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Iran’s Threat: There Will Be ‘All-Out War’ If U.S. Attacks

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Iran’s bellicose foreign minister warned of “all-out war” if the U.S. or Saudi Arabia retaliate for the Iranian drone strike on Saudi oil fields. Javad Zarif also asked if the Saudis were willing to fight “to the last American soldier.” . . .

The warning came as Trump’s national security team is meeting to discuss whether military action should be taken against the terrorist state. The meeting takes place against the backdrop of further confirmation that the drone strike on the Saudi oil fields, that cut the Kingdom’s oil output in half, was approved at the highest level of the Iranian government. . .

Iran’s threats can be dismissed as pure bluster. But a Saudi-Iran open confrontation would be extremely dangerous for the entire region. Currently, the two enemies are engaged in a proxy war in Yemen with the Kingdom supporting the government while Iran is backing Houthi rebels. But the entire character of the conflict would change if the two sides went to war.

A Saudi war with Iran would mean the involvement of other Sunni Arab states in the Gulf arrayed against Iran and possibly Shiite Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon joining Tehran. Needless to say, the economic disruptions, not to mention the humanitarian crisis that would ensue, would affect every nation on earth.

The U.S. military has the capability to deliver targeted strikes, perhaps on Iran’s missile and drone facilities, while limiting the loss of life. That would be infinitely better than the Saudis, who are already engaged in Yemen, forcing Iran to respond to an attack by launching their own strike on Iranian oil facilities. (Read more from “Iran’s Threat: There Will Be ‘All-Out War’ If U.S. Attacks” HERE)

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Iranian Weapons Used in Saudi Oil Attack

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President Trump on Monday stopped short of directly blaming Iran for a major attack on Saudi Arabian oil installations, allaying, at least for the moment, fears of a military conflict between the United States and Iran.

Officials in Washington and Riyadh spent the day analyzing satellite photos and other intelligence that they said indicated that Iranian weapons were used in the assault on the Saudi Aramco facilities. But they presented no new information that would conclusively show that Iran directed or launched the attack, which Saudi officials said led to a 50 percent reduction in oil production. . .

For their part, Saudi officials affirmed that Iranian weapons were used in the attack but also stopped short of singling out Iran in statements that appeared to reflect fears across the Persian Gulf of a wider and more violent conflagration.

Col. Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, said initial investigations into the strikes on the oil facilities had found that “these weapons are Iranian weapons.” He added that the attacks “did not originate in Yemeni territory as claimed by the Houthi militias.” (Read more from “Iranian Weapons Used in Saudi Oil Attack” HERE)

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Report: Here’s Why John Bolton Resigned (Or was fired)

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. . .According to Axios, Bolton resigned one day after Trump suggested relieving severe economic sanctions on the Islamic nation, a source close to Bolton told the news outlet.

Bolton did not agree with giving Iran sanction relief and “believed the maximum pressure campaign was working,” Axios reported. . .

One day later, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “signaled approval” of Bolton’s departure, the Associated Press reported. Bolton is widely seen as a war hawk, which certainly made Iran uneasy given increased tensions Iran has generated in the Middle East this year.

The Daily Beast reported this week that Trump is actively considering offering Iran a $15 billion line-of-credit under the condition that Tehran complies with rules established by former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal. (Read more from “Report: Here’s Why John Bolton Resigned” HERE)

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U.S. Sanctions on Iran Leave Pension Funds on Brink of Collapse

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Crippling sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran since President Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal last year have left pension funds throughout the country on the brink of collapse, according to documents reviewed by National Security Council officials and obtained by Fox News. . .

“They have fewer resources. We can see it with the Shia militias in Iraq. They’re scrambling for resources. We think the Iranian government will shrink, that their GDP will shrink by as much as 12 or 14 percent this year,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday,” speaking to the economic impact. “This will reduce their capacity to purchase the things they need, the equipment they need, the materials they need, to inflict terror around the world.”

The impact has been so severe that of the 18 existing retirement funds in Iran, 17 are in the red, according to these documents. That includes the pension funds for all of Iran’s armed forces.

As much as 80 percent of Iran’s retirement funds rely on government subsidies, which the documents refer to as unsustainable for not just pensions but for food products, drugs and fuel. . .

The details from the pressure campaign come amid reports that Trump is now considering throwing support behind a plan crafted by French President Emmanuel Macron that would extend a $15 billion line of credit to the regime in Tehran if leaders agree to come back into compliance with terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement. (Read more from “U.S. Sanctions on Iran Leave Pension Funds on Brink of Collapse” HERE)

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Iran Threatens: We Can Produce 20 Percent Uranium in Two Days or Less

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On Tuesday, Iranian officials asserted that the theocratic terror-supporting regime in Iran could produce 20% uranium in two days or less.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, boasted, “If Iran decides, it can have 20% enriched fuel within one to two days.” He added, “If the signatory states to the nuclear deal delay selling the 20% (enriched nuclear) fuel, it is Iran’s right to provide its needed fuel,” according to the Times of Israel, which added, “Uranium needs to be enriched to 90% to be used in a nuclear weapon and 20% purity is considered an important benchmark toward reaching weapons grade level.”

On Monday, Kamalvandi stated, “Iran’s uranium stockpile is on the rise and its heavy water equipment are working with full capacity,” according to Radio Farda. He added, “With the continuation of the inaction of the Europeans in carrying out their commitments [to the nuclear deal] … Iran will take a third step [in reducing commitments] in approximately one month,” as The Hill reported. The Hill noted, “Kamalvandi did not specify what Iran’s next violation would be, but Tehran warned last month it could reactivate centrifuge machines and ramp up enrichment of uranium even further.”

The Daily Mail noted that the 2015 nuclear deal that Great Britain, China, France, Russia, Germany and the United States reached with Iran which President Trump exited in 2018 stated that Iran is permitted to enrich fuel by 3.67%, but a U.N. watchdog warned that Iran is already enriching uranium up to 4.5%. (Read more from “Iran Threatens: We Can Produce 20 Percent Uranium in Two Days or Less” HERE)

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Iranian President: America Must ‘Bow down Before’ Iran

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani suggested that if a meeting with President Donald Trump were to take place that the United States would have to bow down to Iran and repent from “economic terrorism” against Iran.

“Those who have imposed sanctions on our people, and have carried out economic terrorism – any change in our conduct toward them must start with their repentance,” Rouhani said in a video translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute. “They must return to their obligations, and change the erroneous path they have chosen. They must act in the service of the world’s interests and security, while maintaining respect for the other. They must recognize our revolution, our regime, and the rights of our people, and they must reject their mistakes. With regard to the relations between Iran and America – unless America gives up the sanctions and rejects the erroneous path it has chosen, we will see no positive change.”

“If you lift all the sanctions and bow down before the Iranian people, the circumstances will be different,” Rouhani continued. “We want to resolve the issues and problems in a reasonable manner, but we are not interested in photo-ops. If someone wants to have his photo taken with Hassan Rouhani – well, that’s impossible. It can be done with Photoshop, but a real photo is impossible, unless one day they lift all their unjust sanctions, and respect the rights of the Iranian people. Then we would be talking about new circumstances, and we could reconsider it.”

(Read more from “Iranian President: America Must ‘Bow down Before’ Iran” HERE)

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Iran Just Told Its ‘Security Apparatuses,’ Aka Terrorists, to Go After an American Think Tank in Washington D.C.

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Just as Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was attending the G7 Summit as a surprise guest of French President Emmanuel Macron over the weekend, he issued a fatwah against the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, an American think tank based in Washington, D.C.

“The Foreign Ministry has announced the sanctions on the FDD and its CEO based on a law titled ‘Countering America’s Human Rights Violation and Adventurous and Terrorist Actions’ passed by the Iranian Parliament in 2017,” MEHR News Agency reported over the weekend. “Accordingly, taking any actions by the judicial and security apparatuses against the FDD and their Iranian and non-Iranian accomplices will be considered legitimate as their actions are against the Iran’s national security and the interests of Iranian people and government.”

Iran is calling their action against FDD “sanctions,” but as the think tank notes, the instruction to “security apparatuses” is a direct safety threat against its CEO, members and employees. . .

(Read more from “Iran Just Told Its ‘Security Apparatuses,’ Aka Terrorists, to Go After an American Think Tank in Washington D.C.” HERE)

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WATCH: Video Shows Iranian Forces Prepping ‘Killer Drone’ Launch Targeting Israel

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The IDF spokesperson’s unit on Sunday released a video of Iranian forces in Syria preparing to launch an explosives-laden drone into northern Israel from Syria last Thursday.

The video, captured by an Israeli field intelligence unit along the border, shows four fighters from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds force carrying the UAV through a field to its planned launch point located in the southern Syrian village of Arneh.

On Saturday around 11pm, Israel Air Force jets struck Iranian targets in the Syrian town of Aqraba, south of Damascus, thwarting the “imminent” UAV attack, the army said. According to war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, five personnel were killed in the strikes, two of whom were operatives for the Iranian proxy terror group Hezbollah and one a member of an Iranian militia. The other two have not been identified. . .

In his own statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression. I have directed that our forces be prepared for any scenario. We will continue to take determined and responsible action against Iran and its proxies for the security of Israel.”

The Syrian army said that “the majority of the Israeli missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets,” but Conricus maintained that the damage caused by the Israeli strikes was “significant,” Reuters reported. (Read more from “Watch: Video Shows Iranian Forces Prepping ‘Killer Drone’ Launch Targeting Israel” HERE)

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U.S. Official: Iran Just Fired a Ballistic Missile

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On Wednesday, ratcheting up tension between the United States and Iran, Iran successfully test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile that flew 600 miles.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News, “They continue to engage in malign activity; they continue to build out their missile program; they continue to work on their nuclear systems, and yet they want to tell the world that no, they’re just defensive and they’re just being a normal nation and we all see differently.”

A senior administration commented, “We are aware of reports of a projectile launched from Iran, and have no further comment at this time.”

The Shahab-3 missile flew from southern Iran to a desert near Iran’s capital, Tehran; the nuclear deal which President Trump walked away from did not deal with Iran’s conventional missile program.

Tensions between Iran and the West have been rising steadily for weeks; in mid-June, two tankers, the Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, and according to Commander Sean Kido, mines used in the attack bore “a striking resemblance” to those used by Iran. He said, “The limpet mine that was used in the attack is distinguishable and also strikingly bearing a resemblance to Iranian mines that have already been publicly displayed in Iranian military parades.” The U.S. Navy displayed pieces of debris and a magnet which they believed came from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. (Read more from “U.S. Official: Iran Just Fired a Ballistic Missile” HERE)

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Iran Seizes Multiple Oil Tankers Near Persian Gulf

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Iran — the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism — has captured a British-flagged and a Liberian-flagged oil tanker on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials.

“Iran has also seized a second tanker, the Liberian-flagged MV Mesdar, according to a US official,” CNN reported. “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced earlier that its navy has captured a British-flagged tanker ‘Stena Impero’ in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is designated by the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and has “engaged in terrorist activity since its inception 40 years ago.”

President Donald Trump responded to the developments on the White House lawn before departing the White House.

“So, we’re going to be speaking with the U.K.,” Trump said. “And this only goes to show what I am saying about Iran. Trouble. Nothing but trouble. And remember this, the ridiculous agreement made by President Obama expires in a very short period of time, it was a short term agreement.”

(Read more from “Iran Seizes Multiple Oil Tankers Near Persian Gulf” HERE)

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