Atomic threat: Here’s how Trump is to blame for the world being on the brink of nuclear war

Washington has upped the ante with a proposed new missile deployment in Germany, and a move from the ex-president made it possible

Friday marks five years since the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed by the Soviet Union and the US in 1987. For a long time, the consequences of this step were overshadowed by other tensions in the international arena: public attention was focused on different topics and it seemed that ‘post-INF’ issues interested only experts in the sphere itself.

However, the fifth anniversary is being celebrated in a truly “grand manner.” The US offered a “gift” to Russia by announcing plans to begin “episodic deployments” of its ground-launched missiles in Germany in 2026. Russia didn’t slack on the matter: President Vladimir Putin responded that if these plans are implemented, Moscow will lift the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of its own intermediate-range missiles. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not rule out that these could be nuclear. Such an “exchange of pleasantries” signifies a new “missile crisis” that may surpass those of the 1970s and ‘80s that eventually led to the signing of the original treaty.

At that time, the deployment of new nuclear missiles in Europe led to the deterioration of Soviet-US relations to their lowest point since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The issue was solved radically – by signing the INF Treaty the US and the USSR prohibited themselves from having any (either nuclear or non-nuclear) ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. From a military-strategic point of view, this put the US in a more advantageous position. Firstly, the USSR eliminated twice as many rockets – 1,846 compared to 846 by the US. Secondly, air- and sea-launched missiles of similar range – the United States’ key instrument of power projection – were not included in the agreement.

The Soviet leadership consented to such conditions in large part due to political reasons – back then the Kremlin believed that Soviet-US relations would eventually reach a new level and weapons would no longer play a key role in ensuring security. However, gradually this mood changed and Moscow increasingly criticized the 1987 deal. Putin eventually called the treaty “unilateral disarmament”.

The new Russian Federation also expressed concern over American compliance. Nevertheless, Moscow’s rhetoric did not exceed certain limits: the issue of terminating the agreement was never raised at the highest level. The storm clouds started to gather in the mid-2010s, when the US raised concerns that, according to its information, Russia violated the treaty and tested a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of over 500 km. Subsequently it was revealed that the missile in question was the 9M729, which is part of the Iskander system.

Donald Trump’s presidential administration named Russia’s development of the 9M729 as the official reason for launching the process of withdrawal from the INF Treaty in February 2019. However, in reality, the reasoning was more complicated. Almost simultaneously with the emergence of complaints about Russia’s compliance with the INF Treaty, a major discussion broke out in the US about the development of China’s capabilities. Unlike Moscow and Washington, Beijing wasn’t bound by the INF Treaty and therefore could develop ground-based missiles without breaching any international prohibitions. By the mid-2010s, these weapons formed the backbone of China’s missile arsenal; in 2017 the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, estimated that “approximately 95%” of those missiles would violate the INF if China were a signatory.

As a result, the Americans started to view Beijing’s capabilities as a key issue that affected the balance of power in Asia-Pacific. Chinese ground-launched DF-21D and DF-26 missiles earned the notable nicknames “carrier killer” and “Guam killer” in the US. Even when the INF was still in force, many American experts speculated about the need to withdraw from it or at least to revise its terms so that the US could develop and deploy its own ground-based missile systems in the region as a counterbalance to China.

https://www.rt.com/news/602057-us-trump-nuclear-war/

>>21342170

Israel and the intel agencies did 911

Surprise surprise LG wants WAR - Send him to fight

Graham Pushes Senators To Commit To War On Iran If Israel Attacked

South Carolina Republican Senator and well-known hawk Lindsey Graham is salivating over the prospect of war with Iran at a moment regional tensions are boiling in the wake of Israel assassinating Hamas' political leader in Tehran and Hezbollah's senior military commander in Beirut.

Graham on Wednesday introduced a bill that if passed would authorize military action against Iran if Hezbollah attacks Israel. The resolution says that the Senate "asserts that efforts to deter Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran are most credible when the President keeps all options on the table, including military force."

The bill further authorizes military action against Iran if the country is deemed on the cusp of achieving a nuclear bomb. Iranian officials have lately signaled a major boost in its nuclear program at key sites. Though Iran's leaders have yet to change the country's official nuclear doctrine of seeing the bomb as 'unIslamic' (while long claiming the program is only for peaceful nuclear energy purposes), Tehran's rhetoric has shifted of late to issuing warnings that it could produce a nuke if it wanted to.

The resolution further underscores that Iran and Hezbollah shall be held responsible for "any adverse impacts on the people of Lebanon that result from an attack on the State of Israel by Hezbollah" while also urging the US governemnt to use "all diplomatic tools and power projection capabilities" to punish Israel's fiercest regional enemies.

As for the nuclear aspect, Graham has sought to invoke an Authorization for Use of Military Force which would greenlight a Washington military response if Iran's nuke program is developed to the point of becoming a direct national security threat to the United States.

"Iran will keep going until somebody tells them to stop," Graham said in a press briefing this week. "It is time to put red lines on their nuclear program."

He asserted that it is "a certainty" that if the US doesn't quickly get tougher on Iran, it will only be a matter of weeks or months more the country achieves nuclear weapons status. "Their ability to enrich to weapons grade is now a matter of weeks, not months," Graham said. "Their ability to weaponize the material has advanced, and it is now time for Congress to lend their voice to the proper response."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/graham-pushes-senators-commit-war-iran-if-israel-attacked

France warns citizens to leave Iran

Paris cited an increased risk of military escalation as the reason for its latest advisory

The French Foreign Ministry has issued a recommendation that the nation’s citizens leave Iran and avoid traveling there, “whatever the reason.” The ministry cited “heightened risk of military escalation in the region.”

The warning came in the wake of the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. Iran blamed Israel for the killing, though West Jerusalem has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

The assassination led to an uptick in tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as Lebanon-based Hezbollah. Reports in Western media suggest that Iranian retaliation against Israel may be imminent.

French citizens currently in Iran were advised to “leave as soon as possible,” a statement published on the ministry’s website said on Friday. It also called on people to exercise “great vigilance” while in Iran, “stay away from all demonstrations” and regularly consult the embassy’s website.

Paris has also ordered additional security measures at Jewish sites across France, citing the threat of “revenge” attacks over Haniyeh’s killing. “The risk of acts being committed is real,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

France is home to the world’s third largest Jewish population, after Israel and the US, and is also home to Europe’s biggest Muslim community, according to AFP.

On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had supposedly ordered a direct strike against Israel in response to the Hamas political chief’s assassination.

CNN and Axios reported on Friday that US officials expect an imminent attack against Israel by Tehran, which could also involve Hezbollah. Iran has vowed to avenge the Hamas leader’s killing, with Khamenei stating that Israel would be “severely punished.”

Tensions between Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah had already been running high due to the military campaign in Gaza. In the wake of Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel last October, West Jerusalem responded with a extensive bombing campaign followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, which local health authorities have claimed has cost tens of thousands of lives so far.

Moscow has repeatedly warned about the risks of the Gaza conflict spilling over into a major war in the Middle East and called on all sides to exercise restraint. The Russian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Haniyeh’s assassination and warned that such actions were “fraught with dangerous consequences for the entire region.”

https://www.rt.com/news/602068-france-warn-citizens-leave-iran/

>>21342258

>>21342237

The pathway to our salvation will soon be revealed!

THIS WEEK!

Straight from God Almighty