From Yemen to Turtle Bay

From Caroline Glick:

Off the coast of Yemen and at the U.N. Security Council we are seeing the strategic endgame of Barack Obama’s administration. And it isn’t pretty.

Since Sunday, Iran’s Houthi proxies in Yemen have attacked US naval craft three times in the Bab al Mandab, the narrow straits at the mouth of the Red Sea. The Bab al Mandab controls maritime traffic in the Red Sea, and ultimately control the Suez Canal.

Whether the Iranians directed these assaults or simply greenlighted them is really beside the point. The point is that these are Iranian strikes on the US. The Houthis would never have exposed themselves to US military retaliation if they hadn’t been ordered to do so by their Iranian overlords.

The question is why has Iran chosen to open up an assault on the U.S.?

The simple answer is that Iran has challenged US power at the mouth of the Red Sea because it believes that doing so advances its strategic aims in the region...

Keep reading.

Ilan Berman, Iran’s Deadly Ambition

At Amazon, Iran’s Deadly Ambition: The Islamic Republic’s Quest for Global Power.

Obama Administration Secretly Shipped $400 Million in Cash to Iran as Hostages Were Released

And this was the same weekend that the administration concluded the nuclear disarmament accord with Tehran.

So, the U.S. paid ransom, in cold-hard cash, which just happened to grease the palms of Iranian arms negotiators.

The Wall Street Journal has the bombshell story, "U.S. Sent Cash to Iran as Americans Were Freed":

Obama administration sent plan load of cash to #Iran as ransom as part of deal on hostages. Just unreal. https://t.co/UHfdK4BEyN

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 3, 2016

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January release of four Americans detained in Tehran, according to U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation afterward.

Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, according to these officials. The U.S. procured the money from the central banks of the Netherlands and Switzerland, they said.

The money represented the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached with Iran to resolve a decades-old dispute over a failed arms deal signed just before the 1979 fall of Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The settlement, which resolved claims before an international tribunal in The Hague, also coincided with the formal implementation that same weekend of the landmark nuclear agreement reached between Tehran, the U.S. and other global powers the summer before.

“With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well,” President Barack Obama said at the White House on Jan. 17—without disclosing the $400 million cash payment.

Senior U.S. officials denied any link between the payment and the prisoner exchange. They say the way the various strands came together simultaneously was coincidental, not the result of any quid pro quo.

“As we’ve made clear, the negotiations over the settlement of an outstanding claim…were completely separate from the discussions about returning our American citizens home,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said. “Not only were the two negotiations separate, they were conducted by different teams on each side, including, in the case of The Hague claims, by technical experts involved in these negotiations for many years.”

But U.S. officials also acknowledge that Iranian negotiators on the prisoner exchange said they wanted the cash to show they had gained something tangible.

Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and a fierce foe of the Iran nuclear deal, accused President Barack Obama of paying “a $1.7 billion ransom to the ayatollahs for U.S. hostages.”

“This break with longstanding U.S. policy put a price on the head of Americans, and has led Iran to continue its illegal seizures” of Americans, he said.

Since the cash shipment, the intelligence arm of the Revolutionary Guard has arrested two more Iranian-Americans. Tehran has also detained dual-nationals from France, Canada and the U.K. in recent months...

Keep reading.

Megyn Kelly's been covering this, with Marc Thiessen on right now laughing at the administration's denials of a quid pro quo.

I'll have updates, because this should be a blockbuster story with lots of staying power, but with the leftist Democrat media complex, it's practically crickets with stuff like this.

White House Press Corps Asks Obama Three Questions About Trump, None About Ben Rhodes.

From Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "JUST THINK OF THEM AS DEMOCRAT OPERATIVES WITH BYLINES, AND IT ALL MAKES SENSE."

Also, from Dan Nexon, at Duck of Minerva, "The White House Pushes for its Policies, and Other Surprises from Ben Rhodes."

Postmodern foreign policy.

FWIW, Samuels' appears to be walking a very fine line in the piece. /1

— Daniel Nexon (@dhnexon) May 6, 2016

Here's his inference from the 'grand deception' of focusing on the 2013-2015 round & critics are seizing upon: 2/ pic.twitter.com/HZeUSEoggj

— Daniel Nexon (@dhnexon) May 6, 2016

Here's the *only* supporting evidence he offers from Rhodes — which is not actually from the interview: 3/ pic.twitter.com/CIyRwOEzvC

— Daniel Nexon (@dhnexon) May 6, 2016

These are NOT the same argument. One is about trying to 'end cycles of conflict,' the other is about unravelling US alliances 4/

— Daniel Nexon (@dhnexon) May 6, 2016

This is basically just Samuels offering his own theory and wrapping it in orthogonal statements and evidence 5/

— Daniel Nexon (@dhnexon) May 6, 2016

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, Warns Against the 'Deceit and Treachery' of the United States (VIDEO)

It's like the playground bully takes your lunch money and beats you up anyway.

Obama's the hapless kid who keeps giving the playground bully his lunch money only to come in for some more lumps.

Watch, via Euronews:

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that his country remain wary of its old enemy the United States.

In his first comments since most EU sanctions were lifted along with many important US embargoes, Iran's highest authority made it clear that Washington should be treated with suspicion.

"I reiterate the need to be vigilant about the deceit and treachery of arrogant countries, especially the United States...

Outrage Over Iran Releasing Images of Captured U.S. Sailors on Their Knees (VIDEO)

Watch, via Inside Edition.

A nice clip that should go viral, jeez.

PREVIOUSLY: "WATCH: Humiliating Video Shows U.S. Sailor Apologizing for Vessel Drifting Into Iranian Waters," and "WATCH: Footage Shows U.S. Sailors Being Captured by Iranian Naval Forces (VIDEO)."

WATCH: Humiliating Video Shows U.S. Sailor Apologizing for Vessel Drifting Into Iranian Waters

Total humiliation.

This is the treatment we get for giving Iran the nuclear green light, to say nothing of the freed $100 billion in financial assets to be released this week.

Americans are laid down low with this jihad-loving administration. For shame. For stinking shame.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Iranian video shows U.S. sailors kneeling in surrender pose":

U.S. Central Command spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Ben Tisdale said the video "appears to be authentic" but said he had no other information about its contents.

"We cannot speak to the conditions of the situation or what the crew was experiencing at the time," Tisdale said in a statement. "The crew is currently undergoing the reintegration process and we will continue to investigate this incident. What matters most right now, however, is that our sailors are back safely."

The video depicts seized weapons and ammunition laid out on a platform and scenes from inside a boat, including shots of a U.S. Navy uniform, a storage room and racks of equipment, along with a scene of an Iranian officer in a green beret and fatigues examining a document as he sits in a pilot’s chair.

In one part, Americans are seen being served food in a room, while someone flips through a number of U.S. passports, presumably belonging to the sailors.

One of the captives identified as the commander is interviewed and makes a statement that at times is directed straight at the camera.

“It was a mistake that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake," said the U.S sailor, whose name was not given.

"It was a misunderstanding. We did not mean to go into Iranian territorial water," he said. "The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance.”

The U.S. State Department says no formal apology was proffered to Iran.

Vice President Joe Biden said there was "nothing to apologize for."

"When you have a problem with the boat, you apologize the boat had a problem? No, and there was no looking for any apology," Biden told "CBS This Morning." "This was just standard nautical practice."

It is still unclear if the stricken boat suffered mechanical or navigational failure. The two vessels, known as riverine command boats, were en route from Kuwait to Bahrain when U.S. authorities lost contact with them, the Pentagon said.

More at WSJ, "Videos Raise Questions About Iran’s Treatment of U.S. Sailors."

WATCH: Footage Shows U.S. Sailors Being Captured by Iranian Naval Forces (VIDEO)

The sailors were forced to apologize before their release.

We grovel to Iran. We just grovel to that tinpot country.

Via CNN:

Secretary John Kerry Thanks Iran for 'Quick Release' of U.S. Sailors Held Hostage (VIDEO)

Well, thank goodness they're released.

The U.S. had to get down on bended knee for the mullahs.

At the BBC, "Iran frees US Navy sailors held in Gulf after incursion," and the Los Angeles Times, "Iran releases 10 detained U.S. sailors who strayed into country's waters."

And watch, via CNN:

Fact-Checking Obama's Final State of the Union

At the Daily Signal.

PREVIOUSLY: "Obama Attacks GOP for 'Anti-Muslim' Rhetoric, Claims Islamic State Just 'Killers and Fanatics' (VIDEO)."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Demands 'Apology' Before Releasing U.S. Sailors: Dismisses Talk of Prompt Release

I said as much earlier, "DEVELOPING: Tehran Takes 10 U.S. Sailors Captive as Two Small Navy Ships Seized by Iran (VIDEO)."

At the Telegraph UK, "Iran demands apology from US before it releases 10 sailors":

As well as playing down reports of a prompt release of the sailors, Iran is said to be demanding an apology from the US after its sailors were arrested for "violating" Iran's waters.

"Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was in touch with US Secretary of State Kerry," Iran's Revolutionary Guards' naval commander, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, said in an interview broadcast live on state television.

"Zarif took a firm stance as the sailors had violated Iran's territorial waters and asked the United States for an apology," he added.

Source: Sky News on Twitter.

Reuters: Iran's Revolutionary Guards dismissed talk of the prompt release of 10 U.S. sailors they had arrested as speculation by others

— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) January 13, 2016

Update - Reuters: Iran's Revolutionary Guards say Tehran has asked the U.S. for an apology for "violating" Iran's territorial waters

— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) January 13, 2016

Previous blogging on Iran's seizure of U.S. naval vessels here.

Obama Attacks GOP for 'Anti-Muslim' Rhetoric, Claims Islamic State Just 'Killers and Fanatics' (VIDEO)

I sat quietly through most of the speech, but when Hussein once again said Islamic State isn't Islamic, that was about it.

The Wall Street Journal's live blog is here, "Obama’s Final State of the Union Speech — Live Blog."

And at Reuters, "Obama knocks Republicans for anti-Muslim rhetoric, seeks to set 2016 tone":

President Barack Obama knocked Republican presidential candidates for anti-Muslim rhetoric and accused critics on Tuesday of playing into the hands of Islamic State in a speech aimed at setting an optimistic tone for his last year in office.

Obama, delivering his last State of the Union speech to Congress before leaving office next year, said it was fiction to declare the United States was in economic decline or getting weaker on the international stage.

In a direct slap at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, Obama said insulting Muslims hurt the United States and "betrayed" its identity.

"When politicians insult Muslims ... that doesn’t make us safer," he said, drawing applause from the crowd in the House of Representatives chamber. "It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals."

Also, at Fox News 6 Marquette, Michigan, "State of the Union: Obama calls terrorists 'killers and fanatics' who need to be destroyed":

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — Addressing the nation in his final State of the Union speech, President Obama spoke of terror, calling ISIL and other terrorist organizations, "killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed."

"We don't need to build them up to show that we're serious, nor do we need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that ISIL is representative of one of the world's largest religions," he said...

Here's the key passage from the text of the speech:

Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That’s the story ISIL wants to tell; that’s the kind of propaganda they use to recruit. We don’t need to build them up to show that we’re serious, nor do we need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that ISIL is representative of one of the world’s largest religions. We just need to call them what they are — killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed.

More at Politico, "Obama accuses GOP of fearmongering."

And Memeorandum.

UPDATE: Reports Say Iran Accusing Captured U.S. Navy Vessels of 'Snooping'

At IBT, "Iran-US Navy Dispute Live Updates: Iranian Military Holds 10 American Sailors On Iran’s Farsi Island":

UPDATE: 5:50 p.m. EST — Two small U.S. Navy boats that were stopped by Iran Tuesday may have run out of gas or had mechanical problems when they drifted into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, the Washington Post reported. The ships were within 12 nautical miles of Iran when they broke down. It was unclear how the American crew and vessels were “picked up” by Iran, according to a Defense Department official. Fars, an Iranian state news agency, said 10 sailors had been arrested and were suspected of “snooping,” the New York Times reported.

The two boats each had several 50. cal guns and were "snooping around" in Iranian waters, Fars News Agency says

— Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) January 12, 2016

I seriously doubt reports that Iran will be releasing our people shortly:

Iran agreed to return sailors soon, after 2 U.S. Navy boats drifted into territorial waters https://t.co/RHBaiWeQXb

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) January 13, 2016

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Expressed Sympathy for Victims of Suicide Bombing in Istanbul (VIDEO)

Following-up from earlier, "Islamic State Suicide Bomber Kills 10 in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square (VIDEO)."

Perhaps as many as nine German tourists were killed in the attack.

Watch, at Euronews, "Germany's Merkel offers condolences to families of Istanbul bomb victims."

Jen Psaki, White House Communications Director, Says Obama Has 'No Plans' to Address Iran Hostages at Tonight's #SOTU

This just in:

Obama has 'no plans" to address new Iranian hostage crisis in tonight's #SOTU, per Jen Psaki, the administration's Baghdad Bob. Via @CNN.

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) January 12, 2016

I'll update with video if it becomes available.

PREVIOUSLY: "CNN's Barbara Starr Reports: Iran Assures U.S. of Safe Return of Sailors (VIDEO)." 

Also, "DEVELOPING: Tehran Takes 10 U.S. Sailors Captive as Two Small Navy Ships Seized by Iran (VIDEO)," and "UPDATE: U.S. Sailors Taken Hostage by Iran Revolutionary Guard, the Gestapo of the Tehran Mullahs!"

Islamic State Suicide Bomber Kills 10 in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square (VIDEO)

But, watch, Obama will claim ISIS is on the run at tonight's State of the Union Address.

At the New York Times, "Istanbul Suicide Bombing Kills 10; Turkey Blames ISIS."



Plus, more video, at Agence France-Presse, "Terror attack strikes fear in Istanbul tourists."

CNN's Barbara Starr Reports: Iran Assures U.S. of Safe Return of Sailors (VIDEO)

I don't believe a word the Iranians say, although Barbara Starr is a judicious and reputable source.

Watch:



PREVIOUSLY: "DEVELOPING: Tehran Takes 10 U.S. Sailors Captive as Two Small Navy Ships Seized by Iran (VIDEO)," and "UPDATE: U.S. Sailors Taken Hostage by Iran Revolutionary Guard, the Gestapo of the Tehran Mullahs!"

UPDATE: U.S. Sailors Taken Hostage by Iran Revolutionary Guard, the Gestapo of the Tehran Mullahs!

CNN's Jim Sciutto reports:

Key here: Iran's Fars News agency says US sailors picked up by Revolutionary Guard Corps, from hardline camp & v. opposed to nuclear deal

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 12, 2016

@jimsciutto @NickKristof if Fars is reporting that Rev Guard is involved suggests this was no Good samaritan rescue mission.

— Aaron David Miller (@aarondmiller2) January 12, 2016

Iranian hardliners have been systematically trying to undermine Rouhani and damage US-Iranian relations. Seizing sailors, that'll do it.

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) January 12, 2016

PREVIOUSLY: "DEVELOPING: Tehran Takes 10 U.S. Sailors Captive as Two Small Navy Ships Seized by Iran (VIDEO)."

DEVELOPING: Tehran Takes 10 U.S. Sailors Captive as Two Small Navy Ships Seized by Iran (VIDEO)

On the day of the State of the Union Address too.

And the Iranians are supposed to be returning the sailors shortly, according to the Obama Pentagon.

That's, of course, Democrat propaganda! Our relations with the mullahs have never been better!

At the Telegraph UK, "Iran holds two US Navy boats in Persian Gulf":

US military officials say they briefly lost contact with two small Navy craft in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian forces seized two US vessels crossing the Persian Gulf it has been claimed, but later gave American officials assurances that the craft and their crews would be returned unharmed.

The Pentagon has said it briefly lost contact with two small Navy craft in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday but has received assurances from Iran that the crew and vessels will be returned safely and promptly.

A Pentagon spokesman said that the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the US lost contact with them.

"We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly," he said
Fox News claimed that they strayed into Iranian waters.

"Earlier Tuesday we lost contact with two small U.S. Naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain," a US defence official told the Reuters news agency.

The White House confirmed that it was aware of the situation and is working to get U.S. personnel returned.

Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters at the White House the administration was working to resolve the situation and was hopeful about it.

U.S. officials said that the incident happened near Farsi Island, situated in the middle of the Persian Gulf. They say it stemmed from some type of mechanical trouble with one of the boats, causing them to run aground. The troops were then picked up by Iran.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who has forged a personal relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif through three years of nuclear negotiations, called Zarif immediately on learning of the incident, according to a senior U.S. official...

This is a major slap in the face of the American people.

The sailors should be released within four hours, before the president's address tonight, or we know for a fact this is a hostile act.

Expect updates.

Saudis Cut Ties with Tehran (VIDEO)

Holly Williams reports, for CBS This Morning, "Saudi Arabia cuts diplomatic ties with Iran over cleric execution."

Also at the Los Angeles Times, "Mideast rift widens as Saudi allies cut ties with Iran."