NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here is a  link to an essay via the Augusta Free Press; other published material is accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for LEBANON, GAZA, WEST BANK, IRAN, UKRAINE, and MEDIA, and for ALL OF IT 7-4-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM AUG. 11, 2022  Conspiracies or disinformation plots? by Arnold Oliver* | Augusta Free Press  Nearly all conspiracy theories are the deliberate creations of individuals, groups, and sometimes governments seeking to confuse, stoke fear and obscure the truth. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

*  Oliver is an emeritus professor of political science at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here is a link to a report from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for ALL OF IT, GAZA, WEST BANK, IRAN, UKRAINE and MEDIA, and down for LEBANON 7-3-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4  Lebanon says 400,000 displaced people have returned south as government prepares reconstruction plan. From Middle East Monitor. Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen El Sayed said Saturday that around 400,000 displaced people have returned to their areas in southern Lebanon, while many others remain unable to go back because of widespread destruction or lack of access to their homes, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here is a link to a report from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for ALL OF IT, LEBANON, WEST BANK, IRAN, UKRAINE and MEDIA, and down for GAZA 7-3-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4  Israeli strike kills Palestinian in Gaza as army continues demolitions. From Middle East Monitor. At least one Palestinian was killed and several others injured in an Israeli strike on Gaza City on Saturday, while the Israeli army continued demolishing buildings and shelling areas across the enclave in the latest reported violations of the ceasefire in force since October 2025, Anadolu reports.  READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to two reports from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for ALL OF IT, LEBANON, GAZA, IRAN, UKRAINE and MEDIA, and down for WEST BANK 6-26-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 3. Tel Aviv greenlights 13 new illegal settlements to fracture occupied West Bank. From the Cradle. Israel’s Security Cabinet on Thursday approved the construction of 13 new illegal settlements in the central occupied West Bank, a move that threatens to isolate occupied East Jerusalem from the rest of the Palestinian territories. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM JULY 1  The West Bank’s creeping annexation moves from maps to law, by a correspondent in the West Bank for the Cradle  Israel’s land registration drive in the occupied West Bank has taken shape without a formal declaration. It has moved through budgets and ministries, driven by routine administrative decisions that rarely draw sustained attention. READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor; and to a commentary from the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for ALL OF IT, LEBANON, GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA, and down for IRAN 7-3-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

Iran’s top officials attend prayer for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, by Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell | AP  TEHRAN — Iran’s top officials and brothers of the country’s new supreme leader emerged into public view Sunday to attend the funeral prayers for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signaling a new confidence in their safety as calls grew for the killing of U.S. President Donald Trump. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE from others.  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

–   –   –

At the funeral: The Quran verses that ranked allies, rivals and sent Saudi Arabia a message, by Elis Gjevori and Marwa Kocak | Middle East Eye  When the Saudi delegation stepped forward to pay respects at the coffin of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, the Quran recitation that followed did not go unnoticed. The verse was Al Imran 3:13. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Regional resistance factions meet with Iran FM on sidelines of Khamenei’s funeral. From the Cradle. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday met in Tehran with leaders of resistance movements from Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen, who expressed condolences for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader and thanked the Islamic Republic for its support in the struggle against Israel. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

Where Iran stands on the memorandum it signed with the U.S. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East & North Africa Program at Chatham House, about how Iran sees the memorandum it signed with the U.S. as well as the ongoing talks. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4  Iranian president criticises international silence over Israeli actions. From Middle East Monitor.  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday criticised international institutions for what he described as their failure to stop Israeli actions in the region, saying global bodies have remained silent while Israel openly speaks of assassinations and targeted killings, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4  Iran begins dayslong funeral for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in war, by Nasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell | AP  TEHRAN — Hundreds of thousands of mourners began a dayslong funeral on Saturday for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE for July 3 report from the Cradle.

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4  Iran begins week of funeral celebrations for Khamenei. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Don Gonyea, Janaya Williams and Henry Larson | NPR  Foreign dignitaries are gathering in Iran for a week of funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM JULY  3  After the war: A cautious Gulf reset. From the Cradle. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran launched in February 2026 may ultimately mark a turning point in the strategic history of the Persian Gulf. While the immediate impact was visible in military damage, economic strain, and heightened insecurity, a quieter political effect has followed. READ MORE . . .

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to two reports: from National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for ALL OF IT, LEBANON, GAZA, WEST BANK, IRAN and MEDIA, and down for UKRAINE 7-3-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4   Ukrainian drones hit St. Petersburg oil terminal in latest long-range attack on Russia.  From AP.  A Ukrainian drone attack struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Saturday, Russian officials said, as Kyiv presses on with bombardment of Russia’s oil infrastructure. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4  A former U.S. diplomat on the war in Ukraine. Reported by Sarah Robbins, Don Gonyea and Henry Larson | NPR  Ukraine says it can now hit military and energy targets deep inside Russia. Former ambassador Daniel Fried explains why he thinks Russia is starting to lose its strategic advantage. Click HERE to listen and read.

.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to an essay from the Reactionary International via Z Network and to a self-introduction from RI. (Scroll up for ALL OF IT, LEBANON, GAZA, WEST BANK, IRAN and UKRAINE.  MEDIA 6-9-26 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 4  The military-entertainment complex, by Tanya Singh | Reactionary International / Z Network  Across the world, cinema has been deployed to bolster nationalism, justify violence, and erase resistance. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DATE UNCERTAIN  Coups. Assassinations. Riots. Detentions. Disinformation. We know the tactics that have been deployed to undermine our democracies. But who is behind them?  From Reactionary International. [RI introduces itself in About Us.] READ MORE . . .

.

First, links to a report from National Public Radio and to some history from Z Network via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll down for today’s ALL OF IT so far, and for Iran 7-3-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 3  Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a powerful bargaining chip. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Tom Bowman | NPR  Despite efforts by U.S. negotiators, Iran says it wants to charge a toll for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It’s yet another unresolved issue of the U.S.-Iran war. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM JUNE 17  A constant in Iranian history, by M. Reza Behnam | Z Network / Consortium News  The Strait of Hormuz has served as a central artery for Persian political and economic power, historical consciousness and culture across millennia. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

TO BE CONTINUED

Five links: to an essay from Otherwords via ScheerPost; to a transcript of an author interview from Salon; via Black Agenda Report and ScheerPost; to video from Black Agenda Report of an interview of the same author; to a book review from the Nation; and to a commentary from Black Agenda Report. (Scroll up for today’s IRAN so far, and down for ALL OF IT 6-28-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 1  At 250, American democracy is under siege, by Mitchell Zimmerman | Otherwords / ScheerPost  This Fourth of July marks the 250th birthday of a new kind of nation state — based not on ancestral ties to a land or on the territorial reach of monarchs, but on shared principles about the rights of citizens and the purpose of the state.  READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM DATE UNCERTAIN  Gerald Horne on the real story of American independence. Interview conducted by Elias Isquith | Salon / Black Agenda Report / ScheerPost  If University of Houston professor Gerald Horne is right in his new book, The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America, Isquith writes in his intro, “then the traditional narrative of the creation of the U.S. is almost completely wrong.” READ MORE . . . 

Click HERE for video of another interview of Horne, entitled “The farce of you lie,” by Margaret Kimberley of Black Agenda Report.

Click HERE for a review by Horne in the July/August issue of the Nation of historian Joseph J. Ellis’s The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding (2026). 

–   –   –

FROM JULY 1  Barack Obama, George Washington and the 4th of July, by Margaret Kimberley | Black Agenda Report  The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence once again raises the issue of the lies that were taught as historical fact and how those lies impact Black people to this day. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

MAY BE CONTINUED

NOTE Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to three reports: from the Cradle and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for LEBANON, IRAN and UKRAINE, and for GAZA 7-2-26.) — MCM

–   –   –

FROM JULY 2  Gaza marks 1,000 days of genocide as Palestinians reaffirm right to resist ‘by all forms.’ From the Cradle. Palestinian resistance factions released a joint statement Thursday marking 1,000 days of Israeli genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip, while affirming their right to resistance against occupation “by all forms.” READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM JULY 2  At least 21,000 children killed in Gaza after 1,000 days of war, Save the Children says. From Middle East Monitor. At least 21,000 children have been confirmed killed in Gaza during 1,000 days of war, while hundreds of thousands more have been displaced and deprived of education, Save the Children said on Thursday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for a second July 2 report from Middle East Monitor.

–   –   –

How many UN findings will the West ignore? by Hossam Shaker | Middle East Eye  Most European and Western states have clung to a rigid position that ignores glaring truth, despite genocidal intentions being openly expressed in advance by senior Israeli leaders, who continued to boast of what their army and authorities were doing on the ground. READ MORE . . .

.