Two drones struck the Iraqi Army’s 14th Division engineering... battalion at the former Iraqi mechanics site in Makhmour, south of Erbil. Three Iraqi soldiers were reportedly injured. Notably, locals who witnessed the drones’ flight path said they appeared to have come from west of Makhmour, from the direction of Qayyara, where pro-Iran militias are active. That raises the possibility that the Iraqi army position may have been targeted by pro-Iran factions. The incident is especially noteworthy because Makhmour has long been one of the key areas for joint operations with the US-led coalition, and until recently US advisers were stationed there, though it remains unclear whether they are still present since the war with Iran. Until October 2017, Makhmour was under KDP control. It is a majority Kurdish town, but has since been under Iraqi army control.show more

Rotana (Arjaan) Hotel in Erbil and the adjacent Sky... Towers residential building appear to have been targeted by a one-way drone, likely launched by Iraqi pro-Iran factions. Eyewitnesses say the drone struck one of the hotel’s rooms. No casualties were reported. Residents in the area say many Americans have recently moved into Sky Towers. That raises serious questions about why they are relocating to such a residential area, where it is difficult to maintain a low profile, information spreads quickly, and local residents are put at risk. At least four other drones were intercepted, but their intended targets remain unknown.show more

🇮🇷🇮🇶 Iran reportedly sent Shahed-136 drones into Iraqi Kurdistan... to hit a Komala Party headquarters in Sulaymaniyah Governorate. The Komala Party is one of Iran's most prominent Kurdish opposition groups. They operate from Iraqi soil precisely because they can't operate from Iranian soil. Tehran doesn't care about that distinction. Iran has been launching strikes against Kurdish exile groups in Iraq for years, treating the border as irrelevant when it comes to groups it considers a domestic security threat. Source: AFPshow more

The Kurds continue to be betrayed by their allies.... 🇮🇶 🇺🇸 🇮🇷 If Lebanon is excluded from the ceasefire in the regional war, so too is northern Iraq. During the second half of April, Iran launched a series of attacks against Kurdish militias that were being armed by the US for a hypothetical ground operation into Iran. However, Trump’s recent statements regarding his relationship with the Kurds suggest a distancing from these militias, after admitting to having armed them prior to the protests in Iran at the start of the year. Washington has also announced that the Pentagon’s FY2027 budget almost completely eliminates direct funding for the Peshmerga (from $61 million in 2026 to $1.35 million), centralising aid in Baghdad rather than directly supporting Kurdish forces. This leaves Iraqi Kurds in a position of greater dependence on the Iraqi federal government and Iranian Kurds with no chance of extending their prospects of creating a nationalist project in Iran in the event of a hypothetical collapse.show more

Notable: The Lanaz refinery, majority-owned by Mansour Barzani, appears... to have been struck by a drone last night, though the extent of the damage remains unclear. The refinery is in Khabat district in west Erbil. Lanaz was also the site of major recent protests by nearby villagers. The refinery has long been controversial because of its ownership structure and because it reportedly benefited from both cheap KRG oil and, until recently, oil from SDF-held fields in Syria’s Hasakah province. That supply now appears to have stopped. Mansour Barzani is Masoud Barzani’s second son and leads KDP Peshmarga’s ‘special forces’.show more

Iran continues to evict or eliminate American invader terrorists... in Iraq! A hotel in Erbil was struck again. Many U.S. and Western contractors terrorists, along with military death squads who capitulated and left Baghdad, were in Erbil. The first video is a confirmation of the moment a drone directly struck a hotel in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, moments ago, where it is claimed U.S. soldiers are staying.show more

Strait of Hormuz over the last 48 hours: tanker... attacks continue Iran's demands for opening the Strait of Hormuz are a nonstarter for the US. As I covered over the weekend, Iran has now added Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq along with Lebanon for a complete ceasefire as a condition. In addition, it also wants compensation for the war damages and the MOU violation. On the shipping front, Oman lane transits continue, but here's the catch. ADNOC (UAE) ships are being attacked with 4 of them getting hit last week and another possible attack today. ADNOC's rescue boat was sent out, but no other confirmation on the attack has been announced so far. What is interesting is this. Iraqi crude is getting through the Oman lane. Prosperity tankers carrying Iraqi crude have not been hit. Why? Simple. In the past, Iran has exported some of its oil through Iraq to evade sanctions. This is one of the main reasons why we are not seeing all the tankers get hit through the Oman lane. But it seems clear from the recent escalation patterns that whatever secret deal Iran had with UAE is all but over. Video from MarineTraffic.show more

🚨🇮🇶🇺🇸🇮🇷 BREAKING: Drone pierces Baghdad's defenses and hits U.S.... diplomatic compound Six drones were launched at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center today. Five were shot down. The sixth got through and struck near a guard tower at one of the largest American diplomatic facilities in Iraq. The attack was likely carried out by Iran-backed Iraqi militias and underscores a brutal reality the Pentagon is still grappling with: 140 servicemembers wounded, 7 dead, embassies hit in Kuwait, Dubai, and Riyadh, and now the Baghdad compound breached. The damage assessment on the Riyadh embassy is particularly telling. Parts of the building are "unrecoverable" and have been permanently sealed off. The CIA's station on the top floor was destroyed. The U.S. can flatten every IRGC headquarters in Iran, but it can't secure its own embassies across the region from $50,000 drones. That asymmetry is the defining feature of this war, and twelve days in, Washington still hasn't solved it. Source: Washington Post / War Reportershow more

🚨🇮🇶 Footage shows drone attacks hitting Erbil, the capital... of Iraqi Kurdistan. -The scenes reportedly capture the strikes on Erbil, which hosts U.S. forces at Erbil Air Base and has flickered in and out of this war all month -Iraq has become the axis's operating hub, with Reuters reporting Houthi fighters launching at Saudi Arabia from Iraqi soil alongside local militias under IRGC supervision -It follows the joint U.S.-Saudi strikes that killed at least 20 PMF members, and the militias promised a response to those -Erbil's recent record includes C-RAM engagements, a drone that came down in a graveyard, and the controlled detonation that killed Sgt. Michael Swinton No confirmation yet on the target, damage, or who launched them Source: Tabz / Writer: Danielshow more

People don’t understand what is going on and I... don’t blame them because US Media is imperialist propaganda so here’s the 411: Donald Trump is freaking out because he is not only losing, but this war against Iran is speeding up the collapse of the US empire. Iran taking control of the Strait of Hormuz is going to cost the US $3 trillion a year. Since the 1970s oil has been traded using the petrodollar. Iran knew this and knew it could severely weaken US hegemony by allowing ships to pass if they switched from the petrodollar to Chinese yuan. The other major development that isn’t being covered is the US has spent trillions of dollars on building US bases in order to occupy and control the Middle East. These bases have taken significant damage from Iranian missiles and are being abandoned. The US is not and never was “liberating” Iran, but Iran is absolutely liberating the Middle East from US imperialism. Like all empires of the past the US is no different: It is collapsing under the weight of its own greed, corruption, and barbarity.show more

MORE Confirmation of Secret Israeli Base in Iraq 🇮🇶... Iraq's Military Confirmed the Karbala Desert Clash. The WSJ Already Told Us ISRAEL WAS THERE. Iraq's Joint Operations Command admitted its forces clashed with unknown armed groups operating WITH AIR SUPPORT in the Karbala desert last March. An Iraqi security expert went further, stating the operation was carried out with U.S. assistance and that Israeli forces passed through Iraqi airspace in the process. The WSJ reported Israel built a secret forward base in Iraq's western desert, with U.S. knowledge, to sustain its bombing campaign against Iran. When Iraqi troops went to investigate unusual activity, they were fired on. One soldier was killed. Baghdad is still calling them "unknown", but all signs point to the Israeli Base!show more

💢 Large-scale drone attack targets Iranian Kurdish opposition groups... in northern Iraq Iranian forces reportedly launched a wave of attack drones toward Iraq’s Kurdistan Region on Monday night, with repeated explosions and interceptions reported over Erbil. Kurdish journalist and monitor Scharo Bajalan reported at least two impacts: one in the Alana Valley near Soran, where a Komala opposition camp is located, and another north of Erbil. He said drones were launched from both Iran and areas controlled by Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces. Footage circulating online appeared to show US forces intercepting at least one drone over Erbil. The extent of any casualties or damage remains unclear. Iran has previously acknowledged striking US-linked sites and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in the region.show more

Today, Iranian media have reported that Iran has shot... down a US F-35 aircraft. The US hasn't confirmed this. OSINT experts have noted that US rescue groups have been flying over several regions of Iran. These groups are used to rescue crew of downed aircraft. Experts have analyzed the image of the seat that was online and believe it is from an F-15, not an F-35. There are unconfirmed reports that one of the crew members was found and rescued; the search for the second pilot continues. There have been reports that he may have been taken captive by Iranian forces.show more

🚨 More than 150 Iranians stormed dormitories housing Iraqi... students at Semnan University as tensions surrounding their presence on Iranian campuses continue to grow. The confrontation comes amid growing resentment over the Islamic Republic providing Iraqi students with scholarships and other educational benefits while Iranian students face severe economic pressure and deteriorating conditions at home. Part of that anger is driven by the Islamic Republic’s deep relationship with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). PMF-linked educational programs send members to Iranian universities, and Iraqi “students” with connections to Iran-backed militias have become a growing source of suspicion on campuses. PMF-linked individuals are also used to monitor students and activities inside Iranian universities, further blurring the line between education and the Islamic Republic’s security and proxy networks. Tensions have been building for some time, including previous confrontations involving Iraqi students at Iranian universities. The Islamic Republic has spent years pouring Iranian resources into its Iraqi proxy network while its own population struggles economically. Now the resentment created by those policies is spilling directly onto Iran’s university campuses. Videos show crowds confronting Iraqi students inside the dormitories, with police later present outside the university housing.show more

So. Iran is bombing US airbases across the region.... And air defenses are not always holding 🔺 In Jordan, the Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base is on fire (video). 🔺 In Doha — the capital of Qatar — powerful explosions are also being heard. 🔺 Incoming strikes reported in Kuwait. 🔺 Bahrain has been engulfed in fires. Authorities said they have begun evacuating people from the area housing the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet — after it was targeted by Iranian missiles. 🔺 US air defense systems are intercepting targets in Erbil, northern Iraq, where an American airbase is located. 🔺 The Iranian army said it has launched “dozens of attack drones” at Israel, marking the first large-scale assault of this kind.show more

In recent hours, reports from sources indicate increased US&co... activity in the region and heightened readiness of armed forces for potential preemptive strikes. Combat units have been brought to full combat readiness and are preparing to counter any possible scenario. In this regard, there are also reports of the possibility of preemptive strikes. These reports have intensified against the backdrop of the 23rd day of the month of Safar and the expiration of an ultimatum issued by the Iraqi resistance to the country's government, demanding a response to attacks by the American-Wahhabi coalition on "Hashd al-Shaabi" (Popular Mobilization Forces) facilities. The next 24 hours will be extremely sensitive and important. Although, according to a report by The Washington Post, the American army does not have significant operational capabilities, it cannot be said with certainty that this report will cause Trump to reconsider his plans. He essentially has no other way to end the war that he himself started. Iran has many advantages, while Trump's position is extremely limited.show more

🇮🇷🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇶 Fire rising from within the American bases in... Erbil. Again after another hit from Iranian allied forces. Erbil has been hit over 200 times since February 28. Not a typo. The Kurdistan Region where the US relocated most of its Iraq forces after withdrawing from Baghdad and Ain Al Asad — has absorbed the single heaviest concentration of attacks anywhere in Iraq. Erbil International Airport and Harir Air Base have been targeted continuously since Day One. The ammunition depot was hit and detonating on Day One. A French soldier was killed at the Erbil training camp on March 12. An Italian military base in Erbil was hit the same day. The IRGC itself fired 5 missiles directly at Harir Air Base. Iran-backed militias — Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Ashab al-Kahf — have been launching drones at the city in rotating shifts. Erbil matters because it’s where the US concentrated its forces after the withdrawal — making it the single most valuable target in Iraq. Washington pulled back from Baghdad and the western bases and doubled down on Kurdistan. Iran noticed. And now the city that was supposed to be the last stable US foothold in Iraq is on fire again on Day 17. Two hundred strikes and counting. The base they retreated to is the base they can’t defend.show more