The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes 24 sites in Iran (more than almost any other country in the world) that are of such critical cultural and historical importance that they belong to all of humanity.
The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of UNESCO, owing $600 million to the organization after it admitted #Palestine as a full member. mintpressnews.com/us-pulls-unesc…
Trump’s statements are in violation of Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which states any int'l agreement made under duress or threat of force is null and void. Targeting cultural sites is also specifically recognized as a major war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention.
Section 5.16.2 of the Department of Defense Law of War Manual also prohibits threats to destroy cultural objects for the express purpose of deterring enemy operations, meaning Trump’s action directly contravene American codes of war.
It's unlikely any action will be taken, just as it's unlikely Trump will be removed from Twitter for breaking terms of service on threatening behavior despite threatening enemy states with nuclear annihilation. Meanwhile, the rest of us face censorship.
🧵From annulling elections to banning political parties, Europe is in a state of deep political malaise.
In this series, MintPress highlights six signs that democracy in Europe is beginning to crumble, citing examples from Romania, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
Romania’s top court has annulled the results of last month’s election, that saw anti-NATO outsider Călin Georgescu score a shock victory.
Since Georgescu’s shock win, Romania has rushed through emergency legislation that allows for its armed forces to be placed under foreign (NATO) command at any time.
🧵Israel’s role in the Syrian war to secure its own interests
The Israeli military has been involved in backing at least a dozen Syrian opposition groups, including the Al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria, Jabhat Al-Nusra, which would later change its name to Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham.
Israel steals Syrian resources from Golan Heights
Israel provided salaries for Syrian opposition fighters
🧵The CIA exists to carry out clandestine operations at the behest of the U.S. government. Over the decades, that has included political assassinations.
In this series, MintPress details nine well-known political figures the CIA is widely accused of attempting (and, in some cases, succeeding) to assassinate.
🧵A new MintPress News study has unearthed a network of former agents of Israeli spying agency, Unit 8200 working at TikTok, a company charged with supposedly being a Chinese-owned hub of anti-Semitic content.
Amid claims it is an anti-Semitic platform, TikTok has actually hired numerous agents from Israeli spying agency, Unit 8200.
Reut Medalion, head of TikTok’s head of its cybersecurity operations team, is a former Unit 8200 commander.
🧵Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen reprised his Borat character on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Many users on social media complained about the Anglo-Israeli’s use of tired stereotypes, but what few know, however, is his deep connections to both the US and Israeli national security states.
A MintPress News investigation from @AlanRMacLeod delves into this murky relationship.
Cohen once casually revealed that his movie, Brüno, was made with the help of the CIA.
Documents abstained under the Freedom of Information Act also show the US military was involved.
🧵Activision Blizzard’s new video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has some seriously problematic aspects, not least the dehumanization of Arabs. It is set in Iraq, where players kill Iraqi combat forces and pursue Saddam Hussein. Previous Call of Duty games have glorified the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Cuba’s Fidel Castro.
This targeting of America’s enemies is no coincidence. The game’s developer, Activision Blizzard, work closely with the US military and the US national security state to create the games. Furthermore, top Activision Blizzard executives are former CIA operatives.