Secret Chinese Satellite Iran used to Target U.S. bases

China Sold Iran the Satellite That Aimed the Missiles That Killed Three American Soldiers

The satellite in question is a TEE-01B, a Chinese-made spy satellite Iran acquired in September 2024 for $36 million.

It provides high-resolution surveillance imagery — the kind you'd want if you were trying to map the layout of an American air base in a foreign country, identify where aircraft are parked, and time your volley for maximum damage.

Iran didn't develop this capability on its own. Beijing sold it to them.

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Lindsey Graham's legacy invoked on the House floor--262/159

House sends sweeping Russia-Iran sanctions bill to Trump's desk in honor of late Sen. Lindsey Graham

The House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act by a 262, 159 vote Wednesday, sending a bill that authorizes tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries buying Russian energy to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

The legislation clears Congress with broad bipartisan margins after the Senate approved it last month 86, 11. It marks the final major piece of unfinished business championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died at 71 following a trip to Ukraine where he pressed lawmakers to act on the very sanctions package that now bears his name.

Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who led the floor fight for passage, framed the vote in personal and strategic terms. He told colleagues the bill would force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and keep his ambitions in check, preventing him from pushing deeper into Eastern Europe.

McCaul did not let the moment pass without honoring the man whose name is on the bill. As the New York Post reported, McCaul delivered a direct appeal to his colleagues:

"Lindsey Graham once said this bill would be his great achievement. I can think of no better way... to honor his life and his legacy than by passing these tough sanctions."

He added a broader call to action.

"Evil is on the march, history is calling, and now is the time to act."

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Chinese Spy Satellite sold to Iran

China Sold Iran the Satellite That Aimed the Missiles That Killed Three American Soldiers

Army First Lt. Tyler James Feehan was twenty-five years old. Pvt. Isabella Gonzales was nineteen. Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad's was twenty-eight. All three died on July 17 when 20 Iranian ballistic missiles hit a U.S. military base in Jordan called Muwaffaq Salti; a strike so precise it damaged eight F-15 fighter jets and ripped a wing off an A-10 Thunderbolt II.

The precision wasn't luck. According to new reporting, Chinese satellite imagery helped Iran aim.

The satellite in question is a TEE-01B, a Chinese-made spy satellite Iran acquired in September 2024 for $36 million. It provides high-resolution surveillance imagery — the kind you'd want if you were trying to map the layout of an American air base in a foreign country, identify where aircraft are parked, and time your volley for maximum damage.

Iran didn't develop this capability on its own. Beijing sold it to them.

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Different tact in future on Iran

Vice President JD Vance said the conflict with Iran will enter a "much different phase" in the next several months

Trump administration will shift its focus toward preventing Tehran from rebuilding its military capabilities

"We can't predict the future, but I think the president is right to say that this thing will enter a much different phase in a couple of months," Vance told the New York Post in an interview published Tuesday. "He's also the commander in chief, so he's the person who determines ... when conflicts start and when they stop."

Vance's comments came after President Donald Trump said last week he expects the conflict to end following the midterm elections in November.

"I think the war will end immediately after the election because they can't hold out any longer," Trump said.

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Iran's Pickaxe Mountain

Trump Says US Could Strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain Soon

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States may strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility “very soon.”

He also said new oil pipelines could eventually reduce the importance of the Strait of Hormuz.

Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a heavily fortified site containing two deeply buried tunnel complexes, according to Reuters.

Trump said the United States has extensive intelligence about activity around the site, crediting U.S. space technology and the U.S. Space Force.

“We’re leading in space. We know everybody that’s moving at Pickaxe, we know everybody that’s moving everywhere, all over Iran, and if anything goes bad, we hit them. We hit them hard,” Trump told reporters.

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The "endless" Iranian Conflict

Vance: Iran Fight Is Not a 'War'

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday rejected the use of the word "war" to describe the U.S. fighting with Iran and declined to predict whether the six-month-old conflict would be over by November's midterm elections, in which Republicans are trying to hold on to their narrow majorities in Congress.

"I wouldn't call it a war," Vance said after being asked during a White House press briefing about whether the fighting could be wrapped up before voters cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 congressional elections. "Right now, there is no active shooting."

Vance's comments came as Iran fired at U.S. Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday as it continued to retaliate for rounds of U.S. strikes on Iran earlier in the week.

The vice president said the U.S. had a "responsibility" to carry out this week's strikes because Iran continues the targeting of commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance's description of the fighting comes as President Donald Trump and his administration face questions about the conflict's duration and its political and economic effects ahead of the midterm elections.

The administration maintains it is making progress in applying economic pressure on Iranian hardliners, including the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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U.S. holding the line

American drones hit two Iranian tankers in Hormuz under Trump's new retaliatory policy

U.S. forces struck two Iranian government tankers anchored off Iran's coast on Tuesday and hit roughly 100 additional targets across the country, the first use of President Trump's "tanker for tanker" policy after Tehran attacked commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

American drones fired missiles into the engine rooms of both vessels, which sat north of the U.S. blockade line, while a broader CENTCOM operation hammered air-defense batteries, radar installations, maritime facilities, mine-laying equipment, and communications sites from one end of Iran's military infrastructure to the other.

The independent tracking firm TankerTrackers.com reviewed CENTCOM footage and assessed that both tankers were empty at the time of the strikes, though their precise ownership had not yet been confirmed.

The operation marks a sharp escalation in Washington's posture toward Tehran. For months, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has harassed and attacked commercial vessels transiting the strait, the narrow chokepoint through which a huge share of the world's oil moves every day. 

A pair of IRGC strikes on tankers carrying Saudi crude finally triggered the new policy, which President Trump approved to answer every Iranian attack on a commercial ship with a direct hit on an Iranian one.

Forty commercial ships moved through the strait while U.S. forces held the line.

Even as missiles and drones flew, roughly 40 commercial vessels transited into or out of the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, carrying millions of barrels of oil under the security umbrella American forces maintained over the shipping lanes.

That detail alone illustrates what the operation was designed to prove: the United States can keep global energy markets open while punishing the regime responsible for threatening them.

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Iranian al-Hami died during his speech

US Launches Surprise Attack on Iran as Senior IRGC Candidate Dies on Live TV

The United States launched what was described as a surprise attack on the Iranian regime Sunday, setting off a rapid chain of events across the region.

According to Iranian expert Tousi, the US strike was a preemptive move. The report says American officials received information that Iranian forces were preparing to launch an attack against US interests in Jordan.

The story also focuses on a dramatic moment during a regime rally. Senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps member and candidate Naemat al-Hami reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack in the middle of his campaign speech.

Al-Hami had been speaking before the event suddenly ended. The account describes the incident as an unusually striking moment because it unfolded in front of a live camera. The report argues that while propaganda can be carefully managed, a sudden medical emergency on live television is much harder to control.

The clip was circulated online with claims that al-Hami died during the speech.

See the video

Iran losing its Leverage

No, Iran is not winning: In Act IV of the war, it’s losing its leverage in Hormuz

The arc of this six-month conflict has proceeded in four acts.

• Act One began with intensive airstrikes on February 28 and lasted through six weeks of high-intensity military operations.
• Act Two began with the April 7 ceasefire and negotiations, culminating with the June 17 MOU signed by Trump and Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
• Act Three began weeks later when Iran chose once again to target commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to another tit-for-tat military exchange.

Since mid-July, the US has reimposed its military blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran’s oil trade. In parallel, the U.S. military has worked tirelessly to clear shipping lanes and help protect commercial ships transiting the Strait.

The result has been an effective blockade on Iranian oil shipments, with global shipments recovering and energy prices remaining remarkably stable. Bloomberg reported this week that oil flows through the Strait have recovered to 2/3 of pre-war levels.

That means pressure is now compounding on Iran, and not the US. And if Iran loses its ability to hold the Strait hostage, its leverage dissipates rapidly.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Iran’s economy is expected to contract by more than 5% this year, with inflation approaching 70%. The value of Iran’s currency has fallen sharply. Prices for basic goods have soared. An Iranian Labor Ministry official recently estimated that more than one million jobs disappeared during the first three months of the war alone.

• But Act Four seems different. The US military has a clear objective as outlined this week by the commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper. It is enforcing the blockade on Iran and facilitating the movement of commercial traffic.

And that status quo — perhaps for the first time since the war began — now favors Washington, not Tehran.

Analysis by Brett H. McGurk

Tightening Economic Pressure on Iran the agreed solution

Netanyahu Says No Iran Deal Possible, Told Trump 'Savages' Can't Be Trusted

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he doubts a diplomatic agreement can be reached with Iran’s leadership, recounting a recent conversation with President Donald Trump in which the two discussed the possibility of diplomacy, military action and increased economic pressure on Tehran.

Netanyahu said he discussed the options with Trump during their July 28 meeting at the White House and expressed doubts that negotiations could produce an agreement with Iran’s current leadership.

“I doubt, however, that an agreement can be reached with that group there, with those savages,” Netanyahu said. “I tell you — an agreement cannot be reached,” he added.

The remarks were made at an event in Jerusalem for Israeli settlers in the West Bank and were reported by AFP, with the comments independently carried by outlets including CBS News, Arab News and the Times of Israel.

Netanyahu said his conversation with Trump involved three possible approaches to Iran:

1. pursuing a diplomatic agreement
2. resuming military action
3. tightening economic pressure.

He said he supported the third option and praised Trump for choosing to intensify economic pressure rather than immediately launching another major military campaign.

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Cut financial ties to Iran or face consequences

Bessent warns the world to cut financial ties to Iran or face US retaliation

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that new U.S. secondary sanctions in the pipeline aim to block all potential sources of revenue for Iran, telling nations to cut economic ties to Tehran or face U.S. retaliation.

Bessent added it’s “no longer acceptable to operate in the gray spaces” of Iran conflict as US threaten sanctions against Tehran’s trade partners.

The treasury secretary did not name what countries could face potential secondary sanctions from the United States, but China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are Iran’s largest trade partners.

“Let there be no ambiguity as to the position of the United States,” Bessent said at a Monday afternoon news conference. “An economic engagement of any kind with this murderous regime will expose those responsible to the full reach of American power.”

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Sustained Economic Pressure on Iran

Iran Will Face 'Most Crushing Economic Operation' Ever

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” warning that nations, financial institutions, and businesses that help Iran could face severe economic consequences.

“I AM ANNOUNCING THE MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, according to Reuters.

Trump said the effort would amount to an “ECONOMIC D-DAY” and warned countries against providing Iran with a financial lifeline.

“I am also announcing that any country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, etc. to provide any lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences,” Trump said, according to Reuters.

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Russia now helping Iran

Russia Reportedly Resupplying Iran as US-Russia Tensions Persist

Russia is reportedly shipping drone components, ammunition, and explosives to Iran to help Tehran replenish military stockpiles damaged by U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to NBC News.

NBC News reported Tuesday that the shipments are traveling across the Caspian Sea to Iran's Amirabad port, citing a document from a European government that the network said was verified by a Western official.

More than two dozen Russian vessels have reportedly transported the materials, with many of the ships operating under U.S. or European sanctions, according to NBC.

The reported shipments include drone components, small-arms ammunition and TNT, which NBC said is used in Iranian ballistic missile warheads and drones.

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Trump's Iran Strategy : Cause them Economic Pain

Trump shifts Iran strategy to economic pressure, concedes munitions are tight and no direct talks underway

President Trump now says the United States is "low-keying it" with Iran, relying on a naval blockade and economic pain rather than the "massive attack" he once threatened, while acknowledging that key munitions are running short and that no direct negotiations with Tehran are actually taking place.

In a phone interview with Axios reporter Barak Ravid, Trump framed the shift as strategic patience, not retreat. "We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," he said. "We are only semi-negotiating with them." 

Asked about the stalled conflict, now more than five months old, Trump offered a breezy forecast: "It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game."

The remarks amount to a significant course correction. Trump had previously threatened Iran with overwhelming force, repeatedly promised an "imminent" deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and called earlier reports of a munitions shortage "treasonous."

Now he is publicly conceding that high-end weapons stocks are "a little bit tighter" and that Iran is not, in fact, sitting across the table from American negotiators.

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The War that goes on and on

Iran Again Refuses to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Unless US Meets Demands

Trump said on Aug. 9 that the United States was only semi-negotiating with Iran after the regime demanded multiple concessions.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that an agreement on the establishment of a new maritime route in the Strait of Hormuz had entered the “final stages.”

However, Araghchi reiterated the regime’s position that the new shipping lanes would not be opened until the United States agreed to Tehran’s demands.

On Aug. 8, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr said the United States would need to comply with multiple demands for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.

The demands included the United States ending its war with Iran, removing the naval blockade, withdrawing military troops, lifting sanctions on the regime, releasing blocked Iranian assets, paying damages caused by the war, and avoiding future threats against Iran.

“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!”wrote Trump.

In response to Tehran’s demands, Trump demanded compensation from Iran for all of the people killed and wounded by the regime’s roadside bombs and conflicts.

Trump added that the families of hundreds of thousands of innocent protesters killed by the regime over the past 50 years, including the 52,000 people he said were killed in the past five months, should receive compensation.

“I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations,” Trump said.

Read about it... 

Detailed analysis from the Atlantic Council and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) suggests that while Iran is far weaker militarily, it still holds leverage through its ability to disrupt global oil trade until a final deal is signed.

Senate Sanctons Russia and Iran

Senate Passes Bill to Impose New Sanctions on Russia and Iran

The bill must next go to a vote in the House of Representatives before the president can sign it into action.

The Senate on Aug. 7 overwhelmingly passed a bill to impose new sanctions against Russia and Iran.

In an 86–11 vote, the Senate passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026. The bill still needs to pass a vote in the House of Representatives before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died on July 11, had sponsored legislation to raise economic sanctions on Russia, as punishment for the ongoing war in Ukraine. The bill was revised and renamed in Graham’s honor following his death.

[The Epoch times]

Nuke Deals

More talks begin today on Iran

Trump says Iran talks begin Monday (today) after canceling ‘biggest attack since World War II’

The President says Gulf allies and Iran asked him to give diplomacy more time as negotiators seek to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revive a June peace framework, though Tehran has not accepted his account or the proposed terms.

President Donald Trump said Aug. 2 that negotiations with Iran would begin the next afternoon after he canceled a massive planned U.S. strike, creating a new but uncertain opening toward an end to the five-month war.

Trump said the original planned operation “would have been by far the biggest attack since World War II” and “disastrous” for Iran.

Reuters reported July 31, citing CBS News sources, that U.S. and Israeli officials had been preparing strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, but Trump did not confirm whether those targets were part of the canceled plan.

Trump said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran had urged him not to launch the attack. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told him regional governments “would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don’t know where these attacks lead,” according to the President.

In a Saturday Truth Social announcement, Trump claimed regional governments had reached the “perimeters of a deal” providing for the immediate and complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a guarantee of no nuclear weapons development on the part of Iran. He said Israel had joined his commitment to pursue the agreement and that the attack would remain canceled only if a deal could be completed rapidly.

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Retalitory Strikes continue against Iran

Trump orders expanded strikes on Iran after missile attack shattered trust in peace talks

President Trump has directed the military to prepare a fresh wave of strikes against Iran that could begin within days, a sharp escalation after an Iranian missile attack on American forces in Jordan during active negotiations.

Trump previewed the coming offensive at a Friday cabinet meeting at Camp David, telling his war cabinet the United States is "going big" and accusing Tehran of negotiating in bad faith while simultaneously targeting American troops.

The New York Post reported that the military has drafted multiple options for fresh attacks, including a sustained bombing campaign lasting ten to fourteen days and potential strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, including electricity serving Tehran.

The order follows a sequence that would test any commander-in-chief's patience. On Wednesday, while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was engaged in negotiations with Iranian counterparts, Iran launched five missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan. Trump learned of the attack not from his negotiator but from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Iran fired on U.S. troops mid-negotiation, and Trump responded within hours:
The U.S. military hit back the same day. U.S. Central Command struck dozens of targets tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including command centers and missile and drone facilities.

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Can we just wipe Iran out? This has gone on way too long and Iran is ever going to surrender.

Iran continues to disrupt shipping

Tankers Hit Near Hormuz as Iran Warns of Wider Disruption

Two commercial tankers reported separate security incidents near the Strait of Hormuz overnight as Iran warned the United States that continued military pressure could disrupt other strategic shipping routes, raising fresh concerns about global energy supplies and the potential for another escalation in the five-month conflict.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British military-linked maritime security organization, said Saturday it received reports of two incidents near the entrance to the strategic waterway off Oman.

In the first, a tanker about 11 nautical miles northeast of Limah was struck by an "unknown projectile," damaging its engine room and leaving the vessel unable to maneuver. UKMTO said there were no reported injuries or environmental damage.

A short time later, the master of another tanker about 21 nautical miles northeast of Khasab reported seeing a large splash and explosion near the vessel. No damage or injuries were reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately claimed it struck two oil tankers traveling under what it said was U.S. military escort after they allegedly used an unauthorized route.

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