Category Archives: #StopIran

About that Ukraine Airline Crash in Iran

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So an engine overheated? Planes can still fly.
So, there was no radio communication with the tower declaring trouble?
Allegedly the plane was turning around?
The black box has been recovered but Iran wont turn over to authorities.
Perhaps other clues may be in the passenger manifest as noted below:

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has published a list of 167 passengers who were on board the Boeing-737 flight PS752 Tehran-Kyiv that crashed early on Wednesday shortly after takeoff. The relevant information has been posted on the UIA website.
The list contains the names in English, as well as dates of birth.
Flight PS752 passenger list: Abaspourqadi Mohamm 1986 Abbasnezhad Mojtaba 1993 Abtahiforoushani Seyedmehran 1982 Aghabali Iman 1991 Agha Miri Maryam 1973 Ahmadi Motahereh 2011 Ahmadi Muh Sen 2014 Ahmadi Rahmtin 2010 Ahmadi Sekinhe 1989 Ahmady Mitra 1973 Amirliravi Mahsa 1989 Arasteh Fareed 1987 Arbabbahrami Arshia 2000 Arsalani Evin 1990 Asadilari Mohammadhossein 1996 Asadilari Zeynab 1998 Ashrafi Habibabadi Amir 1991 Attar Mahmood 1950 Azadian Roja 1977 Azhdari Ghanimat 1983 Badiei Ardestani Mehraban 2001 Bashiri Samira 1990 Beiruti Mohammad Amin 1990 Borghei Negar 1989 Choupannejad Shekoufeh 1963 Dadashnejad Delaram 1993 Daneshmand Mojgan 1976 Dhirani Asgar 1945 Djavadi Asll Hamidreza 1967 Djavadi Asll Kian 2002 Ebnoddin Hamidi Ardalan 1971 Ebnoddin Hamidi Kamyar 2004 Ebrahim Niloufar 1985 Ebrahimi Khoei Behnaz 1974 Eghbali Bazoft Shahrokh 1960 Eghbali Bazoft Shahzad 2011 Eghbalian Parisa 1977 Elyasi Mohammad Mahdi 1991 Emami Sayedmahdi 1959 Emami Sophie 2014 Eshaghian Dorcheh Mehdi 1995 Esmaeilion Reera 2010 Esnaashary Esfahani Mansour 1990 Faghihi Sharieh 1961 Falsafi Faezeh 1973 Falsafi Faraz 1988 Farzaneh Aida 1986 Feghahati Shakiba 1980 Foroutan Marzieh 1982 Ghaderpanah Iman 1985 Ghaderpanah Parinaz 1986 Ghafouri Azar Siavash 1984 Ghandchi Daniel 2011 Ghandchi Dorsa 2003 Ghasemi Ariani Milad 1987 Ghasemi Dastjerdi Fatemeh 1994 Ghasemi Amirhossein 1987 Ghasemi Kiana 2000 Ghavi Mandieh 1999 Ghavi Masoumeh 1989 Gholami Farideh 1981 Ghorbani Bahabadi A 1998 Golbabapour Suzan 1970 Gorji Pouneh 1994 Haghjoo Saharnaz 1982 Hajesfandiari Bahareh 1978 Hajiaghavand Sadaf 1992 Hajighassemi Mandieh 1981 Hamzeei Sara 1986 Hasani/sadi Zahra 1994 Hashemi Shanrzad 1974 Hassannezhad Parsa 2003 Hatefi Mostaghim Sahan 1987 Hayatdavoudi Hadis 1992 Jadidi Elsa 2011 Jadidi Pedran 1991 Jamshidi Shadi 1988 Jebelli Mohammaddam 1990 Kadkhoda Zaden Mohammaddam 1979 Kadkhodazaden Kasha 1990 Karamimoghadam Bahareh 1986 Katebi Rahimen 1999 Kaveh Azaden 1979 Kazerani Fatemeh 1987 Khadem Forough 1981 Kobiuk Olga 1958 Lindberg Emil 2012 Lindberg Erik 2010 Lindberg Raheleh 1982 Lindberg Mikael 1979 Madani Firouzeh 1965 Maghsoudlouestarabadi Siavash 1976 Maghsoudlouesterabadi Paria 2004 Mahmoodi Fatemeh 1989 Malakhova Olena 1981 Malek Maryam 1979 Maleki Dizaje Fereshteh 1972 Mamani Sara 1983 Mianji Mohammadjavad 1992 Moeini Mohammad 1984 Moghaddam Rosstin 2010 Mohammadi Mehdi 1999 Molani Hiva 1981 Molani Kurdia 2018 Moradi Amir 1998 Morattab Arvin 1984 Moshrefrazavimoghaddam Soheila 1964 Mousavi Daria 2005 Mousavi Dorina 2010 Mousavibafrooei Pedram 1972 Nabiyi Elnaz 1989 Naderi Farzahen 1981 Naghibi Zahra 1975 Naghib Lahouti Mehr 1987 Nahavandi Milad 1985 Niazi Arnica 2011 Niazi Arsan 2008 Niknam Farhad 1975 Norouzi Alireza 2008 Nourian Ghazal 1993 Oladi Alma 1992 Omidbakhsh Roja 1996 Ovaysi Amir Hossein 1978 Ovaysi Asal 2013 Pasavand Fatemeh 2002 Pey Alireza 1972 Pourghaderi Ayeshe 1983 Pourjam Mansour 1966 Pourshabanoshibi Naser 1966 Pourzarabi Arash 1993 Raana Shahab 1983 Rahimi Jiwan 2016 Rahimi Razgar 1981 Rahmanifar Nasim 1994 Razzaghi Khamsi Ni 1974 Rezai Mahdi 2000 Rezae Hossain 1999 Saadat Saba 1998 Saadat Sara 1996 Saadat Zeinolabedin 1990 Saati Kasra 1972 Sadeghi Alvand 1990 Sadeghi Anisa 2009 Sadeghi Mirmohammad 1976 Sadeghi Sahand 1980 Sadighi Neda 1969 Sadr Niloufar 1958 Sadr Seyednoojan 2008 Saeedinia Amirhosse 1994 Safarpoorkoloor Pe 1999 Saket Mohammadhosse 1986 Salahi Moh 1988 Saleheh Mohammad 1987 Saraeian Sajedeh 1993 Setareh Kokab Hamid 1988 Shadkhoo Sheyda 1978 Shaterpour Khiaban 1988 Soltani Paniz 1991 Tahmasebi Khademasa 1984 Tajik Mahdi 1999 Tajik Shahram 1998 Tarbhai Afifa 1964 Tarbha Alina 1988 Toghian Darya 1997 Zarei Arad 2002 Zibaie Maya 2004 Zokaei Sam 1977

Data from Flightradar24, a website that tracks aircraft, indicates the Ukrainian airliner crashed roughly two minutes after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport bound for Kyiv just after 6 a.m. local time. The plane reached about 8,000 feet in altitude.

About four hours earlier, Iran launched 15 ballistic missiles against bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq.

According to Iraq’s military, the missiles landed between 1:45 and 2:15 a.m. local time. No Americans have been reported injured or killed in that attack, U.S. officials say.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran initially said in a statement on its website that the crash of the Ukrainian airliner probably was not caused by a terrorist attack or a missile.

However, the embassy subsequently retracted that statement and now says it isn’t clear what caused the crash.

Ukrainian International Airlines announced it was suspending all flights to Tehran “until further notice.” The Ukrainian Aviation Administration banned all flights in Iranian airspace.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft that went down was delivered direct to Ukraine International Airlines from the manufacturer in 2016. The aircraft had no known mechanical faults and had passed an inspection Jan. 6, Ukrainian officials said.

The single-aisle Boeing 737-800 is an earlier model of the 737-MAX aircraft, which was grounded after two fatal crashes last year. The 737-800 does not carry the flawed anti-stall software deemed responsible for the MAX crashes.

Some U.S. aviation experts initially were skeptical about the possibility that Iranian air defenses may have brought down the Ukrainian airliner, mistaking it for an American warplane.

However, the timing of the Ukrainian airliner’s crash just hours after the Iranian missile strike into neighboring Iraq has raised questions about why civilian aircraft were still flying from Tehran’s international airport Wednesday morning, given that Iran’s air defense network was certainly on high alert for U.S. retaliatory airstrikes.

Before Wednesday, some airlines already had canceled flights into both Iranian and Iraqi airspace due to escalated military tensions between Washington and Tehran. According to Ukrainian news reports, though, other airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, AtlasGlobal, and Qatar Airlines all had continued flights into Tehran after Iran launched the missiles.

According to multiple independent investigations, a Russian BUK surface-to-air missile, operated by a Russian military crew, shot down the Boeing 777 airliner, killing all 298 passengers and crew onboard. That incident increased worldwide restrictions on civilian airliners flying near active combat areas.

Iran’s missile attack marked the latest escalation of a monthslong, tit-for-tat military standoff between Iran and the U.S.

On Dec. 27, Iran’s proxy militants in Iraq attacked a U.S. military base in the country, killing an American contractor. Following a retaliatory U.S. airstrike, Iran-backed protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Full summary here.

Hey Hollywood/Democrats, Killing Soleimani was Legal

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Quds force commander, Qassim Soleimani death by drone strike approved by President Trump is legal. That decision was not a decision to go to war or launch additional military conflict(s) with Iran. How about referring to General David Petraeus confirming that killing Soleimani is more significant and consequential that taking out Osama bin Ladin and al Baghdadi.

Image result for Kata'ib Hezbollah

Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary and lawyer, Jeh Johnson also confirmed the order/approval to kill Soleimani by President Trump is legal without Congressional knowledge or approval.

 

Revised in 2016, from the Judge Advocate General, the laws of armed conflict defines the rules.

AFD-160210-019  (2 pages) During a time of conflict, you may only attack lawful targets, which include certain people, places, and things. Combatants are lawful targets. A combatant is anyone engaging in hostilities in an armed conflict on behalf of a party to the conflict. All members of the military are combatants except for medical personnel, chaplains, POWs, wounded and sick, shipwrecked, and parachutists escaping disabled aircraft.

Further: The War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30-day withdrawal period, without a congressional authorization for use of military force (AUMF) or a declaration of war by the United States. The resolution was passed by two-thirds each of the House and Senate, overriding the veto of the bill by President Richard Nixon.

Further to the media, the Democrats and to Hollywood –>

THE PRESIDENT’S CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST TERRORISTS AND NATIONS SUPPORTING THEM

       The President has broad constitutional power to take military action in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Congress has acknowledged this inherent executive power in both the War Powers Resolution and the Joint Resolution passed by Congress on September 14, 2001.

The President has constitutional power not only to retaliate against any person, organization, or State suspected of involvement in terrorist attacks on the United States, but also against foreign States suspected of harboring or supporting such organizations.

The President may deploy military force preemptively against terrorist organizations or the States that harbor or support them, whether or not they can be linked to the specific terrorist incidents of September 11.

It cannot be understated that the United States under President Trump and in collaboration with U.S. Treasury and the U.S. State Department which hold the terror list along with the Department of Defense that there are more targets, least of which is al Shabab, al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Islamic State.

For exact reference, was listed as a FTO, Foreign Terror Organization on July 2, 2009. Click here for the FTO list.

***

Meanwhile:

Abu Ali al Askari’s Twitter statement calling for volunteers for suicide operations in Iraq.

Abu Ali al Askari, the security official for Iraq’s Hezbollah Brigades (or Kata’ib Hezbollah, KH), purportedly released a statement earlier today calling for volunteers for suicide bombings against US forces in Iraq.

On Askari’s Twitter account, which has been utilized in the past to distribute KH statements, the official says that “I call for the opening of the door of registration for the lovers of martyrdom, to conduct martyrdom operations [suicide bombings] against the foreign Crusader forces.”

This short statement was then republished by social media channels affiliated with KH on both Twitter and Telegram. In addition, a Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated Telegram account has also republished the statement.

No official word has been made on KH’s website as of the time of publishing, however.

The US-designated Hezbollah Brigades were led by Abu Mahdi al Muhandis until his death by a US drone strike yesterday alongside Iranian Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad

 

Iraq Parliament Vote to Remove US Forces, Symbolic So Far

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The vote hardly is final and the United States military forces would likely not begin to exit Iraq for a year or more. In the meantime, the U.S. military has suspended all consular operations at the embassy in Baghdad and suspended all training operations of the Iraqi military.

Iraq parliament passes resolution to expel US troops

For the details of the Iraq parliamentary vote, read on.

Key Takeaway: Iraq’s Parliament, the Council of Representatives (CoR), passed a non-binding resolution to cancel the request for military aid from the government of Iraq to the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition. The resolution does not require a U.S. withdrawal, which only the Prime Minister can order by rescinding the Status of Forces Agreement with the U.S. It is unclear whether caretaker Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mehdi has the authority to do so. The CoR resolution sets political conditions to justify subsequent Iranian proxy attacks on U.S. forces and installations, however. Nationalist Shi’a Cleric Muqtada al Sadr also called for the mobilization of new “resistance” groups to support such attacks.

Iraq’s parliament passed a non-binding resolution rejecting the presence of U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. 172 members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives (CoR) convened on Sunday, January 5 in an “extraordinary session” to discuss the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Committee Deputy Chief and Kata’ib Hezbollah commander Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis on January 3, 2020. Kurdish political parties boycotted the session, as did many Sunni political parties. Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Adel Abdul Mehdi submitted the resolution. It passed with 170 votes.[1]

The resolution does not require an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces. The CoR’s resolution asks the Government of Iraq (GoI) to cancel the 2014 military aid request from the GoI to coalition forces. The resolution does not explicitly ask the GoI to revoke the State of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the U.S. and Iraq.[2] It does, however, say the GoI “must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason.” [3] It also calls on the Iraqi government to establish a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops. The CoR cannot itself cancel the 2014 request for coalition support or the SOFA, which requires executive action from the PM. It is unclear if PM Mehdi has the legal authority to do so given his status as a caretaker PM. Mehdi resigned on November 29, 2019 during mass protests.

Nationalist Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr may participate in attacks on US forces and installations. The leader of Sadr’s Toward Reform bloc issued a statement to the CoR on Sadr’s behalf that included demands for an even greater response. In addition to withdrawing from U.S. security agreements, Sadr called for the immediate closure of the “Embassy of American Evil in Iraq,” the closure of U.S. bases in the country, the “humiliating expulsion” of U.S. troops, the “criminalization” of any communication with the U.S. government, and the boycott of American products.[4] In a tweet following the session, Sadr condemned the CoR resolution as insufficient and called on “the Iraqi resistance factions in particular and the factions outside of Iraq for an immediate meeting to announce the formation of “international resistance groups.”[5]

Implications: This resolution renders the maintenance of a U.S. or coalition military presence in Iraq politically difficult but does not yet legally require a U.S. withdrawal. However, it solidifies the Iranian narrative of a U.S. “occupation” of Iraq and sets political conditions to justify subsequent attacks on U.S. forces across the Middle East. These escalations will likely come not only from Iran’s direct proxy militias, but also from a pan-Shi’a resistance movement that Muqtada al-Sadr is now attempting to generate. The Iraqi Security Forces have up until this point depended on coalition military support to sustain pressure on the Islamic State (ISIS). Any withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq offers ISIS increased freedom of movement and improves conditions for ISIS to reconstitute itself inside of Iraq and Syria.

[1] DO NOT GO TO SITE: “Shiite MPs draft legislation seeking to expel US troops from Iraq” Rudaw, 05 January 2020. https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/05012020

[2]“Iraqi Lawmakers Urge End U.S. Troop Presence as Iran Mourns a Slain General,” New York Times, 05 January 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/05/world/middleeast/iran-general-soleimani-iraq.html

[3] “Iraqi Parliament Passes Resolution to End Foreign Troop Presence,” Voice of America, 05 January 2020. https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/voa-news-iran/iraqi-parliament-passes-resolution-end-foreign-troop-presence

[4] DO NOT GO TO SITE: Iraqi Council of Representatives Readout of CoR Session, 05 January 2020. http://ar.parliament.iq/2020/01/05/%d9%85%d8%ac%d9%84%d8%b3-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d9%8a%d8%b5%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%82%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%a5%d9%86%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%a1/

[5] Muqtada al-Sadr Twitter 05 January, 2020: @Mu_AlSadr https://twitter.com/Mu_AlSadr/status/1213829592789782529

 

Iran Announces No More Compliance to Nuclear Deal

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Let’s begin with some side deals made that John Kerry, Barack Obama and Europe never admitted to shall we? Check the date of that tweet…I have been calling for President Trump to declassify documents related to all the years of negotiations since early 2017.

 

At least three media sources are reporting:

*Iran Says Will No Longer Comply With Nuclear Enrichment Limits Under 2015 Deal – Iran Media

*Iran Says Won’t Respect Nuclear Deal Commitments on Enrichment Uranium Stockpile, Purity, Research – Iran Media

*Iran Says Will Continue to Work with U.N. Atomic Agency Inspectors – Iran Media

There are written steps Iran must take to make changes to the JCPOA. There is no indication of what the steps are and when the steps will be taken. Iran is at the 5th and final step regarding non-compliance/commitment. Of particular note, since May, Iran has been reducing its nuclear commitments with a series of steps every 60 days already. Last November, Iran gave Britain, France and Germany yet another 60 day extension to salvage the deal or face further non-compliance. The deadline came and went.

The European Union has continued attempts for a diplomatic salvage, so far to no avail. Now, leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss the nuclear deal and how to de-escalate tension since the strike to kill General Qasim Soleimani.

France is especially committed to the Iran nuclear deal and is urging Iran to stay with the landmark 2015 agreement.

Iran’s President Rouhani made a state television appearance stating it remains open to negotiations with European partners. Iran is desperate to sell its oil to Europe and to maintain trade with Europe as the Iranian economy is in a financial free-fall. Watch for epic smuggling directed by Iran….

The International Atomic Energy Agency has not yet responded regarding Iran’s assertion. Iranian officials are to meet in the coming days to discuss that final 5th step in separating from the nuclear deal. Iran has already previously broken limits of enrichment, stockpiles and centrifuges.

Meanwhile to further complicate tensions in the Middle East, Iran is pulling out the whole cultural protections law noted in the 1954 Hague Convention.

The 1954 Hague Convention, of which the U.S. is a party, bars any military from “direct hostilities against cultural property.” However, such sites can be targeted if they have been re-purposed and turned into a legitimate “military objective,” according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Iran, home to 24 UNESCO World Heritage sites, has in the past reportedly guarded the sprawling tomb complex of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, with surface-to-air missiles.

This past November:

The head of Iran’s nuclear program said that Tehran was now operating double the amount of advanced centrifuges than was previously known in violation of its atomic deal with world powers.

The announcement came as Iranians marked the 40th anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover and start of the 444-day hostage crisis.

The decision to operate 60 IR-6 advanced centrifuges means that the country can produce enriched uranium 10 times as fast as the first-generation IR-1s allowed under the accord.

The nuclear deal limited Iran to using only 5,060 first-generation IR-1 centrifuges to enrich uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. Salehi also said Tehran was working on a prototype centrifuge that’s 50 times faster than those allowed under the deal.

By starting up these advanced centrifuges, Iran further cuts into the one-year time limit that experts estimate Tehran would need to have enough material to build a nuclear weapon, if it chose to pursue one.

DHS Website Hacked with Pro-Iranian Messages

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Seems with the timing, that as I was publishing an article yesterday about Iran’s robust cyber operations, they or proxies were at work taking down our own Department of Homeland Security website. Another thought is a domestic Iranian sympathizer took down the site.

A website within the Department of Homeland Security was offline Sunday after a hacker uploaded photos onto the site that included an Iranian flag and an image depicting a bloodied President Donald Trump being punched in the face.

 

The images appeared on the Federal Depository Library Program program’s website late Saturday before the site was taken offline. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, said it was monitoring the situation.

“We are aware the website of the Federal Depository Library Program was defaced with pro-Iranian, anti-US messaging,” the cybersecurity agency said in a statement. “At this time, there is no confirmation that this was the action of Iranian state-sponsored actors. The website was taken offline and is no longer accessible.”

The statement added that “in these times of increased threats” all organizations should increase cyber monitoring, back up IT systems, implement secure authentication and have an incident response plan ready should a hack take place.

DHS also issued a two-week National Terrorism System advisory noting the U.S. drone strike in Iraq last week that killed Iran commander Qassem Soleimani. That spurred Iran and several affiliated extremist organizations to state publicly they intend to retaliate against the U.S.

“Iran maintains a robust cyber program and can execute cyber attacks against the United States,” DHS warned. “Iran is capable, at a minimum, of carrying out attacks with temporary disruptive effects against critical infrastructure in the United States.”

The library program website essentially had been replaced with a page exclaiming “Iranian Hackers!” An image of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also was posted, along with a message that “martyrdom was (Soleimani’s) reward for years of implacable efforts.

A graphic showed Trump being punched by a fist from Iran amid a flurry of missiles.

“With his departure and with God’s power, his work and path will not cease and severe revenge awaits those criminals who have tainted their filthy hands with his blood and blood of the other martyrs,” a message on the website read.

Another message claimed the hack was the work of an Iranian “security group,” adding that “this is only small part of Iran’s cyber ability!”

Iran has promised a military response to Soleimani’s killing. Trump has vowed that if Iran attacks an American base or any American, “which I would strongly advise them not to do, we will hit them harder than they have ever been hit before!”

I also received the following bulletin yesterday from the DHS email system.

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