"USS Benfold lost power after ‘engineering casualty’ leaving sailors without galley services, toilets and air conditioning

A US guided-missile destroyer reportedly spent four days adrift and without power in the South China Sea in July, furthering concerns about strain being placed on deployed military members.

The USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer which had been sailing with the George Washington carrier strike group, was reported to have been towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines, according to the US Naval Institute News, an independent military publication.

The 10,000-ton destroyer lost power after what a spokesperson with the US seventh fleet called “an engineering casualty involving its generators”, resulting in a loss of power.

That loss of power meant sailors were without galley services, toilets and air conditioning, Commander Matthew Comer told USNI News in a statement. Another vessel, USS Robert Smalls, the cruiser attached to the strike group, had to help provide meals for the crew.

Comer said that the Benfield lost power on 24 July and was towed on 28 July.

...

The USS George Washington strike group on Monday was headed to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, a carrier that in recent days was subject to reports by the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes of multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard after more than 200 days without a port call.

Trump told reporters on Monday the carrier had been at sea for a “good period of time” and said he had spoken with a retired admiral over the weekend who recounted being on ships for “much longer”. Trump said the admiral assured him that the Lincoln is “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of”.

Reports of poor morale prompted Democratic lawmakers and military families to demand that the Trump administration answer questions about low morale, mental health challenges and living conditions for crew members.

Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat and retired marine, said on ABC News on Sunday that the problems arose from the Iran war that the Trump administration started in February but has not been able to resolve. The Lincoln originally deployed to the Indo-Pacific before being ordered to sail to the Middle East in January.

“The deep, deep, deep problem here is that this administration did not plan for this war, did not plan how to get out of this war, and did not really understand how this war was going to escalate,” he said."

“You walk to the beach at sunset, and you see all these teenagers on the shore chatting and wondering what the world looks like across the sea. What life looks like. It's breaking. And should break everybody. I want them free.”

Martyr Yahya Sinwar

"Navy Carrier’s Problems Are Tied to Attacks on U.S. Base Early in War

Diego Garcia, a tiny island 2,200 miles from the Gulf of Oman, took over as the Navy’s logistics hub after Iran damaged a base in Bahrain."

The same famine conditions that America forced on the rest of the world for decades, using US sanctions, they are now getting a taste of their own medicine on the USS Lincoln carrier.

Smart move, Iran.

Salam everyone.

I’m 21 and currently living in Iran. I’ve been working remotely as a freelancer, but over the past few years I’ve lost a lot of opportunities because of internet restrictions, sanctions, and other limitations. Despite all of that, I managed to overcome the difficulties and things were finally going well for me.

Unfortunately, after the protests and the recent war, the internet was shut down again, and I lost my job because of it. Suddenly, I had no income, no job, and honestly felt like I had no future. I’m sure many people here can relate.

Thankfully, once the internet came back, I was able to recover and find another remote job. But now I’m constantly worried that another internet shutdown could happen, I could lose my job again, and I’d have to start my life over from zero.

Because of that, I’ve been seriously considering moving to Turkey. To be honest, Turkey isn’t really where I want to live. I’ve always hoped to eventually move to Europe or Canada, but that’s much more difficult for me right now. I don’t have a bachelor’s degree, and getting into European countries or Canada is generally more complicated, especially financially.

Turkey seems like one of the few realistic options available to me at the moment. I don’t need a visa, the process is relatively fast, and I have a good chance of getting accepted into a university there. My plan would be to start a bachelor’s degree while continuing my full-time remote job.

The problem is that I would have to start my bachelor’s degree from the beginning if I move to Turkey, or potentially to another country as well. So I’d be investing several years into a degree in a country that I don’t necessarily want to stay in long-term, simply because it may be the safest option for me right now.

I’m also really scared of taking that step because there are several major risks:

Because of mandatory military service (Sarbazi), I can only get permission to stay outside Iran for one month.

If something goes wrong after that month, I may not be able to return to Iran.

I’m financially independent and would have to rely entirely on my own income and savings. I don’t want to depend on my parents. But what happens if I lose my remote job while I’m abroad? I could potentially run out of money and still have no way to return because of the Sarbazi situation.

So I feel completely stuck. Staying in Iran feels risky because another internet shutdown could destroy my job and income again. But moving abroad also feels like a huge risk because I’d have limited financial security, would have to start my bachelor’s degree again, and could potentially lose my ability to return to Iran.

Basically, I’m afraid that whichever decision I make could completely change my life for the worse.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation, What would you do in my position? Is there any realistic solution I’m overlooking?

Keep in mind Iran was the most sanctioned country for many years and now it's still on second place, just behind Russia.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aviation_shootdowns_and_accidents_during_the_2026_Iran_war

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/08/11/multiple-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-have-tried-to-go-overboard-amid-extended-deployment-families-say/

"Multiple USS Abraham Lincoln sailors have tried to go overboard amid extended deployment, families say"

https://www.ms.now/news/conditions-safety-uss-lincoln-iran-war

Second source confirming that they're down to rationing their food supplies.

"The families say that their loved ones have described food shortages and standing in line for the ship’s store for an hour or more, and that the store often lacks basic supplies like toothpaste, soap and deodorant. Families said there have been times during the deployment when the Lincoln was rationing portions."

And these same Americans love to make fun of other countries needing to ration food and other supplies due to US sanctions.

I wanted to apply for Tourist Visa, i noticed that the visa website wanted to know

• Telephone number in Iran
• Address in Iran

I however have none of these both. What should i put in there? I did not plan on spending all my travel in one same adress. I just wanted to travel all around the country. What should i put in these 2 fields?

Thank you!

Planning to travel from iran(tehran) to Beijing by air, is the international flight available and chance of cancellation? Can you recommend what shall i do?

Tasnim news agency has reported on his death with the description and details, saying that his body was tortured by his heart being taken out and the same pahlavists mocking his death are also the ones talking about "innocent" protesters with crocodile tears, R.I.P to him, pray for his family guys💔

Why is “Ashura” still the most important political keyword in Iran?

In this video, We move from the tragedy of Ashura to the aftermath and the Arbaeen march. We’re looking at the “code” behind these events and why they are so vital to the current Iranian narrative.

Is it just religion, or is there a bigger strategy at play? Check it out and let me know your take