Transcript [00:00] Hey everyone, this is the Iran update [00:03] for Friday, February 27th. Let's get [00:08] right to it. So, the big news out of [00:12] Israel today is that Huckabe said to [00:14] tell embassy staffers, if you want to [00:16] leave Israel, do so today. And in fact, [00:19] shortly after this, we got news that the [00:21] State Department has issued an official [00:24] warning uh telling everyone, you know, [00:27] again, telling everyone to leave. So, [00:29] the State Department authorizes [00:30] departure from Israel. Um, on February [00:33] 27th, 2026, the Department of State [00:35] authorized the departure of [00:36] non-emergency US government personnel [00:39] and family members of US government [00:40] personnel from Mission Israel due to [00:44] safety risks. In response to security [00:47] incidents and without advanced notice, [00:49] the US embassy may further restrict or [00:51] prohibit US government employees and [00:53] their family members from traveling to [00:55] certain areas of Israel, the old city of [00:57] Jerusalem, the West Bank. Persons may [00:59] wish to consider leaving Israel while [01:01] commercial flights are available. Okay? [01:04] So, they're encouraging their staff to [01:06] leave. Now, think about that. with [01:08] everything going on over the last few [01:10] weeks. Uh they they did not say this [01:13] yet, but they said it today. This is [01:16] just a couple of hours ago. At the same [01:18] time, we see that refueling aircraft uh [01:21] American refueling aircraft are are [01:23] coming into Israel. Six more came in [01:25] yesterday. KC46 tankers bound for [01:28] Benorian airport amid wider US military [01:31] buildup. So that continues the massive [01:34] amount of supplies. And the world's [01:36] largest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. [01:39] Ford, arrived in on the shores of Israel [01:43] yesterday. Okay, here you go. [01:47] That's the largest aircraft carrier in [01:50] the world. No official announcement has [01:52] been made by the US military. The media [01:55] report noted that the arrival of the [01:56] aircraft carrier came after 20 US [01:59] refueling aircraft landed in Israel on [02:01] Thursday night. Okay, I mentioned six [02:04] before. That was what was reported in [02:06] the Turkish media. But it's actually [02:08] here it says that there were 20 [02:09] refueling aircraft. [02:12] And we also have a report in Israel [02:15] Hayom the Israeli newspaper very well [02:17] sourced paper that Trump to meet senior [02:19] team Friday that's today on Iran strike [02:23] options that of course comes a day after [02:26] these negotiations in Geneva that did [02:28] not really seem to bridge the gaps [02:30] between the two sides. So we see things [02:33] are things are heating up. Let's let's [02:35] sum up what we've seen so far. [02:37] State Department instructs staff that [02:40] now is the time to leave while [02:41] commercial flights are available. [02:42] Huckabe tells staff today is the day to [02:45] leave. Today is the day that Trump is [02:48] set to meet with his senior adviserss [02:50] according to Israel Hayom. And [02:52] meanwhile, we see massive amounts of [02:54] American assets getting arriving in [02:56] Israel. These fueling tankers coming in. [02:59] The Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft [03:01] carrier in the world, docking in Israel. [03:03] All happening today in this 24-hour [03:07] period. And meanwhile, we see this [03:10] report. Iranian Kurdish opposition [03:12] groups unify to topple regime but vow [03:16] not to use Iraq as a launching pad. Very [03:19] interesting. Several Kurd Iranian [03:22] Kurdish political parties based in Iraq [03:24] have formed a new coalition to challenge [03:26] Iran's Islamic Republic. They emphasized [03:28] they will not use Iraqi territory for [03:31] attacks against Iran and expressed [03:33] strong skepticism about Resa Palvi as a [03:36] viable alternative [03:38] to the current regime. Five Iranian [03:40] Kurdish opposition groups have joined [03:41] forces under the banner of the Coalition [03:43] of Political Forces in Iranian [03:45] Kurdistan. Among them, the Democratic [03:48] Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the [03:50] Kurdistan Freedom Party, and the Party [03:52] for free life of Kurdistan. Okay, so you [03:54] have all these different groups. It [03:55] almost reminds me of the Montipython [03:57] movie Life of Brian where you have the [03:59] different, you know, the people's front [04:00] of Judea and the Judeian people's front. [04:02] Uh, you know, but but anyway, you have [04:04] these different Kurdish groups. They're [04:05] all getting together. They're all [04:07] chomping at the bit for the Iranian [04:08] regime to fall. Now, I also want to [04:10] clarify something. In a video I made [04:11] yesterday about the opposition in Iran, [04:13] I mentioned MEK [04:16] um and this assassination attempt, and [04:18] people misunderstood it. I read the [04:20] comments. Many people on the on this [04:22] channel watching this misunderstood it [04:24] and thought that I was saying something [04:26] positive about the MEK or send saying [04:28] something in support. They're actually a [04:30] very problematic group and could [04:32] actually destabilize the situation [04:34] should the regime fall. I'm going to do [04:36] a separate video in the coming days on [04:38] all the various Iranian opposition [04:40] groups so that we understand the lay of [04:41] the land. Um and I'll I'll clarify that [04:44] then. In any event, here you here we're [04:46] talking about on that Iraq Iran border [04:50] where you have these we have these [04:51] Kurdish groups that really want their [04:53] own kind of independence. Although we [04:55] should we should know that the Iranian [04:57] Kurdish groups again Kurds in Iran also [05:00] kind of view themselves as Iranian [05:02] nationals and they want to have their [05:05] own independent self-ruule as Iranian [05:07] Kurds and that's why you see it's an [05:09] alliance of Iranian Kurdish groups. The [05:12] Kurdistan region of Iraq has long hosted [05:15] camps [05:17] and bases for several Iranian Kurdish [05:20] factions, many of which many of which [05:22] have been targeted by crossber strikes [05:24] from Thran. The timing of the alliance [05:26] has prompted debate among Iraqi Kurds [05:29] with some warning that it could expose [05:32] the region to renewed Iranian military [05:34] action. They're worried about Iran [05:35] attacking the Kurdish regions in Iraq. [05:38] We are not waiting for the US or other [05:40] people. The Kurdish movement has been [05:42] struggling for legitimate rights for the [05:43] past 80 years. [05:46] Muhammad Nazif Kadiri, a member of the [05:49] PDKI executive committee, told the new [05:51] Arab when asked whether the announcement [05:53] was premature [05:55] given that Washington has not formally [05:57] adopted a policy of regime change in [05:58] Thran. So what meaning they seem to be [06:01] jumping the gun on regime change? The [06:03] alliance is a political, national, and [06:05] patriotic one for defending human [06:07] rights, freedom, democracy, and peaceful [06:10] coexistence for Iran's components. [06:13] You see, they see themselves as a [06:14] component of Iran, but they want some [06:16] they want their own self-ruule. Thus, we [06:18] hope the US and Europe will support it [06:21] because they have also suffered from the [06:22] Islamic regime's terrorism for decades. [06:25] Regarding relations with other Iranian [06:27] opposition figures, including Resa [06:29] Palvi, [06:31] uh that's the eldest son of the last Sha [06:32] of Iran. Kadiri stated that the Kurdish [06:34] parties maintain contact with various [06:37] opposition groups, but have serious [06:39] reservations about the exiled prince's [06:41] political vision. So far, the son of the [06:43] Sha has no clear and public political [06:46] plan as per the other nations in Iran. [06:49] Thus, from what we hear and read of what [06:51] is said on his behalf, he is in fact [06:53] worse than the current Islamic regime. [06:56] Secondly, the Sha's regime was a [06:57] dictatorship against Kurds, and now [06:59] Palavy's agenda does not include an [07:01] optimistic view for the Iranian nation [07:04] and for real democracy and coexistence. [07:07] Within hours of the announcement, the [07:09] Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan [07:11] Regional Government issued a statement [07:13] reaffirming that the Iraqi Kurdistan [07:15] region will not allow any party to use [07:17] its territory as a base to target [07:20] neighboring countries. Let me explain [07:21] what's happening here. The Iranian [07:23] Kurdish groups are getting ready to, you [07:27] know, eat at the carcass of the Iranian [07:30] regime as it falls or or aid in its [07:32] falling. They want to take advantage of [07:35] the fall of the Iranian regime to assert [07:37] their independence in the Kurdish region [07:40] in northern Iran. They are now located [07:43] in exile over the border there in Iraq. [07:46] The Iraqi Kurds don't want them using [07:49] Iraq as a launching pad because they're [07:51] worried about Iranian retaliation [07:53] against them. So, they're distancing [07:54] themselves from the Iranian Kurds. Now, [07:57] this is a problem. The Kurds going back [07:59] a century or more have never been able [08:01] to get along with each other and it's [08:03] been their undoing. This is why there is [08:05] no Kurdistan. When the Ottoman Empire [08:07] was first being broken up after World [08:09] War I, the whole reason the Kurds were [08:10] cut out of the deal and didn't get a [08:12] Kurdistan. It's because they couldn't [08:14] agree on anything and they couldn't and [08:16] they couldn't decide who was [08:18] representing them and what they wanted. [08:20] And therefore the British and French and [08:23] some American diplomats who were carving [08:25] up the Ottoman Empire there at at um [08:29] Sykes Pico agreement and the San Remo [08:31] conference. They they just didn't pay [08:33] much attention to the Kurdish needs [08:35] because the Kurds could not get their [08:36] act together and unify. So it's [08:38] interesting to see that you know the [08:40] Kurds are still you know not really [08:43] getting along so well. Um [08:48] yeah mean re uh the Iranbacked Iraqi [08:51] militia warned Kurdish authorities on [08:53] Monday against joining any potential [08:55] military action against Iran. You see [08:57] also there the Iraqi is also warning the [09:00] Kurds in in Iraq from getting Iraq [09:03] involved in anything with Iran joining [09:06] military action against Iran. No one [09:08] wants the Iranians to retaliate on on [09:12] Iraqi soil. [09:15] So yeah, so that's what you have here. [09:18] So this is a uh a very interesting [09:20] developing situation. Uh something worth [09:22] watching as one of the side plots in [09:25] this whole story. Now, as for Iranian [09:27] media, uh on WANA, I check this every [09:30] day. This is the English uh this is the [09:32] English translation of Iranian regime [09:35] media. So what does it say on their [09:36] front page? Is another round of talks [09:39] ahead or repeat of the June war? And [09:42] then they have this piece here where [09:44] they where they remind everyone that in [09:47] June when Israel attacked on June 13th, [09:50] it was a day before there was supposed [09:52] to be a a a sixth round of talks. [09:57] And therefore, even though there's there [10:01] are supposed to be more rounds of talks, [10:05] this could be a repeat of what happened [10:08] in the 12-day war. So that's what it [10:10] says down here. Look, if we consider the [10:13] experience of the negotiations that [10:14] preceded the 12-day war, however, a [10:16] repetition of that model cannot be ruled [10:19] out. At that time, despite positive [10:21] rhetoric about the atmosphere and [10:23] progress of the talks and even the [10:26] scheduling of a sixth round, war broke [10:28] out on the very night before the next [10:30] round of negotiations was set to begin. [10:33] Israel attacked on Thursday night, [10:34] Friday morning, uh, June 13th, and there [10:37] were supposed to be that weekend there [10:39] was supposed to be the sixth round of of [10:41] talks. So, they're saying, look, [10:42] therefore, a positive assessment of the [10:44] current talks and an agreement to [10:46] continue discussions do not necessarily [10:49] guarantee a final deal. This time, as [10:52] well, given the completion of US [10:54] military deployments in the region, the [10:56] possibility of a repeat of the 12-day [10:58] war scenario remains. [11:01] In other words, what they're saying [11:02] here, and that's how the piece kind of [11:04] ends. Okay, one more sentence at the [11:06] end. The coming hours and days will be [11:08] crucial and we'll have a clearer path of [11:10] what's going to happen. So, this piece [11:13] is fascinating because it's the Iranians [11:15] simply signaling that they don't trust [11:17] the Americans and that they're not going [11:20] to be fooled if they get attacked. It's [11:22] a very interesting play. They're [11:24] basically saying, "Yes, we've agreed to [11:26] have more talks and we hope there's more [11:28] talks, but considering what happened in [11:31] June, we're not going to be surprised if [11:33] the Americans attack us." This is a way [11:35] of preemptively saving face so that if [11:38] and when the so that if the Americans [11:39] actually attack, the Iranians can say, [11:42] "Yeah, we weren't fooled. We weren't [11:44] duped. You know, you didn't you know, [11:46] you didn't have us fooled." It's it's an [11:48] interesting play. Now, here's something [11:50] that I noticed in the media that was [11:51] fascinating and this shows you um [11:55] you know this is an interesting episode [11:58] in information warfare as it were. Check [12:01] this out. So, I noticed this on the WA [12:03] page that they they and this is from [12:06] today. This is a new story from this [12:07] morning [12:09] that the OIC, which is the Organization [12:12] of Islamic Cooperation, that's like the [12:14] the organization of all of the Muslim [12:16] countries, that the OIC [12:19] issued a statement that any use of force [12:22] against Iran violates international law. [12:24] And I found that really interesting [12:26] because the OIC includes, you know, a [12:28] lot of countries that have pretty good [12:31] relations or working relations, [12:32] diplomatic relations with the United [12:35] States. [12:37] And it would kind of be saying like [12:39] wagging a finger at the US saying if you [12:42] attack Iran, you're going to be [12:44] violating international law. I thought [12:47] that was pretty bold for a statement to [12:49] come out from the OIC about that [12:51] yesterday. Okay? Because this is what it [12:53] says here. The executive committee of [12:54] the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [12:56] meeting at the level of foreign [12:58] ministers in an extraordinary session [13:00] strongly condemned Israeli settlement [13:02] expansion and annexation policies in the [13:04] West Bank [13:06] and expressed deep concern over recent [13:08] threats against the Islamic Republic of [13:10] Iran. [13:11] The committee stated that any recourse [13:13] to force against a sovereign state [13:15] constitutes a clear violation of [13:17] international law. Okay. [13:21] Uh and then it goes and then the rest of [13:23] the article, next few paragraphs all [13:27] talk about uh Israel, West Bank, [13:29] annexation, that whole issue. And then [13:34] it says towards the bottom, attendees [13:36] welcomed recent diplomatic efforts [13:37] between Iran and the United States and [13:39] expressed support for constructive steps [13:41] aimed at reducing tensions. [13:44] Um [13:46] Yep. [13:47] And then it goes back to uh you know the [13:49] countries that helped the negotiations [13:50] with Israel and more about the West Bank [13:54] to finish off. So I thought this was [13:57] interesting and I decided to search [13:59] online for other reporting of this [14:02] meeting because if there was a meeting [14:03] of the OIC executive committee at the [14:06] level of foreign ministers and they [14:07] issued statements, I want to see how [14:09] this was reported. So I went ahead and I [14:11] Googled OIC foreign ministers and then I [14:14] clicked on news which gives you the [14:16] recent stories about any meeting of the [14:18] OIC foreign ministers and sure enough [14:21] WAFA and Q&A. This is all this is a [14:24] Qatari uh outlet. Here's Andeloo uh [14:27] Ajani. That's a Turkish state media, [14:31] right? These are all like the Arab these [14:32] are all the all like the Muslim [14:35] power medias. Okay. So and I clicked on [14:37] them or Arab news. Arab news is a uh is [14:41] a Saudi outlet, right? At OIC meeting, [14:44] Pakistan calls on world to halt Israel's [14:46] annexation of West Bank. And there's a [14:47] whole article about this OIC meeting. [14:50] And I went to uh find on the page the [14:53] word Iran and it doesn't appear. [14:56] There's no mention whatsoever [14:59] of the of how the Iranians reported it [15:04] that there was a statement made saying [15:07] that an attack on Iran violates [15:09] international law. It doesn't appear in [15:10] the piece. And then I went to the [15:11] Turkish reporting [15:13] Turkey, Arab League, OIC, and 18 other [15:15] countries condemn Israeli moves [15:17] expanding control over West Bank. And [15:19] again, I searched, let's go ahead and [15:20] search and search for Iran. [15:23] Iran. [15:25] Nope. doesn't appear in the article even [15:26] once. Nothing. Right. Just on the [15:29] sidebar, there's the word Iran appears [15:31] in a link to a different article. [15:33] Meaning the and I checked these other [15:35] ones as well, Q&A and WAFA and all of [15:39] them. So what you see here is that all [15:41] of the other reporting of this OIC [15:44] meeting makes zero mention, not even a [15:47] sentence mentioning any statement at all [15:51] about that about attacks on Iran, about [15:54] the Iran US negotiations or certainly [15:58] not any declaration that a use of force [16:00] against Iran violates international law. [16:02] It was only reported in Iranian state [16:04] media, [16:06] which means one of two things. It means [16:08] that Iranian state media is lying and [16:10] they never said this or that it did come [16:14] up at the meeting [16:17] that someone said it or it was declared [16:20] but that all the other ones all the [16:23] other media all the other state media of [16:24] all the other Muslim countries didn't [16:26] want to report it because they don't [16:28] want to go on record as as preemptively [16:32] saying that the United States will be in [16:34] violation of international law if they [16:36] attack the Iranian regime. Anyway, I I [16:38] don't I'm not sure exactly what to make [16:40] of this. I'd love to hear from you. Put [16:42] in the comments what you think of this, [16:43] but I thought I I thought it was an [16:44] interesting episode in reading media [16:46] that you have this headline of a [16:48] declaration made by this OIC meeting. [16:51] And in none of the other reporting of [16:52] this OIC meeting, do we see any mention [16:55] of this at all. All right, that's uh [16:58] that'll be it for the Iran update for [17:00] today. Uh please keep watching and [17:03] sharing and liking and all that great [17:05] stuff. And thank you for building this [17:07] channel. It is growing. It's growing [17:09] quickly. And that means that word is [17:10] spreading. So, thank you. And please [17:12] keep spreading the word. And please, as [17:14] always, check out everything we're doing [17:16] at Israel 365 and at Israel 365 News [17:20] YouTube channel. God bless.
