subsea gas pipeline. “The significance of this project is that we are turning Israel into a nuclear power,” he said, before quickly correcting himself to say “energy power”. He then paused for a beat, acknowledging his mistake with a smile, and then ploughed on with his comments. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-netanyahu-nuclear/netanyahu-in-apparent-stumble-calls-israel-nuclear-power-idUSKBN1Z40CS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 7 minutes ago, sne said: Iraq parliament has voted to have US troops thrown out of Iraq according to AFP. More to follow on this I imagine. That's right, but it wasn't a binding vote. The full Bill will be voted on the 11th of Jan to effectively terminate the Status of Forces Agreement, the official legal foundation of the US presence in Iraq. The US could in theory relocate up to the Kurdish north of Iraq (which they'd likely welcome as a defence against Turkey, Baghdad and Iran), but Trump has already shafted the Kurds in Syria so he may seize the opportunity to fully withdraw from Iraq. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted January 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted January 5, 2020 3 hours ago, chrisp65 said: Yes the regime is truly awful, but there are real people and real families there and we are constantly fed the image of them all being psycho religious nutters. It's often said they have the world's most wonderful people and the world's worst leaders. Maybe N. Korea might run the gov't close, but the people are (like most people) brilliant from what I know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted January 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Awol said: That's right, but it wasn't a binding vote. The full Bill will be voted on the 11th of Jan to effectively terminate the Status of Forces Agreement, the official legal foundation of the US presence in Iraq. The US could in theory relocate up to the Kurdish north of Iraq (which they'd likely welcome as a defence against Turkey, Baghdad and Iran), but Trump has already shafted the Kurds in Syria so he may seize the opportunity to fully withdraw from Iraq. It'd be some statement if they ratified the full bill! Given the levels of US investment in Iraq and the lengths they've gone to in order to get control of the country's resources, I would imagine that it would be the government who'd be asked to relocate rather than the US troops - if they ratify this on the 11th January, I'd expect regime change on the 12th. It'll be an interesting six days in the Iraqi parliament that's for sure! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 They should make it the 51st state and be done with pretending they are not controlling it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenjiOgiwara Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 5 hours ago, sne said: Well the US (or CIA) overthrew the democratically elected leader in Iran in 1953 because he made a lot of social reforms and wanted to keep the newfound oil for the Iranian people and throw out the foreign oil companies. Couldn't have that so they orchestrated a coup detat and had their guy Mohammad Reza Pahlavi take power instead so they could start BP. Then the revolution happened in 77-79 but it's the US who removed democracy from Iran, not the priests. Once again no one is saying Iran are the good guys but siting democracy reasons is just weak. For one thing the Israeli government is a joke. Isn't Netanyahu still personally holding pretty every important post while trying to get immunity against corruption charges, once again not being able to form a government and relying on the ultra religious nationalists to stay in power. Buddy Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Iran has walked away from the JCPOA nuclear treaty with US, France, China Britain and Russia from 2015 according to Iranian government. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 6 minutes ago, sne said: Iran has walked away from the JCPOA nuclear treaty with US, France, China Britain and Russia from 2015 according to Iranian government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted January 5, 2020 Right, I'm off down to The Winchester. 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 A reporter for the Washington Post is suggesting that Trump contacted the Iraqi PM and asked them to facilitate negotiations between Iran and the US. Soleimani travelled to Iraq for this purpose, and then he was killed. They used their mutual "allies" to lure him out then murdered him in their country. It would appear to be a case of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfidy. Usually Trump just suggests war crimes, but it seems they actually saw this one through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted January 5, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted January 5, 2020 21 minutes ago, snowychap said: The US will be delighted with that. They had all but killed the thing anyway, to the extent of threatening their 'allies' over dealings with Iran that were perfectly within the deal as it stood. It's very hard to look at anything the US does with Iran with anything but cynical eyes. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 52 minutes ago, snowychap said: ‘At the third stroke, the time sponsored by Accurist will be one minute to doomsday, precisely.’ Beep, beep, booom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 International anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq released a statement earlier. Their number one objective is now defending themselves and the Iraqi bases they operate from, following several months of rocket attacks by Iraqi Hezbollah [Iranian proxy force]. All anti-ISIS activity is therefore currently suspended, but basically this is the end for coalition efforts. ISIS will be back on their feet shortly across Sunni Iraq and eastern Syria & it’s going to get really f’ugly. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 57 minutes ago, Davkaus said: A reporter for the Washington Post is suggesting that Trump contacted the Iraqi PM and asked them to facilitate negotiations between Iran and the US. Soleimani travelled to Iraq for this purpose, and then he was killed. They used their mutual "allies" to lure him out then murdered him in their country. It would appear to be a case of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfidy. Usually Trump just suggests war crimes, but it seems they actually saw this one through. The Iraqi PM has confirmed it: Quote “I received a phone call from @realDonaldTrump when the embassy protests ended thanking the government efforts and asked Iraq to play the mediator's role between US and Iran” Iraqi PM said. “But at the same time American helicopters and drones were flying without the approval of Iraq, and we refused the request of bringing more soldiers to US embassy and bases” iraqi PM said. “I was supposed to meet Soleimani at the morning the day he was killed, he came to deliver me a message from Iran responding to the message we delivered from Saudi to Iran” Iraqi PM said. Proper nasty this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted January 5, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted January 5, 2020 Iraqi MPs must be brave to assemble together in a single place for any length of time. Never know when you might be subject to a bad US approval poll and shareholders meeting landing explosively on your head, and the heads of everyone around you. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted January 5, 2020 Is there a chance that given its increase in domestic production and the control it now has over Venezuelan and Brazilian oil, alongside the existing committed partnerships with murdering madmen in the middle east, that the US has decided that it's in its own interest to simply let the rest of the region burn? Is this a "we don't need you anymore, enjoy the fires"? Probably not I suppose, but it makes as much sense as anything else given their current approach - maybe it's just a case of being so desperate to have a war with Iran that anything else is an expendable practicality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PompeyVillan Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 I feel like Iran will feel that they need to retaliate in a way that is open and clear. IE not in the behind closed doors war that is currently raging. But I'm also convinced that Iran will not want to risk an open conflict with America, because who really wants to take the Americans on in a fight? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 "perhaps in a disproportionate manner" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 4 minutes ago, sne said: "perhaps in a disproportionate manner" He needs to be stopped. Iran and Iraq suddenly look like the good guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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