At long last, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill funding further military aid to #Ukraine, by a vote of 311 to 112. #USPolitics#Democracy#Geopolitics
Among Democrats, the vote was 210–0;
Republicans: 101–112.
Why Speaker Mike Johnson did this now rather than in February, resulting in a loss of thousands of lives and significant territory for Ukraine, has yet to be adequately explained.
Reading various news about russian secret operations in europe it's clear there is already a covert war going on, on par with the cold war of the 80s it seems, with GRU and FSB involved in all kind of operations. #russia#GRU#FSB#spying#disinformation#geopolitics@geopolitics
The Israeli military has conducted missile strikes against Iran, a snr #UnitedStates#military ofcl told NPR Thurs. There are also reports of explosions in #Iraq & #Syria.
Iran's Fars News Agency says explosions were heard in the central city of #Isfahan, according to the Reuters News Agency.
The extent of Israel's strikes & the weapons used weren't clear.
Flights to #Tehran, #Isfahan & #Shiraz have been suspended following reports an explosion was heard in the city of #Qahjavaristan, Iranian state media reported.
"Some reports from foreign news agencies about incidents in these facilities is incorrect," reported the news agency, which is aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (#IRGC).
#Russia’s Foreign Ministry has been drawing up plans to try to weaken its Western adversaries, including the #UnitedStates, & leverage the #Ukraine#war to forge a global order free from what it sees as American dominance, acc/to a secret Foreign Ministry document.
The doc for the 1st time provides ofcl confirmation & codification of what many in the Moscow elite say has become a hybrid #war against the West. #Russia is seeking to subvert Western support for #Ukraine & disrupt domestic #politics in the #UnitedStates & European countries, thru #propaganda campaigns supporting #isolationist & #extremist policies….It is also seeking to refashion #geopolitics, drawing closer to #China, #Iran & #NorthKorea in an attempt to shift the current balance of #power.
It was predictable that with the coming Israeli strike on Iran, the inevitable counter-strike from Iran, Russia would intensify it's efforts in Ukraine and it seems to be happening. #Russia#Ukraine#Geopolitics@geopolitics
The #UnitedStates will impose sanctions on Iran’s missile & drone program, as well as entities supporting the Iranian regime or military, #NationalSecurity adviser Jake Sullivan announced late Tues.
Earlier in the day, #Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said additional sanctions on Iran would be forthcoming in retaliation for its attack against Israel over the weekend.
“#Treasury will not hesitate to work w/our allies to use our #sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign & destabilizing activity,” she said.
Experts, however, say the #UnitedStates faces limited meaningful options for doing so w/o antagonizing #China or risking a spike in the price of oil.
#US ofcls & their #EU#allies are discussing potential #economic responses to Iran, as leading Western ofcls converged on Washington for the spring meetings of the % #IMF & #WorldBank. Their options are limited because #Iran is already one of the most heavily penalized countries in the world, w/ US #sanctions in effect on its #banking, #manufacturing & #energy sectors.
The whole idea that EU/NATO forces downing Shahed drones and cruise missiles in the air in western Ukraine, would cause World War 3 is ridiculous in my opinion. Putin is never able to control western Ukraine anyway. Also little or no ground forces need to be involved. #geopolitics#ukraine@Geopolitics#russia#EU#NATO
Although Iran looks weak and Israel very strong i think Israel military planners are worried (as they should be) about Iran's response after the coming Israeli attack. How large will it be, will Hezbollah from Lebanon participate etc. They will not underestimate the uncertainty and chaotic nature of war i hope.
Let's not forget Iran's strategic position (geographically), they can seriously harm trade and oil supply routes for example.