Labels

(LIVE BLOG) OPERATION EPIC FURY/ROARING LION IN IRAN, DAY 14 (UPDATES)

FAKE NEWS OF THE DAY; TURKS, FRENCH AND ITALIANS IN TALKS WITH IRAN FOR SAFE PASSAGE

Following our previous reporting (link), the operation by US and Israeli forces on Iran on Friday went into its thirteenth day. Russian journalist Maksim Kalashnikov posted on Z-military: "The air superiority of the aggressors (meaning the United States and Israel) is such that they are already destroying Basij and Islamic Revolutionary Guard checkpoints at intersections in Tehran. Iran’s missile attacks are weakening, and its missile production facilities are being destroyed (read more). In a Pentagon press briefing Secretary Hegseth and General Dan Caine said the planning today appears to be the most busy in the war so far.



Agenda Free TV Live stream. 

In Iraq a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker crashed with six crew members on board. The accident is thought to be the result of a technical issue. All six crew members are now reported dead. 

The US base in Incirlik, Turkey came under fire today for a third time, and the alarm bells at the UK base of Akrotiri on Cyprus also sounded again over the island. 

There's more going on in Lebanon than meets the eye. On March 7 we reported that Air Force Commander Rudolph Haykal refused to implement the government's decision to ban Hezbollah (link).

The commander's activities are now described by Mario Dayba as a coup d'etat in real time, in flagrant violation of Article 65 of the Lebanese Constitution which vests executive power in the Council of Ministers. He now calls it an insurrection (link). How widespread is this? 

Six French soldiers were injured in an Iranian drone attack on the joint base of the French army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces near Erbil Airport in northern Iraq. 

More than 20 ships have been attacked in the Gulf since March 1 and there’s no pattern of Western targeting. It's pretty indiscriminate. John Konrad quips that the US had "better get Japan and South Korea involved because all the Europeans combined couldn’t raise more than three ships at a time in the Red Sea" (yes, one of those being Greek) (link).

In today's presser Hegseth said the Pentagon is now ready to take on the task of escorting vessels through the Strait. Nevertheless, Konrad is now involving himself in the matter and, he sees a role for the Dutch (link). 

The Fake News of the day concerns CNN reporting on the administration's "lack of planning" for Iran's 'closure' of the Strait of Hormuz before the start of the war. It is obviously preposterous, as the Press Secretary says. 


At the same time I have noticed that people can't interpret a situation beyond their mental capacity. So, if they can't figure out the purpose or the strategy, they call it 'chaos'. 'Not planned' is an extension of that kind of reasoning. That said, that doesn't presuppose malice, but that is not the case here. 

In order to promote stability in global energy markets and working to keep prices low and increase the global reach of existing supply,
the US Treasury Secretary is providing a temporary authorization to permit countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea (link).



March 13, 2026 Defense Now: Hegseth & Gen. Caine Pentagon Briefing | Operation Epic Fury Updates.

A UNSC resolution condemning Iran’s attacks against Gulf States and Jordan passed with the support of 135 co-sponsors— the largest faction of nations rallied around a single resolution in UNSC history (link).

George Papadopoulos is providing us with a handy desktop chart.


Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas is showing the shipping situation in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia putting to good use an old east to west pipeline across the peninsula to the Red Sea port of Yanba. Some 30 supertankers are steaming to Yanbu for loading (link). 


The Iran war has lend new fire to the dispute between Greece and Turkey over the defense of a number of Aegean islands. Since the outcome could potentially lead to increased tension in the relations between the countries, we will move the issue to a separate series like the present.

A German ally of the Turks, Juergen Nauditt has the story. 

"The Turkish Defense Ministry stated that Greece is stationing troops on demilitarized islands, violating international agreements from 1923 and 1947. Ankara warned that such actions violate the agreements and damage relations between the two countries". 

"To protect itself, Turkey has increased its military presence on the islands and in the TRNC (Turkey's Territorial Defense Corporation): fighter jets, air defense systems, and patrols have been deployed there" (link). 

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou rejected renewed Turkish claims that Aegean islands must be demilitarized.
"Unilateral allegations about the demilitarization of the Aegean islands are unfounded and have been repeatedly rejected", she said (link).

Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said that upon continued contacts with Iranian officials about the passage of fifteen Turkish owned ships, they obtained permission for a vessel that called at ‌an ⁠Iranian port, to pass the Strait (link) (link).

Not to be outdone FT is reporting that the Italians and French are in similar talks with the Iranians.







Day 1 - Feb. 28, Day 2 - March 1, Day 3 - March 2, Day 4, - March 3, Day 5 - March 4, Day 6 - March 5, Day 7 - March 6, Days 8/9 - March 8, Day 10 - March 9, Day 11 March 10, Day 12 - March 11, Day 13 - March 12



- More on US, Iran, Israel, 12 Day War -

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts