Updates: War on Iran, Genocide in Palestine, U.S. cheats Japan, Britain lost its moral compass

 

• Yemen military: In Taiz, 50 more civilians were killed and wounded as a result of Saudi airstrikes targeting a market in  Mawiyah. 
• Iran’s IRGC Navy says it has seized a 2nd US large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) in the Strait of Hormoz. The sea drone, a Remus 600 AUV, was captured during its spy mission. Iran disabled it with electronic warfare (EW) and intelligence operations. 

• Sovereignista: Professor Mohammad Marandi says the Iran war is "defining confrontation" toward a genuinely multipolar world order. “If the US fails – and it will – it will be a diminished power. It won’t collapse or go away, but it will be diminished. And the rise of a multipolar world will be strengthened; it will benefit enormously,” the prolific political analyst told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Valdai Discussion Club forum. A victory against Iran would put Washington in “a much stronger position to maintain control over the global order,” Marandi explained. The attack on Iran was an attack on the BRICS bloc, “because Iran symbolizes defiance against a cruel order that allows genocide in Gaza, that can kidnap presidents as in Venezuela, that can threaten to strangle Cuba and obliterate Iran." Any failure on Iran’s part in this war “would create much greater momentum for the US to crush and manage adversaries…So this confrontation is central to the establishment of a new world order – it’s the testing ground for whether multipolarity can actually hold,” the Tehran University professor said. Asked to comment on the prospects for a new peace deal Dr. Marandi expressed skepticism that an agreement could materialize, “because the fundamental problem is not the mediator – it’s Washington’s unwillingness to abide by what it signs.”  

• Iran’s terms haven’t changed, and are the same as they were in the Memorandum of Understanding the US committed to and signed in June, but then violated. Iran will not “give any new concessions to the Untied States,” Professor Marandi assured. “At the end of the day, the question is: will the US implement and carry out its obligations? I don’t see any sign of that now,” Marandi said, predicting “further confrontation” and continued US aggression.
• There was a demonstration of priests against the genocide in Gaza which took place a few days ago in Rome. The shroud (below) is made of names. Three hundred, handwritten, one by one, by the priests during their meeting at the Jesuit General Curia. It was slow work, made more of silence than words, as is done in a vigil. They are children like Amira, Salma, Feryal and Naeem Al-Masri, who were 5, 9, 11 and 12 years old. Like Wateen and Mira Al-Khabbaz, who had not yet turned one. Like the five Al Fouani brothers, killed in Lebanon: Ahmad, Fawaz, Banin, Aya and Zainab. The cloth arrived from the US, where the American network entrusted it to its European brothers. After Rome it will return overseas and will be united with other sheets, with other names. It's a growing shroud, and every part of it tells the same story. 

• Japan's Board of Audit reported that military equipment worth approximately $6.9 billion purchased from the US under the Foreign Military Sales program has not yet been delivered to the Japan Self-Defense Forces, despite more than five years passing since some contracts were signed. The audit identified 118 procurement contracts remaining unfulfilled well beyond their planned delivery schedules, with manufacturing problems at US companies cited as the primary cause.

• Leader of Iran, Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei: "There were days when domineering powers, through psychological operations and by creating an atmosphere of intimidation, emptied the streets of the capital and launched a coup against this nation’s pursuit of independence. For the following 25 years, they plundered the wealth of this country. But today, for 7 months, our fellow citizens have adorned the squares and streets across the country with their responsible and enthusiastic presence, so that the fighters of Islam may be encouraged and the enemy may be filled with fear."

• NBC News, quoting US officials: “Eight US Marines/sailors were injured 2 weeks ago when an Iranian cruise missile attacked the ship they were operating on in the Strait of Hormoz, according to three US officials. The troops were not seriously injured, but they sustained smoke inhalation and possibly traumatic brain injuries, as they had symptoms of concussions, such as headaches, the officials said." 
• Yemen takes control of the Israeli-Emirati military airport at Bab al-Mandab. 

• The five men alleged to be plotting a terror attack at Britian's RAF Fairford base [where US bombers are stationed that fly to Iran and drop bombs] have been released on bail. Authorities insist they are taking the matter seriously and refuse to accept this is all very weird. Conspiracy theorists are questioning why 'terror suspects' with three vans full of explosives are being set free. But they’re not considering that it’s perfectly normal when the terrorists are working on behalf of Israel. It’s understood that part of the reason for the suspects’ release was their cooperative behaviour. In the early hours of Sunday, they drove around in circles for hours to draw attention to their vans. They then blocked off a road and patiently waited for someone to stumble across them. When they were discovered by a nosy farmer, they politely waited in the woods for police to arrive.

• Guy Smallman: Days ago these pugnacious pensioners, who are defending all of our rights, went to the Labour Party national conference Liverpool to see if new Prime Minister Andy Burnham wishes to waste as much of our money as his predecessor defending Israeli interests. The sad answer to this question is yes. Hundreds of largely vintage activists defied the Palestine Action ban by holding 'terrorist placards' in a thoroughly peaceful manner and ended up getting carried off to waiting transport by embarrassed cops. Margaret Owen who is 94 walked to the van. As did Polly Smith (75) who has now been arrested for doing this 22 times. If Polly was to get the maximum penalty and it ran consecutively she'd be looking at a sentence of  308 years. Which seems a little excessive? Blind activist Michael is a veteran of these protests. He brought a placard written in Arabic to confuse the plods yet further. The Police also found themselves arresting a character from a computer game and a man holding a picture of himself at a previous demo. The ridiculous legislation that has triggered these protests continues to make this government and it's enforcers a laughing stock both locally and internationally. Which would be funny if it wasn't for the millions being wasted on this bullshit. Throughout the day, and into the evening, 150 protesters were arrested, over 3,700 arrested since the farcical but sinister legislation was introduced last July.  At 5:00 am, after a stand off that lasted over 16 hours, Merseyside Police finally gave up. They left a group of hardy and foil-wrapped Defend Our Juries supporters in place, outside the Labour Party Conference, still displaying signs saying, ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.’