NewzIntel.com

Category: Middle East

  • MIL-OSI Africa: 5 indie art spaces in African cities worth knowing more about

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Kim Gurney, Senior Researcher, Centre for Humanities Research — Platform: SA-UK Bilateral Digital Humanities Chair in Culture & Technics, University of the Western Cape

    Independent art spaces are collectives of artists (and others) who club together to set up a communal space – often in former industrial sites and more affordable parts of the city – to further their practice. These spaces are DIY art institutions, if you like, that operate largely under the radar. In art world lingo, “offspaces”.

    Designed for purpose over profit, they encourage experimental work and creative risk-taking. They also favour art in public space, which provides an intriguing lens on the city.

    My Africa-wide research took me to five such spaces, each at least 10 years old, so that I could learn their secret sauce of sustainability. I found it’s largely about shapeshifting, a capacity for constant reinvention. The key ingredient is artistic thinking, made up of five key principles highlighted in the examples below.

    Read more: Koyo Kouoh – tribute to a curator who fiercely promoted African art

    Offspaces are found everywhere but have notably grown across Africa over the past couple of decades, along with fast-changing cities and a resurgent art scene. One big picture point is crucial, and that’s about urbanisation. Globally, more and more people are moving to cities and most of them are young – by 2050, one in three young people in the world will be of African origin and the continent will be largely urban.

    There can be a lack of imagination about what all this means and that’s where artists come in. They offer new ideas to help build the world we want to live in, rather than reinforce the one we already have.

    Offspaces in Africa have to navigate prevailing uncertainty, which is a daily reality for most people living in cities. In response, artists band together to build their own pseudo institutions, bit by bit. These self-made pathways offer useful navigational tactics for others – or “panya routes”, as Kenyans call the trails that motorbike taxis invent.

    The spaces I visited were all moving away from reliance on foreign donor funding (given little or no state support) towards a hybrid model that blends with local philanthropy, collaborative economies and self-generated income schemes. They also want to own their own land and hold assets so that they can think about the future.

    1. The GoDown Arts Centre – Nairobi, Kenya

    Murals at the former GoDown (2010), currently being rebuilt. Katy Fentress/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

    The GoDown Arts Centre was established in 2003. Previously a large compound of repurposed warehouses (“godowns”) in Nairobi’s industrial area, right now it’s a construction site as it morphs into an iconic cultural hub. GoDown 2.0 is a multipurpose vision that works at different scales, like a fractal. There will be a large, welcoming facade leading into a semi-public section for music and dance, with artist studios at the heart. Plus galleries, library, museum, auditorium, offices, hotel, a restaurant, conference facilities and parking.

    Read more: Kenyan artists reflect Gen Z hopes and frustrations in new exhibition

    Its rebuild is a great example of how artists create public space: in phases. It follows a radical “design-with-people” approach, starting with years of input from all directions to reconsider the building and its relationship to the city.

    This ground-up ethos of horizontality, the first key principle, also shapes its signature event, an annual public arts festival called Nai Ni Who? (Who is Nairobi?). Local residents are the curators, and the everyday city is the artwork. Participants are taken around neighbourhoods on foot to experience the good, the bad, and the possibilities. These grounded insights also inform ongoing engagements GoDown has with policymakers about the shape of a future Nairobi.

    2. ANO Institute – Accra, Ghana

    ANO Institute’s Mobile Museum in Accra. Kim Gurney

    ANO, established in 2002, repurposed a former workshop for car repairs into a gallery, after starting life in a public park. On the other side of the road, opposite the gallery, stood its office, residency space and growing library.

    Most intriguingly, a striking rectilinear structure was positioned alongside. This Mobile Museum mimics the trading kiosks that line every street. Many are also shapeshifters: kindergarten by day, church by night, for example.

    ANO’s empty museum, collapsible and see-through, went on a countrywide adventure in 2018 and 2019, asking people to imagine its contents, and later revisited with the results. It signalled a larger and ongoing effort, Future Museum, to find a more relevant exhibition form that’s alive to the fluid way culture is threaded here into everyday life.

    ANO demonstrates the second principle of performativity – that is, not only saying things with art but doing things too. More recently, it rebuilt on a new site in central Accra, designed by 87-year-old Ophelia Akiwumi, entirely from raffia palm in a focus on indigenous knowledge systems.

    3. Townhouse Gallery – Cairo, Egypt

    Townhouse Gallery in 2019, exhibiting paintings by Imane Ibrahim. Kim Gurney

    I visited Townhouse just after it reclaimed its inner-city premises following a partial physical collapse. But this turned out to be a false restart. It closed for good not long after, citing a complex brew of factors that ended 21 years of various battles and resurrections. That it survived so long – from 1998 until 2019 – is remarkable for an offspace.

    Part of the reason was its solidarity networks, including with neighbourhood communities – mostly mechanic shops and other artisanal trades who even helped Townhouse rebuild. In its heyday, Townhouse comprised an art gallery, library, theatre and performance venue, and notably hatched other spaces.

    The latest rose like a phoenix from its ashes – Access Art Space, which reanimates the same physical space with visual art exhibitions. The legacy of Townhouse is the third principle of elasticity – responding nimbly to constant flux but also being able to refuse impossible conditions with “the right no” (a necessary response in certain situations).

    4. ZOMA Museum – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    One of Zoma Museum’s buildings crafted by local artisans using time-honoured building techniques. Kim Gurney

    ZOMA Museum has also lived many lives. Starting small, its roots were in a three-day public arts festival called Giziawi #1 (Temporary). It comprised performances and exhibitions across the city but focused on Meskel Square, a key public space.

    Zoma Contemporary Art Centre grew out of that in 2002, followed in 2019 by Zoma Museum when its co-founders bought a plot of polluted land. Its rehabilitation into an ecological haven has become a case study in sustainable architecture.

    Zoma is built by local artisans from mud and straw using indigenous technologies going back centuries. Yet its elegant buildings look futuristic. Zoma is all about the fourth principle of convergence – the past, present and future all happening at once. It’s also about doing multiple things, like running Zoma School, an inherited kindergarten. The land is part of the curriculum.

    Just a year after it opened, Zoma spawned yet another life, an offshoot in a newly opened park blending nature with culture and recreation.

    5. Nafasi Art Space – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    The classroom at Nafasi’s self-built art school in Dar es Salaam. Kim Gurney

    Nafasi is Swahili for opportunity or chance, which fittingly describes the workings of Nafasi Art Space, established in 2008 – that is, second chance. This fifth and final principle of artistic thinking means giving materials, people and situations another go.

    A good example of this is Nafasi’s new art school, built using repurposed shipping containers, like the rest of its premises – artist studios, a spacious gallery and performance arena. In the 2022 academy cohort, a general practice lawyer and an accountant were learning alongside artists, with a biologist at the helm.

    Nafasi Art Academy cites the city’s biggest local market, Kariakoo, as design reference, particularly its distinctive elevated canopy and swirling stairwell. The curriculum also takes local context as a starting point, structured in themes to answer community-led questions. Its key function, like all the other offspaces, is storytelling. And the story it tells best is about institution-building as art.

    – 5 indie art spaces in African cities worth knowing more about
    – https://theconversation.com/5-indie-art-spaces-in-african-cities-worth-knowing-more-about-258009

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Netanyahu has two war aims: destroying Iran’s nuclear program and regime change. Are either achievable?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Middle East Studies, Australian National University

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could last for at least two weeks.

    His timing seems precise for a reason. The Israel Defence Forces and the country’s intelligence agencies have clearly devised a methodical, step-by-step campaign.

    Israeli forces initially focused on decapitating the Iranian military and scientific leadership and, just as importantly, destroying virtually all of Iran’s air defences.

    Israeli aircraft can not only operate freely over Iranian air space now, they can refuel and deposit more special forces at key sites to enable precision bombing of targets and attacks on hidden or well-protected nuclear facilities.

    In public statements since the start of the campaign, Netanyahu has highlighted two key aims: to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, and to encourage the Iranian people to overthrow the clerical regime.

    With those two objectives in mind, how might the conflict end? Several broad scenarios are possible.

    A return to negotiations

    US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was to have attended a sixth round of talks with his Iranian counterparts on Sunday aimed at a deal to replace the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated under the Obama administration in 2015. Trump withdrew from that agreement during his first term in 2018, despite Iran’s apparent compliance to that point.

    Netanyahu was opposed to the 2015 agreement and has indicated he does not believe Iran is serious about a replacement.

    So, accepting negotiations as an outcome of the Israeli bombing campaign would be a massive climbdown by Netanyahu. He wants to use the defanging of Iran to reestablish his security credentials after the Hamas attacks of October 2023.

    Even though Trump continues to press Iran to accept a deal, negotiations are off the table for now. Trump won’t be able to persuade Netanyahu to stop the bombing campaign to restart negotiations.

    Complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear program

    Destruction of Iran’s nuclear program would involve destroying all known sites, including the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, about 100 kilometres south of Tehran.

    According to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, the facility is located about half a mile underground, beneath a mountain. It is probably beyond the reach of even the US’ 2,000-pound deep penetration bombs.

    The entrances and ventilation shafts of the facility could be closed by causing landslides. But that would be a temporary solution.

    Taking out Fordow entirely would require an Israeli special forces attack. This is certainly possible, given Israel’s success in getting operatives into Iran to date. But questions would remain about how extensively the facility could be damaged and then how quickly it could be rebuilt.

    And destruction of Iran’s nuclear centrifuges – used to enrich uranium to create a bomb – would be only one step in dismantling its program.

    Israel would also have to secure or eliminate Iran’s stock of uranium already enriched to 60% purity. This is sufficient for up to ten nuclear bombs if enriched to the weapons-grade 90% purity.

    But does Israeli intelligence know where that stock is?

    Collapse of the Iranian regime

    Collapse of the Iranian regime is certainly possible, particularly given Israel’s removal of Iran’s most senior military leaders since its attacks began on Friday, including the heads of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian armed forces.

    And anti-regime demonstrations over the years, most recently the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests after the death in police custody of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in 2022, have shown how unpopular the regime is.

    That said, the regime has survived many challenges since coming to power in 1979, including war with Iraq in the 1980s and massive sanctions. It has developed remarkably efficient security systems that have enabled it to remain in place.

    Another uncertainty at this stage is whether Israeli attacks on civilian targets might engender a “rally round the flag” movement among Iranians.

    Netanyahu said in recent days that Israel had indications the remaining senior regime figures were packing their bags in preparation for fleeing the country. But he gave no evidence.

    A major party joins the fight

    Could the US become involved in the fighting?

    This can’t be ruled out. Iran’s UN ambassador directly accused the US of assisting Israel with its strikes.

    That is almost certainly true, given the close intelligence sharing between the US and Israel. Moreover, senior Republicans, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, have called on Trump to order US forces to help Israel “finish the job”.

    Trump would probably be loath to do this, particularly given his criticism of the “forever wars” of previous US administrations. But if Iran or pro-Iranian forces were to strike a US base or military asset in the region, pressure would mount on Trump to retaliate.

    Another factor is that Trump probably wants the war to end as quickly as possible. His administration will be aware the longer a conflict drags on, the more likely unforeseen factors will arise.

    Could Russia become involved on Iran’s side? At this stage that’s probably unlikely. Russia did not intervene in Syria late last year to try to protect the collapsing Assad regime. And Russia has plenty on its plate with the war in Ukraine.

    Russia criticised the Israeli attack when it started, but appears not to have taken any action to help Iran defend itself.

    And could regional powers such as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates become involved?

    Though they have a substantial arsenal of US military equipment, the two countries have no interest in becoming caught up in the conflict. The Gulf Arab monarchies have engaged in a rapprochement with Iran in recent years after decades of outright hostility. Nobody would want to put this at risk.

    Uncertainties predominate

    We don’t know the extent of Iran’s arsenal of missiles and rockets. In its initial retaliation to Israel’s strikes, Iran has been able to partially overwhelm Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system, causing civilian casualties.

    If it can continue to do this, causing more civilian casualties, Israelis already unhappy with Netanyahu over the Gaza war might start to question his wisdom in starting another conflict.

    But we are nowhere near that point. Though it’s too early for reliable opinion polling, most Israelis almost certainly applaud Netanyahu’s action so far to cripple Iran’s nuclear program. In addition, Netanyahu has threatened to make Tehran “burn” if Iran deliberately targets Israeli civilians.

    We can be confident that Iran does not have any surprises in store. Israel has severely weakened its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas. They are clearly in no position to assist Iran through diversionary attacks.

    The big question will be what comes after the war. Iran will almost certainly withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and forbid more inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

    Israel will probably be able to destroy Iran’s existing nuclear facilities, but it’s only a question of when – not if – Iran will reconstitute them.

    This means the likelihood of Iran trying to secure a nuclear bomb in order to deter future Israeli attacks will be much higher. And the region will remain in a precarious place.

    Ian Parmeter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Netanyahu has two war aims: destroying Iran’s nuclear program and regime change. Are either achievable? – https://theconversation.com/netanyahu-has-two-war-aims-destroying-irans-nuclear-program-and-regime-change-are-either-achievable-259014

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russian President discusses escalating tensions in Middle East during phone call with US President

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow, June 15 /Xinhua/ — Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the escalation of tensions in the Middle East during a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. The information was released by the Russian president’s press service on the same day.

    “The conversation between the Russian President and the US President lasted 50 minutes. The exchange of opinions focused on the dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East. V. Putin, having condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran, expressed serious concern about the possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the region,” noted Yu. Ushakov.

    According to him, V. Putin informed his American colleague about the telephone contacts he had with the Prime Minister of Israel and the President of Iran. The importance of preventing the escalation of the conflict and the readiness of the Russian side to carry out possible mediation efforts were emphasized.

    “Russia’s fundamental approach and interest in the settlement remain unchanged. And, as V. Putin noted, we will continue to act based on this. D. Trump, for his part, also assessed the situation as very alarming, although he acknowledged the effectiveness of Israel’s strikes on targets in Iran. But it is characteristic that the Russian and American presidents, despite such a complicated situation, do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on the Iranian nuclear program,” emphasized Y. Ushakov.

    He also reported that, as D. Trump noted, the team of American negotiators is ready to resume work with Iranian representatives.

    “In addition, during the conversation, V. Putin informed D. Trump about the implementation of the agreements reached at the meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2. V. Putin noted that these days, an exchange of prisoners of war is taking place, including seriously wounded, and prisoners of war under 25 years of age. Ukraine also accepted two batches of bodies of the dead. The Russian side expressed its readiness to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians, as agreed, after June 22. D. Trump took note of this information and once again noted his interest in the speedy end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict,” Y. Ushakov summarized. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Israel airstrike site of secret meeting of senior Houthi leaders in Yemeni capital – sources

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    SANAA, June 15 (Xinhua) — Israel carried out an airstrike on Sunday night on a house in the Yemeni capital Sanaa where a source close to the Houthis said a “secret meeting of senior Houthi leaders” was taking place.

    The house, located in southern Sanaa, was surrounded by Houthi security forces as ambulances rushed to the scene.

    Local anti-Houthi media reported on social media that the meeting was chaired by Supreme Political Council head Mahdi al-Mashat and Houthi army chief of staff Abdulkarim al-Ghumari.

    Other media reported that the secret meeting was also attended by Houthi top leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohammed Ali al-Houthi and Houthi military intelligence chief Abu Ali al-Hakim.

    The Houthis have not yet made an official statement.

    Residents living near the attack site told Xinhua they saw at least 10 charred bodies at the scene.

    The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been launching attacks on Israel since November 2023 in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

    The Houthis strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks on Iran, vowing in a statement to step up attacks on Israel with long-range missiles. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Germany, France, UK offer Iran talks over nuclear programme: Berlin

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Germany, France and Britain are ready to hold immediate talks with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme in a bid to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

    Wadephul, who is on a visit to the Middle East, said he was trying to contribute towards a de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, and noted Tehran had previously failed to take the opportunity to enter into constructive talks.

    “I hope that’s still possible,” Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD late on Saturday. “Germany, together with France and Britain are ready. We’re offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear programme, I hope (the offer) is accepted.”

    “This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict, that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the state of Israel or to Europe.”

    (Reuters)

  • Iranian Missile Strikes Kill 10 in Israel as Israeli Warplanes Hit Tehran Oil Depot

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Iran and Israel have entered their deadliest phase of direct conflict yet, with at least 10 people killed in Israeli cities and massive fires reported at an oil depot in Tehran following reciprocal strikes on June 15. This marks the third consecutive day of military exchanges, as both governments vow further action amid a rising humanitarian toll and growing regional instability.

    Devastation in Israeli Cities

    Emergency services in Israel are racing against time to locate seven individuals still trapped beneath rubble. Ongoing rocket fire has hampered rescue operations, even as more than 300 Israelis have been injured since Iran launched its missile barrage on Friday. Hospitals in central and northern Israel are operating at full capacity.

    Air raid sirens wailed throughout the day across Israeli cities as residential areas suffered direct hits. In Bat Yam, six people were killed after an Iranian missile struck an apartment building. Rescue workers sifted through collapsed concrete and twisted metal to reach survivors. In Tamra, near Haifa, four individuals were confirmed dead after a two-story home was destroyed in the attacks.

    The Weizmann Institute of Science, a leading research university located in Rehovot, also sustained damage during the missile onslaught, with several of its facilities reportedly hit.

    Israeli Strikes on Tehran

    In retaliation, Israeli warplanes launched a barrage of airstrikes on key infrastructure in Iran, including a major oil facility in Tehran. The attack sparked massive fires that sent thick plumes of black smoke over the city. The Israeli military dubbed the retaliatory operation “Operation Rising Lion,” targeting Iran’s Defense Ministry headquarters and other nuclear-linked sites.

    Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made his first public appearance since the strikes began, stating, “If Israeli attacks cease, our responses will also stop.”

    Regional Fallout

    Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen claimed responsibility for coordinating their own strikes on Israeli targets, signaling the potential expansion of the conflict into a broader regional confrontation.

    The violence has already disrupted diplomatic processes. Oman confirmed the cancellation of the sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations scheduled in Muscat today, citing the “ongoing hostilities” as the reason.

    The Israeli intelligence operation that preceded Iran’s retaliation reportedly led to the deaths of three senior Iranian military commanders and two nuclear scientists—described by analysts as one of the most significant Israeli blows to Iran in years.

    Although no nuclear accidents have been confirmed, international observers have voiced concern over potential radiation and chemical exposure due to strikes on sensitive Iranian sites.

    Escalating Rhetoric and Military Posture

    Both countries have enacted military censorship and closed parts of their respective airspaces. In a stark warning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Iran has seen only a fraction of what Israel is capable of.” Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have promised a “far more forceful” response should Israeli attacks continue.

  • MIL-Evening Report: Israel’s attacks on Iran are already hurting global oil prices, and the impact is set to worsen

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joaquin Vespignani, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, University of Tasmania

    The weekend attacks on Iran’s oil facilities – widely seen as part of escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran – represent a dangerous moment for global energy security.

    While the physical damage to Iran’s production facilities is still being assessed, the broader strategic implications are already rippling through global oil markets. There is widespread concern about supply security and the inflationary consequences for both advanced and emerging economies.

    The global impact

    Iran, which holds about 9% of the world’s proven oil reserves, currently exports between 1.5 and 2 million barrels per day, primarily to China, despite long-standing United States sanctions.

    While its oil output is not as globally integrated as that of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, any disruption to Iranian production or export routes – especially the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply flows – poses a systemic risk.

    Markets have already reacted. Brent crude prices rose more than US 6%, while West Texas Intermediate price increased by over US 5% immediately after the attacks.

    These price movements reflect not only short-term supply concerns but also the addition of a geopolitical risk premium due to fears of broader regional conflict.

    International oil prices may increase further as the conflict continues. Analysts expect that Australian petrol prices will increase in the next few weeks, as domestic fuel costs respond to international benchmarks with a lag.

    Escalation and strategic intentions

    There is growing concern this conflict could escalate further. In particular, Israel may intensify its targeting of Iranian oil facilities, as part of a broader strategy to weaken Iran’s economic capacity and deter further proxy activities.

    Should this occur, it would put even more upward pressure on global oil prices. Unlike isolated sabotage events, a sustained campaign against Iranian energy infrastructure would likely lead to tighter global supply conditions. This would be a near certainty if Iranian retaliatory actions disrupt shipping routes or neighbouring producers.

    Countries most affected

    Countries reliant on oil imports – especially in Asia – are the most exposed to such shocks in the short term.

    India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh rely heavily on Middle Eastern oil and are particularly vulnerable to both supply interruptions and price increases. These economies typically have limited strategic petroleum reserves and face external balance pressures when oil prices rise.

    China, despite being Iran’s largest oil customer, has greater insulation due to its diversified suppliers and substantial reserves.

    However, sustained instability in the Persian Gulf would raise freight and insurance costs even for Chinese refiners, especially if the Strait of Hormuz becomes a contested zone. The strait, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, provides the only sea access from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.

    Australia’s exposure

    Australia does not import oil directly from Iran. Most of its crude and refined products are sourced from countries including South Korea, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

    However, because Australian fuel prices are pegged to international benchmarks such as Brent and Singapore Mogas, domestic prices will rise in response to the global increase in oil prices, regardless of whether Australian refineries process Iranian oil.

    These price increases will have flow-on effects, raising transport and freight costs across the economy. Industries such as agriculture, logistics, aviation and construction will feel the pinch, and higher operating costs are likely to be passed on to consumers.

    Broader economic impacts

    The conflict could also disrupt global shipping routes, particularly if Iran retaliates through its proxies by targeting vessels in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, or Hormuz Strait.

    Any such disruption could drive up shipping insurance, delay delivery times, and compound existing global supply chain vulnerabilities. More broadly, this supply shock could rekindle inflationary pressures in many countries.

    For Australia, it could delay monetary easing by the Reserve Bank of Australia and reduce consumer confidence if household fuel costs rise significantly. Globally, central banks may adopt a more cautious approach to rate cuts if oil-driven inflation proves persistent.

    The attacks on Iran’s oil fields, and the likelihood of further escalation, present a renewed threat to global energy stability. Even though Australia does not import Iranian oil, it remains exposed through price transmission, supply chain effects and inflationary pressures.

    A sustained campaign targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure by Israel could amplify these risks, leading to a broader energy shock that would affect oil-importing economies worldwide.

    Strategic reserve management and diplomatic engagement will be essential to contain the fallout.

    Joaquin Vespignani is affiliated with the Centre for Australian Macroeconomic Analysis, Australian National University.

    – ref. Israel’s attacks on Iran are already hurting global oil prices, and the impact is set to worsen – https://theconversation.com/israels-attacks-on-iran-are-already-hurting-global-oil-prices-and-the-impact-is-set-to-worsen-259013

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • No goal, but Messi’s influence on show in Club World Cup opener

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Although he did not score, Lionel Messi again proved his worth with Inter Miami, showing some brilliance and avoiding injury as they got off to a decent start in the Club World Cup with a goalless draw against African giants Al-Ahly from Egypt on Saturday.

    WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

    Messi draws massive crowds to stadiums, and attendance will be a key measure of the revamped Club World Cup’s success or failure. On Saturday, almost 61,000 fans filled the Hard Rock Stadium, making for a festive atmosphere and giving the tournament a satisfying start.

    KEY QUOTES

    Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami coach: “We were very nervous and anxious in the first half, which is normal given the context. In the second half, we were more patient. We played all over the pitch, created chances and could have scored to win the game. But it’s a 90-minute match, and let’s not forget we struggled in that first half.

    “It’s clear that when we find Leo (Messi) in the right positions and give him good passes, we have more options and chances. In the first half, we kept trying to find him with the first ball, but they were ready for us.

    “When we were more patient, we were able to find Leo. And we all know what he can do when he finds space.”

    Jose Riveiro, Al-Ahly coach: “It was a very intense game, with nervousness and mistakes from both sides, but we controlled the scenario better in the first half, creating chances. But it’s a pity we did not convert one of them.

    “In the second half, Miami were getting better and after 60, 70 minutes it could have gone in either direction. We have to make sure next game we are a little bit better.

    “We first made sure Messi was cut off from his providers, but then he appeared in those set pieces and second actions after set pieces.”

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Beirut airport reopens after brief closure due to regional tensions

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIRUT, June 15 (Xinhua) — Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamni announced on Saturday the reopening of Beirut Airport, which had been closed since 10 p.m. on Friday amid escalating regional tensions.

    “In coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority, a decision was made to reopen Lebanese airspace at 10:00 today,” Rasamni said during a visit to the airport, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.

    “The airport will remain open until an unforeseen situation beyond our control arises,” the minister said.

    NNA reported congestion in the airport’s departure hall as operations resumed, with authorities working to restore order.

    The precautionary closure of Lebanon’s airspace was part of a broader trend of growing anxiety in the Middle East. Tensions in the region have escalated in recent days after Iran and Israel exchanged air strikes, raising widespread security concerns and prompting several countries to temporarily close their airspace. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Iran would face US might ‘at levels never seen before’ if it attacks US: Trump

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    President Donald Trump said early on Sunday that if Iran attacks the United States in any way, it would face the might of the U.S. military “at levels never seen before.”

    Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that the U.S. had nothing to do with an attack on Iran overnight and that “we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!”

    More to follow.

    (Reuters)

  • U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled Amid Escalating Tensions, Says Oman

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The sixth round of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, has been cancelled, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed on Saturday. Oman, which has been acting as a mediator, announced the cancellation following Israel’s sweeping air offensive against Iran on Friday that targeted nuclear facilities and killed several senior commanders and scientists.

    The talks, aimed at resolving longstanding concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme, were called off as regional tensions soared in the wake of the Israeli strikes and subsequent Iranian retaliation. In a statement posted on X, Albusaidi said, “The Iran-U.S. talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place,” while reaffirming that “diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace.”

  • MIL-OSI China: Al Ahly, Inter Miami draw in goalless FIFA Club World Cup opener

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Egypt international forward Trezeguet missed a first-half penalty as Al Ahly drew 0-0 with Inter Miami in the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup here on Saturday.

    Al Ahly looked more dangerous early at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami but the Cairo-based side was denied by a series of fine saves from Oscar Ustari.

    First, the veteran Argentine goalkeeper kept out an attempt from Wessam Abou Ali after a swift counterattack and then he parried away Emam Ashour’s goal-bound effort following a driving run from Trezeguet.

    Al Ahly suffered a blow in the 14th minute when Ashour was forced off following a collision and replaced by Zizo. The midfielder’s exit briefly appeared to spark life into the Major League Soccer outfit and Lionel Messi had his team’s first clear chance shortly after, sending a free-kick just over the bar.

    The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner then delivered a defense-splitting pass for Noah Allen, only for the defender to be beaten to the ball by the onrushing goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.

    Inter Miami was lucky not to go 1-0 down in the 30th minute when Abou Ali slotted the ball into the back of the net only to be flagged for a marginal offside.

    The latter went close again with a dipping 30-yard free-kick that Ustari somehow managed to tip over the bar. Inter Miami had Ustari to thank once more when he saved from point-blank range following Achraf Dari’s header.

    Zizo was causing Inter Miami problems with his clever runs into space and the Egypt international earned his side a penalty when he was brought down in a clumsy challenge from Telasco Segovia.

    But Ustari was up to the challenge, diving to his right to keep out Trezeguet’s spot-kick.

    Inter Miami emerged from the halftime break with renewed verve and El Shenawy did well to smother Tadeo Allende’s powerful attempt from inside the six-yard box.

    Messi looked more threatening as the game progressed as the Florida club began dictating terms. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star forced another smart save from El Shenawy with a venomous effort from the edge of the 18-yard box before curling a low 35-yard free-kick around the well and into the side netting.

    Fafa Picault replaced Allende in the 81st minute and he made an immediate impact, latching onto Messi’s cross with a header that was tipped over by El Shenawy.

    Inter Miami was desperately unlucky not to break the deadlock in stoppage time as El Shenawy palmed over Messi’s 30-yard shot before showing sharp reflexes to keep out Maximiliano Falcon’s header.

    Inter Miami’s next match will be against Porto in Atlanta on June 19 while Al Ahly will face Palmeiras in New Jersey the same day.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Woman killed, 13 wounded in northern Israel after Iranian rocket attack

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    JERUSALEM, June 15 (Xinhua) — A woman was killed and 13 others were injured on Sunday night after a rocket fired from Iran hit a two-story building in the northern Israeli town of Tamra, Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that rockets were fired from Iran at large areas in northern Israel. Local media reported that more than 40 rockets were involved in the attack.

    After the rockets were launched, people in Haifa, the Galilee salient and other northern parts of the country received warnings on their phones and sirens were activated, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to seek shelter.

    The IDF said the Israeli Air Force also struck military targets in Tehran while intercepting incoming missiles. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US and Russian Presidents Agree That “War Between Israel and Iran Must End”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    WASHINGTON, June 14 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on tensions in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine peace talks. The two sides agreed that “this war between Israel and Iran must end,” Trump said on social media.

    “He believes, as do I, that this war between Israel and Iran must end,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page, adding that Putin “knows Iran very well.”

    D. Trump said that during the hour-long conversation he also explained to the Russian president that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict “must end too.”

    “We talked at length. Much less time was spent on the situation between Russia and Ukraine. We’ll talk about that next week,” D. Trump said. “He /Vladimir Putin/ is conducting the planned prisoner exchanges – a large number of prisoners are being exchanged on both sides at once.”

    On Saturday, D. Trump celebrated his 79th birthday. According to him, during a telephone conversation, V. Putin congratulated him on his birthday. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • After day of nationwide protests, Trump’s military parade rolls through D.C.

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    President Donald Trump’s long-sought military parade rolled though the streets of downtown Washington on Saturday, but the celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary was marred by a day of violence and discord.

    In the hours before the parade began, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched and rallied in streets in cities from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, protesting Trump’s actions while in office, in the largest such actions since his return to power in January.

    Earlier in the day, a gunman assassinated a Democratic lawmaker and wounded another in Minnesota and remained at large.

    Meanwhile, Israel and Iran exchanged further attacks early on Sunday, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations.

    All of it followed a week of tension in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration raids resulted in Trump calling in National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to help keep the peace, over the objections of the state’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

    The parade, which fell on Trump’s 79th birthday, kicked off earlier than expected with thunderstorms forecast in the Washington area.

    Tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery rumbled down the parade route along storied Constitution Avenue, an unusual sight in the U.S. where such displays of military might are rare.

    “Every other country celebrates their victories, it’s about time America did too,” Trump told the crowd following the parade.

    Thousands of spectators lined up along the route. Trump watched the proceedings from an elevated viewing stand behind bulletproof glass.

    Some of the president’s opponents also managed to find a spot along the parade route, holding signs in protest. Other demonstrators were kept separate from the parade crowd by local police.

    The U.S. Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119.

    ARMY’S HISTORY

    The parade traced the history of the Army from its founding during the Revolutionary War through modern day. Trump frequently stood and saluted troops as they marched by.

    Members of Trump’s cabinet including Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked on.

    Trump had first expressed interest in a military parade in Washington early in his first 2017-2021 term in office.

    In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War.

    The celebrations were expected to cost the U.S. Army between $25 million and $45 million, U.S. officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops.

    Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government.

    Bryan Henrie, a Trump supporter, flew in from Texas to celebrate the Army’s anniversary and did not see any issues with tanks rolling down the streets of Washington.

    “I don’t see a controversy. I will celebrate safety and stability any day over anarchy,” 61-year-old Henrie said.

    ‘SHAME! SHAME!’

    Earlier in the day, thousands marched in Washington and other cities in protest of Trump’s policies. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, and marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump’s presidency since he returned to power in January.

    In Los Angeles, however, the situation remained tense. About an hour before a downtown curfew, police officers mounted on horses were aggressively pushing back demonstrators, using gas, flash bangs and other less lethal munitions, causing large groups to panic and flee.

    Protesters were firing what police called commercial-grade fireworks against officers, along with rocks and bottles. Some demonstrators wore gas masks and helmets and vowed to stay in the area for many more hours.

    A crowd earlier had confronted soldiers guarding a federal building, yelling “Shame! Shame!” and “Marines, get out of LA!”

    Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2,000 demonstrations across the country to coincide with the parade. Many took place under the theme “No Kings,” asserting that no individual is above the law.

    Thousands of people of all ages turned out in and around Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, many carrying homemade signs that played off the “No Kings” theme. “No crown for a clown,” said one. Actor Mark Ruffalo was among the demonstrators, wearing a hat that read “immigrant.”

    “We’re seeing dehumanizing language towards LGBT people, towards people with autism, towards people with other disabilities, racial minorities, undocumented people,” said Cooper Smith, 20, from upstate New York. “Somebody’s got to show that most Americans are against this.”

    Protesters in downtown Chicago stood off against police on Saturday, with some waving upside-down American flags and chanting: “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” and “No justice, no peace.”

    Members of the far-right Proud Boys, ardent Trump supporters, appeared at an Atlanta “No Kings” protest, wearing the group’s distinctive black and yellow colors.

    About 400 protesters, organized by a group called RefuseFascism.org, marched through Washington and gathered for a rally in a park opposite the White House. Trump had warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying that “they’re going to be met with very big force.”

    Sunsara Taylor, a founder of RefuseFascism, told the crowd, “Today we refuse to accept Donald Trump unleashing the military against the people of this country and in the streets of this country. We say, ‘Hell no.’”

    (Reuters)

  • Israel and Iran strike at each other in new wave of attacks

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, stoking fears of a wider conflict after Israel expanded its surprise campaign against its main rival with a strike on the world’s biggest gas field.

    Tehran called off nuclear talks that Washington had said were the only way to halt Israel’s bombing, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were nothing compared with what Iran would see in the coming days.

    The latest wave of Iranian attacks began shortly after 11:00 p.m. on Saturday (2000 GMT), when air raid sirens blared in Jerusalem and Haifa, sending around a million people into bomb shelters.

    Around 2:30 a.m. local time (2330 GMT Saturday), the Israeli military warned of another incoming missile barrage and urged residents to seek shelter. Explosions echoed through Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as missiles streaked across the skies as interceptor rockets were launched in response. The military lifted its shelter-in-place advisory nearly an hour after issuing the warning.

    The ambulance service said at least seven people were killed overnight, including a 10-year-old boy and a woman in her 20s, and more than 140 injured in multiple attacks.

    Search and rescue worked combed through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed in multiple strikes, using flashlights and dogs to look for survivors.

    Israeli media said at least 35 people were missing after a strike hit Bat Yam, a city south of Tel Aviv. A spokesperson for the emergency services said a missile hit an 8-storey building there and while many people were rescued, there were fatalities.

    It was unclear how many buildings were hit overnight.

    So far, at least nine people in Israel have been killed and over 300 others injured since Iran launched its retaliatory attacks on Friday.

    Iran has said 78 people were killed there on the first day of Israel’s campaign, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children.

    The Shahran oil depot in Tehran was targeted in an Israeli attack, Iran said, but added the situation was under control. A fire had erupted after an Israeli attack on an oil refinery near the capital while Israeli strikes also targeted Iran’s defence ministry building, causing minor damage, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Sunday.

    U.S. President Donald Trump had warned Iran of worse to come, but said it was not too late to halt the Israeli campaign if Tehran accepted a sharp downgrading of its nuclear programme.

    A round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks that was due to be held in Oman on Sunday was cancelled, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying the discussions could not take place while Iran was being subjected to Israel’s “barbarous” attacks.

    GAS FIELD ATTACK

    In the first apparent attack to hit Iran’s energy infrastructure, Tasnim news agency said Iran partially suspended production at South Pars, the world’s biggest gas field, after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday.

    The South Pars field, offshore in Iran’s southern Bushehr province, is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran.

    Fears about potential disruption to the region’s oil exports had already driven up oil prices 9% on Friday even though Israel spared Iran’s oil and gas on the first day of its attacks.

    An Iranian general, Esmail Kosari, said on Saturday that Tehran was reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz controlling access to the Gulf for tankers.

    With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and Netanyahu urging Iran’s people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers.

    B’Tselem, a leading Israeli human rights organization, said on Saturday that instead of exhausting all possibilities for a diplomatic resolution, Israel’s government had chosen to start a war that puts the entire region in danger.

    Tehran has warned Israel’s allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles.

    However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran’s strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation.

    Israel sees Iran’s nuclear programme as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon.

    Tehran insists the programme is entirely civilian and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, however, reported Iran this week as violating obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.

    (Reuters)

  • PM Modi embarks on 3-nation tour, says opportunity to galvanise global understanding on tackling terrorism

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday released an official statement before embarking on the three-nation tour of Cyprus, Canada and Croatia. He said this is an opportunity to galvanise global understanding on tackling terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

    PM Modi shared on X: “Today, I will embark on a three-nation tour to the Republic of Cyprus, Canada and Croatia. On June 15-16, I will visit the Republic of Cyprus at the invitation of President Nikos Christodoulides. Cyprus is a close friend and an important partner in the Mediterranean region and the EU. The visit provides an opportunity to build upon the historical bonds and expand our ties in the areas of trade, investment, security, technology and promote people-to-people exchanges.”

    “From Cyprus, I will travel to Kananaskis, Canada, to attend the G7 Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney,” said the PM.

    PM Modi said that the Summit will provide space for exchange of views on pressing global issues and the priorities of the Global South and he is also looking forward to engaging with leaders from partner countries.

    “On June 18, I look forward to my visit to the Republic of Croatia and meetings with President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. Both our countries enjoy centuries-old close cultural links. As the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Croatia, it will open new avenues for bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest. This three-nation tour is also an opportunity to thank partner countries for their steadfast support to India in our fight against cross-border terrorism, and to galvanise global understanding on tackling terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” PM Modi said.

    PM Modi’s visit to Cyprus will be the first by an Indian Prime Minister in more than two decades.

    “I will be attending the G7 Summit in Canada, which will give a great platform to exchange perspectives on various global issues and elaborate on the priorities of the Global South,” PM Modi said earlier on X.

    “My visit to Croatia, which will be the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister, presents a historical opportunity to boost linkages with a valued partner country,” added PM Modi.

    Manish, High Commissioner of India to Cyprus, said, “The visit is going to be a historic visit for several reasons. It is after over two decades that a Prime Minister from our country is coming, and this would be the first visit of the Prime Minister (Modi) to this country… I think the most significant outcomes will be in trade, technology, tourism and investment. We will also discuss defence and security cooperation, business and people-to-people contact as well as global and regional discussions…”

    In Nicosia, PM Modi will hold talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and address business leaders in Limassol.

    Cyprus had condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and indicated that it would raise the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan at the EU-level discussions.

    The visit will be timely as Cyprus is set to take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2026.

    The visit will reaffirm the shared commitment of the two countries to deepen bilateral ties and strengthen India’s engagement with the Mediterranean region and the European Union, as per the MEA.

    The visit to Cyprus is significant also as it comes in the middle of India’s tensions with Turkey over the latter’s support to Pakistan.

    Ankara’s recognition of the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the northern region that was seized by Turkish forces in 1974 and differences over gas exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean remain a constant source of tensions between Turkey and Cyprus.

    PM Modi will participate in the G7 Summit in Canada’s Kananaskis on June 16 to 17, and conclude the five-day visit with an official visit to Croatia on June 18.

    At the G7 summit, PM Modi will come face-to-face with US President Donald Trump for the first time since their meeting in February 2025.

    “At the summit, the PM will exchange views with leaders of G7 countries, other invited outreach countries and heads of international organisations on crucial global issues, including energy security, technology and innovation, particularly the AI-energy nexus and Quantum-related issues,” said the government in its announcement.

    The Prime Minister’s Croatia visit on June 18 will be the first ever visit by an Indian PM, marking an important milestone in the bilateral relationship.

    “The visit to Croatia will also underscore India’s commitment to further strengthening its engagement with partners in the European Union,” said the government.

    (With inputs from IANS)

  • MIL-OSI China: Iran launches new wave of attacks on Israel in response to airstrikes

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched late Saturday night a “large-scale combined offensive operation” against Israel, involving a significant number of missiles and drones, the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News reported.

    The IRGC’s aerospace division carried out the attack, stating it was in response to Israel’s “repeated aggressions” against Iran, according to Sepah.

    In Israel, a rocket struck a residential building in a northern community, killing one woman and injuring 13 others, according to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service. Several others sustained moderate to light injuries, and four individuals were treated for anxiety, MDA said.

    Earlier in the day, MDA reported that at least three people had been killed and 204 others injured since the beginning of the Iranian offensive.

    Following the latest wave of attacks, Israel’s Home Front Command advised residents outside the Haifa and northern regions that they could exit bomb shelters but should remain close to protected areas.

    The Israeli military stated that its air defense systems were actively intercepting incoming projectiles, while Israeli air force units were carrying out strikes on military targets in Tehran.

    Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum confirmed that two oil depots in Tehran were hit during the attacks. Residents reported two powerful explosions in the capital, with blasts felt in both the western and northern districts. The ministry said the situation was “under control.”

    Meanwhile, Jordan temporarily closed its airspace late Saturday as a precautionary measure following the Iranian missile barrage. The country’s Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission announced that the step was taken to ensure the safety of civil aviation.

    The Iranian offensive came in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes conducted early Friday, which targeted Tehran and several other cities. Iranian authorities said the Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of multiple senior military commanders, nuclear scientists, and dozens of civilians.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Caitlin Johnstone: We are, of course, being lied to about Iran

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone

    Iran and Israel are at war, with the US already intimately involved and likely to become more so. Which of course means we’ll be spending the foreseeable future getting bashed in the face with lies from the most powerful people in the world.

    The most immediately obvious of these is the Netanyahu-promoted narrative that Israel initiated this conflict because Iran was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon.

    With absolutely no self-consciousness or sense of irony, the Israeli prime minister followed the attacks with a statement accusing Iran of “genocidal rhetoric” which it has backed up “with a programme to develop nuclear weapons.”


    We are, of course, being lied to about Iran           Video: Caitlin Johnstone

    Israel, as we all know, has an unacknowledged nuclear arsenal, and its leaders are presently committing genocide in Gaza while spouting genocidal rhetoric.

    “And if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time,” Netanyahu claimed. “It could be a year. It could be within a few months  —  less than a year. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”

    The Western political/media class have been dutifully promoting this line and uncritically parroting Israel’s claim that its unprovoked attack on Iran was “pre-emptive”, but there is absolutely no evidence that any of this is true.

    Benjamin Netanyahu has spent literally decades falsely claiming that Iran was a year or two away from developing a nuke, only to have the calendar prove him wrong with the passage of time over and over again.

    Iran and Israel (and the US) at war.         Video: Anti-war News

    US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard testified just weeks ago that “The IC [Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons programme he suspended in 2003.”

    As journalist Séamus Malekafzali recently noted on Twitter, one of the strongest arguments that Iran had not reversed its decision to refrain from obtaining nuclear weapons is that Iranian nuclear scientists have been publicly expressing frustration about the fact that their government won’t allow them to construct a nuke.

    They want to do it, but Tehran won’t let them.

    US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth helped pave the way for Netanyahu’s claims this past Wednesday when he told the Senate that “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”

    This claim by Hegseth was swiftly scooped up and promoted by warmongers like Tom Cotton who said that Hegseth had “confirmed that Iran’s terrorist regime is actively working towards a nuclear weapon”.

    Cotton’s claim was then picked up by war pundit Mark Levin, who has been personally lobbying Trump to green light an attack on Iran, sarcastically quipping on Twitter, “So, SecDef Hegseth must by lying, too. Everyone’s lying except the isolationists, Koch-heads, Islamists, Chatsworth Qatarlson and their media propagandists.”

    But let’s back up and look at what Hegseth actually said. He did not say “Iran is building a nuclear weapon.” He said “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon”.

    If the US had intelligence that Iran was building a nuke, Hegseth would have just said so. But instead he performed this freakish verbal gymnastics stunt muttering about indications of something that might kinda sorta look like a nuclear weapon, which his fellow Iran hawks then falsely took and ran with as a positive assertion that Iran was building a nuke.

    There are other lies being circulated to help market this war as well. As Moon of Alabama notes, the Washington Post’s odious war propagandist David Ignatius is pushing the narrative that Iran has been cultivating a relationship with de-facto al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel. The lie that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda was used two decades ago to sell the invasion of Iraq.

    At the same time, Trumpian pundits are currently circulating the narrative that the United States is full of Iranian “sleeper cells” who could activate at any moment and begin attacking Americans.

    The most egregious of these is Laura Loomer’s repeated claims that there are “millions” of such cells awaiting Iran’s orders to strike  — possibly the single most bat shit insane claim I have ever seen anyone with any major platform make, since it would mean a very sizable percentage of the US population is actually a secret Iranian proxy army.

    The fountain of lies is just getting started. There will be more. Believe nothing unless it is substantiated by mountains of evidence. These freaks have been caught lying to sell wars to the public far too many times for any of their claims to be taken on faith.

    Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Caitlin Johnstone: We are, of course, being lied to about Iran

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone

    Iran and Israel are at war, with the US already intimately involved and likely to become more so. Which of course means we’ll be spending the foreseeable future getting bashed in the face with lies from the most powerful people in the world.

    The most immediately obvious of these is the Netanyahu-promoted narrative that Israel initiated this conflict because Iran was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon.

    With absolutely no self-consciousness or sense of irony, the Israeli prime minister followed the attacks with a statement accusing Iran of “genocidal rhetoric” which it has backed up “with a programme to develop nuclear weapons.”


    We are, of course, being lied to about Iran           Video: Caitlin Johnstone

    Israel, as we all know, has an unacknowledged nuclear arsenal, and its leaders are presently committing genocide in Gaza while spouting genocidal rhetoric.

    “And if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time,” Netanyahu claimed. “It could be a year. It could be within a few months  —  less than a year. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”

    The Western political/media class have been dutifully promoting this line and uncritically parroting Israel’s claim that its unprovoked attack on Iran was “pre-emptive”, but there is absolutely no evidence that any of this is true.

    Benjamin Netanyahu has spent literally decades falsely claiming that Iran was a year or two away from developing a nuke, only to have the calendar prove him wrong with the passage of time over and over again.

    Iran and Israel (and the US) at war.         Video: Anti-war News

    US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard testified just weeks ago that “The IC [Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons programme he suspended in 2003.”

    As journalist Séamus Malekafzali recently noted on Twitter, one of the strongest arguments that Iran had not reversed its decision to refrain from obtaining nuclear weapons is that Iranian nuclear scientists have been publicly expressing frustration about the fact that their government won’t allow them to construct a nuke.

    They want to do it, but Tehran won’t let them.

    US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth helped pave the way for Netanyahu’s claims this past Wednesday when he told the Senate that “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”

    This claim by Hegseth was swiftly scooped up and promoted by warmongers like Tom Cotton who said that Hegseth had “confirmed that Iran’s terrorist regime is actively working towards a nuclear weapon”.

    Cotton’s claim was then picked up by war pundit Mark Levin, who has been personally lobbying Trump to green light an attack on Iran, sarcastically quipping on Twitter, “So, SecDef Hegseth must by lying, too. Everyone’s lying except the isolationists, Koch-heads, Islamists, Chatsworth Qatarlson and their media propagandists.”

    But let’s back up and look at what Hegseth actually said. He did not say “Iran is building a nuclear weapon.” He said “there have been plenty of indications” Iran has been “moving their way toward something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon”.

    If the US had intelligence that Iran was building a nuke, Hegseth would have just said so. But instead he performed this freakish verbal gymnastics stunt muttering about indications of something that might kinda sorta look like a nuclear weapon, which his fellow Iran hawks then falsely took and ran with as a positive assertion that Iran was building a nuke.

    There are other lies being circulated to help market this war as well. As Moon of Alabama notes, the Washington Post’s odious war propagandist David Ignatius is pushing the narrative that Iran has been cultivating a relationship with de-facto al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel. The lie that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda was used two decades ago to sell the invasion of Iraq.

    At the same time, Trumpian pundits are currently circulating the narrative that the United States is full of Iranian “sleeper cells” who could activate at any moment and begin attacking Americans.

    The most egregious of these is Laura Loomer’s repeated claims that there are “millions” of such cells awaiting Iran’s orders to strike  — possibly the single most bat shit insane claim I have ever seen anyone with any major platform make, since it would mean a very sizable percentage of the US population is actually a secret Iranian proxy army.

    The fountain of lies is just getting started. There will be more. Believe nothing unless it is substantiated by mountains of evidence. These freaks have been caught lying to sell wars to the public far too many times for any of their claims to be taken on faith.

    Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump says he, Putin agree ‘war in Israel-Iran should end’

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday over the tensions in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine peace talks, and both of them agreed that “this war in Israel-Iran should end.”

    “He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, adding that Putin knows Iran “very well.”

    Trump said he also explained to the Russian president that the Russia-Ukraine conflict “should also end” during the one-hour call.

    “We talked at length. Much less time was spent talking about Russia/Ukraine, but that will be for next week,” said Trump. “He (Putin) is doing the planned prisoner swaps — large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged, immediately, from both sides.”

    Saturday was Trump’s 79th birthday. Trump said that Putin wished him a happy birthday during the phone call. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 15, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 15, 2025.

    NZ’s Islamic Council calls on Luxon to condemn Israel over ‘unprovoked’ military strikes
    Asia Pacific Report The Islamic Council of New Zealand (ICONZ) has protested over Israel’s “unprovoked military strikes” against Iran, killing at least 80 people — 20 of them children, and called on the NZ government to publicly condemn Israeli’s actions. An open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, read out to a Palestine rally in

    A video like no other – why the Israeli military revealed its own failure
    By Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo Unlike the Palestinian message, the Israeli message is not global, but very much a localised cry for help — get us out of Gaza. This is not your typical video. The event itself might be similar to numerous other events in Gaza — a fighter emerging from a tunnel,

    Twyford condemns weak action by NZ over Israel’s ‘ruthless’ apartheid
    Asia Pacific Report Labour MP for Te Atatu Phil Twyford criticised the New Zealand government today for failing to take stronger action against Israel over its genocide and starvation strategy in Gaza, saying that NZ should implement comprehensive sanctions and recognise Palestine. Speaking at a rally in Henderson organised by the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

    As war breaks out with Israel, Iran has run out of good options
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University The scale of Israel’s strikes on multiple, sensitive Iranian military and nuclear sites on Friday was unprecedented. It was the biggest attack on Iran since the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s. As expected, Iran responded swiftly, even as

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 14, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 14, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Palestine Forum of New Zealand: Government Must Ensure Safety of Its Citizens in the Global March To Gaza

    Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand

    The Palestine Forum of New Zealand reminds the government of its duty to protect all New Zealand citizens, wherever they may be.

    Among those currently participating in the Global March to Gaza are New Zealand citizens who travelled from across the country, alongside others who joined the mission from overseas. The government of New Zealand bears full responsibility for their safety and well-being.

    In light of escalating risks in international waters and Israeli aggression against humanitarian convoys, we call on the New Zealand Government to immediately take all necessary diplomatic and consular actions to safeguard its citizens and demand their protection in accordance with international law.

    Maher Nazzal
    Palestine Forum of New Zealand

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ’s Islamic Council calls on Luxon to condemn Israel over ‘unprovoked’ military strikes

    Asia Pacific Report

    The Islamic Council of New Zealand (ICONZ) has protested over Israel’s “unprovoked military strikes” against Iran, killing at least 80 people — 20 of them children, and called on the NZ government to publicly condemn Israeli’s actions.

    An open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, read out to a Palestine rally in Henderson yesterday by advocate Dr Adnan Ali, said the attacks — targeting residential areas as well as military and nuclear facilities — represented a “grave escalation in regional tensions and pose a serious threat to global peace and stability”.

    “This act of aggression undermines international diplomatic efforts and risks igniting a broader conflict that could engulf the Middle East and beyond,” the letter said.

    The council’s letter, signed by ICONZ president Dr Muhammad Sajjad Haider Naqvi, said it was “particularly alarmed by the timing of the strikes, which come amid ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme”.

    The ICONZ letter sent to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Friday protesting over the Israeli attacks on Iran. Image: APR

    It said the Israeli attack set a “dangerous precedent” and violated international law and sovereignty.

    The council urged the NZ government to:

    • Publicly condemn the Israeli government’s actions and call for an immediate cessation of hostilities;
    • Engage diplomatically with international partners to de-escalate tensions and promote peaceful resolution;
    • Support humanitarian efforts to assist affected civilians in Iran; and
    • Reaffirm NZ’s commitment to international law, peace and justice.

    The council said New Zealand had “long been a voice of reason and compassion on the global stage” and it hoped that this would guide Luxon’s leadership.

    In retaliatory missile attacks by Iran, at least four people have been killed and 200 wounded in Israel.

    Meanwhile, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Amman, Jordan, because Israel has banned Al Jazeera from reporting on its territory, said attacking Iran allowed Israel to deflect attention away from Gaza.

    “Israel says the focus of its military activities is now on Iran and not on Gaza. But it also conveniently allows . . . the focus of attention on what’s happening in Israel to move from Gaza to Iran,” he said.

    “Until Israel hit those targets in Iran, it was coming under increasing international scrutiny over the conduct of the war in Gaza.”

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ’s Islamic Council calls on Luxon to condemn Israel over ‘unprovoked’ military strikes

    Asia Pacific Report

    The Islamic Council of New Zealand (ICONZ) has protested over Israel’s “unprovoked military strikes” against Iran, killing at least 80 people — 20 of them children, and called on the NZ government to publicly condemn Israeli’s actions.

    An open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, read out to a Palestine rally in Henderson yesterday by advocate Dr Adnan Ali, said the attacks — targeting residential areas as well as military and nuclear facilities — represented a “grave escalation in regional tensions and pose a serious threat to global peace and stability”.

    “This act of aggression undermines international diplomatic efforts and risks igniting a broader conflict that could engulf the Middle East and beyond,” the letter said.

    The council’s letter, signed by ICONZ president Dr Muhammad Sajjad Haider Naqvi, said it was “particularly alarmed by the timing of the strikes, which come amid ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme”.

    The ICONZ letter sent to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Friday protesting over the Israeli attacks on Iran. Image: APR

    It said the Israeli attack set a “dangerous precedent” and violated international law and sovereignty.

    The council urged the NZ government to:

    • Publicly condemn the Israeli government’s actions and call for an immediate cessation of hostilities;
    • Engage diplomatically with international partners to de-escalate tensions and promote peaceful resolution;
    • Support humanitarian efforts to assist affected civilians in Iran; and
    • Reaffirm NZ’s commitment to international law, peace and justice.

    The council said New Zealand had “long been a voice of reason and compassion on the global stage” and it hoped that this would guide Luxon’s leadership.

    In retaliatory missile attacks by Iran, at least four people have been killed and 200 wounded in Israel.

    Meanwhile, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Amman, Jordan, because Israel has banned Al Jazeera from reporting on its territory, said attacking Iran allowed Israel to deflect attention away from Gaza.

    “Israel says the focus of its military activities is now on Iran and not on Gaza. But it also conveniently allows . . . the focus of attention on what’s happening in Israel to move from Gaza to Iran,” he said.

    “Until Israel hit those targets in Iran, it was coming under increasing international scrutiny over the conduct of the war in Gaza.”

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM holds phone talks with Iranian counterpart

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 14 — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday.

    Araghchi briefed Wang on the latest regional developments and expressed his hope that the international community would speak with one voice in urging Israel to halt its military operations.

    He thanked China for its consistent understanding and support of Iran’s position and expressed confidence that China will play an even more important role in promoting regional peace and stability.

    For his part, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China condemns Israel’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and firmly opposes the reckless attacks targeting Iranian officials and causing civilian casualties.

    China supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people, he said.

    Israel’s actions, Wang said, seriously violate the principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations. In particular, Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities have set a dangerous precedent with potentially catastrophic consequences, he noted.

    Wang said China is willing to maintain communication with Iran and other relevant parties to continue playing a constructive role in de-escalating the situation.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM talks to Israeli counterpart over phone

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 14 — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, over the phone on Saturday.

    In the phone call, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China firmly opposes Israel’s use of force against Iran in violation of international law.

    The immediate priority is to avoid conflict escalation, keep the region from falling into greater turmoil and return to diplomacy for resolving disputes, Wang said.

    He added that there is still room for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue as military means cannot deliver lasting peace.

    China urged both Israel and Iran to resolve differences through dialogue and seek peaceful coexistence, Wang said, adding that China is willing to play a constructive role in supporting these efforts.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN/JUBILEE AUDIENCE – Leo XIV proposes the “treasures” donated to the Church by Irenaeus of Lyon: “The Gospel comes from outside”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The proclamation of the Gospel reaches people by arriving “from outside”. It began with the Apostles, from the lands of Asia Minor, to then reach other lands, such as Europe. And the treasure it proclaims is not a religious teaching or a moral model, but Christ himself, and His flesh. This was recalled today by Pope Leo XIV in his catechesis during the first of his Jubilee Audiences, taking up the series of special Audiences for pilgrims of the Jubilee of Hope that Pope Francis had begun in January, with the intention of proposing each time a particular aspect of the theological virtue of hope and a spiritual figure who bore witness to it.“What brings us together,” the Pope recalled, “is the hope transmitted by the Apostles from the beginning.” The Apostles saw in Jesus the earth united with heaven: with their eyes, their ears, their hands, they welcomed the Word of life.”To the multitude of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Prevost recalled in particular the figure and story of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, the great bishop and martyr of Lyon, born in Smyrna, a disciple of Saint Polycarp, who, in the second century, helped the entire nascent Church escape the danger of the Christian faith being distorted by its interpretations of Gnostic origin.To hope – Pope Leo said, recalling the aspect of hope at the center of today’s catechesis – is also “to connect”. Irenaeus, born in Asia Minor, “was formed among those who had known the Apostles directly. He then came to Europe, because a community of Christians from his region had already formed in Lyon” and how good it is to remember this here, in Rome, in Europe – continued the Successor of Peter – that “the Gospel was brought to the continent from outside—and that, “even today, migrant communities are presences that revive the faith in the countries that welcome them”.The Gospel – emphasized the Bishop of Rome “comes from outside. Irenaeus connects East and West. This is already a sign of hope, because it reminds us that peoples continue to enrich one another.”Irenaeus, however, – continued the Pontiff – “has an even greater treasure to give us”. Faced with the doctrinal divisions that he encountered within the Christian community, internal conflicts and external persecutions, the Holy Bishop of Lyon “focused his attention more deeply on Jesus.” Pope Leo reminded the faithful that “the flesh of Jesus must be welcomed and contemplated in every brother and sister, in every creature” and that we should hear ourselves “called by name by the pain of others.” The pope went on to describe St Irenaeus as a teacher of unity, showing us not how to oppose, but connect, by looking to Jesus, “who brings opposites together and makes communion possible.””Jesus”, continued Pope Prevost, “is not a wall that separates, but a door that unites us. We must remain in him and distinguish reality from ideologies”.Irenaeus reminded and reminds the entire Church that salvation does not come from theoretical speculations and paths of knowledge, but from the humanity of Christ, and from his flesh.”Even today”, Pope Leo emphasized, “ideas can drive us mad and words can kill. Flesh, on the other hand, is what we are all made of; it is what connects us to the earth and to other creatures. The flesh of Jesus must be welcomed and contemplated in every brother and sister, in every creature and that we should hear ourselves called by name by the pain of others.The commandment that we have received from the beginning is that of mutual love. It is written in our flesh, before any law”.And “Irenaeus, master of unity,” the Pontiff added, “teaches us not to oppose, but to connect.” Because “distinguishing is useful, but dividing never is. Jesus is eternal life among us: he brings together opposites and makes communion possible.”After the catechesis, and before greeting the Italian-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo read an appeal regarding the new conflict that broke out in the Middle East following Israel’s attack on Iran. “The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated,” the Pope said, “and in such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason.” The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear torea,” added the Successor of Peter, “must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good. No one should ever threaten the existence of another.It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.” (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 14/6/2026)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN/JUBILEE AUDIENCE – Leo XIV proposes the “treasures” donated to the Church by Irenaeus of Lyon: “The Gospel comes from outside”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The proclamation of the Gospel reaches people by arriving “from outside”. It began with the Apostles, from the lands of Asia Minor, to then reach other lands, such as Europe. And the treasure it proclaims is not a religious teaching or a moral model, but Christ himself, and His flesh. This was recalled today by Pope Leo XIV in his catechesis during the first of his Jubilee Audiences, taking up the series of special Audiences for pilgrims of the Jubilee of Hope that Pope Francis had begun in January, with the intention of proposing each time a particular aspect of the theological virtue of hope and a spiritual figure who bore witness to it.“What brings us together,” the Pope recalled, “is the hope transmitted by the Apostles from the beginning.” The Apostles saw in Jesus the earth united with heaven: with their eyes, their ears, their hands, they welcomed the Word of life.”To the multitude of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Prevost recalled in particular the figure and story of Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, the great bishop and martyr of Lyon, born in Smyrna, a disciple of Saint Polycarp, who, in the second century, helped the entire nascent Church escape the danger of the Christian faith being distorted by its interpretations of Gnostic origin.To hope – Pope Leo said, recalling the aspect of hope at the center of today’s catechesis – is also “to connect”. Irenaeus, born in Asia Minor, “was formed among those who had known the Apostles directly. He then came to Europe, because a community of Christians from his region had already formed in Lyon” and how good it is to remember this here, in Rome, in Europe – continued the Successor of Peter – that “the Gospel was brought to the continent from outside—and that, “even today, migrant communities are presences that revive the faith in the countries that welcome them”.The Gospel – emphasized the Bishop of Rome “comes from outside. Irenaeus connects East and West. This is already a sign of hope, because it reminds us that peoples continue to enrich one another.”Irenaeus, however, – continued the Pontiff – “has an even greater treasure to give us”. Faced with the doctrinal divisions that he encountered within the Christian community, internal conflicts and external persecutions, the Holy Bishop of Lyon “focused his attention more deeply on Jesus.” Pope Leo reminded the faithful that “the flesh of Jesus must be welcomed and contemplated in every brother and sister, in every creature” and that we should hear ourselves “called by name by the pain of others.” The pope went on to describe St Irenaeus as a teacher of unity, showing us not how to oppose, but connect, by looking to Jesus, “who brings opposites together and makes communion possible.””Jesus”, continued Pope Prevost, “is not a wall that separates, but a door that unites us. We must remain in him and distinguish reality from ideologies”.Irenaeus reminded and reminds the entire Church that salvation does not come from theoretical speculations and paths of knowledge, but from the humanity of Christ, and from his flesh.”Even today”, Pope Leo emphasized, “ideas can drive us mad and words can kill. Flesh, on the other hand, is what we are all made of; it is what connects us to the earth and to other creatures. The flesh of Jesus must be welcomed and contemplated in every brother and sister, in every creature and that we should hear ourselves called by name by the pain of others.The commandment that we have received from the beginning is that of mutual love. It is written in our flesh, before any law”.And “Irenaeus, master of unity,” the Pontiff added, “teaches us not to oppose, but to connect.” Because “distinguishing is useful, but dividing never is. Jesus is eternal life among us: he brings together opposites and makes communion possible.”After the catechesis, and before greeting the Italian-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo read an appeal regarding the new conflict that broke out in the Middle East following Israel’s attack on Iran. “The situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated,” the Pope said, “and in such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason.” The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear torea,” added the Successor of Peter, “must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good. No one should ever threaten the existence of another.It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.” (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 14/6/2026)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EUROPE/ITALY – Olivier Roy’s lecture at the Gregorian University: “Religion, Global Politics and the Crisis of Culture”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Rome (Agenzia Fides) – While Israel’s attack on Iran casts the shadow of a Global War on the world, Rome is examining the links between “Religion, Global Politics and the Crisis of Culture”. This is the title of the lecture that Professor Olivier Roy, of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (European University Institute), will hold on the afternoon of Monday, June 16, as part of the Rome Summer Seminars on Religion and Politics 2025.A political scientist and Islamist, author of several books on Iran, Islam and Asian politics, Professor Roy headed the OSCE’s (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Mission for Tajikistan (1994) and Consultant for the UN Office of the Coordinator for Afghanistan (1988).The seminar will take place in room F007 of Palazzo Frascara at the Pontifical Gregorian University (Piazza della Pilotta 3), from 5.00 to 7.00 p.m.Professor Roy’s lecture will be preceded by greetings from Father Pino di Luccio SJ, President of the Collegium Maximum, and Archbishop Samuele Sangalli, Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and Coordinator of the Scuola Sinderesi.Professor Michael Driessen, from John Cabot University, Director of the Summer Seminar of Religion and Global Politics, and Dr. Antonella Piccinin (University of Notre Dame and Pontifical Gregorian University) will also participate in the conversation.The lecture is part of the series of seminars, public events and workshops organized as part of the 2025 edition of the Rome Summer Seminars on Religion and Global Politics.The Rome Summer Seminars are a two-week program aimed at graduate students, scholars and professionals interested in the relationship between religion and global politics, aimed at making the most of the spiritual resources and geopolitical horizon linked to the history and present of the city of Rome. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 14/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –