Why Did the UK Commander of HM Montrose Refrain from Firing on Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)? Who in Iran Gave Orders to Capture the "Stena Impero"?
Elijah J. Magnier | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-02
The US officially asked Europe, in particular the UK, France, Germany and Italy, to provide a naval force to patrol and protect ships sailing in the Straits of Hormuz, even if the command and control is handled by the Europeans …
globalresearch.ca/why-did-the-uk-commander-of-hm-montrose-refrain-from-firing-on-irans-revolutionary-guards-irgc-who-in-iran-gave-orders-to-capture-the-stena-impero/5685433

The MEK: Illusion vs. Reality
Robert Fantina | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-02
The oddly named People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (known as the MKO or MEK), whose sole purpose is the overthrow of the people's government of Iran, has been busy. Some of their members, who seem to be mainly elderly, are technologically savvy, and use social media to further their disgraceful cause. But they don't just…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/02/the-mek-illusion-vs-reality/

Ship of Fools: Britain, America and the Iranian Oil Tanker Incidents
T.J. Coles | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-02
Taking over from Britain's colonial role in exploiting the country, the US has bullied and tried to intimidate Iran for decades. The ongoing pretext for strangling Iran economically is that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency repeatedly finds no evidence for this repeated US-led lie. Then-US President Barack Obama's Task…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/02/ship-of-fools-britain-america-and-the-iranian-oil-tanker-incidents/

In Memoriam: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty Dies at 32
Matt Korda | thenation.com | 2019-08-02
In Memoriam: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty Dies at 32…
thenation.com/article/intermediate-range-nuclear-forces-treaty-inf-obituary/

Trump kills Cold War missile treaty, setting stage for a new arms race
John Wojcik | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-02
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who came to the Trump administration from the Tea Party wing of the Republicans, announced in February that the president intended to suspend U.S. participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and was beginning the process of total U.S. withdrawal in six months. The pullout from this Cold War-era missile …
peoplesworld.org/article/trump-kills-cold-war-missile-treaty-setting-stage-for-a-new-arms-race/

China Vows to Retaliate if Trump Imposes New Tariffs
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-02
China did not take lightly to U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threats to impose new tariffs, as Beijing has vowed to take retaliatory measures against Washington should they go through with this trade tax. | RELATED: | US Withdraws From 1988 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty | On Friday, China warned the U.S. that they would not be blackmailed and vowed tit-for-tat measures if Trump goes through with his threat to slap a 10 percent tariff on US$300 billion of Chine…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Vows-to-Retaliate-if-Trump-Imposes-New-Tariffs-20190802-0003.html

U.S. to Test New Weapon as Arms Treaty With Russia Dies
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-02
Washington and Moscow walked out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty that Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev signed in 1987.
truthdig.com/articles/u-s-to-test-new-weapon-as-arms-control-treaty-with-russia-dies/

Fears of 'Nuclear Chaos and Potential Catastrophe' Rise After US Exits Landmark Cold War-Era Treaty With Russia
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-02
Nuclear experts and peace advocates on Friday shared their heightened concerns about a new arms race as the Trump administration officially withdrew from a landmark treaty with Russia that was signed by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/1200px-reagan_and_gorbachev_signing.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/02/fears-nuclear-chaos-and-potential-catastrophe-rise-after-us-exits-landmark-cold-war?cd-origin=rss

US Sanctions Iran's Foreign Minister; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-01
The latest US sanctions on Iran are very specific, hitting FM Javad Zarif, blocking all property and financial interests he has in the US.

US Sanctions Iran's Foreign Minister; Move Seen as Rebuke of Diplomatic Offer

Nechirvan Barzani and the New Structure of Erbil-Tehran Relations
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-01
Dissatisfied with the Shah's confirmation of the 1975 Algiers Agreement, Kurdish Iraqi parties had initiated close and friendly relations with the Islamic Revolution's leaders from the beginning, having seen themselves as victims of the former government's deal. The Long war (1980-1988) between Iraq and post-revolution Iran was another opportunity for a closer relationship between the …
uwidata.com/4613-nechirvan-barzani-and-the-new-structure-of-erbil-tehran-relations/

Smoking Gun: Politicians Say the Most Racist Things
The Progressive Magazine | progressive.org | 2019-08-01
Examples of things said by office-holders and aspirants around the country.
progressive.org/magazine/smoking-gun-politicians-190801/

Gunboat diplomacy in the Persian Gulf
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-01
The United States and Britain are ensuring that tensions remain high in the Straits of Hormuz as they continue beating the drums of war against Iran. | A second British warship arrived in the Strait of Hormuz on July 29, tasked with escorting British-flagged commercial vessels between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. | This latest escalation follows a number of incidents since June 13 when two oil tankers (one Japanese, the other Norwegian) were hit by explosives and caught fire. The US immediately blamed Iran for the attacks, accusing it of trying to disrupt oil supplies. | A few days later a US spy drone…
greenleft.org.au/content/gunboat-diplomacy-persian-gulf

German politicians and media urge military action in the Persian Gulf
wsws.org | 2019-08-01
The more the US pushes ahead with its preparations for war against Iran, the louder the voices will become in Europe that are pushing for military action.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/01/gulf-a01.html

Thanks Miranda Devine, but we will win abortion reform
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-01
Thank you Miranda Devine for your wild overreaction to the bill before NSW parliament to treat abortion as a health issue ("Vote Libs, get Greens", Daily Telegraph, July 31), as it will no doubt lose you and News.com support. | It must also surely rank as top fake news of the week. Far from being "one of the most dangerous radical abortion bills on the planet", the bill is modelled on existing Queensland and Victorian law. | Moreover, your view that Coalition MPs' support for basic health care for women is somehow a Labor-Green plot is equally bizarre. This bill is not about late-term abortions, as you suggest. I…
greenleft.org.au/content/thanks-miranda-devine-we-will-win-abortion-reform

Candidates, Your Views on the Middle East? You Have 30 Seconds
Alex Emmons | theintercept.com | 2019-08-01
If you blinked, you might have missed it. | Across the five hours of Democratic primary debates split between two nights this week, the presidential hopefuls discussed the future of U.S. foreign policy for no more than 25 minutes. | Other policy areas had it worse. There were no questions either night on Puerto Rico, for example, or LGBT issues, or reproductive rights. But the scant attention to foreign policy was striking precisely because it's the area in which a president has the most power to change things on their own. If the next president wants to rejoin the Paris climate agreement or renegotiate the Iran…
theintercept.com/2019/08/01/candidates-your-views-on-the-middle-east-you-have-30-seconds/

Warren Backs "No First Use" Nuclear Policy as Buttigieg Calls for Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-31
While most of Tuesday's debate focused on domestic issues, Democratic candidates were briefly asked about nuclear weapons policy and the war in Afghanistan. Senator Elizabeth Warren defended her "no first use" policy on nuclear weapons, despite criticism from Montana Governor Steve Bullock. Meanwhile, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper sparred on whether the U.S. should withdraw from Afghanistan after 18 years of war.
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/31/cnn_debate_foreign_policy_mehdi_hasan

Iran simply won't let itself be hemmed in by the U.S. and UK
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2019-07-31
The United States is leading a process to create a naval force that would patrol the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. has said it will send "command and control" ships to coordinate the escort naval vessels from different countries. But there are cracks in the coalition. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/07/30/iran-simply-wont-let-itself-be-hemmed-in-by-the-u-s-and-uk/

2nd Democratic Debate, Pt. 1: The Moderate/Progressive Divide Came Through (1/3)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-07-31
The first part of the second democratic debate showed a non-rancorous divide on how to beat Trump and fresh discussions first-use of nuclear weapons and for getting out of Afghanistan…
therealnews.com/stories/second-demcoratic-debate-part-one-the-moderate-progressive-divide-came-through-1-3

Hormuz Strait Coalition
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-07-31
Following the outbreak of a tanker crisis between the UK and Iran, the U.S. has decided to take on the role of the main mediator in the conflict and has made an attempt to knock together an international coalition for guarding the Hormuz Strait. CONTEXT Tensions in the Hormuz Strait are running practically unabated already …
uwidata.com/4579-hormuz-strait-coalition/

Dear Moderators of the Presidential Debates
Lawrence Wittner | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-30
You mass media folks lead busy lives, I'm sure. But you must have heard something about nuclear weapons — those supremely destructive devices that, along with climate change, threaten the continued existence of the human race. Yes, thanks to popular protest and carefully-crafted arms control and disarmament agreements, there has been some progress in limiting …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/dear-moderators-of-the-presidential-debates/

The Future of Iran-UK Tanker Crisis
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-07-30
WAS IRAN RETALIATING AGAINST THE UK FOR SEIZING ITS TANKER? Even though Mr. Ali Rabei, the newly appointed speaker of the Iranian Government, and Mr. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, officially rejected the claims that Iranian seizure of the British Tanker in the Persian Gulf was a response to the …
uwidata.com/4514-the-future-of-iran-uk-tanker-crisis/

Who Will American Soldiers Fight With in Saudi Arabia?
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-07-30
President Donald Trump's Administration is getting ready to deploy hundreds of servicemen to Saudi Arabia as tensions with Iran are mounting, CNN said in a report quoting a well-informed official at the Pentagon. He revealed that some 500 soldiers would be sent to Prince Sultan airbase to the south of Riyadh. US is preparing to …
uwidata.com/4554-who-will-american-soldiers-fight-with-in-saudi-arabia/

Nuclear Disarmament Should Be a Top 2020 Campaign Issue But Is Being Ignored
Howie Hawkins | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-29
Two years ago on July 7, 2017, 122 nations approved the text of the Treaty on the Prohibition of NuclearWeapons (TPNW). The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for spearheading this achievement. Few Americans are aware of it and none of the major presidential candidates are informing …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/nuclear-disarmament-should-be-a-top-2020-campaign-issue-but-is-being-ignored/

Why Should Iran be Cherished and Defended?
Andre Vltchek | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-29
As I pen this short essay, Iran is standing against the mightiest nation on earth. It is facing tremendous danger; of annihilation even, if the world does not wake up fast, and rush to its rescue. Stunning Iranian cities are in danger, but above all, its people: proud and beautiful, creative, formed by one of …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/why-should-iran-be-cherished-and-defended/

Ohio Republicans Balked at a Nuclear Bailout, so the Industry Elected New Republicans — and Walked Away With $1.1 Billion
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-07-26
A newly elected state legislature, backed by a dark-money effort linked primarily to the nuclear industry, overcame years of opposition to pass the bailout.
theintercept.com/2019/07/26/ohio-billion-dollar-nuclear-bailout-firstenergy/

Diplomacy Instead of a Disaster in Iran
Paul Kawika Martin | peaceaction.org | 2019-07-18
Washington, D.C. — July 18, 2019 — In response to reports of the U.S. shooting down an Iranian drone, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, released the following statement: "Because of the Trump administration's policy of maximum provocation towards Iran, America stands on the precipice of another blunderous …
peaceaction.org/2019/07/18/diplomacy-instead-of-a-disaster-in-iran/