Iran conveyed its ‘conditions’ to US – source

Iran conveyed its ‘conditions’ to US – source

RT

Iran has conveyed its conditions to the US through intermediaries after Washington recently sent new proposals to Tehran, a political source in the Iranian capital has told RT.

The reported contacts come amid renewed regional efforts to revive diplomacy after last week’s flare-up, when the US carried out several rounds of strikes on Iran and Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on American military facilities in Jordan and Bahrain.

“Following the halt of negotiations resulting from US breaches of commitments and its repeated failures in military engagements, the US has recently conveyed proposals to Tehran through mediators,” the source said.

Given Washington’s “repeated violations” and “constant fluctuations in its positions,”Tehran responded by conveying its own conditions to the intermediaries, the source added.

The source did not disclose the details of either the American proposals or the Iranian conditions, but said mediators “continue to talk to both parties.”

Tehran has been pushing Washington to honor the commitments outlined in the June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but the US is now reportedly seeking a new, broader agreement covering both the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program, the Financial Times reported last week.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities were themselves the main obstacle to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arguing that Washington was responsible for the resulting lack of access while simultaneously using the issue to increase pressure on Tehran.

“The ball has long been in the US court,” Baqaei said, adding that Washington must end its military attacks, economic sanctions and naval blockade if it wants to resolve the confrontation.

“Diplomacy is a dynamic and continuous process,” the spokesman said, noting that delegations from Oman and Pakistan have visited Iran in recent weeks, while Qatari representatives held talks with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Sunday.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told CNN that Doha had put forward several ideas and was exploring different scenarios aimed at addressing the concerns of both sides.

Tehran and Muscat have meanwhile reported significant progress on a separate arrangement for a temporary safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have stressed, however, that such an agreement would not amount to the full reopening of the strategic waterway, as Washington has claimed.

Fall of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk May Speed Donbass Liberation & Boost Russia’s Clout in Talks

Fall of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk May Speed Donbass Liberation & Boost Russia’s Clout in Talks - Expert

Sputnik

The renewed US diplomatic push for a settlement in Ukraine is driven by recognition that the country's defenses are crumbling with Russian forces breaching the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk fortified area, veteran military analyst Viktor Litovkin tells Sputnik.

The fall of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk - the last major cities of the Donetsk People’s Republic still under Ukrainian control – “would mark a strategic breakthrough for Russia,” the analyst says.

These are major industrial hubs with vital infrastructure and transport arteries, including railways and highways linking Donbass to central Ukraine

The heavily fortified zone served as former headquarters for Ukrainian operations against the Donbass 

The loss of this fortified area would strip Ukraine’s military of the ability to mount serious resistance on this axis

Liberation of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk would dramatically change the tactical picture: 

Russian forces would gain operational space to advance deeper into Ukraine, pushing westward toward the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions 

Ukraine would lose key logistics hubs *Defenses across the entire Donbass front would likely crumble 

The path would open to the complete liberation of the Donbass

Commenting the visit by US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia, the analyst notes that situation must end on Russia’s terms, “addressing the root causes of the conflict.”

“First and foremost, that means eliminating neo-Nazism in Ukraine and militarism,” adds the pundit

Israel's Lebanon decision could reshape Hezbollah, send message to Iran

Israel's Lebanon decision could reshape Hezbollah, send message to Iran

Zvika Haimovich

In recent weeks, the Ali al-Taher Ridge has become much more than a geographical point in southern Lebanon. It has become a symbol of a broader struggle over Hezbollah's future, its ability to preserve its military infrastructure and the question of whether the organization can still dictate the rules of the game in southern Lebanon and the country as a whole. Iran is now also being drawn into the confrontation over the ridge.

The ridge's importance stems first and foremost from its topography and its proximity to Beaufort Castle and the major city of Nabatiyeh. It commands broad swaths of southern Lebanon, giving whoever controls it a significant advantage. Over the past 20 years, Hezbollah has built extensive underground infrastructure there, ranging from storage sites for what it regards as game-changing weapons to staging areas from which forces could covertly prepare for an attack on Israel.

The battle over the ridge, therefore, is not a fight over a hill. It is an effort to strike one of the centers of gravity of the military system Hezbollah has built. Taking it away would deprive the organization of a critical element of both its operational doctrine and its capabilities.

If Hezbollah loses its ability to hold strategic areas south of the Litani River, and this is where the complete destruction of the infrastructure is particularly important, to prevent the organization from returning and rebuilding after the Israel Defense Forces withdraw, it will have to make a choice. It can continue fighting over every foothold, at the cost of further attrition and damage, or it can adapt to a new reality in which the Lebanese Armed Forces and other international actors demand that it gradually relinquish all of its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah's dilemma is a choice between alternatives that are both bad from its perspective. A withdrawal or the surrender of a significant strategic asset could be interpreted within Lebanon and among Hezbollah supporters as an admission of defeat.

On the other hand, insisting on maintaining a military presence in southern Lebanon could lead to continued confrontation with Israel, further destruction of the terrorist organization's infrastructure and growing pressure from the Lebanese state and the international community.

The struggle over the Ali al-Taher Ridge is taking place alongside diplomatic efforts to advance a broader agreement under which Hezbollah would be required to disarm and transfer control of certain areas to the Lebanese state. Iran understands the significance as well. That is the backdrop to the messages Tehran has conveyed through the US warning of the possibility of a significant Iranian response if IDF operations in the area continue.

Despite reports, it is far from certain that Iranian personnel were present at the compound. But the fact that the site is now abandoned gives Israel an opportunity to eliminate a significant piece of infrastructure and keep Hezbollah trapped in its current dilemma.

As Hezbollah and its Iranian patron reach a crossroads, Israel also faces a decision.

Dragging out the destruction of the infrastructure across the entire ridge could be perceived as hesitation and as evidence that Iranian threats have deterred Israel from acting. It could also generate mounting international pressure and ultimately lead to an Israeli withdrawal before the mission has been completed.

The challenge is to ensure that eliminating this strategic infrastructure does not trigger a wider regional escalation at a particularly sensitive moment, amid the Jewish High Holidays, elections in Israel, elections in the US and the IDF's deployment across multiple fronts.

Israel must not be deterred from completely destroying the infrastructure on the ridge. This is a rare opportunity to cement the transformation Hezbollah is undergoing and to deal a significant blow to its assets south of the Litani River. The opportunity outweighs the risk.

If the loss of the Ali al-Taher Ridge becomes the starting point for a broader relinquishment of Hezbollah's military infrastructure in southern Lebanon, the ridge may one day be remembered as the place where a strategic shift in Hezbollah's status began, along with the process of its disarmament.

The Assertion That Bible Prophecy Is ‘Tertiary’ Has Caused Considerable Damage

The Assertion That Bible Prophecy Is ‘Tertiary’ Has Caused Considerable Damage Within The Body Of Christ

Jonathan Brentner

The general assumption in many Bible-believing churches is that Bible prophecy is far too controversial and divisive for it to be taught. A few churches in my area openly state on their websites that the subject is “tertiary,” or less important than other matters of our faith.

Sadly, most pastors and believers agree that Bible prophecy is tertiary, which Merriam-Webster defines as “of third rank, importance, or value.” The underlying assumption is that Scripture is less clear on this topic than other matters of the faith. Although most Christians accept this assertion as fact, it’s blatantly false.

Beliefs about the Rapture, the seven-year Tribulation, Israel’s restoration, and the Millennium rest on how one interprets God’s Word rather than on the words of the Bible. This is not only true in matters related to eschatology, the study of future things, but also in all matters of our faith.

For example, we readily accept the unmistakable clarity of the Lord’s words in John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Yet I know of many professing Christians who read this verse and yet claim that Jesus is not the only path to salvation. In some circles, the words of John 14:6 are far more contentious than our belief in the pre-Tribulation Rapture. Even when it comes to the gospel, many Christians do not accept the face-value meaning of the words.

The Unbiblical Basis of Replacement Theology

As for Israel’s place in Bible prophecy, what one believes is shaped by assumptions formed apart from the Biblical text.

For example, Augustine, an early church theologian, popularized Replacement Theology in the early fifth century AD. His belief that the church had replaced Israel in God’s prophetic program didn’t arise from the words of Scripture, but rather from his deep-seated antisemitism and acceptance of Platonism. He adhered to many of the beliefs of the ancient philosopher Plato, who taught that all matter was evil and only the unseen spiritual world was good. Hence, there could be no Millennium despite the clarity of Revelation 20:1-10.

To make God’s Word fit his errant beliefs, Augustine allegorized texts in which the Lord promised to restore a kingdom to Israel. He reinterpreted future Bible prophecy as allegory, a story with deeper hidden meanings whereby the characters, events, and settings in such narratives symbolize truths without stating them directly.

Augustine’s approach to prophetic texts directly contradicts what God said long ago: “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:9C-10).

Do those words sound like Someone who would reveal the future in allegories, which by their nature depend on human wisdom to understand?

When we allow the words of Scripture to signify what they meant when the authors recorded them, it confirms that the Lord will restore a kingdom to Israel, just as He repeatedly promised throughout His Word. It verifies that the church is not the fulfillment of God’s kingdom promises.

The Bible Is Clear About Israel’s Restoration

As for Israel’s future, Jeremiah 33:14-16 is just one example of well over a hundred Old Testament references that clearly and unmistakably prophesy Israel’s still-future restoration:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

If these words mean what they did when the Lord spoke them, and they do, they must refer to a future time of restoration for the nation of Israel. We know that since the days of Jeremiah to today, there has never been a time when they were true. The only other alternative to that of regarding the above passage as prophetic of Israel’s future is to reinterpret it as part of a grand narrative in which God was actually talking about the church (which did not even exist at the time), not Israel. Or, possibly ignore that such texts exist.

The Bible Is Clear About the Rapture

God’s Word is also remarkably clear about the Rapture. Consider the following verses also from John 14, where Jesus said this about His return to take us home: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

Based on all we know about the meaning of the above words and the Galilean marriage customs of the first century AD, of which the disciples were well aware, it’s clear that Jesus was prophesying of a time when He would come and take us to an actual physical location in His “Father’s house.” Paul later wrote that when Jesus appears, we go to glory (Colossians 3:4). Why do so many believers assign clarity to Jesus’ words in John 14:6 while denying His clear intent in 14:2-3?

Although widely ridiculed and dismissed as far too controversial to discuss in church, the New Testament says much about the event we call the “Rapture.” It is a sound Biblical doctrine.

Sadly, the assertion that Bible prophecy is tertiary has caused considerable damage within the body of Christ. Among other things, it has blinded believers to the abundance of signs signifying that we live in the last moments of the last days. Silence about all eternal realities in churches today has shifted many believers’ focus to temporary, earthbound aspirations that offer no hope for the perilous times in which we now live and no comfort for the tribulations of life in this vale of tears.

AI data centers are transforming rural land markets — and fueling a backlash

AI data centers are transforming rural land markets — and fueling a backlash

Tobias Burns

At a July protest against data centers in Lubbock, Texas, state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller took the microphone to share his concerns about data center land grabs in his home state. But what he said could apply to what’s happening in dozens of states across the U.S.

“When [data centers] first started popping up, nobody really knew much about them,” he said at the protest. “I found out real quick that they were taking up our very best farmland. ... And [developers] give sometimes 10 times the value, so it’s hard for farmers to turn that down.”

Nationwide, investments in computing power sparked by the new technology of artificial intelligence have set off a commercial land rush, sending property values soaring in unlikely and out-of-the-way places.

AI data centers house massive computer servers filled with powerful chips and systems that are needed to run AI models and workloads. The centers require vast amounts of electricity and water to power and cool the servers, and because of their large footprint, vast amounts of land.

Companies are racing into rural America to build not only data centers but facilities for the businesses constructing and servicing them. In locations across the country, entire secondary economies are popping up around technology construction sites, creating boom towns and transforming land uses.

In many cases, the transformation is pitting some of the largest corporations in the U.S., along with their backers on Wall Street, against local residents and communities, who are grappling with newfound competition for their space, infrastructure and natural resources.

Land purchases in the U.S. for future data centers reached about $6 billion in the first half of 2026 — a 79% increase from last year, according to commercial real estate firm Avison Young.

Data centers represent 27% of development sites in the U.S. this year. It’s the second-highest category after apartment buildings, outranking industrial buildings, office buildings, retail spaces and mixed-use developments, according to the firm.

And that’s just the data centers themselves. Commercial developments in directly related industries, such as water and power plants, and indirectly related sectors, such as housing construction for workers, likely put the total share of AI-driven land investment higher.

Comprehensive rural property price data correlated to data center and related industry construction is hard to come by. However, several reports and analyses indicate that in key data center areas commercial property values are skyrocketing.

That’s especially true for properties with dependable access to regional power grids. Last year, site costs in Northern Virginia and the Northeast surpassed $8 million per acre, according to real estate firm CBRE.

Reports of developers offering prices for powered land that are far above their accustomed values are almost becoming common, despite their targeted, site-specific applicability.

In Loudoun County, Virginia, a data center developer reportedlyoffered $4.4 million per acre for land.

“Median land prices in Northern Virginia are nowhere close to those figures,” a July brief from the National Association of Home Builders says, citing data showing the median price in Loudoun County in 2025 was $125,000 per acre.

“Home builders cannot bid in that market, because a builder’s land budget is capped by what home buyers can afford,” the NAHB says. “A data center operator faces no such constraint. The result is not more expensive homes on that parcel. It is no homes at all.”

Residents in many communities are worried that the data centers will create a drain on water and energy infrastructure and that electricity prices for all customers would be raised to cover the costs of powering the data centers.

Pennsylvania farmer Bobbi Thompson said she’s concerned about pressure on local water resources,
as cloud computing company CoreWeave builds a data centerin Lancaster, less than 20 miles from her Mount Joy Township home.

“Where is all the water coming from?” Thompson said. “What does that mean for us as a community?”

Concerns about rising electricity costs are not unfounded. Existing and forecast data center load growth is “the primary reason” for “high prices” within electricity capacity markets, according to a May report from Monitoring Analytics, the group that monitors the PJM market, a wholesale electricity transmission region covering all or parts of 13 states in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest.

The report says that “data center load growth resulted in a combined total increase in capacity market revenues” of $23.1 billion from auctions through 2028.

Many residents are also concerned about the general loss of open land to private commercial use. 

“It’s a little depressing, as far as the outlook, to physically see the farmland go away,” said Lindsey Dodge, a resident of Boise, Idaho.

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