War In Gaza; Mass chaos at college campuses across US as pro-Palestine protests intensify

 

HAPPENING NOW: Mass chaos breaks out at college campuses across the United States as pro-Palestine protests intensify.

Columbia, Harvard, USC, University of Texas at Austin and others are getting swarmed by protesters.

Police at USC are taking out their batons as the… pic.twitter.com/D35wVTCiZ8

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 24, 2024

 

According to a BBC report Police have arrested hundreds more protesters in locations across the US, as protests against the war in Gaza intensify across university campuses.

Some 108 arrests were made at Emerson College, Boston police told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Earlier, 93 people at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles were taken into custody on trespassing charges.

Universities across the US have seen a growing number of students walk out of class or try to set up encampments to protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

The latest arrests follow others at Columbia, Yale and New York University.

The arrests at USC were made as students gathered in Alumni Park - where the university's main-stage graduation ceremony is scheduled to take place next month.

Police officers in riot gear cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment at the centre of the campus, preventing demonstrators from gathering.

Students received a 10-minute warning from police helicopters to disperse. Those who refused, were arrested on trespassing charges.

The protest was reported to have been largely peaceful at first, but then turned tense with the continued police presence.

As police tried to detain one woman, protesters threw water bottles at them and chanted, "Let her go!"

Protesters gathered around the officers, drowning out their warnings with "free Palestine" chants. Students, some wearing kaffiyehs were holding "liberated zone" signs, banging drums.

Elsewhere in the country, Boston police told CBS that three officers had been injured in the action in that city - one of them seriously, though their condition was not life-threatening. No protesters were hurt, police added.

Students are said to have been camping out since Sunday, allegedly ignoring warnings to leave.

Emerson College has not yet commented on the arrests. In a previous statement, it said it supported the right to peaceful protests - while urging activists to comply with the law.

Earlier, there were chaotic scenes on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin as hundreds of local and state police on horseback, holding batons, dispersed protesters.

Today, the United States is aiding and abetting the destruction of the Palestinian people. pic.twitter.com/NuS53C4XIX

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 24, 2024

Russia Influence in Sahel: United States to withdraw her forces from Niger Republic

The United States of America will withdraw its soldiers from Niger as the West African nation is increasingly turning to Russia and away from Western powers.

The US, French and NATO military presence in any region most especially in West Africa have been to further neo-colonialism, unimaginable exploitation and assassination of pro-people/masses leadership.

The new military juntas in the region ate cutting off military relationship with French and NATO leader America in favour of President Vladimir Putin led Russia Federation.

The US military presence in Niger Republic, except for distabilization  and America egos, it has no benefits for the people of West Africa. It was established mainly against the defeating prospect of Nigeria becoming a region power.

With US and French military bases, the region hse witnessed insurgency of ISWAP/BOKO HARAM among many othes wrecking havocs across many counties in the region .The US has the reportd of how these TERRORISTS are been trained and armed.

According to a Latest report, the US Department of State agreed to pull out about 1,000 troops from the country that has been under military rule since July 2023, US media reported late on Friday.

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine met on Friday, the reports said, with Washington committing to begin planning an “orderly and responsible” withdrawal of its troops from the country.

The US built a military base in Niger to combat armed groups that pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the Sahel region, which also includes Burkina Faso and Mali.

The major airbase in Agadez, some 920km (572 miles) from the capital Niamey was used for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations.

Known as Air Base 201, it was built at a cost of more than $100m. Since 2018, it has been used to target ISIL fighters and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate.

While maintaining a line of communication with the military government in Niger, the US military had started preparing for the possibility of having to withdraw, with US General James Hecker saying last year that Washington is probing “several locations” elsewhere in West Africa to station its drones.

Nigerien state television reported that US officials would visit next week. There was no public announcement from the State Department on the withdrawal and officials said no timeline had yet been set.




Niger announced in March that it had suspended a military agreement with the US and would pursue a withdrawal of its soldiers.

The US is being forced to withdraw from Niger as it is not favoured either by the ruling military or by the population that is rejecting post-colonial forces. Protesters took to the streets in the capital earlier this month to demand the departure of US forces.


Like the military rulers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, the West African nation had kicked out French and European troops following the military takeover.

All three countries have now turned to Russia for support, with Moscow confirming earlier this month that it has sent military trainers and an air defence system and other military equipment to Niger as it deepens its security ties.

Along with armed groups, the conflict-ridden Sahel region is also becoming an influential route for drug trafficking, with the United Nations saying 1,466kg (3,232 pounds) of cocaine were seized in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger compared with an average of just 13kg (28.7 pounds) between 2013 and 2020.

Iranian Observer: US want Iran to allow Israel a symbolic strike to save face

 

Both Israeli political and military leaders in their series of war meeting agreed that Iran's direct attack against Israel must not go without response.

World leaders have been calling for restraint in between the two countries .

Over 300 missiles and projectiles were fired by Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel in retaliation to Israel's bombing of Iran's consulate in Damascus, Syria.

⚡️BREAKING

The US contacted Iran, asking it to allow Israel a symbolic strike to save face, an Iranian official told the Cradle pic.twitter.com/VxLyOm5XlH

— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) April 16, 2024

Pentagon to ‘take all necessary action to defend Israel and US personnel

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin

Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder says US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, three times over the weekend.

During their most recent call, they reviewed “the successful combined operation by the United States, Israel and their partners to defend Israel from these unprecedented attacks by Iran and its proxies,” he said.

Ryder also said “that while the United States does not seek escalation, we will continue to take all necessary action to defend Israel and US personnel”.

He later added that US aircraft were involved in intercepting more than 80 of Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fired at Israel.

“We’re going to continue to stay in close consultation with our Israeli partners, as we have done throughout the weekend,” Ryder said, adding, “We don’t seek wider regional conflict.”

Source: Aljazeera news

Israel—Iran Confrontation: We’ll continue to support the defence of Israel — US

United States' Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement on Monday said Washington does not want to see any escalation in hostilities with Iran but will continue to defend Israel.

“We don’t seek escalation, but we’ll continue to support the defence of Israel and to protect our personnel in the region,” Blinken said at the start of a meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Ali Tamim.

“What this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of an aggression, the victim of an attack,” he added, calling Iran’s actions “unprecedented”.

Blinken also said he was involved in a series of talks over the past 36 hours, seeking to coordinate a diplomatic response that would prevent a regional crisis.

G7 nations have also reinstated their commitment to back and support Israel.

President Biden tells Israeli PM Netanyahu US won’t support counterattack against Iran: Report

The US president told the Israeli prime minister during a call yesterday that the US will not support any Israeli counterattack against Iran, Axios has cited a senior White House official as saying.


Joe Biden also told Benjamin Netanyahu the joint defensive actions by Israel, the US and other countries in the region led to the repelling of the Iranian attack, according to the White House official.


“You got a win. Take the win,” the US president told Netanyahu, according to the official.


The official said that when Biden told Netanyahu that the US would not take in any offensive operations against Iran and would not support such operations, the Israeli prime minister said he understood.

During a telephone conversation, the  two leaders spent 25 minutes on the phone, with the US president saying the US will continue to support Israel in its defence but reportedly also that it will not participate in any offensive actions against Iran.

There are also reports that Israel has been offering assurances to the US that any next steps it takes will be done in consultation, giving warning to the US prior to any military action being taken. We’re seeing leaders in Washington now looking forward to what this next step by Israel might be.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the US does not seek further conflict with Iran. Those words were echoed by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state. But he added the US is willing to defend Israel and its own personnel in the region.

Source: Aljazeera news 

Islamic Republic of Iran says it warned US its bases will be targeted if it backed an Israeli response

The Islamic Republic of  Iran has warned US its bases will be targeted if it backed an Israeli response against Tehran.

According to Mohammad Bagheri who is the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, an Israeli response to the Iranian military operation would be “much bigger”, Tasnim reports.

The Iranian news agency quoted him as saying that the reason for last night’s attack was that Israel had crossed Iran’s red lines.

Bagheri added that Iran has conveyed a message to the US through the Swiss embassy that if it participated “in further aggressive Zionist moves through its bases or military assets across the region, and this is proven to us, its bases and assets and personnel in the region will have no security”.

He added: “We will see it as aggressor as well and react accordingly.”

Cuba: Havana denounces destabilizing attempts from the U.S.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced that U.S.-based terrorist groups are encouraging actions against the country's internal order, taking advantage of the harsh situation the island is undergoing.

On X social media the Head of State also informed that some people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the deficit in the national power service and the distribution of food.

Enemies of the Cuban revolution are trying to use such context with destabilizing purposes, Diaz-Canel stressed.

From Santiago de Cuba, the First Secretary of the Party Committee in that eastern Cuban province, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, referred to the concerns of citizens about food distribution and electricity supply.

Beatriz Johnson also published in X that a group of people from the Antonio Maceo district in that eastern city were attended to. They showed dissatisfaction with the electricity supply and food distribution, she confirmed.

President Díaz-Canel pointed out that in the last few hours we have seen how terrorists based in the United States, whom we have denounced on several occasions, have encouraged actions against the country’s internal peace and order.

In this regard, the president said that “the willingness of the authorities of the Communist Party of Cuba, the State and the Government is to attend to the demands of our people, listen, talk, explain the numerous steps being taken to come out of the current hardships, always in an atmosphere of tranquility”.

The President reaffirmed that “in the midst of the conditions of a U.S. blockade that intends to suffocate us, we will continue working in peace to get out of this situation”.

Source 

Russia/Ukraine War: West will walk away from Ukraine after destroying it

Kolawole Odetola

The west will not relent in their proxy war with Russia until the whole of Ukraine is destroyed. The latest mendacious cry faithfully echoed across the media and commentariat is that Russia is advancing because the west is not supplying Kiev with enough ammunition. So as long as enough ammo can be magicked up the tide of battle could turn against Moscow. It is another lie.

 Remember this time last year the very same people were predicting the Ukranian army would sweep Russia into the sea of Azov as they were brimming with the most advanced western arms and tons of ammunition. The much hyped counter offensive was comprehensively defeated by the Russian army killing tens of thousands of Ukranian soldiers, which is the real problem. Ukraine is not just running out of ammunition, the west is running out of Ukranians to die for their crusade to break Russia.

 Almost a million ukranian soldiers have been killed or injured since 2022.

This was always going to be the case. While they have fought bravely Ukraine was never going to match the Russian army. Russia is far bigger, richer, more populous and more industrialised than Ukraine and in multiples.

The Russian army is also better trained, better equipped and better led than the Ukranian military. The Russians learn from their mistakes, the Ukrainians repeat theirs. When the Russians face challenging realities they retreat and regroup as they did in Kharkov and Kherson in the fall of 2022. When the Ukrainians face difficult military situations they dig in and get wiped out as they were in Marioupal in 2022, Bakhmut in 2023 and Adieevka in 2024. The Russians are fighting to win on the battlefield, the Ukranians are fighting to win on CNN.

A ceasefire now is the only realistic way out of this mess. The pipe dream of Ukraine besting Russia has been exposed as the ludicrous fantasy it always was. But the west still wants to escalate until the entire project collapses. Then they will walk away as they walked away from Iraq, walked away from Syria, walked away from Libya and walked away fron Afghanistan four nations they have totally wrecked in the last 20 years of a futile and failing crusade to reassert America's disintegrating global supremacy. 

They will walk away from Ukraine after destroying it and their mendacious media will simply stop talking about it as they stopped talking about Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan. It never happened. Then they will walk on to the next project.

The Struggle Continues: Sowore Departs for USA after Five Years

Sowore

Later today I will be returning to the US after almost five years of my unlawful, unjust and inhuman detention by the corrupt Nigerian political system since August 2019. Omoyele Sowore said as he is set to leave the country.

In his words: 'I was arrested, assaulted, tortured and detained for demanding that Nigerians deserved a nation that they can truly call their own. I was charged with treason - and after 5 years the APC government was forced to withdraw its trumped up charges against me."

"If the government thought that keeping me detained, and later restricting my movement would break my spirit, and cause me to renounce my commitment to fighting for the downtrodden Nigerian people, they are mistaken. "

"In the last five years, I have been denied the ability to visit my family, missing out on precious moments with my darling wife and wonderful children. I lost my brother to gunmen on Nigeria’s roads. My mother’s health deteriorated, due to the emotional toll of the government’s unrelenting assault on my person. My associates have faced arrest, and some imprisonment. "

"I stand today to declare that I am unbowed. My commitment to Nigeria is unshakable. My resolve to continue to fight for the betterment of the Nigerian nation and to demand accountability from her leaders will never be compromised. "

"Everything we said five years ago about the need for a radical restructuring of the Nigerian nation and the need for a revolution in our approach to politics and governance has come to pass. Corruption remains high and Nigerians are worse off today than they were five years ago. Inflation is making it difficult for people to put food on the table. Nigeria’s currency has been devalued by almost 100%. "

'I am under no illusions about what the future holds. I commuted myself to the mission of helping to create a Nigeria that fulfills its promise and realizes its potential, over 30 years ago. I have suffered greatly for that commitment. My family, colleagues, and associates who have stood by me throughout this journey have endured great pain and privations as well. "

Sowore further said: "For those who wonder what my next steps will be - I say this: I believe now, as I did over 30 years ago when I began this journey, that the vision of creating a just and egalitarian society must be established during my lifetime. "

"My trip today to reunite with my children and courageous and supportive wife is only for a short while. I will return to Nigeria to continue my struggle for the total liberation of our people from the shackles of the current corrupt, self serving political class. I will also be returning to face headlong, the remaining truckload of bogus criminal and civil cases that have been thrown at me since my detention in 2019."

'Let me use this opportunity to thank my family, lawyers particularly Femi Falana SAN, colleagues, and fellow revolutionaries at home and abroad who have stood firmly by my side, against all odds. "

The socio political and human rights activist optimistically added: "Nigeria will be free. Nigerians will see a nation that is free of corruption, that has leaders whose only interest is in uplifting the people and creating an environment where our people can realize their potential. "

"I remain committed to this ideal. It is a commitment that I have dedicated my life to, and my resolve to stay the path and keep on with the fight remains strong!"

#RevolutionNow

THE INAUGURATION OF MAY 29TH, PUTTING IT IN PROPER CONTEXT

Few  opinions I have read captured my opinion on this prevailing issue of the international community especially the US position on this issue of stolen mandate and the coming inauguration. 

Two opinions from two former American officials capture the American idiosyncrasy and attitude in matters like this. One was the remarka of the former Secretary of states James Baker when he was reminded that one of the leaders they were dealing with was an evil and repressive dictator. The then Secretary of state retorted and said: Yea! He's a son of the bitch, but he's our son of the bitch. 

The second is the so called political attaché to the US embassy in Nigeria in the early 90s - I've forgotten his name. Reacting to the issue of annulment of the June 12th elections and the emergence of of Gen. Abacha, in his official residence as he was being sent forth at the end of his tour of duty, he said: I do not know what else they will do to the Nigerian people before thy will rise up.

So many misread what the United states has said or done regarding the issue of the illegal declaration of Tinubu as the president elect and the on going preparation for his inauguration on May 29th 2023. 

What so many seem not to understand is that, as long as there's no official sanctions against Nigeria or the leadership as we speak,  the American official and basic diplomatic formalities towards Nigeria will continue to flourish regardless of what may be the true realities as witnessed in this past presidential elections that INEC declared Tinubu the winner. 

The truth is that the US and other nations intelligence community perhaps have deeper knowldge of what transpired in the last elections in Nigeria. They knew it was a sham. More like a charade and state capture. They will express their disgust privately but must follow the official position of their policy until when such compelling reasons will cause them to alter such pre existing standing policy - we have not seen such compelling reasons from those their mandate was stolen through what's essentially a civilian coup.

They clearly understand that what happened in Nigeria is simply unprecedented. Like a good Judge who will never, regardless of how he feels about the circumstances of your case will never suddenly become your solicitor or advocate in that case before him or her. The Judge will remain focused as a judge, but can only pray and wishing that who ever you hire as a lawyer can raise such issues and the legal precedents and authority he could stand on to unleash opinion and judgement that will now truly convey how he or she as the judge had actually felt about the matter before his or honorable court. This has not happened in this case.

In this situation before us, it is on what the Nigerian people started here, the level of opposition and rejection of this open heist and state capture by the Lebanese global criminals like Gilbert Chagoury, the man standing behind Tinubu and his cohorts attempt to hijack Nigeria and deliver to them while Nigerians are either dwelling in ambivalence or are simply scheming around to be invited to the dinner table, even if only to pick the crumbs from under the table. This is what's playing out as it is today.

It is on the level of our rejection of this which will reach a considerable critical mass before the global official position will shift and as a good Judge, it is only then that we shall hear their true opinion and judgement on all that has transpired. 

So it is Nigerians that will make the case for the situation  Nigerians find themselves today. But it seems that even the educated are having such unreasonable expectations of others. It is like expecting from others what you are not willing to give to yourself and that aint going to happen. Nigerians must carry their own cross for liberation and freedom, and there's no better time as  PMB the last member of the axis of evil that have held Nigeria on a chokehold is facing the inevitable sunset on his career and life.

As a matter of fact, the US authorities in what appears as straddling their position, they've been doing alot of balancing act in this situation.  While some official reports condemned the process and the out come of the  elections, even as far as proposing a Visa ban on the arrow heads of election malpractices that produced the same leader they congratulated- more like a contradiction but in reality a deliberate strategy of reserving the right to play either way it goes. Afterall the US authorities are reputable to make deals with devils to remain relevant and protect their strategic interest as the case may be.

 The Biden Administration through Antony Blankin engaged the INEC declared winner Tinubu in a phone conversation and they also proceeded to put together what in my opinion as well, one of the lowest level of American official for the inauguration of President of the most populous black nation on earth as well as African economic giant and a net supplier of global energy. The caliber of the team sent by the Biden administration is the clearest indication of their very low opinion of the incoming administration - if you know you know.

Infact, if all things are equal,  this will be considered a slap in the face of this Country. But trust the desperate APC team. They have like the proverbial ant that went around boasting that the gift of yams it received from the grand parents are as huge as its legs. But then as it turned out the ant's legs are nothing to write home about. 

C.O.M

OPINION: Owolabi - Murdered in Nigeria, buried in America

By

abiodun KOMOLAFE

On Nov 6, 2022

One of the greatest shortcomings of Nigeria’s existence is that she has never evolved into a nation. 

The amalgamation of territories, imposition of the colonial masters, the unfortunate intervention of the military and its attendant maladministration of the civil-society, and the corruption-infested politicians have not actually given the country that opportunity to realize her potentials. To be honest, it is because Nigeria’s handlers have different motives and a diametrically opposed understanding of the concept of development that her journey to nationhood has remained an illusion.

As we know, there is no generally acceptable interpretive understanding of the concept of development. For instance, part of the organic components of a nation is the understanding of the meaning of the concepts of citizenship. It is on this premise that a nation thrives. In other words, since no nation flourishes without its citizens, any nation that wants to thrive must have its organic components in place and the majority number of the population must share, intimately, the rudimentary knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a citizen, as agreed to, and enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria. Otherwise, it will just be as if one is running against the wind.

On July 28, 2022, Olugbenga David Owolabi was kidnapped alongside his staff, Rachael Opadele in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, by yet-to-be-identified kidnappers. Owolabi was a Nigerian-American who had come to Nigeria, to invest in the hospitality business in Ogbomoso, his hometown. On August 3, 2022, they were senselessly killed by their abductors, despite the payment of N5m ransom. Owolabi was buried on October 1, 2022 which, as fate would have it, coincided with a very important day in Nigeria’s chequered history. Opadele had earlier been buried in Ogbomoso, on August 5, 2022. Like the others, Nigeria has again succeeded in making the sun of three of her promising citizens set at dawn.

Olugbenga Owolabi is gone; and there’s nothing anybody can do to bring him back to life. But, if he had known that the country he called his own didn’t understand what it meant to be a citizen, he wouldn’t have come to Nigeria at all, not to speak of investing here. Let’s face it: the short time he spent in the USA – and he became a citizen – is now the only gift God has given him. From the time mappings for his life, all things being equal, if he had not come here, those unredeemed killers and haters who have turned Nigeria into a pool of blood would not have slaughtered him like a ram. Of course, they’d not have killed him without the American government deploying its entire arsenal for battle against his killers.

Typical of the Nigerianness in us, nobody is talking about who killed Owolabi; and neither Oyo State nor his Local Government has uttered a word; forget about admitting that the State has lost an illustrious son. Rather, it’s been business as usual, as if nothing happened. No justice! Not even a show of pretence for it! Sad that, even up to the point of the corpse being flown abroad, no Nigerian officials were seen to have shown any semblance of sympathy, either by words or actions. Well, that’s to show how horrible our system is. In our clime, the worth of a citizen has gone into a nosedive! Why then should one die for the country?

Owolabi’s unfortunate death is not the first; certainly, it won’t be the last either! Since his murder, several other unresolved murders have taken place. Yet, the heavens have not fallen! And who cares? After all, those who died did not belong to the families of members of the ruling class. So, life goes on! But, again, this is Nigeria! America takes care of her living and the dead! Nigeria does neither! Here in Nigeria, life no longer has any meaning! Ours is a generation of wasters, in a very dangerous country! Against the backdrop of our illimitable woes, the leaders _“daily call on the citizens to make sacrifices while they (the leaders) wallow in privilege.”_ Tragically, the leadership doesn’t even understand why and how the country is being led to a moral free fall in all areas.

The general assumption is that Nigeria is a sovereign state, but the current state of heightened insecurity only suggests that she may have already been stripped of her sovereign attributes. Otherwise, how do we describe events in the land which have only shown that our leaders are in a wide sea of uncertainty with regard to how a nation evolves; the inalienable rights of a citizen, and why he or she must be accorded such? Remember the 2013 Boston Marathon domestic terror attack and how the American government rose to the occasion! Remember how US Special Forces rescued Philip Walton, an American citizen held hostage in Nigeria in 2020! Here in Nigeria, the late Hamani Tidjani was only unlucky to have positioned his wind vane wrongly. And he paid dearly for it! On Owolabi’s gruesome murder, even the texture and essence of the _Nigerians in Diaspora Commission_ (NIDCOM) seem to have been seduced into compliance with sickening silence.

Had Oyo State Government been truly there for those it was elected to serve, somebody in government would have noticed the state administrative protocol gap in Owolabi’s unfortunate murder, and would have issued a statement on behalf of the government. That his remains were taken back from the land of his birth for internment in a foreign, adopted country was a big shame of unimaginable proportions. But again, how did we get here? For God’s sake, how does one belong to a country where human lives are not valued; where _“yesterday’s dreams have become the worst nightmares”;_ where _“very sharp pieces of broken promises”_ have become the new ideology? And, if we may ask: what is the functional relevance of Nigeria’s sovereignty? Isn’t that why a Leah Sharibu could still be languishing in the terrorists’ den even as the government continues to behave as if it never happened?

The social thoughts of a society, I was made to understand, undergird the thought flows of its citizens. For example, when President John F. Kennedy famously urged Americans “ask not what” their _“country can do for”_ them but _“what”_ they _“can do for”_ their _“country’,_ that became the mantra in the USA that even a kid in that _‘God’s own country’_ was always ready to die for the American flag. On the converse, have we asked why Nigeria now looks _“like a boiling pot that everyone wants to escape from”_ and why Nigerians are with misdirected aggression prepared to _‘japa’_ into certain deaths in Ukraine?

With happenings like this in Nigeria, national consciousness and the concept of patriotism are on the verge of losing both their meanings and relevance; of course, with huge national security implications! Nigeria may also lose investors and her capacity for economic growth will be hindered. To put it bluntly, what it means is that, once the central value of citizenship is lost, the entire country is lost. The more reason the handlers of Nigeria must do a new orientation programme that will teach Nigerians to be patriotic. In doing this, the government should lead by example. Otherwise, the scheme will fall like a pack of cards.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, rest the souls of the faithful departed and grant us peace in Nigeria!

 _*KOMOLAFE wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State ([email protected]; 07087941459 - SMS only)_

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#SPECIALMILITARYOPERATION: Russia targets US and European arms shipments in Ukraine

The Russian Ministry of Defense destroyed US and European military equipment depots using naval "Kaliber" missiles, and reported the surrender of 265 Ukrainian militants at the "Azovstal" plant.

Russia announced today, Tuesday, the targeting of US and European arms shipments, near the city of Lvov, in western Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement: "have been targeted and the destruction of American and European arms shipments near the city of Lvov missiles, naval aircraft CALIBER."

According to the statement, high-precision air missiles of the Russian Air Force hit two command posts and a communications center, including the 30th mechanized brigade in the Bakhmut region, 28 military assembly areas, and two depots of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The United States provides a number of European countries led by Germany and Britain Kyiv sophisticated weaponry.

The statement stated that 265 Ukrainian militants, including 51 seriously wounded, surrendered and laid down their weapons, after they were trapped in the Azovstal factory in Mariupol.

Russia announced yesterday, to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian military in the factory area "Azovstal" to evacuate the wounded to medical institutions in the People's Republic of Donetsk.

Also, the Russian Defense Ministry indicated that its forces had killed, during the past 24 hours, "more than 470 extremist militants, and disabled 68 units of military equipment."

Mariupol: Captured Ukrainian Commander says US-supplied Javelins ‘useless’

RT: The Kiev troops defending Mariupol couldn’t fire a single US-made missile, the captured officer claims

The US-made Javelin anti-tank systems have been praised for their effectiveness by Washington officials and have been turned by Western Media into a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance in the conflict with Russia. But a commander of the Ukrainian marines, who ended up being captured during the fighting for Mariupol, has revealed to RT that the hardware doesn't really live up to the claims.

“The Javelins didn’t prove useful, especially in urban warfare,” Colonel Vladimir Baranyuk, the commander of Ukraine’s 36th Naval Infantry Brigade, said.

“We couldn't even launch one. I think it's completely useless in an urban environment, as something always gets in the way,” he explained.

Baranyuk's unit was also armed with Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapons (NLAWs), supplied by Britain, but these also had their flaws, according to the officer.

“As for the NLAW missile launchers, well, we used them more often than the Javelins, but it has its own issue with the battery draining in cold conditions, making it impossible to launch,” he said.

Shoulder-fired Javelin missiles are equipped with infrared guidance and are said to be adopt a “top attack” trajectory to strike the roof of a tank, which is its most vulnerable part. Just like NLAWs, they're a “fire-and-forget” weapon, meaning that the missile guides itself to its target.

More than 5,000 Javelins have been supplied to Kiev by Washington. Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said last week that it accounted for a third of the US stockpile of those systems. London, for its part, has already armed the Ukrainian military with over 4,000 NLAWs and other anti-tank missiles.

“The Javelin… have proven to be very, very effective in this fight,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in April, referring to the conflict in Ukraine.

An image of Christianity’s Virgin Mother Mary with a Javelin has become an internet meme during the conflict, with US President Joe Biden boasting earlier this week of Ukrainian parents calling their newborn kids “Javelin or Javelina” in honor of the American system.

Baranyuk and his marines had been tasked with guarding the northern outskirts of Mariupol, a strategic port city in the southeast of Ukraine, from the advancing Russian forces.

The commander was captured during a failed attempt to flee the city, which he claims he attempted together with several loyal men after realizing that Kiev's promises to send help to his encircled troops were lies.

Mariupol has seen the heaviest fighting during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and suffered immense destruction. The city is now almost entirely controlled by Russian forces, with the Azovstal steel plant - where Kiev servicemen and nationalist fighters of the notorious Azov Battalion are holed up, now being the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance.

Russia attacked its neighboring state following Ukraine's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, signed in 2014, and Moscow's eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered Minsk Protocol was designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join NATO. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.

Source: RT

The United States dragged Ukraine to this point says Iranian Supreme Leader

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has on Tuesday said the United States is a "complete model of modern ignorance".

In a speech addressed to the Iranian people on the occasion of the anniversary of the resurrection of the Prophet Muhammad, Ali Khamenei said: "The West is using science and technology to kill and exploit people and spread moral vice to achieve its interests," noting that "the ruling regime in the United States is creating crises and feeding them."

Khamenei added: "The United States is a mafia regime.. the economic mafia, weapons, and the types of gangs that control the country and stand behind the American governments and install presidents..They created ISIS in the region and they admitted that and we witnessed the atrocities committed by ISIS..They need to create crises to secure the interests of the arms factories."

He continued, "The United States dragged Ukraine to this point by interfering in its internal affairs, coups of color and changing governments."

And the Iranian guide continued: "We oppose wars, killing peoples, and sabotaging infrastructure wherever that happens, and this is our firm position."

He continued: "What is the United States doing in eastern Syria and Afghanistan? Why are they stealing the wealth of this country? Why do they defend the crimes of the Zionist entity that continue day and night? They do all these crimes in the name of human rights."

Khamenei added: "The Yemeni people have been bombarded for the past eight years, but the world has turned a blind eye to that."

The Iranian guide explained, "We support stopping the war in Ukraine, and this is achieved by identifying the roots of the crisis, which lie in Western intervention there.. We do not adopt double standards as the West does ... Western support for its affiliated countries is just a mirage, and this is what we witnessed in Ukraine and Afghanistan, admittedly by the Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, and the former Afghan president, the West cannot be relied upon.

Khamenei said: "The second lesson from Ukraine's issues is that popular support is the biggest supporter of any government, and the main element for the independence of countries. If the Ukrainian people entered the arena, we would not witness what is happening now.. This is what we witnessed in Iraq during the US invasion, where it did not enter The people are in the arena, but on the other hand, when the people attended in the face of ISIS, they made great achievements."

Source: RT

Russian President Putin Readt to Negotiate with the US-Led NATO, Ukraine only 'part' of the problem says Kremlin

President Vladimir Putin of Russia is “willing to negotiate” over demands for security guarantees with the West, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, highlighting that the issue surrounding Ukraine is only “part” of the overall problem.

Peskov noted that negotiations have consistently been at the top of the president’s list of priorities. “President Putin has always been demanding negotiations and diplomacy”, Peskov said to CNN, adding that it was the Kremlin which originally “initiated the issue of guarantees of security.”

He said: “Ukraine is just part of the problem, it’s part of the bigger problem of security guarantees for Russia,” the spokesman continued, emphasizing that Putin is “willing” to engage on a wider range of subjects.

Peskov’s comments were met by with a positive response in Washington, where US Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre welcomed the chance for dialogue.

We are open to diplomacy. That door to diplomacy is open, as we have said,” she noted. “And so … that’s what we want to be headed towards.”

Peskov’s comments on Monday night echoed similar statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who earlier that day had highlighted Russia’s desire for effective dialogue with the West.

“We will develop a dialogue on aspects that are currently practically important, with our Western, primarily American, colleagues,” Lavrov declared.

These recent comments from the Russian officials coincide with an announcement on Tuesday morning from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Russian response to US-led NATO regarding security proposals is nearing completion.

On December 17 last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a draft agreement between Russia and NATO members presenting Moscow’s security demands, namely the guarantee by the US-led military bloc of its non-expansion east into Ukraine and a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to the bloc’s eastern flank, in effect returning NATO forces to where they were stationed in 1997.

Moscow received an official written response from Washington on January 26. However, shortly after the text arrived, Putin lamented that all of Russia’s fundamental demands were ignored.

Source

GOFAMINT VICTORY MONTH PRAYER FOR MONDAY 17TH JANUARY, 2022

 DAY 16: MONDAY, 17TH JANUARY, 2022

FOCUS:     GOFAMINT IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA - DIVINE VISITATION     FOR TOTAL SUCCESS AND MIRACULOUS EXPANSION

TEXT:           HABAKKUK 3, PSALM 2:8

INSPIRATIONAL WORDS FOR EFFECTIVE AND FERVENT  PRAYERS

Before focusing upon our GOFAMINT field in the Americas, let us consider the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these continents. The Americans have never had it so bad in their history to have lost so many of their citizens to the cold hands of death, as it happened in 2020/2021 before the advent of COVID-Vaccination. Not even in war times have they lost so many citizens as to this pandemic; why this? Despite their being the best and first among equals in technology, economy and medical science, yet the pandemic caught them pants down! 

The book of Habakkuk we read clearly showed that this is God’s anger, and divine visitation is needed for restoration and the onset of revival. 

The on-coming generation in Americas are fast becoming like what happened to Israel after the death of Joshua. “… and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, not yet the works which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). God must raise up for them the “Men of Issachar” tribe  in those continents who will teach the people what should be done that there might be divine visitation and restoration.

This is where our GOFAMINT North American field will come in, as the church with the word for their world. We must pray this prayer with passion for our North American field so that they will be God’s chosen instruments of revival for these continents.True to their calling, the Theme of the North American Convention in 2021 was “The Permanent Revolution for Bumper Harvest” As the North American field is positioning herself to be used by God in this respect, may supernatural prosperity come mightily upon them to spread the kingdom in accordance with Zech. 1:17 in Jesus Name.Finally, our daddy G.O, Pastor (Dr) E.O Abina, has also saddled them with the key assignment of advancing to South America, especially by first penetrating the land of Brazil for planting the GOFAMINT Church solidly there, The South American continent has 14 nations with a total population of 415 million. Brazil must therefore become our beachhead to these nations in Jesus Name.

As of 2020, there are 12 countries in South America viz: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. French Guiana is an overseas territory of France and not an independent country. In this American subcontinent, where the predominant language is Spanish, Portuguese is only spoken in Brazil. This country, Brazil is the most populous with approximately 210 million residents. Brazil is followed by Argentina, with a population of approximate 41 million.

LET US PRAY

1. Let us pray that the mercies of God through the Blood of Jesus will come mightily upon the Americas for a divine visitation that will lead to revival.

2. As we know that most of the old-time revivalists of the past couple of centuries came from North America, let us pray for mercy and forgiveness on the part of this continent and restoration from their backsliding.

3. The prosperity gospel that rocked the Christian world today also came from North America, and while the Kingdom merits of it are quite laudable, most people globally tilted towards the worldly and ungodly aspects. Let us confess the sins of men of God all over the world that aided the propagation of this lopsided gospel.

4. Now let us pray that the scourge of COVID-19 Pandemic be eased by God and that like the Azuza Street Pentecostal revival of old in California started, God will begin a fresh divine visitation on the nations in the Americas, especially the USA.

5. As the GOFAMINT North America had prophesied a bumper harvest during their 2021 Annual Convention, let us back them up in our prayers that their words will not fall to the ground (I Sam 3:19).

6. It is the burden of our North American field that the 5-fold ministry be fully restored among them for global harvest. Let us pray that the Lord will confirm this vision.

7. The next generation in the Americas are currently in the same dalliance as we saw in Judges 2:10. Let us pray that the Lord will revive His works among their youths especially, and cause a divine visitation for positive turn around.

8. Let us pray for the GOFAMINT NA that their proposal to grow their field “5 years younger” will receive divine backing for Kingdom advancement.

9. Let us prophesy upon our NA field that the Lord will make them competent to rise up to the challenges of end time revival and global harvest.

10. Pray also for our NA field that they will continue to be the “Japhetic” and “Jabezic” generation for many of our other Foreign Mission fields.

11. Let us pray for our AGO (FM), Pastor Sunday Adu, for a fresh unction upon him as he steps down this year from the office of the National Overseer (N.O) to face fully the duties of our Foreign Mission fields, especially the non-Africans.

12. Let us also pray for the newly chosen N.O and his Assistant, Pastor Taiwo Fagbuyi and Pastor Ebenezer Ikemebomeh respectively that the Lord will pour upon them double portion of the anointing for service, as they step into the shoes this year.

13. Let us pray that the burden of our father in the Lord, Pastor (Dr) E.O. Abina, to have the GOFAMINT planted in Brazil this year will be fulfilled through the instrumentality of our N.A field.

14. Pray that the field that will be planted in Brazil will be self- supporting, self- financing and self-propagating.

15. Let us pray that the Lord will surprise the NA field with abundant finances as they target One Million US Dollars ($1,000,000) to start their own Gospel City Project.

16. Let us pray that with the success of prophetic entry of this field into Brazil this year,   the GOFAMINT will spread like wild fire into other nations of South America.

17. Our North American field also covers Canada, and right now we exist in only 2 locations there. Let us pray that this field will blossom this year for more Church planting, and God will grant us a strategic inroad into Canada.

18. Let us pray for our current 2 Assemblies in Canada that they will receive the grace of self-support, self-propagation and sustainability.

19. Let us pray that grace will speak for our churches in North America that they will win souls of both indigenous white and coloured Americans into our churches to share the rich heritage of the Word ministry.

20. Let us pray that the Lord will raise covenant missionary helpers for us in GOFAMINT, through whom we will ride into the Continent of South America.

21. Pray that the Lord will provide the finances in hard currencies to take the gospel to Brazil, and thus destroy the roots of the high level of immorality there.

22. That the Lord will grant the language breakthrough for our Church, GOFAMINT, especially in Spanish, French and Portuguese to these nations.

23.  Pray that the Lord will break the barriers erected by high level of immorality and sexual promiscuity in these nations through the anointed word Ministry we carry.

24. That none of our members will fall prey to the spirit of error and immoral pleasure ravaging these nations, but will stand strong and secured in the Holy Spirit.

Closing session for the day:

Your personal prayer requests for 2022

Special ministration for the day. As determined by the pastor.

Moscow rejects Washington concerns about Ukraine as smokescreen

President Putin

Russia on Monday  vehemently condemned and rejected the U.S. claims of a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine.

Kremlin added that it could be a ruse intended to cover up what it described as Ukrainian leadership's aggressive intentions.

According to the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov who dismissed U.S. media allegations of Moscow's purported plans to invade Ukraine as part of efforts to discredit Russia. 

Peskov maintained that troop movements on Russia's own territory shouldn't concern anyone.

Ukraine complained earlier this month that Russia has kept tens of thousands of troops not far from the two countries' borders after conducting war games in an attempt to further pressure its ex-Soviet neighbor. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has supported a separatist insurgency that broke out that year in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking to Ukraine's foreign minister this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that Russia's "playbook" was to build up forces near the border and then invade, "claiming falsely that it was provoked."

Peskov sought to turn the tables on Ukraine and the West, arguing that the expressions of concern by the U.S. and its allies may "camouflage aggressive intentions in Kyiv to try to solve the problem of the southeast by force."

He accused the Ukrainian military of increasingly frequent shootings across the tense line of contact in the east and added that Moscow is strongly worried about the U.S. and other NATO countries providing Ukraine with weapons.

"The number of provocations has been growing, and those provocations have been conducted using the weapons that NATO countries sent to Ukraine," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "We are watching it with a grave concern."

Russia has cast its weight behind the separatist insurgency in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland known as Donbas that has left more than 14,000 people dead. But Moscow has repeatedly denied any presence of its troops in eastern Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday also criticized what he described as "bellicose rhetoric" by Ukrainian military officials, charging that it could "reflect a desire to conduct provocations and turn the conflict into a hot phase."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba rejected the Russian allegations of Ukraine's plans to launch an attack on Donbas as part of Moscow's "disinformation."

"Let me state it officially: Ukraine does not plan a military offensive in the Donbas," Kuleba said on Twitter. "We are devoted to seeking political & diplomatic solutions to the conflict."

In a strongly-worded statement, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) scathingly criticized the U.S. State Department of spreading "absolute lies" about a purported Russian buildup near Ukraine.

"The Americans are painting a horrible picture of Russian tank armadas crushing Ukrainian cities," it said in Monday's statement. "It's surprising to see a speed at which a formerly respectable foreign policy agency is turning into a mouthpiece of mendacious propaganda."

The SVR alleged that it was Ukraine that was beefing up its forces near Russia and Belarus.

The Russian spy agency also accused the U.S. and the European Union of encouraging "the sense of permissiveness and impunity" in Ukraine, comparing the situation to Western expressions of support to Georgia before the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia.

Russia routed the Georgian army in the brief conflict that erupted when Georgia attempted to reclaim control over a Russia-backed separatist province. Moscow then recognized the independence of Georgia's two separatist provinces after the war.

Source

United States warns Israel its attacks on Iran nuclear program are counterproductive — NYT

It is no long a new apotheosis that threatening Iran by America and allies, economy sanctions or "economy Terrorism" as Tehran called it has always been counterproductive and by continuing doing so America is only putting all it's Allies in the region at risk, although Washington has repeatedly claims all options are on the table.

In contrast, the he officials of the United States have warned Israel that its attacks against the Iranian nuclear program are counterproductive and have enabled Tehran to rebuild an even more efficient enrichment system, according to the New York Times report Sunday.

NYT, citing officials familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussion between Washington and Jerusalem, as the Biden Administration continues to try and bring Iran back into the nuclear deal, the report said that Israeli officials have dismissed the warnings, saying they have “no intention of letting up.”

While in the last 20 months there have been four explosions at Iranian nuclear facilities attributed to Israel, along with the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, the report said Washington officials have cautioned their Israeli counterparts that while such efforts may be “tactically satisfying,” they are “ultimately counterproductive.” And that Iran has managed to resume enrichment within months, often installing newer machines that can enrich uranium far faster.

However, the officials said Israel appeared unmoved by the arguments, and this was one of the many areas on which the US and Israel disagree regarding efforts to thwart Tehran’s drive to build nuclear weapons.

Further complicating matters was the fact that Iran has apparently managed to improve its defenses, particularly in the cyber field, the report said. As a consequence, cyber attacks like the Stuxnet attack that crippled centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear enrichment site for more than a year, an attack widely reported to be a joint US-Israeli effort, have become “much harder now to pull off.”

The major concern now was how close Iran has come to being able to build a nuclear weapon since then-US president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018.

This week, with Iran set for talks with world powers in Vienna on November 29, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had again increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Iran’s stockpile, as of November 6, was many times in excess of the limit laid down in the agreement with world powers, said the IAEA report. Such highly enriched uranium can be easily refined to make atomic weapons, which is why world powers have sought to contain Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Vienna-based agency told members that it is still not able to verify Iran’s exact stockpile of enriched uranium due to the limitations Tehran imposed on UN inspectors earlier this year.

The IAEA has been unable to access surveillance footage of Iranian nuclear sites or of online enrichment monitors and electronic seals since February. The agency’s chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told The Associated Press this month that the situation was like “flying in a heavily clouded sky.”

Sunday’s NYT report said that since abandoning the agreement, Iran had managed to reduce its breakout time to a bomb from about a year to just a few weeks.

“Before Mr. Trump decided to scrap the deal, Iran had adhered to the limits of the 2015 agreement — which by most estimates kept it about a year from ‘breakout,’ the point where it has enough material for a bomb. While estimates vary, that buffer is now down to somewhere between three weeks and a few months, which would change the geopolitical calculation throughout the Middle East,” the report said.

US officials have publicly warned that Iran’s violations are making it increasingly unlikely that there can be a return to the 2015 deal as it was.

The US envoy for Iran Robert Malley warned Friday that Tehran was approaching the point of no return for reviving a nuclear deal after it boosted its stocks of enriched uranium before the talks resume this month.

“The time will come if Iran continues at this pace with the advancements they’ve made, [it] will make it impossible even if we were going to go back to the JCPOA to recapture the benefits,” Malley told the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain, referring to the deal by its official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Iran’s advances are spreading alarm across the region… that’s what’s making the clock tick faster and making all of us say that the time is short for a return to the JCPOA,” Malley said.

And I want to be clear, because there’s no ambiguity about what they seem to be doing now, which is to drag their feet on the nuclear talks and accelerate the progress in their nuclear program,” he added.

The US envoy said he was not encouraged by the statements from the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi, which earlier on Friday accused Washington of conducting a “propaganda campaign” against the country.

With the possibility of a return to the 2015 deal fading, the US was examining the possibility of hammering out an interim deal with Iran, the New York Times report said, confirming a separate report last week. “Inside the White House, there has been a scramble in recent days to explore whether some kind of interim deal might be possible to freeze Iran’s production of more enriched uranium and its conversion of that fuel to metallic form — a necessary step in fabricating a warhead,” the Times said. “In return, the United States might ease a limited number of sanctions. That would not solve the problem. But it might buy time for negotiations, while holding off Israeli threats to bomb Iranian facilities.”

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the prospect of an interim agreement with Iran, to allow more time for nuclear negotiations, in talks with his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata, the Axios news site reported last week.

A pair of American sources said Sullivan and Hulata were just “brainstorming,” and that the proposal was suggested by an unspecified European ally of the US.

The US sources said the proposal was for Iran to suspend a disallowed nuclear activity such as enriching uranium to 60 percent, in exchange for the US and allied countries releasing some frozen Iranian money, or issuing sanctions waivers on humanitarian goods.

An unnamed Israeli official cited in the Axios report said Hulata told Sullivan he was against the idea and Israel’s concern was that any interim agreement could become permanent, allowing Iran to maintain its nuclear infrastructure and supply of uranium it has built up.

While Israel has been more direct, staying her readiness to attack Iran’s nuclear program and allocating billions of dollars to IDF to prepare and train for a potential strike, the United States has been trying to reassure its allies in recent days that if diplomacy fails, other options are available.

“The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we remain committed to a diplomatic outcome of the nuclear issue,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Manama event, which was put on by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“But if Iran isn’t willing to engage seriously, then we will look at all of the options necessary to keep the United States secure,” he said.

However, Iran has proven on several occasions that they are not soft power. In retaliation for the assasination of general suleimani Tehran fired precision missiles from their territories and they successfully destroyed American military base in northern Iraq. On another occasion the Houthi forces in Yemen flew barrages of Armed drones into Aramco oil field in Saudi Arabia crippling oil production, Iran was behind the attack.

Any aggressive act against Iran will yeild response from Tehran no matter how and irrespective of who is the aggressor and may not halt the Persia nuclear programs for the time being.

Currently, Iran is not known to  possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and has been signatory to treaties repudiating the possession of WMDs including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 

Iran has first-hand knowledge of WMD effects as over 100,000 Iranian troops and civilians were victims of chemical weapons during the 1980s Iran–Iraq War.