Russia: US-Israeli ‘military gamble’ has destabilized entire Middle East

US-Israeli ‘military gamble’ has destabilized entire Middle East – Moscow

RT

The US-Israeli attack on Iran has destabilized the entire Middle East and poses growing threats to all nations in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned on Thursday.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, Zakharova urged the attackers to “stop their aggression and return to the negotiations table” and reiterated Russia’s goal of seeking de-escalation as soon as possible.

Zakharova cited civilian deaths in Iran and elsewhere, damage to Iranian cultural heritage, the environmental harm caused by Israeli strikes on fuel storage facilities near Tehran, and other recent episodes rapidly escalating the cost of the attempt to topple the Iranian government through military force.

”The conflict is not under control and is spiraling out, which we predicted would happen and which causes deep concern. The US-Israeli military gamble in Iran has destabilized the entire Middle Eastern region,” the diplomat stressed.

”The hostilities, which evidently pose catastrophic risks – including environmental and radiological – to the region must be immediately stopped. A search for a diplomatic off-ramp must be renewed as soon as possible,” she added.

Zakharova cautioned against whitewashing the role the US and Israel played in igniting the war. She said that singling out Iranian attacks on non-military targets while ignoring similar tactics by its opponents was counterproductive.

”The Islamic Republic of Iran – just like any other nation – has the right to self-defense,” she said. “We consider unacceptable strikes on civilian targets and infrastructure in Iran, neighboring Arab nations, and everywhere else.”

The spokeswoman also ridiculed Western attempts to frame the bombing campaign as aimed at defending the Iranian people’s interests and bringing freedom and prosperity to their nation.

A Moment Of Reckoning Has Arrived For The Entire Global Economy

Thanks To The War In Iran, A Moment Of Reckoning Has Arrived For The Entire Global Economy

Michael Snyder

Global financial markets are starting to shake, and it is because of what is happening in the Middle East. At this stage, every day is a rollercoaster ride for investors, and that is not likely to change any time soon. 

The Iranians have paralyzed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and trying to reopen it by force is going to be exceptionally difficult to do. As you will see below, this is going to have enormous implications for every nation on the entire planet. We are in the early chapters of a major global crisis, and a tremendous amount of pain is ahead.

On Thursday, Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement in which he boldly declared that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed in order to “pressure the enemy”…

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said Thursday that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz maritime passage should be continued as a “tool to pressure the enemy,” in his first public statement since being appointed.

Khamenei also said all U.S. military bases in the Middle East should close immediately and “those bases will be attacked,” in televised comments translated by Reuters.

Oil prices extended gains following the statement, read out by a state TV broadcaster. The shipping of oil through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively stopped since the war began, causing global oil prices to soar. Iran warned on Wednesday that the price per barrel could climb to $200.

Needless to say, the Iranians are fully capable of carrying out Khamenei’s threats.

Several more vessels have been attacked within the past 48 hours, and that includes a U.S.-owned oil tanker that was completely destroyed…

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency also released a dramatic video apparently showing a missile strike on a U.S.-owned tanker in the Persian Gulf. The video shows a massive explosion on a vessel that is then engulfed in flames as people aboard what appears to be an IRGC attack boat celebrate. CBS News Confirmed identified the vessel as the Safesea Vishnu, a crude oil tanker sailing under a Marshall Islands flag, but owned by the New Jersey-based company Safesea Group LLC

Now that Iran has officially closed the Strait of Hormuz, it will be up to the U.S. military to try to reopen it.

This will not be an easy task.

In fact, some military experts are warning that it could take months to accomplish that goal…

Unblocking the Strait of Hormuz is shaping up as a remarkably complex and time-consuming task.

The fate of the global oil markets—and the global economy—rests on whether ships can traverse the 22-mile-wide waterway from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. More than 10 days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, there is no clear plan for reopening it. Military experts say the effort is so daunting it could take months to achieve, absent a fast and full cease-fire.

So exactly why will it be so difficult to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

As one expert has aptly noted, the Iranians are able to block traffic through the Strait in a multitude of different ways…

The problem is that the strait can’t be cleared solely through a bombing campaign, or an attack by destroyers. Iran’s navy has been severely depleted by the U.S., but the country doesn’t need large attack ships to scare commercial vessels away. Its weapons include mines, fast attack boats, missiles and drones. Layered on top of each other, they become exceptionally difficult to remove.

“They’ve created an integrated, vertical stack of threats that can cover the strait from undersea all the way to above the surface,” said Jonathan Schroden, chief research officer at the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded nonprofit that does research for the Navy.

If you take out all of their missiles, they would still have thousands of drones.

If you could somehow locate and eliminate all of the drones, they would still have their fast attack boats.

And even if you could eliminate all of their fast attack boats, they would still have thousands of naval mines.

My point is that this crisis is not going to be resolved easily.

And that is really, really bad news for the global economy.

Right now, approximately half of the available global fleet of liquified natural gas carriers is trapped in the Persian Gulf…

According to the WSJ, at least 20 LNG carriers about half the available global fleet – are trapped in the Persian Gulf, with daily freight costs soaring as demand from Asia surges, according to ship brokers.

This is a nightmare.

Liquified natural gas prices have already soared in Europe and in Asia, and this is probably only just the beginning…

Ship brokers said the 20 ships trapped in the Persian Gulf make up nearly half of all LNG ships currently available for charter, with daily rates rising to more than $200,000 from less than $98,000 before the start of the Iran hostilities.

Energy traders expect LNG prices to rise by early next week, adding to this week’s 40% rise in Asia and Europe. “The effect on LNG shipping will outlast the conflict for a few months,” Karathanos said.

Amid the scramble to procure LNG, more shipments bound for Europe are diverting to Asia. At least nine cargoes initially headed to Europe have changed course to Asia since the start of the fighting, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, with the trend accelerating in recent days. A buffer of spare supply is quickly drying up, threatening more competition and higher prices for both regions.

Meanwhile, a very large percentage of the nitrogen fertilizer that famers in the northern hemisphere are counting on is also stuck in the Persian Gulf region…

Nearly half the world’s traded urea — the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer — comes from the Gulf region, with Qatar accounting for one-tenth of the global supply, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

If we can’t get that fertilizer into the hands of the farmers that need it, we are going to have a massive problem on our hands.

Approximately half of the entire population of the world eats food that is grown using nitrogen fertilizer…

More....

Failed German 10 Year Government Bond Auction is a ‘Canary in a Coal Mine’

Failed German 10 Year Government Bond Auction is a ‘Canary in a Coal Mine’

Stan Szymanski

This is a short, but important article.

Short because there is not a ton of info out ‘there’ about the actual particulars of yesterday’s German Government bond auction.

Important, because when a 1st world sovereign power can’t sell enough debt to cover its stated needs, a canary just died in the coal mine-so to speak.

The publications of investing.com, gotrade.com and Bloomberg have articles up about the German Gov’t bond offering of one day ago. And yes, the war does have something to do with inflation and rates going up a bit. The above articles reported the rate of the new bond, but not much else. Big deal.

While on LinkedIn today, I ran across this repost of a post on ‘X’ by Holger Zschaepitz:

…’Good morning from Germany where today’s 10y govt bond auction technically failed (emphasis added). Of the €5bn on offer, investors submitted bids for only €4.5bn. In the end, just €3.8bn was placed, at a yield of 2.89%; noticeably higher than the 2.73% achieved at the previous auction in February.’…(Holger Zschaepitz @ Schuldensuehner on ‘X’)

If what Mr. Zschaepitz claims is true then the German Government 10 year bond auction really did fail. When a sovereign government offers €5 billion for sale and investor bids for the bond only add up to €4.5 billion that means that there is not even enough investor interest to fund the stated needs of the German government of €5 billion.

What happens when a sovereign government can’t even raise enough investor interest just to meet the total offer in the auction? Maybe they can’t retire maturing bonds. Maybe they can’t service all the interest they owe on their national debt. Maybe some government offices or programs shut down.

Maybe it signals the catastrophic nature of a worldwide system of fiat debt that has come to the end of the road and perhaps, Germany is first in a long line of dominoes to fall. Perhaps a nation like Japan, whose national debt is sky high is next.

Maybe investors (and other sovereign nations) are starting to ask the question: Why buy bonds of debt ridden countries when, at least for now-gold is available?

A failed sovereign government bond auction is a canary in a coal mine. It’s warning signal is echoing in the world’s gold mines.

Wave of Antisemitic Attacks Targets Synagogues Across U.S., Canada, and Europe

Wave of Antisemitic Attacks Targets Synagogues Across U.S., Canada, and Europe

Emmitt Barry

A troubling wave of antisemitic incidents has struck Jewish communities across the United States, Canada, and Europe over the past week, prompting heightened security and renewed warnings from officials.

In suburban Detroit on Thursday, a man drove a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the largest Reform synagogue in North America, before opening fire on security guards. One security official was wounded before the suspect was killed, authorities said.

Children from the synagogue’s nursery school were evacuated while police from multiple agencies cleared the building. Jewish leaders praised the quick response of security staff and law enforcement for preventing further casualties.

At the same time, Canadian authorities are investigating three separate shootings at synagogues in the Greater Toronto Area within one week.

The attacks targeted Temple Emanu-El in North York on March 2, Beth Avraham Yoseph in Thornhill on March 7, and Shaarei Shomayim in North York later the same night. No injuries were reported, but bullet holes and shell casings were found at the sites.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli urged Canada’s government to take stronger action, warning the incidents represent a serious escalation of antisemitic violence.

In Europe, authorities are investigating an explosion outside a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, which officials called a “despicable antisemitic act.” The blast caused damage to nearby buildings and triggered increased security around Jewish institutions across several European countries.

Security officials say the attacks reflect a growing global pattern of antisemitism targeting Jewish communities and places of worship.

Jewish organizations say they remain vigilant but determined to continue practicing their faith openly despite rising threats.

Prophetic Perspective

The prophet Jeremiah foretold a time when the Jewish people would be gathered back to their ancient homeland after centuries of dispersion. In Book of Jeremiah 16:14–16, the Lord says He will send “hunters” who pursue them from every mountain and hill. Throughout history, persecution has repeatedly driven Jewish communities from nation to nation. Today, as antisemitism rises again in parts of the world, many students of prophecy see a sobering pattern: hostility toward the Jewish people often becomes one of the forces pushing them back to Israel. Yet Scripture reminds us that God is watching over His covenant purposes, and the same Bible that foretells Israel’s return also declares that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse will face judgment.

Europe On High Alert After Belgium Synagogue Blast As Iran War Fuels Security Fears

IDF launches wave of strikes in Beirut; chief of staff says northern campaign ‘will not be short'

IDF launches wave of strikes in Beirut; chief of staff says northern campaign ‘will not be short'

Elisha Ben Kimon

The Israeli military said Thursday afternoon it had begun a wave of strikes against Hezbollah terror infrastructure across Beirut, as fighting with the Iran-backed group intensified.

According to reports, strikes were carried out in Beirut’s Dahieh district — a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburbs of the capital. Reuters reported that one strike occurred in the heart of the city, hitting a building less than a kilometer from the Lebanese government headquarters

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that 687 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in the country since March 2.

Footage published in Lebanon showed a massive traffic jam as residents evacuated toward the city of Sidon after the Israel Defense Forces ordered the immediate evacuation of all areas in southern Lebanon south of the Zahrani River — a region that Reuters said accounts for about 10% of the country’s territory.

Earlier Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited Northern Command alongside Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and other senior officers, the military said.

During the visit, Zamir conducted a situational assessment and received an operational briefing on the fighting against Hezbollah. The IDF said the chief of staff instructed commanders to reinforce the northern sector and deploy additional forces there.

“This campaign will not be short,” Zamir said during remarks at the command. “We will bring additional order of battle and capabilities to the north. We will continue operating with great force. We keep moving forward.”

At the start of his remarks, Zamir said Israel is facing a “multi-front war.”

“We are operating simultaneously against Iran and its proxies and acting with great force against the regime of evil,” he said. “Every blow to Iran weakens all of its proxies. The war against Hezbollah is another main arena, not a secondary one.”

“Let there be no confusion — we are fighting absolute evil. We must not allow our enemies to sow demoralization among us. We will continue operating in the north with force and will reinforce the troops. Hezbollah made a grave mistake and will continue to pay a heavy price.”

Zamir also criticized the Lebanese government. “The government of Lebanon is not enforcing its authority in its territory — therefore we will do so,” he said.

Of the hundreds of rockets fired at Israel the previous night, Zamir said only two struck Israeli territory, calling it “a very significant achievement.”

He said Northern Command’s operations, advance preparations and decisive actions had produced strong results.

“Dozens of terrorists were killed, most launchers were neutralized after firing, and we struck dozens of structures in the heart of Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure in Beirut,” Zamir said. “We also located and eliminated the commander of the Imam Hussein Division and his deputy, along with many of the division’s staff officers.”

After the strike in Dahieh, many Hezbollah operatives fled to other hiding places in Beirut among the civilian population, Zamir said.

“We will continue to defend our citizens everywhere and from everywhere,” he said, adding that Northern Command had been reinforced with hundreds of additional soldiers, intelligence officers and intelligence-gathering and fire capabilities.