Russia Warns NATO Leaders To 'Stop & Think' Before Leading World To Catastrophic Confrontation

Russia Warns NATO Leaders To 'Stop & Think' Before Leading World To Catastrophic Confrontation

TYLER DURDEN

Another night has passed, and the usual major Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil and facilities and tankers have occurred, this time impacting at least three Russian regions, authorities said Thursday. 

Strikes hit oil depots in the Stavropol and Tver regions, as well as an oil pumping station in the republic of Bashkortostan and a marine loading terminal in the Rostov region - along with other reported impacts, Amsterdam-based Moscow Times reports.

During this week's NATO summit, Ukraine's President Zelensky was touting his country's drone capabilities as among the best in the world, and that now, essentially no place is safe in Russia.

This was perhaps on display Monday, when long-range drones apparently set a new distance record in striking a sprawling oil refinery in the city of Omsk in western Siberia

"Today, our long-range sanctions reached the oil refinery in Omsk – nearly 2,500 kilometers from Ukraine," Zelensky had announced in a nightly address soon after the attack.

"Upgraded Fire Point drones have put Siberia within reach of Ukrainian precision. This is a significant blow to Russia’s oil economy and an important achievement for the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Zelensky said.

The messaging from NATO leaders gathered in Ankara had clearly been one of support. For example, President Trump had commented, "It's an escalation but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end [of the war]."

Following these developments, the Kremlin is freshly warning Western strategists to 'stop and think' before leading the world to the brink of disaster by confronting nuclear-armed Russia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova statedThursday, "European elites are positioning themselves as leaders in the confrontation between the 'collective West' and our country," Zakharova said.

"They likely don't realize that all this entails not only creating threats and problems for Russia, but also a significant depletion of resources and the creation of hotbeds of military tension within Europe itself," she added.

She also underscored how pursuing peace with Russia was glaringly absent NATO proceedings at the Turkey summit. "A constructive agenda remains a low priority for NATO," the Kremlin spokesperson continued.

"It's a shame that if NATO strategists had stopped and reflected, they might not have made such irresponsible decisions that could lead to disaster not only for the alliance, but for the entire world," she said.

Prominent Russian writer and political philosopher Alexander Dugin has also commented, "The summit of NATO is a clear sign of all spectrum escalation. The growth of Russophobia and new phase of war against Iran."

Indeed both the Ukraine and Iran conflict theatres are growing hotter once again, and there's simultaneous escalation. Dugin has also warned that the "MoU is over. The new phase of the war begins. The escalation with Russia is going to grow."

Next Up: Cyclospora Parasite

This State Is Ground Zero For The "Explosive" Diarrhea Parasite As Cases Explode 400%

 TYLER DURDEN

Michigan is getting hit hardest in a fast-spreading nationwide outbreak of a stomach parasite, with cases exploding more than fourfold in a matter of days.

The state saw infections skyrocket from 170 to 681 by Monday, the biggest single jump reported anywhere in the country,according to health officials.

New York has logged 120 cases since May 1, a state official told The Post, while Texas has confirmed 48 cases as of Monday. Illinois has also seen a sharp rise, with reports ranging from 11 to 80 cases through mid-June, according to CDC data.

Michigan health authorities, who are investigating what they call a "large and growing outbreak," now put the state's count at roughly 700 as of Monday - about 13 to 14 times Michigan's typical annual total of 40 to 50 cases. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive, said the cases are concentrated in eight southeast Michigan counties: Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson, Oakland, and Livingston.

Federal officials have urged caution about linking the spikes together. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is "no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking cases" being reported now, and the Food and Drug Administration said it was "not in a position at this time to characterize the current numbers as definitively unusual" while its investigation continues. Nationally, the CDC counted 145 cases across 17 states between May 1 and June 16 - a tally that excludes Michigan's surge - with 20 hospitalizations and no deaths, in patients ranging in age from 5 to 86. Ohio, not among the states the outbreak was first reported in, has separately confirmed at least 177 cases this year.

Many people who catch the parasite - called cyclosporiasis - show no symptoms at all. But for those who do, it's brutal. Those who catch the parasite experience watery, "explosive" diarrhea that can leave victims running to the bathroom dozens of times a day, along with severe cramping, vomiting, nausea, fatigue and fever.

The illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite that spreads through food or water contaminated with feces - most often fresh produce - and is not known to spread from person to person, because the parasite needs one to two weeks outside the body to become infectious. It is treated with the oral antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sold as Bactrim, typically over a 10-day course; untreated, symptoms can last from a few days to more than a month and may relapse. The CDC advises washing all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking.

Return To War: Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles At Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, After US Struck 170 Iranian Targets

Return To War: Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles At Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, After US Struck 170 Iranian Targets

 TYLER DURDEN

Just as the US nighttime strikes were significantly bigger than prior rounds in June, so has Iran's 'retaliation' been bigger - chiefly on Gulf states and American bases there.

In the overnight and Thursday daytime hours, Iranian ballistic missiles and drones have targeted Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and even faraway Jordan. The country is reporting that it has intercepted several missiles, which targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base - jointly operated by US and Jordanian forces. Oil prices have persisted above prewar levels on Thursday.

"Jordan has intercepted eight Iranian missiles in its airspace after sirens sounded across the country, according to the armed forces," reports Al Jazeera. "Falling shrapnel did not cause any casualties or material damage, it added."

Following the US bombing of the Islamic Republic for a second consecutive night, which came after Iranian forces sought to enforce its own shipping route and protocol on the Strait of Hormuz (which saw several international vessels attacked), Tehran has newly confirmed it in turn struck "US bases and strategic centers” in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.

In particular the IRGC has claimed that two US bases in Kuwait and two base in Bahrain were attacked - and the Iranian elite force is threatening more to come. US Central Command (CENTCOM) says the rate of its strikes have grown to about 14 times the number of targets hit in the last late June flare-up in fighting.

According to the figures cites in the NY Times:

U.S. forces have struck more than 170 Iranian military targets in the past two days, including air defense systems, drone and missile storage sites, military speed boats, and logistics infrastructure along the coast near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.S. Central Command. 

CENTCOM released footage of some of the fresh strikes:

In some instances civilian infrastructure like rail lines and bridges have reportedly been hit, which marks a return to the opening months of Operation Epic Fury, when targets all across the country were damaged or obliterated.

Little that's confirmable in the way of damage has come out of the Gulf states at this point: 

Kuwait said that it had intercepted three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones early Thursday morning and that falling debris had injured one person and caused material damage. Bahrain’s military said it had intercepted and destroyed several drones and missiles after Iran launched attacks on Thursday.

Iran also said that it had launched an attack in Qatar, a key mediator in Iran’s talks with the United States. The Qatari authorities did not confirm any strikes but did issue a public security alert early this morning that it later lifted.

Iranian state sources have said the two days of renewed American attacks have killed 14 people and wounded 78. The casualty count could be much higher given that strikes and counterstrikes could be extended as an offramp becomes more elusive. Explosions have been observed along the Iranian coast, including Bushehr, Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik.

More....

Iran fires 10 missiles at Jordan after US strikes reported near Bushehr nuclear plant

Iran fires 10 missiles at Jordan after US strikes reported near Bushehr nuclear plant

TOI STAFF

Iran fired missiles into Jordan as it targeted US military infrastructure across the Middle East after the American military carried out another wave of strikes on Iran, including attacks that Iran said hit near the perimeter area of the Bushehr nuclear plant.

Tit-for-tat attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran since it was first introduced in April, but hostilities have steadily escalated in recent days, and continued to do so on Thursday, when Iran targeted Bahrain — home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters — Kuwait, and Qatar with multiple rounds of missile fire.

After that, Iran fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state media.

Jordan said earlier that it had intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran, with no casualties or damage reported, according to the state news agency. Sirens had sounded in Jordan, which hosts US troops and aircraft.

The Revolutionary Guards said US bases in the region would be targeted if “US aggression” was repeated.

Meanwhile in Iran, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted a local official as accusing the US of carrying out strikes near the country’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Iran fired missiles into Jordan as it targeted US military infrastructure across the Middle East after the American military carried out another wave of strikes on Iran, including attacks that Iran said hit near the perimeter area of the Bushehr nuclear plant.

Tit-for-tat attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran since it was first introduced in April, but hostilities have steadily escalated in recent days, and continued to do so on Thursday, when Iran targeted Bahrain — home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters — Kuwait, and Qatar with multiple rounds of missile fire.

After that, Iran fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state media.

Jordan said earlier that it had intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran, with no casualties or damage reported, according to the state news agency. Sirens had sounded in Jordan, which hosts US troops and aircraft.

The Revolutionary Guards said US bases in the region would be targeted if “US aggression” was repeated.

US launches 2nd night of strikes against Iran

US launches 2nd night of strikes against Iran, as Israel said bracing for war to restart

Stav Levaton

The United States launched fresh strikes on Iran late Wednesday and into early Thursday morning after striking Iranian targets a day earlier in retaliation for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which the Islamic Republic responded to by attacking sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The Israeli defense establishment was reportedly keeping a close eye on the rising tensions, amid concerns the fighting could quickly escalate and draw Israel back in.

Israeli television also reported the US was returning its refueling planes to the region, after they were removed during the ceasefire that began in early April. Some of the planes, whose presence is a potential signal of the war restarting, were previously parked at Ben Gurion Airport.

According to Channel 12 news, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz were holding a security consultation on Wednesday evening, a day after the US and Iran resumed attacks.

Tehran fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the US to hit Iranian targets overnight Tuesday-Wednesday and Iran to retaliate against US targets in the Gulf. Iranian state media reported that eight members of the Iranian navy and air force were killed in US attacks on southern parts of the country, in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr.

On Wednesday, following those strikes, lead mediator Pakistan urged restraint. But both the US and Iran used bellicose rhetoric, with Iran threatening to close the strait and US President Donald Trump first declaring that the memorandum of understanding between the countries was “over,” then sending mixed signals over whether, or how much, fighting would continue.

“I don’t think it’s going to start again. I think it’s going to go very quickly. They hit a couple of ships, and so we hit them much harder,” Trump said Wednesday during a press conference at the conclusion of a NATO summit in Ankara.

“Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly, and we’ll only make it safer — including for oil,” Trump stressed, adding that the US has managed to get significant amounts of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz since the MOU was reached last month.

“We’re not looking for long-term,” Trump said. He then said, paradoxically, “I’m not sure I want to make a deal. Let’s just finish the job.”

In Truth Social posts accompanying images he shared of what he indicated were US strikes in Iran, which he called “retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump warned, “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”

One of the photographs he posted was apparently not from the latest strikes.

In further remarks, Trump later claimed Iran “called a little while ago, they want to make a deal so badly.”

“I just don’t if they are worthy of making a deal. I don’t know if they are going to honor a deal, that’s the problem,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Asked why Iran would attack commercial ships if it wants to reach an agreement as he claimed, Trump said, “they’re sort of a crazy. They’re a little bit out of control, but they want to make a deal — badly.”

He again warned Iran against attacking US targets, saying “every time they hit us we’re going to hit them twenty[fold].” Trump stressed he did not know if the sides were heading toward a full resumption of activities.

US Vice President JD Vance also said that the US would “knock the hell out of” Iran if it kept firing at ships.

“The basic deal that we cut was we’ll lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships — but if you shoot at ships, we are going to punch back, and we’re going to punch back harder than ever before,” he said at an event, according to CNN.

While the most recent exchange of fire has remained confined to the Gulf and has not spilled over into Israel, Jerusalem is preparing for multiple scenarios, given concerns that the situation could deteriorate rapidly, Channel 12 reported.

The IDF has reportedly raised its level of readiness across the board, maintaining both defensive and offensive preparations. The military was said to have operational plans ready, fighter jets armed and on standby, and target banks prepared based on updated intelligence.

The report added that the IDF is maintaining close coordination with US Central Command to ensure Israel is prepared for any sudden escalation and was not caught by surprise. The escalation with Iran is likely being seen as a welcome development in Israel, which was not a party to the US-Iran talks, has been wary of them, and has sought to further weaken Tehran’s military and regime.

More..