Pro-Hamas Islamist Countries, Such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan, Have No Place on Trump's Board of Peace - Con Coughlin

 

by Con Coughlin

The fact, therefore, that so many Hamas-supporting countries have signed up to participate in Trump's board raises serious questions about their true motives in joining the enterprise.

 

• As commendable as it may be that US President Donald J. Trump is apparently hoping that he can turn "swords into ploughshares," the inclusion of avowedly pro-Islamist, pro-terrorist countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan in his so-called "Board of Peace" has all the potential thoroughly to undermine the American leader's peace initiative in Gaza.

• The presence of so many Islamist and terror-supporting countries on Trump's Gaza Board, though, has prompted concerns that they will attempt to stymie the Trump administration's disarmament demand and seek to find a compromise agreement whereby Hamas terrorists are allowed to continue holding weapons to be used later to continue attacking Israel, especially after Trump is a lame duck after the US midterm elections this year or no longer holds office

• Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan still refuse formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

• Qatar also has a documented history of funding virtually every Islamist terror group then, when conflicts flare up, offering to serve as the supposedly "impartial" mediator.

• "Qatar is at the top of funding terrorism worldwide, even more than Iran." -- former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy agency who dealt with economic warfare against terrorist organisations, YNet, April 18, 2024.

• Turkey, meanwhile, has taken the perverse decision to intensify its support for Hamas in the wake of the October 7 attacks....

• The fact, therefore, that so many Hamas-supporting countries have signed up to participate in Trump's board raises serious questions about their true motives in joining the enterprise. Are they genuinely committed to supporting the Trump administration's ambitious plan to end hostilities in Gaza?

• Or are they, as all the evidence seems to suggest, simply joining the board so that they can protect the interests of Hamas terrorists and frustrate Trump's ambitions of bringing peace to the war-ravaged area?

The inclusion of avowedly pro-Islamist, pro-terrorist countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan in US President Donald J. Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" has all the potential thoroughly to undermine the American leader's peace initiative in Gaza. Pictured: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on April 14, 2016 in Istanbul. (Photo by Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/AFP via Getty Images)

As commendable as it may be that US President Donald J. Trump is apparently hoping that he can turn "swords into ploughshares," the inclusion of avowedly pro-Islamist, pro-terrorist countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan in his so-called "Board of Peace" has all the potential thoroughly to undermine the American leader's peace initiative in Gaza.

With Trump's 20-point peace plan for ending the Gaza conflict entering a new stage, the American president is insisting that the Hamas terrorist organisation surrender all its weapons within the next two months.

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast this month, Trump insisted that, with the war in Gaza ended, Hamas should give up its weapons.

"Now they have to disarm," Trump said. "Some people say they won't, but they will, and if they don't, they're gonna not be around any longer."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a similar message to US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff during a stopover in Jerusalem while travelling for talks with Iran over its nuclear programme. Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Hamas's disarmament is a precondition of Gaza's reconstruction under Phase 2 of the Trump administration's peace plan.

Disarming Hamas, a key component of Trump's initial 20-point peace plan for ending the Gaza conflict, was due to take place after the first stage of the ceasefire deal, whereby all the remaining Israeli hostages were released in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners being freed.

Even though this first stage has now been completed, with the Israeli military recovering the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in January.

Hamas's terrorist leadership has shown no sign of fulfilling its part of the bargain.

On the contrary, Khaled Mashaal, the terror organisation's political leader, has rejected calls to disarm Palestinian factions in Gaza, arguing that stripping weapons from them would turn them into "an easy victim to be eliminated".

Speaking on the second day of a conference hosted by the Gulf state of Qatar this month, Mashaal described the discussion around Hamas handing over its weapons as a continuation of a century-long effort to neutralise Palestinian armed "resistance."

"In the context that our people are still under occupation, talking about disarmament is an attempt to make our people an easy victim to be eliminated and easily exterminated by Israel, which is armed with all international weaponry," he said.

The prospects of Hamas responding positively to Trump's demand to disarm now faces the serious prospect of being undermined by the presence of so many pro-Islamist countries on his Board of Peace, the body that has been set up to oversee Gaza's transition from being a war-ravaged area to a peaceful, demilitarised zone.

To date, nine countries from the Middle East and Asia have announced plans to join Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" in the Gaza Strip, and have stressed the need to secure a "permanent ceasefire" in Gaza.

After a number of Arab countries -- most prominently Jordan -- proved reluctant to join Trump's proposed "International Stabilization Force" for Gaza on the grounds that they did not want to become involved in military action against Hamas, many have now relented and joined the Board of Peace. Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have all issued a joint statement declaring that they would be joining the Trump-led board.

"The Ministers reiterate their countries' support for the peace efforts led by President Trump," the statement said.

It added that the Board's mission is aimed at "consolidating a permanent ceasefire, supporting the reconstruction of Gaza, and advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region".

The presence of so many Islamist and terror-supporting countries on Trump's Gaza Board, though, has prompted concerns that they will attempt to stymie the Trump administration's disarmament demand and seek to find a compromise agreement whereby Hamas terrorists are allowed to continue holding weapons to be used later to continue attacking Israel, especially after Trump is a lame duck after the US midterm elections this year or no longer holds office

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan still refuse formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

Both Qatar and Turkey, which support hardline Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, have a long history of backing Hamas. Qatar, in particular, provided much of the funds that enabled Hamas to build the terrorist infrastructure used for carrying out the October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel, the worst terrorist attack in Israel's history. One report claimed Qatar had transferred $1.8 billion to Hamas in the decade preceding the atrocity.

Qatar also has a documented history of funding virtually every Islamist terror group (such as here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) then, when conflicts flare up, offering to serve as the supposedly "impartial" mediator.

"Qatar is at the top of funding terrorism worldwide, even more than Iran," according to Udi Levy, a former senior official of Israel's Mossad spy agency who dealt with economic warfare against terrorist organisations.

Turkey, meanwhile, has taken the perverse decision to intensify its support for Hamas in the wake of the October 7 attacks, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan making a series of inflammatory anti-Israeli statements, including comparing Israel to the Nazis and repeatedly calling Israel's self-defence "genocide" – while Turkey bombs the Kurds.

Erdogan has even warned that Turkey could find itself in a regional war against Israel, and threatened Israel that it would pay a "heavy price" if it renewed hostilities with Hamas.

Pakistan, another pro-Islamist country that has signed up to Trump's board, has also attracted criticism for its pro-Hamas stance, with reports that Islamabad is allowing Hamas terrorists to operate freely on Pakistani soil.

A detailed report published in September by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) found that:

"Pakistan is allowing Hamas representatives on their soil to operate freely, participate in public events, and forge alliances with local militant outfits. This behaviour undermines Western efforts to isolate Hamas and puts under question whether the US should keep on considering Pakistan as a 'major non-Nato ally.'"

Unsurprisingly, the Pakistanis have made it clear that they have no intention of taking part in any effort to disarm Hamas terrorists when their troops are deployed to the Gaza enclave.

The fact, therefore, that so many Hamas-supporting countries have signed up to participate in Trump's board raises serious questions about their true motives in joining the enterprise. Are they genuinely committed to supporting the Trump administration's ambitious plan to end hostilities in Gaza?

Or are they, as all the evidence seems to suggest, simply joining the board so that they can protect the interests of Hamas terrorists and frustrate Trump's ambitions of bringing peace to the war-ravaged area?

Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

Source:https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22278/pro-hamas-islamist-countries

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‘Death to Khamenei’ chants ring out across Iran, diaspora as unrest continues to grow - Shir Perets

 

by Shir Perets

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has described the ongoing protests as “unimaginable,” urged authorities to “treat this disease” rather than “erase the issue.”

 

Placards are seen during a march in support of the people of Iran by members of the American-Iranian community in in Los Angeles on February 14, 2026.

(photo credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

 

Nighttime chants of anti-government slogans were reported across several Iranian cities on Saturday night, after exiled crown prince and Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi called for a “Global Day of Action” to support what he has dubbed Iran’s “Lion-and-Sun Revolution.”

Videos and eyewitness accounts shared by Iran International described chants from rooftops and windows in Tehran and other major cities, hours after large rallies by Iranians abroad voiced support for protesters inside the country.

Residents across Iran were heard chanting slogans including “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei,” Iran International reported, alongside monarchist chants. 

Iranians living in Cyprus chant slogans during a rally, marking the Global Day of Action for Iran, to support Iran's Lion and Sun Revolution, outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus February 14, 2026 (credit: REUTERS/YIANNIS KOURTOGLOU)

The reports came as the Islamic Republic faces renewed scrutiny over its security response to unrest and restrictions on information flows.

ویدیوی رسیده به ایران اینترنشنال نشان می‌دهد مردم تهرانسر در استان تهران شامگاه شنبه از خانه‌های خود شعار «مرگ بر دیکتاتور» سر دادند. pic.twitter.com/GA03w5d6rt

— ايران اينترنشنال (@IranIntl) February 14, 2026

Detentions, hospitals, and pressure on medical staff

The head of Iran’s Medical Council, Mohammad Raiszadeh, said 33 medical workers had been detained during the protests and that 11 had been released so far, according to Iran International.

He described detention of medical staff for performing professional duties as a “red line,” amid separate allegations of security pressure on health workers and violence against protesters in hospitals.

Iran International also quoted President Masoud Pezeshkian as describing the ongoing protests as “unimaginable,” urging authorities to “treat this disease” rather than “erase the issue.” 

ویدیوی رسیده به ایران اینترنشنال نشان می‌دهد مردم تهرانسر در استان تهران شامگاه شنبه از خانه‌های خود شعار «مرگ بر دیکتاتور» سر دادند. pic.twitter.com/GA03w5d6rt

— ايران اينترنشنال (@IranIntl) February 14, 2026

He added that officials had come “to solve people’s problems, not to add to their burden,” and said “the mentality in our society is wounded,” according to the outlet.

Separately, Iranian lawmaker Hamid Rasaei, a Tehran representative in parliament, called for an investigation into why the internet was not disconnected before the unrest of January 8 and 9, Iran International reported.

A report by the rights organization Article 19 said Iran’s digital repression reflects more than a decade of technology transfer and adoption of China’s cyber governance model, according to Iran International. 

The report alleged Beijing provided surveillance and filtering capabilities and promoted an authoritarian “cyber sovereignty” framework that has become central to Iran’s online controls.

Shir Perets

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-886673

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How Deep Is the Deep State? - Roger Kimball

 

by Roger Kimball

The deep state resists exposure—but not forever. Patience, persistence, and power may yet cauterize the Leviathan.

 

 

How deep is the deep state?  That’s a question I have thought and written about a lot.  I had something to say about it recently at The Spectator on the occasion of Abigail Spanberger’s recent election as governor of Virginia. It saddens me to report that every time I think I have taken the measure of the Leviathan that is the deep state, new precincts and vistas open up beyond the boundaries I had delineated.

Sometimes I think the deep state is like an onion. Peel back one layer, and another layer presents itself.

Sometimes I think it is like a basement with an endless procession of sub-basements. Excavate one, and you encounter another below it.  It is like that bit of Hindu cosmology that envisions the world resting on the back of a turtle, which rests on the back of a larger turtle, which rests on the back of a still larger turtle.  Asked what that larger turtle stands upon, the answer is that it is “turtles all the way down.”

That said, I suspect that the difficulty in surveying the deep state is not its depth but its extent.  That is, I suspect that its roots are shallow while its area is both indefinitely large and protean.

The deep state also seems to resemble the Lernaean Hydra of Greek mythology.  Hercules was sent to dispatch this multi-headed monster in the second of his twelve labors. Not only did the beast have poisonous breath, but its blood was so toxic that even its scent was fatal. Furthermore, the hydra had this alarming characteristic: if you cut off one of its heads, two grew back in its place. Hercules overcame this problem by having the stump of each head cauterized as soon as he had cut it off.

Another curious feature of the deep state is that exposure often fails to elicit effective condemnation.  This is due in part to the propaganda arm of the deep state, sometimes called “the media,” which does not so much report the news as echo the narrative fabricated by the deep state.

Consider the revelations about the Somali fraud in Minneapolis.  I thought, and I continue to think, that that massive fraud perpetrated by Democrats will (to continue with Hercules) cauterize one head of the deep state hydra.  What is interesting, though, is the alacrity with which the deep state stepped up to replace or at least drown out that revelation with the cacophony about ICE murdering innocent protestors.  At the end of the day, I do not think that gambit will work in the court of public opinion. If you drive your car into an ICE agent, you should first be sure that your life insurance premiums are current.  The same can be said about carrying a military-grade handgun to a protest and then getting into a fight with ICE agents.  It’s not a recipe for longevity.

Nor has the deep state been effective in countering the ongoing revelations pouring out of Georgia about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Democrats have denounced the actions of the Trump administration, going so far as to try to prevent it from investigating election records, ballot boxes, and voting machines across the country.  A bad look, that.

Also ham-handed was the attempt by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) to smear Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, over a fake whistleblower complaint. Gabbard skewered that effort like Errol Flynn dispatching a baddie. “It is a hoax,” Gabbard wrote on X. “And they don’t even bother rewriting the script: same deep state, same counsel, same playbook. Democrats in Congress & the propaganda media fall in line every time.”

You can’t blame the Democrats for wanting to shut up Gabbard.  She has been one of the administration’s most effective tools for exposing deep state corruption.  The latest revelations concern the direct, personal involvement of Barack Obama in the effort to take down Donald Trump in the aftermath of his election to the presidency in 2016. Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, outlined the findings in a press conference with Gabbard:

While pretending to engage in a peaceful transfer of power, Barack Hussein Obama, in private, went to great and nefarious lengths to sow discord among the public and sabotage his successor, President Trump.

The new evidence released by the Director of National Intelligence confirms that the Obama administration manufactured and politicized intelligence, which was later used as justification for baseless smears against President Trump—an effort to delegitimize his victory before he even took the oath of office.

The truth is that President Trump never had anything to do with Russia, and the Russia collusion hoax was a massive fraud perpetrated on the American people from the very beginning. The worst part is that Obama knew the truth, as did all the other officials involved, including former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and many others.

I suspect that other stumps are about to be cauterized. Last summer, in another meditation about the persistence of the deep state, I drew upon J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books to describe its astonishing longevity.  Voldemort, Rowling’s chief villain, had a clever way of preserving himself. Rightly worried that the forces of good might try to destroy him, the Dark Lord devised a way of infusing living bits of himself into various objects and people. Rowling called the resulting magical charm a “Horcrux.”

“If the body of a Horcrux owner is killed,” we read in a Potter gloss, “that portion of the soul that had remained in the body does not pass on to the next world, but will rather exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected by another wizard.” Nice work if you can get it. As I said last July,

I have often wondered whether the architects of the deep state have been inspired by Rowling’s tale. For, like Voldemort, they have taken care to distribute their essence in external objects and institutions. Wizards like Donald Trump and Elon Musk pronounce anathema upon their activities. They cast death spells that evaporate the elixir that imparts life—dollars in all their glory—but somehow the deep staters manage to evade death.

One problem is that a Horcrux cannot be destroyed by conventional means. It cannot be destroyed by being smashed, ripped, or burnt, for example. What is needed is Basilisk venom, the Sword of Gryffindor, or a magical, inextinguishable flame. You won’t find any at your local Costco or Walmart.

That’s one bit of bad news. Another is that it is generally difficult to discover where a Horcrux resides.  Often, they take up residence in unlikely people or places. How many smiling GOP faces, ostensibly anti-deep state campaigners, are actually hosts for the agents of darkness?

One bit of good news is that Donald Trump and his lieutenants, like Hercules, have unraveled the mystery and the methods of the deep state.  Initiatives like the SAVE Act, for example, which requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, will help frustrate the efforts of the deep state to rig elections.

What is needed to destroy the deep state is patience, persistence, and power.  Donald Trump, in his second term, has marshaled all three. The deep state is clever. It is insidious. But it is not invulnerable. Trump and his team have assembled an extraordinary range of legal and political weapons to undo the machinations of the deep state. Trump has also managed a sort of economic miracle, bringing down inflation and the cost of many consumer goods while boosting wages, the stock market, and employment.

Will all that be sufficient unto the day? I hope so. I think so. It is not too much to say that the future of the republic depends on its being so.

Roger Kimball

Source: https://amgreatness.com/2026/02/15/how-deep-is-the-deep-state/

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Red Defection: CIA deploys new video seeking to lure Chinese soldiers to U.S. amidst PLA turmoil - John Solomon

 

by John Solomon

New video "illustrates the real gulf between the Chinese elites who want what is best for their banks and the Chinese citizens who want what's best for their country," an official said,

 

The CIA deployed a new recruitment video in the Mandarin language, hoping to lure Chinese soldiers to defect amidst significant turmoil inside the People’s Liberation Army where two generals have been removed by President Xi Jinping.

The new video, entitled "The Reason for Stepping Forward: To Save the Future," follows a series of videos dating to late 2024 that the Agency said have been successful in encouraging some Chinese to defect or cooperate with the United States.

The prior videos had some "success" in getting around Chinese Internet censorship, prompting CIA Director John Ratcliffe to make the new one, a senior U.S.official told Just the News, "If the videos didn't work we wouldn't be making more of them."

The new video "illustrates the real gulf between the Chinese elites who want what is best for their banks and the Chinese citizens who want what's best for their country," the official said,

The new video which debuted on YouTube, portrays a Chinese military officer who contacts the CIA after becoming disillusioned with his country's leadership and thinking of his young daughter's future. 

“This is the world I know, defending the homeland and protecting the people. But day after day, the truth becomes increasingly obvious. What leaders are really protecting is their own self interest," the narrator states.

You can watch the video here.

Officials told Just the News that the new release also includes covert efforts to help soldiers to use Virtual Private Networking (VPN) or other security software to help them watch the video without being caught.

The latest video is designed to exploit recent turmoil inside the PLA, where Xi removed the highest-ranking general, Zhang Youxia, and placed him under investigation for corruption as well as Liu Zhenli, a member of the Central Military Commission.

Justin Fulcher, a former adviser to War Secretary Pete Hegseth, told Just the News he believes President Donald Trump has made several power moves against Beijing ahead of a planned summit with Xi in April, including creating a strategic reserve of rare earth minerals to lower US reliance on China and courting African and Latin American countries to move closer to the United States.

"I think what we what we saw  with President Trump and Xi's phone call is preparation and laying the groundwork for that potential April visit by President Trump to Beijing," he said. "And I think this is part of the Trump administration, laying that groundwork. And it's also very timely the announcement of the strategic and rare earth mineral reserves. We are prepared to act and put real dollars and real investment to secure our supply chain and secure our defense industrial base, so that Beijing doesn't have the ability to hold us hostage.

"China has, unfortunately, you know, taken advantage of its dominance in this space for far too long," Fulcher added.

The power moves by Trump have seemed to unnerve Xi a bit and weakened Beijing's economy, experts said.

Closing the U.S. border, imposing tariffs and turning away Chinese academics sent to the United States to steal technology has only hastened the dynamic, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., told Just the News.

"The Chinese have been exploiting our immigration system for decades, and I've had misgivings about this for a long, long time. And then also, they've been really kind of practicing faux capitalism in a way that they can help fund activities against the United States," he said. "It's also about their long-term goal to displace the United States as the preeminent economy, the preeminent military, the preeminent political leader globally, in every category. 

"We have got to shut the door and make some changes in this country, or it's going to get a heck of a lot worse for us, because that's China's goal," he said. 

John Solomon

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/security/red-defect-cia-deploys-new-video-seeking-lure-chinese-soldiers-us-amidst-pla

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Iraq's Kurds emerge as Middle East's key diplomatic players at Munich Security Council - analysis - Seth J. Frantzman

 

by Seth J. Frantzman

The KRG has helped smooth the transition in eastern Syria by working with Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces, also hosting US forces and other anti-ISIS coalition forces.

 

Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region, gives a joint press conference with France's Foreign Minister in Arbil, the regional capital, on February 5, 2026.

(photo credit: SAFIN HAMID/AFP via Getty Images)

 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq has held high-level meetings at the Munich Security Conference, which has become a place for countries to meet and discuss various trends. It also matters more this year because the KRG has become a major player in the region.

The regional government helped smooth the transition in eastern Syria, working with Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The KRG also hosts US forces and other anti-ISIS coalition forces. Additionally, it has amicable ties with Turkey, Iran, the Gulf, and many other countries.

What this means is that the Kurdistan Region, at the crossroads of the Middle East, is a geopolitical hinge upon which the region turns.

Amid tensions with Iran, changes in Syria, and many concerns about regional integration and stability, the KRG is a symbol of success. This is interesting because while the KRG is a regional autonomous government, its profile is often larger than Iraq’s, the state that it is part of.

Such a situation is unusual, both in the Middle East and globally. There are not very many powerful autonomous regions in the world; usually, autonomous regions are backwaters or don’t have much clout. The KRG is therefore unique.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. They discussed US-KRG cooperation and also Syria. The Kurdish leadership in the KRG, particularly the influential Barzani family, has been closely following developments in eastern Syria. The Kurdish leadership of the other major party in the KRG, the PUK, is also involved. The two leading Kurdish parties are dominated by two large families, the Barzanis and Talibanis.

Barzani said that his talks focused on “US relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as the prospects for mutual cooperation,” a report at Kurdish media Rudaw noted. Barzani reiterated “his thanks and appreciation for US support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”

Rubio, too, was positive about the meeting. “Both sides emphasized the importance of protecting the rights of Kurds and all communities within a united Syria,” Barzani’s office stated, according to Rudaw Kurdish media in Erbil.

Other issues are being examined closely. Syria’s foreign minister said in Munich that there were no demands for Kurdish autonomy in Syria. This is a sensitive issue for Damascus. Syria’s leadership has rejected the kind of KRG model in Iraq being applied to Syria. This means that Kurdish rights will be secured, but that autonomy or decentralization apparently will not.

Barzani reportedly met with France, US congressional delegation

According to the reports, Barzani also held talks in Munich with a US congressional delegation.

“During the meeting, US relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as the development of joint cooperation between them, were discussed,” Barzani’s office said, according to the Rudaw report.

It went on to say that the US delegation had emphasized “the importance of the Kurdistan Region’s role as a factor of stability in the region.”

Barzani also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been a key supporter of Kurdish rights in the region. France, also the former colonial power in Syria, has played an important role in the war on ISIS.

The Kurdistan region sees the Barzani meetings as important, with the KRG placing a major emphasis on attending events such as Munich and Davos. It believes that this helps the region benefit from the financial and geopolitical policies important to Erbil.

Today, Erbil continues to play a key role in the region and is economically developing into one of the major success stories in the Middle East. Its work in brokering deals in Syria and other countries is significant.

Seth J. Frantzman

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-886679

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Iran: Hanging on at Any Cost - Amir Taheri

 

by Amir Taheri

The hope in Tehran is that Trump will agree to limit the talks to levels of uranium enrichment by Iran and the transfer of part of the already enriched uranium stockpiles to Russia for safekeeping.

 

• Khamenei's renewed defiance is inspired by four conclusions he has drawn from the latest events.... the "Supreme Guide" seems determined to work with a more compact group of no-questions-asked loyalists on a platform of revolutionary defiance moderated by cosmetic gestures he calls "heroic flexibility".

• The hope in Tehran is that Trump will agree to limit the talks to levels of uranium enrichment by Iran and the transfer of part of the already enriched uranium stockpiles to Russia for safekeeping.

• The talks could be prolonged for weeks if not months, and end granting Trump another "diplomatic victory" on the eve of midterm elections in the US. Slowing down uranium enrichment until Trump becomes a lame duck or ends his term will give the "Supreme Guide" enough time to reassert his authority and perhaps work out his succession.

• Last Wednesday, over 2,000 prisoners were released on Khamenei's orders, partly because space was needed to keep new prisoners arrested during the January uprising.

• His priority now is to propel one of Iran's tested allies into the premiership of Iraq while supplying enough aid to the Houthis in Yemen to hold their own until better days return.

Pictured: Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei on February 1, 2026.

After weeks of tergiversation caused by military threats from the US and Israel and unprecedented nationwide protests, Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei has returned center stage to reaffirm his resolve to make absolutely no concessions to domestic opponents or foreign foes.

The defiant message came last Wednesday as the regime organized marches to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

To be sure, this year's marches lacked the density, let alone the passion, of previous years and in some cities were too obviously contrived to appear genuine. In some cases, the official media had used photos and clips from previous years to heighten the narrative.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Tasnim News site used a single photo to illustrate what it reported as rallies in 21 out of 31 provinces.

Nevertheless, there is little doubt that Khamenei has absorbed the multiple shocks of recent events and intends to remain on the course he set for Iran more than three decades ago.

His main message, reaffirmed again last week, is that there will be no major change in the Islamic Republic's policies and behavior either at home or on the international stage.

Khamenei's renewed defiance is inspired by four conclusions he has drawn from the latest events.

The first is that neither the United States nor its regional ally Israel would risk a new military confrontation with Iran if only because the element of surprise they benefited from last June is no longer there.

The second conclusion is that almost all regional powers oppose regime change in Iran, at least for the time being, making it more difficult for the US to contemplate a Lone Ranger operation.

The third conclusion is that regime opponents, though manifestly stronger than ever in terms of their respective popular bases, have detailed plans for what to do after toppling the regime but no strategy for achieving power to implement their desiderata.

The fourth conclusion is that the most imminent threat to the system may come from disparate groups of malcontents collectively labeled the "pro-reform" faction.

This includes many former top officials, both political and military, along with scores of academics, civil society figures, clerics, celebrities, writers, and journalists. The concern felt in Khamenei's circle is that the "pro-reform" faction may make a deal with the Trump administration in Washington to arrange a Venezuela-style double-barrel change at the top while retaining the trunk of the regime.

To forestall such a scheme, a campaign against "pro-reform" figures was launched a few days ago with the arrest of several activists in Tehran and the provinces. The "Supreme Guide" no longer needs the "pro-reform" narrative to give his regime a veneer of plurality. The "pro-reform" faction was useful as long as there was no chance of it being upgraded from faux Catiline to a real threat.

More importantly, perhaps, an official nomenclature list approved by the House of the Leader ("Beit-e-Rahbar") shows who is being retained as the real McCoy and who is excluded.

It was published by the official news agency IRNA as a list of personalities who led the revolution anniversary marches.

The list contains the names and offices of 118 personalities that the Beit-e-Rahbar regards as the hardcore of loyalist factions. Absent from the list are three former presidents of the Islamic Republic, three former commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, two former foreign ministers and half a dozen clerics in various key positions.

Perhaps inspired by the Leninist motto "better fewer but better," the "Supreme Guide" seems determined to work with a more compact group of no-questions-asked loyalists on a platform of revolutionary defiance moderated by cosmetic gestures he calls "heroic flexibility".

A key example of that flexibility is his readiness to authorize the resumption of indirect talks with the US, the second round of which is expected to be held before the Iranian New Year on 21 March in a regional capital.

The hope in Tehran is that Trump will agree to limit the talks to levels of uranium enrichment by Iran and the transfer of part of the already enriched uranium stockpiles to Russia for safekeeping.

The talks could be prolonged for weeks if not months, and end granting Trump another "diplomatic victory" on the eve of midterm elections in the US. Slowing down uranium enrichment until Trump becomes a lame duck or ends his term will give the "Supreme Guide" enough time to reassert his authority and perhaps work out his succession.

In the meantime, some sweets are distributed to attenuate the bitterness felt throughout the country after the recent crushing of nationwide protests.

Government employees and members of military and security apparatuses are to receive the largest New Year bonus ever granted since the revolution. Minimum wages are to be increased by between 20 and 30 percent.

Last Wednesday, over 2,000 prisoners were released on Khamenei's orders, partly because space was needed to keep new prisoners arrested during the January uprising.

A new wave of retirements in the IRGC and other security apparatuses gives the "Supreme Guide" an opportunity to promote a new generation of officers who have risen from the ranks entirely under his leadership. Almost all the commanders who had a revolutionary resume dating to the 1980s will be sent home by the Iranian New Year.

According to some reports, as yet hard to confirm, the "Supreme Guide" has also ordered a reshuffling of the administration to allow younger and more ambitious cadres to rise in a system dominated by men whose average age is 65 years, in a country where two-thirds of the population were not born when the revolution happened.

The "Supreme Guide" has also restarted his old "exporting the revolution" project in a low- key mode designed to keep the embers burning without raising a fire alarm. His priority now is to propel one of Iran's tested allies into the premiership of Iraq while supplying enough aid to the Houthis in Yemen to hold their own until better days return.

Lebanon, however, is given up for lost for the time being, although "committed allies" in all sects remain on the payroll.

The message from Tehran this week is that news of the regime's demise was exaggerated and that he is determined to hang on at any cost. Will the gambit work?

We shall see.

Gatestone Institute would like to thank the author for his kind permission to reprint this article in slightly different form from Asharq Al-Awsat. He graciously serves as Chairman of Gatestone Europe.

 

Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications, published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22279/iran-hanging-on-at-any-cost

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Turkey sends drilling ship to Somalia in major push for energy independence - i24News

 

by i24News

Turkey has sent its drilling ship Çagri Bey to Somalia to begin offshore oil exploration, a move Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar called historic for Ankara’s push toward energy independence

 

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (left) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, December 30, 2025.AP Photo/Khalil Hamra

Turkey has dispatched a drilling vessel to Somalia to begin offshore oil exploration, marking what officials describe as a historic step in Ankara’s drive to strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on imports.

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar announced that the drilling ship Çagri Bey is set to sail from the port of Taşucu in southern Turkey, heading toward Somali territorial waters. 

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The vessel will pass through the Strait of Gibraltar and around the coast of southern Africa before reaching its destination, with drilling operations expected to begin in April or May.

Bayraktar described the mission as a “historic” milestone, saying it reflects Turkey’s long-term strategy to enhance national energy security and move closer to self-sufficiency.

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The operation will be protected by the Turkish Naval Forces, which will deploy several naval units to secure both the vessel’s route and the drilling area in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The security arrangements fall under existing cooperation agreements between Ankara and Somalia.

The move aligns with a broader vision promoted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, aimed at reducing Turkey’s dependence on foreign energy supplies, boosting domestic production, and shielding the economy from external pressures.

MIDDLE EAST NOW | Wednesday, February 26th 2025

Bayraktar said Turkey is also working to double its natural gas output in the Black Sea this year, while continuing offshore exploration along its northern coastline. In parallel, Ankara is preparing to bring its first nuclear reactor online at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which is expected to begin generating electricity soon and eventually supply about 10% of the country’s energy needs.

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The current drilling effort is based on survey data collected last year and forms part of Ankara’s wider plan to expand its energy exploration activities both regionally and internationally. 

i24News

Source: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/levant-turkey/artc-turkey-sends-drilling-ship-to-somalia-in-major-push-for-energy-independence

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Elbit sees record-breaking sales for laser target designator systems - Leo Feierberg Better

 

by Leo Feierberg Better

Success can be attributed to the simplicity of its LTD system, allowing for easier operation by clients because it can be quickly removed and replaced in the field without requiring specialized tools

 

Elbit Systems' handheld laser designator

(photo credit: ELBIT SYSTEMS)

In 2025 Elbit Systems more than doubled its previous annual sales for its Laser Target Designator (LTD) systems, reflecting rising demand as militaries across the world increasingly rely on precision-guided targeting and networked battlefield systems.

LTDs use laser beams to precisely mark a target, allowing compatible weapons to lock onto and strike it accurately. All six of Elbit’s LTD systems for use on land and in the air “meet NATO laser‑coding standards, enabling smooth coordination among coalition forces,” the company stated.

“Targeting with laser designators is something that takes place a lot on the modern battlefield,” an Elbit official told Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post, pointing to the growing need to strike mobile targets and fleeting target opportunities. “This is the main advantage of using a laser designator.”

In 2025, Elbit recorded strong sales for both land and air-based systems.

On airborne platforms, the company saw integration of its systems “into stabilized turrets and sensor systems to enhance targeting accuracy for ISR, close air support, and strike missions.”

Elbit Systems' Trident – Target and Designation Acquisition Suite.(credit: ELBIT SYSTEMS)

According to the official, airborne laser designation is particularly suited for tracking moving targets. “For air applications, it's more for mobile targets and identifying opportunities,” he said, describing scenarios in which intelligence identifies a specific vehicle and an airborne payload equipped with sensors, cameras, and a laser designator locks onto the target and guides a munition from an aircraft or UAV to close the strike loop.

On land, the LTD systems, which are network-enabled, interface with C4I suites. C4I, which stands for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence, “allows users to share target and laser data securely and in real time – tightening coordination, improving situational awareness, and shortening the sensor‑to‑shooter cycle.”

Ground-based designation, however, requires a clear line of sight as well as familiarity with terrain, the official noted, making coordination and positioning critical to land operations.

Part of Elbit’s success could be attributed to the simplicity of its LTD system. According to the company, the system contains “a single‑LRU, plug‑and‑play design.” A line-replaceable unit, known as an LRU, allows for easier operation by clients because it can be quickly removed and replaced in the field without requiring specialized tools or returning the entire system for maintenance.

The surge in demand also reflects broader shifts in warfare, particularly the proliferation of drones. “The whole battlefield has changed. We have a lot of drones in the field,” the official told D&T. Missions that were once conducted by large UAVs or ground teams with standalone designators are increasingly being carried out by smaller unmanned systems equipped with integrated laser capabilities.

Nevertheless, the official emphasized that the technological barrier to entry remains high.

“It requires a huge investment in R&D,” he said, pointing out that developing a laser designator capable of delivering precise energy to an exact point requires large research investments.

“There are not many companies in the world capable of doing that. We are one of the largest companies in the world to bring this kind of laser designation.”

The laser capabilities are part of Elbit's ISTAR division, which also develops laser range-finders integrated into vehicle sights, airborne payloads, and electro-optical systems. Knowing a precise range, the official said, remains fundamental to battlefield effectiveness.

Looking ahead, the official said the technological focus is on miniaturization and power efficiency. “Today, what is important is to build a very small laser with very high energy,” he said, describing ongoing efforts to reduce size and weight while maintaining output performance.

As militaries adapt to drone-heavy battlefields and shorter sensor-to-shooter cycles, demand for efficient and networked laser designators may increase in the future. 

Leo Feierberg Better

Source: https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-886677

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Indiana’s electricity bills have soared, now bill would make utilities prioritize affordability - Kevin Killough

 

by Kevin Killough

Jumps in electricity rates in Indiana have lawmakers in the state looking to change the way rate increases are approved so that utilities will prioritize affordability.

 

Indiana lawmakers are trying to address rising energy costs in the state. A bill making its way through the Hoosier State’s legislature aims to make utilities prioritize affordability and reliability. 

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., said on the Just the News No Noise television show that the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission hasn’t been held accountable. 

"Sticker shock right now with utility bills" 

“This winter has been a harder winter than what we've normally seen, but I'll tell you, people are really — they're seeing sticker shock right now with utility bills,” Stutzman said, adding that it’s seniors who are hit the hardest by the rate increases. 

Stutzman also pointed out that demand is rising, and part of the reason is the proliferation of electricity-hungry data centers. 

“We could point the finger at certain culprits, but we need to make sure that these data centers are paying their own way. It should not fall back on rate payers,” Stutzman said. 

Performance-based ratemaking

This is another problem that Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is trying to address, Stutzman said. Last month the Indiana House passed House Bill 1002. Among other things, it requires performance-based ratemaking. On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended the bill pass. 

Traditionally, the profit that utilities make is determined by regulator-approved rate increases, which allow the utility to recover capital improvement costs plus a margin of return. This is known as cost-of-service regulation. 

Performance-based ratemaking (PBR) is a collection of tools that try to align utility incentives with certain performance outcomes. Indiana has been toying with PBR for years, and House Bill 1003 incorporates a piece of PBR that’s focused on affordability, the IndyStar reported. 

In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly had the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission conduct a study on implementing a PBR framework into Indiana regulations. The authors of House Bill 1002 used the report as a basis for the bill’s language, according to the IndyStar. 

Tying profits to performance

The bill would allow for new rate cases every three years, and it ties the utility’s profits to performance metrics, including affordability, reliability and quicker restoration of service after outages. Rate hikes would then reward positive performance or penalize poor results. 

Indiana state Rep. Alex Burton, a Democrat who co-authored the regulation, urged the senate to pass the bill. 

“Every month, households anxiously wait for their energy bills, and far too often those high costs force families to choose between groceries, medicine or other basic necessities,” Burton said in a statement. 

Indiana powered by fossil fuels

The Citizens Action Coalition, an Indiana consumer advocacy group, reported that the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved rates that jumped an average of 17.5% from 2024 to 2025, which comes to about $28 per month for the average household. This was the highest increase since at least 2005, according to the coalition. 

While a sudden jump in rates can be disruptive to household budgets, Indiana electricity rates are about average for the U.S. 

The state has some of the lowest rates of electricity consumption from renewable energy sources. Only about 5% of Indiana’s electricity consumption comes from renewable sources, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The other 95% is derived from coal and natural gas. 

Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling, analysts with Always on Energy Research, published a report on their “Energy Bad Boys” Substack that looked at 10 states with the highest total rate increases from 2020-2025. It found that of those 10 states, of which Indiana is one, states with "clean energy" mandates have higher rate increases than states without such regulatory restrictions.

Indiana has only a voluntary, non-binding clean energy standard, but it had the sixth-highest rate increases in the time period of all states. 

Cost-of-service model

When it comes to electricity generation, as opposed to electricity consumption, Indiana’s power plants are 83% powered by coal and natural gas. Solar and wind farms provide about 14% of the total electricity generated in the state. 

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright in December issued an emergency order requiring the state to keep two coal units running past their planned retirements. The order lasts until March 23. One of those units was offline since last summer, and would take months to repair, according to The New York Times. 

Utilities pass on capital costs of As Rolling and Orr explain on their Substack, utilities in states that use the cost-of-service model are incentivized to make capital investments. The model allows utilities to profit from investments in new builds, including wind and solar farms, as well as converting coal plants to natural gas. 

This has incentivized utilities to expand their portfolio of wind and solar generators, as they can pass the capital costs of building out "green" infrastructures onto ratepayers. 

If House Bill 1002 passes and moves the state away from that model and penalizes utilities for failing to meet affordability standards, it may help remove this incentive.  

Kevin Killough

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/following-rate-increases-indiana-house-passes-bill-make-utilities-prioritize

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The Decline and Fall of the Washington Post - John D. O'Connor

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