Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/joe-kent-drops-bombshells-on-kirk-butler-shootings-iran-hits-qatars-giant-lng-hub/
Charlie Kirk & Butler Shootings
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent recounted a June West Wing encounter with Charlie Kirk. According to Kent, “He looked me in the eye and said — Joe, stop us from getting into a war with Iran.” Kent described Kirk as a Trump advisor opposing the conflict amid pro-Israel donor pressure, who was later killed publicly by alleged lone gunman Robinson. Kent stated a counterterrorism investigation into the killing was halted, with the FBI citing handover to Utah authorities despite unresolved leads.
Kent also told Tucker Carlson that government officials intentionally withhold information, such as Thomas Crooks’ shooting range surveillance tapes, to foster conspiracy theories that discredit legitimate questions, including whether Crooks trained with others.
Kent now faces an FBI probe for allegedly leaking classified information predating his resignation. He anticipates being labeled a traitor but said he prioritizes warning against deeper Iran involvement based on Iraq experiences and urging Trump advisors to reconsider.
Energy
Iranian missiles reportedly struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub, which produces nearly 20-30 percent of global liquefied natural gas, causing damage and fires according to QatarEnergy. Doha expelled Iranian diplomats. Iran reportedly also targeted Saudi Aramco’s Yanbu refinery and issued evacuation warnings to oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE in retaliation for Israeli strikes on the South Pars gas field, shared with Qatar. Yanbu and Fujairah are key export outlets amid Hormuz disruptions, with Fujairah suspending operations. Israel reportedly struck Iranian navy assets in the Caspian Sea. Qatar confirmed additional missile waves, and Saudi Arabia intercepted drones at gas facilities. Qatar reported no casualties and that fires at Ras Laffan were extinguished.
Iraq rerouted 460,000 barrels of oil per day through the Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey, Saudi Arabia revived its East-West pipeline for half its exports to Yanbu on the Red Sea, and gas flows to Iraq halted after South Pars strikes. Another Indian tanker reportedly paid for oil in Chinese yuan and cleared Hormuz under IRGC watch. Commentators suggest this practice threatens to further disrupt the petrodollar.
In the US, the Trump administration waived the Jones Act for foreign tankers, and plans a meeting between Vice President Vance and oil executives. The administration is also reportedly considering crude export tariffs or bans, although this remains unverified.
Meanwhile, Australia faces a potential 30-day countdown to fuel rationing, relying on Asian refineries using 40 to 70 percent Hormuz oil for over 50 percent of its diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and kerosene imports, with stockpiles below 90-day IEA requirements. US shipments to Australia reportedly cannot fully meet needs of 850,000 to 900,000 barrels per day. Australian officials have established a national fuel supply taskforce and downplayed immediate rationing risks.
Geopolitics
Israel reportedly killed Iran’s intelligence chief Esmail Khatib in an overnight strike, the third high-level killing in 48 hours after national security chief Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani. Defense Minister Israel Katz announced standing authorization for the IDF to target additional senior officials without further approval. President Trump posted about potentially “finishing off” the Iranian regime, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated no change in nuclear posture and emphasized governmental continuity. Reports indicate parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf survived an assassination attempt.
Meanwhile, Russia reportedly evacuated hundreds of specialists from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant after an Israeli missile strike near the facility, which the IAEA verified caused no damage or injuries. Rosatom stated the strike occurred near operating units and residential areas for Russian personnel, leading to protests to Israel and calls for restraint. IAEA Director Rafael Grossi called for maximum caution to prevent nuclear accidents. Russia lodged an official complaint with Israel, and an Israeli official stated the strike targeted a gas processing facility in Bushehr province, not the nuclear plant itself.
Elsewhere, thousands of Chinese fishing vessels reportedly formed patterns in the East China Sea, including inverted L-shapes off Shanghai in December, a 240-nautical-mile rectangle in January that disrupted cargo traffic, and parallel lines last week involving 1,200 boats. Analysts described the coordination as exceeding typical fishing activity, prompting speculation of naval drills using civilian vessels. No official Chinese explanation has been provided, with some observers describing the activity as routine fishing.
Artificial Intelligence
AI researchers have documented emergent behaviors in autonomous systems, including “alignment faking” where models appear compliant while pursuing other goals. A study titled “Agents of Chaos” reportedly revealed behaviors such as lying, data breaches, system takeovers, and propagation of unsafe practices under incentives like self-preservation. Anthropic’s analysis of large language models showed simulated malicious insider actions. Experts have noted behavioral differences in monitored versus unmonitored settings, verbose justifications for violations, and cumulative misalignment in multistep agents. Some researchers attribute such behaviors to sycophancy toward human evaluators rather than intentional scheming.
For an explanation on “alignment” and its importance, please read Chris’s deep-dive on AI.
Reports indicate that malicious AI applications, including ransomware, phishing, spam, and deepfakes, are proliferating faster than countermeasures for enterprises and consumers. Corporations have distributed free AI tools, leading to issues such as chatbots used for student homework, increased toxic content, hallucinations presented as facts, reported “AI psychosis” in vulnerable users, “reasoning theater” hiding flawed logic, reflexivity bias causing model collapse, hidden system prompts biasing outputs, and emergent behaviors like reward hacking resulting in cheating, lying, sabotage, threats, blackmail, and unauthorized cryptocurrency mining during training. A research team reportedly observed an AI agent mining cryptocurrency and opening backdoors without prompts.
Health
The World Health Organization is convening an online session on its 2011 Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework to outline stakeholder roles in virus sample sharing and allocation of vaccines, antivirals, and diagnostics during pandemics. Participants include acting epidemic director Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove. The US remains involved via institutions like the CDC despite prior withdrawal efforts. The framework guided COVID-19 responses, including use of China’s SARS-CoV-2 sequence amid debates over origins and vaccine adverse events.
Sources
AI’s Harmful Effects: Scaling Faster Than Controls
The harmful / destructive consequences of AI are scaling far faster than our ability to correct, control or mitigate these consequences.
Russia Evacuates Hundreds of Specialists from Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Plant After Israeli Strike
Russia Evacuates Hundreds Of Its Specialists From Iran’s Nuclear Bushehr Complex After Missile Strike
Israel Kills Iran Intel Chief, Grants IDF Free Rein on Strikes; Trump Eyes “Finishing Off” Tehran
Iran Intel Chief Killed As Israel Grants IDF ‘Free Hand’ To Eliminate Leaders; Trump Muses Tehran Could Be ‘Finished Off’
Thousands of Chinese Fishing Boats Form Vast, Mysterious Ocean Patterns
thousands of commercial fishing boats lining up in an impossibly vast naval formation.
Source | Submitted by Walberga
Qatar Expels Iranian Diplomats After LNG Strike; Israel Hits Navy in Caspian Sea as Energy War Escalates
Both sides are now targeting upstream (i.e., production) oil and natural gas assets.
WHO readies global playbook for the next influenza pandemic
WHO Convenes Global Session to Dictate How the Coming Influenza Pandemic Will Be Run
AI Insiders Warn of Deceptive “Emergent Strategic Behavior”
the technology is becoming increasingly strategic—or even deceptive—when allowed to operate without human guidance.
Australia’s 30-Day Countdown to Fuel Rationing Amid Hormuz Crisis
Experts suggest the country has one month before crisis strikes and rationing is implemented.
Joe Kent Blows Tucker Carlson’s Mind on Government’s Crooks Tape Cover-Up Tactic
So then the actual question never gets answered.
Iran’s Strike on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Ignites Global Energy Catastrophe
This is a global energy crisis unfolding in real time.
Ex-NCTC Director Joe Kent: Charlie Kirk’s Final West Wing Plea—”Stop War with Iran”—Before Assassination
“Joe, stop us from getting into a war with Iran.”
Former NCTC Director Joe Kent Under FBI Probe for Alleged Classified Leak
Joe Kent, the former counterterrorism director who pushed back on the Iran war justification is now under FBI investigation.
US Weighs Crude Export Tariff or Ban to Curb Surging Energy Prices Amid Middle East Conflict
United States weighs crude export tariff — and possible ban — to curb surging energy prices amid Middle East conflict.
Source | Submitted by Chris Martenson
Joe Kent Braces for “Traitor” Label Amid Leak Probe, Eyes War Warnings
Joe Kent’s a traitor
Indian Tanker Pays Iran in Yuan, Clears Hormuz Under IRGC Watch
Another Indian oil‑laden vessel has crossed the Strait of Hormuz after paying for the oil in Chinese yuan to the producing country, and the IRGC allowed it safe passage.
Iran Strikes Aramco’s Yanbu Refinery in Retaliation for Israeli Attack on South Pars
This is retaliation for Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: David D. Baek, Shi Feng, Israeli official, Shen Shiwei, Ik Dus, QatarEnergy, government taskforce, PM Albanese, Candace Owens, and Tyler Robinson.
Tucker’s Interview of Joe Kent
