by Pepe Escobar https://en.reseauinternational.net/lempire-du-chaos-passe-a-la-vitesse-superieure-dans-sa-guerre-contre-les-brics/
They came. They destroyed the bunkers. They fled.
Then they set the stage to control the narrative through a massive public relations operation.
The American president welcomed the "spectacular" victory B-2s that took off from the United States to go to the Middle East to drop MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators) on Fordo in the middle of the night of June 22 (a significant date, since it was the day Operation Barbarossa began in 1941).
Trump 2.0 officials rejoiced that Iran's nuclear program was now gone.
This is the reality show. Now let's move on to reality. Mannan Raisi, member of the Majlis (Parliament) of Iran in the holy city of Qom, summed up the situation in these terms: "Contrary to the false statements of the american president, the Fordo nuclear facilities were not seriously damaged. Only the above-ground structures, which can be restored, were destroyed. Moreover, everything that could pose a danger to the population was evacuated in advance. No nuclear emissions were reported. Trump's false claims about the "destruction of Fordo" are refuted by the fact that the attacks were so superficial that there were not even any casualties at the facility.».
What really matters is that the Empire of Chaos, in a single spectacular and criminal operation, has (once again) violated the UN Charter, international law (once again), the NPT (perhaps for good), the US Constitution, the "international community," and Trump's own "Make America Great Again" constituency.
The global South is now calculating and drawing the necessary conclusions. "Peace through strength." The American president is now responsible for two wars, one genocide, and an unprovoked attack by a nuclear superpower on behalf of a nuclear power against a non-nuclear power.
The IRGC's response was swift: the real war begins now. The Zionist axis will pay dearly for this. It will not be an all-out war against the Empire: that would be completely contrary to any strategy. What will happen is a slow death, by a thousand cuts.
This was already the case on the morning of June 23. Iran launched no fewer than five waves of missiles multidirectional missiles covering the entire Israeli territory, including new targets such as the Ashdod port and power plant. The Israeli interception rate fell below 50%. There was total chaos, with warning sirens no longer working and power outages. Members of Knesset fled. An El Al rescue flight from New York was forced to turn around mid-air when missiles began to rain down.
The message is clear: all of Israel is now a legitimate target, reachable within minutes by Kheybar-Shakan, Emad, Qadr and Fattah-1 missiles.
Iran's revised priorities include: ending the war on Gaza and southern Lebanon; "evolving" nuclear doctrine (anything is possible); targeted assassinations of Zionist leaders; increased strikes against the Mossad; and increased missile strikes on Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Dimona.
There will be no direct war against the Empire of Chaos.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is Iran's ultimate card, not the nuclear card: it will not be played in its entirety for the time being. At best, there could be a partial blockade of oil supplies to the collective—fragmented—West.
A former high-ranking source within the deep state confirmed that "The CIA informed the Trump administration that China was resolutely opposed to the shutdown. of the Strait of Hormuz, and so Trump decided to proceed with the bombing».
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz will trigger a global depression of unimaginable proportions. The loss of more than 20% of the world's oil supply will lead to the implosion of more than two quadrillion dollars of derivatives, as Goldman Sachs already predicted in its projections in the late 2010s. Warren Buffett described this as a chain reaction after a nuclear explosion.
As things stand, Tehran has learned a lesson the hard way. It's not that Iran's leaders acted immorally; on the contrary, their belief in diplomacy and serious negotiations has proven completely incompatible with the American empire's thoroughly degraded modus operandi.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi summed up the situation this way: Iran was in negotiations with the United States.when Israel decided to blow up this diplomacy" Then Iran was in discussion "with the E3/EU when the United States decided to blow up this diplomacy"It is therefore absurd to order Iran to "return" to the negotiating table: "How can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?»
At the St. Petersburg forum, President Putin clearly stated that "We support Iran and its struggle for its legitimate interests, including the peaceful use of nuclear energy." He added, crucially: "Those who say that Russia is not a reliable partner are provocateurs».
Putin himself stated earlier this week that Russia had previously offered to strengthen Iran's air defenses, but that this offer had not been accepted. It is also no secret that, unlike the treaty with the DPRK, the strategic partnership agreement between Russia and Iran did not include a provision on collective security.
That could be about to change.
There have been no substantial leaks yet on the meeting between Putin and Araghchi, but extremely sensitive issues were certainly discussed. Putin reaffirmed that "The completely unjustified aggression against Iran has no basis and no justification" He then added enigmatically: "Russia takes steps to support the Iranian people».
No one should be surprised if Iran decides it must now possess nuclear weapons to deter the Zionist axis. One option considered by some analysts—though extremely delicate on several levels—would be a comprehensive security partnership with Russia and possibly China, with Iran placed under their nuclear umbrella.
After all, these are the three main BRICS countries – the reworked Primakov Triangle, and the Empire's war is fundamentally a war against the BRICS.
This new agreement would at least allow the maintenance of Iran's nuclear enrichment for civilian, scientific, and non-military purposes, while allowing the strategic partnership between Russia and China to oversee uranium enrichment and provide security guarantees to Iran.
Moreover, it would provide a security guarantee for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which is in Russia's national strategic interest.
The Chinese perspective is another very complex issue. There is a kind of consensus among Chinese think tanks that Iran should now, more than ever, strengthen its air defense system. This probably means accepting Russia's earlier offer to cooperate in this area.
Trump's entry into the Israeli and American neoconservative suicidal war against Iran only adds another layer to the overall picture. This has been predictable since at least the late 1990s: the same old story of controlling the Middle East's energy resources to bolster the economic power of the Empire of Chaos, while simultaneously intimidating the global South: don't even think about deviating from our unilateral order.
Even the American president himself let the cat out of the bag, in capital letters: "If the current Iranian regime is incapable of MAKING IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why don't we change the regime? MIGA!»
The highly esteemed Professor Michael Hudson, among a few others, summed up the issues: “Iran is not only the keystone to total control of the Middle East, its oil, and its dollar reserves. Iran is a key link in China's Belt and Road program for a new railway Silk Road to the West. If the United States succeeds in overthrowing the Iranian government, it will interrupt the long transport corridor that China has already built and hopes to extend further west. Iran is also essential in blocking Russian trade and development via the Caspian Sea and access to the south, bypassing the Suez Canal. And under US control, an Iranian puppet regime could threaten Russia on its southern flank.».
It is therefore not surprising that regime change in Tehran – which is the whole point of the war – is a matter of supreme national interest for American elites, in the sense understood by Professor Hudson, who speaks of a "coercive empire of client states respecting the hegemony of the dollar by adhering to the dollarized international financial system».
Now let's compare all of the above with the content of the discussions that took place last week at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. (SPIEF)The forum ended on the evening of June 20. The United States attacked Iran in the middle of the night of June 22.
Virtually the entire global South was in St. Petersburg, at least 15 people. More than a thousand agreements were signed, totaling more than $000 billion, according to Anton Kobakov, executive secretary of the SPIEF organizing committee.
Highly informative panel discussions were held on the challenges of the Northern Sea Route, one of the key connectivity corridors of the 21st century; on mutual investments between Russia and China; on reforming the international financial system; on combating fake news – an industry in which the West excels – and AI controlling all narratives; on the BRICS, the SCO, the EAEU, ASEAN, and the INSTC.
During the plenary session, the global South and the BRICS were fully represented: Russia, China, Indonesia (President Prabowo was the guest of honor), South Africa, and Bahrain. President Putin got straight to the point: "Russia and China are not shaping the new world order—it is rising naturally, like the sun. We are only preparing the ground to make it more balanced.».
But a dark cloud is gathering, as the Empire of Chaos will stop at nothing to prevent the sunrise. Russia's representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, put it bluntly:The United States has opened Pandora's box (…) No one knows what new disasters and suffering this will bring.».
source: Sputnik Globe