Are Iran and Russia Fighting in Syria?

Between Jan. 23 and 27, 2017, there were reports that Syrian president Bashar Al Assad had suffered a stroke and had to be hospitalized. The usually pro-Assad British newspaper The Independent claimed that the Syrian president was suffering serious psychological strain.

Allegations of a president’s poor health take on extra significance in a Russian proxy state. During the Cold War, the Soviets frequently cited allied leaders’ purported medical and psychological problems when launching military interventions — takeovers, essentially — in the countries of the supposedly-ailing heads of state.

Did the same thing just happen in Syria?

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Chinese & Iranian Troops are Exercising in Kaliningrad

Participants of “Seaborne assault” from China and Iran arrived in the Kaliningrad Region

Teams of the People’s Liberation Army of China and Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrived in the Kaliningrad Region in order to participate in the “Seaborne assault” contest within the International Army Games 2016.

In the nearest future, they will arrive at the Khmelevka training area in order to familiarize with targets and route of the contest.

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Disputed Reports of Iran testing a Long Range Ballistic Missile

Iran’s defense minister refuted an Iranian media report that a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000km was tested two weeks, hours after it was published.

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An Analog for Martian Aeolian Ridges Found in Iran's Lut Desert

Mega-ripples in Iran: A new analog for transverse aeolian ridges on Mars

Authors:

Foroutan et al

Abstract:

A new terrestrial analog site for transverse aeolian ridges (TARs) is described in this study. The Lut desert of Iran hosts large ripple-like aeolian bedforms, with the same horizontal length scales and patterns of TARs on Mars. Different classes of TARs and different types of other aeolian features such as sand dunes, zibars, dust devil tracks and yardangs can be found in this area, which signify an active aeolian region. This area represents a unique site to study the formation and evolution of these enigmatic features, with potential relevance toward a better understanding of TARs on Mars.

Iran Attempted Simorgh Launch Vehicle Flight: Success or Failure?

Iran conducted the first launch of the ‘Simorgh’ last week, Tehran’s largest satellite launch vehicle, and what the Pentagon views as a key element of its effort to build long-range missiles. Although Iran has not confirmed the test flight, both US and Russian sources reported the event, but the sources are not in agreement whether it was a success, part success or failure.

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SFnal Thought Experiment: Operation Cyrus

To: IRGC Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari
CC: High Council of Cyberspace
From: IRGC Cyber Army Major General Esmail Madani
Subject: Operation Cyrus
Date: Oct. 25th, 2021

How to Defeat America and Win Back the Persian Gulf: Operation Cyrus

America’s military center of gravity is, and has always been, public support for its endless wars. America’s enemies in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan understood this well. They drained public support by killing Americans and their puppets in hit-and-run attacks, forcing them to spend ever more blood and treasure to accomplish their ill-defined political goals. The public became fatigued and sought an end to the losses. They then elected politicians who promised to bring American forces home and end the wars of the day. Once the American troops left, their puppets collapsed. With our new cyber operational capabilities that can target America, we can now employ a variation on this well-proven strategy with far less risk to consolidate our control of the Persian Gulf: Operation Cyrus.

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Nitro Zeus: More Information on the Cyber war Plans the US had for Iran

Shortly after President Barack Obama took office, plans were drawn up to unleash absolute hell on parts of Iran’s power grid, air defense system, communications and command and control apparatus via a series of coordinated cyber attacks, according to a new report in The New York Times.

This unprecedentedly large-scale cyber attack operation was code-named “Nitro Zeus” and it would have been a retaliatory alternative to a full on conventional military response against Iran should they have lashed out against U.S. interests and allies in the region following failed nuclear negotiations. This never occurred and the so called P5+1 Iranian nuclear deal was agreed upon and executed.

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Nitro Zeus: Did the United States Plan to Start a Cyber War With Iran if Diplomacy Failed?

The United States had a plan for an extensive cyber attack on Iran in case diplomatic attempts to curtail its nuclear program failed, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing a forthcoming documentary and military and intelligence officials.

Code-named Nitro Zeus, the plan was aimed at crippling Iran's air defenses, communications systems and key parts of its electrical power grid, but was put on hold after a nuclear deal was reached last year, the Times said.

The plan developed by the Pentagon was intended to assure President Barack Obama that he had alternatives to war if Iran moved against the United States or its regional allies, and at one point involved thousands of U.S. military and intelligence personnel, the report said. It also called for spending tens of millions of dollars and putting electronic devices in Iran's computer networks, the Times said.

U.S. intelligence agencies at the same time developed a separate plan for a covert cyberattack to disable Iran's Fordo nuclear enrichment site inside a mountain near the city of Qom, the report said.

The existence of Nitro Zeus was revealed during reporting on a documentary film called "Zero Days" to be shown on Wednesday at the Berlin Film Festival, the Times said. The film describes rising tensions between Iran and the West in the years before the nuclear agreement, the discovery of the Stuxnet cyberattack on the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, and debates in the Pentagon over the use of such tactics, the paper reported.

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Iran's Shahed-129 UCAV has Conducted Strikes in Syria

Iranians Hacked a (VERY) Small Dam in New York

Iranian hackers breached the control system of a dam near New York City in 2013, an infiltration that raised concerns about the security of the country's infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing former and current U.S. officials.

Two people familiar with the breach told the newspaper it occurred at the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye, New York. The small structure about 20 miles from New York City is used for flood control.

The hackers gained access to the dam through a cellular modem, the Journal said, citing an unclassified Department of Homeland Security summary of the incident that did not specify the type of infrastructure.

The dam is a 20-foot-tall concrete slab across Blind Brook, about five miles from Long Island Sound.

"It's very, very small," Rye City Manager Marcus Serrano told the newspaper. He said FBI agents visited in 2013 to ask the city's information-technology manager about a hacking incident.

The dam breach was difficult to pin down, and federal investigators at first thought the target was a much larger dam in Oregon, the Journal said.

The breach came as hackers linked to the Iranian government were attacking U.S. bank websites after American spies damaged an Iranian nuclear facility with the Stuxnet computer worm.

It illustrated concerns about many of the old computers controlling industrial systems, and the White House was notified of the infiltration, the Journal said.

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Russia's Most Syrian Adventure #56

It appears Russia is using an airbase in Iran.

Russia has hit another 212 targets in the last 24 hours. 

Putin has stated there's no chance of improving ties with Turkey. 

With his classic ambiguity, Putin declared he's unsure whether Russia needs a permanent base in Syria.  Just like there were no Russian troops in Ukraine.  Oh, wait.

He has also made it clear no outside force should decide whether Assad stays or goes.

Putin also claimed to be backing the Free Syrian Army against IS.  The FSA claims this is false.

The Saudis put together a coalition.  Its purpose is a little unclear.  Officially, it is to fight terrorism.  Pakistan has called it an Islamic military alliance and confirmed it is a participant.  Putin doesn't see the alliance as hostile.

Lavrov and Kerry apparently continue to consult over Syria.  There have been rumors Kerry may be conceding on Assad staying in power.

Iranian Ballistic Missile Test may Have ALREADY Violated Accords, UN Resolutions

he United States is reviewing and seeking to confirm reports that Iran launched a ballistic missile last month in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said on Tuesday.

"The U.S. is conducting a serious review of the reported incident," Power told reporters after a meeting of the Security Council on unrelated issues.

She added that if Washington confirmed the reports that Iran tested a medium-range ballistic missile on Nov. 21 in violation of U.N. resolutions, the United States would bring the issue to the 15-nation council and seek appropriate action.

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Iran Wants to Procure Russian Satellites

Iran intends to cooperate with Russia in the area of aerospace after economic sanctions are lifted, to include satellites, weather satellites, and remote sensing devices, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Thursday.

"Iran is interested in our plans [new federal aerospace program], they want to find their place in the market of remote sensing devices. They want their own weather satellites, satellites and remote sensing devices," Rogozin told Rossiya-24 television.

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Bizarro World Strikes: Watch Iranian F-14s Escort Russian Bombers

Part of the reason this is so bizarre is during the Cold War, the F-14 was specifically built to intercept and destroy Russian bombers seeking out the aircraft carriers in the North Atlantic.  The US retired its F-14s about ten years ago.  However, the Iranians were the sole export customer under the Shah.  When the revolution came, the Iranians did a surprisingly good job of developing replacement parts since we were unwilling to export anything of the sort to an enemy.

Now the Iranians are allied to the Russians, at least as far as Syria is concerned and the Russian bombers need to cross Iranian airspace.  So, they get an escort.  This time it was an oddball situation with the plane meant to kill the others escorting them.

Appropriate music:

Russia's Most Syrian Adventure #14

On friday, the Russians hit 49 targets, on saturday 51 targets and another 49 targets on Sunday.

The US and Russia supposedly have reached an agreement to avoid inadvertent air combat.

Russia claims they are planning one, large long term military base in Syria.

Russia also claims they are serving their own agenda, not supporting Assad. IN fact, they state they are not supporting Assad, but trying to destroy IS. Then they contradict themselves.

The Russians are continuing the deployment of their drones in support of their strikes.

There's a mystery Il-76 flying to and from Syria seemingly tied to a private contractor but seems obscured.

The Russian public is very onboard with the bombing campaign. 

One analysis, despite what others have opined has claimed Russia has been making good progress in their intervention in Syria.

The Russians claim the French sent a fighter to harass an official Russian aircraft.  The French deny it happened and claim the fighter was actually Swiss.

The Russian FSB claims it foiled a terror plot against trains in southern Russia by an IS linked man.

The Assadite army supported by Hezbollah and Iranian fighters is making gains near Aleppo.  The Russians have been providing air support.

Iran Tests new Longer Range Ballistic Missile

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Iran's Buildup in Syria

The news media has focused on Russia increasing its military power in Syria. Iran, however, has been doing the same in recent months, albeit with more subtlety.

During the past year, officers and soldiers from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps reinforced territory valuable to the Syrian government — in particular Hama Governorate. The countryside surrounding Hama contains supply chains that connect Aleppo, the country’s largest city; Homs, a former rebel stronghold and current government one; and Latakia, the heartland of the Syrian’s government’s base of support.

The Syrian opposition has ousted Syrian troops from Idlib Governorate, just north of Hama, and hopes to advance on these supply chains. Tehran knows very well that to keep its Syrian Pres. Bashar Al Assad in power, it must keep his army fighting in Hama.

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A Downed Iranian Drone

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The Coming War in Space

Air Force Space Command’s evolving mission to protect U.S. military and spy satellites was recently featured in a “60 Minutes” report.

The Aug. 3 segment gave an interesting look at the command based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, as well as its subordinate units and its leaders, including Gen. John Hyten, whom we covered earlier this year at the annual Space Symposium.

Besides cool footage of the laser firing at the Starfire Optical Range in Albuquerque, New Mexico (the laser helps a telescope better track adversary satellites), the segment was noteworthy for its discussion of the possible coming war in space — and America’s limited ability to thwart attacks against its most prized spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit.

Without assets in space to provide GPS coordinates to precision-guided bombs, imagery from drones and communication links to troops, among other advantages, “You go back to World War II. You go back to Industrial Age warfare,” Hyten told the CBS News program.

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Rumor: Iran has Signed for 150 Chinese J-10 4th Generation Fighters

Iran is rumored to be buying 150 Chengdu J-10 fighters from China. Reports from 2007 alleged that China planned to sell 24 of the fighters to Iran, however the Chinese government subsequently denied these claims.

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