Iran, 2-2-26

Links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-1-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, GAZA, LEBANON, VENEZUELA, and MEDIA.) — MCM

   

Iran summons EU ambassadors to protest Revolutionary Guard being listed as a terror group, by Jon Gambrell and Suzan Fraser | AP  DUBAI — Iran said today it had summoned all of the European Union’s ambassadors in the country to protest the bloc’s listing of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terror group. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

   

Iran warns U.S. attack would spark regional war. What’s next for the country? Reported by A Martínez | NPR  After President Trump sent an armada to the Middle East, Iran’s Supreme Leader warned a U.S. attack would spark regional war. The International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez talks about what’s next. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Gaza, 2-2-26

Links to two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-1-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, IRAN, LEBANON, VENEZUELA and MEDIA.) — MCM

   

Gaza’s border crossing to Egypt reopens in a key step for truce but few Palestinians can cross, by Samy Magdy and Josef Federman | AP  CAIRO — Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened today for limited traffic, a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire but a mostly symbolic one as few people will be allowed to travel in either direction and no goods will pass through. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others, and HERE for a report from NPR.

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Lebanon, 2-2-26

A link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 1-27-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, VENEZUELA and MEDIA.) — MCM

   

FROM FEB. 1  With Iran in turmoil, the U.S. pressures Lebanon’s Hezbollah to disarm. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  Hezbollah is being squeezed in Lebanon as Iran’s economic crisis limits support, and the U.S. presses Beirut to force the group to disarm while Israel keeps bombarding Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Venezuela, 2-2-26

A link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for VENEZUELA 1-30-26, and up or down for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, LEBANON and MEDIA.) — MCM

   

FROM FEB.1  What does normal look like in Caracas one month after the Maduro operation? Reported by Menuel Rueda and Sarah McCammon | NPR  Nearly a month after U.S. forces seized Nicolás Maduro, Caracas is settling into an uneasy normal, with major changes and lingering questions about what lasts and what comes next. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Media, 2-2-26

Links to a song by Bill Withers from Eric Records and Tommy Boy Records via YouTube; info about them may be accessible by clicking on their names below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 1-30-26. Scroll up for UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, LEBANON and VENEZUELA.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 1972  ‘Lean on Me, by Bill Withers, with Benorce Blackmon, Raymond Jackson, Melvin Dunlap and James Gadson | Eric Records  Single version of Withers’s 1972 hit. Click HERE for it, and HERE for a 1987 version by Club Nouveau from Tommy Boy Records via YouTube.

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Iran, 2-1-26

Links to five reports: from Middle East Eye, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, and the Associated Press; and to an advertisement from Uniq Rugs; other published material or at least headlines accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-31-26 and GAZA and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

   

Khamenei warns of ‘regional war’ if U.S. attacks Iran. From Middle East Eye. Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned today of a “regional war” if the United States attacked after Washington’s recent military build-up in the Gulf. READ MORE . . .

   

Khamenei says recent ant-government protests akin to ‘coup.’ From AFP. The rioters “attacked the police, government centres, IRGC centres, banks, and mosques, and burned the Koran,” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today. “The coup was suppressed.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Trump has sent an armada of ships to Iran. What are the implications of a regional war? Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Mehrzad Boroujerdi of the Missouri University of Science and Technology about the path ahead for Iran as President Trump threatens new strikes there. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

FROM JAN. 30  Iran is ready for talks with the U.S., but there are no plans yet, foreign minister says, by Mehmet Guzel | AP  ISTANBUL — Iran is ready for dialogue to resolve tensions with the United States but that there are no concrete plans for talks with Washington, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday, even as Tehran faces . . . Click HERE for report including a map . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

   

FROM JAN. 30. How U.S. sanctions and external threats destroyed Iran’s economy, by Yasmine El-Sabawi | Middle East Eye  U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made the Trump administration’s sanctions policy clear in March 2025, when he spoke to the New York Economic Club and said the goal is “making Iran broke again.” READ MORE . . .

   

Exclusive rugs (adv.). From Uniq. Do you really want to trade in your perfectly reliable SUV for an expensive new one? How about a luxurious, extravagant Persian carpet instead? These from Uniq are among the most valuable worldwide — many of them knotted by well-known craftspersons. Click HERE to take a look.

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Gaza, 2-1-26

For now, links to three reports and an article of commentary, all from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for GAZA 1-31-26, and up or down for IRAN and 9/11 TRUTH.) — MCM

   

They survived the bombs but not this, by Nada Nabil | Middle East Eye  GAZA CITY, occupied Palestine  — A mutated virus has been spreading rapidly across Gaza, striking communities already weakened by two years of genocide and a collapsing health system. Health authorities have yet to identify it with certainty. READ MORE . . .

   

Israel bans MSF from Gaza after charity refuses to hand over staff list. From Middle East Eye. Israel has banned the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders from operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank after the organisation refused to hand over a list of its Palestinian and international staff. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM JAN. 31  FBI memo says Israel ‘compromised’ Trump, Epstein had Mossad ties, by Elis Gjevori | Middle East Eye  A declassified 2020 FBI memo from the Epstein files, released on Friday, includes incendiary allegations about U.S. President Donald Trump. READ MORE . . .

   

FROM JAN. 23  How Jared Kushner’s Gaza plan would erase Palestinian culture, by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  Kushner, who serves as a U.S. special envoy, announced plans for a “New Gaza” — complete with shiny skyscrapers, coastal tourist attractions and entire districts dedicated to business and commerce. Speaking in Davos . . . READ MORE . . .

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9/11 truth, 2-1-26

Yesterday I jotted down more verbs to further describe ways to keep people in the dark about the events of Sept. 11, 2001 — or anything else. (Scroll down for 9/11 TRUTH 1-29-26. Scroll up for IRAN and GAZA.) — MCM

   

Words, words, words — 2. Continued by Mark Channing Miller | x-ma911truthwalk.com  In more or less the order of being written down: Trick, lie, pressure, fake (out), distract, misrepresent, misinform, disinform, fuck up, edit out, threaten, terrify, ban, shadow ban, obscure, bullshit, horrify, reject, gatekeep, hang out (in a limited way), marginalize, weasle out, avoid, fire, reassign, frame, leave out, discourage, censor, forbid, deny, slander, kill, defund, isolate, gaslight, gag, entertain, mystify, hypnotize, mesmerize.

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Iran, 1-31-26

For now, links to five reports: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Middle East Eye and the Associated Press; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for IRAN 1-30-26 and today’s GAZA so far.) — MCM

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One killed, 14 hurt in blast at Iranian port of Bandar Abbas: local media. From Reuters.  TEHRAN – At least one person was killed and 14 injured in an explosion in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Jan 31, a local official told Iranian news agencies, but the cause of the blast was not known. READ MORE . . .

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Iran army chief warns U.S., Israel against attack, says forces on high alert. From AFP. TEHRAN — Iranian army chief Amir Hatami warns the United States and Israel against an attack, saying his country’s forces were on high alert after Washington’s heavy military deployments in the Gulf. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report (with La Nouvelle Republique) in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Iranians seal windows and store food and water as they prepared for attack. From Middle East Eye. The movement of a large U.S. military fleet to the Middle East has not only triggered a new multibillion-dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel; for Iranians, it has brought confusion, psychological pressure, and fear of a disastrous future. READ MORE . . .

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Satellite photos show activity at Iran nuclear sites, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — As tensions soar over Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, satellite images show activity at two Iranian nuclear sites bombed last year by Israel and the United States that may be a sign of Tehran trying to obscure efforts to salvage any materials remaining there. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JAN. 30  What military assets does the U.S have in the Middle East? by Rayhan Uddin | Middle East Eye  Washington is ramping up rhetoric threatening strikes against Iran, with Donald Trump saying this week that a “massive armada” was heading towards the Islamic republic. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Gaza, 1-31-26

Belatedly, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 1-30-26.  Scroll up for today’s IRAN so far.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 30 Palestinians, including children, as Gaza ceasefire inches forward, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Sam Metz | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes today killed at least 30 Palestinians including several children, one of the highest tolls since the October ceasefire, a day after Israel accused Hamas of new truce violations. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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TO BE CONTINUED