Aletho News

ΑΛΗΘΩΣ

Iran security chief says ‘no negotiations with US,’ confirms readiness for ‘long war’

The Cradle | March 2, 2026

The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, declared on 2 March that the Islamic Republic “will not negotiate with the United States” as the regional war rages on for a third straight day.

“Trump’s wishful thinking has dragged the whole region into an unnecessary war and now he is rightly worried about more American casualties. It is indeed very sad that he is sacrificing American treasure and blood to advance Netanyahu’s illegitimate expansionist ambitions,” Larijani said in a social media post.

The declaration came as a refutation to a Wall Street Journal report claiming that, hours after US-Israeli strikes halted negotiations, Larijani had pushed to resume nuclear talks with Washington through Omani mediators.

In a separate post, Larijani said Iran is prepared for a prolonged war, unlike the US.

Following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on 28 February, Larijani emerged as a central figure in Iran’s security and military leadership.

While Larijani has been managing Iran’s retaliation to the attack, he is not part of the three-person interim council established to lead the country until a successor is elected.

The council met for the first time on 1 March, shortly after the killing of Khamenei, to ensure government continuity as the country declared a 40-day mourning period.

The supreme leader was killed alongside a number of Iran’s top military and security leaders, including IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, as well as several of Khamenei’s family members – his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and grandchild.

The unprovoked US-Israeli attacks that began on 28 February have so far resulted in the killing of at least 555 people across Iran.

That number includes at least 180 killed in a single Israeli strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, with the vast majority being students aged 7-12.

UNESCO condemned the massacre as a grave violation of international humanitarian law, stressing the protections granted to civilians, especially children.

The joint US-Israeli aggression – dubbed ‘Operation Epic Fury’ by the US, and ‘Operation Roaring Lion’ by Israel – has carried out roughly 2,000 strikes across 131 locations in Iran, targeting key political, military, economic, and civilian infrastructure.

Following Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announcement of Operation True Promise 4 – targeting US bases in the Persian Gulf region – Gulf states condemned Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes on US bases within their territory, calling them violations of sovereignty, with all Gulf states reporting the interception of Iranian missiles.

Oman warned the US-Israeli assault had undermined diplomacy just as a nuclear deal was “within our reach,” urging Washington not to escalate further, as Russia denounced the US-Israeli attack as “unprovoked.”

March 2, 2026 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Fake News, Mainstream Media, Warmongering, Wars for Israel | , , , , | Comments Off on Iran security chief says ‘no negotiations with US,’ confirms readiness for ‘long war’

Iran posed no imminent threat to US: Pentagon tells Congress

Press TV – March 2, 2026

As US-Israeli military aggression against Iran continues, Pentagon staff have acknowledged that there was no military threat from Tehran towards US bases and forces in West Asia prior to US aggression, contradicting claims by senior administration officials that Washington started the aggression to prevent Tehran from targeting American interests in the region.

Pentagon staff acknowledged during a congressional briefing on Sunday that Iran was not planning to strike US forces or bases in West Asia unless Israel attacked Iran first, according to multiple people who attended the session.

The acknowledgement undercuts the administration of US President Donald Trump’s false allegations that Iran was planning to preemptively strike US forces and bases.

During several interviews on Saturday, senior administration officials claimed that Israel and the US attacked Iran because they had allegedly received information that Iran was planning to create mass casualty scenario by preemptively striking US bases in the region.

Several American news outlets reported on Saturday that there was no verifiable information or intelligence to support the Trump administration’s false narrative.

During the session, Pentagon had told Congress that Iran’s ballistic missile program and resistance groups across the region posed a threat to US interests.

Sources, however, noted Iran had never used its military capabilities preemptively, but only as a deterrent, as was the case during the 12-day war in July of 2025. As such, the threat of war being initiated by Iran was not true and the Trump administration could not factually support its reasoning for the military aggression against Iran.

The Pentagon had also told Congress that its goal during the first two days of war was to destroy Iran’s air defense and command and control nodes; however since the beginning of the aggression the Israeli and US forces have repeatedly attacked civilian infrastructure, including a school which resulted in the killing of more than 150 students.

When asked about Pentagon staff undercutting the administration rationale, White House spokesperson Dylan Johnson claimed that the briefers had “briefed the bipartisan staffs of several national security committees in both chambers for over 90 minutes on the military action in Iran.”

The US and Israel started a new round of aerial aggression against Iran on Saturday, eight months after they launched unprovoked attacks on the country.

Iran has swiftly and decisively retaliated against the strikes by launching barrages of missile and drones against Israeli-occupied territories as well as on US bases in region.

March 2, 2026 Posted by | Deception, Militarism, Wars for Israel | , , , | Comments Off on Iran posed no imminent threat to US: Pentagon tells Congress

Iran’s Missile Might vs. America’s Arsenal: Who Will Run Out First?

Sputnik – 02.03.2026

“If the US continues to use its missiles in such a manner, their stockpile will swiftly run out,” Russian military expert Yuri Knutov tells Sputnik, commenting on a recent video of apparently 10 Patriot interceptors downing just one Iranian ballistic missile.

Knutov explains that the US missile stockpile includes about 400 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, which “may be already exhausted in 10 days even if they are used properly.”

“As for Patriot interceptors, their larger stockpile could be exhausted in around three weeks, especially if 10 such missiles are launched to hit one Iranian air target,” the expert points out.

According to him, the US quickly increasing the production of the aforementioned missiles is unrealistic, given that the monthly output currently stands at merely 55, which is “not serious.”

Iran’s ‘Trump Card’

“So, Iran now has a very important trump card. By strategically using its ballistic missiles and saving the advanced hypersonic Fateh missiles for the final stage, Tehran has a chance to deal a very painful blow to Israel and the US and avenge the surprise attack on the Islamic Republic,” the expert notes.

He says that when it comes to Iranian ballistic missiles, they might not be exhausted for another month, and despite their low accuracy, the mass use of this munition yields results.

“Out of a large number of launched missiles, one or two hit their targets, which is a significant result. It creates a psychological effect and, in turn, impacts the enemy’s morale. Therefore, when we talk about Iran’s use of ballistic missiles, this tactic has so far proven effective,” Knutov concludes.

March 2, 2026 Posted by | Militarism | , , | Comments Off on Iran’s Missile Might vs. America’s Arsenal: Who Will Run Out First?

Iran yet to deal its master blow in the region, while U.S. navy looks increasingly vulnerable

By Martin Jay | Strategic Culture Foundation | March 2, 2026

Early on Sunday morning, it was confirmed that Iran’s Supreme Leader had been killed by U.S./Israeli airstrikes, which no doubt will be seen by Trump and Netanyahu as a significant victory in their erroneous goal of regime change. But was it really one to chalk up? Reports from Iran indicate that he will be replaced almost immediately by his son, who had already been playing a key role in the country’s leadership anyway and whose appointment may well be a significantly positive step forward for the country, as many Iranians, while wanting reforms in their country, know only too well that the regime change notion is a trap set by Israel which they reject.

Iran has already scored a number of victories in a mere 24 hours, and their readiness this time was evident which, no matter how you look at the conflict, was certainly a consequence of Trump’s earlier actions in June, when he bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities with the agreement of Iran’s leaders.

No such cosy deal exists today. The Iranians have learned the hard way that Trump is not to be trusted and is not even in control of these decisions. What we are witnessing now is the start of a protracted war which will evolve on several fronts concurrently, with the Iranians in no particular hurry to proceed at a rapid pace. Their significant strikes on a U.S. naval base plus one naval ship is a taste of Iran’s ballistic missile capability which is starting to rain down on Israel itself.

The Supreme Leader’s death actually was not a great victory, given that he made no real effort to go into hiding but was killed in his office. By contrast, Benjamin Netanyahu escaped from Israel and ended up being protected by the country which pulled off the Holocaust. And so Bibi can slowly watch the disintegration of his own country while the region deals with a new reality: oil.

Oil will be a critical, decisive factor in how long Israel and the U.S. can continue with the war, as Iran lost no time in shutting off the Straits of Hormuz, while America’s fleet of ships just sat and watched. This may well be one area where Trump has seriously underestimated the consequences, as energy analysts are already predicting the climb of crude to close to $120 USD in the coming weeks. The choking of one of the most critical channels which provides 20 percent of the world’s oil supply is only part of the horror story, though, that Iran has in store for Trump and Bibi. Warned that they would be hit — or at least their U.S. military bases would be legitimate targets — GCC countries have responded in a way which will please Israel and the U.S.: Saudi Arabia has said they will both attack Iran soon, with Qatar and the UAE likely to join.

Yet such a strategy would be a colossal error of judgment and a spectacular miscalculation which will accelerate the war in Iran’s favour and force the U.S. and Israel to capitulate as Tehran strikes the Achilles heel of the whole operation. Iran can easily destroy the entire oil infrastructure of these GCC countries in a matter of hours, which would not only be a knockout blow to those countries’ economies but will have a considerable impact on world oil prices, for one strengthening Russia. For the moment, Iran doesn’t need to go this far, but if GCC countries really go ahead with their threat, it will have little choice.

Another critical area of misjudgement is the logistics of U.S. battleships operating inside the Straits of Hormuz. The straits have already been closed, and any pretensions that U.S. military planners had of taking on Iran in this ocean have been dashed by its successful destruction of the U.S. Naval base in Bahrain, which of course is played down by U.S. media whose low IQ “journalists” make themselves look even more stupid by asking Iran’s foreign minister why Iran is bombing U.S. bases. The U.S. naval base in Bahrain was a critical supply port for U.S. battleships which carry around 90 missiles on board. The destroyers which are now trapped inside the Straits of Hormuz can’t now reload if they deplete those missiles. The other ships which are on the other side of the blockade now can only restock at the U.S. base of Diego Garcia, which is three days away. To say this is a major blow to the whole operation is an understatement. It is a blunder of extraordinarily poor planning and a stroke of military genius by Iran to hit the U.S. naval base in Bahrain on day one, and it explains why the intense fury of the June retaliation last year has not been replicated. Iran is confident that its planning will defeat the enemy as it has a number of aces to play, and so its response is more measured and less frenetic. Iran has been planning this war for years, and the attack last year by Trump has just focused their minds and honed their military strategy to the point where even after 24 hours, they are looking like the victors who have a real strategy which is paying off, rather than their enemies who are dazed and confused. Is it really any wonder that sailors on the USS Gerald Ford sabotaged the toilet system on board by blocking it with T-shirts, so as to delay its voyage to the Gulf?

March 2, 2026 Posted by | Economics, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Wars for Israel | , , , , | Comments Off on Iran yet to deal its master blow in the region, while U.S. navy looks increasingly vulnerable

Gas prices spike amid fears of Middle East supply shock

RT | March 2, 2026

Gas markets around the world were rattled on Monday, with benchmark European natural gas prices rising sharply and broader energy markets on edge after Middle East tensions increased the risk to supplies via the critical Strait of Hormuz.

European benchmark gas futures surged by around 50% – their biggest single day move since March 2022 – after LNG tankers largely stopped transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that carries about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments, over the weekend.

The spike was compounded by a drone strike on QatarEnergy’s major LNG complex at Ras Laffan, which forced production to be halted.

Crude markets also rallied, with Brent futures climbing to multi-month highs as the escalation further constrained energy flows from the region.

Across the Gulf, other energy sites have also been hit or temporarily shut, with producers suspending parts of their operations as a precaution. Saudi Arabia has reportedly paused activity at its Ras Tanura refinery following the attacks. With pipeline alternatives limited and shipping routes through the area stalling, traders are now pricing in the risk that supply lines could remain disrupted for an extended period.

Analysts warn that the turmoil could amount to the most serious shock to gas markets since the 2022 energy crisis. The EU is seen as particularly exposed. The bloc has already faced repeated jumps in energy costs since it scaled back Russian oil and gas imports following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Moving away from relatively cheap Russian pipeline gas has forced the bloc to lean more heavily on LNG deliveries, especially from the US. Now, with the heating season ending but storage sites less full than usual, the region requires substantial LNG imports over the summer to rebuild inventories ahead of next winter.

The rally comes as US President Donald Trump has indicated that military operations against Iran could continue for several weeks, while a number of major maritime insurers are preparing to stop covering war risks for ships entering the Persian Gulf.

Military strikes launched by the US and Israel against Iran on Saturday have shown no sign of easing. The intense attacks have reportedly killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while Tehran has responded with airstrikes against Israel and several Gulf states hosting US military assets. In a further sign of regional escalation, Lebanon’s Hezbollah has entered the fray with cross‑border attacks on Israeli military positions, prompting retaliatory airstrikes on the group’s infrastructure and command sites.

Analysts, including Goldman Sachs, estimate that a month‑long halt to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could send European gas prices up by as much as 130% from current levels, putting renewed pressure on households and industry.

Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s presidential envoy and head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, argued that the latest price jump highlights the cost of Europe’s decision to move away from Russian fuel. In a social‑media post, he said EU gas prices “could more than double soon” and claimed that the bloc’s “strategic blunder of avoiding cheap and reliable Russian gas is backfiring.”

March 2, 2026 Posted by | Economics, Wars for Israel | , , , , , | Comments Off on Gas prices spike amid fears of Middle East supply shock