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Majorities of Americans don’t support the war but now fear an attack on U.S. soil, a recent poll finds

Democrats demand investigation of claims US-Israeli war on Iran is biblical prophecy MEE staff on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 16:39 Commanders told troops Trump was 'anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran' US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth holds a briefing on the US-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on 2 March 2026 (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters) Off Nearly 30 Democrats in Congress are demanding an internal investigation into hundreds of complaints by US troops that the US-Israeli war on Iran has been framed to them as a biblical prophecy to hasten the return of Jesus Christ.  Their letter to the Department of War's inspector general was obtained by the news site Military.com on Friday, and is signed by several progressives, including Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and Washington state Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also signed the letter. Commanders had invoked "religious prophecy and apocalyptic theology to justify the United States’ military actions in Iran", it said.  “If accurate, these outrageous statements - justifying a war based on interpretations of biblical prophecies, and informing troops that they are risking their lives to advance a specific religious vision - raises not only glaring Constitutional concerns, but potential violations of Department of Defense regulations regarding religious neutrality and breaches of professional obligations and standards expected of military leadership,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to the Department of War by its previous name.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); They further asked if such statements are "part of a broader political climate in which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and senior civilian officials have publicly framed Middle East policy in explicitly religious terms".  US troops were told Iran war 'anointed by Jesus' to bring on Armageddon, watchdog says Read More » Hegseth himself famously wears a tattoo of a crusader's cross on his chest, as well as the word "kafir" in Arabic on his arm - a term used in Islam to refer to unbelievers in the oneness of God. His donning of Christian nationalist symbols was a source of controversy well before his Senate hearing last year to confirm him to the top civilian role at the Pentagon. This was among other scandals involving sexual assault, alcoholism, and racism.  Vice President JD Vance had to step in and become the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, making it 51-50 in Hegseth's favour.  Last week, Hegseth told the CBS News programme "60 Minutes" that he thinks soldiers should pray before battle. "They need a connection with their almighty God," he said. "We're fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon; but from my perspective, obviously I'm a man of faith who encourages our troops to lean into their faith, rely on God." Risks The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), an organisation dedicated to ensuring that all members of the US military are guaranteed religious freedom, told Middle East Eye last week that it had received more than 200 complaints from personnel serving in the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and space force.  Michael L Weinstein, founder of MRFF and a veteran of the US Air Force and Reagan White House, told MEE that his organisation was continuing to be inundated with complaints from serving US military personnel who had been told that they should be excited to be part of the war on Iran, as it would bring about "Armageddon" and the return of Jesus Christ.  “This is not just one rogue commander,” Weinstein said, pointing to the growing influence of Christian nationalists and fundamentalists in the US military. "Public statements by administration officials and allies invoking biblical claims about Israel and the region - along with rhetoric suggesting a prophetic or religious dimension to geopolitical conflicts - risks emboldening similar messaging within military ranks," Democrats wrote in their letter, likely in reference to widely-panned comments made by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee last month, saying Israel has the right to take "all" of the Middle East.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Those enlisted in the US military swear an oath to the Constitution, which separates the church and state, and not to any religious authority or to the president.  Democrats are now demanding to know where such communications originated within the chain of command; whether they constitute violations of religious neutrality; what the scope and geographic distribution of complaints received within the Pentagon are; whether soldiers had fears of retaliation within their units; and if training in the military always adheres to the rule of religious neutrality.  War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

War in Waves: What Do the Numbers Reveal About Iran’s Strikes on Israel?  Palestine Chronicle

At least 150 US troops wounded so far in war on Iran Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that at least 150 US troops have so far been wounded in the US-Israeli war on Iran.  The figure has not been previously reported and is far higher than the Pentagon's publicly disclosed figure of eight seriously wounded US forces.

US and Iran dig in and ramp up threats as war rages with no end in sight  The Boston Globe

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe among more than 100 signatories to letter urging PM not to get drawn further into the conflict Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is among three of Iran’s former political prisoners and more than 100 Iranians living in the UK who have urged the British prime minister not to get drawn further into the Iran conflict. They are all signatories in a letter to Keir Starmer saying the way the war is being conducted is strengthening the regime in Tehran. Continue reading...

The impacts of the conflict have been compared to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which pushed prices up for British households

Lebanon’s death toll from Israeli attacks reaches 570 The number of people killed in Lebanon since Israel’s renewed attacks on the country has risen to 570, according to a report issued by the Lebanese government’s Disaster Risk Management Unit. At least 1,444 people have also been wounded and a total of 760,000 have registered as displaced since the outbreak of the new war, according to the report.

The latest attacks come a day after bombing of fuel reserves created thick plumes of smoke that turned day into night.

Trump reportedly wants to seize Iran's Kharg Island. He floated the idea 40 years ago MEE staff on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 15:51 Trump called for the US to take over the key Iranian oil export hub as early as 1988 This handout image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, shows a view of Iran's Kharg Island, on 2 March 2026 (European Space Agency/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump mulled over taking over Iran’s oil-export hub Kharg Island as a way to assert US power in the Gulf and punish the Islamic Republic. The idea came to him nearly 40 years ago. “I’d be harsh on Iran. They’ve been beating us psychologically, making us look [like] a bunch of fools,” Trump told the Guardian in 1988. “One bullet shot at one of our men or ships, and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it,” he added. The interview is notable now as several news sites have reported US and Israeli discussions about seizing the island, where Iran exports around 90 percent of its crude. Axios reported that the US and Israel held discussions about seizing Kharg Island last week. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The 1988 Guardian interview demonstrates that this idea is not new. In the interview, he also said that "It’d be good for the world to take them (Iran) on".  Trump’s comments then came against the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq War, a brutal conflict against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and the Islamic Republic, which saw around 500,000 people killed. In the late 1980s, the US Navy escorted vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and attacked Iranian oil installations and mines. Trump’s hostility to Iran can be traced back to the Guardian interview. “Iran can’t even beat Iraq, yet they push the United States around. It’d be good for the world to take them on,” he said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); A complex history  Like many Americans of his generation, Trump’s view on Iran was shaped by the 1979 overthrow of the US-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The popular uprising led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In November 1979, 66 Americans were taken hostage from the US embassy in Tehran. Fourteen were released early, and the remaining 52 were held for over 400 days. Tensions soar as Hegseth and Rubio feud over US troops in Iran Read More » The US’s history with Iran, however, is much more complicated. The US and Israel, in fact, sold Iran weapons during its war with Iraq, viewing Hussein’s secular Arab government as a bigger foe than the Islamic Republic. Some sales were part of the Iran-Contra affair, where proceeds were illegally used to support anti-Marxist rebels in Nicaragua. The Trump administration has long noted the US president’s statements from the 1980s, for example, in support of tariffs, as proof that he is deeply committed to his positions. The US-Israel war on Iran has led to the worst energy crisis since the 1970s Arab oil embargo, which Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries said was done in response to US support for Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed to all but the most intrepid vessel owners. Bloomberg reported that Iran was still loading oil at Kharg Island as late as Saturday, one week after the beginning of the US-Israeli attack, but that it was not clear if it was still operating. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Iran's MEK plots a US-backed path to power from exile in Albania Elis Gjevori on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 15:30 Long marginal in Iranian politics, the exiled MEK seeks relevance as US and Israel strike Iran Maryam Rajavi, leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), speaks during a demonstration against the Iranian government, in Berlin on 7 February 2026 (John Macdougall/AFP) Off The war on Iran has given an opposition group that has long struggled for relevance in exile a chance to grab the mantle of history and present itself as a ready-made alternative to the Islamic Republic. As Israel and the US began to strike Iran on 28 February, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) swung into action. Maryam Rajavi, the group's 72-year-old leader, announced the formation of what she described as a provisional government tasked with overseeing the fall of the Iranian regime and its replacement with a democratic republic with her at the helm. For more than a decade, 3,000 members of the MEK have lived in a small village outside Albania's capital Tirana, turning the Balkan country into an unlikely outpost of a distant conflict. The group, founded as an Islamist-Marxist student militia in the 1960s, relocated to the village of Manze in 2013 when Albania agreed, at Washington’s request, to accept fighters previously based in Iraq. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Now, there is an opportunity that has long eluded the MEK, one that could lead it out of Albania and back into some kind of relevance. The problem, analysts say, is that the group is far further away from power than it was during the 1979 revolution it played a significant role in.  “The MEK is not a serious alternative to the Islamic Republic. It is a thuggish and corrupt cult that is unpopular inside Iran,” said Thomas Juneau, a professor of Middle East studies at the University of Ottawa. “As long as the Islamic Republic was firmly in power, it was mostly irrelevant for former US (and other western) politicians to support the MEK by attending its events,” he told Middle East Eye. Maryam Rajavi, leader of the MEK, speaks during a demonstration against the Iranian government, in Berlin on 7 February 2026  (John Macdougall/AFP) The US designated the MEK a terrorist organisation in 1997 before removing it from the list in 2012.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Despite the controversy surrounding the group, which was cracked down on by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the revolution and went on to fight for Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the MEK gained international attention in 2002 when it revealed the existence of a previously undisclosed Iranian uranium-enrichment programme. A role in the current conflict?  Iran has experienced repeated waves of protests in recent decades. Yet the opposition has remained fragmented, both inside and outside the country, with numerous ideological and political factions competing for influence. The MEK, which began its life as a vehemently anti-American, anti-imperialist group, now stands out in part because of its willingness to cooperate with the US and Israel. This alignment, analysts say, helps explain why it continues to attract attention despite its limited domestic popularity. “This is not happening because people think the MEK will bring democracy or that they have any future,” said Sajjad Safaei, an expert on Iran and the Middle East. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “In some ways, because the MEK has no future, they are perfect for serving the interests of for instance the United States or Israel,” he told MEE. The organisation remains highly structured and maintains networks among Persian-speaking activists. Its Albanian compound reportedly houses media rooms and communication centres used to monitor Iranian developments and distribute content online. Supporters of Maryam Rajavi take part in a demonstration against the Iranian government, in Berlin on 7 February 2026 (John Macdougall/AFP) “There is this running joke amongst Farsi speakers,” Safaei said. “That whenever you want to dismiss a Twitter or social media account, you always say, just remember that you're talking to an MEK account in Tirana.” Beyond propaganda, analysts believe the group may play a role in shaping narratives supportive of western policy toward Iran. Such activity can create what Safaei describes as a permissive climate that reinforces arguments for military action. But its potential utility may extend further. “So sabotage, espionage, inciting violence, sabotage of nuclear installations, assassinations, they're probably very much involved there, I could imagine,” he said. The MEK has also built a lobbying network in Washington. Last year, supporters in Congress passed a resolution backing Rajavi’s “10-point plan” for Iran, which calls for the country to become a “democratic, secular and non-nuclear state”. Maryam Rajavi (R), former US Vice President Mike Pence (C) and his wife Karen Pence (L) pose for a photograph in the Albanian town of Manza, on 23 June 2022 (Gent Shkullaku/AFP) For Juneau, though, there is a critical distinction to make. While the group may be useful to outside powers, he argues, that does not mean it has a realistic political future inside Iran. “It is crucial to distinguish that role from the delusion that it could play a constructive political role in a post-Islamic Republic Iran,” he said. Gambit for power For years the MEK has cultivated support among western politicians who see it as a useful instrument against Tehran. Among those who have appeared at the group’s events are former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, former US Vice President Mike Pence, Joe Lieberman, a former senator, former national security adviser John Bolton, former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Financial disclosures in the US show that some figures were paid substantial speaking fees. Bolton received $40,000 for a speech at a 2017 rally in Paris, while Pence was paid $190,000 for a speech delivered in Albania in 2022. Iran's Jews feeling fear and heartbreak as US-Israeli strikes rain down Read More » “Now that the fall of the Islamic Republic is conceivable, it becomes essential for western governments to take the issue of a post-Islamic Republic Iran seriously,” said Juneau. The renewed speculation about so-called "regime change" has also intensified rivalries among exiled Iranian opposition figures, and the knives are out. Giuliani, a close ally of the MEK, attacked Reza Pahlavi on X on 1 March. “Reza Pahlavi is the heir to a regime of corruption and brutality imposed by outsiders on the Iranian people,” Giuliani wrote, adding that the son of the shah had lived “a life of a self proclaimed 'prince' supported by the money stolen from the people”. Mike Pompeo, a former US secretary of state, also weighed in, writing that “Iran's democratic opposition is ready to step up and lead”, while quoting Rajavi. Even so, Washington has not officially endorsed the group. “The past shows ample precedents of US support for groups with little or no legitimacy in countries it invades can have negative consequences,” Juneau said. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Iran state media: Four Iranian diplomats killed in Israeli attack An Israeli attack killed four Iranian diplomats in Lebanon on Sunday, Iranian state media said on Tuesday citing Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, Reuters is reporting.

Donald Trump has held an astonishing press conference in which he said the war in Iran was ‘very complete’ and could end ‘very soon’, but also claimed that the US had not ‘won enough’. The US president is under growing pressure over the economic toll from the conflict, but his words were met with defiance from Tehran. So is the war any closer to ending and has Trump underestimated the resilience of the Iranian regime? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Jewish Democrats press for oversight as Trump’s Iran war rages on  The Forward

Warheads detonate at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across a wide area

Air strikes have damaged at least four oil facilities since US-Israeli attacks on Iran began last month.

IEA due to meet as member states mull releasing oil reserves amid Iran war  Al Jazeera

International Energy Agency chief says talks aimed to assess conditions as Iran war drives global uncertainty.

‘$5.6 billion could have paid for over 356,000 Medicare or 568,00 Medicaid enrollees,’ one social media user commented

IRGC announces strikes on Israel and US assets The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it has used Farah, Emad, Khaibar and Qadr missiles to target Israel and US assets at bases around the Gulf, Al Jazeera is reporting.