There has been speculation that Netanyahu might try to accidentally on purpose provoke a resumption of war with Iran, in hopes of helping him in his election. The Israeli chief of staff appears to share that concern.

Full on crisis underway in Israel as the military is pushing back on a Netanyahu order re Iran

Clarification Regarding Reports on the Closure of Iranian Borders to Pakistan With regard to reports concerning the closure of Iranian borders to Pakistan, I would like to clarify a few important points here: First, there are currently no restrictions on the Iranian side on the export of Iranian goods to Pakistan, including LPG. Iran's borders with all its neighboring countries remain open. Naturally and rationally, under the prevailing circumstances, it would be neither logical nor in the interests of either side for Iran to close its borders to its immediate neighbors, particularly brotherly Pakistan. Second, changes in the implementation of Pakistan's E-Form procedure for imports from Iran have created a situation in which traders are effectively and literally unable to dispatch cargo from Iran to Pakistan. Consultations with the Pakistani side are currently underway to address this issue. Third, according to reports, several hundred trucks carrying LPG have crossed the Rimdan border into Gabd on the Pakistani side. However, despite having remained there for several weeks, these trucks have yet to be unloaded or cleared, further complicating the movement of goods and the smooth flow of bilateral trade. Finally, I would like to emphasize that cross-border trade between Iran and Pakistan is an integral part of the bilateral agreements reached at the highest levels. It serves the mutual interests of both countries and their people. Iran has made every possible effort, leaving no stone unturned, to facilitate and promote this essential bilateral trade. We remain committed to continuing these efforts in close coordination with our Pakistani counterparts to overcome existing challenges, facilitate the movement of goods, and strengthen economic cooperation between our two brotherly countries.

Another round of escalation between US and Iran looks inevitable but there's a pattern -- Every time an escalation cycle between US and Iran is near to its approach, the Iranians start sending calculated leaks and messages that "they are close to a deal" but in reality they're not, and the reality is that pushing parties towards the escalation cycle is also Iran's doing for their inability to respond intime, follow through on their commitment or respond through the same channel(s).

The US and Russia seem to be pushing for the next UN Secretary General to be a UAE official, @Lana_Nusseibeh, who has helped underwrite mass murder and mass rape in Sudan and then lied about it, as she is doing here.

UAE regime seems to have paid the family of Mahmoud Abbas. The latter just endorsed the UAE candidate for UN SG.

Pakistan-Iran border at Gabd-Rimdan crossing finally opened today from both sides after the closure of few days. Credit goes to the a President of Gawadar Chamber of Commerce & Industry Mir Naveed Kalamati who raised voice against the closure in #CapitalTalk now the prices of the LPG will come down in Pakistan by this evening because thousands of containers loaded with LPG will enter in Pakistan in next few hours.

It is a feature of programs like Fulbright that it leaves these people incapable of meaningfully criticizing the empire beyond empty slogans. Like can you identify a single USAID scholar who has spoken against the regime change in Pakistan? Shehzada Ghias, Mehrub, etc all all Fulbright scholars. They do not contribute shit to Pakistan, neither do they help the people of the country who gave them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Good real time example of how Palestinian suffering in the West Bank, specifically at the hands of Israeli settlers, has become an exploitative photo op and cred boosting escapade for American liberal Zionists like Lander. He condemns the ‘ethnic cleansing’ and settlers while simultaneously offering condolences for the soldiers tasked with maintaining, overseeing and enforcing said ethnic cleansing & genocide (never-mind his material support for and profiting off of Elbit Systems). He says in this same statement that he, after his brief apartheid tourism, believes there is a way to end the violence (better than Palestinians themselves it seems) — yet he’s the same guy who has stood staunchly against the bare minimum non-violent strategy of BDS.

There have been many reports that Pakistan is arming Afghans to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now there are reports that the Pakistani military is recruiting Afghans to fight against anti-Pakistan insurgents. As things currently stand, relations between #Afghanistan and #Pakistan are likely to get much worse.