New US strikes on Iran raise fears of wider war as Tehran issues stark warning

New US strikes on Iran raise fears of wider war as Tehran issues stark warning

Associated Press

President Donald Trump said the U.S. military on Friday carried out new limited strikes on Iran, targeting its air defense systems. Iranian state media reported the sound of two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, which is in the crucial waterway for oil shipments.

Trump in an exchange with reporters described the military action as "minor."

“They knocked out — they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five," Trump told reporters shortly after arriving in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening.

Against this backdrop, Iran's military warned Saturday that its forces were stronger than at the beginning of the war and prepared to respond immediately to any attack, without geographical restrictions.

"The armed forces of the Islamic Republic are now on higher alert and more powerful than they were at the beginning of the war," military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

"On the orders of the supreme leader, any response by the armed forces will be immediate, effective and without geographical limits," he added.

The U.S. military also reported carrying out what it described as defensive strikes on Monday. Explosions were heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas.

Iran's military also claimed to have destroyed a U.S. military drone over Qeshm Island following the reported explosions Friday night, according to Iranian media. The claim could not be independently verified.

Earlier Friday, two Middle East government officials said Iran was reviewing proposals presented by chief mediator Qatar aimed at addressing differences with the United States about Tehran’s nuclear program.

But one of the officials stressed that the Iranians, at least at the moment, remain unwilling to engage in negotiations with the Trump administration over its atomic activities until the U.S. agrees to several core conditions that Iran has been demanding be part of any ceasefire agreement.

Iran insists on several concessions before nuclear talks

The White House declined to comment about the Qatari-presented proposals on Iran's nuclear program, but Trump noted earlier Friday in an exchange with reporters that mediators' discussions with Iran continue.

“We are talking to Iran. We have been,” said Trump, who insists the U.S. military remains in control of the conflict with a battered Iran.

Yet, Tehran insists on several concessions from the U.S., which Trump has declined in the past. Among the core demands Iran says must be met before engaging in nuclear talks: ending the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, issuing compensation for war damage, and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.

Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia reiterated Saturday that Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy shipments, only if Washington accepted its conditions.

Qataris and Iranians discuss a bridge deal to get to nuclear talks

Mediators and Iran have discussed a potential bridge deal aimed at helping pave the way for further talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, according to regional officials.

They said the proposal, which was recently presented to the two sides by Qatari mediators, called for implementing trust-building measures over the course of two days.

These measures include lifting the U.S. blockade and releasing some of the billions of dollars in Iranian frozen funds seized over the years as part of a U.S. campaign to isolate Iran over its nuclear program. In return, Tehran would allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors at its sites bombed by the U.S. and Israel, the officials said.

On the second day, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in line with a modified agreement that Iran and Oman have reached on the waterway but has not been approved by the United States, the officials said. That mechanism would be temporary until a permanent deal is reached on the strait in cooperation with other Gulf countries, they said.

Following the implementation of the measures, the U.S. and Iran would embark on extensive talks addressing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium as well as other aspects of its program, the officials said.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Diplomatic efforts pick up following US election

A flurry of diplomatic phone calls in recent days between leaders in the Persian Gulf and beyond has been aimed at easing tensions in the region. Concerns have mounted over the possibility that Trump could still order the U.S. military to carry out new strikes against Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke on Friday with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, about developments, according to the Qatari government.

The Qatari government announced the call between the countries’ defense officials after confirming earlier Friday that Trump and Qatar’s emir had a separate call to discuss efforts to deescalate tensions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held phone calls with his Iraqi and Tunisian counterparts on Friday to discuss tensions in the region. Araghchi discussed with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein Tehran’s vision for resuming negotiations with the U.S., according to Iraq’s News Agency.

Eisenkot pushes for emergency government

Eisenkot pushes for emergency government

Israel National News

Yashar Party chairman Gadi Eisenkot said Friday that significant progress had been made in negotiations to establish a national emergency government, expressing hope that President Isaac Herzog would grant him the mandate to form the next government early next week.

In a lengthy statement published on social media ahead of Shabbat, Eisenkot warned that Israel was facing a national emergency and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of endangering the country's democratic institutions by remaining in office.

"Israel is facing a genuine, tangible, and dangerous national emergency. The current government threatens the very foundations of Israeli democracy, no less. All this while the various fronts of the war remain active and are themselves subject to political and personal whims. Israel is already in the midst of a dangerous diplomatic tsunami."

Eisenkot said he had been working with his political partners in recent days to advance a plan for quickly forming a government based on four Zionist parties committed to political change, while allowing additional factions and Knesset members to join if they accepted his principles.

"We must quickly establish stable and responsible leadership, prevent another round of elections, and stop outgoing Prime Minister Netanyahu from clinging to power. His dangerous determination to remain in the Prime Minister's Office has come at a heavy and dramatic cost, as we have witnessed with even greater intensity in recent days."

The Yashar chairman pointed to the consultations at the President's Residence as evidence that Netanyahu no longer commanded the support of a parliamentary majority.

"The consultations at the President's Residence painted a clear and unequivocal picture: An absolute majority of Knesset members support change and my serving as prime minister. By contrast, only 46 Knesset members support Benjamin Netanyahu remaining in office. In effect, 74 Knesset members have not expressed confidence in Netanyahu continuing as prime minister."

He warned against allowing Netanyahu to continue overseeing the country's security and law enforcement institutions while serving as caretaker prime minister.

"A situation in which a minority caretaker prime minister, who has lost the public's confidence so decisively, continues to control the defense establishment and law enforcement authorities is dangerous and must not be allowed to continue for even one more day."

Eisenkot insisted that replacing the government was consistent with the election results.

"This is the decision of the people. This is the will of the voters. This is the mandate we were given in the elections."

Addressing the ongoing coalition negotiations, Eisenkot said his team had conducted dozens of hours of discussions, including meetings that had not been publicly disclosed.

"I have found that my partners in the bloc understand the gravity of this moment. We have made significant progress and achieved breakthroughs, quietly and modestly, with much more happening behind the scenes than is publicly known."

He added, "That is how we operate. Not through media briefings or political spin."

Eisenkot expressed optimism that the negotiations would allow him to begin formally assembling a coalition in the coming days.

"I sincerely hope that early next week I will receive the mandate to form a government."

He reiterated that his proposed emergency government would be based on four principles: recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, acceptance of the values of the Declaration of Independence, mandatory military, national or civilian service for all, and recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization alongside a commitment to dismantle its military and governing capabilities.

Nothing Is Happening By Accident: France Is a Laboratory of the New World Order

France Is a Laboratory of the Elite’s New World Order

ByVigilant Citizen

The “student protests” in France were not protests, and those behind them were not students. Those who organized them operate in the shadows, and those who carry out their orders are better described as urban guerrillas.

French President Emmanuel Macron himself stated:

“Last Saturday we had political and seditious acts ​by ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic.”

Of course, Macron stating these words is rather ironic, as he is one of the architects of this mess. Indeed, his government engineered this situation through policies custom-made to “bring down the republic.”

Macron is one of Klaus Schwab’s “proteges.” Like Canada’s Justin Trudeau, these WEF-sponsored politicians enable nation-destroying policies such as massive, uncontrolled immigration. The slogan in this picture, “Committed to improving the state of the world,” could not be more ironic.

What’s happening in France is part of a diabolical plan, and the elite wants it to spread across the Western world. None of this is happening by accident, and it has all been carefully calculated.

To understand the wider picture, you must first understand the occult elite’s ultimate goal: to create a New World Order, characterized by a single world government, currency, culture, and religion. To achieve this goal, they must first break down nations from within and rebuild them “in their image,” inside a New World Order.

If you’ve wondered why some governments, from city mayors to Presidents of countries, seem to be actively working against their people, that is why. Powerful globalist entities such as the World Economic Forum and George Soros’ Open Society Foundation fund massively candidates sold to their agendas at every government level. The raison d’etre of these governments is simple: To oversee the destruction of their territories from within.

For countries to fully integrate into a New World Order, a drastic transformation must happen first: They must erase their national cultures, identities, histories, and traditions. All countries must adopt a single globalist culture with values that fit the elite’s authoritarian goals. France is particularly advanced in this multi-faceted process.

The first and crucial step to destabilize a country is to allow massive, uncontrolled immigration that goes beyond what it can absorb.

The elite are very aware of the profound effects of mass immigration on a country’s stability, economy, and social climate. They’ve conducted studies, and they’ve used models to simulate the outcome they desire. None of what they do is random or uncalculated.

Furthermore, by allowing a number of immigrants that is much greater than a country’s ability to absorb, the elite purposely creates a class of underprivileged (and often undocumented) people with lower living conditions and much fewer opportunities. This creates a fertile breeding ground for the elite to recruit foot soldiers to do their bidding.

Indeed, through “woke-style” propaganda, minorities are trained to resent their host country and become weaponized by the elite.

Another (very predictable) side-effect of mass immigration and its weaponization is the radicalization of the other side. Some French cities became the theatre of violent clashes between protesters and counter-protesters. Some described it as “left-wing versus right-wing” or even “communists against fascists.” Whatever the case may be, the net result is the elite’s favorite strategy: Divide and Conquer.

This is not to say that all immigration is bad. My parents are immigrants, so I’d be a bit of a hypocrite to be against it. However, there is a difference between controlled immigration and uncontrolled immigration, just as there’s a difference between drinking a glass of water and drowning in it.

What’s particularly ironic is that my parents immigrated from Lebanon because the country was in a civil war partly due to … mass immigration.

More...

Trump Acknowledges Targeted US Strikes on Iranian Air Defense Facility on Qeshm Island

Trump Acknowledges Targeted US Strikes on Iranian Air Defense Facility on Qeshm Island

Sputnik

The US military carried out a targeted strike on an Iranian air defense unit near Qeshm Island, disabling it, US President Donald Trump acknowledged.

"We do minor strikes, but they knock out. They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out for about 15 minutes, maybe 5," Trump told reporters when asked about US involvement in strikes near Qeshm Island overnight from Friday to Saturday

Earlier, the Press TV channel reported a series of explosions on Qeshm Island in southern Iran. State broadcaster IRIB later clarified that Iranian air defense forces had intercepted and destroyed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone in the area.

The Iranian military frequently reports the interception of various types of American drones.

On February 28, the United States and Israel began conducting strikes against targets in Iran, to which the Iranian side responded with its own strikes. Although there is currently a pause in the conflict, it remains unresolved, and there is a risk that hostilities could resume.

TV channels and more flights receive bomb threats on the third day of chaos

TV channels and more flights receive bomb threats on the third day of chaos

Sarah Hooper

After almost 30 planes were affected by bomb threats and forced to make emergency landings across Europe, new threats have been issued today.

Multiple Irish and British news organisations have been issued bomb threats today, along with other passenger flights in Europe.

British broadcaster Sky confirmed this afternoon it had received a security threat.

Newstalk in Ireland has gone off air after staff were evacuated due to bomb threats.

Also affected were RTÉ and the Irish Independent, along with a few unnamed news organisations based in the UK. A large police response is underway.

Sky, which is owned by Comcast, said in a statement: 

‘Sky was one of a number of media organizations that received a security threat.

We have carried out a security assessment and reported the matter to the relevant authorities. 

The safety and security of our colleagues is our primary concern, and we are working closely with authorities to ensure our people and operations remain secure. 

It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

France said four new bomb threats were made against aircraft flying over its territory on Friday.

All of the planes landed safely and bomb dispersal units are conducting inspections, with a probe underway to determine the origin of the threats affecting all of Europe, the prime minister’s office said.

Police in Denmark and the Czech Republic also investigated threats to air traffic today, while a Romanian plane received a bomb threat.

Czech Police wrote on X this morning: ‘Today, the threat to place an improvised explosive device on board a number of aircraft arriving at and departing from Prague is happening again.’

In the Danish capital Copenhagen, police said they were present at the airport for a second consecutive day ‘in connection with threats directed at air traffic’.

They said their immediate assessment was that there had been no danger to passengers or to others at the airport.

The German transport ministry said it is not aware of its airlines or airports being affected.

Earlier, a Ryanair flight from Rome to Lisbon (FR8196) was the subject of a bomb threat.

Portuguese police later confirmed no device was found on board.

Within the past hour, a WizzAir flight from Prague to Rome was forced to land in Venice after a threat. 

Yesterday, reports of explosives triggered evacuations and emergency searches of multiple planes heading to Milan, Rome, Sofia, Madrid, Copenhagen, Prague and other European cities.

A group called ‘Fighters of the Male State’ that threatened to ‘turn the sky red’ were behind the threats sent to Rome airport, which saw fighter jets intercept one plane before landing.

The reports yesterday were described as hoaxes after police forces and airports confirmed their searches so far have not discovered any genuine threats.