Coercive Piracy in the Strait of Hormuz

"[The Hankuk Chemi, which was carrying 7,200 tonnes of ethanol], was seized by our force’s [navy] this morning.”

"This tanker was headed from Saudi Arabia’s Al Jubail port and was seized due to the repeated infringement of maritime environmental laws."

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps statement 

"[My priority is to] verify the facts and ensure the safety of the crew members."

"We have been trying to figure out what happened through the Iranian embassy in South Korea and the South Korean embassy in Iran and are continuing to make efforts to address the situation."

South Korean foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha

Boats belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps converge on the on Jan. 4, 2021. Tasnim News/AFP via Getty Images

 

"A few minutes ago, the process of producing 20 percent enriched uranium has started in Fordow enrichment complex."

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei

 

"Iran today began feeding uranium already enriched up to 4.1 percent U-235 into six centrifuge cascades at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant for further enrichment up to 20 percent."

International Atomic Energy Agency

With mere days left before a new administration enters the White House -- one that under a new president has signalled it intends to re-enter nuclear talks with the Iranian Republic, reversing the U.S. withdrawal from the program ostensibly intended to restrain Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the country, strangled by sanctions that have tied up its foreign investments and shipping of oil products to countries that have no wish to tread on U.S.-imposed sanctions for the risk of bringing sanctions down upon themselves -- Iran has struck out on a number of initiatives geared to rivet attention on its intentions.

Although Tehran insists it has only incrementally backtracked on the provisions of the 2015 nuclear pact, that the breaches are entirely the fault of the Trump administration, it has been no secret that despite major powers signing off on the pact with Iran it has continued surreptitiously continue its nuclear program and to breach a number of conditions aside from continuing its support of its proxy terrorist groups, the international incursions of the al Quds Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iraq and Syria, and the development of high-powered ballistic missiles.

Its violations of the accord did not begin in 2019 in response to the 2018 U.S. withdrawal and the reimposition of U.S. sanctions. Iran remained intent on producing fissile material for a nuclear bomb and to threaten the stability of the Middle East by conniving interference with its Sunni-majority Arab neighbours. "Our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL [parties to the deal]" tweeted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. "The 'Move, if confirmed, would constitute a considerable departure from Iran's commitments", stated a spokesperson in Brussels for the European Union Commission.

Tuesday, January 5, 2021 photo of Iranian army chief of the General Staff Mohammad Hosein Bagheri, center, inspecting drones prior to a wide-ranging two-day aerial drill. Iranian Army via AP

Coincidentally, the same day that the Revolutionary Guard Corps boarded the the South Korean tanker Hankuk Chemi, ordering and escorting it to Iran, diverting it from its destination to the United Arab Emirates from Saudi Arabia, with the Guards' speedboats escorting the tanker and taking its twenty-member crew hostage in an agenda geared to force South Korea to surrender $7 billion it has withheld under U.S. sanctions, the Iranian military began a two-day aerial drill featuring combat and surveillance unmanned aircraft.

Naval drones were dispatched from vessels in Iran’s southern waters and footage of scores of drones on a runway in the northern province of Semnan near the vast Kavir Desert were featured on Iranian television. Previously such drills have been conducted with military drones and footage routinely released from surveillance drones of U.S. aircraft carriers passing through the Persian Gulf. "Suicide drones” that hover over a battlefield before diving down to a target, were given special prominence. 

 

The South Korean Navy's Cheonghae Unit leaves Hawaii following the 2012 iteration of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise.

South Korea would prefer to settle the matter of its pirated tanker diplomatically, and will work toward that end. In the meantime, however, it has taken action that reflects the seriousness with which it regards Tehran's aggression, by sending into the Strait of Hormuz a South Korean destroyer; "The Cheonghae Unit arrived in waters near the Hormuz Strait earlier in the day," announced South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung Chan during a press briefing. "It is carrying out missions to ensure the safety of our nationals."   

DOD

The statement on Jan. 3, 2021, from Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller regarding keeping Nimitz in the Middle East.

Incompetently Out-Smarted by a 'Smart' Camera? Or Enlisting Extraterrestrials?

"No terrorists were present on the ground ... Martyr [Mohsen] Fakhrizadeh was driving when a weapon, using an advanced camera, zoomed in on him."

"[The machine gun was mounted on a Nissan pickup and] focused only on martyr Fakhrizadeh’s face in a way that his wife, despite being only 25 centimeters [10 inches] away, was not shot."

"[It was being] controlled online [via a satellite and used an] advanced camera and artificial intelligence [to make the target]."

"[Fakhrizadeh’s head of security took four bullets] as he threw himself [on the scientist, and there were] no terrorists at the scene."

Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, deputy commander, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran 

"The perpetrators of this assassination, some of whom have been identified and even arrested by the security services, will not escape justice."

"Were the Zionists [Israel] able to do this alone and without the cooperation of, for example, the American [intelligence] service or another service? They certainly could not do that."

"[There were various pieces of evidence] about those who planned and carried out the assassination that prove the Zionists [Israelis] were involved. But whether the Zionists did so on their own and without the co-operation of, for example, the American [intelligence] service or another service? For sure, they could not have done so on their own."

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian Parliamentary adviser

Military personnel stand near the flag-draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, November 30, 2020. (Iranian Defense Ministry via AP)

 

Little wonder Iranians despair, yet muster the courage to gather in protest, despite the peril, knowing that some among them will not be returning home alive. They despair over their living conditions, the increasing level of poverty under sanctions imposed on their country because of Tehran's policies. They are irate that their theocratic rulers are more invested in delivering oil to Venezuela than to Iranians in need. They are furious at the funding of Hezbollah, the cost to the Iranian Republic of posting the al Quds division of the IRGC in Syria and Iraq, while Iranians are desperate for the necessities of life.

The goal of the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is to continue the legacy direction of his predecessor the Islamic revolutionary Ayatollah Khomeini, to dominate the world of Islam as Shi'a superiors over the majority Sunni Muslim sect interpreted as a threat by Iran's Arab Muslim neighbours in the Middle East. The vicious threat of the Islamic Republic's nuclear aspirations has created a sectarian bloc in a rivalry between Sunni and Shi'a where Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina, is challenged by Persian Iran which feels entitled to that role.

Above all, Tehran appears incapable of comprehending that in visibly and audibly, publicly and constantly threatening the existence of the State of Israel, supporting and directing its proxy militias in Lebanon and Gaza ensures that Jerusalem and its ultra-competent intelligence agencies gain the experience and the willing cooperation of covert intelligence-gathering and accomplices in missions to control Tehran's ambitions and to contain them. Jews have long since been victims, they know now how, when and where to take action to contain those eager to eradicate them from the state of the living.

The scene where Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in Absard, a small city just east of the capital Tehran, Iran, November 27, 2020. (The semi-official Fars News Agency via AP)

Long identified as the scientific nuclear specialist who was the lynchpin of the Iranian nuclear program, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, like others in his field of endeavour before him, was marked for extinction. In Iranian defence minister Amir Hatami's words, the scientist was one of his deputies, heading the ministry's Defense and Research and Innovation Organization whose focus was the field of "nuclear defense". He was as well a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an integral part of the Iranian government, and a recognized terrorist organization.

Immediately following Fakhrizadeh's unfortunate death, the defense ministry stated that their man had been killed in a shootout that took place between his bodyguards and several gunmen who had ambushed the motorcade just outside Tehran on its journey from a posh suburb. There were witnesses who credibly informed state media that a truck had exploded before a group of men with guns opened fire on the car in which Fakhrizadeh was being driven, that it appeared he exited the car in the belief it had struck something. In their rendition of the event, the man was outside the car when he was hit by gunfire.

 

The major suspect in the smoothly executed assassination was, of course, Israeli operatives working under orders from Mossad. Witnesses claimed that they saw the gunmen make their escape. Iranian authorities at first repeated the story of the truck, the bomb, the gunmen emerging to exchange fire with the eleven men guarding the nuclear scientist. And then, re-thinking the situation, that they were very well aware that their chief nuclear scientist would be in Israeli crosshairs, and surrounding him with protective guards, their best laid plans went awry by a superior intelligence.

A realization which gave life to an alternate explanation, hauling in the exiled opposition group, the People's Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK) for the assassination. Revenge was vowed, ostensible members of the group arrested, and it can be fairly well assured that a trial such as is routine in asserting justice anywhere else in the world  will not be taking place. Iran, which vengefully practices a wholesale capital punishment program for issues of all kinds requiring the ultimate punishment, will simply extinguish a few more lives.

And the more palatable story for Tehran's stricken pride is that a satellite-controlled machine gun with 'artificial intelligence' had been utilized in the assassination. According to the deputy commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards, Rear-Admiral Fadavi, Fakhrizadeh was driving on a highway outside the capital of Iran with his 11-member Guard on November 27, when suddenly the machine gun 'zoomed in' on the nuclear scientist's face, firing 13 rounds. Scrupulously avoiding harming his wife, who sat  beside him.

How diabolical, a satellite-controlled machine gun paired with artificial intelligence and an advanced camera.  The death of Iran's top nuclear scientist achieved remotely with artificial intelligence and a machine gun equipped with a 'satellite-controlled smart system'. Those clever Israelis and their dastardly determination to outwit those who threaten and plot their extermination....

Iranian mourners attend burial ceremony of slain nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh at Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran on 30 November (AFP/File photo)

 

Iranian Malice in Canada

"Because I do say it with pride [member of the "Canadian Infidels", a breakaway from the Finland-based Soldiers of Odin]. Because I'm a proud Canadian."
"And I support Israel. Israel stands for freedom. I don't want sharia law coming here [Toronto]. Mass immigration is tearing our country apart."
"We are not a hate group."
Nick Blanche "Nick the Wolf", Canadian chapter Wolves of Odin

"Every year, we stand up for Palestinians, against oppression and occupation. We don't equate Zionism with Judaism. We want Canada to stand up for human rights and human dignity for Palestinians living undignified lives in their own land."
"We don't need a permit. As Canadians, we have a right of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression."

Ali Mallah, organizer, al-Quds Day rally, University Avenue, Toronto

~Legacy~ נפתלי בן מתתיהו‏ @Immort4l_Legacy Jun 1

Toronto just had an Al-Quds day march downtown where you can see a Hezbollah flag being waved. This is a recognized terrorist organization yet the police did nothing and allowed them to march on the street w/o permit. We stood proud and strong against the hate. #NeverAgain

21 replies 51 retweets 130 likes

Another cynical parody of 'justice for Palestinians', a not-very opaque demonstration of anti-Semitism disguised as concern for Palestinians whose plight their own leaders are responsible for in their never-ending cycle of refusing a peace agreement with Israel, and with it, a sovereign state of their own, the better to suit their end-game of delegitimizing the very existence of the Jewish state in the hope that it will miraculously disintegrate leaving the geography open for full Palestinian possession.

It is Islamists who have infiltrated their way into Canada, paving the way for a swelling population of Muslims who will hope eventually to persuade Canadian legislators that the implementation of sharia law will benefit the country, a system of law that would supersede Canadian law. It is Islamists who find sympathy for their 'cause' in the understanding of other Canadians who harbour a lethal hatred for Jews finding an outlet for their anti-Semitism in the cause of supporting Palestinians.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counterprotesters rallied outside the U.S. Consulate and marched downtown in Toronto on Saturday during the annual global event known as Al-Quds Day.  Steve Russell, Toronto Star

It is the 'normalization' in Canada of the flags of Hamas and Hezbollah, hoisted at all such demonstrations, allowing Canadians to become familiar with their presence even while the federal government lists those terrorists groups for what they are. It is a new Canadian demographic familiar with their 'rights' under the Canadian Charter guaranteeing them freedom of expression where their anti-Semitism can be cloaked in acceptable speech criticizing Palestinian suffering under Israeli 'occupation'.

The Palestinians 'occupy' the West Bank and the Gaza Strip where both Fatah and Hamas teach Palestinian children to hate Jews and to emulate terrorists in summer camps teaching military manoeuvres and lauding the celebrity of Palestinian 'martyrs' who have succeeded in slaughtering Jews. The slanders, the boycotts, the marches all appeal to a wider audience all of whom profess they have not an iota of anti-Semitic thought in their heads.

For malicious threats the poster below threatening another massacre of Jews -- citing the one that took place fifteen hundred years ago when Islam was in its infancy and conquest was as brutal then as it is now under the Islamic State, Hezbollah and Hamas -- is prepared to once again strike in emulation of that one of ancient origins has its origins in the Islamic Republic of Iran whose ayatollahs aspire to 'wipe Israel off the map of the Middle East', for the presence of a Jewish state on land consecrated to Islam is forbidden.

A sign brandished at the 2019 Toronto al-Quds Day rally (Photo Credit: BlazingCatFur)

Islam came to the Middle East in the 7th Century, a late-comer to what is often referred to as the three great religions of the Abrahamic tradition based on monotheism. Jewish tribes which had lived for a thousand years in the Arabian peninsula were invited by the Prophet Mohammad to leave Judaism for what he declared was god's final and most complete covenant of monotheism.

Mohammad, a local merchant who had lived among Jews and knew the heritage and sacred texts of Judaism declared himself the final messenger of god. He had cut-and-pasted  the history of Judaic sacred texts and traditions and brought the prophets, the legends and the values of Judaism into a manuscript he had devised claiming it came directly from Allah, building upon god's original instructions to his faithful.

Claiming the Koran to be the third iteration of god's word to mankind, Mohammad offered it as proof that Islam was the one true religion. And he resolved to spread the word of Allah by whatever means conceivable, by entreaty, invitation and the scimitar. In a region of the world where tribalism and ancient enmities linked to survival in a geography of limited resources where antagonism over territorial rights ensured constant conflicts, this nomadic desert religion fit the bill.

When the Jews then living in Medina refused to abandon Judaism, which they had worshipped for several thousand years, and swear their allegiance to Islam, the response from Mohammad was war. A number of tribes and territories long linked to Judaism were put to the sword, Khaybar, located 150 kilometers (93 mi) from Medina in the north-western part of the Arabian peninsula, in modern-day Saudi Arabia, among them..

Police officers on the scene of Saturday's demonstration might have upheld the law, for the organizers hadn't bothered to apply to City Hall for a permit so their presence was clearly illegal. But police were no doubt fixated on keeping apart the pro-Palestinian demonstrators and the counter-demonstrators, hefting Israeli flags in defiance of the hate-filled message of those claiming that Palestinians are tormented and killed by Israelis when the opposite is in fact, the case.

Nothing stopped the presence of posters of a a little girl, splattered with blood carried by a little girl at the protest whose poster read: "Israel cages two children every day". "I agree with the sentiment", said a young man holding one end of a huge sign declaring Zionism to be the same as ISIS. "Zionism stands for terrorism because they're killing Palestinians", he said with the confidence of utter conviction.

A group of members of Basij paramilitary force, affiliated to the Revolutionary Guard, chant slogan during the annual Quds, or Jerusalem Day rally in Tehran, Iran, Friday, May 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)