International Observers,
"Muslim NATO", which is currently Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey in a mutual defense pact, may be a blocking move against Israeli use of nuclear weapons in the region. Pakistan has nuclear weapons, which can be stationed in Saudi Arabia as armed jets at an air base or Pakistani ballistic missiles. Wealthy Saudi Arabia needs protection, has long helped fund the Pakistani nuclear program and is close to Israel. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia already had a mutual defense pact, but adding Turkey's large army and military production makes it more formidable towards Israel, and more difficult for Israel to try a first strike attack upon.
To me it is most natural as a limited nuclear deterrent against Israeli strikes on Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It provides Pakistan with a very short response time to any Israeli attack, if Pakistan has jets and missiles in Saudi Arabia.
For Turkey this weakens Israel, which benefits Turkish neo-Ottoman aspirations
The US has run so low on missile defenses against Iranian ballistic missiles that EUCOM can't defend Israel, needing to conserve missiles for the "American homeland". "Netanyahu" (or AI projection, if he died in early March) says that Israel is prepared to attack Iran without American help, consultation or approval.
That takes Trump off the hook of Iranian retaliation, doesn't it? The US won't be blamed if Israel bombs Iran.
What weapons might Israel use, seeing the failure of America's arsenal to reduce Iranian strike-capacity?
Nuclear annihilation is the obvious answer, since the current zionist state of "Israel" is over extended and existentially threatened, with no champion in the world, but the US.
Israel has the Samson Doctrine (Option), wherein if the State of Israel is existentially threatened it will attack all threatening neighbors with nuclear weapons before it goes down.
"Threatening" would be seen very broadly, since everybody becomes a threat in this existential scenario. Neighbors must assume that Israel will attack them. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan would likely be targeted, not merely Iran. Israel's immediate neighbors currently lack much strategic leeway.
Having Pakistani nuclear weapons in Saudi Arabia applies a counter threat to Israel, so that Israeli power elites would need to be really certain that they were about to die anyway, before pulling that Samson-Option trigger.
In "The War Of Atonement", by Chaim Herzog, the agonized deliberations of Moshe Dyan, Golda Meir and other historic figures during the Yom Kippur war is described. Israeli forces were resurgent, but they sweated bullets for a couple of days. https://www.amazon.com/dp/193514913X
I don't know what moves Russia and China might be making to block Israeli nuclear strikes, but I presume that their space-based and electronic intel-collection are tightly focused to detect any Israeli move, and track the Israeli nuclear-armed submarines in real time, difficult as that is.
Alex Krainer, "Muslim NATO" marks the end of US hegemony
All three signatories of the Mecca Joint Force Agreement have the same enemy and their position can’t be changed with simple bribery. In hindsight, this will prove to have been a watershed event.“Guided by the longstanding historical ties among the three states, based on the enduring bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity that unite them, and building upon their shared strategic interests and longstanding defense cooperation, HRH the Crown Prince, the President of Türkiye, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, reflecting the three states’ shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security, and stability in the region and beyond, in pursuit of a secure and prosperous future.
The agreement is intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all. It further provides for the enhancement of all aspects of defense cooperation among the three states.”
Furthermore, at least for now, the agreement doesn’t seem to foresee a formal organization, headquarters or any joint command structures. In spite of that, the agreement could prove to be one of the more consequential geopolitical developments to emerge from the current Middle Eastern crisis.
Given that all three signatories are, at least formally, allied with the United States, many analysts interpreted Friday’s announcement as a creation of a new alliance that would ultimately serve the interests of the United States in the Middle East, and by extension, represent a new bulwark for the defense of Israel. However, I believe that those interpretations will prove mistaken.
One thing all three of these nations have in common is that each has been threatened by Israel in the past. The Eretz Israel, or Greater Israel project has very significant territorial ambitions that include a large chunk of Saudi Arabia...
..As we can see, Eretz Israel also includes a chunk of Turkey, and most of Syria, which Turkey regards as its own strategic sphere of influence. This has put Turkey in the crosshairs of Israeli officials’ escalating war rhetoric... Defense Minister Israel Katz explicitly warned Turkey against deepening its presence in Syria, and the former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called Turkey the “new Iran” and a strategic threat. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he takes President Erdogan’s anti-Israel statements “very seriously,”.....That “regional power balance” also set Pakistan in the Zionists’ crosshairs, and in this sense, Israel has already planned hostile actions against Pakistan in collaboration with its ally, India. Already in 2011, Benjamin Netanyahu made the following statement: “... the greatest mission that we have is to prevent a militant Islamic regime from meeting up with nuclear weapons or from nuclear weapons meeting up with a militant Islamic regime. The first is called Iran. The second is called Pakistan. Because if these radical regimes have nuclear weapons, they will not obey the rules that have been obeyed in the last, almost seven decades.”...
..Indeed, the fear of an Islamic nation possessing a nuclear bomb is not a new thing: it is why Israel attacked Egypt in 1967 and Iraq in 1981.In 1981, Israel developed a plan to strike Pakistan’s nuclear program. In this plan, India was supporting Israel by providing air bases where Israeli F16s and F15s could land and refuel before the strikes. The Indians named the plan “Operation Shakti” and Israeli pilots already began training for it.
However, Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI found out about this and the country’s then ruler Zia ul-Haq reacted immediately, warning Israel that if they strike Pakistan’s nuclear facilities, Pakistan would strike Dimona. Ul-Haq also issued a warning to India. Facing the prospect of a wider war against Pakistan, India backed off. Without India’s help, there was no way for Israel to carry out the attack, so the plan was shelved.
A new & improved plan was in the works in 1998. At that time, the Pakistani government received an intelligence report that India and Israel were again planning to carry out a joint attack against the country’s nuclear facilities. Shamshad Ahmad (former Pakistani Foreign Secretary) explained the intelligence report they received:
“Sir, we have just received intelligence report that at an Indian airport, squadrons of Indian and Israeli air forces are positioned and are preparing for an attack on Pakistan’s nuclear installations in Balochistan. Then I called our Ambassador in New York, Ahmed Kamal.
I told him, go... on CNN and say that Pakistan has information that India and Israel are about to launch a joint attack on Pakistan. The Ambassador went live on CNN and it resulted in a good impact because if India and Israel had made such a plan, it would be called off by morning.”...
..In view of all this, it would be hard to imagine why Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey would come together to defend Israel. More likely, they would come together to protect themselves from Israel and its Western allies, including the US, UK, NATO, and also, in Pakistan’s case from India... “Sir, we have just received intelligence report that at an Indian airport, squadrons of Indian and Israeli air forces are positioned and are preparing for an attack on Pakistan’s nuclear installations in Balochistan. Then I called our Ambassador in New York, Ahmed Kamal.
I told him, go... on CNN and say that Pakistan has information that India and Israel are about to launch a joint attack on Pakistan. The Ambassador went live on CNN and it resulted in a good impact because if India and Israel had made such a plan, it would be called off by morning.”...
..Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the pact a sign that regional countries are shifting away from relying on the US for security. He stressed Tehran’s perception that the treaty isn’t aimed against Iran, underscoring the deep historical and religious ties with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.
I believe that Mr. Baqaei’s statement is correct. He didn’t mention that all three nations and Iran face the common threat and the same enemies. The new “Muslim NATO” signifies the redrawing of the power balance in the region and the emergence of a new security architecture that clearly has no use for either the US, UK, NATO, or Israel.
This view is corroborated by the conspicuous absence of any official statement regarding the Mecca agreement from the Trump administration, suggesting that they were neither consulted nor involved in forging the new defence pact. https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/muslim-nato-marks-the-end-of-us-hegemony I believe that Mr. Baqaei’s statement is correct. He didn’t mention that all three nations and Iran face the common threat and the same enemies. The new “Muslim NATO” signifies the redrawing of the power balance in the region and the emergence of a new security architecture that clearly has no use for either the US, UK, NATO, or Israel.
• Egypt was not excluded... Pakistan offered Cairo the opportunity to join, while Turkish FM Hakan Fidan said Erdogan wanted Egypt eventually to become part of the alliance.
• Cairo appears to see the pact as political as much as military. The concern is that joining would place Egypt inside a Saudi-led alignment, rather than simply expanding its security cooperation.
• Cairo appears to see the pact as political as much as military. The concern is that joining would place Egypt inside a Saudi-led alignment, rather than simply expanding its security cooperation.
• The distinction Egypt makes is between regional security cooperation and a binding commitment to defend Saudi Arabia. Cairo is comfortable with the former; it is much more cautious about the latter.
• That helps explain the difference with the Red Sea maritime coalition, where Egypt has direct strategic interests and cooperation is primarily about information-sharing and consultation.
• That helps explain the difference with the Red Sea maritime coalition, where Egypt has direct strategic interests and cooperation is primarily about information-sharing and consultation.
• The NATO comparison also needs qualification. Fidan has described the pact as analogous to NATO’s Article 5, but Turkish officials quoted by Mada Masr stress that any military response would still require political decision-making. The immediate practical emphasis may be intelligence-sharing, radar integration and deterrence.
• One of the more striking assessments in the piece is that the pact is, in practice, more about Saudi Arabia’s security than Turkey’s or Pakistan’s. It is difficult to imagine either Ankara or Islamabad becoming the principal military guarantor of Saudi Arabia in a major regional conflict. https://xcancel.com/hahellyer/status/2086539762442379600
President Trump is currently experiencing a rare moment of his plans for the Mideast region being rejected on multiple fronts - even among allies, apparently. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over weekend rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza, which marks a rare and very glaring public break with Trump.
Netanyahu was surprisingly up front in acknowledging the complete break in policy vision from the White House. "Contrary to all those who preach to us, we do what must be done for Israel’s security and we can and will stand our ground even against our best friends when necessary," he stated.
He said he was confronting a "wave of rumors about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts" and made clear that Israel won't succumb to ongoing US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran - unless Israel decides it is in its security interest. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-shares-hillary-clinton-op-ed-backing-his-gaza-plan-face-bibi-rejection
Netanyahu was surprisingly up front in acknowledging the complete break in policy vision from the White House. "Contrary to all those who preach to us, we do what must be done for Israel’s security and we can and will stand our ground even against our best friends when necessary," he stated.
He said he was confronting a "wave of rumors about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts" and made clear that Israel won't succumb to ongoing US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran - unless Israel decides it is in its security interest. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-shares-hillary-clinton-op-ed-backing-his-gaza-plan-face-bibi-rejection
Moon of Alabama, War On Iran: – ‘New’ Iran Demands Repeat MoU Conditions
U.S. media claim that Iran has set out new conditions to solve the conflict with the U.S. But the new text it has published is just a repetition of clauses the U.S. had already signed on to.
On Saturday Iran published ‘new’ demands for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz:
[Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr] said the US should observe the six following conditions:
“1. Never, and in no language, threaten Iran or insult the sanctities of this nation.
2. Permanently end the war and aggression against Iran and Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
3. Lift the naval blockade and withdraw its military forces (naval and air) from around Iran.
4. Pay in full, without any reduction, the damages caused to Iran by the two wars of aggression and imposition.
5. Lift the unjust and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation.
6. Unconditionally release the blocked and stolen assets of the Iranian people.”
These demands seem to have confused U.S. observers...
..There is nothing new in the Iranian demands. They are direct repetitions of clauses laid down in Memorandum of Understanding which the White House had negotiated and President Trump had publicly signed.U.S. media claim that Iran has set out new conditions to solve the conflict with the U.S. But the new text it has published is just a repetition of clauses the U.S. had already signed on to.
On Saturday Iran published ‘new’ demands for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz:
[Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr] said the US should observe the six following conditions:
“1. Never, and in no language, threaten Iran or insult the sanctities of this nation.
2. Permanently end the war and aggression against Iran and Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.
3. Lift the naval blockade and withdraw its military forces (naval and air) from around Iran.
4. Pay in full, without any reduction, the damages caused to Iran by the two wars of aggression and imposition.
5. Lift the unjust and illegal sanctions against the Iranian nation.
6. Unconditionally release the blocked and stolen assets of the Iranian people.”
These demands seem to have confused U.S. observers...
Point 1 of the MoU notes that the parties “undertake .. to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other” which is similar to point 1 of the ‘new’ conditions.
Point 1 of the MoU also had the parties “declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, …”. This is repeated, and spelled out in more detail, in point 2 of the new conditions.
Point 3 of the ‘new’ demands, the lifting of the blockade and withdrawal of U.S. forces, is equal to point 4 of the MoU:
.., the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. … The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.
Even Point 4 of the ‘new’ version, the demand for reparations, was already included in the MoU:
The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Likewise, point 5 and 6 of the ‘new’ demands are shorter repetitions of points 10 and 11 of the Trump signed MoU.
The differences between Iran’s newly published demands and the MoU are references in the later one to nuclear issues.
The U.S. had demanded to include those into the MoU and there is simply no point for Iran to include these U.S. conditions into its most recent version.
The only real difference between the MoU and the new conditions is the timing. The MoU set out to undertake the measures step by step along a defined timeline with each side responding to the others side’s fulfillment of previous clauses.
It was the U.S. which did not stick to the MoU but immediately breached its promises. As soon as he had signed the MoU Trump was back at threatening Iran thus breaking its point 1 condition. The U.S. then arranged for a separate agreement which extended Israel’s war and occupation of Lebanon instead of ending the war under the MoU’s conditions. It ignored Iran’s privilege under the MoU to “make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels” through the Strait of Hormuz by making separate arrangements with Oman...
Trump can easily solve the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz. He simply has to fulfill the commitments set out in the MoU he had already agreed to. He may not like that he will now have to do that upfront but that is just an obvious consequence of his own mistake of not sticking to it in the first place.
The only clause where Trump has real limits is the payment of reparations to Iran for the war damage the 20,000 or so U.S. strikes have caused. Trump would need Congressional agreement to pay out that money.
But the compromise here is obvious and simple. If the U.S. officially agrees that Iran can take tolls from ships crossing the Strait this could be seen as a payment in kind. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/08/war-on-iran-new-iran-demands-repeat-mou-conditions-trump-had-already-signed.html
Iran's Military Command Reshuffle Digs In For 'Hardline' Confrontation: US Must Meet All Demands For Hormuz Opening https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-fires-ship-attempting-break-iran-blockade-amid-several-regional-maritime-attacks
Trump Finally Responds To Iran's Demands, Counters US Is Owed "Compensation," Stops Short Of New Threats https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/tehran-doubles-down-hormuz-demands-hardline-irgc-commander-promoted-national-security
He made the comments at a ceremony renaming Joint Base Charleston to Joint Base Lindsey Graham https://news.antiwar.com/2026/08/10/hegseth-says-congress-should-pay-tribute-to-lindsey-graham-by-approving-1-5-trillion-military-budget/
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-11
Meanwhile the SPR fell below 300 million barrels for the first time since 1983, Nvidia formalised a $500bn off-balance-sheet financing vehicle on the same day the SEC exempted data-center securitizations from post-2008 risk-retention rules, and a 7.4 quake in Colombia killed at least 111 people.
Iran rules out all talks with this administration until 2029. "Trump will not reach an agreement with us. We will accompany him until his term ends" - Majid Shakeri, advisor to Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf, per HormuzLetter. Demands unchanged: $300bn compensation, $100bn+ frozen assets released, all sanctions lifted, US troop withdrawal from the entire region, end to the naval blockade, transit fees on every ship (HormuzLetter).....SPR: 46 million barrels of policy runway left, and the lease trick is running out - 116.3M barrels released since the war began (Nostre_damus).
The mechanical constraint: barrels already leased-but-not-drawn take the reserve to ~280M, and the last auction failed. Going below requires outright sales, which need congressional approval - meaning the price-suppression tool may already be spent (JustDario)...
..Russia is importing refined fuel from South Korea - ~30,000 tonnes of diesel and, in one case, jet fuel loaded at Ulsan in late July, bound for the Far East (chigrl). A net petroleum exporter buying product from a US ally is not a small tell. The mechanical constraint: barrels already leased-but-not-drawn take the reserve to ~280M, and the last auction failed. Going below requires outright sales, which need congressional approval - meaning the price-suppression tool may already be spent (JustDario)...
Russia's Starlink equivalent is deploying ahead of schedule - Ukrainian GUR says 16 satellites are up (the tweet's author puts the real number at 40), with a 292-satellite constellation targeted for 2027 and 924 by 2035 (simpatico771, KonstanVe). https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-11
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-10
..Israel rejects Trump's Gaza plan outright - Netanyahu says the new plan is unacceptable; no withdrawal until Hamas is "genuinely disarmed" (Reuters, zerohedge, BRICSinfo, unusual_whales).
And separately: "As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank" (DeItaone). [Reads differently if he died in March.]
Kalshi has Gadi Eizenkot at 59% to be Israel's next PM against Netanyahu's 33% (spectatorindex).
US interceptor stocks at zero; defense firms get 21 days — Deputy Defense Secretary Feinberg has directed defense firms to submit plans within 21 days to escalate production of weapons "now at zero due to the war," per WaPo; follows a "very angry" Trump call over munitions shortages after the Camp David clash with Hegseth (HormuzLetter). And separately: "As long as I am prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank" (DeItaone). [Reads differently if he died in March.]
Kalshi has Gadi Eizenkot at 59% to be Israel's next PM against Netanyahu's 33% (spectatorindex).
Same reporting: a Lockheed PAC-3 MSE contract worth up to $58.6bn, plus fresh Northrop/Lockheed agreements on PAC-3 and THAAD — the exact missiles described as at zero...
..Grain: rail shipments to Greater Odesa ports have virtually stopped since August 1, down 84.3%. August 1-6 volumes 312.9k tons vs 784.5k in the same July period — volume -60.1%, revenue -38.4%. Wheat 93.2k vs 294.9k; corn 33.5k vs 293.7k. Road exports +11.3%; overall rail grain traffic -44.1% vs July and -40.8% below last year (KShevchenkoReal). https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-10
Thanks Eleni: A global haven for criminals, no questions asked: Israel protects Mexican official wanted for mass kidnap-murder, along with other accused sex criminals and fraudsters https://www.sott.net/article/507842-Israel-protects-Mexican-official-wanted-for-mass-kidnap-murder-along-with-other-accused-sex-criminals-and-fraudsters
Russian tanks can shoot down drones, missiles and artillery shells: Russian Arena-M Active Protection System Finally Comes of Age on the Battlefield https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/russian-arena-m-active-protection
Andrew Korybko, There’d Likely Be Another Civil War Before Ukraine Meaningfully Turns Away From The West https://korybko.substack.com/p/thered-likely-be-another-civil-war
Kennedy was blocked, so Trump EOs it: BREAKING: Trump Signs Executive Order Overhauling America’s Childhood Hypervaccination Schedule
Executive Order calls for greater parental choice, separate MMR shots, more widely spaced vaccinations, aluminum-adjuvant alternatives, and stronger safety monitoring. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-trump-signs-executive-order-eafMeryl Nass MD has the details and implications: Childhood Vaccines: What Pres. Trump just signed and what it means https://merylnass.substack.com/p/childhood-vaccines-what-pres-trump
It is easy to design studies to not find something. Vaccine Cartel Desperately Clings to New MMR Vaccine–Autism “No Link” Study Riddled With Major Flaws -- No truly unvaccinated control group, no clinical autism adjudication, no parent interviews, no independent vaccine-record verification, and a narrow ICD-coded autism definition. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/vaccine-cartel-desperately-clings
Steve Kirsch (is probably "racist" or something), Can Tylenol increase the risk of a child developing autism? Science says yes.
But according to r/Autism_Parenting, I am evil for asking such a stupid question. So I guess it depends on who you ask. Here's what happened to me... https://kirschsubstack.com/p/can-tylenol-increase-the-risk-ofA New York University study of 1,450 pregnancies ties glyphosate exposure in mid-pregnancy to a 35% rise in odds of premature birth. https://www.themahareport.com/p/new-study-links-glyphosate-to-preterm
Celia Farber, First Crop Of Fauci Texts Reveal He Knew In '21 About Many Pregnant Women Having "Significant Cytokine Storms, Fever After The First Dose," Said It Theoretically Could Be Associated With Miscarriage. https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/first-crop-of-fauci-texts-reveal
Disturbing revelations come as CDC data show safety-signal breaches across all 37 pregnancy/newborn adverse events examined—including miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal malformations, and newborn death. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/newly-released-fauci-texts-reveal
Fauci texted the CDC director on 1/25/2021 about cytokine storm and fever after 2nd dose, indicating risk of miscarriage, but Walensky recommended the shot for pregnant women two months later. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/walensky-aware-of-miscarriage-concern
With fanfare, HHS moves to close a decades-old food safety loophole and, for the first time, define ultra-processed food. https://www.themahareport.com/p/hhs-takes-aim-at-gras-loophole-and
The vast majority of chips, salad dressings, and mayonnaise labeled as containing avocado oil showed fatty-acid and sterol profiles inconsistent with authentic avocado oil. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/new-study-89-of-avocado-oil-foods
Mostly Authentic (pictured with garden)
