Peace and War Report (Week of July 27th)

United States: Police-State on Capitol Hill

The war against Iran has broken the MOU signed between the two states in mid-June. Most Americans are woefully ignorant of what the MOU refers to. For instance, in a recent effort to raise awareness for peace on Capitol Hill, most Americans did not understand what “Yes MOU, No War” referred to. Even the F.L.A.R.E. legislative coordinator did not understand what MOU meant, and feigned ignorance about the America-Iran war. He accused AGN of wanting to start trouble, asserting that this sign would get them arrested. The 22″x28″ poster is nicely decorated with clear lettering. F.L.A.R.E. told AGN that the the sign must be left behind and stowed away such as inside their tent on Pennsylvania and 3rd Street NW.

This is the nadir to which free speech has sunk to inside America. Capitol Hill has become the epitome of the Police State. Sure there are still some citizen lobbyists marching around, but they are confined to managed groups, and they should not be holding posters or placards. No home-made signs especially. In front of the Supreme Court, if one mounts the steps like other tourists, the Capitol Police will instantly halt the protestor, and alert the authorities. The Capitol Police are a noticeable and visibly belligerent presence in front of and around each and every building on the Hill. There are also federal Secret Service, Homeland Security, and National Guard units visible in drive-by SUVs or standing about.

They are empowered to arrest anyone on a trifle, thanks to the NDAA and Patriot Act. You must obey their orders without any protest or else you may be arrested on the spot. A segment of these forces are also active in freemasonry, but the rules of those orders are to deny belonging to such secret NWO organizations with their goals of subverting human rights.

Americans Unaware of Collapsing Oil-Hegemony

Even while the war between the US-Iran has shut down the Hormuz Strait, and now the Red Sea Strait, while oil shipping has come to a standstill throughout the Middle East, President Trump and his Department of War team are commiserating with the genocidal leaders, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Zelensky, who are hoping to inflame the regional wars and even fuse them together. In the past week, President Zelensky has authorized attacks not only upon Russian vessels on the Black Sea, but now also Iranian vessels venturing in the Caspian Sea, claiming to prevent weapons shipments from Russia. Netanyahu and Zelensky, who are friends, have shared arms shipments, and maybe now, firepower.

Various analysts, including Mahmood OD, and Geopolitical Trends observe how these expanding wars will affect shipments of grain, fertilizer, and other critical necessities for nations in the Global South, notably Africa, where famine is projected to increase. In the Southeast, fossil fuel shortages are changing commuting, work hours, and shopping decisions. Knock on effects that the West is unaware of include resentment against the USA that will impact corporate and mid-sized business decision-making, such as investing in Chinese electrical vehicles.

A larger war dragging in the European Union will force conservatives and MAGA republicans who are against the war in Iran into a binary choice. They may be against that war but because they are pro-Ukraine, they must now also support Zelensky’s decisions, which no doubt, are backed by Washington. The larger war will now present as several regional conflicts involving Occupied Palestine (Gaza, West Bank in Israel), the Gulf countries (Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE), Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and possibly Jordan. If these were democratic rather than authoritarian nation-states ruled by bloodline leaders under the thumb of Washington, they would want to settle their own affairs as quickly as possible.

However the U.S. military industrial complex, with $1.5 trillion dollars to expend should NDAA 2027 be approved, are delighted with the prospects of selling more billion-dollar warplanes and anti-missile detection systems to the Middle East, Near East, Far East, and of course, Europe including Ukraine. The merging of United States and Israel defense units and systems through Section 224 will extend and even mandate sophisticated real time surveillance, data-collection and analysis, and use of war-fighting predictive algorithm programs in these nations. In any event since over 100 billion dollars worth of Central Command and military base equipment in the ring of fire around Iran have been destroyed, they now need to be speedily rebuilt or replaced.

Saudi Arabia: Prefers Mirage of Success

This is another reason why past presidential administrations have pushed the GCC nations to sign the Abraham Accords which normalizes relations with Israel. Nations, such as Saudi Arabia, besot by generations of quick, easy, petro-dollar money gushing from their oil wells and refineries, are presently in a quagmire. With all their warplanes and vessels and equipment from NATO and the United States, will they continue the decade-long embargo and blockade against Yemen rather than conduct diplomacy? The Yemenis are enraged not only by the genocide in Palestine, the attacks against Iran, and the decades long sanctions and blockade against Yemen by the West, but the firing upon airplanes from Iran by the Saudis. This is why, by a nod from Iran, for the past week, they have been gleefully launching drones, rockets, and even long-range missiles against Saudi oil refineries along the Red Sea coast.

While just a few weeks ago, at Transition Protocol, alternative talking head analyst Pepe Escobar crowed that the MOU was a sign that a new global peace would reign in the Middle East, and balked at the idea of any kind of future conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, he was—not the first time either—proven profoundly wrong. In fact, he has since corrected himself—-maybe by studying the CIA World Factbook at the pertinent webpage, or the intel sheets sent to him to correct his talking points…

The West has long known that the GCC and its nomadic Bedoins tend toward a variety of infighting factions. Civilization did not actually arrive into Arabia until about 200 years ago. It was considered culturally acceptable machismo for wandering Bedoin strongmen to conduct nightraids on another camp, so long as the women and children were left alone.

Here is how David Rundell, author of Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads described these tribes in today’s states of Hejaz, Asir, Al Qassim, Riyadh, Al Hasa, and Jizan Najran:

“Finally, the single most important function of the tribe was physical security. In the empty desert where there was no central government, much less a policeman to call, your safety depended on membership in a group. The understanding that your relatives would pursue those who had harmed you for the next several generations was once all that protected you and your family from violence. Westerners can identify with many Bedu values such as courage and generosity, but their glorification of vengeance often strikes Western observers as excessively harsh. Yet pursuing revenge was not an option, it was an obligation—-and those who failed to seek it lost respect because they endangered the security of their entire tribe.”

While the Saudi family has cemented ties by centralizing the sheikh system, and established many strategic intermarrying family networks; since 2015, after King Salman ascended the throne as the last son of the founding oil dynasty ruler King Abdulaziz, the kingdom has intentionally moved toward a more autocratic style of rulership. Rather than a more horizontal rulership, such as established under King Faisal, with prince-ministers and vice-kings (brothers) who practically held their own spheres of royal patronage, Salman has “systematically dismantled the institutional power bases that other senior princes had enjoyed for decades as ministers of defense, the interior, the National Guard, municipal affairs, and foreign affairs.” The intention of Abdulaziz had always been for power-sharing and revenue-sharing for the royal family, to keep the Saud family network and retainer economy intact.

Yet under King Salman, in the interest of so-called cost-cutting measures, or probably for engineering his favorite son, Mohammad bin Salman, into position as sole Crown-Prince, “he has torn up most of the policies that had long underpinned Saudi stability. He has ended the careers of many long-prominent or long-hopeful royal players. He has ended the collective rule of half-brothers that had characterized the Third Saudi State since the reign of King Faisal.” Instead a new crop of technocratic, advanced degreed bureaucrats are being hired for yes-man senior government positions, while Saudi grandsons and third-generation princes retain provincial governorships and limited ministerial and royal cabinet authority.

“The king has appointed dozens of new judges and replaced every minister and military service chief, some more than once. Across the Saudi government, all senior technocrats now owe their position not to a variety of of princely patrons but solely to the patronage of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS). The new king and his son have further concentrated royal authority by ending the financial independence that some ministries had long enjoyed.”

While royal accession to Crown Prince is supposed to be by consensus of the Allegiance Council, it has been rendered useless basically through bribery. The previous Crown Prince Naif was suddenly dismissed (forced to resign) in 2017, and no deputy Crown Prince has been named. MBS also previously was named head of the Royal Diwan, essentially chief of staff for the king’s executive office. He has also been named minister of defense, in charge of the Saudi Army, Navy, and Air Force, with access to a quarter of the government budget. King Salman and Crown Prince MBS continued to reorganize the government ostensibly getting rid of bloat, while consolidating councils into the one significant umbrella, the Council for Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), chaired by MBS “in his capacity as minister of state.”

In other words, today Saudi Arabia suffers from what investors call “key man risk,” which is when too much power becomes institutionalized under one person, basically Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. This is counter to former King Abdulazis’s wishes for an “opaque, consensus-driven, power-sharing Al Saud family structure” with different branches, princes or princely grandsons, sharing an opportunity to rule, and offered shares of political influence and patronage systems. Should MBS be deposed, there would be an intense power struggle as no new deputy Crown Prince is named. People have accused the Crown Prince of being surrounded by technocratic and self-serving myrmidons who may be encouraging taking Saudi Arabia in a direction that jeopardizes the interests of the Gulf states in the long-standing conflict and blockade against Yemen, and in fanning the flames of war against Iran.

Iran: 14 point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Republished from “Factbox: 14-point US-Iran MoU lays out terms to end imposed war, reshape regional security framework” at PressTV.co.uk from June 17, 2026:

“The document sets out immediate committments on the part of the US and its Zionist proxy to cease military aggression across all fronts, including Lebanon, while affirming respect for Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in the country’s internal affairs.

“It further establishes a timeline for comprehensive negotiations expected to culminate in a final agreement within 60 days. Beyond security provisions, the text addresses maritime stability, commercial shipping guarantees, sanctions relief, economic reconstruction assistance, and the gradual unfreezing of Iranian assets….

“Ultimately, the agreement envisions UN Security Council endorsement, signalling an effort to institutionalize any final settlement within the international legal order…

“Following is the full text of the memorandum published on Wednesday:

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America and their allies in the current war, by signing this Memorandum of Understanding, declare the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and commit that from now on no war or military operations will be initiated against one another, and guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final agreement will confirm the permanent end of war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the rest of this clause.

2. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America commit to respecting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and refraining from interference in each other’s internal affairs.

3. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America commit to conducting negotiations and reaching a final agreement within a maximum period of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.

4. Immediately upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding, the United States will begin lifting its naval blockade and any harassment or obstruction against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, shipping traffic will be maintained in proportion to pre-war traffic levels as established by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States also commits to withdrawing its military forces from the surrounding region of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final agreement.

5. Upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements, to the best of its ability, for the safe passage of commercial vessels, free of charge for 60 days, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. Commercial shipping will begin immediately and will be fully established within 30 days, subject to the removal of technical and military obstacles and demining operations carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran will consult with the Sultanate of Oman regarding future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz, and will also exchange views with other Gulf coastal states.

6. The United States commits, together with regional partners, to establish a definitive program agreed upon by both parties for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a minimum funding of 300 billion dollars. The implementation mechanism of this program will be finalized within 60 days. All necessary approvals, waivers, and permits for the relevant financial transactions will be issued by the United States.

7. The United States commits to ending all kinds of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including United Nations Security Council resolutions, International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, both primary and secondary, according to a timetable agreed as part of the final agreement. Both the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States acknowledge the fundamental importance of ending the sanctions mentioned above and express their intention to address these issues promptly in negotiations to reach a mutual agreement.

8. The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it will not produce or acquire nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States agree to resolve the status of stored enriched materials through a mutually agreed mechanism and in accordance with the timetable set in Clause 7, at a minimum through on-site dilution under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The two sides also agree to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the nuclear needs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on a satisfactory framework to be agreed in the final agreement. The final agreement will confirm the provisions of this clause. Both sides also acknowledge the fundamental importance of the above nuclear issues and express their intention to address them promptly in negotiations to reach a mutual agreement.

9. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States agree to maintain the status quo until the final agreement is reached; Iran will maintain the status quo in its nuclear program, and the United States will not impose any new sanctions on Iran nor deploy additional military forces in the region.

10. The United States commits to immediately, upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding and until sanctions are lifted, issuing Treasury waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products and derivatives, and all related services, including banking transactions, insurance, transportation, and others.

11. The United States commits to fully making available all restricted or frozen funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures for releasing these funds during negotiations. These funds, whether held in primary accounts or transferred, must be fully usable for payments to any final beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States commits to issuing all necessary approvals and licenses in this regard.

12. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States agree to establish an implementation mechanism to monitor the successful execution of this Memorandum of Understanding and future compliance with the final agreement.

13. Following the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, and subject to the commencement of implementation of Clauses 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 and the continuation of these measures, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States will begin negotiations on the final agreement exclusively on the remaining clauses.

14. The final agreement will be endorsed by a binding resolution of the United Nations Security Council.

Media image from Stoptrumpswars.org