{"id":904,"date":"2020-05-19T10:52:05","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T15:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=904"},"modified":"2020-05-22T17:53:03","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T22:53:03","slug":"904","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2020\/05\/19\/904\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday there were 62 deaths, reported on Tuesday.\u00a0 \u201cIran Reports Over 2,100 New Virus Cases,\u201d<\/a> AFP, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cRussia, Iran step up telephone diplomacy amid pandemic, says envoy,\u201d<\/a> TASS, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cU.S. Sanctions Chinese Company, Alleges Ties to Iran\u2019s Mahan Air,\u201d<\/a> Mangqi Sun, Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

This story is confusing, that the U.S. would set only 100 meters as the red line\u2014that is so very close to an American military vessel, and we all remember the USS Cole.\u00a0 The Navy retains, as always, the right of self-defense.\u00a0 Perhaps this 100m circle was a compromise with the WH that a line would be drawn somewhere.\u00a0 I would have put it 1,000 yards for these harassing missile speed boats of Iran.\u00a0 See \u201cEyeing Iran, US warns to stay 100 metres away from its warships,\u201d<\/a> Al Jazeera, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

See also, \u201cUS Navy issues new guidelines after close Iran encounters,\u201d<\/a> Jon Gambrell, AP, VOA, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael behind cyberattack that caused \u2018total disarray\u2019 at Iran port \u2013 report,\u201d<\/a> Times of Israel, May 19, 2020.\u00a0\u00a0This is in retaliation for Iran attempting to disable Israeli water Mekorot infrastructure two weeks earlier in April on 24-25, an attack against civilians\u2014water and sewer.\u00a0 The cyber action against Shahid Rajaee port terminal at Bandar Abbas on May 9 crashed computers that regulate the flow of vessels, trucks, and goods, creating massive backups on waterways and roads leading to the facility, the Washington Post reports and picked up by TOI.<\/p>\n

Limited cooperation?\u00a0 The NYT continues in its worldview, misunderstanding the Regime.\u00a0 At least they quoted Brian Hook correctly that pressure works.\u00a0 (can you say \u201cSoleimani?\u201d)\u00a0 Last, let me include this\u2014my blog documents for several years the machinations of the Supreme Leader and the IRI government, and those actions are not well reflected in this analysis by The Times.\u00a0 See \u201cIran Quietly Lowers the Temperature With U.S.,\u201d<\/a> Alissa Rubin and Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran Launches \u2018Resistance\u2019 Award Named After Soleimani,\u201d<\/a> Asharq Al-Awsat, May 19, 2020.\u00a0 I am not making this up \u2013 and there is no other award like this in the world handed out by terrorist groups to honor a terrorist. \u00a0\u201cThe award is granted in the main category of “struggle and resistance” and six sub-fields of “people and society”, “culture and art”, “politics”, “education and research”, “media”, and “sports”. A 19-member body would oversee the award to be held biennially. The body consists of representatives from militias and factions allied with Tehran including Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine Jihad, and Houthis. It also includes, inter alia, the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Minister, and the head of the state-run Radio and Television Organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIran’s Rouhani Says Country Needs ‘Two Or Three Main Political Parties’,\u201d<\/a> Radio Farda, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

So notice what is happening here\u2014the world\u2019s largest sponsor of terror (who already supports the Palestinians and Hamas and Islamic Jihad) openly calls for countries to ship weapons to the Palestinians.\u00a0 How brazen.\u00a0 Will they be called out?\u00a0 \u201cIran\u2019s Khamenei calls to \u201carm\u201d Palestinians,\u201d<\/a> Seth Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n

What is going on here?\u00a0 Who are these people?\u00a0 What connections do they have to the government?\u00a0 Where did they get the money?\u00a0 This Iranian couple has been sentenced to death for having smuggled hard currency and laundering $200 million of money, as well as having been found with a stash of gold at their home. \u201cIran\u2019s judiciary sentences couple to death over money laundering and gold hoard,\u201d<\/a> KFGO, Thomson Reuters, May 19, 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monday there were 62 deaths, reported on Tuesday.\u00a0 \u201cIran Reports Over 2,100 New Virus Cases,\u201d AFP, May 19, 2020. \u201cRussia, Iran step up telephone diplomacy amid pandemic, says envoy,\u201d TASS, May 19, 2020. \u201cU.S. Sanctions Chinese Company, Alleges Ties to Iran\u2019s Mahan Air,\u201d Mangqi Sun, Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2020. This story is confusing, … <\/p>\n

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