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Iran war: the search for an ‘off ramp’  The Conversation

The world has entered a "new dark age of abuses", with the United States "raining death" on Iran and Venezuela, a UN special rapporteur said Thursday. Ben Saul, the United Nations' special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, said the war in the Middle East would not improve global security. "We have entered a new dark age of abuses in the name of countering terrorism," he told a press conference in Geneva.

What swing voters think of the war in Iran : Here & Now Anytime  NPR

US war on Iran cost $11.3bn in first six days: Report The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has already cost more than $11.3bn in its first six days, US defence officials told senators during a closed-door briefing, according to multiple reports. The New York Times first reported the figure, citing three people familiar with the briefing given to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The estimate does not include several major expenses linked to the military campaign, including the earlier deployment of additional troops, aircraft and equipment to the region. The overall cost is set to rise sharply as the Pentagon continues to calculate the full price of the operation. Reports also indicate the White House is preparing to request additional funding from Congress to sustain the war.

Somali minister tells Al Jazeera Israeli base plans in Somaliland risk dragging Somalia into 'external confrontations'.

The economic fallout of the US-Israeli assault and Tehran’s retaliation is spreading fast, and pushing the most vulnerable towards disaster Soaring prices at the pump, the scrapping of mortgage deals, and the prospect of higher prices for everything from food to smartphones. The US-Israeli attack on Iran, and Tehran’s retaliation, has rocked the global economy. Consumers are already feeling the pain of the biggest energy supply shock in history, and Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed on Thursday that the strait of Hormuz will remain closed, according to a statement attributed to him by state media. The corridor is the biggest chokepoint for the global energy system. The relief to oil prices brought by the International Energy Agency’s largest ever release of reserves had already proved shortlived: as the US and Israel intensified attacks on Iran, it escalated attacks on transport infrastructure across the Gulf. But the impact is not evenly felt. In Asia, heavily reliant on the Middle East for crude oil and liquefied natural gas, Bangladesh closed all its universities and Pakistan some of its schools due to fuel shortages. While US coverage is dominated by the impact at home, others are paying a higher price. And it is the world’s poorest and most vulnerable who will be worst hit. Continue reading...

Democrats introduce ‘Justice for Hind Rajab Act’ as film about her death gains Oscar buzz MEE staff on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 15:51 If passed, it would compel the Trump administration to reveal everything it knows about Israel's killing of the child in Gaza A person holds a portrait of Hind Rajab during the red carpet arrivals for the film 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' presented in competition at the 82nd International Venice Film Festival, at Venice Lido, Italy, on 3 September 2025 (Tiziana Fabi/AFP) Off US Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill demanding that the State Department explain exactly what it did to investigate the circumstances of the killing of Palestinian child Hind Rajab, and whether any Americans were involved, The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Thursday. The "Justice for Hind Rajab Act" will have to go through committees and floor debates in both chambers of Congress before it comes to a vote. It undoubtedly faces an uphill battle in a Republican-dominated legislature.  Rajab was a six-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza whose agonising death at the hands of Israeli soldiers on 29 January 2024 has become symbolic of the widespread violations of international humanitarian law committed during Israel's genocide in the enclave, where over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed.  The text of the bill, which is being introduced by Peter Welch in the Senate, and Pramila Jayapal and Sara Jacobs in the House, says that if it is enacted into law, the secretary of state and the secretary of war will be compelled to produce a report within 45 days that explains whether the killing ran afoul of the US Foreign Assistance Act and the Leahy Law.  The Leahy Law prohibits the US from providing arms or military assistance to foreign militaries that violate human rights. The US State Department has an "Israel Leahy Vetting Forum" as part of the law. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Lawmakers also want to know the identities of the Israeli soldiers who took part in Rajab's killing, and whether any of them are also US citizens.  The bill effectively demands that the US government hand over everything it knows about the incident, including whether the Department of Justice ever investigated human rights violations. "Since October 7, 2023, the United States has provided more than $21,700,000,000 in military assistance to Israel, which has funded a majority of the expenses needed by the Israel Defense Forces to conduct the war in Gaza," the bill says. "According to information from the Government of Israel, an estimated 10,000 people from the United States were activated for the war in Gaza," it adds. "According to reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza." The Biden administration had repeatedly referred reporters to the government of Israel when asked about investigations into Rajab and other alleged war crimes in Gaza, but critics have pointed to that approach as a stalling and diversion tactic. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "The same day the Justice for Hind Rajab Act is being introduced in Congress, Israel has announced it is dropping its prosecution into the on-camera rape and torture of a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman facility," the US-based advocacy organisation, A New Policy, wrote on X on Thursday. A New Policy was founded by two US officials who resigned because of the Biden administration's unconditional support for Israel's assault on Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.  "It's obvious - Israel can't be trusted to investigate itself," A New Policy said. "That's why we need international bodies like the International Criminal Court (currently under US sanctions) to pursue their case, why we need to apply the Leahy Law to Israel, & why we need Bills like the Justice for Hind Rajab Act." Spotlight Jayapal and Welch hosted a screening of the Oscar-nominated film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, on Capitol Hill last month. It is expected to win the international film category at Sunday's awards ceremony.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The bill's timing is likely to capitalise on that spotlight. Unfolding over the course of 24 hours and set entirely at a Palestine Red Crescent Society call centre, 52 miles from Gaza, The Voice of Hind Rajab is a docu-fiction hybrid that dramatises the efforts of Palestinian aid workers to save the pleading child on the phone.  An investigation in June 2024 revealed that Rajab and five of her family members were targeted with 335 Israeli army bullets as they attempted to flee northern Gaza in their car. For three hours, Hind was the sole survivor, trapped alongside her slain relatives. Desperate for help, she called the Palestinian Red Crescent, but paramedics Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun were both killed by Israeli forces before they could rescue her. A harrowing recording of Hind’s final phone call, released after the incident, captured her chilling pleas: "I'm scared of the dark, come get me."  It formed the basis for the highly acclaimed film, which has already received awards on the festival circuit.  Middle East Eye has reached out to Jayapal's office for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.  Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Israel's military bombed a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut after issuing a warning for residents to evacuate, saying it was targeting Hezbollah sites. The strikes hit a building in the Bashoura district twice, in the closest attack to downtown since the start of the war on Iran by Israel and the U.S.

US officials say Iran war could last four to five weeks: Report Two US officials have told Al Jazeera that Washington expects the war against Iran to continue for four to five weeks, though it could end sooner. According to the officials, the conflict may conclude within two weeks if political conditions change, but the final decision will depend on US President Donald Trump.

Unpacking The Cost Of The War On Iran : 1A  NPR

Iran vows to fight until US regrets ‘grave miscalculation’ Ali Larijani, a senior security official in Iran, says the country will continue fighting until the United States regrets its decision to launch the war on the country. Larijani condemned US President Donald Trump and rejected suggestions that the conflict could be resolved quickly. "Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation,” Larijani said on X.

How Iran war ship attacks choked off Strait of Hormuz  BBC

What America is paying for Trump’s war in Iran  Center for American Progress

Tucker Carlson’s “ignorant” comments on Iran war spark outrage from New York Jewish groups  amNewYork

Key questions emerge around AI use and human errors in the Trump administration’s rush to strike Iran

AFP reporters have been speaking to a range of people living in Iran to build a picture of life under daily US and Israeli bombardment despite an internet blackout and major communication problems. Here is a selection of their comments, either from people who sent messages to AFP reporters or from those interviewed at the borders as they fled. AFP is withholding identifying information for their security. - My son 'has no understanding of war' - A 37-year-old man in Bukan, northwest Iran:

Israel targets centre of Lebanese capital in escalation of military campaign that has killed nearly 700 people.

Charges dropped against five soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee at a military facility.

Editorial: Everyone but Donald Trump can see that while a short campaign was within the president’s power to start, a wider conflict is not within his purview to stop

Pro-Iranian hackers are targeting sites in the Middle East and starting to stretch into the United States during the war