middleeasttensions

USA nazywa załogę zabitą w wypadku samolotu w Iraku

Wojsko USA zidentyfikowało wszystkich sześciu członków załogi, którzy zginęli, gdy ich samolot KC-135 do tankowania rozbił się w zachodnim Iraku.

Żołnierze powietrzni to:

John Klinner, 33, Alabama

Ariana Savino, 31, Waszyngton

Ashley Pruitt, 34, Kentucky

Seth Koval, 38, Indiana

Curtis Angst, 30, Ohio

Tyler Simmons, 28, Ohio

Trzech było personelu Sił Powietrznych, a trzech było w Gwardii Narodowej.

Pentagon potwierdził, że nie było zaangażowane ogień wrogi ani przyjacielski. Wypadek zdarzył się podczas rutynnej misji tankowania w powietrzu.

The Israeli army announced that it expects the airstrikes against Iran to continue for at least three more weeks. This statement indicates that the operation, which was launched with the support of the USA, may be extended after March.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told CNN, "We have thousands of targets ahead. In coordination with our US allies, our plans are ready, at least until the Jewish Passover Festival. Beyond that, we have deeper plans," he said.
According to Reuters in the first week of March, the Israeli army was preparing for an operation that could last a few weeks and it was not expected that ground troops would be included.
Israel announced on Saturday that new targets, including infrastructures linked to Iranian missile and air defense systems, were hit. In addition, the IDF announced that a research center linked to the Iranian Space Agency and missile facilities in Isfahan were also targeted.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement published by the government on Thursday, stated that Israel is acting proactively instead of waiting for the developments and said, "We are not waiting. We take the initiative, we attack and we do it with an unprecedented force," he said. According to Reuters last week, Netanyahu said that the war against Iran could continue "for a while", and that it would not end in the short term, although it did not last for years.
Iran, on the other hand, reiterated its determination to continue the conflict. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a post on the X platform on Sunday, said, "Iran has neither sought a ceasefire nor a negotiation. Such claims are unreal," he said. Araghchi stated that the Iranian armed forces will continue the attacks until US President Donald Trump accepts that the war is illegal and compensation must be paid.
At the beginning of the month, Trump said that the operation could last "four to five weeks". On Saturday, he asked his allies for support for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of global oil and LNG pass. Trump also did not completely exclude the commissioning of US ground troops. Reuters said that there are doubts in intelligence circles about whether only airstrikes will be enough to overthrow the Iranian government.
#TrumpSaysIranWarWillEndVerySoon #IranIsraelConflict #MiddleEastTensions
$USDC

Minister Spraw Zagranicznych Iranu Abbas Araghchi powiedział, że Iran nie prosił o rozejm w trwającym konflikcie z Izraelem i Stanami Zjednoczonymi.

Jego oświadczenie pojawiło się po tym, jak Donald Trump powiedział, że Iran chce zawrzeć umowę, aby zakończyć walki, ale zaproponowane warunki były "niewystarczające."

Araghchi odrzucił to twierdzenie i powiedział, że Iran nie prosił o negocjacje ani o zawarcie rozejmu. Wyjaśnił, że Iran nie ufa Stanom Zjednoczonym, ponieważ poprzednie rozmowy były poprzedzone atakami na irańskie cele.

The topic raises a chilling "Iran hasn't yet resorted to targeting undersea internet cables**, but in a scenario where it's pushed to the brink with existential threats looming, it might opt for a high-stakes asymmetric move—like severing key fiber-optic lines in the **Persian Gulf** and **Red Sea** regions. This could drag much of the world into a shared digital catastrophe, embodying a "if we go down, everyone comes with us" mindset.
Undersea cables form the invisible backbone of global connectivity, carrying over 95%** (often cited as 97-99%) of international data traffic worldwide—far more than satellites ever could. These thin, vulnerable fiber lines crisscross the ocean floors, linking continents and enabling everything from emails and streaming to financial transactions and cloud services.
In the context of the Persian Gulf and Red Sea (including chokepoints like the **Strait of Hormuzand Bab el-Mandeb), cutting or damaging these cables could trigger widespread chaos:
Local devastation in the Gulf**: Nations like the UAE (especially Dubai as a global finance and data hub), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and even parts of Iran itself could experience severe or near-total internet blackouts. Modern economies there rely heavily on digital systems for banking, oil operations, utilities, and government functions—disruptions could paralyze daily life and critical infrastructure.

Global financial shockwaves**: With Dubai and other Gulf centers handling massive petrodollar flows and international banking, outages could ripple through markets, delay transactions, and amplify economic instability, potentially hitting the fragile U.S. and worldwide economies hard.
Broader connectivity fallout**: Traffic between Europe, Asia, Africa, and beyond routes through these waters. Severe cuts could cause major latency spikes, degraded service, or outright isolation for regions in South Asia, East Africa, and parts of Europe, straining backups and alternative routes.
Repairing damaged cables is notoriously slow and complex—specialized ships must locate faults, retrieve sections from deep water, splice fibers, and test them. In a conflict zone, access could be denied or too dangerous for weeks or months, turning temporary cuts into prolonged blackouts.

While deliberate targeting remains speculative (and Iran would risk its own connectivity in the process), recent events—like accidental or collateral damage in ongoing conflicts—have already highlighted the fragility. Global powers and tech giants are scrambling for redundancies, including overland fiber routes and new cable projects, but the system still has limited margins for massive, simultaneous disruptions in these strategic bottlenecks.
Is the world ready for a large-scale "digital blackout" in such a vital corridor? The answer appears increasingly uncertain as geopolitical pressures mount. #Geopolitics #SubseaCables $BTC #MiddleEastTensions #DigitalVulnerability $BTC

Donald Trump ostrzegł, że NATO może stanąć przed bardzo złym przyszłością, jeśli kraje nie pomogą zabezpieczyć Cieśniny Ormuz, kluczowej drogi dla globalnej ropy. Poprosił narody takie jak Chiny i sojuszników USA o interwencję, ale jak dotąd nie wysłano żadnych okrętów wojennych.
Tymczasem Izrael rozpoczął ograniczone operacje lądowe przeciwko Hezbollahowi w południowym Libanie, a naloty powietrzne uderzyły w obszary wokół Teheranu. Jedna osoba zginęła w Abu Zabi po tym, jak rakieta uderzyła w pojazd. Dym i eksplozje nadal rozprzestrzeniają się po regionie.