Oil markets are trapped in a Trump-driven guessing game, with Iran fears lifting prices one moment and calming signals pulling them back the next. Will Donald Trump attack Iran again or not? That has been the multi-billion-dollar question of this week, with the initial price rally seeming to suggest an emphatic ‘yes’, only for Trump to pour cold water on the war hysteria by claiming there’s no executions in Iran. With news on Venezuela lacking real market impact lately, ICE Brent’s seesawing around the $65 per barrel could very well continue into next week, as market participants guess the US President’s next move.
Mossad chief said to be in US for Iran talks
Israeli intelligence agency Mossad’s Director David Barnea (pictured) arrived in the United States earlier this morning for talks regarding the crisis in Iran, Axios reported on Friday, citing an Israeli official and another source with knowledge of the matter. Barnea will reportedly meet with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami, while it remains unclear whether US President Donald Trump will join the discussions. Barnea’s alleged trip follows the earlier phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reportedly asked the US President to delay any action against Iran, fearing broader regional conflict.
NN; It seems to me a coordinated attack on Iran is in the cards
Trump said to have told Iran he will not attack
United States President Donald Trump told Iran he would not launch an attack against the country, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday, quoting Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam. Moghadam told Pakistani media he received a message yesterday that Trump did not want war and had also asked Tehran not to strike US assets in the Middle East. At the same time, the envoy stressed that the Iranian people have a legitimate right to protest, while noting that “armed groups” were responsible for killings and burning mosques during the demonstrations. On Wednesday, Trump seemed to tone down his rhetoric toward the Middle Eastern country, revealing he learned that the “killing” was “stopping.” Iran, on the other hand, closed its airspace early on Thursday local time, while the US and other countries warned their citizens to leave the country and withdrew some of their military assets from Qatar. Earlier today, however, Trump said an Iranian protester won’t be sentenced to death because of his warnings, calling it “good news.”
NN: Can Trump be so easily fooled?
Alito presses trans female athlete’s lawyer on definition of woman during SCOTUS hearing
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito grilled an attorney representing a biological male athlete in the case of Little v. Hecox on Tuesday about the definitions of a woman and girl. Alito asked Kathleen R. Hartnett, who is arguing on behalf of the Idaho student in the Supreme Court case, what it meant to be a “boy or a girl or a man or a woman” when it came to equal protection purposes. Hartnett agreed that a school may have separate teams for students “classified as boys and a category of students classified as girls.” Hartnett also agreed there needed to be “an understanding of what it means to be a boy or a girl and a man or a woman.” “Sorry, I misunderstood your question. I think the underlying enactment, whatever it was, the policy, the law, we’d have to have an understanding of how the state or the government was understanding that term to figure out whether someone was excluded,” Hartnett said. “We do not have a definition for the court. We’re not disputing the definition here. “What we’re saying is the way it implies in practice is to exclude birth-sex males categorically from women’s teams and there is a subset of those birth-sex males where it doesn’t make sense to do so according to the state’s own interest.”
Alito then asked, “How can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means for equal protection purposes?” NB if it has or had a dick its a boy. and if it has a pussy weather its turned inside out or not its a gril
“I think here we just know, we basically know that they’ve identified pursuant to their own statute, Lindsay qualifies as a birth-sex male and she is being excluded categorically from the women’s teams as the statute,” Hartnett responded. “So, we’re taking the statute’s definitions as we find them and we don’t dispute them. We’re just trying to figure out, do they create an equal protection problem?” Alito then posed a hypothetical question to Hartnett about a boy who has never taken any kind of puberty blockers or other medication but believed they were a girl and whether a school can say the boy cannot participate on a girls’ sports team. The issue at hand is whether laws in Idaho, and West Virginia, that prohibit transgender athletes who identify as women from playing on teams that match their gender identity, discriminate based on sex. In the case of Little v. Hecox, a biological man who sought to compete on the women’s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University, contended that Idaho’s law, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, violated the equal protection clause by excluding transgender women. Lawyers for the states defending the bans maintain that separating sports based on biological sex preserves fairness and safety for female athletes and is consistent with Title IX’s definition of sex.
Trump says will ‘act accordingly’ once briefed on Iran
- The Iranian government continued its crackdown on protests despite US President Donald Trump’s threat of action over mounting fatalities.
- The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that 2,571 people had been killed from late December through Wednesday, and demonstrations remain difficult to track amid an internet shutdown in Iran.
- Iran has warned it could strike US and Israeli assets if it’s attacked, and oil prices have risen on the heightened tensions, with Brent crude up for a fifth day to over $66 a barrel.
United States President Donald Trump said his administration will determine the appropriate course of action once it gets a clearer picture of the casualties from the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran. “I’m going back to the White House now. We’re going to look at the whole situation that’s going on in Iran. It’s really bad stuff,” Trump told reporters after landing at Joint Base Andrews. “We’ll get some accurate numbers as to what’s happening with regard to the killing,” he added.” The killing looks like it’s significant, but we don’t know yet for certain. I’ll know within 20 minutes, and we’ll act accordingly,” Trump stressed.
NN: Its frustrating… What is Trump waiting for?
Trump: Good idea if Americans evacuate Iran
United States President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that it would be a “good idea if Americans evacuated from Iran.” When asked what he meant by his “help is on its way” comment in relation to protests in Iran, Trump simply answered that the public will have to “figure it out,” without giving any further details. The US head of state previously threatened to take action against Iran over the killing of protesters. Meanwhile, Tehran’s officials warned Washington that its actions against the country would “fail.”
Trump: Iran will pay ‘big price’, help ‘on its way’
United States President Donald Trump again threatened Iran on Tuesday, declaring he “cancelled all meetings” with the Middle Eastern country’s officials, adding Tehran “will pay a big price.” “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers,” the US leader wrote on Truth Social. He explained that he would not hold any encounters with Iranian officials “until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.” “HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA [Make Iran Great Again],” Trump concluded. Although Trump repeatedly warned Iran of military intervention in favor of the anti-government protests in the country, he said Iranian leaders contacted him to negotiate a nuclear deal. On the other hand, the US president said he may act before the talks could potentially take place.
What’s at Stake for the Oil Market If Iran Crisis Escalates…… Trump help is in the way!
At least 12,000 people may have been killed in Iranian anti-government protests that started at the end of December, the UK-based Iran International reported on Tuesday, citing the information obtained by multiple sources close to the Supreme National Security Council and the Iranian presidential office, as well as sources in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, witness accounts, and information from medical officials. The outlet’s editorial board claimed in a statement that the information obtained showed that “this massacre was carried out by direct order of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with the knowledge and explicit support of the heads of the three authorities, and with direct orders to fire issued by the Supreme National Security Council.” It added that the vast majority of the killings happened during two consecutive nights, on January 8 and January 9. The board insisted that all the information was verified “through multiple stages and in accordance with strict professional standards before being announced.”
Trump help is in the way!
United States President Donald Trump again threatened Iran on Tuesday, declaring he “cancelled all meetings” with the Middle Eastern country’s officials, adding Tehran “will pay a big price.”
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers,” the US leader wrote on Truth Social.
He explained that he would not hold any encounters with Iranian officials “until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.” “HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA [Make Iran Great Again],” Trump concluded. Although Trump repeatedly warned Iran of military intervention in favor of the anti-government protests in the country, he said Iranian leaders contacted him to negotiate a nuclear deal. On the other hand, the US president said he may act before the talks could potentially take place.
At least 12,000 rumored to be killed in Iran protests
At least 12,000 people may have been killed in Iranian anti-government protests that started at the end of December, the UK-based Iran International reported on Tuesday, citing the information obtained by multiple sources close to the Supreme National Security Council and the Iranian presidential office, as well as sources in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, witness accounts, and information from medical officials. The outlet’s editorial board claimed in a statement that the information obtained showed that “this massacre was carried out by direct order of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with the knowledge and explicit support of the heads of the three authorities, and with direct orders to fire issued by the Supreme National Security Council.” It added that the vast majority of the killings happened during two consecutive nights, on January 8 and January 9. The board insisted that all the information was verified “through multiple stages and in accordance with strict professional standards before being announced.”
NN: Another red line, Reminiscent of Mohammad Obama. Iran has far exceeded Trumps red line. Will he punk out Like Obama or end this savage regime and score a big victory against terrorists organizations funding.
Iran intensify their crackdown on anti-government demonstrations
DUBAI, Jan 10 – Iran’s authorities indicated on Saturday they could intensify their crackdown on the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, with the Revolutionary Guards blaming unrest on terrorists and vowing to safeguard the governing system. A day after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new warning that the United States could intervene, there were fresh reports of violence across the country, although an internet blackout made it difficult to assess the full extent of unrest. The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who has emerged as a prominent voice in the fragmented opposition, made his strongest call yet for the protests to broaden into a revolt to topple the clerical rulers.
State media said a municipal building was set on fire in Karaj, west of Tehran, and blamed “rioters”. State TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan. Footage on social media on Friday showed large crowds gathered in Tehran and fires lit in the street at night. Reuters was able to confirm the location by comparing landmarks with satellite imagery.
Protests have spread across Iran since December 28, beginning in response to soaring inflation, and quickly turning political with protesters demanding an end to clerical rule. Authorities accuse the U.S. and Israel of fomenting unrest. A witness in western Iran reached by phone said the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were deployed and opening fire in the area from which the witness was speaking, declining to be identified for safety.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the arrest of 100 “armed rioters” in the town of Baharestan near Tehran. In a statement broadcast by state TV, the IRGC – an elite force which has suppressed previous bouts of unrest – accused “terrorists” of targeting military and law enforcement bases over the past two nights. It said several citizens and security personnel had been killed and public and private property set on fire.
Safeguarding the achievements of the Islamic revolution and maintaining security was a “red line”, it added.
The regular military also issued a statement saying it would “protect and safeguard national interests, the country’s strategic infrastructure, and public property”.
Trump said on Thursday he was not inclined to meet Pahlavi, a sign that he was waiting to see how the crisis plays out before backing an opposition leader. Trump, who joined Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear sites last summer, warned Tehran last week the U.S. could come to the protesters’ aid. On Friday, he said: “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.”
“I just hope the protesters in Iran are going to be safe, because that’s a very dangerous place right now,” he added. A doctor in northwestern Iran said that since Friday large numbers of injured protesters had been brought to hospitals. Some were badly beaten, suffering head injuries and broken legs and arms, as well as deep cuts. At least 20 people in one hospital had been shot with live ammunition, five of whom later died. On Friday, Khamenei accused protesters of acting on behalf of Trump, saying rioters were attacking public properties and warning that Tehran would not tolerate people acting as “mercenaries for foreigners”.