Carter says ‘navigational error’ caused sailors to enter Iranian waters

Carter says ‘navigational error’ caused sailors to enter Iranian waters

Special to WorldTribune.com The 10 sailors detained by Iran were on two U.S. vessels that entered Iranian waters due to a “navigational error,” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Jan. 14. “They did not report this navigational error at the time. It may be that they were trying to sort it out at the time […]

Iran: USS Truman was ‘within our range’ and made ‘unprofessional moves’ after seizure of U.S. boats

Iran: USS Truman was ‘within our range’ and made ‘unprofessional moves’ after seizure of U.S. boats

Special to WorldTribune.com The commander of Iran’s navy said that his forces were “awaiting orders” after Iran seized two U.S. patrol boats on Jan. 12 and that U.S. and French aircraft carriers “were within our range.” “The USS Truman Aircraft carrier showed unprofessional moves for 40 minutes after the detention of the trespassers, while we […]

Carter details plan to take ISIL strongholds but not ‘Americanize’ conflict

Carter details plan to take ISIL strongholds but not ‘Americanize’ conflict

Special to WorldTribune.com Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Jan. 13 said the U.S.-led coalition has a plan in place to drive Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) out of its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. “The specialized expeditionary targeting force I announced in December is now in place and is preparing to work with […]

Djibouti: Tiny strategic hub plays host to armies from seven nations

Djibouti: Tiny strategic hub plays host to armies from seven nations

Special to WorldTribune.com By Backgrounder, Geostrategy-Direct.com Djibouti, a former French colony, is a country of searing heat (summer temperatures average over 100 degrees) and little rain (17 days a year on average). The population of the East African state is 900,000, which ranks 159th in the world. But the tiny state on the Horn of […]

Why the petro kingdom executed a prominent Shiite cleric

Why the petro kingdom executed a prominent Shiite cleric

Special to WorldTribune.com By Norman Bailey Very seldom does a columnist have the experience of having one of his or her predictions begin to take shape within weeks, much less in 24 hours. But that is what has happened. Shortly after writing my column ‘Petro kingdom at risk? 2016’s Mideast power matrix and the Chinese […]

U.S. air strike incinerates ‘millions’ in ISIL cash

U.S. air strike incinerates ‘millions’ in ISIL cash

Special to WorldTribune.com U.S.-led coalition air strikes destroyed an Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) facility in Mosul, Iraq that contained “millions of dollars” in cash, according to a Jan. 11 report. Multiple 2,000-pound bombs hit the facility, which a U.S. defense official told AFP contained a stockpile of cash that “we estimate in […]

Iran caught in lie about firing rockets adjacent to U.S. ships

Iran caught in lie about firing rockets adjacent to U.S. ships

Special to WorldTribune.com New video footage released by the U.S. Navy contradicts Iran’s claim that it did not launch rockets near American warships in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Navy, the video shot late last month shows Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ships firing the rockets near Western warships, including the USS Harry S […]

Unprecedented U.S. Mideast strategy is ad hoc, disregards existing frameworks

Unprecedented U.S. Mideast strategy is ad hoc, disregards existing frameworks

Special to WorldTribune.com By Gregory R. Copley, Editor, GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs Senior-level sources in numerous Middle Eastern governments have privately expressed bewilderment at recent and current U.S. government strategies and policies toward the region. But a closer examination of U.S. policies, now almost entirely dictated by the Obama White House, shows no cohesive national […]

National security fraud: 2015 ends with proof of Obama’s total surrender to Iran

National security fraud: 2015 ends with proof of Obama’s total surrender to Iran

Special to WorldTribune.com By Fred Fleitz A Wall Street Journal report on Dec. 30 came as a shock to official Washington. The report said that the U.S. Treasury Department, in response to Iranian missiles tests last fall, notified Congress that it was planning to sanction about a dozen companies and individuals in Iran, the United […]

2015 GREATEST HITS, NO. 5: What Giuliani said squares with what Obama has done

2015 GREATEST HITS, NO. 5: What Giuliani said squares with what Obama has done

Special to WorldTribune.com By Grace Vuoto Feb. 22: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has sparked a media firestorm for stating the obvious: President Barack Hussein Obama does not love America. “I do not believe — and I know this is a horrible thing to say — but I do not believe that the president […]