Lock him up

Iran labels California its ‘new territory’ after Trump’s Hormuz claim

Spread the love

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. [@Gharibabadi/X]

An official Iranian social media account labeled California a “new territory” of Iran on Tuesday in response to US President Donald Trump posting an image portraying the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW U.S. Territory,” Anadolu reports.

Trump shared the image on his Truth Social account Tuesday, showing a map of the Strait of Hormuz with the strategic waterway circled beneath the words “NEW U.S. Territory,” following up on his earlier remarks saying the strait would be made US territory after the war ends.

The White House later reposted Trump’s post on its official account on US social media platform X.

In response, the official Iran in Hyderabad account on X posted a map of the US showing California highlighted in blue, with the words: “NEW TERRITORY OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN.”

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, also hit back at Trump’s post, writing on X: “His delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will soon either be corrected, or we will correct the delusions of this delusional man.”

READ: Trump says no talks with Iran underway or scheduled

California, particularly the Los Angeles area, is home to the largest concentration of people of Iranian descent outside Iran. An estimated 141,000 Iranian Americans live in Los Angeles County, according to the Iranian Diaspora Dashboard hosted by UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies.

The Iranian community in Southern California expanded significantly following Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, with the Westwood area of Los Angeles becoming a major center of Iranian diaspora life, commonly known as “Tehrangeles.”

The exchange comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington following months of conflict.

Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending the war and paving the way for a broader agreement, but talks have since stalled amid disputes over its implementation and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Negotiations involving Iran and Oman over arrangements for navigation through the strategic waterway, meanwhile, have continued without a breakthrough.

OPINION: Iran’s supreme leader is back in control. That may be why diplomacy with Washington just collapsed

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIran labels California its ‘new territory’ after Trump’s Hormuz claim

ICC rejects new US sanctions, calls them ‘flagrant attack’ on judicial independence

Spread the love

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

A general view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) building in The Hague, Netherlands on April 30, 2024 [Selman Aksünger/Anadolu Agency]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday strongly rejected new US sanctions targeting the court’s president and a senior lawyer in its prosecutor’s office, describing the measures as a “flagrant attack” on judicial independence, Anadolu reports.

The latest designations target ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, a senior trial lawyer at the Office of the Prosecutor, the Hague-based court said in a statement.

The ICC said nine of its 18 judges, both deputy prosecutors, a former prosecutor and one staff member are now under US sanctions.

“These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions,” the court said.

READ: US sanctions International Criminal Court’s president, official

Measures targeting judges, prosecutors and other court personnel for carrying out the ICC’s mandate undermine the rule of law and put the international legal order at risk, it added.

The court also warned that threats and coercive measures affect victims’ ability to seek justice, particularly when they turn to the ICC after exhausting all other avenues.

“The court will continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes,” it said.

It also welcomed expressions of support from member states, civil society organizations and others backing international justice and the rule of law.

READ: Netanyahu flight through Europe raises questions over ICC obligations of Rome Statute states

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingICC rejects new US sanctions, calls them ‘flagrant attack’ on judicial independence

Israeli police arrest Palestinian minister of Jerusalem affairs

Spread the love

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Israeli police take security measures in Haifa, Israel on November 15, 2024 [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli police arrested Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ashraf al-Awar at his home in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to an official from his office.

The official, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that Israeli police detained al-Awar without providing a reason.

Israeli police did not immediately comment on the reason for the arrest.

Last year, Israeli authorities issued an order barring al-Awar from entering the occupied West Bank for six months, which was later extended.

READ: Israel bars Arab lawmaker from visiting detained Palestinian doctor Abu Safiya

The Palestinian Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs is based in the town of Al-Ram in the occupied West Bank, while Palestinian government meetings are held in Ramallah.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli authorities have intensified restrictions on Palestinian sporting, social, political, and economic activities in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli authorities have also stepped up settlement activity and demolitions of Palestinian homes, while facilitating settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and barring worshippers and preachers from the site.

Palestinians insist that occupied East Jerusalem is the capital of their future state, while Israel claims the entire city as its capital, a claim widely rejected by the international community.

READ: 9 Palestinians killed, 15 injured by Israeli strike on Gaza police station

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIsraeli police arrest Palestinian minister of Jerusalem affairs

Trump shares image depicting Strait of Hormuz as ‘US territory’

Spread the love

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Trump Shares Image Portraying Strait of Hormuz as ‘US Territory’. [Truth/@realDonaldTrump]

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared an image depicting the Strait of Hormuz as US territory, days after saying he would declare the strategic waterway part of the United States, Anadolu reports.

Trump posted an image on his social media account showing a map of the Strait of Hormuz labeled “New US Territory,” echoing his earlier remarks about declaring the waterway US territory.

Speaking at an event on Aug. 14, Trump claimed that the US Navy was enforcing a complete blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

READ: Trump says he is not seeking extension of framework agreement with Iran

“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said.

In a separate social media post, Trump also said the US had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and that he believed Washington could maintain that control.

Iranian officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly said the strait will not reopen unless the US ends its intervention and naval blockade and fulfills the terms of an agreement signed between Tehran and Washington on June 17.

READ: Iran ‘won war and diplomacy,’ foreign minister says after Trump’s call for Tehran to surrender

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
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 ReadingTrump shares image depicting Strait of Hormuz as ‘US territory’

Billionaire Google Co-Founder Pumps $102 Million Into Fighting California Wealth Tax

Spread the love

Article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Rally attendees cheer during an event supporting the California Billionaire Tax Act in Los Angeles on February 18, 2026.  (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

“Sergey Brin would rather spend $100 million to fund a shady opposition campaign than simply pay his fair share in taxes so millions of Californians don’t lose their healthcare.”

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, one of the richest men in the world, has spent more than $100 million backing a group seeking to stop a popular California ballot initiative that would impose a one-time tax on the wealth of the state’s billionaires.

New filings reported by The Los Angeles Times detail Brin’s role in funding Building a Better California, which is pushing two ballot measures that would undercut and potentially nullify the proposed billionaire wealth tax. Building a Better California is also spending directly against the proposed tax, pumping at least $5 million into “no” efforts.

RECOMMENDED…

California billionaire tax

‘Major Momentum’ as California Democratic Party Endorses Billionaire Wealth Tax

Troy Jackson, the Democratic US Senate candidate for Maine,

Troy Jackson Slams ‘Failed Trillionaire Elon Musk’ as Billionaires Dump Millions Into Maine US Senate Race

If passed, revenue from the 5% billionaire wealth tax would be used to offset federal Medicaid cuts and bolster the state’s education system. The proposal will be on California’s November ballot as Proposition 40, and the two billionaire-backed initiatives are Propositions 41 and 42.

Debru Carthan, the vice president of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, said in a statement that “California billionaire Sergey Brin would rather spend $100 million to fund a shady opposition campaign than simply pay his fair share in taxes so millions of Californians don’t lose their healthcare.”

“That’s shameful,” Carthan added. “Billionaires already pay much lower tax rates than what working families pay out of every paycheck.”

Proposition 40 has been endorsed by the California Federation of Labor Unions, the California Nurses Association, and the California Democratic Party, as well as prominent progressive lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

But the measure has drawn opposition from powerful forces in California, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Chamber of Commerce, and the California Teachers Association.

Brin is not the only billionaire financing efforts to defeat the proposed wealth tax in California, which is home to more billionaires than any other US state. Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, and venture capitalist Ron Conway have also spent against the ballot initiative.

Economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman have estimated that, between 2019 and 2025, California’s billionaires paid on average just 0.26% of their wealth each year in state income taxes.

“For the very richest individuals, the effective burden was even lower. The four wealthiest Californians—Mr. Brin, Mr. Huang, Mr. Page and Mr. Zuckerberg—paid an average of just 0.07% of their wealth annually in California income tax over that period,” Saez and Zucman wrote. “This trailblazing wealth tax would be a small (for the ultrawealthy) but important (for everyone else) step toward raising needed tax revenue and curbing the state’s runaway inequality.”

Article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Continue ReadingBillionaire Google Co-Founder Pumps $102 Million Into Fighting California Wealth Tax