"America has sought for the past 47 years to regain control over Iran through numerous plans and conspiracies" | The Iranian army affirmed that, through synergy and cooperation with the other armed forces, it is monitoring enemy movements in the region and vigorously safeguarding national interests, the country's strategic infrastructure, and public funds. It emphasized that it will firmly confront any conspiracy, following recent events in some Iranian cities. In a statement issued Saturday, as reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, the army said,

It affirmed that any conspiracy will be firmly confronted. In the statement, the Iranian army called on Iranian citizens to remain vigilant against foreign conspiracies aimed at destabilizing security and inciting unrest in the country.

✅ The Israeli Influence Operation in Iran Pushing to Reinstate the Shah Monarchy (Megiddo & Benjakob) (Ha'aretz)
■ Iran rocked by wave of protests as US ramps up threats (itvX)
■ Peaceful Protests in Iran Hijacked by Outsiders: Constitutional Council Spokesman (Tasnim)
■ 72 years of Iran ‘regime change’ project: From 1953 coup to post-1979 failed plots (Press TV)
■ Trump will not meet Iran’s "Crown Prince" Pahlavi as protests intensify (Al Jazeera)

[Brief History Recap: On 19 August 1953, Prime Minister of Iran Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in a coup d'état orchestrated by the United States (CIA) and the United Kingdom (MI6). A key motive was to protect British oil interests in Iran after Mossadegh nationalized and refused to concede to western oil demands. It was instigated by the United States (under the name TP-AJAX Project or Operation Ajax) and the United Kingdom (under the name Operation Boot). [...] Following the coup, a government under General Fazlollah Zahedi was formed which allowed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the shah of Iran (Persian for 'king'), to rule more firmly as monarch. He relied heavily on United States support to hold on to power. According to the CIA's declassified documents and records, some of the most feared mobsters in Tehran were hired by the CIA to stage pro-shah riots on 19 August. (1953 Iranian coup d'état)

[...] Working with Shah, the CIA and British intelligence began to engineer a plot to overthrow Mossadeq. The Iranian premier, however, got wind of the plan and called his supporters to take to the streets in protest. At this point, the Shah left the country for “medical reasons.” While British intelligence backed away from the debacle, the CIA continued its covert operations in Iran. Working with pro-Shah forces and, most importantly, the Iranian military, the CIA cajoled, threatened, and bribed its way into influence and helped to organize another coup attempt against Mossadeq. On August 19, 1953, the military, backed by street protests organized and financed by the CIA, overthrew Mossadeq. The Shah quickly returned to take power and, as thanks for the American help, signed over 40 percent of Iran’s oil fields to U.S. companies. (CIA-assisted coup overthrows government of Iran)

So, the CIA installed Pahlavi's father. Does that make this guy a legitimate crown prince? We don't think so. – Editor]

Trump welcomed the oil executives to the White House after U.S. forces earlier Friday seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil.. [He] met with more than a dozen major oil company executives at the White House on Friday, just hours after the U.S. announced the seizure of a fifth oil tanker. | Trump, as he opened the meeting with oil industry executives, sought to assure them that they need not be skeptical of quickly investing in and, in some cases, returning to the South American country with a history of state asset seizures as well as ongoing U.S. sanctions and the current political uncertainty. [...] It’s all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Plans by Kiev’s backers to establish military hubs in the country are equal to an “escalation” of the conflict, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said | Moscow will treat any deployment of Western troops in Ukraine as a “foreign intervention,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned. ● Her remarks came after UK and French leaders said on Tuesday that they had signed a “declaration of intent” with Kiev to deploy forces and establish “military hubs” in Ukraine “in the event of a peace deal” with Moscow, despite Russia’s vocal rejection of any Western troop presence. ● The plan was unveiled following a meeting in Paris of the ‘coalition of the willing,’ a group of Kiev’s Western backers who are pushing for continued military support and effectively stalling peace efforts.

■ Western forces in Ukraine ‘a move toward war’ – Hungarian foreign minister (RT)
■ UK would send ‘fewer than 7,500’ troops to Ukraine (The Times)
✅ Russia won’t accept any European or NATO troops in Ukraine (Dmitry Medvedev)
✅ Zakharova warned the West against deploying troops to Ukraine (Mikhail Sinev)