Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a new alliance which will treat an attack against one as an attack against all. Well, that’s lovely, but can we please see the actual treaty? No. We can’t? Oh, that’s funny, why would you keep that secret?…

Give a listen. Some are claiming Iran is the target, but, Iran seemed quite subdued..

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, however, have been careful not to antagonise any regional or international actors while finalising what they said was the result of years of hard work and negotiations. They have stressed the pact, which does not identify a specific threat, is not targeted against any country – particularly Iran – and does not abrogate or replace any existing agreements with others.

In Tehran, the reaction has largely been subdued, with officials mostly focusing on aspects of regional and Muslim cooperation and what they perceive as a declining role for the US.

Any thoughts?

The Guardian

Mike Levin, a Democratic member of Congress from California, has sounded the alarm over conditions onboard the warship, which is in its fifth month of combat operations against Iran. He described the lot of the crew on X as “moldy showers, broken toilets, laundry down for weeks, long stretches with no hot water, a meal that came down to half a cup of rice and two tortillas. No soap, deodorant, or toothpaste.”

Jason Crow, a Democratic Congress member from Colorado who is a former army ranger having served in Afghanistan and Iraq, has warned that the strain on service members and their families on the Lincoln is “building week by week”.

The current crunch has been months in the making. The warship left San Diego on 21 November and was originally intended for the Pacific but was redirected to the Middle East once the US-Israel war with Iran began.

Since then, MS Now revealed, the 5,000-plus crew has had only two days on land, in Guam in December and Oman in July. The deployment was scheduled to end in May but has been extended a couple of times amid the ongoing war.

Military Times

Lincoln’s roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines remain on a deployment that began Nov. 21. The carrier has been deployed for more than eight months while supporting U.S. military operations in the Middle East against Iran.

The deployment, which was anticipated to end in May, has been extended with no publicly announced return date.

Separately, Stars and Stripes reported Tuesday that sailors described an incident in which watchstanders stopped a crew member from jumping overboard. Stripes reported that the crew was informed about the incident through a shipwide announcement.

More than 200 family members attended a meeting in San Diego last week with acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. During a separate virtual meeting later that evening, families raised concerns about sailors’ mental health, exhaustion and safety, according to recordings of the meeting reviewed by MS NOW.

Forbes

The public has been made aware of conditions onboard including rationed food and broken amenities, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the accounts as “more fake news.“

Has the situation become so desperate aboard the aircraft carrier that a knife fight broke out resulting in multiple deaths and injuries? Can’t say yes for sure, but, sadly, can’t so no either.

Link

USS Abraham Lincoln clash reportedly kills 7 US Navy personnel as tensions erupt aboard the carrier. A violent confrontation allegedly broke out after crew members confronted a US Central Command adviser over prolonged deployment and worsening conditions aboard the warship. Reports claim the confrontation escalated into a fight involving knives and other bladed weapons, leaving seven personnel dead and several wounded. The allegations have not been independently confirmed by the US Navy. The incident comes amid mounting pressure on American forces deployed across the Middle East and follows separate problems aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford. The shocking report raises fresh questions about morale and deployment strain

It’s entirely possible this is Iranian propaganda intended to be demoralizing. But then, it’s not being picked up by western media so, why would they go to those lengths? Additionally, do they need to resort to this type of claim, given the situation as it stands right now?

What seems very clear the “support the troops” crowd aren’t supporting the troops. And Hegseth is more interested in covering up conditions then actually addressing them.

Col D.K. Turenne – For extraordinary leadership and diplomatic skill as director of the Combined Air Operations Center during the Israel-Iran conflict, synchronizing multinational air operations and enabling the safe evacuation of 10,000 personnel from the Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar, June 2025;

Came back to Alberta after having spent 5 years in Colorado with NORAD.

New Commander of 4 Wing no stranger to CFB Cold Lake

Colonel David Turenne assumed command of 4 Wing on June 3rd. He has spent the better part of 26 years in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Turenne is originally from Edmonton. He received his wings in 1999 and, after training, headed to 3 Wing in Bagotville.

He’s no stranger to 4 Wing, having trained here and been posted as a Fighter Pilot with 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron and 410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron. The last few years have seen him south of the border with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) team in Colorado.

“I’ve been in Colorado Springs, at the NORAD headquarters, for the last five years which isn’t a normal length of time,” says Turenne. “Because of COVID, there were changes in cross-border moves. I was doing a few jobs down there, including working for the Chief of Staff of the Headquarters, I was director of NORAD inspections, and I’m currently the Deputy Director for J7 Joint Training, Exercises and Wargaming Directorate.”

Col Turenne has 2800 flight hours, with over 2000 of them via the CF-18. This is his first Wing Command position.

So, through NORAD Canada was involved?? Not a shocker.

‘Well, we have that certain ability if we want to do that,’ says US president

Is he talking about using nukes? I don’t know?

President Donald Trump on Monday declined to say what would come next in talks with Iran, but indicated that the US retains the ability to pursue a major military escalation.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “You’ll find out, when asked what would follow the latest round of negotiations, which he had previously described as Iran’s “last chance” before possible military action.

Asked whether a “massive escalation” remained on the table, Trump said the US has the capability to pursue such an option if he chooses to do so.

“Well, we have that certain ability if we want to do that,” Trump said. “Yeah, you’ll find out.”

The president said the US is going to ask for money for the damage Iran has done over a 50-year period.

“If there’s damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages,” he added.

Um, okay?

‘We’ve mine swept the entire strait’

Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the strategic waterway is “open.”

“Well, it’s open now … The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy. We have a blockade that’s been infallible. It’s a steel wall, and we let people in that we want to let in, and those people come in, and they’ve been coming in and they’re going out, so it’s actually open now. We do not let them go into Iran. They’re not admitted into the strait to go to Iran, but it’s open for others now,” Trump said.

He acknowledged that Iran could still attempt to disrupt shipping, saying Iranian forces could “on occasion, drop a mine,” but claimed US forces have located and cleared mines throughout the strait.

“You know, we’ve mine swept the entire strait, as you probably maybe heard, maybe you didn’t hear. But we control the strait 100%. Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they’re broke. They have no money,” Trump said.

To my understanding the Strait is not open.

1. Trump thought opening the Strait of Hormuz was imminent. Iran had other plans.

President Trump had been laying the groundwork to declare victory in the Iran war if Tehran fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz—even privately floating to senior aides that he’s willing to walk away without a nuclear deal. But Iran’s recent demand for billions in reparations and a total U.S. troop withdrawal has thrown those plans into chaos. The recent hardline shift shows how Tehran is narrowing the White House’s options to wrap up the conflict ahead of the midterms.

WSJ via Archive.ph

WASHINGTON—For weeks, President Trump had been laying the groundwork to declare victory in the Iran war should Tehran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even floating the idea privately to senior aides that he’s willing to walk away without a nuclear deal, U.S. officials said.

But that scaled-back objective became more difficult when Iran insisted Saturday on its highest price yet for permitting the free flow of traffic in the waterway, seeking billions of dollars in U.S. payments, the removal of American troops from the region and an end of the U.S. naval blockade, among other things.

This rapid chain of events suggests Trump’s options for walking away from the conflict have again narrowed. Trump has repeatedly threatened—and then backed away from—a massive escalation of its bombing campaign. But the recent chaos in negotiations signaled Tehran is prepared for a long and grinding conflict.

“Iran’s recent hardline demands for reopening the strait make it increasingly difficult for the president to manufacture a face-saving off-ramp from the conflict,” said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Trump and Bibi should have never attacked Iran.

Gregory Brew, an Iran expert at the Eurasia Group consulting firm, said, “The Iranians fully believe Trump wants out and is focused on opening the strait, which is why they are playing hardball.”

Trump and Bibi should have never attacked Iran.

Hanging over diplomatic talks since April has been the White House’s ultimatum that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon. Trump sought to include nuclear talks as part of broader negotiations with Iran, but those have proven too difficult, leading the White House in recent weeks to focus more on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s ability to essentially choke off the waterway through sporadic missile and drone attacks has proven to be powerful leverage for the country, stalling commercial traffic and roiling global oil markets.

Trump and Bibi should have never attacked Iran.

Trump has declared repeatedly in recent weeks that the Strait of Hormuz was already fully open, but each of those promises has proven premature.

Now, with less than three months until the midterm elections and the price of gasoline still much higher than it was before the war started in late February, Trump has been looking for ways to tell the American public that the war is won.

Trump and Bibi should have never attacked Iran.

Trumpflation could threaten Wall Street’s bull market: How the Iran war is keeping inflation high

Iran war is pushing up oil and other costs, keeping US inflation high and raising fears that higher rates could threaten Wall Street’s bull market. 

And the upcoming election in the US.

From earlier today- Bibi flips off Trump

Tough to save face when your best ally is giving you the finger, no?

Trump leads the most powerful country on the planet…???

Aljazeera

“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, referring to the plan endorsed last month by Hamas.

The Israeli army “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed … and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens”.

When would Israel actually consider Hamas “genuinely disarmed”?? They never will.They will continue to genocide the Palestinians under their ruse of an excuse

This is plainly and obviously clear from Netanyahu’s statement

“Speaking to his cabinet Sunday, Netanyahu vowed that “as long as I am prime minister, no Palestinian state will arise” and emphasised that Israel would not abide by the US-backed plan.”

I’m going to repeat Netanyahu’s own statement

Speaking to his cabinet Sunday, Netanyahu vowed that “as long as I am prime minister, no Palestinian state will arise” and emphasised that Israel would not abide by the US-backed plan.

The genocide of the Palestinians will continue

NYT’s

President Trump’s Board of Peace announced an agreement last month that aimed at Hamas giving up its weapons alongside an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza

Hamas agreed Israel said no

Netanayahu said “ “as long as I am prime minister, no Palestinian state will arise”

Israel’s intent is plainly and obviously clear- genocide.

Muscat, Oman – The Sultanate of Oman confirmed that ongoing negotiations regarding maritime security and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are progressing in a positive and constructive atmosphere. Consequently, this declaration underscores Oman’s central diplomatic role in facilitating regional de-escalation and securing vital international energy corridors.

Furthermore, Omani authorities stressed that achieving sustainable security arrangements requires avoiding any provocative actions or military escalations that could derail discussions. As a result, Muscat warned that field friction in the strait risks undermining prospects for a comprehensive agreement designed to ensure regional maritime stability.

Following up on yesterday’s news

Once enacted, the act would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russia, targeting Russian officials, banks, financial institutions and other entities.

The US Senate has passed legislation that would impose new sanctions on Russia, sending it to the House of Representatives.

By a vote of 86-11, the upper chamber passed H.R. 5334, the legislative vehicle for the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026.

The measure cleared the Senate on Friday with the support of more than the 60 votes required for passage.

Eleven senators voted against the bill: Democrats Lisa Blunt Rochester, Maggie Hassan, Mazie Hirono, Ed Markey, Jon Ossoff, Alex Padilla, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch and Ron Wyden, along with Republican Rand Paul.

The three senators who did not vote are Republicans Marsha Blackburn, Cynthia Lummis and Mitch McConnell.

The measure was a key legislative priority of Senator Lindsey Graham, who died after a brief illness last month.

Several senators met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month during his visit to the US for Graham’s funeral.

If enacted, the act would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting the war in Ukraine.

The sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons and Russian banks and financial institutions.

The legislation allows the president to impose targeted tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the vast majority of Russian oil or gas, and enable Russian sanctions evasion. (China and India will be targets)

It also includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanction authority that restricts funding for Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.

“This landmark legislation is a powerful demonstration of America’s global leadership. I extend my sincere gratitude to the members of the US Senate for their leadership, their principled bipartisan support, and their enduring solidarity with Ukraine. Together, we are bringing a lasting peace closer,” he said on the US social media company X.

EU toadies sanction too

EU approves new sanctions on Russia in response to massive strikes on Ukraine

Background:

• On 23 July, the Council of the European Union formally adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia, describing it as a measure that “deals a powerful blow to Russia’s energy sector, financial services and cryptocurrencies.”
• The package was approved after weeks of delays caused by objections from several member states for different reasons, with Greece being the last country to lift its objections.
• Following its adoption, it emerged that the EU is reviewing its broader approach to sanctions against Russia.

A proposed negotiating framework between Iran and Oman would require ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to pay fees for a range of maritime services, while eventually replacing the existing northern and southern shipping lanes with a centrally managed corridor, according to an informed source at Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

The source told Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency that, during an initial transitional period, vessels would enter the Strait of Hormuz through the northern shipping lane near Iran’s coast and exit through the southern shipping lane near Oman’s coast.

After the transition, traffic through both the northern and southern lanes would cease, with all vessels passing through a central shipping lane. Under the proposal, inbound traffic would be managed by Iran, while outbound traffic would be managed jointly by Iran and Oman.

The source said vessels transiting the strait would be required to pay charges in the form of fees for services provided.

Those services would include insurance, bunkering (fueling), environmental protection and similar maritime support, the source said.

The source dismissed reports claiming that Iran and Oman were divided over whether to charge ships 7% or 3% of the value of their cargo, describing such reports as inaccurate.

Instead, the fees collected from ships would vary depending on multiple factors, including the scope of services Iran is able to provide, the source said.

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neorealism, neoliberalism, China’s views on neoliberalism and US decline, the use of disinformation/misinformation narratives to rationalize the incompetence of Western policymakers, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), bilateralism, China’s preference for bilateralism, multilateralism, the decline of international institutions, why China has discredited Western multilateralism across the world, the Biden regime, Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Biden’s administration as dominated by CNAS, Biden’s efforts to contain China, Biden’s failure to contain Israel and the the EU, the inability of the US to pivot to Asia because of allies, Trump 2.0, Trump’s efforts to commit the US to Israel indefinitely, Trump’s abandonment of containing China in East Asia, the EU’s push for war with Russia, will the EU survive?, ARC (America, Russia, China), the AI Iron Curtain, the American/Chinese AI stacks and why the world will have to choice, why national security concerns will further erode internationalism, the inherit racism of Western internationalism, global wars of attrition, will the current war of attrition be cold or hot in North America/Western Europe?

About and 1-1/2 in length