Jeff Jackson

Revolutionary Socialist and a member of the SWP.

[Patricia Marins @pati_marins64]

Not a single word from the Russians, the Chinese, the European Union, or the entire global community about this scandalous episode.

My impression is that we are regressing by decades, perhaps even centuries, in just a few years.
No one knows where this money is going, while the White House has become a partner in Venezuela’s poverty.

And in the face of this, some real idiots in Israel and the Pentagon expected an uprising in Iran.

Who would be crazy enough to rebel against their own nation when a foreign power is brazenly threatening to loot their country’s coffers?

It is astonishing what we are witnessing in these times amid the global silence.

Trump has placed the US in such a position of low moral standing that there is no way the world can place any confidence in either the dollar or in American foreign policy.

Whoever comes to govern America after Trump, and this will only happen after a great deal of internal chaos, will have an immense task ahead that will take many, many years.

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

“At least seven ships have been hit in the strait since the breakdown of the ceasefire, with Iran targeting vessels that have attempted to transit through the waterway by hugging the Omani coastline, which is largely protected by US air cover.

Of the 15 crossings recorded by the maritime intelligence company Windward on Monday, all but two sailed through the strait via a route laid out by Iran. The two using the Omani route — tankers operated by the Greek company Dynacom — were hit by Iranian missiles.”

https://t.co/LpQSOcamlP Oil rises past $95 after Trump threatens further Iran escalation

[Stand Up To Racism @AntiRacismDay]

Out campaigning today in Clacton against far right Nigel Farage.

Farage & Reform are on the back foot.

The smell of corruption & sleaze surrounds them.

It’s time to mobilise against them to undermine their attempts to divide our communities with scapegoating & racism.

[John Shreffler @johnshreffler0]

Really good analysis from @ripplebrain Link below

“The key to the American air campaign has always been to degrade Iranian air defenses to the point that cheap and plentiful glide or even gravity bombs can be used against targets in Iran. Dwindling stocks of long-range cruise missiles make this a necessity. To accomplish this, American air forces have to conduct Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (S/DEAD) operations, which require long loiter times with aircraft remaining in the air to respond to ISR and emissions from air defense radars. These missions are exceptionally dependent on tanker support, so any degradation of US tanker operations in turn degrades American S/DEAD capabilities.

By all available evidence, the Iranian debasification campaign appears to be working. The US force in the region is likely incapable of generating the same combat power in its air operations against Iran as it could when the war started, and things are trending ever further in a negative direction. Even worse, there’s no clear solution on the horizon. The most obvious lever for American planners to pull is to accept more casualties and losses of personnel and airframes, but this is an unprecedented step the modern incarnation of the US military has never faced.”

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

BREAKING: Yemen’s Houthis announce a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia, effectively banning Saudi maritime traffic through the Bab al Mandeb Strait.

Saudi Arabia exports 4.5 million barrels of crude oil per day through this key waterway.

[susan abulhawa | سوزان ابو الهوى @susanabulhawa]

Here's what really happened on October 7th...

1. 07 OCTOBER 2022.
Israeli forces opened fire on a group of Palestinian children near the Apartheid wall in Qalqiliya, killing a 14-year-old boy with live ammunition (UN OCHA report)

2. 07 OCTOBER 2021.
Israeli settlers from the Telem settlement cut down more than 100 olive seedlings on Palestinian-owned land in Turqumiya, Hebron, belonging to 'Aziz Jamil Ja'afrah — the same land where settlers had uprooted trees the year before. (PCHR, 7–13 Oct 2021)

Israeli forces raided at least nine homes overnight and arrested eleven people, including a father and son together (Wadi al-Far'a, Tubas) and a 16-year-old (Adham Abu Srour, Dawha), without charge. A 55-year-old activist was separately arrested without charge at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Israeli forces demolished two residential structures in Bab al-Shams village (East Jerusalem area) belonging to two brothers — the third demolition of their homes within a single year.

Israeli gunboats fired on a Palestinian fishing boat off Gaza for roughly two and a half hours overnight.

Checkpoints and closures were imposed in Jericho, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Nablus.

3. 07 OCTOBER 2020.
Israeli forces raided Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem, blew open the doors of the camp's People's Committee office, and damaged nearby homes in the process — Palestinians officials called it part of a "terror campaign" against the camp. (PCHR, 1–7 Oct 2020)

Israeli forces raided a boys' school (al-Jamla School) in Jenin, confiscated staff IDs, and copied footage from the school's security camera system.

Multiple home-raid arrests took place in Beita, Yatta, al-Eizariya, al-Hashimia (Jenin), Qusra, and Qabatiya.

Israeli settlers from the Leshem settlement set fire to Palestinian-owned land in Deir Ballut, Salfit, burning 50 olive trees.

Multiple checkpoints/closures reported in Hebron (4), Nablus, and elsewhere, disrupting children's abilities to attend school and commutes to work and cutting off access to medical facilities and family.

4. 07 OCTOBER 2019.
20-year-old Fadi Osama Hejazi, died from sniper wounds sustained months earlier at Great March of Return protests (PCHR, 3–9 Oct 2019)

Israeli forces raided at least nine homes overnight across Bethlehem (al-Duheisha camp, Wad Ma'ali), Ramallah (al-Mazra'ah al-Gharbiyah), Jenin ('Anza village), Tulkarm ('Atil village), and Salfit (Hares village, two homes), arresting at least 12 people.

Israeli forces raided and ransacked the Hanthala Cultural Centre in Safa village (a heritage/youth-skills organization), breaking its main door and confiscating files.

Israeli forces guarding the Apartheid wall shot two Palestinian men near Zeta and Tulkarm while they attempted to cross into Israel for work.

Settlers from the Yitzhar settlement cut down 36 olive trees overnight in Burin village (Nablus). Later that morning, settlers from the same settlement attacked Burin's mixed school under military protection, forcing the administration to evacuate students.

In order to prevent Palestinians from leaving their homes during Jewish holiday, Israel began a full closure of the Tunnel, 300, al-Jeeb, and Hizma checkpoints (separating Jerusalem from Bethlehem and nearby areas) for three days during Yom Kippur, alongside closures of Arab village/neighborhood entrances with iron barriers and cement blocks, preventing anyone from accessing school, work, or medical facilities during that time.

5. 07 OCTOBER 2018.
Israeli forces raided homes in Jenin, Beit Ummer (Hebron), and al-Jalazoun refugee camp (Ramallah), arresting at least eight people; in Jalazoun, soldiers also confiscated 2,500 shekels (~$700) in cash from one household during the raid. (PCHR, 4–10 Oct 2018)

Israeli forces raided homes and a shop in Beit Led (Tulkarm), confiscating surveillance camera recordings, and arrested a 47-year-old man along with his 19-year-old son without charge.

Israeli forces carried out 20 additional home invasions (without arrests) across Hebron, Tulkarm, and Qalqiliya-area villages.

An Israeli drone fired a missile at a group of civilians near al-Shawka village, east of Rafah, Gaza.

Israeli gunboats opened heavy fire on Palestinian fishing boats off Rafah, firing flare bombs and forcing fishermen to flee.

Israeli forces conducted a limited ground invasion into eastern al-Bureij, central Gaza.

6. 07 OCTOBER 2017.

Israeli forces raided three homes overnight — in Ya'bud (Jenin), Wad Rahal (Bethlehem), and Bethlehem city — arresting three people, including two minors, without charge.

Israeli forces arrested without charge a 44-year-old man, Naser al-Jundi, at a checkpoint set up at the entrance to Al Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron.

Israeli gunboats twice opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats off Beit Lahia and al-Sudaniya (northern Gaza), chasing them; no injuries or damage reported.

Israeli forces stationed along the Gaza perimeter fence near Umm al-Nasser Bedouin village opened sporadic fire and fired flare bombs into the border area, terrorizing residents.

Israeli forces conducted six additional home invasions without arrests in al-Samou', Bani Na'im, Sa'ir, and al-Jalajel (Hebron) and Bedia and Masha (Salfit).

Temporary military checkpoints were set up at Halhoul and al-Dahiriya (Hebron), four locations around Qalqiliya, and three in Salfit, further restricting Palestinian movement. That night, hundreds of Israeli settlers entered 'Awerta village (Nablus) under military protection to perform religious rituals in Palestinian towns.

7. 07 OCTOBER 2016.
Israeli forces raided homes in Sabastiya (Nablus) and Nour al-Shams refugee camp (Tulkarm) overnight, arresting five people without charge.

Israeli forces entered al-Far'a refugee camp (Tubas); when young men gathered and threw stones, soldiers fired live rounds, hitting three civilians.

Israeli naval forces intercepted a fishing boat at sea, ordered the two fishermen (one a 17-year-old) to strip and swim to the gunboat, then detained them; one was released later that day, the other and the boat remained in custody.

Weekly Friday protests in Bil'in, Ni'lin, al-Nabi Saleh, and Kafr Qaddum were attacked with live fire, rubber bullets, tear gas, and sound bombs; in Bil'in, soldiers assaulted a farmer trying to reach his own field and confiscated his vehicle.

In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on young men gathered near the perimeter fence in solidarity with Jerusalem (Shuja'iya and al-Bureij), wounding two with live rounds.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers from Yasouf village (Salfit) while they worked their land.

Dozens of settlers, escorted by Israeli forces, entered Ta'nak village (Jenin) to pray at a religious site; soldiers closed the village's main street to secure the visit, locking thousands of Palestinians in their homes.

Checkpoints went up on the Tarusah village road (west of Dura) and at Hebron's southern entrance (al-Fahes), further restricting Palestinian movement.

8. 07 OCTOBER 2015.
An Israeli settler shot a Palestinian girl from Sur Baher four times in Jerusalem's Old City; Israeli forces claimed she had stabbed him, an account PCHR notes it could not independently verify.

Hundreds of Bir Zeit University students and other civilians protested near a checkpoint and settlement outside al-Bireh; Israeli forces fired live ammunition, wounding ten (eight by live fire), while undercover Israeli units embedded in the crowd violently kidnapped three students — one shot in the leg, another shot in the head and left in serious condition.

Israeli forces raided homes across Hebron governorate overnight, kidnapping at least 16 people, including a 12-year-old (Amir Abu Romouz) and a 13-year-old (Nasim al-Teiti), in Hebron city, Dura, Halhoul, and Al Fawwar and Al Arroub refugee camps.

Israeli forces raided two homes in Nablus, arresting two men without charge.

Soldiers occupied an uninhabited home in Halhoul, raised an Israeli flag over it, and briefly operated a checkpoint from the site before withdrawing but continuing to occupy the house.

This was the seventh consecutive day Nablus remained under a full Israeli military cordon (imposed since October 1 as collective punishment), with the Huwwara, Jeet, al-Naqoura, and Deir Sharaf checkpoints all tightened, denying and delaying movement for residents.

IT GOES ON LIKE THIS EVERY DAY OF EVERY YEAR AS FAR BACK AS YOU LOOK

[Franz-Stefan Gady @HoansSolo]

‚“The U.S. is planning for a wider war,” said one U.S. official familiar with internal administration discussions, adding that the Pentagon was increasing the number of military aircraft in the region.

But the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, cautioned that the expansion of U.S. operations will be limited by dwindling stockpiles of air defense and long-range munitions and constraints on the ability to surge more troops and aircraft into the area because of battle damage.

“We do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don’t think the White House is aware of that,” the official said.

Military experts have said that in addition to the toll taken on U.S. equipment and munitions stocks, the U.S. is unprepared for possible ground operations inside Iran that Trump last week refused to rule out.‘

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

Most of the Jordanian population is Palestinian and totally behind the only country in the region to have confronted Israel. It’s not complicated.

[Andrew Feinstein @andrewfeinstein]

When I stood against @Keir_Starmer in 2024 I told people what an authoritarian, anti-democratic, lying genocidaire he would be. That’s why in just 6 weeks we cut his personal vote by 50%. He was far, far worse than we could ever have imagined. Now get out of Holborn & St.Pancras. U no longer represent the majority in the constituency, who are ashamed to have imposed u on the country

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

I do not agree with Azizi’s reading of the balance of resolve. What matters is not the absolute destruction each side can dish out to the other. What matters in Mercy is pain tolerance.

Iran has vastly higher pain tolerance than the US bc it is fighting for its survival as an independent power, while the US is fighting for an extended position. If the Iranians lose, they lose everything. If the US loses, it loses the Gulf. If Iran wins, it gets out of the jail that the West has put it in.

Also important to note that Iran is strategically hard as a state formation, the US is not. This became clear as daylight with the turnouts for the 250th and the ayatollah’s funeral.

It’s not even close. The balance of resolve strongly favors Iran. That is ultimately why Iranian strategy is correct. And why the US will not be able to reverse the decision of the war.

[Mada Masr مدى مصر @MadaMasr]

يواصل عمال شركة «إيماك» لتصنيع الورق، بمدينة العين السخنة في محافظة السويس، اعتصامهم في ساحة المصنع، لليوم الثامن على التوالي، للمطالبة بمستحقاتهم المالية، وفي مقدمتها رفع الأجور، إلى جانب تحسين بيئة العمل، بحسب ثلاثة مصادر من العمال تحدثوا إلى «مدى مصر».

وأوضح معتصمون، يعملون في المصنع منذ أكثر من عشر سنوات، أن أجور العمال تتراوح ما بين 4500 إلى 8500 جنيه، ما اعتبروه غير ملائم بالنظر إلى سنوات عملهم وغلاء المعيشة.

وأضافت المصادر أن إدارة الشركة امتنعت عن سداد مستحقات العمال في أرباح عام 2022 كاملة، ووعدتهم بصرفها على دفعات، وبالفعل تلقوا جزءًا منها في 2023، قبل أن يتوقف الصرف طوال العامين التاليين، وفي مايو الماضي حصلوا على دفعة ثانية.

ردًا على استمرار الاعتصام، صرفت الإدارة بدل الوجبة ومقابل الساعات الإضافية لنحو 15 عاملًا فقط، غير مشاركين في الاعتصام، بحسب المصادر، ما اعتبره أحدهم محاولة من الإدارة لتفرقة العمال.

https://t.co/rzzYnPzXK8

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

Excellent roundup. An important point that I did not go into in my last couple of dispatches.

“[Vakil] avers that over time, “The Gulf states will lean harder on American protection and tighter security coordination rather than coming to see Iran as central to any workable regional order.” But there is almost no evidence of this. Quite the opposite. Saudi Arabia notably and publicly stood aside from some key stages of the American plan to “open” Hormuz in defiance of Iran’s MOU-stipulated role in administering passage through it for the first 60 days. True, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are developing/enhancing pipelines that can bypass the Strait. But the timeline for completing those projects is considerably lengthier than can be useful during the current round of conflict.”

[Helena Cobban @helenacobban]

"shifted" the US troops to Jordan & Israel is such a blatant euphemism! What happened was those troops were forced to *retreat* from their forward positions in the Gulf at short notice & in great disorder...

[Stand Up To Racism @AntiRacismDay]

Remembering Maz Saleem who has passed away.

Maz’s father Mohammed Saleem was murdered by a neo-Nazi & white supremacist in 2013.

In response Maz became a prominent & powerful activist, opposing racism, Islamophobia & war.

All our thoughts are with her family & friends.

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

More details are emerging. The US has pulled back its forces to rear bases not only to protect them but also because Gulf states have restricted US access.

Others of note:

— It wasn’t one or two strikes; they have stuck US bases in Jordan in four out of the past five days. The Iranians are carrying out a systematic counter-base campaign to degrade US power projection from these theater rear bases.

— US personnel losses: 2 KIA, 1 MIA, ‘dozens’ wounded, at least 4 seriously, reported elsewhere to have been medevacked to Europe.

— It wasn’t just Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. At least two others were attacked successfully.

1) “The first attack to hit U.S. forces in Jordan struck a residential facility at King Faisal Air Base, wounding as many as five U.S. service members.”

2) “The second hit a base in eastern Jordan where U.S. Blackhawk helicopters were operating from, damaging a significant number of them.”

What is a significant number? How many Apaches were destroyed on the apron? 5? 10? 20?

[Patricia Marins @pati_marins64]

Still in time..

Since the beginning of the conflict with Iran, CENTCOM has chosen to conduct HIMARS launches from its bases in the Gulf countries.

There are numerous mainstream media reports, videos, and photos showing that this practice has continued even after strong Iranian counterattacks against these countries, which repeatedly claim neutrality in the conflict.

This is a complex situation in which it falls to the Pentagon to preserve the infrastructure of these countries and the global economy, rather than dragging them into a conflict for which they are not prepared.

The Gulf countries need to assert themselves politically by showing an agenda of their own interests. Iran will remain in the same place, whether slightly or heavily damaged, and the GCC will have to deal with this reality.

You are either in a war or you are not. You cannot provide support, cede territory and airspace for attacks to be carried out, and then pretend to be a victim!

We have never been so close to unprecedented destruction in the region and to impacts that will last for years on the global economy.

Obviously, I recognize that Iran is not an easy actor to deal with. On the contrary, it is an imperialist power in the region with a long history of international interference. However, at this moment, we are talking about a war of mutual destruction, of both the economy and life in the region.

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

Listen to @vali_nasr carefully. Iran’s calculation is that this has to last longer much than a few weeks. The blockade of the Gulf would have to go on for long enough so that Trump says, “I don’t want to do this again.”

Even the doves no longer believe that they can get anything without imposing dramatically higher costs on the US. This means that they have to crash the world economy to teach Trump a lesson he won’t forget.

Nasr thinks this is a risky strategy. But again, what alternatives are available to Iran at this point? How can Iran surrender the Hormuz weapon — bc that is what the US is demanding de facto — and hope to tell the tale? What other course of action is available to Tehran to deter the US from attacking it again? How else can Iran get out of the jail than the West has put it in?

Ofc, it is risky and costly. But it is superior to all alternatives available to Tehran now that the possibility of an accommodation has been rejected by the US. Sometimes you have to take risks. One such time is when your survival as an independent state is on the line. This is why the Iranian strategy is correct.

42m in right here: https://t.co/Egxsrr0STU

[Socialist Worker @socialistworker]

Palestine demo demands Andy Burnham stops Labour support for Israel
⭐️Good riddance to Keir Starmer—but keep up the fight for a free Palestine
https://t.co/nozEL4w1yX

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

Imagine living in this fantasy world where the way to coerce Iran is to coerce China. 😂

“It needs to see the Europeans and the Arabs offer a U.N. Security Council resolution that insists that the strait remain an international waterway, not controlled, monetized, or managed by any member state. Trump needs to work with the Saudis and the Emiratis to tell China that they expect Beijing to support such a resolution—and to warn that failing to do so will carry consequences for their relationships.”

Straight from the blobhead-in-chief.

https://t.co/e1ik0vgxIu

[Policy Tensor @policytensor]

They have very few interceptors left and Iran has opened up an air corridor through Jordan. Even if the Israelis do not get involved, the Iranians might attack them anyway. Especially if US planes are concentrated at Ben Gurion.