THE AYATOLLAHS BLUFFING IS FALLING APART

 First here is something about Iran written by Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz whom I last met circa 2008-2009. 

 

Sheikh Kickdefella

 

At that time we worked together on taking down Mr Clean. He created excellent graphics (movie poster style) in a blog called 'Sheikh Kickdefella' which took accurate shots at  the not so clean Mr Clean. Syed Azidi is now a Dato and is a big time movie director (pengarah filem, dua anugerah Festival Filem Malaysia). Congrats bro. 

 

*The Great Persian Bluff — When Tehran Burns and the Sky Remains Calm*

By Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz

Having walked the streets of Tehran and observed the evolving geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East, I’ve reflected deeply on how recent events have exposed the widening gap between Iran’s rhetoric and its actual strategic posture.

In this analysis, I share my personal observations and professional reflections on why Iran’s military image — particularly its missile capability, air defence, and ideological narrative — is crumbling under sustained pressure, while Israel’s precision and intelligence-led strategy continues to reshape the regional balance.

This is not about partisanship. It’s about understanding how reality has caught up with propaganda.

I once had high hopes for Iran. I walked the streets of Tehran, visited its museums, saw the elegance of its Persian identity — European in its soul, distinct from its Arab neighbours. But what I also saw was a society disconnected from its rulers. The clerics are isolated.

• Most Iranians, especially the youth, do not support the regime. 
• They admire the West, dress in European fashion, and long for the dignity and freedoms of the past.

What we are witnessing today is the exposure of Iran’s bluff — not only militarily, but ideologically.

• In recent conflicts, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles. 
• Yet little damage was recorded. 
• Reporters could stand at impact sites just minutes later — no flames, no structural devastation, just shallow craters in the ground. 
• The attacks were loud, but ineffective. 
• A show of quantity, not quality.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes — fewer in number — have produced devastating results. As of the latest wave, nearly 300 targets were hit. Fires raged for hours. Strategic command centres were reduced to ash. Senior military leaders were killed in minutes. And astonishingly, Israel released video footage of Mossad operatives marking targets from within Iran itself.

This isn’t just military success. It’s an open declaration: “We are here. And we are not afraid.”

Iran’s air defence? Effectively gone. Since late 2024, repeated Israeli strikes have dismantled much of its radar coverage. Despite clear warnings, Iran failed to protect its skies or leadership. It shows not just a failure of readiness, but a fundamental strategic weakness.

The Islamic Republic built its image on resistance, missiles, and martyrdom. But now, its proxies are degraded, its deterrence is lost, and its enemies strike at will. Iran speaks of retaliation. Yet the world sees the difference: when Iran fires, the skies stay calm. When Israel fires, Tehran burns.

This is no longer about military capability alone. It is about legitimacy. The people of Iran are growing restless. The regime feels distant. And if pressure continues — both from within and without — we may not see another revolution, but a slow disintegration of a regime that no longer holds the nation’s soul.

 

My Comments:

 

I will be posting something about the Iran-Israel shootout after this. Those 100 drones sent up by Iran yesterday have all been shot down over Jordan, Iraq and even over Syria. Some of the over 100 ballistic missiles got through and have killed one person in Tel Aviv. More of that later.

 

Let me repeat what I have said before. In picking a fight with Israel, the Ayatollahs have really bitten off much more than what they can chew. The Ayatollahs have no more interest in "Palestine", Gaza or 'liberating' the Al Aqsa Mosque than you may have in the mating habits of the polar bears in the South Pole  (there are no polar bears in the South Pole, they live around the North Pole).

 

Neither do the Ayatollahs care about Syria, Lebanon or the Yemen. 

 

What the Ayatollahs really care about is justifying their legitimacy to be dictators over Iran without any  real democratic process. There is no democracy in Iran. The most powerful leader is the Supreme Leader who is appointed for life. Since 1979 there have been only TWO supreme leaders in Iran ie Khomeini (beginning 1979) and now Ali Khamenei (since 1989). Any leader who can prevail for 36 years is a dictator.

 

To justify their lording it over the Iranian people without a democratic process the Ayatollahs need optics. Photo ops. Or media coverage. Or publicity. Or PR stunts. And especially when they have screwed up the rest of Iran. The economy is in the dumps, unemployment is sky high, inflation is sky high, the currency is worth almost nothing. Their popularity among the Iranian people has been down in the dumps for a very long time.

 

So 'lets liberate the Al Aqsa Mosque', 'lets liberate Palestine', 'lets fight for our Shia brothers in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain' became PR stunts for the Ayatollahs  to claim some legitimacy as the champions of Shia Islam. And more importantly to divert the Iranian peoples' attention from their increasingly miserable lives.

 

Believe me folks, there is nothing more to the Ayatollahs. 

 

And they chose the least risky and the most cost efficient methods to 'liberate Palestine', 'liberate the Al Aqsa Mosque' and fight for the Shias around the world - by using proxies. Especially those proxies who were themselves suffering serious legitimacy issues. 

 

Hezbollah in Lebanon fit the bill perfectly. Hezbollah was never a democratic outfit. They were led by a mad mullah Hassan Nasrallah from 1992 until he was killed last year. That was 32 years. As long as the Ayatollahs supplied him with millions of US Dollars each year, he used it to buy legitimacy among the Shias in Lebanon. And the success of Hezbollah in Lebanon boosted the image of the Ayatollahs back in Teheran. 

 

Exactly the same arguments held for the Ayatollahs supporting Bashar Assad in Syria, the Houthis in Yemen and the Hamas in Gaza. None of them were democratic and none of them had legitimacy to rule.  When the Ayatollahs supported them with money and weapons, it helped Assad, the Houthis and Hamas gain more traction with their own supporters. It was a Mutual Admiration Society. 

 

Hamas is Muslim Brotherhood and therefore fanatically anti-Shia but Hamas was fighting Israel.  And Israel was the Ayatollahs biggest PR stunt back home in Iran. In Iran (and throughout the Islamic world) anti-Israel, anti-Jew, anti-zionist, anti America made good front page coverage any day of the week. It boosted the image of the Ayatollahs. Maybe the Iranian people could forget what they could not have for lunch.

 

Then the ayatollahs made a few serious mistakes. They began investing billions of US Dollars on their nuclear research 'for peaceful purposes only'.  With massive nuclear research facilities dotted throughout Iran.  This nuclear map below is incomplete. Bushehr is not listed plus a dozen other nuclear sites around Iran.

 

The Ayatollahs are making a nuclear bomb. There is absolutely ZERO doubt about it.

 

Then the Ayatollahs kept repeating 'Israel will cease to exist after 2040'. That is only 15 years away.  They would certainly have the nuclear bomb way before 2040.

 

Then they made those fatal mistakes:

 

In April 2024, the Ayatollahs launched more than 300 projectiles – including around 170 drones and over 120 ballistic missiles at Israel. Almost all were shot down. None of them caused any real damage. One 12 year old Muslim Bedouin girl was seriously injured but she fully recovered from her injuries.

 

This was the first direct attack by the Ayatollahs against Israel. This was not using proxies anymore. 

 

In October 2024 the Ayatollahs launched another 200 missiles against Israel. Again nothing happened. 

 

So the Israelis became more serious about what they should do about the Ayatollahs. Hence their Operation Rising Lions that is now still ongoing. 

 

Yesterday the Ayatollahs launched another 100 drones - all of which were shot down. They also launched over 100 ballistic missiles  of which a maximum of three reached Israel. One person has been killed in Tel Aviv.

 

The Ayatollahs have really bitten off more than they can chew. All they were looking for were the optics and cheap publicity, and the media coverage to distract the Iranian peoples' attention away from their misery. That they were the saviours of Shia Islam. And they hired low rent proxies Hezbollah, Hamas, Bashar Assad and the Houthis to help them grab the headlines.

 

Now all four are gone or done for. Hezbollah and Hamas are gone, Bashar Assad is gone and the Houthis are getting bombed to the Stone Age. 

 

And now it is the turn of the Ayatollahs.  

  The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

SATURDAY JOKES - 268

 

Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia

There is an overweight guy who is watching TV. A commercial comes on for a guaranteed weight loss of 10 pounds in a week. So the guy, thinking what the hell, signs up for it. The next morning an incredibly beautiful woman is standing at his door in nothing but a pair of running shoes and a sign about her neck that reads, “If you can catch me, you can have me.” As soon as he sees her, she takes off running. He tries to catch her but is unable. This continues for a week, at the end of which, the man has lost 10 pounds. After this, he tries the next weight loss plan; 15 pounds in a week. The next morning an even more beautiful woman is standing at the door, in similar conditions. The same happens with her as the first woman, except he almost catches her. This continues for a week, at the end of which he, as suspected, weighs 15 pounds less. Excited about this success, he decides to do the master’s program. Before he signs up, he is required to sign a waiver and is warned about the intensity of this plan. Still, he signs up. The next morning, waiting at the door is a hulking 300-pound muscle man with nothing but a pair of running shoes, a raging erection, and a sign around his neck that says, “If I catch you, you’re mine!” The man was supposed to lose 25 pounds in the week; he lost 34!

 

“Babe is it in?” “Yea.”

“Does it hurt?” “Uh-huh.”

“Let me put it in slowly.” “It still hurts.”

“Okay, let’s try another shoe size.”

 

A teacher was wrapping up class and started talking about tomorrow’s final exam. He said there would be no excuses for not showing up tomorrow, barring a dire medical condition or an immediate family member’s death. One smart male student asked, “What about extreme sexual exhaustion?”, and the whole classroom burst into laughter.

A woman went to a lawyer to discuss about divorcing her husband.
“Don’t you love him anymore?” asked the lawyer.
“Oh, I still love him,” she replied, “but all he ever wants is make love, I can’t take it anymore.”
“Instead of divorcing him, why don’t you try charging him every time he wants to make love?” the lawyer suggested.
The exhausted wife decided to give the plan a try.
As soon as she walked into the house that night her husband put the move on her.
“Not so fast,” she replied. “From now on it’ll be $10 in the kitchen, $20 in the living room, and $50 in the bedroom.”
“Well, then,” he said. “Here’s $50.”
The wife began walking to the bedroom.
“Hold on,” he said, grabbing her hand. “That’ll be five times in the kitchen!”

 

A girl realized that she had grown hair between her legs. She got worried and asked her mom about that hair. Her mom calmly said, “That part where the hair has grown is called your monkey. Be proud that your monkey has grown hair.” The girl smiled. At dinner, she told her sister, “My monkey has grown hair.” Her sister smiled and said, “That’s nothing; mine is already eating bananas.”

 

With their faith in humanity restored after the pandemic, a couple attends a concert and return home late. They find their house has been robbed. Valuables have been taken from throughout the house, from the basement to the attic. And, there is a note on the door reading, “Well, you still have your car. I have to put my kid through college somehow, don’t I?”

 

Three people get arrested and are taken for questioning. The officer talks to the first girl, asking, “What’s your name?” She says, “Yo”. The officer asks, “What are you in for?” She responds with, “Blowing bubbles.” The officer takes her picture and lets her go. He asks the second girl, “What’s your name?” She responds with, “Yo-Yo”. The officer asks, “What are you in for?” She responds with, “Blowing bubbles.” The officer takes her picture and lets her go. He talks to the guy and says, “Let me guess, your name is Yo-Yo-Yo.” The guy replies, “No, it’s Bubbles.”

 

A little boy with diarrhea tells his mom that he needs Viagra. The mom asks, “Why on Earth do you need that?!” The little boy says, “Isn’t that what you give daddy when his willy doesn’t get hard?”

 

Hillary Clinton died and, Lord knows why she went to heaven. St. Peter approached her and says “Hillary, I know you’re ‘somebody’ down on Earth, but up here, you’re just another person. And, I’m swamped right now, so have a seat and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.”

So Hillary sits down and begins looking at her surroundings. She notices a huge wall that extends as far as the eye can see. And on that wall, there are millions and millions of clocks. She can’t help notice that on occasion some of the clocks jump ahead fifteen minutes.

When St Peter returns she asks “What’s the deal with the clocks?”

St Peter replies “There is a clock on the wall for every man on Earth”.

Hillary asks “Well what does it mean when the clock jumps ahead 15 minutes?”

St Peter replies “That means that the man that belongs to that clock has just committed adultery”.

Hillary asks, “Well, is my husband’s clock on the wall?”

St Peters replies, “Of course, not. God has it in his office and is using it for an electric fan”.

As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to order for Memo Plus Gold, please visit : https://oze.my

Ramasamy: Shouldn’t PMX take leave or resign pending outcome of Yusoff Rawther’s civil suit?

 

THE civil suit filed by Yusoff Rawther, former research assistant to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – might yet prove to be the latter’s Achilles’ heel.

Even before the court rules on the civil case and despite the recent dismissal of criminal charges against Yusoff involving alleged drug and firearm possession, Anwar’s position as prime minister appears increasingly precarious.

The opposition has begun to argue – rightly so – that Anwar should either take temporary leave or resign to address the serious allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him.

Anwar, for his part, has taken the legal route, posing eight constitutional questions to the Federal Court in a bid to obtain immunity from civil proceedings which he claims are politically motivated and designed to interfere with his official duties.

Notably, the High Court had earlier denied Anwar’s application to stay the civil suit, signalling that the judiciary does not see his prime ministerial role as a shield against such proceedings.

However, the Court of Appeal subsequently intervened, postponing the trial pending the resolution of Anwar’s constitutional challenge.

Personal capacity

While Anwar insists that the immunity he seeks is for the office of the PM and not for himself personally, the fact remains that Yusoff is suing Anwar the individual – not the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

This distinction matters. The civil suit is not a theoretical challenge to a government institution but a direct allegation of personal misconduct with potentially far-reaching implications for public trust in the country’s leadership.

The recent acquittal of Yusoff on criminal charges – after spending nine months in Sungai Buloh prison for non-bailable offenses – only strengthens the perception that he may have been targeted unfairly.

His legal team, led by Rafique Rashid, convincingly dismantled the prosecution’s case, exposing major flaws and inconsistencies in the evidence.

If the original intent behind the criminal charges was to discredit or silence Yusoff ahead of the civil suit, that strategy has clearly backfired.

‘Set aside temporarily’

The dismissal of Yusoff’s charges was not just a legal victory for one man – it was a small but significant affirmation that justice can still prevail in Malaysia. But justice must also be seen to be done, especially when it involves the highest political office in the land.

The Madani government which once claimed the moral high ground of reform is now increasingly viewed as authoritarian.

Media freedom is tightening with the executive seeming more inclined to encroach upon independent institutions than to uphold their autonomy. The reformist rhetoric has evaporated; in its place is a government increasingly reliant on control and suppression.

Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy

Against this backdrop, it is not enough for Anwar to hide behind legal technicalities. The principle of accountability requires him to step aside – temporarily or otherwise – until the civil suit is resolved.

Anything less would further erode public confidence in the judiciary, the rule of law and the very office of the PM.

Anwar must do the right thing – not for his personal image – but for the sake of democracy and good governance.

He should take leave – or resign – pending the outcome of the civil suit filed by Yusoff Rawther.

Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia

MOF justifies SST on imported fruits, cites sufficient local alternatives

 

The Finance Ministry has defended its decision to impose a five percent Sales and Service Tax (SST) on imported fruits, arguing that Malaysia already produces sufficient local alternatives that remain exempt from the levy.

In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, Finance Ministry Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican emphasised that basic goods such as chicken, vegetables, rice, flour, bread, and cooking oil continue to enjoy zero-percent taxation.

On the other hand, imported fruits are considered "discretionary expenditures" where consumers have viable local options.

The policy to implement the five percent SST on imported fruits has drawn criticism from some quarters, but Johan explained that locally grown produce, including bananas, pineapples, and even high-quality melons from states like Terengganu and Kedah, provides adequate alternatives for Malaysian consumers.

"We go by the type of products. Because you would accept that, even let's say, chicken. The very poor eat chicken, but even the middle class eat chicken. I also buy chicken. So in that sense, that benefit cuts across.

“But certainly for items we consider - in Malay we call it “barangan pilihan” - you know these are discretionary expenditures, so for those, there is an element of choice, because there are maybe cheaper alternatives or basic food items that are zero (percent SST).

"We felt - at least in our opinion - we felt that there was sufficient diversity of local fruits, locally grown fruits that are available in supply, that is zero percent, and we have just applied it (SST) across the board in terms of imported fruits. Because I guess, we argue, that there is an element of choice," Johan said.

Finance Ministry Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican

On Wednesday, consumer groups warned that the five percent SST on all imported fruits could reduce access to essential nutrients, disproportionately affecting lower-income Malaysians.

Local fruits remain tax-exempt, but concerns mount over supply shortages and possible price hikes. Critics also urged the government to boost local fruit production before the tax rollout on July 1, to avoid unintended health consequences.

Besides imported fruits, a five percent sales tax will also be levied on products such as king crab, salmon, cod, truffle mushrooms, essential oils, silk fabrics, and industrial machinery.

"Our justification remains that we feel there is quite a broad supply of locally grown fruits. In fact, fruits are one of the areas the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry has been focusing on to increase our production.

"Pineapples, we do a lot more locally grown (ones) now. Even melons, we now have those high-quality grade melons grown in Terengganu and Kedah. So there are local fruits, but I accept that there are broad sections of the community that do eat imported fruits as well, but we feel that there is an element of choice there," Johan added.

Speaking on the policy framework, Johan emphasised that the government's core commitment was to avoid increasing SST on basic goods, ensuring essential items remain accessible to all income groups.

He acknowledged that whilst the system may not be perfect, the government has made its best efforts to mitigate the impact on ordinary Malaysians.

Progressive tax philosophy

Despite not using income-based exemptions, Johan maintains that the government's policy embodies the spirit of progressive taxation.

He argued that lower-income households typically spend a higher proportion of their income on basic goods, which remain untaxed, whilst higher-income households are more likely to purchase discretionary items that now face the five percent consumption tax.

Johan said that lower-income households spend a higher proportion of their income on basic goods, while this proportion decreases as household income rises.

"So we do feel that we are still embodying the spirit of a progressive tax and that what is mostly consumed at probably low income levels, those will be largely not subject to tax, but that is not to say that the middle-class, they would also benefit with some goods being at zero percent, but of course, they would also consume items that we have introduced the five percent on," he added.

The approach means that middle-class households will get two effects. They will benefit from zero-tax basic goods, and they will also face the five percent SST on discretionary purchases, creating what the government views as a balanced progressive system.

The policy represents the government's attempt to raise revenue whilst protecting the purchasing power of lower-income groups, though the effectiveness of this product-based targeting approach continues to be debated.

SST expansion threatens food security

MCA's think tank, the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap), yesterday warned that the government's decision to broaden the taxable items under the SST risks overlooking deeper vulnerabilities in Malaysia's economic structure, particularly regarding food imports and household food access.

Insap's director Woon King Chai said that for a country that imported over RM75.6 billion in food in 2022, the new taxation approach "could be a costly misstep".

Woon explained that Malaysia's reliance on food imports arises not simply from consumer choice, but from fundamental agricultural limitations.

"We simply cannot produce certain items commercially, in sufficient volume, or at all," he said.

According to the Statistics Department's supply and utilisation of agricultural commodities report, Malaysia continues to rely heavily on imports for key food such as apples (imported 236,877 tonnes), oranges (176,210 tonnes), grapes (85,267 tonnes), wheat (1.74 million tonnes), and potatoes (242,489 tonnes) in 2023.

"These are not exotic indulgences but everyday staples. Yet, under the expanded SST effective July 1, many of these items, particularly temperate fruits and imported cereals, are now subject to a five percent sales tax.

"Despite government clarification that local produce remains exempt, the expansion of the five percent tax to imported fruits and processed foods, including canned goods, sauces, spices, and dried ingredients, will have a cascading effect on the food supply chain.

“Restaurants, caterers, food manufacturers, and consumers will all feel the pinch," Woon said.

He added that the new SST regulation would not only drive up retail prices but would further expose Malaysia's vulnerable food supply chain to fiscal and inflationary pressures, especially regarding food items that Malaysia neither produces nor can feasibly cultivate. - Mkini