News

Elahi, a former political prisoner writing under a pseudonym, describes just one sleepless night in the Iranian capital It’s 5am on Thursday 12 March. I was finally falling asleep after a day full of fear when the phone rang. Terror rushes through me. It’s not the right time for a call. Someone must need help – or maybe they are alone and frightened. I answer the phone, exhausted. It’s my younger sister. She is crying and cannot speak. My heart breaks into a thousand pieces. I haven’t seen her for many days. When I was released from prison, she had gone to another city to take care of our mother. Continue reading...

47th president’s Iran war forces many to live with ‘horrors of war’  AFRO American Newspapers

Who threatens the Arab world: Iran or the US and Israel? Joseph Massad on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 11:11 It should be clear to Gulf Arab states hosting US bases that the American presence does not protect them but instead places them in danger US Air Force personnel load munitions onto bombers at RAF Fairford in southwest England ahead of strikes on Iran, on 10 March 2026 (Henry Nicholls/AFP) Off For the past month, US President Donald Trump and his secretaries of state and of war have emphasised a vision of the United States as a white Christian European nation at war with the non-Christian, non-white world. It was therefore unsurprising that, before they attacked Iran on 28 February, American commanders reportedly told their troops that this was a war for "Armageddon" and would bring about the "return of Jesus". Reports circulating on social media claimed that US Air Force personnel were served steak and lobster for their "last supper" before embarking on their missions. The obscene spectacle of Trump surrounded by Protestant Evangelical Christian Zionist religious leaders, praying for an American and Israeli victory against the non-white non-Christians they are bombing, set the tone for the US administration's propaganda. But it also reflects a deepening ideological divide within right-wing American politics. On one side are Evangelical Christian and Jewish Zionists who support wars against Iran and the Palestinians; on the other are right-wing Christians who believe that America is being drawn into wars on behalf of Israel. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Similarly, many on the American left, including progressive Jews such as Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, argue that Israel has pulled the United States into war. Rather than seeing the US-Israeli imperialist attack as serving the bellicose American billionaire class that fully backs it, these right-wing and left-wing critics contend that Benjamin Netanyahu tricked Trump into attacking Iran primarily for Israel's benefit. However, it is crucial to understand that Israel's bellicose policies are an element of the overall US strategy in the region and do not exist independently of it. It is hardly far-fetched that the US aims to intensify the Arab states' hostility towards Iran and incite them to openly join the US-Israel attack. Blaming Israel Some right-wingers cite the fact that prominent American billionaires, including Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, Bernard Marcus and Paul Singer, have promoted hostility towards Iran for the past decade as proof that such figures are "Israel firsters", rather than "America firsters", and that Israel controls US foreign policy. They ignore how major American defence industries and energy companies directly benefit and stand to make huge profits from this war. Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Exxon, Raytheon and Boeing can hardly be accused of being Israel firsters, even if, like the billionaires, they believe that Israel's regional military dominance serves the interests of US imperialism. Why blaming the Israel lobby for western Middle East policies is misguided Read More » Instead of framing their criticism of the attack on Iran as driven by the imperialist warmongering of US financial elites – for whom the genocidal Israeli state is both an asset and a proxy – these right-wingers accuse Israel of "controlling" Washington's decisions, thus effectively exonerating the United States of responsibility. Israel and its intelligence and military apparatus and personnel are tightly integrated into the US war machine, but this is not proof, as some might argue, of Israeli "control" over this system, but rather the result of the US subcontracting significant intelligence and military functions to a trustworthy proxy. Both Maga and left-wing critics of the war have interpreted recent comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as an admission that Israel dragged the US to war. What they forget is that Washington – on which Israel is almost entirely dependent for weapons supplies – could have ordered Israel not to attack. But the US chose not to do so, meaning that it approved of Israel's war plans and coordinated with it beforehand. Arab silence Not a single Arab regime condemned the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, save for Oman, which described it as a "violation of international law". Nor did any of them, except for the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthis), offer condolences to Iran for the massacre of more than 170 Iranian schoolgirls and staff in Minab, or for the murder of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family and aides. Even Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Nato member Turkey, saw fit to send condolences to Iran, while Arab governments remained silent. Iranian officials noted this in talks with Egyptian and Turkish counterparts aimed at de-escalating the conflict. Algeria, which stood by its anti-imperialism for decades before recently switching to a pro-imperialist position when it voted for Trump's anti-Palestinian "Board of Peace" at the United Nations, confirmed its new orientation by refusing to condemn the aggression, while expressing solidarity with the Arab regimes against Iranian retaliation. In Cairo, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar also registered his solidarity with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan (though curiously not Qatar or Saudi Arabia) by condemning Iran, but not the US-Israeli aggression. He, too, offered no condolences for Khamenei, a religious leader revered by Shia worldwide. The claim by the Gulf Arab states and Jordan that Iran is violating their sovereignty, while overlooking the fact that American forces are using their territory and airspace to violate Iran's, is eminently unpersuasive. All the Arab regimes whose countries were targeted by Iranian retaliation have ceded sovereignty over parts of their territories to the United States – and in some cases also Britain and France – allowing them to establish military bases to attack Iraq, Syria and now Iran. Meanwhile, these states neither condemn nor attempt to prevent Israeli warplanes from traversing their skies to attack Iran – despite their protestations of "neutrality". Bases and sovereignty Under the agreements governing US military bases, none of these countries has the right to know how many American troops enter or leave their territory, or to have any say over US military activities launched from them. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The bilateral agreements that allow American forces to be stationed in Qatar and Saudi Arabia have never been made public, and the unpopular agreement with Jordan is considered by many Jordanians to violate the Jordanian constitution by infringing on the country's sovereignty. If Iran were to host Russian or Chinese bases used to attack the Gulf Arab states and Jordan, would these countries not consider it their right to retaliate? If Iran were to host Russian or Chinese military and intelligence bases used to attack the Gulf Arab states and Jordan, would these countries not consider it their right to retaliate? It remains curious that Qatar's air defence system provided no early warning and no defence against the Israeli attack on Doha last September (nor did the US warn it, even though the Israelis informed the US of the impending attack), while it is apparently capable of detecting and at least attempting to defend US military and diplomatic assets in the country against Iranian retaliation. Add to this reports claiming that Israel is behind several false-flag attacks targeting Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, as well as sites in Oman, Turkey and Azerbaijan. The Iranians, who have readily taken responsibility for the attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and the American military Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia – which the Saudis keep insisting is a "Saudi" base (as do the rest of the Arab countries, which claim that US bases on their territory belong to their own military forces)  – denied any role in these other attacks. Moreover, Gulf Arab states have complained that the US moved air defence systems stationed on their own territory to Israel, leaving them with minimal capabilities and increasing the damage across the region. No matter how much the Arab regimes give the Americans, this is a stark demonstration that Israel will always be Washington's priority – at their expense. Who threatens whom It should be clear to Arab countries hosting US bases that the American presence does not protect them but places them and their populations in grave danger. Without these bases, they would have been immune to Iranian retaliation. Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has never attacked any country, including the Gulf Arab countries and Jordan – which provided massive financial, military, logistical, propaganda and diplomatic support for Iraq's unprovoked invasion of Iran between 1980 and 1988, which killed more than a million people. Iran did not retaliate against them even once, as Iraq launched its invasion from its own territory, not from these Arab countries. Why the Gulf fears Israel's 'day after' in Iran Read More » It is the Arab countries that have threatened Iran and supported aggression against it ever since the triumph of its revolution against the American-backed, Israel-allied dictatorship of the Shah. Since 1981, the Saudis have advanced an Arab strategy – first presented by then Crown Prince Fahd – of normalising ties with Israel to contain an alleged Iranian threat and to convince the Arab peoples that Iran, not Israel, is the major enemy of the Arab nation, even though Israel, then and now, has always threatened both Arab countries and Iran. Fahd's initiative was revived in Crown Prince Abdullah's so-called Arab Peace Plan in 2002. That all these Arab concessions to Israel and Arab collusion against Iran have only further endangered Arab states and the Palestinians – now being subjected to genocide – has not deterred Arab rulers. Indeed, this week, their ambassadors appealed to Russia to pressure Iran to halt its retaliation targeting US installations in their countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reminded them that they have sided with the US-Israeli aggression against Iran from day one, and their pretence of neutrality is just that. If the damage they have suffered during this war does not convince these Arab states that the true threat to their safety is their alliance with the United States and Israel, then nothing will.  The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. War on Iran Opinion Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:29 Update Date Override 0

Israeli military drops charges against soldiers accused of raping Palestinian MEE staff on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 16:18 The five soldiers were indicted for 'severe abuse' after allegedly gang-raping a Palestinian detainee held at Sde Teiman in July 2024 Soldiers lock a gate at Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli military police arrived as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee on 29 July (Reuters) Off The Israeli army has said it is dropping charges against five soldiers accused of raping a Palestinian detainee. In August 2024, Israel’s Channel 12 published leaked CCTV footage purportedly showing a group of soldiers at the notorious Sde Teiman prison gang-raping a Palestinian detainee while forming a human barrier around him. The military announced the move as attention is focused on the war with Iran.  "The State of Israel must hunt down its enemies, not its own heroic fighters," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement praising the decision. Excerpts of the footage used in the investigation showed soldiers surrounding the detainee as he was pinned against a wall. In another clip, he was seen lying on the floor. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); According to media reports, the Palestinian man was then taken to a field hospital at Sde Teiman with “a ruptured bowel, a severe injury to his anus, lung damage and broken ribs”. The original indictment said that "for 15 minutes, the accused kicked the detainee, stomped on him, stood on his body, hit him and pushed him all over his body, including with clubs, dragged him along the ground, and used a taser gun on him, including on his head". At least nine Israeli soldiers, all reservists from Force 100, a unit tasked with guarding the prisoners in Sde Teiman, were questioned over the assault in late July 2024, sparking widespread anger across Israel.  Only five were indicted for "severe abuse" of the detainee, but not for rape. The indictment against them said that one of the soldiers stabbed the detainee with a sharp object, causing a tear near his rectum.  According to Channel 12, the suspects in the case were found to be lying on a polygraph test. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Two suspects were asked two identical questions: "Did you insert an object into the Palestinian's anus during a search?" and "Are you hiding the identity of the person who inserted an object into the Palestinian's anus?" The suspects answered in the negative to both questions, with the examiner finding them both to be lying. A method of war The Israeli military said the decision to drop the charges follows “significant developments” in the case since the indictment was filed.  Among the reasons for cancelling the charges, the army cited “complexity regarding the existing evidence” and the “exceptional circumstances” of the case which they said could impact “the fundamental and basic right to a fair trial”. Israeli settlers join 'safari' tour of Palestinian prisoners Read More » In November 2025, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the country’s former top military lawyer, admitted to leaking the surveillance footage to Israel’s Channel 12 and resigned following a criminal investigation. Torture, rape and murder have all been reported as rife at Sde Teiman, with investigations by Middle East Eye, CNN and the New York Times reporting widespread examples of abuse at the centre. But the abuse extends beyond Sde Teiman, with multiple reports documenting the systematic use of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees across the Israeli prison system. A United Nations inquiry accused Israel of using sexualised torture and rape as "a method of war... to destabilize, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people". In December, two Palestinian detainees detained in separate Israeli prisons told Middle East Eye about their experiences of violent sexual assault. One described how he was kicked, stamped on, insulted and raped with an object while blindfolded, as Israeli guard watched and laughed. Another described how soldiers used a dog to rape him. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Video | Iran Israel War | Hormuz Horror: Indians Caught In Crossfire  NDTV

London property agents have told The Independent they are seeing a rise in demand for property in London from those who had moved to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf nations

submitted by /u/app1310 to r/worldnews [link] [comments]

Iran has stepped up attacks on oil and transport facilities in a number of countries including Bahrain, Oman and Iraq. A fire broke out after a drone strike at the port of Salalah in Oman. A fuel tank storage facility at a government facility in Bahrain also went up in flames, while two tankers were attacked off the Iraqi coast, shutting the country's oil ports Continue reading...

Base in Iraq hosting UK and US troops hit by Iranian drones A British base in Iraq has come under attack from Iranian drones, wounding a number of American soldiers.  British air-defence troops destroyed two drones, but other devices evaded defences and struck an air base in Erbil, northern Iraq, on Wednesday night, defence chiefs revealed on Thursday.  It marks the third successful strike against British forces since war began nearly two weeks ago.  This is a developing story... UK base in Iraq hit by Iranian drones

‘We’ve won’: Trump’s declarations of victory in war with Iran defy reality  MS NOW

submitted by /u/BlatantConservative to r/worldnews [link] [comments]

President says US will ‘make a lot of money’ as conflict with Iran drives fuel costs higher for Americans Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Donald Trump on Thursday shrugged off the economic toll the war in Iran is taking on gas prices across the United States, writing on social media that “when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money”. The president’s comment came as the American Automobile Association reports that the average price for a gallon of gas hit $3.60, a week after the beginning of the US-Israel military operation against Iran prompted the largest price spike since the opening days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Continue reading...

Iraqi official says air strike targeted Popular Mobilisation Forces' HQ An Iraqi security official told Al Jazeera that an air strike took place against Camp Saqr, which houses the headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Anbar, western Iraq. The attack on the paramilitary umbrella group, which has members who are backed by Iran, killed at least 30 people and injured dozens more on Thursday. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the attacks. One PMF fighter was also killed in the most recent attack in Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

UK base in Iraq hit by Iranian drones MEE staff on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 15:07 While some projectiles shot down, other devices evaded defences and struck an air base in Erbil, UK media reports A plume of smoke rises following an interception of a drone in Erbil on 12 March 2026 (AFP/Shvan Harki) Off A British base in Iraq has come under attack from Iranian drones, wounding a number of American soldiers.  British air-defence troops destroyed two drones, but other devices evaded defences and struck an air base in Erbil, northern Iraq, on Wednesday night, defence chiefs revealed on Thursday.  It marks the third successful strike against British forces since war began nearly two weeks ago.  An unknown number of one-way attack bombs eluded air defences at the base, lightly wounding US troops stationed there.  The same base was hit on 1 March, with British personnel stationed within 400m of the missile strike.   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); A day later, a drone hit RAF Akrotiri, the UK's air base in Cyprus. It caused no casualties and "minimal damage", according to Cypriot authorities.   British MP and Your Party leader Jeremy Corbyn told Middle East Eye: "Keir Starmer has dragged Britain into yet another illegal war. In doing so, he has jeopardised the safety of us all. "The sooner the government realises the severity of its mistake, the better. That means ending its complicity in this illegal war, and rescinding permission for the foreign use of British bases." This is a developing story... War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Iran accuses EU of ‘complicity’ in war  politico.eu

Militarily, the Iran war is a success. But what are the U.S. goals?  The Seattle Times

US bases in Gulf must close or be attacked, new Iran supreme leader says MEE staff on Thu, 03/12/2026 - 13:59 In his first statement since being appointed leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issues threat to US and says Tehran will 'take war reparations' In this picture obtained from Iran's Isna news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei looks on in Tehran on 13 October 2024 (Hamed Jafarnejad/Isna/AFP) Off In his first statement since becoming Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has said that all US bases must be immediately closed in the region or they will be attacked.  The new leader, the son of slain leader Ali Khamenei, has not been seen since the war began. His statement was read aloud by a presenter on IRIB, Iran’s state broadcaster. Khamenei said that Tehran believes in friendship with neighbouring countries, but that it will continue to target US bases. “Iran, without seeking to establish dominance in the region, is fully prepared for unity and warm relations with its neighbours,” he said.  “The countries of the region must close down the US military bases; otherwise, we will be forced to attack them again.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); He also said that the "lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz" would continue to be used. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime channel between the Musandam peninsula in Oman and Iran. It is described as the most significant oil chokepoint in the world, with around a fifth of global oil output passing through it, and a third of global liquified natural gas (LNG).  'The countries of the region must close down the US military bases; otherwise, we will be forced to attack them again' - Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Iran has effectively closed it for over a week, threatening to attack any tanker which attempts to cross it. Several tankers have been struck in recent days. “Other fronts - in which the enemy has little experience and whose activation will be opened if the war situation continues and based on considerations of interests,” Khamenei said.  He said that resistance in Yemen, referring to Ansar Allah (Houthis), “will also do the job”, and that armed groups in Iraq “want to help” Iran.  As yet, the Houthis have not intervened in the conflict.  “I would like to thank the brave fighters who are doing a great job at a time when our country is under pressure and under attack,” Khamenei added. He said Iranians wounded during the conflict would receive free treatment and some form of financial compensation. He implied that this would be paid through reparations.  “We will take war reparations from the enemy for the war it imposed on us,” he said. “If the enemy refuses, we will seize as much of its assets as we deem appropriate; and if that is not possible, we will destroy an equivalent amount of its property.” On 28 February, US and Israeli air strikes killed Khamenei's father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several family members, including the new leader's wife Zahra Adel, his mother Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, a son and a sister. Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? Khamenei was born in 1969 in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, one of the country’s most important religious centres. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); He is the second son of the late ayatollah, and the grandson of the Shia scholar Sayyed Javad Khamenei. Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader? Read More » Raised during the turbulent years of the Islamic Revolution, Mojtaba witnessed his father’s rise from a revolutionary figure to president and later supreme leader. He later married Zahra Haddad-Adel, the daughter of prominent conservative politician and former parliament speaker, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel. Zahra Haddad-Adel was among those killed in the strike that targeted the Khamenei family residence in Tehran. Like many senior figures in Iran’s religious establishment, Mojtaba pursued theological studies in the city of Qom, the country’s leading centre for Shia scholarship. There he studied Islamic jurisprudence and theology under several prominent scholars, including Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani and Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi. Analysts say Mojtaba spent much of his career teaching in Qom’s seminaries, including advanced jurisprudence courses known as dars-e kharej, the highest level of seminary study. Despite his long presence in religious circles, he has never held a formal government post or served in elected office. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

submitted by /u/newyorker to r/geopolitics [link] [comments]

The Hidden Cost Of The Iran War: Your Grocery Bill  Forbes

A top Iranian official is warning that attacks on the Persian Gulf islands that form Iran’s southern maritime frontier would provoke a new level of retaliation