Kim Jong-un Threatens ‘Tactical’ Nuclear Strikes During Rocket Launch with Daughter

/0 Comments/in , /by

North Korean communist dictator Kim Jong-un declared that the country’s enemies — namely, America and South Korea — would soon understand “destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon” [sic] during a rocket launch this weekend, state media reported on Sunday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s flagship state news outlet, published photos of the rocket launch showing the dictator alongside his daughter, Ju-ae, believed to be about 12 years old. Kim has been careful to invite and prominently feature his daughter in several recent public appearances, including an excursion to test firearms at a munitions factory last week. South Korean intelligence officials stated this year that they believe Kim has formally chosen his daughter as a successor to his communist regime, which forces the people of North Korea to worship the Kim family.

The text of the KCNA coverage did not mention the younger Kim, offering details instead of the hardware being tested during the event and Kim’s remarks explaining the need for the rocket launches.

“The drill involved twelve 600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies,” KCNA explained, revealing that the test took place on Saturday. Another North Korean propaganda outlet, the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, reported that the rockets were shot at an island in the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan) and landed with alleged “100 percent” accuracy. Kim suggested in his remarks that the rockets were capable of carrying nuclear payloads.

“He said that the drill would expose the forces hostile to the DPRK, the enemies within the 420-km [about 260 miles] striking range, to uneasiness,” KCNA paraphrased Kim as saying, “making a signaling wave stronger than the aimed, and give them a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon.” (Read more from “Kim Jong-un Threatens ‘Tactical’ Nuclear Strikes During Rocket Launch with Daughter” HERE)

Is Netanyahu’s Coffee Shop Video AI-Made? Grok’s Claim Reignites ‘Dead’ Rumor; ‘100% Deepfake’

/0 Comments/in , /by

On Sunday, amid rumors that he had been assassinated, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video from a coffee shop in Tel Aviv where he debunked claims about his death.

Given that the rumor about Netanyahu’s death originated with claims that a video of him posted on Netanyahu’s official social media accounts was AI-generated, the coffee shop video also sparked similar speculation. On top of it, a claim that Gork, Elon Musk’s X’s chatbot, made, only added to the speculation.

In the previous video, social media users claimed that Netanyahu was purportedly seen with six fingers on his hands. The claims were, however, debunked by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, which called them a hoax.

As the coffee shop video sparked speculation of a deepfake, Grok said in response to a user’s query that the video is indeed AI-generated. In a follow-up response on the same threat, Grok said the video is “100% deepfake.” Given that the video was released on the official social media accounts of Benjamin Netanyahu, Grok’s response only fueled the row.

“It’s AI-generated,” Grok wrote. “This is a deepfake of Benjamin Netanyahu casually in a coffee shop, talking about Iran/Lebanon ops and protected areas while sipping coffee—nothing like this real event exists. The original post explicitly calls it advanced unreleased AI.”

(Read more from “Is Netanyahu’s Coffee Shop Video AI-Made? Grok’s Claim Reignites ‘Dead’ Rumor; ‘100% Deepfake’” HERE)

US Embassy in Baghdad Hit in Missile Attack

/1 Comment/in , /by

The US Embassy in Baghdad was targeted in a missile attack on Friday night, according to reports.

The missile struck a helipad at the embassy, the Associated Press reported.

Smoke was seen rising from the diplomatic mission in video posted on social media by Sabereen News, a pro-Iranian militia outlet in Iraq.

The attack took place shortly after two fighters belonging to an Iran-backed militant group were killed in Baghdad, AFP reported, citing sources.

The embassy is located in Baghdad’s heavily fortified “green zone.”

It’s unclear if anyone was injured in the attack. (Read more from “US Embassy in Baghdad Hit in Missile Attack” HERE)

Lebanon Proposes Ceasefire as Israel-Hezbollah War Displaces Hundreds of Thousands

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Lebanese government pushed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah this week, citing the vast number of civilians displaced from southern Lebanon by the fighting.

Israel has thus far been cool to the proposal, expressing little confidence in the Lebanese government’s will or ability to disarm Hezbollah by force.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun presented a four-point proposal on Tuesday that would include a “complete truce,” logistical support for the Lebanese Army to disarm Hezbollah, and “direct negotiations under international auspices” to get Israeli forces out of Lebanon. Direct negotiations with Israel have previously been a forbidden subject for Lebanese leaders.

Aoun denounced Hezbollah’s attack on Israel as “a trap, and an almost overt ambush for Lebanon, and the Lebanese state, and the Lebanese people.” He said Hezbollah and its paymasters in Tehran were trying to “buy the fall of the Lebanese state” without concern for the price, which included “destroying dozens of our villages and the fall of tens of thousands of our people for the sake of the Iranian regime’s calculations.”

Aoun said over 700,000 Lebanese citizens have been displaced by the fighting, including 200,000 children, creating a massive humanitarian crisis. (Read more from “Lebanon Proposes Ceasefire as Israel-Hezbollah War Displaces Hundreds of Thousands” HERE)

Two Oil Tankers Explode — Leaving at Least 1 Dead — After Suspected Iranian Attack in the Persian Gulf

/1 Comment/in , , /by

At least one person is dead and two oil tankers are ablaze in the Persian Gulf after a suspected Iranian attack on the vessels.

Explosive-laden Iranian boats reportedly struck the two tankers on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing the initial findings of an Iraqi-led investigation into the fires.

The tankers may have been carrying as much as 400,000 barrels of Iraqi oil, according to TankerTrackers.com.

Farhan al Fartousi, the director general of the Iraqi Ports Company, told CNN that the 38 foreign crew members had to be rescued from the damaged ships after the “explosions.”

Footage of the fires show the flames spreading in the surrounding water, a sign oil is leaking from the massive tankers, which were anchored alongside each other prior to the attack, according to CNN. (Read more from “Two Oil Tankers Explode — Leaving at Least 1 Dead — After Suspected Iranian Attack in the Persian Gulf” HERE)

Photo credit: X/SaadoonMustafa

Report: Iran’s New Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei ‘More Dangerous’ than His Father

/1 Comment/in , /by

Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is described as being “more dangerous,” according to a report.

Jaber Rajabi, who previously studied “at a religious seminary” with Mojtaba, explained to the Jerusalem Post that he had previously stated, “If war breaks out, that Mojtaba will try to control the region.”

Rajabi, whose father “fought in the Iraq-Iran War,” and whose mother “worked for a short time in the office” of Mojtaba’s father, also warned that Mojtaba “has a complete disregard for the value of human life,” according to the outlet.

The outlet noted that in a previous interview with The Atlantic, Rajabi stated that Mojtaba is “obsessed with the end of days”:

“Mojtaba, at that time, was very hypocritical. He says something, but inside him there is something totally different,” Rajabi recounted to the Post. Rajabi had earlier told The Atlantic that his former study partner was obsessed with the end of days and had believed “he himself will have a special part in hastening humanity down that path.”

Twelver Shia belief holds that the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed to be in hiding, will return at the end of times to establish a period of global justice in which oppression is eradicated. Islamic apocalyptic traditions also describe major conflicts preceding this era; in Sunni hadith literature, one such event is the Malhama al-Kubra, a great battle sometimes interpreted as a confrontation with Western powers.

(Read more from “Report: Iran’s New Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei ‘More Dangerous’ than His Father” HERE)

Trump Threatens Iran With ‘Consequences Never Seen Before’ in Stark New Ultimatum

/4 Comments/in , , /by

By Raw Story. President Donald Trump unleashed a fiery warning toward Iran on Tuesday, demanding the immediate removal of any mines from the Hormuz Strait and threatening devastating military action if Tehran fails to comply.

In a post to Truth Social, Trump laid down an uncompromising demand, stating: “If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.”

The stark warning escalated tensions in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes. (Read more from “Trump Threatens Iran With ‘Consequences Never Seen Before’ in Stark New Ultimatum” HERE)

_________________________________________________________

Iran Issues Warning of Being ‘Eliminated’ to Donald Trump

By Reality Tea. After Donald Trump publicly criticized Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader, Iran has a warning for the U.S. President.

On March 8, Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader. He replaces his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the U.S. strike on February 28.

In response, Iranian security official Ali Larijani sent a fiery message aimed directly at the American president. “[Iran] is not afraid of your empty threats,” the message said. “Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!”

After predicting that Iran’s new leader would never “live in peace,” Trump had a warning of his own. According to RadarOnline, Trump warned Iran would face consequences if it interferes with oil shipping routes. He threatened that the U.S. would unleash “death, fire, and fury” if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.

As tensions escalate, a man linked to Iran was convicted of plotting to assassinate Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign. In retaliation for Trump’s 2020 order to kill Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani, a Pakistani national was trained to kill Trump. (Read more from “Iran Issues Warning of Being ‘Eliminated’ to Donald Trump” HERE)

Oil Prices Jump Above $100 a Barrel for First Time in Four Years

/0 Comments/in , /by

Oil prices surged past $110 a barrel on Sunday evening, topping $100 for the first time in nearly four years, as the war in the Middle East entered its ninth day with no end in sight and the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed to tanker traffic.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, briefly topped $110 soon after markets opened Sunday evening, while West Texas Intermediate rose to $109.05. Both benchmarks were trading around $60 a barrel in early January.

President Trump on Sunday night sought to reassure Americans that oil prices would come down in short order.

“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace. ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!” Trump said on Truth Social.

The surge follows a record weekly gain last week — Brent climbed 30 percent, its biggest weekly jump in six years — as the conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 has choked off a waterway that normally handles about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. (Read more from “Oil Prices Jump Above $100 a Barrel for First Time in Four Years” HERE)

China Slashes Fuel Exports As War In Iran Magnifies Key Vulnerability

/0 Comments/in , /by

China is demanding domestic oil refiners stop exporting fuel and renegotiate or cancel existing contracts as the conflict in Iran threatens the communist nation’s crude supplies.

Officials from China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), responsible for planning the nation’s economy, ordered oil executives to stop exporting refined fuel, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The stockpiling comes as U.S. and Israeli military forces continue strikes on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury. China is the world’s top oil importer and one of Iran’s top trade partners, reportedly purchasing over 90% of the Islamic Republic’s crude oil between 2024 and 2025.

The communist country also imports 30% of its liquefied natural gas and 40% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed at the start of the conflict. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any ships belonging to Western allies “will certainly be hit,” and although the Strait remains open for China, oil tankers are beginning to avoid the conflict zone. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that three “very large crude carriers” turned away from the Persian Gulf, attempting to avoid the increasing instability in the region.

China is one of Asia’s three biggest oil exporters, shipping over 43 billion barrels of oil in 2023. Beijing exports billions of dollars worth of refined oil to countries in southeast Asia including Singapore and the Philippines, meaning a freeze on exports will likely create price instability in the region. (Read more from “China Slashes Fuel Exports As War In Iran Magnifies Key Vulnerability” HERE)

Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones as tanker sinks in Mediterranean

/0 Comments/in , /by

A Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has sunk in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after it was hit by explosions and a fire, Libyan port officials have said.

Russia accused Ukraine of targeting the Arctic Metagaz with “uncrewed sea drones” launched from the Libyan coast.

Ukraine’s SBU state security service has not commented on the allegation and the Libyan port authority said the cause of the fire was unclear.

The Libyans said the tanker was carrying about 62,000 tonnes of LNG before the blasts and that it sank about 130 nautical miles (240km) north of the Libyan port of Sirte.

Russia’s transport ministry said 30 Russians were aboard the Arctic Metagaz. Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said they were all found “safe and sound in a lifeboat” during a rescue operation by Malta’s armed forces. (Read more from “Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones as tanker sinks in Mediterranean” HERE)