Iran Reportedly Executes California Man Amid Ongoing Execution Spree: ‘Murdered by the Regime’

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The Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday reportedly executed the journalist Jamshid Sharmahd, who was a resident of California and a sharp critic of the regime in Tehran, according to The Associated Press.

The Iranian regime’s judiciary Mizan website announced that the 69-year-old Sharmahd was killed on Monday morning.

Sharmahd’s daughter, Gazelle, who lives in California, previously told Fox News Digital the Iranian regime is “scapegoating an innocent man” over bombing allegations, and spoke of his affinity for the United States.

She told Fox News Digital in August, 2023, “My dad chose the United States as his home, worked hard, followed all the rules, belongs to a family of four generations around him of U.S. citizenship, lived here for 20 years as a tax-paying, law-abiding resident and would already have his citizenship if it wasn’t for the terrorists and qualifies as a U.S. national under the Levinson law.”

The Levinson Act defines a “United States national” as a “lawful permanent resident with significant ties to the United States.” According to the State Department, the definition applies to non-U.S. citizens. (Read more from “Iran Reportedly Executes California Man Amid Ongoing Execution Spree: ‘Murdered by the Regime’” HERE)

‘Possible To Use Nuclear Weapons’: Putin Hardens Posture Against NATO Amid New Threats

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a warning to NATO members: if Ukraine gets permission to use long-range missiles, it will be an open declaration of war by NATO allies, and the Russian military is already prepared for it.

Polish news outlet Super Express reported Putin has stated Moscow military commanders are currently preparing troops for an eventual war against Western allies, because Russia’s reaction will be more than diplomatic.

“Our military command is thinking about it and will propose various options for response,” Putin said, adding Russia’s position on the matter should be taken seriously because “we will have to make some decisions on our side as well.”

During the BRICS Summit in Kazan last week, Putin accused NATO of hiding behind Ukraine to fight a war against Russia.

“NATO is at war with us, but with the hands of Ukrainian soldiers. Ukraine does not spare its soldiers in the interest of third countries,” Putin said.

(Read more from “‘Possible To Use Nuclear Weapons’: Putin Hardens Posture Against NATO Amid New Threats” HERE)

North Korea’s Troops in Ukraine Reveal Putin’s Weakness

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The war for Ukraine is widening. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday that North Korea is dispatching thousands of troops to Russia, marking a significant escalation in its conflict with Kyiv.

Vladimir Putin is pulling Kim Jong Un deeper into the war — yet he is also revealing a weakness: The Kremlin is running low on recruitable troops at home.

North Korea’s infusion of fresh soldiers will remain practically risk-free for Pyongyang, unless the United States returns to its aggressive sanctions posture against the Kim regime.

The Kremlin is finding it difficult and expensive to entice more of Russia’s poor and desperate to sign up for the war — even with promises of bonuses and good pay.

In theory, Moscow could alternatively force millions of its fighting-age men into the Ukrainian meat grinder through conscription. (Read more from “North Korea’s Troops in Ukraine Reveal Putin’s Weakness” HERE)

At BRICS Summit, Russia To Push to End Dollar Dominance

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Russia is seeking to convince BRICS countries to build an alternative platform for international payments that would be immune to Western sanctions when it hosts the group’s leaders at a summit next week.

President Vladimir Putin is keen to build up BRICS – which has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates as well as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – as a powerful counterweight to the West in global politics and trade.

The October 22-24 summit in the city of Kazan is being presented by Moscow as evidence that Western efforts to isolate Russia have failed. It wants other countries to work with it to overhaul the global financial system and end the dominance of the US dollar.

Central to that is the proposal for a new payments system based on a network of commercial banks linked to each other through the BRICS central banks, according to a document prepared by Russia’s finance ministry and central bank, distributed to journalists ahead of the summit.

The system would use blockchain technology to store and transfer digital tokens backed by national currencies. This, in turn, would then allow those currencies to be easily and securely exchanged, bypassing the need for dollar transactions. (Read more from “At BRICS Summit, Russia To Push to End Dollar Dominance” HERE)

Netanyahu to Hamas: Free the Hostages and We Will Let You Live

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday evening that Hamas terrorists who freed Israeli hostages would be allowed to live, but that those who sought to harm them would be hunted down and killed. He added that the war in Gaza would end if the hostages were freed and Hamas terrorists laid down their weapons.

Netanyahu published a video address in English, hours after Israel confirmed that its soldiers had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza in a firefight on Wednesday. He addressed his nation in Hebrew a few hours before.

The full transcript of Netanyahu’s remarks was published by Israel’s Government Press Office:

One year ago, Yahya Sinwar, the terrorist chief of Hamas, launched the October 7th massacre against Israel.

It was the bloodiest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. It was the worst attack on the Jewish state since the founding of Israel.

Sinwar’s terrorists murdered in cold blood 1,200 people. That’s elderly people, Holocaust survivors, children.

They brutally raped women. They beheaded men. They burned babies alive.

And they took 251 women, men and children hostage to the dungeons of Gaza.

Today, the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more.

Yahya Sinwar is dead.

He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.

While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end.

To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message: This war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.

Hamas is holding 101 hostages in Gaza, who are citizens of 23 countries; citizens of Israel, but citizens of many other countries.

Israel is committed to doing everything in our power to bring all of them home.

And Israel will guarantee the safety of all those who return our hostages.

But to those who would harm our hostages, I have another message: Israel will hunt you down and bring you to justice.

I also have a message of hope to the peoples of the region: The axis of terror that was built by Iran is collapsing before our eyes.

Nasrallah is gone. His deputy Mohsen is gone. Haniyeh is gone. Deif is gone. Sinwar is gone.

The reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and on the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen – this too will come to an end.

All those who seek a future of prosperity and peace in the Middle East should unite to build a better future.

Together, we can push back the forces of darkness and create a future of light and hope for all of us.

(Read more from “Netanyahu to Hamas: Free the Hostages and We Will Let You Live” HERE)

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‘A Clear Message’: Airline Slapped With $4 Million Fine For Stopping Hundreds Of Jews From Boarding Flight

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined German airline Lufthansa $4 million for stopping hundreds of Jewish passengers from making a connecting flight, according to a Tuesday DOT press release.

Following alleged misconduct from some passengers, Lufthansa prohibited 128 Jewish passengers from boarding their connecting flight, most of whom were wearing “distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men,” the press release stated. However, many of the passengers were not traveling together and did not know each other, leading the DOT to issue the penalty — the largest the agency has ever issued against an airline for a civil rights violation.

“Most passengers who were interviewed by [the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection] stated that Lufthansa treated them all as if they were a single group, and denied boarding onto [the flight] to everyone for the apparent misbehavior of a few, because they were openly and visibly Jewish,” the DOT’s consent order listing Lufthansa’s violations stated.

The incident occurred in May 2022 when passengers were heading from New York City through Frankfurt, Germany, and on to Budapest, Hungary, to attend a memorial event for an Orthodox Rabbi, the Wall Street Journal reported. The DOT received 40 discrimination complaints, and ultimately found Lufthansa’s crew knew “the refusal to transport the entire group could result in the exclusion of passengers that had complied with crew instructions … but concluded it was not practical to address each passenger individually.” (Read more from “‘A Clear Message’: Airline Slapped With $4 Million Fine For Stopping Hundreds Of Jews From Boarding Flight” HERE)

Putin Reaffirms Russia’s Commitment to Iran Against Israel

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Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Friday that Moscow continues to place a high priority on cooperation with Tehran and wishes to create a “new world order” in which the West and Israel no longer have a dominant position in global affairs.

Putin and Pezeshkian met on the sidelines of a forum in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Pezeshkian said he hoped he and Putin could sign a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement during their next meeting at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia later in October. BRICS is an economic bloc cofounded by Russia, which Iran joined at the beginning of 2024.

“Moscow and Tehran actively cooperate with each other in the international arena and often agree on their assessments of world events,” Putin said at the Turkmenistan summit on Friday.

“This year, we are witnessing an increase in the volume of trade between the two countries and its good trend,” he said.

“From the economic and cultural point of view, our relations are getting stronger day by day,” Pezeshkian responded. (Read more from “Putin Reaffirms Russia’s Commitment to Iran Against Israel” HERE)

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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Threatens to Unleash Nuclear Weapons on South

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened nuclear retaliation against the South after recent remarks by his South Korean counterpart.

During a parade on Tuesday to mark Armed Forces Day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled weapons intended to keep the North at bay. “That day will be the end of the North Korean regime,” Yoon vowed.

According to the Associated Press, Yoon unveiled the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, which observers say can destroy underground bunkers in North Korea.

Yoon warned that if Pyongyang were ever to use nuclear weapons, United States and South Korean forces would mount a “resolute and overwhelming” response.

“The North Korean regime must abandon the delusion that nuclear weapons will protect them,” the South Korean president added. (Read more from “North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Threatens to Unleash Nuclear Weapons on South” HERE)

Biden Says U.S. Discussing Possible Israeli Strikes on Iran Oil Facilities

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Joe Biden has said the US is discussing with Israel the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure.

When asked if he would support such strikes, Mr Biden said: “We’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway.”

His off-the-cuff remarks, made as he left the White House, did not make clear Washington’s stance. Mr Biden has previously said he would not support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The price of benchmark Brent crude oil shot up by 5% immediately after the remarks. It has now increased by 10% since Iran’s large-scale missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “will pay a heavy price” for Tuesday’s attack, which saw at least 180 ballistic missiles fired at Israel. (Read more from “Biden Says U.S. Discussing Possible Israeli Strikes on Iran Oil Facilities” HERE)

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U.S. To Provide $157 Million in Humanitarian Aid to People Affected by ‘Crisis in Lebanon’

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The United States announced that it would be providing $157 million in humanitarian aid to address the “crisis in Lebanon” and those who have been affected by it.

In a press release on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that the “nearly $157 million” in humanitarian assistance would go towards addressing “new and existing needs to internally displaced persons and refugee populations” for communities in Lebanon.

“The United States will provide nearly $157 million in new U.S. humanitarian assistance to support populations affected by conflict in Lebanon and the region,” Blinken said in the press release. “This funding will address new and existing needs of internally displaced persons and refugee populations inside Lebanon and the communities that host them. The assistance will also support those fleeing to neighboring Syria.”

The press release from Blinken comes as Israel has been waging war against Hezbollah terrorists located in Lebanon.

Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Joel Pollak reported that over the course of Thursday and Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had continued advancing on Hezbollah terrorists, carrying out airstrikes. Within “four days of combat,” the IDF was reported to have killed more than 200 Hezbollah terrorists. (Read more from “U.S. To Provide $157 Million in Humanitarian Aid to People Affected by ‘Crisis in Lebanon’” HERE)