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Iran says its armed forces ready ‘more than in the past’ if war renews with US

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Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participate in a military exercise aimed at “increasing combat capabilities” in Tehran province, Iran, on May 12, 2026. [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Anadolu Agency]

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that the readiness of the country’s armed forces today “is more than in the past,” claiming Tehran will use “different” types of weapons in case of a renewed war with the US and Israel.

“The best reason for this issue is that despite the use of its vast capacity on land, sea and air, America could not remove the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s control even for a few minutes,”

Sardar Mohebbi said in a statement carried by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

Mohebbi said Tehran is ready for “all possible scenarios,” adding that Washington “failed to achieve its goals” in the Strait of Hormuz during the latest round of the conflict.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with attacks targeting Israel and US allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Efforts for a solution, however, have continued since.

READ: Iranian military headquarters warns of retaliation if Beirut’s southern suburbs are attacked

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingIran says its armed forces ready ‘more than in the past’ if war renews with US

As Israel encroaches upon Gaza, the UN should be reckoning with its colonial complicity

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Palestinian worshippers gather to perform the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) prayer near the ruins of the Yarmouk Mosque, which was destroyed in Israeli attacks, in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, Palestine, on May 27, 2026. [Saeed M. M. T. Jaras – Anadolu Agency]

by Ramona Wadi  walzerscent

“A hundred percent of Gaza should be for the Palestinian people, right? That’s what we want to see. And we’ve been calling on Israel to pull back from its occupation from the so-called yellow line and that will continue to be our position,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated last week.

Dujarric’s comments were uttered after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he ordered the Israeli military to encroach further on Gaza, to 70 percent of the territory. The Yellow Line, which Dujarric mentioned, is already an expired demarcation, while the Orange Line, recently briefly making news headlines, is the physically unmarked border that will determine Israel’s entire military occupation of Gaza. Further Israeli colonial expansion has the backing of the US Board of Peace, led by Nickolay Mladenov, who has already absolved Israel from not keeping to the ceasefire terms since Hamas refused to disarm.

Since Mladenov’s narrative remained unchallenged, Netanyahu does not even have to justify Israel’s military occupation of Gaza, which sets the scene for recolonising the area.

Mladenov already warned that Hamas would be blamed for any repercussions after refusing to disarm, bringing the narrative back to the start of the genocide. For the UN, the deception works well. It allows Israel’s ongoing security narrative unlimited and unwarranted justification. Hamas takes the blame for Israel’s military occupation, and the UN maintains relevance through its humanitarian paradigm for a while longer.

UN officials can embellish their rhetoric, but their credibility has long been pulverised. If one goes back to history, as should be done, ignoring Palestinian self-determination to vote for partition in 1947 represents the foundations of the lie upon which all UN rhetoric is based. Palestine has been repeatedly throttled by the UN to pave the way for Zionist colonial encroachment.

READ: The EU’s fragmented focus rewards colonial violence

The Yellow Line, which Dujarric referred to, was only the beginning of the visible manifestation of Israel’s territorial appropriation. Calling upon Israel to pull back from the Yellow Line when military occupation has already expanded ignores the fact that Israel had already moved past the demarcation which was linked to purportedly rebuilding Gaza.

The question, therefore, is not what the UN’s spoken position is, but what lies beneath its rhetoric, which can be linked to decades of the international community’s approval and endorsement of various forms of Israeli colonial violence.

The Yellow Line and the Orange Line are not just demarcations; they are proof of Israel’s ongoing forced transfer of the Palestinian people. Genocide was the first step; military occupation of utterly destroyed territory is the second. Instead of talking about the Yellow Line, for example, can UN spokespersons and officials recognise the political implications of the Palestinian people’s forced displacement from Gaza? Can UN officials speak of Palestinians outside of the humanitarian paradigm, or as appendages to what Israel is planning for Gaza? What the UN allegedly wants is not the main issue here, and neither should it be. Palestinians are being forced out of Gaza and restricted into a humanitarian paradigm that robbed them of rights alongside land. That is what Dujarric should have addressed – the forced absence of the Palestinian people’s political agency, which facilitates ongoing colonisation, as the UN envisaged since 1947.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingAs Israel encroaches upon Gaza, the UN should be reckoning with its colonial complicity

Solidarity rally held in Gaza in support of Palestinian prisoners

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A group of Palestinian prisoners released by Israeli forces arrive in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Palestine, through the International Committee of the Red Cross, on May 27, 2026. [Khalil Ramzi Alkahlut – Anadolu Agency]

Dozens of Palestinians gathered on Monday outside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and to protest conditions inside detention facilities.

According to Anadolu Agency, the rally was organized by the Prisoners’ Committee of the National and Islamic Forces and was attended by former prisoners, representatives of Palestinian factions, activists, and relatives of detainees.

Participants carried photographs of prisoners and banners calling on the international community to intervene and address conditions inside Israeli prisons.

Demonstrators also raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans calling for the release of prisoners. Participants stressed that the prisoners’ issue remains a central concern despite the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Former prisoner Abdel-Moati Abdel-Rabbu told Anadolu Agency that Palestinians continue to hold weekly solidarity gatherings every Monday outside the Red Cross headquarters in support of prisoners.

According to Abdel-Rabbu, prisoners are facing what he described as an unprecedented campaign inside Israeli prisons. He said that female prisoners are subjected to “humiliating strip searches,” sleep deprivation, and restrictions affecting food and medical care.

Abdel-Rabbu stated that “every prisoner, male and female, has a heartbreaking story of suffering.”

READ: Egypt warns of wider regional escalation amid Israeli escalations in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Lebanon

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingSolidarity rally held in Gaza in support of Palestinian prisoners

Palestine’s supreme judge: Israeli bill to restrict Muslim call to prayer an attack on freedom of worship

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Mahmoud Al-Habbash, advisor to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaks during the 19th International Muslim Forum at the Moscow Central Mosque in Moscow, Russia on December 12, 2023. [Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images]

The Supreme Judge of Palestine and Presidential Adviser for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash said on Monday that an Israeli bill aimed at legalising restrictions on the Muslim call to prayer (adhan) amounts to a “declaration of religious war against Islamic holy sites and rituals” and a direct attack on freedom of worship.

His remarks came in a statement responding to the approval on Sunday of a draft bill by Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation. The bill was submitted by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Al-Habbash said Israeli attempts to restrict the call to prayer in Jerusalem and among Palestinian communities inside Israel were “a direct assault on Muslims, the Islamic faith and freedom of worship”, adding that they rise to the level of a declaration of religious war against Islamic holy sites and practices.

Under the proposed legislation, no sound system may be installed or operated in a mosque without a licence. Approval of a licence would be based on the level of “noise” and the mosque’s proximity to residential areas.

According to a statement issued by Otzma Yehudit on Sunday, Israeli police officers would be authorised to order the immediate suspension of the call to prayer if the rules are violated. Continued violations could result in the confiscation of loudspeakers and the imposition of financial penalties.

Al-Aqsa: The moment of peril is here. Will the Muslim world act?

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Continue ReadingPalestine’s supreme judge: Israeli bill to restrict Muslim call to prayer an attack on freedom of worship

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted US airbase in Kuwait

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Smoke rises after an Iranian drone attack struck fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City, Kuwait on April 01, 2026. [Stringer – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Thursday that it targeted a US airbase in Kuwait in response to an American aerial strike near Bandar Abbas Airport in southern Iran, Anadolu reports.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said the retaliatory strike came at 4.50 am (0120GMT), hours after what it described as a US assault on a point near the port city’s airport using aerial projectiles.

“This response is a serious warning so that the enemy knows that aggression will not go unanswered, and if repeated, our response will be more decisive,” it said.

Later, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday through US social media company X that Iran launched “a ballistic missile toward Kuwait” at 10.17 pm ET (0217GMT) on Wednesday, and that the missile was “successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti forces.”

CENTCOM described the launch as an “egregious ceasefire violation by the Iranian regime.”

It also said Iranian forces earlier launched “five one-way attack drones that posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that all were intercepted by US forces.

The command further said US forces “prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas.”

Earlier in the day, a US official told Anadolu that US forces shot down four Iranian drones that posed a threat near the Strait of Hormuz and struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was preparing to launch a fifth drone.

“These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

CENTCOM said US forces and regional partners “remain vigilant and measured” as they continue defending “forces and interests from unjustified Iranian aggression.”

READ: Kuwait sends IRGC-linked suspects to court over ‘illegal entry’

The latest strikes came after CENTCOM earlier this week confirmed a previous round of strikes on southern Iran targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats allegedly attempting to lay mines. Iran condemned those strikes as a “grave violation of the ceasefire.”

Earlier, commenting on the state of the negotiations to end the war on Iran, US President Donald Trump said he is “not satisfied with it, but we will be. Either that, or we’ll have to just finish the job.”

Regional tensions escalated on Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with barrages of drones and missiles that hit targets across the region and to close the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement.

Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the strategic waterway and periodically saying a peace deal was close.

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ...
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.

Continue ReadingIran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted US airbase in Kuwait