The Simurgh: An Eye on the Enemy

🇮🇷❌🇶🇦🇺🇸一 The number of USAF aircraft parked at Al-Udeid Airbase in Qatar has decreased sharply, as seen on Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, 16/08/2026. Three days ago there were 7 refueling tankers and a single C-17A, while today there are only 3 tankers. @SimurghRes

🇮🇶🇺🇸💬🇮🇷一 The Trump administration established a direct backchannel to the leadership of IRGC via Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani, after raising doubts about whether Iran's official negotiating team actually had the authority to broker an end to the war, according to Axios. Around May 10, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard asked Barzani to reach out to IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, drawing on Barzani's longstanding ties in both Tehran and Washington. On May 14, an IRGC official traveled to Erbil carrying an encrypted phone, enabling Barzani to speak with Vahidi directly. Vahidi told Barzani he gave his full backing to the negotiations being led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and noted that the IRGC favored settling the crisis through diplomacy rather than escalation. Barzani promptly passed the message along to Gabbard and the White House. Washington then proposed holding secret U.S.-Iran talks in Erbil under Barzani's auspices, but Iranian officials balked over security concerns, fearing Israeli intelligence could target their delegation while in Iraqi Kurdistan — and the meeting ultimately fell through. Pakistani and Qatari mediators are still shuttling messages between Washington and Tehran, though without much progress, while Barzani has recently offered to help the White House get negotiations back on track. @SimurghRes

🇺🇸一 Pictures from aboard the moldy old USS George Washington, which recently underwent an incredibly expensive “complex overhaul” that took six years to finish. @SimurghRes

😌🇱🇧🇮🇷一 An air defense expert with the IRGC stated: In the early days of the war, six to seven Hermes and Heron drones belonging to the Zionist regime were simultaneously flying over southern Lebanon. After these drones were targeted in Iran, their number in southern Lebanon dropped to one, granting Hezbollah greater freedom of action. @SimurghRes

🇵🇸🇵🇸💬🇪🇬— A Hamas delegation, headed by its political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo and will meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad. The meeting will focus on consolidating the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and activating…

The Pentagon is set to launch a Western civilization course this fall for schools serving military families, with a curriculum centered on Christianity, classical education, and patriotic values. The initiative is part of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's broader push to overhaul the military's education system, according to AP. The course will be rolled out across the War Department's roughly 160 schools spanning 11 countries, which together serve around 70,000 students. It will draw on "The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition," published by the conservative publisher Encounter Books, along with lesson plans co-developed with Hillsdale College. Critics contend that the curriculum conflates Western civilization too closely with Christianity, depicts Islam as uniquely prone to violence, and downplays conflicts waged by Christians, such as the Crusades. @SimurghRes

🇮🇷🇺🇸⚡️ — According to the latest Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) advisory, three vessels were struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz since its previous report 72 hours ago. Two were outbound in Omani territorial waters, while a third was hit at an undisclosed location while traveling inbound. No injuries were reported, and all three vessels continued their voyages.

😁🇮🇷— The Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army: With public participation, any Iranian force that captures or kills a American aggressor will receive a $30,000 reward from the Iranian people. @SimurghRes

😌🇾🇪❌🇸🇦— Yemeni armed forces target Saudi military supplies at the port of Mocha again. This is the third time since dawn today. @SimurghRes

🇵🇸🇵🇸💬🇪🇬— A Hamas delegation, headed by its political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo and will meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad. The meeting will focus on consolidating the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and activating its second phase, which includes a ceasefire, amidst the ongoing dispute over the Middle East peace plan. @SimurghRes

😁🇮🇷一 General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Iranian Islamic Republic: We will not back down from the legitimate demands of the Iranian people and the Leader until the US-Israeli enemies are fully defeated in the region, the rights of the Iranian nation are upheld, and the enemy surrenders. @SimurghRes

🇮🇱❌🇱🇧🇱🇧🇵🇸一 Israeli Security Minister, Ben-Gvir: I demand that Netanyahu occupy all of Gaza, encourage immigration, destroy Hamas, bomb Beirut, and crush Hezbollah. @SimurghRes

🇱🇧❌🇮🇱🇺🇸— A US State Department official: Hezbollah must be disarmed and dismantled. @SimurghRes