Hell, explosions, missiles, chaos in navigation, and escalating rhetoric compose the scene of destruction raging in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
In contrast to the statements by US President Donald Trump that he controls Hormuz, Iran launched missiles at ships that violated regulations, causing huge explosions and chaos...
At the same time, the Houthis of Yemen struck Aramco again and reported that they have diverted 48 ships of Saudi Arabia from passing through the Red Sea.
And while the inferno continues... Donald Trump, in new statements, mentions that he would strike the Iranians again 100 times...
In any case, the US has foreshadowed the economic strangulation of Iran, an act that is obviously unthinkable... Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, emphasized that the US is ultimately going to hell with the $50 trillion debt that will be reached in 2030...
Israel is examining scenarios... regarding whether striking Turkish positions in Syria would lead to the activation of Article 5 of NATO.
Iran struck two tankers because they violated regulations – Huge explosions and chaos in Hormuz
Explosions, fire, and chaos prevailed in Hormuz following the launch of missiles by Iran, which struck two tankers.
The explosions were caused by Iranian anti-ship missiles fired at vessels that violated regulations.
This development comes to refute Donald Trump's claims that Hormuz is controlled by the Americans...
The situation in Hormuz is escalating and the impasse remains...
Trump: If necessary, I will attack Iran 100 times - It is not easy to reach an agreement with them...
If necessary, I will attack Iran 100 times, emphasized American President Donald Trump.
He also emphasized that «we had no other choice (and we had to attack).
I have repeated this over and over, even 100 times I will repeat it.
They should not have nuclear weapons», stated Donald Trump.
Iran has attacked countries that are relatively neutral, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
We weakened Iran's navy and air force, and for that reason, reaching an agreement with Iran is not easy, because we have weakened the leadership of Iran... Donald Trump emphasized, but this statement simply does not make sense...
A US Air Force Boeing E-3B Sentry issued a distress signal near the Strait of Hormuz
A US Air Force Boeing E-3B Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft issued a distress signal near the Strait of Hormuz, according to flight data.
The aircraft appeared on radar screens at 22:40 UTC on Thursday, August 20, having already squawked transponder code 7700.
Subsequently, it descended from an altitude above 6,700 meters to an altitude of approximately 5,400 meters and began heading west from the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, moving inland over the Arabian Peninsula.
Concurrently, three American Boeing KC-46A Pegasus refueling aircraft were in the airspace near Hormuz and the Arabian Emirates.
They had previously taken off from the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and were circling over the United Arab Emirates.
The airframe that broadcast the distress signal is already 46 years old.
CNN: The latest confusing pivot - Iran is determined to humiliate Trump just as it did with Carter
Iran is determined to humiliate Donald Trump, repeating history just as it did with former American President Jimmy Carter, CNN reported.
Donald Trump claimed that he imposed on Iran «the most destructive economic operation ever undertaken against any country».
However, CNN highlighted that his new approach is partly a way to salvage his credibility following his failure to force Iran to surrender through military strikes or to convince Iran to participate in nuclear negotiations via a memorandum of understanding.
CNN added that this is Donald Trump's latest «confusing pivot» in a conflict that has witnessed so many tactical shifts and reversals that it is almost impossible to count them.
Washington Post: Trump does not have many options
US President Donald Trump does not possess many options to act on his threats to escalate economic sanctions against Iran «on an unprecedented scale», reports The Washington Post.
Edward Fishman, senior fellow and director of the Geoeconomics Center at the Council on Foreign Relations, stated that Donald Trump often articulates such threats, but in practice, they are not followed by particularly substantial actions.
Edward Fishman pointed out that Iran has been under American sanctions since 2018.
Consequently, the only option remaining for Donald Trump is to intensify sanctions against Iran's trading partners, including China, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.
Other options include targeting banks and refineries that purchase small quantities of energy from Iran, or imposing sanctions on banks holding Iranian assets abroad.
Edward Fishman emphasized that Donald Trump cannot do much more, unless he is truly prepared to threaten the entire world that anyone conducting transactions with Iran will be barred from access to the American economy.
Ali Abdollahi (Iranian Military): Crushing response to new threats from the US
The Armed Forces of Iran will respond to any «miscalculation», as well as to conventional or emerging threats, with a «crushing, painful, and destructive» reaction, maintained Chief of the General Staff, Major General Ali Abdollahi, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
In a message on the occasion of Iran's Defense Industry Day, Ali Abdollahi reported that the country's Armed Forces maintain a high state of readiness across all domains: land, sea, air, air defense, space, and cyberspace.
He characterized developments within Iran's Ministry of Defense in recent years as something exceeding the mere manufacturing of military equipment, speaking of a «deterrent defense industrial revolution» that encompasses technology management, defense economics, knowledge-intensive industries, and advanced manufacturing.
Ali Abdollahi stated that these changes aim to bolster Iran's capacity to confront what he described as increasingly complex forms of warfare.
Israel Hayom: NATO Article 5 will not be triggered if Israel strikes Turkish positions in Syria
The newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Israeli military circles are debating whether NATO Article 5 would be triggered in the event of a strike on Turkish positions, arguing that Israeli attacks on Turkish forces deployed outside the country would not necessarily lead to NATO intervention.
Meanwhile, the BTA news agency of Bulgaria reported that the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria announced in a press release that the Prime Minister held a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
According to foreign media reports, the two discussed the European security environment, focusing on the potential threat of Iranian offensive actions.
Mark Rutte personally confirmed NATO's full support and announced the readiness of the alliance's defense forces to respond to a potential attack.
The press release notes that any attack against a NATO member state will be considered an attack against the alliance, and all measures arising from the North Atlantic Treaty will be taken accordingly.
Elon Musk: The US is going to hell with debt at $50 trillion... it has already reached $40 trillion
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk agreed that «everything will go to hell» for the US when the national debt reaches $50 trillion.
«The chart is accurate», he commented on a social media post by a user who shared a chart and pointed to the $50 trillion national debt threshold by 2030 as the point at which «everything will go to hell» for the US.
Recently, the US national debt exceeded the record figure of $40 trillion, having increased by $20 trillion in less than 10 years.
According to estimates from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the US national debt could reach $50 trillion in six years, unless the country implements spending reforms or new tax policy.
Ansarullah of Yemen: In two drone attacks, we struck Abha Airport and Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia...
In two drone attacks, we struck Abha Airport and Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia.
These attacks were carried out in response to the violation of Yemeni airspace in the Saada Governorate.
Ansarullah of Yemen announced that it had targeted sites in Saudi Arabia in two unmanned aerial vehicle attacks.
The attacks targeted a sensitive location at Abha Airport and an Aramco facility in Abha.
IRGC: Americans, we are simply informing you that if a new war breaks out, we will use a new weapon of hell
We will use more destructive and more advanced weapons than those used in previous wars if a new war breaks out, emphasized IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi.
The destructive yield of the new warheads on the missiles of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran) is far greater than that used in previous wars.
He added that Iran is making continuous progress in all fields of military weaponry, producing arms that are more accurate, destructive, and technologically advanced.
«If another war begins, our weapons will certainly be different from those of the past.
This difference could be reflected in the production of warheads, in the strike precision [of systems], in missile range, or in any other domain», he emphasized.
Iran: New US economic sanctions constitute «economic terrorism» and «crimes against humanity»
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran strongly condemned the new round of US economic sanctions against the country, stating that the measures constitute «economic terrorism» and «crimes against humanity».
In a statement, the ministry mentioned that the new sanctions, announced by the US government on the anniversary of the 1953 coup in Iran, demonstrate the continuation of decades of hostility toward the Iranian people.
«The new US sanctions are not only another indication of the continuation of 73 years of hostility by American policymakers toward the Iranian people, but they also demonstrate the anti-human, lawless, and hegemonic nature of the US government», the statement notes.
Donald Trump announced what he characterized as «the most crushing economic operation» against Iran, claiming that Tehran will face «economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale».
He also threatened sanctions against any country that cooperates with Iran.
The threat comes as his war against Iran, launched alongside the Israeli regime on February 28, has not achieved any of its objectives.
The ministry stated that the sanctions target the fundamental rights of Iranian citizens and criticized Washington for violating international norms.
Undoubtedly, the US economic sanctions against Iran, which target the fundamental human rights of every Iranian citizen, constitute «economic terrorism» and «crimes against humanity», it mentioned, adding that those responsible should face prosecution and punishment.
Alarm in the Gulf of Oman: American aircraft carrier spotted by satellite sailing in the region!
Satellite imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellite from yesterday, Thursday, August 20, shows a Nimitz-class American aircraft carrier sailing in the Gulf of Oman.
The aircraft carrier, regarding which it is not known whether it is the USS Abraham Lincoln or the USS George Washington, is accompanied by at least one Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
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