Sputnik – 12.03.2026
In early March, the Israeli army announced the launch of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. In response, Hezbollah retaliated, escalating tensions between the two sides.
Hezbollah has delivered a powerful message with massive rocket barrages that reportedly penetrated Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome defenses, with only about half of ~100 projectiles intercepted in a single day, the New York Post reported, citing IDF sources.
Why Did The Iron Dome Fail?
“Unlike in 2024—when Israel provided maximum dense coverage for the northern regions—now Israel has dispersed a significant portion of these anti-aircraft systems across various parts of the country to protect against Iranian drone attacks and the like. As a result, the defensive density in the north is generally weaker,” Yury Lyamin, veteran Russian military observer tells Sputnik. … Full article
The Cradle | March 12, 2026
The Israeli army committed a massacre in the heart of Beirut early on 12 March, targeting a group of displaced Lebanese civilians with a drone and killing eight in the Ramlet al-Bayda beach area.
A drone fired three missiles near the promenade where people walk along, and where scores of families displaced from various parts of the country have set up tents.
At least eight people were killed, and 31 were wounded by the attack, which coincided with two deadly airstrikes on the Aramoun area on the outskirts of Beirut, and several other attacks on Beirut’s southern suburb that were heard across the city.
Three people were killed in the attacks on Aramoun, and one child was injured, the Health Ministry reported.
The Israeli army said in a statement that it “attacked 10 buildings in Dahiye serving as terror headquarters within half an hour, including intelligence headquarters, the headquarters of the Radwan unit, and additional headquarters.”
The army did not mention its attacks on Aramoun and the Beirut beachfront.
Over 600 people have been killed by Israel in Lebanon since 2 March, when Hezbollah responded to over a year of deadly ceasefire violations which killed hundreds throughout 2025.
The Israeli military has ordered the forced displacement of residents in almost the entire southern suburb of Beirut, as well as everywhere below the Litani River in south Lebanon. … Full article
Al Mayadeen | March 12, 2026
Around 30 people were killed and dozens wounded after an airstrike targeted positions belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) between the areas of Akashat and al-Qaim in Anbar province in western Iraq, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported on Thursday.
Following the attack, Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al‑Araji condemned the strike, saying the attack on the PMF in al-Qaim constitutes “a blatant aggression and a violation of sovereignty.”
In a post on X, al-Araji said: “We strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack that targeted the Popular Mobilization Forces in al-Qaim, which led to the martyrdom and injury of dozens of our heroic security forces.”
He added that “the bombing constitutes a blatant aggression and a violation of sovereignty,” offering condolences to the Popular Mobilization Forces and to the families of the victims, while wishing a swift recovery for those wounded. […]
Earlier in the week, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said its fighters carried out 31 operations against US occupation bases in Iraq and across the region over the past 24 hours using dozens of drones and missiles.
The group said that the latest operations bring the total number of attacks conducted within 12 days to 291.
According to the statement, the operations have resulted in the deaths of 13 American personnel and the injury of dozens more, including some described as severe. The group added that further details about the operations would be released later.
The Washington Post, citing an internal US State Department assessment, has also said that parts of the US embassy compound in Riyadh that were struck by a drone attack were described as “beyond repair”. – Full article
MEMO | March 11, 2026
The US Embassy in Baghdad said on Wednesday that “for many” US citizens in Iraq, leaving the country is “the best option” if they can safely do so, Anadolu reports.
“US citizens in Iraq are strongly encouraged to review their personal security situation. For many, departing Iraq as soon as they are safely able to do so is the best option,” the embassy said in a statement.
“Americans choosing not to depart should remain vigilant, keep a low profile, and be prepared to shelter in place in a secure location for extended periods.” […]
Airspace is currently closed and commercial flights from Iraq are not operating at this time, the embassy stated, adding that overland routes to Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye are available. … Full article
Press TV – March 12, 2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has slammed UNESCO’s silence on Israel’s bombing of centuries-old historical monuments in Iran, including multiple sites designated as World Heritage.
In a post on his X account on Thursday, Araghchi referred to Israel’s attacks on Iran’s historic sites during the recent US-Israeli aggression against the country.
“Israel is bombing Iranian historical monuments dating as far back as the 14th century. Multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been struck,” he said.
“It’s natural that a regime that won’t last a century hates nations with ancient pasts,” he added.
“But where’s UNESCO? Its silence is unacceptable,” Araghchi said, specifically questioning the role of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched their unprovoked aggression against Iran, multiple historical sites have been damaged.
These include Tehran’s Golestan Palace, as well as several landmarks in Isfahan, including the Chehel Sotoun Palace Museum, the Hall of Nobles, the Timurid Hall, the Jobbeh Khaneh Mansion (Isfahan Museum of Decorative Arts), the Rakib Khaneh Mansion (Isfahan Museum of Contemporary Art), and the Aali Qapu Palace.
These cultural treasures sustained significant damage from explosions linked to strikes on the Isfahan Governor’s Office.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei hit out at the inaction and appeasement of European countries towards the warmongering of the US and Israel against Iran.
“The indifference and appeasement of the European Union in the face of the aggression, brutality, and crimes of the US and Israel is nothing less than collusion and complicity.” … Full article
Sputnik – 12.03.2026
Iran does not need mediators with Israel because it does not consider it a party to negotiations, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali told Sputnik in an interview.
“Iran does not officially recognize the Zionist regime as a party with which to negotiate. To date, there have been no cases of mediation or similar measures. In the recent series of events, Iran has responded on the battlefield and is not seeking mediation or any similar steps,” Jalali said when asked whether Iran attempted to establish contact with Israeli authorities through Russia.
He also recalled that Israel had told the Russian leadership that it had no intention of attacking Iran, but Tehran, he said, knew that such assurances were untrue. … continue
By Finian Cunningham | Strategic Culture Foundation | March 12, 2026
Like a knight in shining armour, French President Emmanuel Macron is vowing to defend Europe’s interests as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran escalates.
Macron is not defending Europe or French honor. His theatrical swashbuckling is going to get more people killed and very possibly make the economic impact on Europe even more disastrous.
On a visit to Cyprus this week, Macron declared that a strike on Cyprus was a strike on Europe. He was referring to drone attacks on a British air base on the Mediterranean island last week that were blamed on Iran. It’s not clear who fired the drones at a time when false-flag operations are suspected in Turkey and Azerbaijan, carried out by Israeli forces seeking to embroil the region.
The French president was also filmed inspecting troops on board the Charles de Gaulle, France’s sole aircraft carrier, which he said is being sent along with 12 other warships to the Strait of Hormuz. The aircraft carrier was abruptly redirected from NATO exercises in the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. … continue
Sputnik – 12.03.2026
The Persian Gulf countries have reduced oil production by at least 10 million barrels per day due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a fresh report on Thursday.
“With crude and oil product flows through the Strait of Hormuz plunging from around 20 mb/d before the war to a trickle currently, limited capacity available to bypass the crucial waterway, and storage filling up, Gulf countries have cut total oil production by at least 10 mb/d. In the absence of a rapid resumption of shipping flows, supply losses are set to increase,” the report read. … Full article
Sputnik – 12.03.2026
Operations at Iraqi oil ports have been suspended following an attack on two oil tankers near the port of Basrah in southern Iraq, Farhan Al-Fartusi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, said on Thursday.
“Commercial ports are operating, but oil ports have stopped operating,” Al-Fartusi said. … Full article
Watts Up With That? | March 7, 2026
In The New York Times (NYT) article “Is Climate Change Making Inflation Worse?,” writer Lydia DePillis suggests that extreme weather linked to global warming is quietly raising the price of everyday goods like food, electricity, and insurance. The framing is, at best, misleading and, at worst, flat-out false. Inflation is a monetary phenomenon driven by fiscal policy, central banking decisions, supply-chain disruptions, and energy policy choices — there is no evidence climate change has altered in a way that impacts any of those factors. The NYT erroneously substitutes weather anecdotes and speculative projections for demonstrated economic causation. However, since instances of extreme weather haven’t become more frequent or severe in recent decades, climate change can’t be causing “inflationary” impacts.
The NYT opens by asserting that there is “mounting evidence that extreme weather is making some everyday stuff more expensive.” That claim is presented as a settled fact. It’s not. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) assigns low confidence to global increases in most types of extreme weather and emphasizes regional variability. The IPCC AR6 does not claim that extreme weather trends are uniformly intensifying in a way that would systematically impact global inflation. […]
When discussing energy, the article points to grid repairs and increased electricity demand during heat waves. U.S. electricity prices have risen sharply in recent years, but that’s not due to a changing climate but rather is primarily due to fuel mix changes, regulatory mandates, and grid reliability challenges tied to rapid renewables integration driven by climate policies. It’s not climate change, but climate policies that have driven higher energy prices. Historical pricing data available through the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity database show that price increases correlate more closely with political decisions that cause fuel supply volatility and shifts to expensive, intermittent, wind, solar, and battery storage power rather than with long-term temperature trends. … Full article
By Jim Bovard | The Libertarian Institute | March 12, 2026
Why do so many Americans distrust the Washington Post ? “Pro-Iran propaganda network gains traction with posts about Epstein” offers a tankerload of clues.
Social media is overflowing with bogus claims and A.I. videos related to the Iran War. Prudent folks are already wary about any wild-eyed claims of total victory or glorious destruction they see online. But can political shysters exploit the war to vaccinate President Donald Trump against his biggest scandal?
Long before Trump partnered with Israel to attack Tehran, Democrats, libertarians, and even decent Americans warned that the president would bomb Iran again to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein pedophile scandal. But now that Trump vindicated such fears, anyone who still complains about the Epstein scandal is propelling Iranian propaganda.
Or at least that’s what the Washington Post wants the world to think.
Early in the story, the Post flourishes nuggets of wisdom from a certified Washington expert. “There is a lot of Epstein-related content being pushed out to draw eyeballs…You come for the Epstein content, and you stay for the propaganda,” claims Bret Schafer, who the Post identifies as a research director “at the nonprofit Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD).”
The Post neglected to mention that nonprofit institute is bankrolled by the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. State Department. If you can’t trust Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio to protect America from propaganda, who can you trust?
Touting a federally-funded entity as “independent” doesn’t count as propaganda because The Washington Post is the Oracle of Delphi—at least inside the Beltway.
The Post damn-near-breathlessly notes that “disinformation researchers have also taken note of the campaign to link U.S. and Israeli leaders to Epstein.” I was disappointed that the Post didn’t disprove any links between Trump and Epstein by slavishly quoting Trump’s denial that he’d ever been friends with Epstein (despite droves of video and photographic evidence to the contrary).
Later in the story, readers learn that “Posts on X that used the phrase ‘Epstein regime’ — a derogatory reference to the U.S.-Israel alliance — increased one hundred-fold on the first day of the missile strikes, said Emerson Brooking, director of strategy at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.”
The Post four-alarm story on propaganda fails to mention that the Atlantic Council is heavily funded by the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department. Or does the Post consider such funding as proof that the Atlantic Council is trustworthy? … Full article
By Craig Murray | March 12, 2026
I today met our legal team and instructed them to submit an application for interim relief in the Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action. If successful this will immediately lift the proscription in Scotland, pending the review.
Scores of people in Scotland face imminent conviction for terrorist offences simply for exercising free speech and expressing their opposition to the proscription. Most of these are summary cases with no jury, but up to six months imprisonment. Others face up to 14 years in jail for speeches supporting Palestine Action.
A terrorism conviction is life changing even without a prison sentence. It routinely leads to loss of employment and inability to get another job, to debanking, and to severe international travel restrictions.
Most of those facing these massively disproportionate effects are entirely respectable citizens who merely wish to oppose the facilitation of genocide.
My calculation is that submitting the application for interim relief is likely in itself to lead the Crown to drop the prosecutions for speeches, placards and T shirts. The UK government is desperate to avoid the situation of Palestine Action being legal in Scotland and not in England, with all the constitutional questions that arise.
Dropping the prosecutions would remove our main argument for interim relief (and probably make that avenure impractical for us). But this would be a huge win, removing the threat of a terrorism conviction from large numbers of peaceful campaigners in Scotland.
If the Crown does not drop the prosecutions, I am very confident our interim relief application in Scotland will succeed. In England, the High Court refused interim relief and then refused to lift the proscription pending appeal, even after it had ruled the proscription unlawful.
This nonsensical position is explained by the fact that in the English case, Judge Chamberlain was replaced at the last moment by three hand-picekd very right wing judges with a long history of finding for the government in “security” related cases. In Scotland we are not on that kind of rigged pitch.
On the original timetable the judicial review was due to start this coming Monday. It has however been postponed at least until June because the UK government is introducing “secret” evidence from intelligence that we will never be allowed to see or reply to. The veneer of democracy and human rights in the UK has worn extremely thin.
The extent of zionist domination of the UK government was shown in the astonishing decision to ban the annual al-Quds march for Palestine, which has been taking place for 47 years without incident.
The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Sarah Sackman, called for the demonstration to be banned.
The Israeli and USA attack on Iran is, beyond argument, illegal in international law. Iran is not a proscribed organisation. It is not illegal to express support for Iran. Whether it is “anti-British” is a matter of opinion, not of law. Personally I think supporting the genocidal apartheid state of Israel is “anti-British”. But expressing an opinion is a specific legal right.
Sackman worked as a clerk in the Supreme Court of Israel. She is a fanatical zionist with a long term financing record from the zionist lobby. As “Courts minister” she has been the leading advocate for the government’s proposed abolition of many jury trials. She is behind the plans for five at a time, two and a half hour trials in England for 2,700 Palestine Action activists.
The positioning and empowerment of this zionist monstrosity is yet more evidence of how deep Israel’s tentacles run in the UK Establishment, and in Starmer’s Labout Party in particular.
Interviewed on Sky News yesterday, Sackman condemned “Iranian attacks on civilians” but refused to condemn the US bombing of the girls’ school in Minab, describing this as “the realities of war”. … continue
MEMO | March 11, 2026
Israeli forces have intensified a practice of seizing Palestinian homes in parts of the occupied West Bank and converting them into temporary military outposts, according to local residents.
In the early hours of the morning, Israeli troops reportedly stormed the home of Ahmed al-Nawaj’ah in the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, ordering his family to leave immediately before using the building as a military position.
Speaking to local media, al-Nawaj’ah said soldiers entered the house at dawn and instructed the family to evacuate within minutes.
According to al-Nawaj’ah, soldiers then moved to the roof and deployed snipers while using the rooms inside the house as positions.
He said the troops remained inside the property for several days before withdrawing, leaving behind damaged furniture and belongings. … Full article
Palestinian Information Center – March 11, 2026
GAZA – An Israeli airstrike struck a residential building in the western area of Gaza City on Wednesday evening, causing extensive destruction and igniting fires in nearby tents sheltering displaced families.
Medical and local sources reported that Israeli warplanes directly targeted the building, resulting in significant damage to the structure and surrounding homes and property.
The strike also caused fires to break out in several displacement tents located near the targeted site… Full article
Al Mayadeen | March 11, 2026
Israeli occupation forces killed 68 people and wounded 145 others across Lebanon on Wednesday, March 11, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, as the relentless aggression on the country entered another bloody day.
Among the deadliest strikes of the day, an Israeli airstrike on the town of Tbnine in the Bint Jbeil district killed at least 8 civilians in a preliminary toll. In the Bekaa Valley, occupation forces targeted a residential home in the town of Sha’ath, killing 4 people and wounding 3 others, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in the region.
In the Lebanese capital, occupation forces struck a residential apartment in the Aicha Bakkar area of Beirut in the early morning hours, killing 4 people, including children. […]
In sharp contrast to “Israel’s” criminal strikes on residential areas, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon has thus far confined its operations to military targets and IOF positions.
On Wednesday, Hezbollah fighters fired salvos of rockets at a grouping of Israeli forces near the al-Manara site and targeted occupation force groupings south of Khiam on two separate occasions. Islamic Resistance fighters also struck the newly established Blat position in southern Lebanon with artillery shells.
Hezbollah fighters are also defending border towns from continuous Israeli attempts to advance into Lebanese territory, as the occupation presses forward with a ground campaign alongside its air strikes. – Full article
Al Mayadeen | March 11, 2026
The Islamic Resistance Coordination Committee in Iraq warned Syria’s transitional leader Ahmad al-Sharaa against any hostile action toward Lebanon.
In a statement, the Committee cautioned al-Sharaa that any attack against Lebanon coordinated with the US-Zionist enemy, under any pretext, would be considered a declaration of war on the Axis of Resistance.
“We warn Abou Mohammad al-Jolani that any hostile move toward Lebanese territory, coordinated with the US-Zionist enemy and under any pretext, will amount to a declaration of war on the entire Axis of Resistance,” the statement said.
The Coordination Committee also said that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which previously fought US occupation forces and ISIS militants, has the capability to confront any attempt to target the Resistance or Hezbollah. … Full article
By Drago Bosnic | March 11, 2026
You’re probably wondering what Russia, South Korea, Iran and the United States could possibly have in common. Moscow has very close ties with Pyongyang, not Seoul, while Tehran is simply too far to be of any consequence to South Korean strategic security. Or is it? The failures of American ABM (anti-ballistic missile) systems in the Middle East demonstrate that the US is simply unable to wage simultaneous wars against remotely capable opponents. Namely, the Pentagon is frantically trying to replenish its stockpile of ABM munitions after billions of dollars’ worth of interceptors were wasted trying to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles, most of which are still 60-year-old Soviet-era technology.
However, the US needs to at least try to protect whatever’s left of its military infrastructure in the Middle East. The only way to achieve this is to transfer critically important ABM systems from other hotspots and redeploy them to the Persian Gulf region. This has already sounded the alarm in Kiev, where the Neo-Nazi junta is whining that they’re being left out. However, South Korea is also raising similar concerns after Washington DC decided to transfer “Patriot” ABM/SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems from the divided peninsula to the Middle East. On March 10, President Lee Jae Myung openly criticized this plan, but admitted it would be unrealistic to expect the US to take Seoul’s concerns seriously.
“The USFK [United States Forces Korea] may dispatch some air defense systems abroad in accordance with its own military needs. While we have expressed opposition, the reality is that we cannot fully push through our position,” he stated.
Local sources report that several “Patriot” batteries have already been withdrawn from Osan Air Base… continue
By Tom Elliott | The Libertarian Institute | March 11, 2026
Dinosaur GenXers like me recall that after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the foreign policy set was busy asking how the United States would cash its forthcoming “peace dividend,” whether NATO would fold up shop having achieved its ostensible purpose, and maybe whether we were entering “the end of history”? How short-sighted. Instead, the pace of war-fighting from the 1950s (the original “peace dividend”), to the 1990s increased by a multitude of twelve. See my chart below.
Overall, the United States has engaged in 481 total military engagements since 1798—287 of them since 1989 (60% of total). We’re only six years into the 2020s and it’s already at 34 and on pace to hit ~57 by decade’s end, which would make it the second-busiest decade in U.S. history behind the 1990s. U.S. servicemen have fought in 102 countries For those keeping score, here’s a list of more than 110 military conflicts since 1989… continue
Press TV – March 11, 2026
The senior spokesman of Iran’s armed forces has warned that all ports and economic centers in Persian Gulf littoral states will be considered legitimate targets for Iran if the United States attacks Iranian ports as part of the ongoing joint aggression with Israel against the country.
“If the US follows through with its threat against Iran’s ports, there will definitely be no port, economic center, or location in the Persian Gulf that could remain beyond our reach, and they will be struck as legitimate targets,” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said on Wednesday.
Shekarchi said that Iran has exercised restraint since the start of the US-Israeli aggression in late February by limiting its attacks to US military bases and assets in the region.
However, the general warned that attacks will expand to cover all locations in Persian Gulf countries if the US attacks key infrastructure in southern Iran.
The warning comes in response to US threats of attacking Iranian oil production facilities, as Washington faces growing pressure over rising international energy and commodity prices caused by the escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf. … continue
The Pentagon is using an Artificial Intelligence system developed by Palantir to select targets in Iran. Some members of Congress are considering legislation to place restrictions and safeguards on the Department of War’s use of AI.
Two Congressional sources speaking with NBC News confirmed the use of Palantir’s AI for targeting and the potential bill. “AI tools aren’t 100% reliable — they can fail in subtle ways and yet operators continue to over-trust them,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs.
“We have a responsibility to enforce strict guardrails on the military’s use of AI and guarantee a human is in the loop in every decision to use lethal force, because the cost of getting it wrong could be devastating for civilians and the service members carrying out these missions,” she added.
None of the members of Congress who spoke with NBC News wanted to prevent the Pentagon from using AI in the targeting process. The Department of War has claimed that humans remain the final decision makers on what the US military will target.
AI targeting has become increasingly common in warfare. The US has used AI to help Ukraine identify targets, and Israel relied extensively on AI systems to determine who and what to bomb in Gaza.
Central Command (CENTCOM) claims that US forces have hit more than 5,500 targets in Iran. The US has already bombed a number of civilian targets in Iran, including Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school. That strike killed at least 175 people, mostly children and their parents.
Palantir’s targeting system, dubbed Maven, relies on Anthropic’s Claude. Anthropic has demanded that its AI not be used for targeting or mass surveillance, leading to retaliation from the White House.
By Eduardo Vasco | Strategic Culture Foundation | March 11, 2026
“Our success will continue to hinge on America’s military power and the credibility of our assurances to our allies and partners in the Middle East.”
These were the words spoken in December 2013 by the Secretary of Defense of the Obama administration, Chuck Hagel, to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. That reinforced the historical guarantees given by Washington to its puppets, reaffirming the deceptive propaganda that the United States is the guardian of global security.
Promises like that are made by every administration, whether Democrat or Republican. … continue
The Cradle | March 11, 2026
Iran is exporting more oil through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war, while blocking the Gulf states from exporting crude through the strategic waterway, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 11 March.
Kpler data shows that over the past week, tankers have loaded a daily average of 2.1 million barrels of Iranian oil, an amount slightly higher than the 2 million barrels a day Iran exported in February.
“Iran is conducting business as usual,” the WSJ wrote.
Since the start of the war on 28 February, a total of seven tankers have loaded oil off the Iranian coast, in an indication that Iranian oil shipments “are unimpeded,” WSJ added.
On 8 March, Axios reported that the White House was considering seizing Kharg Island, home to an oil terminal in the Persian Gulf through which 90 percent of Iran’s oil passes.
Oil exports are crucial to keep the Iranian economy afloat amid the brutal war waged by the US and Israel on the Islamic Republic. […]
At the same time, Iran is allowing “shadow fleet” tankers linked to China to pass, as Beijing is a major importer of Iranian crude.
“Almost all ships crossing the Strait are linked to Iran or China,” said Christopher Long, head of intelligence at UK maritime-security company Neptune P2P Group. – Full article
Press TV – March 11, 2026
The US Navy has denied near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the onset of the US-Israeli aggression on Iran.
The Navy’s decision is based on concerns over the high risk of attacks in the region, as tensions escalate and the waterway remains increasingly perilous, Reuters reported Wednesday.
This response diverges from earlier statements by President Donald Trump, who had assured that the US military would provide escorts whenever necessary to ensure the free flow of oil through this critical maritime route.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important chokepoints for global oil trade, with around 20% of the world’s oil passing through it.
However, since the war on Iran began more than a week ago, shipping through the strait has effectively come to a halt.
This disruption has already sent oil prices soaring to their highest levels since 2022, exacerbating the impact on global energy markets.
Iran, which controls the northern approach to the strait, has vowed to block any vessels attempting to pass and has already targeted several ships in the area.
In response, the shipping industry has consistently requested naval protection, hoping for US military escorts to ensure their safe passage.
Several sources within the shipping industry have confirmed that the Navy has conveyed that it cannot offer protection, according to Reuters. […]
… countries like Kuwait, Iraq, and the UAE are shutting down oil wells due to storage tank overflow, with the possibility that these wells may not be able to resume production once they’ve been closed.
This creates the potential for a severe supply gap that could ripple through the global economy. … Full article
Al Mayadeen | March 11, 2026
US Senator Chris Murphy has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s strategy in the ongoing war on Iran, saying officials failed to present a coherent plan during a classified congressional briefing.
In a post on X, Murphy said he had just attended a two-hour briefing on the conflict and felt compelled to inform the public about what lawmakers had been told.
“You deserve to know how incoherent and incomplete these war plans are,” Murphy wrote.
The senator explained that the briefing was held behind closed doors, adding that the administration could not defend the war publicly.
“Briefings are closed because Trump can’t defend this war in public,” Murphy said, noting that while he could not reveal classified information, he would share what he was allowed to disclose.
Murphy said one of the most striking revelations from the briefing was that the war’s objectives do not include destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
“Maybe the lead is that the war goals DO NOT involve destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons program,” Murphy said, describing the admission as surprising given that President Donald Trump has repeatedly cited Iran’s nuclear capabilities as a central justification for the military campaign.
“But then of course we already know air strikes can’t wipe out their nuclear material,” he added. […]
Risk of prolonged conflict
According to Murphy, officials suggested the main objective of the war is to degrade Iran’s military capabilities by targeting missiles, naval assets, and drone production facilities.
“It seems, primarily, destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories,” he said.
However, the senator said officials struggled to answer what would happen once the bombing campaign stops.
“But the question that stumped them: what happens when you stop bombing and they restart production?” Murphy wrote.
“They hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war.”
Strait of Hormuz concerns
Murphy also warned that the United States does not currently have a workable plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass.
The waterway has been severely disrupted since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, with shipping companies halting voyages due to the risk of attacks.
“I can’t go into more detail about how Iran gums up the Strait,” Murphy said, referring to classified information discussed during the briefing.
“But suffice it say, right now, they don’t know how to get it safely back open.”
Murphy described the situation as particularly troubling because the risk of disruption to the strait had been widely anticipated before the conflict began.
“Which is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100 percent foreseeable,” he said. … Full article
By Gerry Nolan | Ron Paul Institute | March 11, 2026
On March 3rd, Israel’s Channel 12, the IDF, Trump were all singing from the same hymn sheet: Iran’s launchers are virtually all destroyed, missile fire is collapsing, they’re running out.
Trump from his golf resort: “We’ve wiped every single force in Iran out, very completely.” The war is “very complete, pretty much.” It’ll end “very soon.” He’s “ahead of schedule.” It’s a “short-term excursion.” A reporter asked him to reconcile that with Hegseth saying it’s “just the beginning.” Trump’s answer: “You could say both.” He’s not looking very strongly, folks. Very weakly, sir. Very, very weakly.
Eight days after the “Iran is running out” headlines, on the night of March 10th into March 11th, Iran launched Wave 37 — its most intense and heaviest operation of the entire war. More than three hours of continuous, multi-layered strikes. Khorramshahr super-heavies. One-tonne warheads complete with their sub munitions which turned much of Tel Aviv into snow like soot.
Erbil, the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, Be’er Ya’akov, Tel Aviv — simultaneously. Four American THAAD systems out of commission. Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow-3 in a deep coma for the fourth consecutive day running. The Strait of Hormuz closed. Oil surging again past $100. Dubai a ghost town. And the Energy Secretary deleted a post claiming the Navy had opened the Strait — a lie that lasted forty minutes before the White House corrected him live on camera. … continue
Press TV – March 11, 2026
An Iranian military official says following the US-Israeli attack to one of the country’s banks, the enemies should await Iran’s painful retaliation.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Khatam al Anbiya headquarters said Wednesday that with this unlawful and unconventional act in warfare, “the enemy has opened the door for us to target economic centers and banks affiliated with the US and Israel in the region.”
“The Americans must wait for our retaliatory and painful action,” he said. He also urged Iranians not to be present within a one-kilometer radius of the banks.
Meanwhile, The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) released details of the 37th phase of Operation True Promise 4, which was carried out on Tuesday night with over 3 hours of missile firing. … Full article
The Cradle | March 11, 2026
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a coalition of several Iraqi factions, announced on 11 March that its fighters “carried out 31 operations using dozens of drones and missiles against the occupation bases in Iraq and the region” within 24 hours.
“This brings the total number of operations in the past 12 days to 291, which resulted in the deaths of 13 Americans and the injury of dozens of them, including serious injuries,” the statement added.
The coalition was formed after the start of the Gaza genocide, and includes several Iran-backed resistance groups such as Kataib Hezbollah and Saraya Awliya al-Dam.
These groups are also represented in the Iraqi government, and make up a significant bulk of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) – which was formed in 2014 to fight ISIS and now constitutes a major part of Iraq’s military institution.
In its own separate statement, Saraya Awliya al-Dam announced that it carried out four additional operations against US bases in Iraq and outside Iraq.
The Washington Post, citing an unnamed security official and an internal alert from the US State Department, confirms that a drone struck a major US diplomatic facility in Iraq on Tuesday.
Iraqi resistance operations in support of the Islamic Republic have prompted deadly US-Israeli attacks on the PMU in Iraq.
At least 10 airstrikes hit PMU positions in Wasit Governorate, east of Iraq, on Wednesday.
As part of Tehran’s retaliation to the brutal war launched against it late last month, US military bases across Iraq and the Gulf are being pounded by drones and ballistic missiles. Israeli sites also remain under heavy fire.
Key radars in Jordan and the Gulf, used to track ballistic missiles, have been directly hit. This has made ballistic missile attacks on Israel much more difficult to intercept.
Tehran and its allies are also heavily targeting the city of Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region – home to many US bases, Mossad headquarters, and sites linked to anti-Iran separatist groups. … Full article
The Cradle | March 11, 2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call on 10 March from his Syrian counterpart, ex-Al-Qaeda chief Ahmad al-Sharaa, who expressed his support for Beirut’s efforts in disarming Hezbollah. … continue
Press TV – March 11, 2026
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani says the Israeli regime has assassinated four senior Iranian diplomats in a “heinous crime” in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, the envoy said that on March 8, the regime had carried out a targeted strike against the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, claiming the lives of the victims.
Iravani noted that after the regime’s military had publicly threatened to target Iranian official representatives in Lebanon, the diplomats had been temporarily relocated to the hotel as a safety measure.
This relocation, he said, had been fully coordinated with the Lebanese authorities.
In his letter, the ambassador said that the assassination of the diplomats “while serving as official representatives of a sovereign state in the territory of another sovereign state is a heinous act of terrorism and a grave violation of international law.” … continue
Kiev has been deliberately attacking the infrastructure of the TurkStream gas pipeline in an attempt to halt deliveries to European consumers, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The statement comes after pipeline operator Gazprom reported on Tuesday that the Russkaya compressor station in southern Krasnodar Region, which serves as the starting point for supplies through the TurkStream, came under attack overnight.
The company said the Beregovaya and Kazachya compressor stations were also targeted the day before, adding that its facilities in southern Russia were attacked 12 times in the past two weeks.
On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks, saying: “the Kiev regime, in order to stop gas supplies to European consumers, launched another attack using strike aircraft-type UAVs on the infrastructure of the Russkaya compressor station.”
The ministry stated that four Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian air defense systems in the airspace adjacent to the station, two more were intercepted by fighter aircraft, and three were destroyed by mobile fire teams.
Corruption scandals, a recent death threat against an EU leader, and decisions to block oil and gas to EU member states, are apparently not problematic
Remix News | March 11, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will receive the European Union’s highest honor, the European Order of Merit, which is being handed out for the first time this year. The award has been launched on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, “the starting point of European unity.”
“The award recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to European integration and the protection of the EU’s fundamental values - respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law,” according to the EU’s site.
The award comes at a questionable time though, with Zelensky recently generating global headlines with what appeared to be a direct threat on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s life. … Full article
RT | March 11, 2026
The Hungarian authorities have proof that Ukraine is covertly channeling funds to the opposition Tisza Party ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections next month, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has said.
With the elections approaching, Kovacs claimed that “the national security services presented the evidence to the parliament’s national security committee that proves how the Ukrainians finance the party through various means.” […]
Tisza broadly supports Ukraine’s EU integration – a position Budapest insists would bring “unpredictable consequences for Hungary’s security, economy, labor market, and agriculture” and could draw the entire bloc into a direct conflict with Russia. … Full article
RT | March 11, 2026
German luxury carmaker Porsche AG has reported a sharp drop in operating profits following a costly pivot away from its long-term EV strategy amid mounting challenges facing the EU’s auto sector.
The automaker booked extraordinary expenses totaling about €3.9 billion ($4.5 billion) in 2025, which on paper slashed its group operating profits by nearly 93%, from €5.6 billion to just €413 million, according to the company’s investor conference presentation released on Wednesday. Battery-related activities cost roughly €700 million, with US tariffs taking a similar toll.
Porsche – until recently the world’s most profitable car company by margin – had been developing a new all-electric vehicle platform intended to underpin its models over the next decade. After years of investment, the company has now abandoned the project, returning to combustion-engine models and plug-in hybrids. … continue
Remix News | March 10, 2026
German automaker Volkswagen plans to cut around 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as profits slump and the company struggles with rising costs, tariffs, and declining margins.
The job cuts were announced alongside the company’s 2025 financial results, which showed net profit falling 44 percent to €6.9 billion — the lowest level since the fallout from the Volkswagen emissions scandal.
At the same time, Volkswagen’s board has come under fire after securing additional bonus payments tied to the 2025 financial year.
According to reporting by Tichys Einblick, board members are set to receive bonuses of up to €1.75 million each after the company unexpectedly reported around €6 billion in net automotive cash flow for 2025, a figure that the news outlet claims was achieved by adopting “creative accounting practices.” It pushed Volkswagen above the €5.6 billion threshold in its executive compensation scheme, activating the highest bonus tier for board members.
The cash-flow result was partly achieved through a factoring operation in which Volkswagen sold outstanding receivables from its operating business to generate immediate liquidity, according to the report.
In the same financial year, workers were forced to forgo bonuses of up to €5,000 due to the company’s weak performance. … Full article
New FOIA Data Exposes the Scale of Psychiatric Drug Prescribing to Medicaid Children
By Dr. Roger McFillin | Radically Genuine | March 10, 2026
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights filed Freedom of Information Act requests across 32 states to obtain data on psychiatric drug prescribing to children enrolled in Medicaid. They shared that data with me for review. What it contains should prompt serious national conversation.
Medicaid is a federal and state program funded by American taxpayers, designed as a safety net for the country’s most economically vulnerable citizens. In 32 states alone, that safety net spent $1.78 billion prescribing psychiatric “medications” to nearly three million children in a single year. 270,000 of those children were under the age of five.
These are not benign interventions. They are drugs with serious, documented risks prescribed to developing brains during the most sensitive years of human life. Stimulants carry the same DEA addiction classification as OxyContin and fentanyl. Antidepressants carry a black box warning for suicidal behavior in children and adolescents and are associated with permanent neurological and sexual damage that may persist long after the drug is stopped. “Anti-anxiety” drugs including benzodiazepines carry warnings for life-threatening dependence in adults taking them for more than two weeks.
We are giving them to toddlers.
Not one of these drug classes carries FDA approval for children under five. Every one of them is being prescribed to children under five, at scale, with taxpayer dollars.
Medical ethics and medical law both require informed consent, the protection of vulnerable populations, and the subordination of financial incentive to patient welfare. What this data describes is a systematic departure from all three. The ethical failure is visible in every prescription written without a conversation about risk. The legal exposure is written into every Medicaid claim where informed consent was never adequately obtained. […]
Let’s be clear about what these drugs do to children in the short term. They sedate. They blunt. They make a dysregulated, distressed, or frightened child easier to manage. For school-age children that might mean a classroom. For the 270,000 children under five in this data, we are not talking about classrooms. We are talking about homes, daycares, and foster placements. Infants and toddlers whose distress, whose crying, whose inability to be soothed, are being chemically suppressed before they can speak, before they can walk, before they have any capacity whatsoever to communicate what is happening to them or to refuse what is being given to them. … Read full article
By Cam Wakefield | Reclaim The Net | March 10, 2026
If you wanted a case study in how modern democracies widen state oversight step by step, Britain has offered a clear example. On March 9, two major surveillance-related bills advanced through Parliament, each pointing toward broader government authority, reduced personal privacy, and tighter limits on protest activity.
These measures advanced through procedural votes and technical amendments that sounded administrative, yet carry consequences for how millions of people use the internet and exercise civic rights. … continue
Imagine waking tomorrow to discover that the anonymous account you maintained for years, where you posted criticism of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, and again in Iran, has been unmasked and profiled by a foreign intelligence service that now knows your legal name, your home address, your facial biometric data, and your family members’ identities, all because you clicked a blue verification button that promised greater reach, but instead funneled your personal data and documents directly into the hands of veterans of Israel’s notorious intelligence agency Unit 8200.
These are the very same Israeli cyberwarfare operatives who created Pegasus spyware used to track Jamal Khashoggi before his assassination, the Lavender AI system which automatically generated kill lists of at least 37,000 Palestinians—marked for death based on their social connections, and who now, as revealed in August 2025, operate a dedicated Microsoft Azure cloud cluster storing “a million calls an hour” of Palestinian surveillance data with the explicit endorsement of Satya Nadella’s executive team. The implications of this should concern everyone who uses the major social media platforms. … continue
RT | March 10, 2026
The Ukrainian military targeted the Russian city of Bryansk in a “deliberate” attack aimed at civilians, the regional governor, Aleksandr Bogomaz, has said. According to the official, the strike killed six civilians and left 37 injured.
In a post on social media, Bogomaz slammed the attack as an “inhumane terrorist act.”
The Telegram channel Mash claimed earlier that British-made Storm Shadow missiles were used in the attack on Tuesday afternoon. Local media outlets also reported that the Ukrainian military targeted civilian infrastructure in the city, which is now “engulfed in heavy smoke.” … Full article
Palestinian Information Center – March 10, 2026
GAZA – At least one Palestinian was killed, and two others were injured in an Israeli strike on Tuesday evening targeting a house in central Gaza.
According to the PIC correspondent, one body and two wounded individuals were recovered after an Israeli helicopter airstrike hit a home belonging to the Talbani family in the Al-Khawalda neighborhood of Al-Zawayda town in the central Gaza Strip.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military carried out airstrikes and artillery shelling across Gaza as part of the ongoing violations of the October 10, 2025, ceasefire.
Witnesses also said Israeli naval forces fired randomly off the coast of Gaza City. … Full article
Press TV – March 10, 2026
The Red Crescent Society of Iran (IRCS) says more than 19,000 civilian units across the country have been damaged as a result of US-Israeli airstrikes.
The head of the humanitarian organization, Pir-Hossein Koulivand, said in a statement on Tuesday that based on preliminary assessments, a total of 19,734 civilian units have been damaged nationwide.
This figure includes 16,191 residential units, 3,384 commercial units, 77 pharmaceutical and medical centers, and at least 69 schools.
He added that relief operations are currently underway at full capacity to assist those affected across the country. … Full article
Press TV – March 10, 2026
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned an attack by the United States and Israel on a historic site of Isfahan, saying the strike constitutes a crime against cultural heritage.
In a message posted on X on Tuesday, Esmaeil Baghaei said the attack caused serious damage to the historic Chehel Sotoun Palace, a renowned museum-palace located near the famous Naqsh-e Jahan Square.
“After hitting Golestan Palace in Tehran, the US and Israel damaged another cultural heritage site of outstanding universal significance in the city of Isfahan: Chehel Sotoun Palace, a @UNESCO World Heritage site within Naqsh-e Jahan Square,” he wrote.
Baghaei described Chehel Sotoun as a masterpiece of the Safavid era, emphasizing that the site is not only part of Iran’s cultural and civilizational heritage but also a cultural treasure belonging to all humanity.
He said the US and Israel were deliberately targeting the historic heart of Isfahan, damaging Chehel Sotoun and putting invaluable historical artifacts of Iran’s civilization at risk. … continue
Press TV | March 10, 2026
The spokesman for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says US soldiers have become displaced in cities across the region as they continue to flee Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Brigadier General Alimohammad Naeini said that US President Donald Trump has tried to portray the situation as entirely normal for American soldiers engaged in joint military aggression with Israel against Iran.
“… American soldiers, fleeing from US bases, are wandering through the region’s cities with their backpacks, and some have sought refuge in local hotels,” Naeini said. … Full article
MEMO | March 10, 2026
Emirati billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor has sharply criticised US Senator Lindsey Graham after the American lawmaker called on Gulf states to join military operations against Iran alongside the United States and Israel.
In a lengthy post on the social media platform X, Al Habtoor rejected any Gulf participation in the conflict, arguing that the region is already paying the price for decisions taken without consulting Arab states.
Graham made the remarks during media interviews following a closed congressional briefing, where he urged Gulf countries to become more actively involved in military action against Iran. He argued that Iranian attacks on countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia could prompt Washington’s Arab allies to take a stronger role in the confrontation.
The senator also said that the United States “will not fight alone in the Middle East”, noting that arms sales to Gulf countries form part of broader strategic alliances.
Al Habtoor responded by criticising what he described as foreign pressure on regional states to join the conflict.
“We know perfectly well why we are being attacked, and we also know who dragged the entire region into this dangerous escalation without consulting its allies,” he wrote. … continue
By Ivan Kesic | Press TV | March 10, 2026
In just ten days, Iran’s military response to the Israeli-American war of aggression has dismantled the core of US power in the Persian Gulf, from Qatar’s Al-Udeid Air Base to the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
What began on February 28, 2026, as the ill-fated “Operation Epic Fury” has spiraled into a strategic catastrophe for the US military-industrial complex.
The aggression, which led to the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as well as ordinary civilians, has been met with one of the most devastating and precisely coordinated military campaigns in modern regional history.
Systematically, Iranian missiles and drones have pierced American air defenses, reducing over a dozen military installations to rubble, obliterating advanced radar systems, and crippling US naval power.
Thousands of American personnel now confront an undeniable reality: their assets are no longer safe from Iran’s formidable and far-reaching arsenal. … continue
Al Mayadeen | March 10, 2026
A post by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stating that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz was deleted minutes after being published on Tuesday, raising fresh uncertainty over maritime security in the key waterway.
In the now-deleted message, Wright said the US Navy had successfully escorted a tanker to ensure global oil flows, marking the first time a US official publicly suggested such an operation had taken place since the war began.
Oil markets, already shaken by the US-Israeli war on Iran, reacted sharply to the initial claim.
Crude prices fell after Wright’s announcement before partially recovering once the post was removed, reflecting continued uncertainty about shipping conditions in the Gulf. … Full article
Press TV – March 102026
Reports from Israeli media indicate that operations at two major Israeli gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean have been suspended due to security concerns related to potential Iranian missile and drone threats.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth and Channel 12 News, activities at the Leviathan gas field and the Karish gas field have been completely suspended.
The reports state that the threat from Iranian missiles and drones, which has heightened security risks across the region’s airspace, forced the companies to evacuate personnel and stop drilling and extraction operations.
The Leviathan field, discovered in 2010 about 130 kilometers west of the Israeli-occupied port city of Haifa, is the largest gas field in the eastern Mediterranean. Its reserves are estimated at roughly 535 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Economic analysts cited by Yedioth Ahronoth warned that if the shutdown continues for an extended period, it could lead to power outages in major Israeli cities, suspension of energy-intensive industries, and a sharp decline in gas exports to Jordan and Egypt.
Jordan, which relies on Israeli gas imports to generate about 80 percent of its electricity, could face a significant energy crisis if the disruption persists. … Full article
The Cradle | March 10, 2026
Saudi oil giant Aramco issued a warning on 10 March that the global energy market faces “catastrophic consequences” if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
“There would be catastrophic consequences for the world’s oil markets and the longer the disruption goes on … the more drastic the consequences for the global economy,” Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told reporters.
“While we have faced disruptions in the past, this one by far is the biggest crisis the region’s oil and gas industry has faced,” he added.
Nasser went on to say that the crisis has ravaged the shipping and insurance sectors, while also threatening aviation, agriculture, and other industries.
“Of course, we would support any actions or measures that would help to deliver our products to our customers, to the global market,” he said when asked about the US Navy potentially escorting oil tankers through the strait.
Yet a top energy official in the Gulf told Reuters that ending the war was the only way to open the strait, through which around 20 to 30 percent of the world’s energy passed before the attack on Iran.
Qatar warned on Tuesday that attacks on regional energy infrastructure could trigger economic repercussions far beyond the Gulf.
Doha said strikes on oil and gas facilities have set a dangerous precedent. … continue
Is an end to fighting currently possible?
Ashes of Pompeii | March 10, 2026
Rumors persist that the Trump administration is actively seeking an off-ramp to the escalating conflict with Iran. The prevailing assumption within certain circles of the White House is that Tehran, having sustained serious damage from recent military strikes, would welcome a cessation of hostilities. This calculation, however, rests on a dangerous misreading of Iranian resolve, historical grievance, and strategic necessity. What if Iran says no? … continue
Al Mayadeen | March 10, 2026
Iran is not seeking a ceasefire amid the ongoing war, instead, it intends to impose a decisive response on its adversaries, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf wrote: “We are certainly not seeking a ceasefire,” adding, “We believe that the aggressors must be taught a harsh lesson so they never dare attack Iran again.”
Ghalibaf also accused “Israel” of relying on recurring cycles of conflict to maintain its dominance, stating, “The Israeli entity believes that its survival lies in continuing the cycle of ‘war–negotiation–ceasefire and then war again’ in order to consolidate its hegemony, but Iran will break this cycle.”
Iran did not initiate the war but is the one to end it, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani asserted, emphasizing that any discussion of mediation to end the war must be based on the principle of preventing repeated aggression, not merely on a ceasefire. … continue
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against disrupting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington would respond with far stronger military action.
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that the US could target sites that would make it “virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again,” while saying he hopes such a scenario “does not happen.”
Trump described the policy as “a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait.”
Press TV – March 10, 2026
The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, has issued a sharp rebuke to US President Donald Trump, warning the American leader to “be careful” after he threatened a massive military strike that would cause total national destruction.
Larijani dismissed Washington’s threats as “hollow” and invoked Iran’s historical and religious identity.
“The Ashura-centered nation of Iran does not fear your hollow threats,” Larijani stated, referring to the Shia Muslim tradition of martyrdom and resistance.
“Those even greater than you were unable to eliminate the Iranian nation. Be careful about yourself, so that you are not the one who is eliminated!”
In another post, Larijani said the Strait of Hormuz will either be a strait of peace and prosperity for all or a strait of defeat and suffering for “warmongers”.
Larijani’s comments came shortly after Trump issued a threat regarding the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. … Full article
RT | March 10, 2026
A new wave of US-Israeli strikes has killed at least 40 people in Tehran, with the overall civilian death toll in the conflict on the Iranian side exceeding 1,300, according to local media and officials.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran “twenty times harder” if it continues to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the strikes.
He also said Iran “made a big mistake” in selecting Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader following the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has threatened to assassinate anyone who takes the post.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who held a phone call with Trump on Monday, said the escalating conflict risks entirely choking off the region’s oil exports through the now “de-facto closed” Strait of Hormuz. But will the Iran war make Russia richer?
• The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continues to block the Strait of Hormuz – but has reportedly promised full freedom of passage to any Arab or European country that expels US and Israeli ambassadors.
• Global oil prices briefly surged to nearly $120 per barrel on Monday before slipping back below the $100 mark. Trump has dismissed the spike as “a very small price to pay” for the war against Iran.
• As of Tuesday, the US-Israeli attacks have killed over 1,300 Iranian civilians, according to official data from Iran.
Full article
Al Mayadeen | March 10, 2026
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei sharply criticized Ursula von der Leyen in a post on X, accusing her of hypocrisy and of supporting US and Israeli “crimes of aggression” against Iran.
In his post, Baghaei urged von der Leyen to “spare the hypocrisy,” accusing her of repeatedly taking stances that align with occupation, genocide, and atrocities, further accusing her of “laundering” US and Israeli war crimes against Iranians.
Baghaei also questioned the European Commission president’s silence over recent civilian casualties in Iran, stating, “Where was your voice when more than 165 innocent IRANIAN little angels were massacred in the city of Minab?”
The spokesperson highlighted the hypocrisy in von der Leyen’s speech, asking, “Why don’t you say anything when hospitals, historical sites, oil facilities, diplomatic police headquarter, firefighting stations and residential neighborhoods are wickedly targeted?”
“Silence in the face of lawlessness and atrocity is nothing less than complicity,” Baghaei wrote, urging von der Leyen to review the public responses to her own post to see what people “really think” about what he called the “whitewashing of criminals.”
The exchange comes as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to escalate, with strikes on Iran killing hundreds of civilians since February 28. … continue
RT | March 10, 2026
A Ukrainian man is facing charges in Romania after fleeing to the country in a small aircraft to escape the draft in his homeland.
According to the Romanian Border Police, the man crossed the border in the mountainous region of northern Romania, landing in a field near the village of Fratautii Vechi in Suceava County on Sunday.
Photos shared by Romanian media show that he used a German-made Ikarus Comco C22, a two-seat, high-wing, tricycle-gear ultralight aircraft. Residents who spotted it alerted the emergency services, prompting a response from local police and border guards.
Officers identified the man as a 31-year-old Ukrainian, with database checks confirming he had not entered Romania legally. He was taken to the local border police headquarters, where he requested asylum, saying he was fleeing the draft in Ukraine. … Full article
Strana.ua | March 8, 2026
In Volyn, local residents caught up with a shopping center minibus, sent it into a ditch and freed the man in it.
This was reported at the local regional territorial recruitment center.
The incident occurred today near the village of Ozero. The car carrying the person liable for military service was caught up with about seven civilian cars. They began to block traffic and create a threat of collision, as a result of which the minibus slid into a ditch.
After this, unknown persons broke the window of an official vehicle and forcibly freed the man who was being taken to the shopping center.
It is alleged that during the attack, one soldier suffered a head injury, the second – abrasions on his forearm and face. The condition of the victims is assessed as stable.
RT | March 10, 2026
Moscow has accused Israel of an “unprovoked act of aggression” after Israeli forces struck a Russian cultural center in Lebanon.
The attack on the facility in the southern city of Nabatieh was reported on Sunday by its director, Asaad Diya, who said the building was empty at the time. Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s international humanitarian cooperation agency, which has an official office in Beirut, said its staff remain in contact with Lebanese partners and are actively providing relief to civilians affected by the hostilities. […]
Rossotrudnichestvo stressed that the Nabatieh cultural center “was not involved in any military activity” and that the attack was unjustifiable.
The agency noted that during the 1973 war with Arab nations, Israel struck the Soviet cultural center in Damascus, Syria, killing a female Russian language teacher and a local employee. The aircraft that conducted the bombing was shot down and its pilot was captured by Syrian forces, it added. … Full article
By Alan MacLeod | MintPress News | March 6, 2026
Corporate media of all stripes have rushed to support the U.S./Israeli attack on Iran, throwing objectivity and accuracy by the wayside in order to manufacture consent for regime change. … continue
By Cole Crystal – SYSTEM UPDATE – March 9, 2026
Before Operation Epic Fury began, the Trump administration spent very little energy trying to justify the looming war with Iran. The few defenses they did offer were banal platitudes, just echoes of the case for the Iraq War from more than twenty years ago: that Iran was weeks away from obtaining a nuclear device, that their ballistic missile program posed a significant threat to American assets and allies in the region, and that the Iranian people deserved liberation via regime change.
But not long after the bombing began, a new (admittedly more creative) justification emerged online and in the pro-Israel media that war supporters assume will be more persuasive to those doubting the wisdom of yet another Middle East conflict. The war with Iran, we are now told by many, is not really about Iran at all. It is, instead, all about China. … continue
By Trita Parsi | Responsible Statecraft | March 9, 2026
Trump’s “all over the place” press conference at his Miami resort on Monday appears to have had two key objectives: a) Calm the markets by signalling the conflict may soon be over because it has been so “successful,” and b) Prepare the ground for Trump ending the war through a unilateral declaration of victory.
Though ending a war that never should have been started in the first place — rather than fighting it endlessly in the pursuit of an illusory victory as the U.S. did in Afghanistan — is the right move, it won’t be as easy as Trump appears to think.
Tehran also has a vote — and there is little to suggest that it will agree that the war is over. … continue
By Thomas Karat | The Libertarian Institute | March 10, 2026
Marco Rubio did something unusual on Capitol Hill last Monday. He told the truth.
Standing outside a classified Gang of Eight briefing on March 2, the Secretary of State explained to reporters exactly why the United States launched Operation Epic Fury four days earlier:
“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”
That is not a description of the United States defending itself. It is a description of the United States pre-fighting a war Israel started, to absorb less of the blowback from Israel’s decision. The “imminent threat” President Donald Trump invoked to bypass Congress was not Iran preparing to strike America. It was Iran preparing to respond to Israel—a response that would endanger American forces only because those forces are deployed across a region on behalf of a security architecture that serves Israeli interests, not American ones. American soldiers stationed across the Middle East are not there to protect Kansas. They are there to project power on behalf of a foreign policy consensus built in Washington by people who have never had to send their own children. … continue
IMEMC | March 10, 2026
On Monday, illegal Israeli colonizers wounded six Palestinians near Nablus in the northern West Bank and injured a number of others near Hebron in the southern West Bank. Before dawn, settlers attacked and wounded Palestinian citizens near Tubas in the northeastern part of the West Bank.
Before dawn a group of colonizers stormed several communities in the Tubas and Jordan Valley governorates, wounding citizens and stealing their livestock.
According to Mahdi Daraghmeh the head of the Al-Malih village council, a group of settlers attacked several Palestinians near the village of Tayasir, east of Tubas; they were transported to the hospital for treatment. … Full article
MEMO | March 9, 2026
Israeli forces on Sunday destroyed a main water pipeline in the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, cutting water supplies to dozens of homes.
Sebastia Mayor Mohammad Azem said in a press statement that Israeli forces destroyed the pipeline that supplies Palestinian homes in the western part of the town. He said the damage deprived dozens of families of water, noting that residents rely mainly on this line to meet their daily needs.
Azem said targeting infrastructure in the town increases the hardship faced by residents and places additional pressure on families, particularly as the area continues to face difficult conditions due to ongoing Israeli measures. … Full article
Palestinian Information Center – March 9, 2026
GAZA – An Israeli artillery strike shortly before midnight in the central Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian female journalist and two young girls, and left 10 others injured.
Medical sources reported that a female journalist and two girls were killed in Israeli artillery shelling that targeted tents sheltering displaced families in al-Sawarha area, west of al-Zawaida in central Gaza.
The martyrs were identified as Nour al-Shalalfa, 17, Salsabil Farraj, 12, and Amal Shammali, a 46-year-old journalist working for Qatar Radio.
Ten other civilians sustained different injuries in the same artillery attack and were rushed to Awda Hospital in an-Nuseirat refugee camp. … Full article
Palestinian Information Center – March 9, 2026
GAZA – One Palestinian was killed, and several others were injured on Monday after Israeli forces opened fire in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City, hours after an Israeli artillery strike in central Gaza killed a journalist and two girls.
A local source said an Israeli quadcopter drone dropped a bomb on a group of civilians near Kashko Street in the Al-Zeitoun area, killing ʿImad Felfel and injuring others.
In a separate incident, another Palestinian was wounded with moderate to minor injuries after Israeli forces opened fire in central Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. … Full article
The Cradle | March 9, 2026
The Israeli military carried out a new landing operation in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa region early on 9 March, just two days after a deadly incursion into the town of Nabi Chit – aimed at locating the body of Israeli air force pilot Ron Arad, who was taken captive in Lebanon decades ago.
In a statement, Hezbollah said it detected the Israeli force, made up of 15 helicopters.
“After the failure of the Israeli landing two days ago in the town of Nabi Chit, the enemy attempted again to carry out a landing in the same area, but the eyes of the Mujahideen and their weapons were on the alert. At 12:10 [am] on Monday, 09-03-2026, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance detected the infiltration of about 15 helicopters belonging to the Israeli enemy army from the Syrian direction,” the resistance said.
“The hostile helicopters flew over the eastern chain, specifically in the skies of the villages of Janta, Yahfouf, Nabi Sheet, Arsal, and Ras Baalbek, where a number of them proceeded to land an infantry force in the Sarghaya plain, whose advance towards Lebanese territory was detected,” it added.
Hezbollah went on to say that its fighters “confronted the helicopters and the infiltrating force with appropriate weapons, and the confrontation is still ongoing until the issuance of this statement.”
Correspondents for Al Manar and Al Mayadeen both reported, as the incident was ongoing, that Hezbollah managed to hit one of the Israeli helicopters.
AFP also reported, citing what it claimed were Hezbollah sources, that an Israeli helicopter was downed.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said there were “fierce clashes … towards the outskirts of the town of Nabi Sheet to repel Israeli forces that carried out a landing by helicopters.”
The Israeli military claimed it was “unaware” of a second landing operation in the Bekaa town of Nabi Chit.
The new incursion coincided with continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon, including the east, south, and capital, Beirut. … continue
Al Mayadeen | March 9, 2026
The Israeli occupation forces launched a series of violent airstrikes on Monday, targeting Beirut’s Southern Suburb and multiple towns in southern Lebanon, resulting in a rising number of casualties.
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, Israeli warplanes have carried out more than 10 raids on the Southern Suburb since dawn. The strikes targeted the vicinity of the Saint Therese neighborhood, the area between Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik, and most recently, the Al-Sfeir area, Al-Laylaki and Bir al-Abed areas.
“Israel” issued displacement threats this morning against the Southern Suburb of Beirut, threatening all branches of al-Qard al-Hassan association with destruction. The association has aided tens of thousands of Lebanese, offering them zero-interest loans.
In southern Lebanon, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that a Lebanese police officer belonging to the Chebaa municipality was martyred in an Israeli drone strike.
Separately, three individuals were killed in the town of Kfar Tebnit after an airstrike completely destroyed their home. In another incident, two people were martyred while traveling to the town of Aitaroun. Their vehicle was struck by a drone on the main road between Bint Jbeil and Aitaroun.
A further fatality was recorded in the town of Choukine, where an airstrike destroyed a home, killing one person and critically injuring another. … continue
Al Mayadeen | March 9, 2026
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah announced on Monday evening that it targeted the satellite communications station of the Israeli Communications and Cyber Defense Division in the Valley of Elah, central occupied Palestine, with Israeli media reporting that the site was destroyed.
The Resistance stated that the strategic facility “is located 160 km from the Lebanese border and was hit with a salvo of precision missiles.”
It noted that the operation came “in response to the criminal Israeli aggression that struck dozens of Lebanese cities and towns, including the southern suburbs of Beirut.”
What is the significance of the strategic center Hezbollah destroyed?
The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that Hezbollah destroyed the “beating heart” of Israeli satellite communication systems. It noted that “despite Israeli officials’ efforts to tightly control information about the attack, image analysis shows a large number of satellite wave receivers at the targeted site.”
The agency added that the images confirm the facility is the “SES Satellite Station,” also known as the “Emek HaEla Teleport” (Valley of Elah Station), a highly critical satellite station operated by Luxembourg-based SES S.A.
This station is one of the largest and oldest ground satellite communication stations belonging to Gilat, receiving data from military and intelligence satellites such as Amos and Dror. The information is then transmitted via Bezek’s fiber-optic network to the unified command and control centers for offensive and defensive operations in the Israeli army.
Tasnim explained that the Emek center is the “beating heart” of the Zionist entity’s ground satellite communication systems, responsible for supplying information to decision-making centers. … continue
By Jamal Kanj | MEMO | March 9, 2026
American taxpayers are still hemorrhaging from the made-for-Israel war in Iraq, a war audaciously offered as one that would “pay for itself.” Instead, it was paid in Iraqi and American blood, ruins and financed by American debt. The promised democracy was a broken state, regional chaos, and the afterbirth of terror and resistance that continues to metastasize across the Arab world. Marketed as a short, decisive campaign, Iraq became a two-decade-long disaster with no exit in sight. Trillions were burned on lies manufactured by Israel-first Zionists in Washington, while generations of Americans—many not even born when the invasion began—were conscripted into inheriting the debt, the interest, and the moral stain.
The real balance sheet of that war is etched into nearly 5,000 American tombstones and the endless corridors of veterans’ hospitals. Before that blood-soaked bill is even paid, the very same architect, using the same lies, has succeeded again in dragging the U. S. into another made-for-Israel war, this time against Iran. Iraq was not an aberration; it was a rehearsal. Yet, Iran doesn’t appear to be the final act on the Israeli menu. In recent weeks, former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett declared that Turkey is next. And it is the U.S., not Israel, that is expected to keep paying for wars, America neither needed nor chose.
The evidence of who set the clock of this war is unmistakable. The most revealing admission did not come from Tehran, Moscow, or Beijing, but from the U.S. State Department. In an unguarded moment, the U.S. Secretary of State admitted that the timing of this war was not an American choice. This became painfully clear when the State Department was caught unprepared to help evacuate tens of thousands of Americans from the war zone. … continue
Al Mayadeen | March 9, 2026
The US-Israeli aggression against Iran continued on Monday, targeting the capital Tehran and several cities and provinces across the country as the war entered its tenth day.
Iranian media reported that strikes in Tehran hit residential buildings in the Meydan-e Resalat area, with preliminary reports indicating the martyrdom of 40 people, including several children.
Strikes near Mehrabad airport
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Tehran reported that a series of US and Israeli strikes targeted the vicinity of Mehrabad Airport, west of the capital.
Air defense systems were activated repeatedly over the city to intercept drones and hostile aerial targets, according to the correspondent.
The governor of Tehran confirmed that some attacks targeted residential areas and hospitals, stressing that despite the strikes, the capital remains stable.
Attacks across multiple provinces
Beyond Tehran, strikes also targeted several provinces and cities across Iran, including Alborz, Hamadan, Khuzestan, Hormozgan, and Nuristan.
Qeshm Island in the Gulf was also targeted in an American attack, according to reports.
Heavy civilian toll reported
The head of the Iranian Emergency Organization revealed that 190 of those martyred since the start of the war were under the age of 18, while 700 wounded were also minors, including 60 children under the age of five. … Full article
Al Mayadeen | March 9, 2026
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham threatened Saudi Arabia with potential “consequences”, criticizing what he described as the Kingdom’s refusal to intercept Iranian missiles during recent attacks targeting Riyadh.
In a post on X, Graham questioned Washington’s security partnership with Saudi Arabia, saying the Kingdom had not used its military capabilities to confront Iran.
“Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?” Graham wrote, adding that “consequences will follow” if the situation does not change. … continue
Press TV – March 9, 2026
The head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations says the United States has proved that it does not know the language of diplomacy, and that Tehran is ready for a long war.
“I no longer see any room for diplomacy. Because [US President] Donald Trump deceives others and does not keep his promises, and we experienced this in two rounds of negotiations. While we were negotiating, they attacked us,” Kamal Kharrazi said in an interview with CNN.
However, he noted that the economic pressure could increase to the extent that other countries take action to guarantee the end of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
“The Persian Gulf Arab countries and other countries must put pressure on the United States to end the war,” Kharrazi stated.
Noting that this war has created a lot of economic pressure on others, in terms of inflation and energy shortages, he said: “If it continues, this pressure will increase, and thereby others will have no choice but to intervene.” … continue
By Ekaterina Blinova – Sputnik – 09.03.2026
The main Israeli goal is to cause as much chaos as possible and draw the US even deeper into the war, security expert Dr Simon Tsipis tells Sputnik.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright accused Israel of bombing Iranian fuel depots, insisting the US targets no energy facilities.
Axios reports that the US was informed ahead of the Israeli attacks, but the huge scale of damage shocked Washington. The attack caused an environmental disaster with black acid rain in Tehran.
This situation reveals a divide between the allies, Tsipis said:
- Israeli forces behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu want to trigger a full-scale war in the Persian Gulf
- The US realizes it has been drawn into a project that has nothing to do with its own goals
“Israel has effectively set a trap for its long-time allies among American Christian evangelicals,” Tsipis says. “A strong opposition is growing within the US, openly declaring that the current course does not serve the nation’s interests.” … continue
RT | March 9, 2026
Four civilians, including a six-year-old boy, were killed and twelve more injured in the latest Ukrainian airstrikes on Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the region’s head, Denis Pushilin, said on Monday.
Moscow has repeatedly highlighted that Kiev is attacking civilians because it cannot halt Russian advances on the battlefield. Ukrainian officials claim that inflicting sufficient economic damage will force Russia to abandon its objectives in the four-year Ukraine conflict.
A family of four was killed and another young man was moderately injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the town of Hornyak, Pushilin said in a post on Telegram. He added that two civilians were injured in a drone attack in the city of Volnovakha, while three were wounded in a cruise missile strike in Donetsk city. Six more civilians were injured across the region “as a result of Kiev’s aggression,” Pushkin stressed. … Full article
By Finian Cunningham | Strategic Culture Foundation | March 9, 2026
The money-laundering Kiev regime has gone from cutting off oil supply for EU member states to now issuing death threats to heads of state – and all that the regime’s patrons in Brussels can do is squirm with embarrassment.
The latest twist in the corrupt regime of Vladimir Zelensky is his death threat to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
That was then followed by the Hungarian authorities impounding an armed convoy transporting $100 million in cash and gold bullion from Austria over Hungary’s borders to Kiev – no doubt as part of the war mafia operating under Zelensky.
You couldn’t make this up. … continue
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has threatened to assassinate anyone who replaces the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader.
Khamenei and several other senior Iranian officials were killed in the first wave of US‑Israeli airstrikes launched on February 28. After a week of deliberations, the Assembly of Experts, a body of clerics tasked with vetting and selecting the new supreme leader, announced on Monday that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, has been chosen to succeed him.
In a statement posted to the IDF’s Farsi account hours before the Assembly announced its decision, the Israeli army issued a warning to its members.
“The hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person involved in his appointment,” the IDF said, adding that it “would not hesitate to target” the clerics attending the assembly’s meetings.
Last week, Israel struck the Assembly’s headquarters in Qom, but the attack failed to derail the selection of a new leader. Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, said Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment demonstrates that the US and Israel failed to use Ali Khamenei’s death to sow chaos in the country.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both cited regime change as one of their war goals.
Trump has demanded unconditional surrender and said the next supreme leader will not “last long” unless Iran bows to his demands. Iranian officials and the military have vowed to continue their resistance.
The Dissident | March 9, 2026
In an interview with the Times of Israel, Donald Trump – in his usual fashion- said the quiet part out loud, and admitted that his goal is to destroy Iran on behalf of Israel.
He said, “Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it… We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel.”
Trump has admitted that his real goal is to “destroy Iran”, the real motive behind the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure. … continue
Sputnik – 09.03.2026
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said that the decision to end the operation against Iran would be made jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I think it’s mutual… a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,” Trump told the Times of Israel newspaper when asked whether he would be the sole decision-maker on ending the operation against Iran or whether Netanyahu would also have a say. … Full article
Al Mayadeen | March 9, 2026
Iran continues to ship large volumes of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the ongoing war and major disruptions to maritime traffic in the region, according to satellite monitoring data.
TankerTrackers.com, a firm that analyzes satellite imagery to track vessel movements, said at least 11 to 12 million barrels of Iranian oil have passed through the strategic waterway since the war began on February 28.
Samir Madani, the company’s co-founder, noted that the actual volume is likely higher, as delays in satellite feeds caused by the war make it difficult to track all tanker activity. … Full article
By Martin Jay | Strategic Culture Foundation | March 9, 2026
After just a week into Donald Trump’s war, there is very little to report which should or could please the U.S. president. Much of America’s infrastructure in the Middle East has been destroyed with U.S. soldiers now housed by hotels in GCC countries as there is nothing left of their bases. The stocks that these countries have as part of their air defence systems is almost depleted as military chiefs argue about how quickly they can be replaced (some THAAD and Patriot systems are being shipped from Japan and South Korea) and Iran is hitting Israel harder and harder each day.
Of course, due to the new draconian rules which Israel has imposed — that no military strikes that Iran succeeds in carrying out can be ‘reported’ on by journalists or even citizens who wish to post it on social media — as well as the comically corrupt, partisan way U.S. news outlets are covering the war, very little bad news gets seen by the public, if any.
Under this set up, it is hardly surprising that Trump went to war, given that he must have factored in a great deal of support from U.S. media, whom he claims to despise. In this regard, we can conclude that media itself is complicit in war crimes, given that it has played a huge role in the decision to go to war and also the day to day reporting of events on the ground.
A good example of the few points of the war which are reported, but done in such a distorted way, is the news that Iran has stopped its bombing of GCC Gulf states. … continue
By Yuriy Zinin – New Eastern Outlook – March 9, 2026
The US and Israeli aggression against Iran has pushed the Middle East to the verge of exploding. It has ignited regional media discourse, which presents various assessments of the situation and its consequences.
According to a major regional portal, Middle East Online, these assessments can be divided into two categories. One group tends to support the idea of Israel’s overwhelming superiority and its control over the region’s key institutions. They also believe the predictions of the Lebanese astrologer Layla Abdel Latif. The other group offers alternative scenarios, including those pointing to an Iranian victory and the collapse of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance. … continue
By Manlio Dinucci | Global Research | March 9, 2026
Contrary to what the Italian Government says, the United States does not need authorisation from the Italian Government or Italian Parliament regarding the use of its bases in Italy.
In fact, it has complete freedom to use them as it wishes.
By using Sigonella as an intelligence centre for the war against Iran, the United States is protecting itself, but is also dragging Italy into the war and exposing it to the risk of being targeted. … continue
By José Niño | The Libertarian Institute | March 9, 2026
On the surface, everything between Vietnam and the United States looked better than it ever had. In September 2023, President Joe Biden and General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, elevating relations to their highest diplomatic tier. American officials toasted prosperity. Vietnamese leaders smiled for cameras. The messaging suggested a new chapter in a relationship once defined by napalm and body counts.
Then, in early February 2026, a very different story emerged from behind the curtain. The 88 Project, a U.S.-based human rights organization focused on Vietnam, exposed a classified internal military document that shattered the diplomatic facade. The revelation was subsequently covered by AP News, The Diplomat, and Le Monde. Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
The document bore the formal designation 357/KH-BTL and carried the title “The 2nd U.S. Invasion Plan.” Signed by Vice Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem and certified by Rear Admiral Vu Van Nam, it was issued by Vietnam’s Navy Command in August 2024, months before Donald Trump returned to office for his second term. Its contents painted a picture of a government that publicly embraced Washington while privately treating it as the gravest threat to its survival.
Vietnamese military planners described the United States in the document as a “belligerent” superpower with a pattern of “creating a pretext” to launch wars against nations that “deviate from its orbit.” The plan acknowledged that the present risk of armed conflict remained low, yet insisted that America’s aggressive nature demanded constant vigilance.
The operational scenarios imagined within the plan read like something from a Cold War thriller. Vietnamese planners envisioned a full-scale American assault involving two to three aircraft carrier strike groups, three to four Marine brigades, and amphibious landings along the country’s vast coastline. In the most alarming passage, the document speculated that if conventional methods failed, the United States “may use biochemical and tactical nuclear weapons.”
Vietnamese analysts traced what they saw as an escalating pattern across three administrations. They pointed to President Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia, Trump’s first term (described as inciting an arms race), and Biden’s institutionalization of the Indo-Pacific Strategy. All of it, according to Le Monde, was portrayed as Washington forging a united front against China. … continue
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- Trump Starts a Major Regime-Change War with Iran, Serving Neoconservatism and Israel
- Why Trump’s war on Iran will fail
- UK teacher ‘targeted and intimidated’ over pro-Palestine campaign
- Francesca Albanese’s family sues Washington over ‘unconstitutional’ sanctions
- New poll showing more Americans are sympathetic with Palestinians than Israelis will panic the Zionist lobby
- More than 50% of aid movements to Gaza impeded, denied by Israel: UN
- Seven martyred in new Israeli massacres, violations across Gaza
- Israel launches waves of strikes on eastern Lebanon; 1 killed, 19 injured
- Lebanon: Between sovereignty and the mirage of normalization
- Trump advisors want Israel to ‘attack Iran first,’ let US troops get hit to muster public support for war: Report
- The Trump Administration Is Apparently Trying To Goad Iran Into Attacking Americans To Justify War
- US will suffer ‘massive losses’ in case of new regional war: Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah
- US intelligence debunks Trump’s claim of Iran working on ICBMs: Report
- Tehran urges Washington to drop ‘excessive demands’ as USS Ford approaches Israel
- US warns Syria against using Chinese tech citing ‘national security’
- The military is babying F-35s to hide their true cost to taxpayers
- Ukraine Given $43Bln in Proceeds From Russian Assets Frozen by G7 Since 2024 – Estimates
- Germany’s AfD hails ‘major victory’ against Berlin’s domestic spy agency
- Ukrainian military analyst praises use of drones against ‘Russian-Hungarian-Slovak friendship’
- Von der Leyen warns Hungary: We have ways of making you talk
- EU manipulating polls in bid to oust Orban – German opposition leader
- Ukrainian Forces Used Mental Hospital as Headquarters in Gulyaipole – Refugee
- CHD Calls for Federal Criminal Investigation of OSHA Over COVID Vaccine Injury Reporting
- Enough Climate Action — Shut The Money Spigot
- Davos forum CEO quits over Epstein links
- The US’ self-directed ‘China nuclear threat’ will only be a waste of effort: Global Times editorial
- Female Iranian academic sentenced to 4 years in prison in France over protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza
- US university cancels Palestine conference citing sanctions concerns
- Israel transfers withheld Palestinian Authority funds to Israeli families in compensation cases
- Israeli Colonizers Seriously Injure A Palestinian In Hebron
- Several Citizens Injured by Israeli Naval Gunfire off Gaza Coast
- Major Humanitarian Flotilla to Sail to Gaza On April 12
- Netanyahu hails ‘iron alliance’ with India as Modi pledges support for Israel
- Iraqi Resistance warns of action if US forces remain
- US Navy withdraws all vessels from Bahrain base amid rising tensions with Iran
- Senate Majority Leader: Any War with Iran Should Result in Regime Change
- China, Russia slam US threat, force against Iran ahead of talks
- US fears Iran war will ‘deplete’ air defenses stretched thin by Ukraine, Israel: Report
- Top AIs deploy nukes in 95% of war game simulations – study
- Could Hungary’s fight over oil change course of Ukraine War?
- North Korea Open to Rapprochement If US Respects Its Nuclear Status – Kim Jong-un
- Havana identifies ‘terrorist infiltrators’ from US
- Statins, Cholesterol, and The Real Cause of Heart Disease
- The Founder Who Turned Against Root Canals
- Colorado bill creates new adult vaccine liability shield and authorizes pharmacists to independently prescribe vaccines
- Term ‘forced mobilization’ is ‘enemy language’ – Ukrainian officials
- An open war on Palestinian media, Israel tops the list of journalists’ killers in 2025
- Israel displaces last two families from Al Khalayel valley, Al Mughayyir
- Israeli Opposition Leader Endorses Greater Israel
- Israeli Attacks in Gaza Kill Four Civilians
- Islamic Jihad: Trump’s peace board is a “theatrical stunt detached from reality”
- Hundreds protest US carrier arrival in Crete ahead of West Asia deployment
- The Head Of A CIA Cutout Admits To Meddling In Iran To Fuel Unrest
- Trump’s military buildup against Iran on Netanyahu’s behalf is a gambit doomed to fail
- Big League War
- Iran warns Trump against decisions based on false information
- Pentagon sets deadline for Anthropic to lift AI restrictions on autonomous weapons, mass domestic surveillance
- Hungary to deploy troops against potential ‘Ukrainian attacks’
- Zelensky sells false illusion of building powerful air force capable of overcoming Russia
Aletho News 