Ukraine has unveiled its new Firepoint-9 ballistic missile. It has a range of 855km, enough to hit Moscow. It carries an 800kg HE warhead. It is 31 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. It should enter service this summer. Ukraine has ordered hundreds of them. It could perhaps be intercepted by Russian S400 missiles the FP9 is actually derived from the S400, but uses composite materials to reduce weight and extend range. Like the ancient V2, the FP9 would burn all of its fuel climbing to the edge of space where air resistance it’s minimal. The smaller FP7 has been test fired several times and exceeds the ATAMS missile. An air-launched version of FP9 would have much more range. The guidance system for the new missiles is not known.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, April 30, 2026 - 09:01 pm: Edit

WHCA shooter Allen fired his 12g shotgun into one secret service agent who returned fire five times without hitting anyone. Allen tripped and fell over magnetometer equipment and was jumped on by other officers. The others did not fire due to the number of angents annd others in the ballroom lobby.

Allen was wearing a tactical vest. Secret service agents removed his vest and shirt to be sure he didn’t have more weapons.

Allen was 360 feet from the President and was never in sight of his target. The secret service said their defenses worked as designed.

By Roger D. Morgan, Jr. (Sonofkang) on Thursday, April 30, 2026 - 09:14 pm: Edit

One other thing that will limit/slow the transfer of oil/goods from Iran to points east and north. The gauges used by Iran, Russia, and China - as well as the 'Stans, etc. are very problematic. Don't have the info readily available, but I do know that a lot of those railway gauges are different based on whose locomotives were purchased back in the day and current models in use. Russian gauge, U.S. gauge, Chinese gauge, even legacy British are all in use. Wherever that happens, cargo will have to be transferred, dramatically slowing the process (but allowing for a good amount of skimming along the way by local labor!) and also necessitates each country having enough cars to carry what shows up as well. Trains will not leave Iran and go straight through to China.

Due to the relative low volume compared to ships, it will likely not have much impact overall. Definitely not enough to waste limited munitions on. Would rather see them take out some more Iranian airliners (on the ground) that are going back and forth to China carrying more high-tech, maybe even lethal, cargo. More direct military impact, less on the average Iranian population, IMHO.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Thursday, April 30, 2026 - 09:25 pm: Edit

Not entirely sure I buy the "as designed" claim. But I'm glad that no one was badly hurt.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, April 30, 2026 - 10:30 pm: Edit

The system was designed to stop someone trying to run past the security post before he got anywhere near line of sight of the President.

If you know how to design something that would have detected him before that point, do let the secret service know.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, April 30, 2026 - 10:32 pm: Edit

Roger, I think I like your plan. Bombing the airports and wrecking the airliners would shut off Iranian leaders escaping, as well as the traffic you spoke of.

I really do not want to bomb power plants and bridges. The new democratic government will need those.

By USA/EU Stock 110cm Dolls on Saturday, May 02, 2026 - 02:28 pm: Edit

Authentication Error

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 07:27 am: Edit

Ukraine has a three-step plan to win the war.

1. Stop 95% of the missiles, drones, and glide bombs fired by Russia. This includes diverting Russian attacks to land in open fields. Continue beating the Russians to technology development.

2. Bleed the Russian Army, pushing the casualty rate well beyond the dwindling number of recruits. They have done this since November. Get more help from other nations by proving that they can win the war.

3. Shut off Russia’s money by bombing refineries and getting other nations to accelerate the seizing Russian of shadow fleet tankers.
—the Military Show, YouTube

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 07:45 am: Edit

Ukraine will deploy 25,000 ground robots during 2026. These robots have various machine guns, grenade launchers, and rockets. Some will be used to deliver supplies to frontline robots.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 09:41 am: Edit

Caught a video of a Ukrainian drone firing a shotgun into the back of a Russian drone, causing it to crash.....
The accuracy of the shot(s) is amazing...

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 10:53 am: Edit

SVC's point 3 above also includes attacks on:

-- oil export hubs (Tuapse is largely destroyed. Hits on Primorsk and Novorossysk yesterday, but both are operational)
-- oil pumping stations (A report today that Perm was still burning after being hit 5 days ago)
-- shadow fleet tankers (hits in both the Black and Baltic seas last night)

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 11:48 am: Edit

Last few days I have seen references to something called “The Iranian Immortal Guard.”

Specifically, these people are operating in Iran, burning political posters of Irainian Islamic republican guard , attacking IIRG check points, and have claimed responsibility for assassinations of several mid to high level IIRG leaders.

A google inquiry shows:

Quote:” The Iranian Immortal Guard historically refers to the 10,000-strong elite heavy infantry of the Achaemenid Persian Empire (6th–4th century BC), famous for instantly replacing casualties to maintain a constant, "undying" force. Modernly, it refers to the 20th-century Pahlavi dynasty’s Imperial Guard or a newly cited opposition network of sleeper cells.Key Historical & Modern AspectsAchaemenid Immortals (Ancient): Founded by Cyrus the Great, these troops functioned as both royal bodyguards and elite shock troops, notably in the Greco-Persian Wars."Immortal" Meaning: The name (Greek: Athánatoi) described their unique, constant, and immediate replacement system—never allowing the unit to drop below 10,000 soldiers.Javidan Guard (20th Century): The last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, created the Javidan (Immortal) Guard, an elite brigade of 4,000–5,000 men responsible for palace security, which was involved in the 1978 "Black Friday" events.Opposition "Immortal Guard" (Current): Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah, has used this term to describe a purported network of clandestine cells inside Iran operating to weaken the Islamic Republic security apparatus.Usage Examples & ContextAncient Battlefield Role: Deployed at the center of the army to deliver the decisive blow, often used in close-quarters fighting against forces like the Spartans at Thermopylae.Ceremonial Role: Guarded the Shah at the Lavizan Barracks in Tehran”


As always, this was prepared by Google AI.

Not all information may be correct, use judgement.

Y.M.M.V.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 12:18 pm: Edit

Iran has offered a deal.
Step One: 30 days of negotiations to open the strait and end the blockade.
Step Two: only after such a deal would nuclear negotiations begin.

Trump said he could not see this plan working as Iran must hand over the enriched uranium and agree to permanently end uranium enrichment before the blockade is lifted.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 12:29 pm: Edit

For once I agree with trump. If only there was a "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" deal that permitted IAEA inspectors into Iran.

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 01:14 pm: Edit

>> deal that permitted IAEA inspectors into Iran

The problem with the "deal" structures is what do you do after the deal is broken? Monitoring devices turned off or malfunctioning, inspections not allowed, inspections delayed, new sites not reported? Then you either complain and the nuclear development just happens in Iran (which is what did happen) or you use force to destroy the nuclear gear and/or grab the enriched material and remove it.

So long term, looking to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions requires the use of force of some type. If force is off the table, then Iran becomes a nuclear nation.

--Mike

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 01:41 pm: Edit

Mike G, as Mike E said, that deal, by Obama, was one of the worst diplomatic failures/disasters in history. The “comprehensive plan” was not just doomed to fail, it was designed to fail.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 03:33 pm: Edit

Actually, it was an agreement between the UN security council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), Germany, the European Union and Iran.

It seems technically correct the plan was time limited to 15 years. After that time all limits on enrichment would be removed.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 06:14 pm: Edit

It was still Obama's deal, and Iran violated it repeatedly with no punishment.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 06:28 pm: Edit

Just because the US withdrew from the JCOPA didn't stop the treaty between the rest of the nations and Iran.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 03, 2026 - 09:03 pm: Edit

Iran cheating did. Iran blocking the inspection did. Iran creating new undeclared sites did.

Iran said: “tough camel poop. What are you going to do about it? Start a war?”

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Monday, May 04, 2026 - 02:32 am: Edit

Not for just being in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, no. However, "Under the JCPOA, any of the P5+1 countries could invoke a "snapback" mechanism, allowing for the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions if Iran was found to be in significant non-compliance with the deal." (Wikipedia)

According to a report (" Iran’s Nuclear Program: Tehran’s Compliance with International Obligations", congress.gov/crs-product/R40094#_Toc205812487)
"Until July 2019, all official reports and statements from the United Nations, European Union, the IAEA, and the non-U.S. participating governments indicated that Iran had fulfilled its JCPOA and related Resolution 2231 requirements."
The US is not mentioned here because Trump (withdrew the U.S. from the deal a year earlier and reinstated and intensified sanctions. Aka."the maximum pressure campaign")

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, May 04, 2026 - 05:04 am: Edit

When Iran blocks IAEA inspections and the IAEA says Iran followed the treaty, what does that tell you?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, May 04, 2026 - 07:02 am: Edit

Drones are the future of war, but 90% of drones and parts to build drones come from China. The Chinese began to slow down the sale of these to anyone other than Russia during 2024. In response to, Ukraine began to aggressively build factories that can make drone parts inside Ukraine, and now makes most of the parts for drones itself. The US and EU are playing catch up in starting domestic production of motors, cameras, carbon fiber frames, and circuit boards.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, May 04, 2026 - 04:02 pm: Edit

From what my research shows, Iran didn't blow off the treaty until after Trump started his first term & withdrew...

Please provide a primary source if I am mistaken.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, May 04, 2026 - 04:37 pm: Edit

Mike Grafton:

Please identify who or what your primary research consists of.

A quick Google inquiry revealed:

Quote:” Since 2008, Iran has not had a specific, single "number" of failed inspections, but rather a long-term, patterned history of restricting access, delaying inspections, and failing to provide credible answers regarding undeclared nuclear activities.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly reported that Iran has failed to meet its nuclear obligations, particularly concerning the presence of uranium particles at undeclared sites.Key Instances and Periods of Non-Cooperation (2008–2026)2008–2010: Following 2005 findings of non-compliance, Iran continued to restrict access and failed to answer questions regarding potential military dimensions of its nuclear program.2019–2020: The IAEA investigation focused on three undeclared sites (Turquzabad, Varamin, and Marivan), where environmental samples confirmed the presence of processed uranium.2020: Iran was formally criticized for denying inspectors access to two of these suspected sites.2021–2025: Iran suspended the Additional Protocol, significantly reducing the IAEA’s ability to monitor.June 2025: The IAEA board declared Iran in breach of its obligations, and by July, Iran formally suspended most IAEA cooperation.2026 (Recent): As of February 2026, the IAEA reported that it still has not received access to some key sites, making it unable to verify whether Iran has suspended uranium enrichment.Key Areas of Non-ComplianceDenied Access: Iran has denied or restricted access to specific locations, including military sites like Parchin.Undeclared Material: The IAEA has concluded that Iran failed to declare nuclear material and activities at several locations (Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, and Turquzabad).Refusal to Explain Uranium Traces: Iran has failed to provide technically credible explanations for the presence of man-made uranium particles.Disclaimer: The information above is based on the provided search results from early May 2026, which include reports up to February 2026.”


Note, according to the Google article, the source of the information IS the IAEA.