(2020-01-24). EU's foreign policy chief extends timeline for dispute mechanism on Iran nuclear accord. rt.com 
The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday he had extended the time available to discuss ways to save the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran under a dispute mechanism triggered by France, Germany and Britain. "There is agreement that more time is needed due to the complexity of the issues involved. The timeline is therefore extended," Borrell said in a statement. | On January 14, Borrell was notified by Paris, London and Berlin that they had triggered the dispute mechanism, in theory starting a 15-day process to resolve issues with Iran. | However, it is not clear when the 15-day period should start b…
(2020-01-24). The Long History of Elite Rule: What Will It Take To End It? counterpunch.org 
Elites have ruled over people and commanded the surplus produced by their labor for many millennia. It is this long history we have to contend with in today's crisis of capitalism that has produced endless wars and environmental catastrophes as corporate billionaire rulers continue to promote business as usual while preparing to fight each other with armed forces and nuclear weapons. This has all been "normalized."
(2020-01-24). When will the Winter come to an end? mronline.org 
On 17 January, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led the Friday prayers for the first time in eight years. He mocked the 'American clowns' who threatened Iran and said that Iran's response to the U.S. assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani was a 'slap in the face' of U.S. power. |
(2020-01-24). Houthis Anticipate US Assassination Attempts, Warn US Troops Will Be Targeted in Retaliation. mintpressnews.com 
The U.S. recently admitted that it tried and failed to kill an Iranian commander in Yemen, sparking both fear and mobilization among Yemen's Houthis.
(2020-01-24). Globalizing the War on Indigenous People: Bolsonaro and Modi. counterpunch.org 
A man who has repeatedly romanticized dictatorship and advocated the use of torture seems like an odd choice for guest of honor at the annual celebration of the constitution in the biggest democracy in the world. However, it makes perfect sense that Brazil's notorious President, Jair Bolsonaro, has been invited to India's Republic Day parade
(2020-01-24). 34 Soldiers Suffered Brain Injuries in Iran Strike, Pentagon Reports. truthdig.com 
WASHINGTON—The Pentagon said Friday that 34 U.S. troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries suffered in this month's Iranian Seventeen of the 34 are still under medical observation or treatment, according to Jonathan Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesman. | President Donald Trump had initially said he was told that no troops had been injured in the Jan. 8 strike. The military said symptoms were not immediately reported after the…
(2020-01-24). Aftermath: The Iran War After the Soleimani Assassination. counterpunch.org 
The thing that is so sad and so infuriating and so centrally symptomatic of everything wrong with American political culture, is that, with painfully few exceptions, Americans have no idea of what their government has done. They have no idea who Qassem Soleimani was, what he has accomplished, the web of relationships, action, and respect he has built, what his assassination means and will bring. The last person who has any clue about this, of course, is Donald Trump, who called Soleimani "a total monster." His act of killing Soleimani is the apotheosis of the abysmal, arrogant ignorance of U.S. political culture.
(2020-01-24). Western Balkans' future 'should be toward Europe,' EU to discuss enlargement soon — Brussels. rt.com 
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said on Friday that the bloc will be holding intensive discussions in the coming weeks on how future enlargement should be managed. | Michel, who was in the Albanian capital Tirana to meet with PM Edi Rama, said all member states "are unanimous on one point — that the Western Balkans' future should be toward Europe," AP reports. | Hopes of Albania and its neighbor North Macedonia to launch EU membership talks last year were dashed by French President Emmanuel Macron in October, when he asked for a reform of the process for admitting countries to the 2…
(2020-01-24). 'False sense of security!' Pakistan claims India's S-400 deal fuels arms race… as it tests ballistic missile. rt.com 
India's decision to buy Russia's S-400 missile defense system could spark an arms race, Pakistan has claimed, urging its regional rival to ditch it for the sake of "stability" the same day it tested a new nuclear-capable missile. | Citing "concerns regarding the induction of ballistic missile defense systems in the region," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Aisha Farooqui
(2020-01-24). Canada's Justin Trudeau Toes the Imperial Line on Iran. dissidentvoice.org While the current Liberal government claims to be progressive and in favour of a rules-based international order, promotion of democracy and world peace, its actions regarding Iran demonstrate that the primary drivers of Canadian foreign policy remain US geo-political interests and the interests of the rich and powerful. (This previous article argues this has long been the …
(2020-01-24). Trump/Pence #OutNOW: No War on Iran! No War on Women! indybay.org Bring #OUTNOW into mass protests against U.S. war on Iran — join up with the Refuse Fascism contingent for Saturday's Global Day of Protest. | We will STAY in the streets into the afternoon, to protest this year's Christian fundamentalist "Walk for Life" attack on women's abortion rights.
(2020-01-24). Pentagon Now Says 34 US Soldiers Suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries in Iran Attack. theantimedia.com (ZH) — In the latest major revelation contradicting the White House and Pentagon significantly downplayed casualty count regarding the Jan.8 Iranian ballistic missile attack on Ayn al-Asad airbase in Iraq, The New York Times is reporting that a total of 34 American soldiers have been diagnosed with serious head injuries ranging from concussion to traumatic brain injury. Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman confirmed …
(2020-01-24). Pence, Netanyahu use Holocaust event in Israel to rail against Iran. wsws.org The slander of Iranian "anti-Semitism" and unfounded claims that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons are propaganda to justify a steady buildup toward war.
(2020-01-24). Americans Need to Hear More from Iranians. Here's Where to Start. zcomm.org Here are a few illuminating and emotionally resonant pieces by real Iranians on life under sanctions, the brutality of war, and the recent crisis…
(2020-01-24). Over 4 Million People Join March Against US Presence in Iraq. telesurenglish.net At least four million people Thursday demanded the departure of U.S. troops from Iraq with a march in Baghdad, which was convened by cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr three weeks after the murder of Iran's General Qasem Soleimani. | RELATED: | At the country's capital, streets were filled with an endless column of people who paraded to express their repudiation of the U.S. military presence. | Banners showed slogans such as "No, No to the U.S. and…
(2020-01-24). Biden's Shameful Foreign Policy Record Extends Well Beyond Iraq. counterpunch.org Presidential contender Joe Biden has come under fire for his support for the 2003 Iraq War, but continues to tout his foreign policy experience as a key selling point for his candidacy. His foreign policy record is shameful, though, extending well beyond his Iraq War vote. After opposing the Vietnam and first Persian Gulf Wars,
(2020-01-24). Closer than Ever: It Is 100 Seconds to Midnight. The Dangers of Nuclear War. globalresearch.ca To: Leaders and citizens of the world | Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers—nuclear war and climate change—that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society's ability to respond. The international security situation is dire, …
(2020-01-24). Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warns of "civilization-ending nuclear war" wsws.org Amid a global nuclear arms race, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned that human civilization is closer to destruction than at any other period in history.
(2020-01-24). Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warns of "civilization-ending nuclear war" wsws.org Amid a global nuclear arms race, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned that human civilization is closer to destruction than at any other period in history.
(2020-01-24). 'No, No America': Iraq protesters demand US military pullout. yenisafak.com Thousands of Iraqis rallied at two central Baghdad intersections on Friday after a prominent Shi'ite cleric called for a "million strong" protest against the American military presence, following the U.S. killing of an Iranian general and an Iraqi militia chief.The initial march appeared not to gather further steam, however, largely dissipating after several hours. Some protesters headed to join separate anti-government demonstrators at Baghdad's Tahrir Square, and others boarded buses to go home.The march called by Moqtada al-Sadr aimed to press for a pullout of U.S. troops. Many anti-government protesters feare…
(2020-01-24). US war threat against Iran remains. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-01-23). "The New Colossus": In New Play, Tim Robbins Tackles Immigration & Xenophobia. democracynow.org 
President Trump said Wednesday that he would expand his highly controversial travel ban, which already bars citizens from seven countries, most of which have Muslim-majority populations — Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela — from entering the United States. Politico reports that the expanded ban could implement immigration restrictions on seven more countries: Belarus, Burma, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania, according to two sources. We speak with acclaimed actor, director and activist Tim Robbins, whose recent work has focused on immigration to the United S…
(2020-01-23). 'This Is Already a Hot War the US Is Prosecuting Against Iran' – CounterSpin interview with Gregory Shupak about. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed media scholar Gregory Shupak about the Soleimani assassination for the Media…
(2020-01-23). U.S. General Says Troop Surge in Middle East May Not End Soon. truthdig.com 
America has sent more than 20,000 additional troops into the region over the past eight months to counter the escalating threat from Iran.
(2020-01-23). Video: Russia's "Dead Hand" Command Missiles, Deterrent In The Event of a Crippling Nuclear Attack. globalresearch.ca The existing system of international relations and arms control treaties is slowly, but steadily crumbling. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is dead, with both Washington and Moscow publicly developing previously banned short-to-medium range missiles. The New START (Strategic Arms Reduction …
(2020-01-23). Today's US-Iran Crisis Is Rooted in the Decision to Invade Iraq. commondreams.org U.S. troops train some 25 miles from the Iraqi border, near Camp New York, on January 21, 2003, in Kuwait, Iraq. (Photo: Gilles Bassignac / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/troops.jpeg …
(2020-01-23). Netanyahu, Pence Slam 'Anti-Semitic' Iran at Holocaust Memorial. telesurenglish.net Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence took turns denouncing Iran at the Holocaust memorial event on Wednesday, as both leaders accused the Islamic Republic of Anti-Semitism. | RELATED: | Netanyahu, who has taken an aggressive approach towards Iran, called the Islamic Republic "the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet", telling world leaders at a Holocaust memorial event th…
(2020-01-23). US Envoy Threatens to Assassinate New Quds Force Commander. telesurenglish.net The U.S. envoy to Iran Brian Hook has threatened Iran's Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani with the same fate as his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, if he followed the latter's path. | RELATED: | AccordIng to the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Hook and the rest of the Trump administration will not tolerate Soleimani's approach any further. The U.S. representative said the Trump administration will take similar action aga…
(2020-01-23). Americans Need to Hear More from Iranians. Here's Where to Start. commondreams.org Sanctions starve our people of food, medicine, and safety while public figures threaten us with more violence. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/shutterstock_1026996595.jpeg …
(2020-01-23). Doomsday Clock Changed: It Is Now 100 Seconds From Midnight — Twin Threats of Nuclear War, Climate Change Seen as Worsening. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-01-23). The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, amid worsening global factors. thecanary.co The Doomsday Clock, an indicator of how close the world is to total destruction, is now just The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) highlights three worsening factors in its Doomsday Clock statement. These are: | 1) Nuclear weapons: | The BAS says that national leaders have "ended or undermined" several major arms control treaties and negotiations in the last year. | They argue this has created an environment conducive to a renewed nuclear arms race, the proliferati…
(2020-01-23). 'The Most Dangerous Situation That Humanity Has Ever Faced': Doomsday Clock Now 100 Seconds to Midnight. commondreams.org Citing the worsening nuclear threat and inaction on the climate crisis, scientists issue a historic warning about the risk of global catastrophe. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-11954780051.jpg …
(2020-01-23). U.S. clearing anti-war voices off social media in vast censorship operation. mronline.org 
Instagram and its parent company Facebook are removing posts that appear to be in support of the late Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in order to comply with U.S. sanctions, a company spokesperson recently told CNN. |
(2020-01-22). Muddle-Eastern diplomacy: White House confuses Iran and Iraq in YouTube blunder. rt.com 
As President Donald Trump sat down with the world's movers and shakers at Davos, White House staff clearly weren't paying much attention, mistaking Iraqi President Barham Salih for his Iranian counterpart. | "President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the President of the Republic of Iran," the title of a YouTube video published by the White House on Wednesday proclaimed. | Hell had not frozen over, however, and Trump had not secretly met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani unbeknownst to the world's media. Instead, the video clearly showed Trump meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih. | Ira…
(2020-01-22). Opening plenary kicks off World Anti-Imperialist Congress. fightbacknews.org Caracas, Venezuela – On January 22, hundreds of international delegates from 52 countries heard from leaders from Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Brazil to kick off the World Anti-Imperialist Congress. | Starting with a professor from Syria who remarked that U.S. imperialism assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani because the U.S. fears it is losing its grip on the Middle East, the crowd shouted "Viva Soleimani!" He added that, with the help requested by Syria from Russia, Iran and others, the Syrians have bravely declared "No pasarán!" | After the Syrian professor, an official from the Cuban Communist Party sha…
(2020-01-22). Denver students say: No war on Iran! fightbacknews.org Denver, CO – Students from Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) met on campus
| January 21 to continue the rallying against U.S. aggression towards Iran and the U.S.
| occupation of Iraq. This action comes after the illegal act of war of the Trump
| regime in which Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in the Baghdad International Airport. | The U.S. has claimed that they are backing off from war at this time, but will continue to add
| sanctions against Iran which will harm the people of Iran. One SDS member noted
| in his speech, "Sanctions are an act of war; countless citizens died in…
(2020-01-21). 'Ridiculous': US disarmament envoy slams Iranian MP for proposing $3mn bounty on Trump's head. rt.com 
A senior US diplomat said an offer of money for the killing of US President Donald Trump, made by an Iranian lawmaker, serves as clear proof of Tehran's "terrorist underpinnings." | "It's just ridiculous, but it gives you a sense of the terrorist underpinnings of that regime, and that regime needs to change its behavior," US Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament Robert Wood told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, as quoted by Reuters. | The diplomat was commenting on a remark by Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Hamzeh, who promised to pay US$3,000,000 to anyone who kills Trump. Hamzeh said it would be r…
(2020-01-21). Netflix, Iran and the Documentary as Geopolitical Weapon. fair.org 
Netflix's Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President and the Spy | Like The Mechanism before it, Netflix's new series Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President and the Spy is an entertainment product that advances US interests through character assassination of a popular left-wing Latin American leader. | "Try saying this," the director said: "'In the '80s, Rio de Janeiro was a land of the haves and the have nots. I was a have not.'" In 2016, I was working as a fixer on an episode of a Netflix documentary crime series, and the main character was not cooperating with the script. | He was Afro-Brazilian, but he was not the…
(2020-01-21). CBP Deported an Iranian Student With Valid Visa, Defying Court Order. aclu.org Last night, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deported an Iranian student with a valid visa, despite a federal court order prohibiting his removal. | Shahab Dehghani arrived at Boston Logan Airport on Sunday, January 19 to study at Northeastern University, where he was enrolled. Customs officials detained him and questioned him for hours, abruptly revoking his student visa, which the State Department granted after a year of intense vetting. | As CBP tried to put Shahab on the next available flight, supporters and friends gathered at night in the arrivals hall at Logan to demand that CBP stop deporting…
(2020-01-21). The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis. thenation.com The US Sanctions on Iran Are Causing a Major Humanitarian Crisis…
(2020-01-21). Iran Confirms Two Missiles Were Fired at Downed Ukrainian Airliner. theantimedia.com (MEE) — Iran has confirmed that two surface-to-air missiles were fired at a Ukrainian airliner brought down outside of Tehran earlier this month, killing all 176 people on board. In a second preliminary report posted on its website late on Monday, Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation confirmed investigators discovered that "two Tor-M1 missiles" had been fired at the aircraft. Its …
(2020-01-21). Iran: The EU-three Trigger Dispute Mechanism in Iran Nuclear Deal. dissidentvoice.org Why, after so many assurances to the contrary, have the three European Iran's Nuclear Deal Partner's — Germany, France, the UK — decided to go after Iran, to follow the US dictate again? The short answer is because they're cowards. They have zero backbone to stand up against the US hegemony, because they are afraid …
(2020-01-21). The US's Inalienable Right to Violence. fair.org 
This Washington Post headline ( Even when critical of US actions, media commentary on recent
(2020-01-20). Iran Denies Claims They Were Sending Black Boxes to Ukraine. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Iran has denied claims that began to emerge Saturday that they were going to send the black boxes from the Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 to Ukraine, saying that they are still in the process of reading them and have made no decision yet on sending them elsewhere. The previous report had said Iran had decided that …
(2020-01-18). Pentagon: No Attempt Made to Underplay Casualties in January 8 Iran Attack. theantimedia.com (ANTIWAR.COM) — Pentagon officials denied that they made any effort to downplay or delay the revelation of American military casualties in the January 8 Iranian missile strike on the Ayn al-Asad airbase in Iraq. President Trump reported on January 8 that there were no American casualties, and this was the official story for over a week. On Thursday, …
(2020-01-17). Headlines for January 17, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Impeachment Trial Opens as Accountability Office Says Trump Broke Law by Withholding Aid, Pentagon Contradicts Trump and Says 11 U.S. Troops Injured in Iranian Strikes, Senate Votes to Approve USMCA, Report: Six Banks Reaped $18 Billion Last Year from Trump Tax Cuts, Guatemalan Protesters Demand Outgoing President Be Arrested for Corruption, Deported Immigrant Rights Leader Jean Montrevil Sues U.S. Government, FBI Arrests 3 Suspected Neo-Nazis Ahead of Pro-Gun Rally in Richmond, Virginia, Florida Supreme Court Upholds Law Limiting Voting Rights for People with Felony Convictions, Harvard Law Students Prote…
(2020-01-15). Iran plane crash: who do Iranians blame? thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Setareh Sadeqi, a PhD candidate at the University of Tehran who lost…
(2020-01-10). Gregory Shupak on Iran Assassination, Brett Hartl on Biodiversity Loss. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-01-08). In the ongoing crisis, Congress must rein in Trump's war powers. peaceaction.org As we feared, President Trump's reckless assassination of Iran's Gen. Soleimani resulted in escalation — direct Iranian missile attacks on two military bases in Iraq. It's painful to watch more violence in a country that has already suffered far too much from endless war. All parties in the US/Iran conflict must cease military action and …
(2020-01-06). SPLC Statement on the Detainment of Iranians and Iranian Americans. splcenter.org The following statement is by Southern Poverty Law Center Interim President and CEO Karen Baynes-Dunning following reports that Iranians and Iranian Americans are being detained and questioned at U.S. ports of entry:…